MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. — The clock is ticking until its sea turtle time along Brevard County beaches. Nesting season is highly anticipated by researchers and ecotourists alike, but it also means the time when restoration work can continue is coming to a close.

Nearly five months after Hurricane Nicole swept across the Space Coast, causing extensive coastal erosion, the county is working as quickly as it can to repair the dune system.

The official nesting/hatching season for sea turtles runs from March 1 through October 31, but the Sea Turtle Conservency notes that “the majority of nesting in Florida occurs between May 1 and October 31.”

Trucks could be seen hauling hundreds of pounds of sand down the beach throughout the day on Friday as part of the ongoing restoration work. Of the $22,488,179 needed to complete the repairs, $6,442,628 came from American Rescue Plan Act funds. Those are needed to make up the difference from what’s in the coffers of the county’s Beach Fund.

FEMA will reimburse the costs incurred by the county since the damage was caused by a hurricane, but county officials note that could take up to three years.