Hurricane Sandy beach erosion work slows, residents question county solutions

SINGER ISLAND, Fla. -- - More than two weeks have passed since Hurricane Sandy swept through Palm Beach County, but beach erosion continues to plague many coastal communities.

On Singer Island, the damage is still visibly extensive showing exposed sea walls and numerous beach stairways still broken.
    
"It looks like somebody dropped a bomb," said Marie Bianchini, a Singer Island Condo owner.

Bianchini said she remembers when representatives from federal, state and county government visited her Singer Island property. She said the representatives surveyed the damage, but has yet to see any action.

"We're losing our property, we're losing our pride our joy, our beaches of sunny South Florida, it's going," said Bianchini.

The county said it has nine beaches up for beach re-nourishment. At $10 million apiece for each project, funding is not east to come by especially with the county competing with the storm-damaged Northeast.

"They've been on the phone quite often and we assure them that we've got the permits in place, we got the contracting in place, we got the funding in place," said Daniel Bates of Palm Beach County Environmental Resources.

The only element delaying immediate action according to Bates is the weather. The long term solution of building a breakwater is unlikely despite cries from many condo owners.

"They're just procrastinating, just fixing it with a Band-Aid solution and that's it. I can only hope that they'll do something before somebody loses their home," said Bianchini.

Residents concerned with the erosion problem have now formed a political action committee, "Save Our Beaches." The intent according to members is to hold government officials accountable in making sure there is a solution.