COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Brevard County residents are once again teaming up with the Surfrider Foundation to help protect their area beaches from erosion ahead of hurricane and turtle nesting seasons.

  • Local chapter of Surfrider Foundation has worked to protect beaches for 10 years
  • Brevard County allows residents to purchase trays of Sea Oat plants
  • Volunteers will plant Sea Oats around Cocoa Beach, surrounding beaches
  • Fact sheet regarding Sea Oats

For ten years, the Cocoa Beach chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has done all they can do to conserve the area's shoreline and beaches. 

Their efforts are made possible, in part, with the help of Brevard County. The county allows residents to annually purchase trays of Sea Oat plants. 

The trays, which contain about 96 plants each, cost about $48. The foundation then recruits volunteers to plant the Sea Oats along the Cocoa Beach area, as well as around the county when other cities hold their own volunteer-based planting days.

Getting involved

This year, Cocoa Beach residents purchased about 24,000 plants total. Cape Canaveral, meanwhile, reported volunteers there planted about 10,000 Sea Oats.

“The vegetation is the primary way dunes are held in place," says Surfrider Foundation Cocoa Beach Chapter Chairman John Hearin. "It's our first line of defense when we have a big storm to prevent beach erosion.”

Surfrider volunteer Lawrence L. has been helping with the planting in Cocoa Beach the past ten years. He told us he moved to the area from Atlanta 20 years ago, and as he now calls Florida home, he feels it's his job to help maintain the beaches.

"Somebody has to try to protect the beach, and that's us," Lawrence said.

How do Sea Oats help?

Sea Oat roots are wide and can go down about six to eight feet, holding sand in place. That helps not only preserve the beaches themselves, but also the foundations beneath beachfront property.

The plants also provide a habitat for sea turtles during nesting season, which helps entice the reptiles to return year after year.

To learn more about how Sea Oats benefit beach conservation, check out the fact sheet linked HERE.