NEW SMYRNA BEACH — There’s more than just people missing at the Sea Coast Gardens II condominiums — the beach, a portion of a sea wall, and a sun deck are also gone.
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Residents say the tide has not subsided since Hurricane Nicole whipped through New Smyrna Beach and ocean waters continue to slam against the Sea Coast II condominium sea wall. |
The challenge for not
only Frandsen, but numerous others living along State
Road A1A, is putting it all back together again.
It is a challenge new New Smyrna Beach Mayor Fred Cleveland
will have to help navigate.
“More storms are coming, that day is going to come,” he
said. “Simply to rebuild to today’s standards doesn’t make
sense to me.”
Cleveland said the mission to put New Smyrna Beach back
together will be a joint effort.
“We will get our fair share,” he said of recovery funds.
“Gov. DeSantis has been here, and we will go as a group of
cities to the governor, to the county, to our
representatives to get funding.”
As for Frandsen and his neighbors hoping to move back in
soon, they are just waiting for the proper paperwork to get
finalized. The community however, remains optimistic.
Officials say the storm caused nearly $50 million worth of
damage to condominiums in New Smyrna Beach, and putting
everything back together again will not be cheap, or quick.
“I haven’t heard anyone say they are leaving on the account
of this,” Frandsen said. “We are rolling up our sleeves, we
are going total this and come out stronger on the back end
of this."
City officials and Frandsen say they are ready to act fast,
and the hope is other agencies will as well — especially
before next year’s hurricane season.
Not only does Franden’s community need city approval and
permits to rebuild the sea wall, they need engineering
plans, and approval from the Army Corps of Engineers and the
Florida
Department of Environmental Protection as well.
From start to finish, one contractor says it could take two
years and $3,000 per foot of concrete to repair the Sea
Coast Gardens II condominiums seawall — which would leave
$1.5 million in costs that the condo association would be
responsible for.