DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. — Residents of Grand Coquina Beach-side condos in Daytona Beach Shores say they have finally obtained permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to begin construction on a new seawall following destruction from Hurricane Ian.

However, there are still lingering issues holding up construction, as the residents strive to resolve concerns about the height of the new seawall.

Spectrum News 13 interviewed approximately a dozen individuals living along the coast in Volusia County who are either waiting for permits, or are experiencing delays in obtaining them for their seawall construction.

Jeff Sussman, the treasurer of the Homeowners Association (HOA) board at Grand Coquina, says residents of the 109 beach-front units were forced to evacuate the day before Hurricane Nicole struck, due to the destruction of their temporary seawall.

Sussman said that for about a month, he and others had to find alternative accommodations with friends or in hotels until the building was deemed safe.

“Definitely was not in my retirement plan,” Sussman said.

The HOA board has been engaged in a back-and-forth correspondence with the DEP to obtain the necessary permits. Sussman says they are eager to complete the construction before another hurricane threatens Florida, but they have encountered several obstacles along the way.

"We had intended to physically start construction on March 1, and we are just getting started now, but we still don't know the final height of our seawall," Sussman said.

Initially, the approved height for the seawall at Grand Coquina was 8 feet. However, shortly after construction commenced, the DEP issued a permit for a 12-foot seawall.

Engineers working on the project have suggested that a 15.5- or 16-foot wall would be more effective in protecting the structure from a storm as powerful as Hurricane Ian.

Despite this recommendation, Sussman says approval for a 16-foot wall has not been granted yet.

The permit process for the seawall began in December, according to Sussman and the board at Grand Coquina. They say they did not receive a response from the DEP until the first week of May.

"The DEP was supposed to simplify the permitting process for the permanent seawall ... it has been an absolute nightmare from day one," Sussman said. "... Seems like every time we make some headway, they come up with another obstacle to slow us down."

According to Sussman, the DEP finally responded last week, approving a wall height of 15 feet — still a foot short of their suggested height.

"Now next door, the condo, the Marbella, their wall is going to be essentially 16 feet high ... common sense would dictate that our wall should be the same height as theirs," Sussman said.

On May 11, the Watchdog team reached out to the DEP via email and phone, to ask about the situation at Grand Coquina. A spokesperson responded, promising to reply to the email and copy the relevant person who could address their questions.

Despite follow-up phone calls on May 12 and 15, no response was received. Finally, on May 16, the team received a reply to their follow-up email. However, the spokesperson inquired only about the deadline for the story.