Sand erosion occurred at several Tampa Bay beaches due to Hurricane Debby

TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Debby severely eroded the shoreline at Ben T. Davis Park in Tampa, according to the University of South Florida Geology Professor Ping Wang, with high tide currently reaching way too close to the Courtney Campbell Causeway. 

“We are really close to the freeway,” he said. “Something has to be done here.”

Wang surveyed the Ben T. Davis beach on Wednesday with his students for the city of Tampa and a consulting company. Wang said they want to gather detailed topography data to offer mitigation solutions which include rebuilding up to 60 feet of new beach by installing a sand dune and an artificial reef to dissipate wave action before it reaches the shoreline.

“We can calculate how much sand we may need,” he said. “There used to be a beach a very long time ago, and it got eroded away. Now it’s completely gone.”

Wang said because there’s no beach left, there were “some pretty bad impacts” on the shoreline from Debby. Uprooted trees, the edge of a crumbling parking lot and concrete barriers are just some of the visible damage. Debby also completely washed out all the sand beneath a swing, leaving it dangling a few feet up in the air.

“We’re already in a pretty critical state,” he said. “So now the last punch just made it look much, much worse.”

The shoreline at the Tampa park has eroded within about 30 to 40 feet of the Courtney Campbell, which should be several hundred feet from the highway, according to Wang.

“That really puts a lot of pressure on the road,” he said. “This is way too close. So, this section should really be fixed.”

Wang said a buoy near Egmont Key measured waves 6 to 7 feet high for 2 days straight from Debby with the peak wave reaching nearly 14 feet.

In Pinellas County, sand dune scarping from Debby occurred at Belleair Beach, Indian Rocks Beach and Sunset Beach, which took the most damage because it’s very narrow, according to public works.

“This underscores the need for a full nourishment project,” said spokesperson Tony Fabrizio. “We are very vulnerable right now.”

Phase 2 of the $5.8 million Pass-a-Grille beach renourishment project started a few weeks ago and was paused as Debby rolled through the area on Sunday. Weather permitting, the contractor hopes to resume work this weekend.

Fabrizio said post storm conditions have prevented public works from getting an accurate assessment but it appears Pass-a-Grille sand loss drifted and filled in the beach north of 10th Avenue and some sand drifted out to sea and may come back.

“A survey will be conducted to get an accurate assessment of storm impacts,” he said. “It may take several weeks to fully assess.”

Public Works Director Kelli Hammer Levy said while the Pass-a-Grille renourishment project lost some sand, it appears to be otherwise okay. A survey is expected to be conducted on Thursday or Friday depending on tidal conditions.