Living With Florida's Atlantic Beaches

by Bush, David M.

• ISBN13: 9780822332893
• ISBN10: 0822332892
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-01
• Publisher: Duke Univ Pr

Summary

From Amelia Island just south of Georgia to Key West's southern tip, Florida's beaches are its greatest asset. Yet Florida's dynamic Atlantic coast is a dangerous brew of rapidly proliferating structural development on highly erodible shores periodically hit by some of nature's greatest storms. The same development that has been driven by the attraction of beautiful beaches and coastal amenities, now threatens those very resources. In turn, coastal structures are vulnerable to sea level rise, shoreline retreat, winter storms, and hurricanes. Most of the methods for reducing losses associated with storms as well as slower processes such as shoreline retreat and sea level change only protect property in the short term and at a growing cost in dollars and loss of natural habitat in the long term. Living with Florida's Atlantic Beaches is a guide to mitigating or reducing losses of property, human life, and natural resources by living with, rather than at, the shore. This illustrated volume provides an introduction to coastal processes and geology along with a brief history of coastal hazards and the short sighted human responses. This is the first volume in the series to discuss the significant long-term impact of dredge and fill beach construction on the living marine resources. Guidance is provided for longer term risk reduction in the form of tips on storm resistant construction and site evaluation; including maps for evaluating relative vulnerability to hazards. A brief review of coastal regulations will help property owners understand and navigate the various permit requirements for developing coastal property. Living with Florida's Atlantic Beaches is an invaluable source of information for everyone from the curious beach visitor to the community planner, from the prudent property investor to the decision making public official.

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Tables, and Risk Maps	xi
Preface	xvii
1 From Fort Clinch to Fort Taylor: East Florida's Dynamic Coast	1	(27)
Coastal Images	3	(1)
Geology: The Basis of Environment	4	(10)
Coastal Landforms	14	(1)
Coastal Processes and the Importance of Sand	14	(2)
Climate: A Fundamental Component of Environment	16	(1)
Animals and Plants: The Health of the Coast	16	(2)
Prehistoric Life: Early Humans	18	(1)
Access: The Key to Development	19	(2)
Lighthouse Lessons	21	(3)
Population Explosion in the Coastal Zone	24	(3)
Prospects for the Future	27	(1)
2 The Vulnerable Coast: Living with Storms	28	(21)
Hurricanes	33	(10)
Hurricane Probability	35	(3)
Ranking Hurricane Intensities	38	(1)
Hurricane History: A Stormy Past	39	(5)
Early Hurricanes	40	(1)
Recent Hurricanes	41	(2)
Winter Storms	43	(1)
Other Storm-Related Hazards	44	(1)
Coastal Storm Processes	44	(3)
Natural Processes: Energy in Motion	45	(16)
Wind	45	(1)
Storm Waves	45	(1)
Currents	45	(1)
Storm Surge	46	(1)
Storm-Surge Ebb	47	(1)
Human Coastal Modifications: Altering the Response to Natural Processes	47	(2)
3 The Variable Coast: Beaches, Barrier Islands, and Coastal Processes	49	(18)
The Significance of Barrier Islands in Hazard Evaluation	51	(2)
Barrier Island Evolution	53	(2)
Stationary or Grounded Barrier Islands	55	(1)
Rolling Sandbars: How Islands Migrate	56	(3)
The Role of the Shoreface in Barrier Island Evolution	59	(1)
Geologic Framework of the Coast: Know Your Shoreface	59	(2)
Beaches: Nature's Shock Absorbers	61	(6)
How Does the Beach Respond to a Storm?	61	(1)
How Does the Beach Widen?	62	(3)
Where Does Beach Sand Come From?	65	(1)
Why Are Our Shorelines Retreating?	65	(1)
If Most Shorelines Are Eroding, What Is the Long-Range Future of Beach Development?	65	(2)
4 The Fortified Coast: Living with Coastal Engineering	67	(33)
Shoreline Armoring: Engineering Structures	68	(13)
Shore-Parallel Structures on Land: The Seawall Family	69	(7)
Impacts of Seawalls	73	(1)
Passive Beach Loss	73	(1)
Active Beach Loss	73	(1)
Placement Beach Loss	73	(1)
Seawalls, Sediment Loss, and Narrowing Beaches	73	(3)
Shore-Parallel Structures Offshore: Breakwaters	76	(1)
Shore-Perpendicular Structures: Groins and Jetties	77	(3)
Impacts of Groins	77	(3)
Engineering Structures: A Final Word	80	(1)
Coastal Armoring Policy	81	(2)
"Alternative" Devices	83	(3)
Redistributing Sediment: Dredging/Filling, Trucking, Scraping, and Bypassing	86	(9)
Beach Dredge-and-Fill Projects	86	(6)
Trucking Sand	92	(1)
Beach Scraping	92	(3)
Sand Transfer Plants	95	(1)
Dune Building	95	(1)
Plugging Dune Gaps	95	(2)
Principles of Sand Fencing and Artificial Plantings	96	(1)
Relocation: Managed Retreat	97	(1)
Are Variances Eroding Beach Protection Efforts?	98	(1)
Truths of the Shoreline	98	(2)
5 Environmental Effects of Beach Management	100	(20)
The Shelf Setting	100	(2)
How Marine Animals Can Be Affected by Engineering Projects	102	(2)
Beach Engineering Methods and Environmental Effects	104	(9)
Large Dredge-and-Fill Projects	105	(5)
Engineering Methods	105	(1)
Historical Perspectives on Beach Dredge and Fill	106	(1)
Environmental Effects	107	(3)
Mid-shelf Areas (35-60 Feet)	107	(1)
Intermediate Shelf Areas (12-35 Feet)	108	(1)
Nearshore and Onshore Areas (0-12 Feet)	109	(1)
Inlet Channel Maintenance	110	(1)
Nearshore Berms	110	(1)
Sand Trucking	111	(1)
Importing Aragonite Sand	111	(1)
Sand Transfer Plants	112	(1)
Comparative Environmental Effects of Beach Engineering Methods	113	(1)
The Chronic Absence of Cumulative Impact Assessments	114	(3)
Natural Stressors	114	(1)
Historical Reef Burials	115	(1)
Mitigation and Artificial Reefs	116	(1)
Just the Facts	117	(3)
The Scale of Past and Future Dredge-and-Fill Projects	118	(1)
Current Understanding of Faunas and Impacts of Beach Engineering	118	(2)
6 The Rules of the Coast: Assessing Hazards	120	(20)
The Flexible Coast	121	(3)
Selecting Your Coastal Site	124	(3)
Stability Indicators: Reading Nature's Record at the Coast	127	(4)
Terrain and Elevation	127	(1)
Vegetation	127	(3)
Seashells	130	(1)
Soil Profiles	130	(1)
Coastal Environments: Your Site in the Bigger Coastal Picture	131	(3)
Primary Dunes	131	(1)
Dune Fields	132	(1)
Overwash Fans	133	(1)
Grasslands	133	(1)
Inlets	134	(1)
The Infrastructure Coast: Water Resources, Services, and Utilities	134	(3)
Finger Canals	135	(2)
Site Evaluation Checklist: Vulnerability and Risk Potential	137	(1)
Escape Routes: Have an Emergency Plan	138	(2)
Know the Escape Route Ahead of Time	138	(1)
Use the Escape Route Early	139	(1)
7 The Nitty-Gritty Coast: Evaluating Your Coastal Site	140	(109)
Nassau County	142	(5)
Duval County	147	(6)
St. Johns County	153	(11)
Flagler County	164	(5)
Volusia County	169	(8)
Brevard County	177	(12)
Indian River County	189	(4)
St. Lucie County	193	(6)
Martin County	199	(6)
Palm Beach County	205	(10)
Broward County	215	(7)
Dade County	222	(10)
Miami Beach: The Endpoint	232	(1)
Monroe County/Florida Keys	232	(15)
The Environment	235	(2)
Look What They've Done to Our Keys!	237	(4)
The Storm Threat	241	(6)
The Next Step	247	(2)
8 The Built Coast: Construction Guidelines	249	(29)
Can We Learn from Past Experience?	249	(1)
Coastal Realty versus Coastal Reality	249	(1)
The Structure: Concept of Balanced Risk	250	(1)
Can We Rely on Building Codes?	251	(1)
Coastal Forces: Design Requirements	251	(2)
Lessons from Previous Storms	253	(2)
The National Flood Insurance Program	255	(1)
Construction Type	255	(1)
House Selection	255	(1)
Strengthening the Exterior Envelope	256	(1)
Doors	257	(1)
Windows	257	(1)
Structural Integrity	257	(6)
Building Shape	257	(1)
Roofs	258	(4)
Connectivity, High-Wind Straps, and Tie-Downs	262	(1)
Keeping Dry: Pole or "Stilt" Houses	263	(5)
Piling Embedment	265	(2)
Connection of Pilings to the Floor and Roof	267	(1)
Breakaway Walls below Elevated Buildings	267	(1)
Concrete Slabs below Elevated Buildings	267	(1)
Utility Systems	267	(1)
Dry Flood-Proofing	268	(1)
An Existing House: What to Look for, Where to Improve	268	(6)
Location	268	(1)
How Well Built Is the House?	268	(3)
What Can Be Done to Improve an Existing House?	271	(3)
Mobile Homes: Limiting Their Mobility	274	(1)
High-Rise and Medium-Rise Buildings: The Urban Shore	275	(1)
Modular Unit Construction: Prefabricating the Urban Shore	276	(1)
What Should Be Done to Protect Property along the East Florida Coast?	276	(2)
9 The Managed Coast: Living with Coastal Regulations	278	(17)
National Flood Insurance Program	279	(3)
Coastal Barrier Resources Act	282	(2)
Rivers and Harbors Act of 1889	284	(1)
Coastal Zone Management Act	284	(1)
Florida Beach and Shore Preservation Act	284	(4)
Coastal Construction Control Line and Coastal Building Zone	287	(1)
National Environmental Policy Act	288	(1)
Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act	289	(1)
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act	289	(1)
Endangered Species Act	290	(1)
Clean Water Act	290	(1)
Critical Eroding Areas	291	(2)
Prediction: Coastal Regulation Will Increase	293	(2)
Appendixes
A. Hazard Safety Checklists	295	(7)
B. Guide to Local, State, and Federal Agencies Involved in Coastal Development	302	(12)
C. 101 Useful Coastal References	314
Index	000