CLEARWATER — Cindy Dervech and her
neighbors woke up to the sound of workmen and a man in a
Bobcat removing sand and vegetation from the Dune field
behind the Regatta Beach Club in North Clearwater Beach.
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"What happened is we discovered one
pipe. Then we realized that was part of the ongoing flooding
problem that we never had a solution to for a long time," he
said. "Those drains are impacted [by the sand.]"
Volinsky said the association gave them permission to remove
the sand from the sea wall away from the pipes and storm
drains.
However, the association didn't have permission to approve
that work.
"You need to get permission from the state," said Veschio.
We asked the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP). A spokesperson confirmed that the work was done
without a permit and that is in violation of state law.
The DEP tells ABC Action News that they are investigating,
and this could result in a fine for the Regatta Beach Club.
"We're going to end up flipping the bill for something that
our board and committee members decided to do on their own,"
said Veschio.