Flagler County's Reach 3 Beach Plan: Three Options, a 2028 Target and a Meeting Monday

Flagler County will hold two meetings on Monday, November 9 about the next stretch of beach it wants to rebuild. The county calls it Reach 3. If you own near the ocean north of Flagler Beach, or you are thinking about buying there, here is what the county has put on the table.

Where Reach 3 is

Reach 3 runs about 5.5 miles along the Hammock Dunes, Ocean Hammock, Hammock Beach and Sea Colony shorelines. On the county's survey markers it starts about 1,900 feet north of Varn Park (R-46) and ends at the southern edge of Washington Oaks Gardens State Park (R-16).

It sits north of Reach 2, the stretch from Flagler Beach up to Varn Park that the county has been preparing to rebuild. Reach 3 is the next segment in line, and it is not fully funded.

The three options and what they cost

The county's October 28 update lists three construction approaches, with estimated costs:

• Dune nourishment with sand from upland mines: about $84 million.
• Dune nourishment with offshore sand and a temporary stockpile: about $60 million.
• Beach and dune nourishment with offshore sand: about $37 million, not counting mitigation. The county puts mitigation for this option at roughly $193 million to $734 million.

That last range is why the cheapest line on the list is not necessarily the cheapest project. Mitigation means making up for damage to habitat, and the habitat here is the main constraint.

The rock problem

Protected nearshore beach rock runs along the whole reach. According to the county, it limits what can be built, raises costs and makes permits harder to get. Pumping sand straight from offshore to the beach is likely not permittable. Stockpiling offshore sand in Reach 2 and trucking it up the beach could cost less than trucking from upland mines.

The county says coastal data collection and the alternatives analysis have been under way since spring 2025, including in-water work to map the rock formations.

Money and timing

Here is what the county says is in hand or available:

• Permitting and design are estimated at $1.5 million, paid entirely by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) through a post-Hurricane Ian and Nicole grant.
• About $10 million in FDEP hurricane recovery money from those storms remains, with no local match required, and could go toward Reach 3.
• FDEP has designated the whole reach as critically eroded. That makes the county eligible to apply for state grants that could cover 33% of the remaining construction cost.
• After the first construction, the project would qualify for FEMA Category G public assistance after a declared disaster. That could cover about 87.5% of the cost of lost sand, if a maintenance plan is followed.

The county's target is to have a workable option permitted for construction in 2028. That is a target, not a confirmed date. Earlier county materials pointed to 2027, so the schedule has moved back a year.

Even the cheapest option is far larger than the money listed above, and the county has not said how the gap would be closed. That is the open question for Monday.

The meetings on Monday, November 9

• Workshop, 3 p.m.: Commission Chambers, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell.
• Community meeting, 5 to 7 p.m.: Hammock Community Center, 79 Mala Compra Road.

Both open with a presentation and then discussion of the design and permitting work. The county has not asked residents to do anything except attend and weigh in.

What it means if you own or want to buy near this beach

I am not predicting values, and nobody can say yet which option the county will choose. A few practical points:

• Ask which option the county is leaning toward and how it would be paid for. A county-wide tax or an assessment on nearby owners affects your carrying costs differently.
• If you are buying oceanfront or near it, ask your insurance agent and your closing attorney what applies to that specific parcel.
• Read recent dune and shoreline conditions at the property yourself. A walk at low tide tells you a lot.

If you want to talk through what a shoreline project could mean for a property you own or are considering, call or text me at (386) 627-3612. I can also run a home valuation for a beach-area property.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a beach "reach"?

It is the county's name for a numbered segment of shoreline, used to plan and fund work one section at a time. Reach 3 is the 5.5-mile segment from just north of Varn Park to Washington Oaks Gardens State Park.

Has the county decided which option to build?

No. The three options are estimates on the table for Monday's discussion. The county's goal is to permit a viable option for construction in 2028.

Does this change my property taxes?

Nothing in the county's update announces a new tax or assessment for Reach 3. How the remaining cost is covered has not been decided, so check the county's posted materials after the meetings.