Earlier this week, we learned how local municipalities have been taking the lead on making Florida's coast more resilient through living shorelines.
That means they're replacing aging, hard infrastructure, like concrete seawalls, with softer, more natural elements, such as plants, rocks, and oyster reefs.
Continuing our coverage during NPR's Climate Solutions Week, WUSF is exploring an important factor in this effort: private homeowners.
Because residents own a majority of Florida's coastal property, one expert is trying to make living shorelines more affordable for them.
St. Pete Beach
The seawall across from Betty Rzewnicki's St. Pete Beach front door is cracked, and pieces are falling into the blue-green water of Boca Ciega Bay.
"After Helene and Milton, the sea wall had collapsed," said the Florida Virtual School teacher, and former city commissioner.
ALSO READ: Florida municipalities are spearheading shoreline resiliency through nature-based solutions
But this subdivision of the Don Cesar neighborhood had been discussing their shoreline's resiliency long before the 2024 hurricanes.
"This is one of the lower lying areas of St. Pete Beach, so we experienced a lot of tidal flow issues because of King Tides, and then storm water flooding issues, so all of that brought us together … maybe 11 years ago … to talk about, 'Hey, something's happening here,'" she said.
Those talks between Rzewnicki and her neighbors included a marine biologist named Tom Ries – he's considered "the living shorelines guru."
"I've worked for the state for many years … and after doing about 80-some projects, they all only had one common denominator … they're all on public lands," he said.
Ries wanted to help private property owners by starting a nonprofit called Ecosphere Restoration Institute.
"So we could use public dollars on private land, because the birds and fish don't care who owns it, so we shouldn't," Ries said.
Benefits
Seawalls are needed in some really deep areas, but Ries said most of the time they aren't necessary.
Still, they've been the most popular option and Ries said that's a problem.
"With these vertical walls, a boat goes by, the wake hits it. Well, that wave energy goes up or down, and the part that goes down resuspends the sediment, so the water is dirtier," he said.
In contrast, a gradual slope made of native plants fosters marine life.
But it's not just about water quality. Ries, said his living shoreline projects held up during the back-to-back storms a couple years ago.
"Happy to say the 11 out of 11 high energy sites, all of them held, while right next-door entire piers went out," he said.
It has been challenging, though, for residents to replace their failing seawall with a living shoreline.
ALSO READ: Pinellas employees making shorelines more resilient against sea level rise and flooding
The transition requires paying for design and permitting – steps that aren't required to install another traditional seawall.
"So, it's a big disincentive," Ries said.
State legislators passed a law this year to make the process easier and to help with funding. It takes effect July 1.
Ries just hopes it won't take too long for the state to actually implement the changes. In the meantime, he has some other options up his sleeve.
Ries helped Betty Rzewnicki and her St. Pete Beach neighbors get some funding to pay for designs and permitting
Because their seawall abuts a public right of way they qualified for city money and a grant.
"The design plans for a living shoreline ... would be transferable to other property owners in our area, so you would have ready-to-go engineered plans that would meet different depths," Rzewnicki said.
Her particular design includes rocks, marsh, and mangroves. They are just in the beginning stages of installation.
Tampa
Ries has also worked with neighbors in Tampa to split the cost of design and permitting along the Hillsborough River.
David Reed lives on the edge of downtown in the Ridgewood Park community, which was flooded by Hurricane Helene.
"The river came over the bank with the storm surge, so our property was completely covered in water," he said.
The shoreline behind his house just had some rip rap and poured concrete to protect his property, and it had been eroding over time with increased boat traffic.
Some research and phone calls led him to Tom Ries.
The "living shorelines guru" shepherded Reed and a couple of his neighbors through design and permitting ... which came out to $25,000 split three ways.
"We did get some benefits from all doing it together, and then we got to a point where we were ready to go ahead and build the shoreline, and it is very expensive," Reed said.
Construction costs tripled after the pandemic shutdown. Reed got a $90,000 estimate for his portion.
Although his neighbors gave up, Reed decided to do it himself.
He bought five tons of lime rock. Using his truck, a wheelbarrow, and his own two hands, he manually filled his shoreline rock-by-rock.
"It was a lot of work, but it was doable," he said.
The design calls for soil, plants, and another 25 tons of rock, but Reed said, "I think that would be the end of me."
So, he's planning to hire a crew to help him finish by the end of the year.
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