Protect the Life Beneath the Sand
Under every Florida beach lives a hidden food web: mole crabs (“sand fleas”, Emerita), coquina clams (Donax), ghost crabs and tiny amphipods. Shorebirds and surf fish like pompano eat them. When a beach is rebuilt with pumped or trucked sand, these animals are buried. Studies found mole crabs and coquinas 86–99% lower on nourished beaches 5–10 weeks after placement (Peterson et al. 2000).
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Florida sand placement projects & contracts tracked (2023–2027)$344,598,762
Beach projects in Florida's FY2026-27 state funding request list (FDEP)$432,343,306
in beach-fill contract awards we could documentStart here
- Florida Beach Project Tracker: every project, cost, funding split, contractor and sand source we could verify.
- Who gets paid: the dredging companies behind the work.
- The science, the right sand and the food-chain link to protected species.
- Take action: comment on permits and ask for monitoring and compatible sand. Template letters included.
- Report a sand project you see on your beach.