Singer Island’s erosion problems have prompted state Senate President Jeff Atwater and U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, to push for a $30 million taxpayer funded breakwater offshore proposal. Caption and Photo Source: St Petersburg Times
By Adam Playford, The Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach County commissioners killed a controversial proposal Tuesday to build a series of breakwaters off of Singer Island intended to buffer its beach from eroding.
A motion by Commissioner Steven Abrams to move forward on the project failed 5-2. The proposal was sharply opposed by environmentalists, led by the Surfrider Foundation, who worried that it would disrupt sea turtles’ nesting grounds.
But it was portrayed as crucial by residents of Singer Island’s beachfront condos, who have watched their once-wide beach wash away. Many will now have to build seawalls to prevent the erosion from reaching their buildings, county staffers say.
