Key West Beaches get New Sand

The City has begun replenishing the white sandy beaches of Key West. Starting this morning, workers began with Smather’s Beach on South Roosevelt Blvd. The project, which is expected to last about two weeks, is a painstakingly careful project because of nesting turtles. Each morning, volunteers walk the beach searching for new nests and signs of turtle crawls before the beach is cleaned. Then the sand replenishment begins.

Swimmers and sunbathers should not expect a major impact. The work is being done in sections in order to keep as much of the beach accessible as possible to the public.

Once Smather’s Beach is beautified, Dog, South and Simonton Beach will also be renourished. Those smaller beaches are expected to take only a few hours each to complete, so they will be closed while the sand is poured.

All of these beautification projects – about $1.2 million — are funded by the Ft. Zachary Taylor surcharge.