Flagler County is planning to get its hands on $10 million in emergency funding to begin restoring dunes that protect homes along State Road A1A after Hurricane Matthew ravaged the area in October 2016.

  • Flagler County hopes to get $10 million in emergency funding
  • The money would help restore the dunes along the coastline
  • "It's critical," Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey said

It has been three months since the storm, and homeowners are looking forward to seeing the dunes that once protected their homes restored to what they were pre-Matthew.

"Right now, even a modest storm would come through the vulnerable areas and spill into our community," said Jim Ulsamer, who lives in The Hammock area of Flagler County.

Ulsamer stood before the Flagler County Commission on Monday to express his concerns and thank elected officials for working on the issue.

About 600 homes were flooded in Ulsamer's neighborhood and surrounding areas during the hurricane. The county said the beaches lost more than $30 million worth of sand during the storm. The restoration of about 18 miles of coastline is a must, county officials said.

"It's critical," County Administrator Craig Coffey said, adding that without dunes to protect the homes, flooding could happen again.

It would be the third project in the works that would restore the dunes.

The $10 million would come from a grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection so work could begin on the first 12 miles north of the Flagler Beach Pier.

The agency, however, requires the county to match the funds with a 50-50 split.

"We (are) struggling because we can't afford that," Coffey said. "We don't have millions laying around."

Homeowners said that not fixing the problem could lead to much greater issues.

"Once it gets to a point where it breaks through ... every high tide (that) comes through, that's twice a day, 56 times a month and it would continue to flood," Ulsamer said.

The County Commission unanimously authorized Coffey to obtain the $5.35 million from the Department of Environmental Protection and are committed to funding the required 50 percent to match the grant, County Commissioner Donald O'Brien said.

"It would be malpractice on our part to let the money go by the wayside and not try to obtain that money for us to protect our dunes and coastline," O'Brien said. "We have some very vulnerable areas — especially in the northern part of our county."

A county staff presentation showed the county is still months away from receiving money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Homeowners hope the county gets the funding it needs to get the job done.

"The beaches are the lifeblood of this county, and without the beaches, Flagler County is not really Flagler County," Ulsamer said.

The county has spent $5.5 million to date on debris removal. There's another $10 million that needs to be spent on other hurricane-related items, including damages to buildings, roads and boardwalks.

Flagler County would be one of six counties to receive the money from the Department of Environmental Protection. If the county gets the money, work would begin in March ahead of turtle-nesting season.