Along Florida's southeast coast, Broward County is spearheading a bold initiative to restore beaches and safeguard what matters most.
Dr. Von D. Mizell–Eula Johnson State Park is considered undeveloped, but it thrives in the shadow of surrounding industry. More than 400,000 people are drawn to it each year. To the north it brushes up against Port Everglades, one of the busiest cruise and shipping hubs in North America. The Navy and Coast Guard maintain key infrastructure nearby. Just inland, the hum of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is a constant reminder of the balance between nature and progress.
Remarkably, the park is home to more than 10,000 sea turtle hatchlings annually, sharing the shoreline with an array of shorebirds.
This stretch is part of Broward County, Florida's second-largest by population, home to just under two million residents, operating as part of a Miami-Dade metropolitan region where nearly 6.5 million people live along a 100-mile coastal stretch. The area keeps growing. At the same time, shifting weather patterns and natural forces are reshaping the Atlantic coastline.
Why sand matters
Sand is vital to the health of any shoreline, and especially so along heavily populated coasts. In natural cycles, wind and water carry sand from north to south, nourishing the beaches immediately south of the Port Everglades Inlet and gradually replenishing shorelines further down the coast. Consistent sand levels maintain protective dunes and support coastal habitat. A healthy beach is also a natural first line of defense against storm surge and flooding.
"Because of that sand starvation, we're basically obligated to build large beach nourishment projects every ten years."
That's Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Broward County's Chief Resilience Officer, who has held the role for over a decade and worked with the county for more than twenty years. Much of her work involves partnering with communities across South Florida to manage changing coastal conditions.
Like many public-facing leaders, Jurado is tasked with doing a lot with limited resources. "We started seeing the signs of coastal change more than a decade ago," she said, noting the county began experiencing more frequent flooding as early as 2012. "We have fewer tools to work with, and resources are tight right now."
In March, Broward County released its 2025 Resilience Plan, a framework designed to help communities adapt, recover, and thrive over the next 45 years and beyond.
A park in critical condition
One major initiative will restore and strengthen the shoreline at Mizell–Johnson State Park, the most exposed segment of Broward's shoreline, where the impacts ripple into neighboring areas. Sand loss there has reached what Jurado calls "severe" status. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection now classifies the shoreline as critically eroded.
"The erosion at the park reflects a larger challenge we see along the coast. If sand can't move naturally from the state park, it limits how much reaches beaches farther south."
To compensate, a coalition of counties and municipalities currently sources sand either from offshore dredging or by trucking it in from inland mines. Both are expensive, resource-intensive, and widely seen as short-term fixes.
Thirty years in the making
After three decades of planning and coordination, a long-awaited solution is taking shape near the north jetty. Construction begins this fall on a sand trap designed to collect sand along the inlet's northern edge, reflecting partnerships between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FDEP, and local municipalities.
A sand trap is essentially a submerged basin that captures drifting sand as it moves through the area, providing a safer and more sustainable way to harvest it when needed.
"It's a complex project with meaningful benefits for both the environment and for the visitors who love these beaches," said Stephanie Roche, beach program manager with Broward County's Resilient Environment Department.
The project rolls out in four stages, with pre-construction work already underway ahead of initial dredging. The goal is to supply up to half the sand needed for Broward's southern beaches. Upgrades to the north jetty and the sand trap itself are designed to collect sand for managed southward transport, rather than letting it drift into the inlet or offshore where it's lost from the system.
The work is expected to take about two years, with pauses built in to protect coral spawning during sensitive periods. Once complete, the county estimates it can harvest sand every two to four years and place it along the beaches south of the inlet.
Three lines of defense
"Our first lines of defense are coral reefs, then beaches, and finally sand dunes. Without those natural barriers, wave energy intensifies, increasing the risk of coastal damage during storms."
As part of the sand bypass project, reef building is also underway north of the Port Everglades Inlet. Meanwhile, the county is partnering with municipalities south of the inlet to add dunes to nearly 80 percent of the shoreline.
"It keeps the new sand where it belongs," Jurado said. "On the beach."
If it works, the state park gets a badly needed boost in replenishment, and this place stays intact for the sea turtles, the shorebirds, and the people who love it.
Project timelines and construction stages described here reflect the original Fall 2025 reporting. For current status, visit Broward.org/Resilience.
Adapted from "Building the Future Coast" by Geoff Nudelman in Beach Happy Magazine, Fall 2025, Issue 22. Photography courtesy of Broward County and Paul Krashefski. Read the original issue.
