Sand of time finally runs out

The best things come to those who wait. And for the residents of the bay side of North Shore Drive the wait has been longer than most.
Eight years after North Shore resident Joan Dickinson first lobbied for beach renourishment in 2001 after a storm took what little beach was left at her residence and flooded her yard and house, Catherine Florko of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection informed Mayor Fran Barford that the shoreline between Bean Point and the Rod & Reel Pier is now considered “critical shoreline,” rather than “critical inlet shoreline” as the DEP had previously designated the area.
The new designation means that area is now considered a “critically eroded beach” and eligible for state and federal funding in the next beach renourishment cycle. Under the previous designation, residents in the affected zone could only expect city or county aid for renourishment, or pay for such an effort out of their own pockets.
It came as welcome news to one North Shore Drive resident in particular. “It’s been a long time coming. After all these years. I really have to thank Mayor Barford for her help. She tried everything to get us some relief and this avenue worked,” Dickinson said.