On March 17, 2021, the Mayor and City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2021-31621, authorizing the City Manager to execute a temporary easement with the County for non-exclusive access and use for staging areas on City property, located at the beachfront parking lots at 46 street, 53 street, and 65 street in order to provide access points to the County or its designee for the placement of clean sand (beach renourishment). On March 24, 2021, the City and the County executed the Temporary Easement Agreement for a period of 28 months, which agreement is set to expire on July 28, 2023. Since then, the beach renourishment project has been completed at 53rd street and 65th street. The Administration has provided seven beach renourishment updates in the form of Letters to Commission and communications to the residents regarding the status of the project since 2021.

The overall program originated in the mid-1970s, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Miami-Dade County (County) entered into a 50-year contract titled the Miami-Dade County, Florida Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project. This project calls for the joint management of the County’s sandy beaches, including those in the City of Miami Beach. The renourished beach contributes significantly to the local economy, provides critical storm protection and erosion control, as well as environmental, recreational, and economic benefits to the City, the region, and the State. However, natural processes, including waves, tidal currents, wind, storms, flooding, and sea level rise continuously remove sand from the beach system. To maintain a healthy beach, the USACE, in collaboration and cost-share with the State of Florida and the County, periodically renourishes the City’s beaches as part of their beach renourishment program.