US Army Corps of Engineers abandons $3 billion Collier County storm surge protection proposal

“People think that our previously recommended plan is still on the table. It’s not,” claimed Abbegail Preddy, a project manager with the Army Corps Norfolk District.

The estimated overall project cost for the previous conceptually proposed plan, which is no longer being taken into consideration, was $2.4 billion, according to a recent article by Ryan Arbogast of NBC2.

Included in the report were plans to build: 
3, 14-foot high concrete seawalls (at Seagate Drive, Bonita Beach Road, and U.S. 41 East)
2 lock-type structures (at Doctor’s Pass & Wiggins’ Pass)

“The plan that met a lot of public concern about the flood walls, the gates, the surge barriers, and all that, we are not considering that anymore”, added Preddy.

A $5 billion project that includes 20-foot high seawalls in Biscayne Bay was proposed by the Corps only last week, but Miami-Dade County formally rejected it. County officials on the East Coast asserted that public opinion influenced their decision.

“Some of the issues and concerns in Collier, we had the same nature of issues in Miami. Same issues, same time, people are concerned about environmental compliance,” said Preddy.

The Army Corps of Engineers has held numerous public hearings in Collier County since the project was made public, inviting locals to express their support or opposition to the structures.

You can listen to the most recent meeting’s tape here.

“I have to applaud the Collier County Community. They showed up in force. They supported nature-based infrastructure, they want to see that advance,” said Dawn Shirreffs, the Florida director for the St. Petersburg-based nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund.

Future ideas would put a strong emphasis on natural solutions, according to statements made to NBC2 News by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Defense Fund.

“We are now looking at beach renourishment, dune systems, and non-structural measures,” said Michelle Hamor, the chief of planning and policy for the Army Corps of Engineers.

According to the Corps, they want to present a preliminary plan to the Collier County Commission in April 2024. By the summer, a complete strategy should be made available to the public.

The original article can be found on NBC2