Transforming Marco Island: The Dredging Project's Stunning Conclusion

[@kayboroff6317]

You should do another video Marco Island and how it’s changed in 2 years

[@PaulBalzano]

Thanks for your comments. What specifically would you like the video to cover?

[@kayboroff6317]

@@PaulBalzano The Current condition of Tigertail and Sand Dollar.

[@genesymons9872]

October 2024, back to where it started after Milton passed by...... I see the earth moving team is back on the beach as of 11/22/24.

[@PaulBalzano]

Hopefully they can figure an inexpensive way to restore the protection that can sustain the regular storms that continue to hit the area.

[@balzab]

Wow! What a great job! Great footage and informative!

[@PaulBalzano]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@ultanwoods]

Great video thanks for sharing

[@PaulBalzano]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@biancarusso1267]

love this !! also wish humans believed this much in the children and education & went to these efforts to protect them

[@PaulBalzano]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@iffin31]

This is incredible. Impressive effort and so happy for Marco Island and Tigertail beach that the funds were secured for this and those involved were able to make this happen! We were there the past few weeks and witnessed the work live.

[@PaulBalzano]

Hi Lisa, thanks for your comments. It really is impressive to see how much was accomplished.

[@theshadowbehindyou9631]

Your very welcome! I was happy to be a part of this project!

[@rebeccadolloff]

Great work! Thanks to all who made it happen.

[@PaulBalzano]

Thanks for your comments. It has been an amazing effort!

[@walden1946]

Great videos, but they bounce around from scene to scene too quickly. Do you have a video just flying from N to S or S to N? Before and after or just after. Great work

[@PaulBalzano]

Hi Dan, thanks for your comments. Check these videos for more about the project: Dredging Marco Island, FL: Part 2 - Transforming Tigertail, Hideaway Beach, and Sanddollar Island kzbin.info/www/bejne/foCphYSMm8holas and Marco Island, FL - Dredging Project in Action at Tigertail, Hideaway Beach and Sanddollar Island kzbin.info/www/bejne/haGbgJuFjr6lirs

[@donarmstrong1026]

Water and nature always win! The beach should not be treated as an amusement park. Let nature do it's thing. Stop the madness and crazy waste of money.

[@PaulBalzano]

Hi Don, thanks for commenting.

[@theshadowbehindyou9631]

Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that! If people want to come to Fl, live on the beaches and enjoy them and boating this type of work must happen. Further there is already to much infrastructure on these barrier islands to “let nature do it thing” Just fyi, this job needed to happen as Ian moved the entire island inland 200 meters roughly if I’m remembering correctly. (It was a good distance) This sand was killing the mangroves which are detrimental to protecting the coast lines from hurricane damage. There is a lot more at stake than just letting it be…

[@PaulBalzano]

@@theshadowbehindyou9631 Thank you for your comments. I agree with you.

[@michaelvopinek9938]

Worth while

[@PaulBalzano]

I agree.

[@dsc86]

NIce pictures and great commentary, but I get vertigo just watching it speed by, plus all the circling around. If it was slowed down with less circling (or slower circling), it would have been really nice. So difficult to actually see what is going on with the camera moving so fast.

[@PaulBalzano]

Thank you for providing your constructive comments. I will keep them in mind for my next video.

[@yca67]

Excellent work! Mother Nature and I thank you!❤🙌🏼👏🏼

[@PaulBalzano]

Thanks for your comments. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@deboravanderbeek1577]

Great video. Very informative. Thanks for sharing

[@PaulBalzano]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.

[@PaulBalzano]

It’s truly incredible to see how this area has been transformed into a thriving natural habitat previously damaged by hurricanes Irma and Ian. If nothing was done, the waterways would have closed and the impact to Tiger Tail Beach and the lagoons would have been devastating. See the proof with the water freely flowing back into the lagoons.

[@TonyB1999]

Are they planting something on the barriers to help maintain them and prevent erosion and future damage?

[@PaulBalzano]

@@TonyB1999 Hi Tony, great question! I’m not sure what’s next and if plantings are part of the plan.

[@marshallaurnou9446]

Actually, it was a thriving natural habitat. This project destroyed prime protected lands.

[@PaulBalzano]

@@marshallaurnou9446 Thanks for your comments Marshall. The lagoons were getting choked off, and now you can see the distinct change of color from fresh water. It's awesome!

[@marshallaurnou9446]

@@PaulBalzano I get it. But the reality is that to give a few homeowners a better view, this project destroyed a large swath of the most fertile protected nesting areas for sea birds and endangered turtles. I am interested to know who paid off Rookery Bay to allow this and so are many dozens of volunteers who have been caring for this pristine habitat..

[@evolutionaryTom]

My bet is that the equipment operators learn more about what they are doing from this video than what they knew before. So informative. If anyone has questions about this project, this is the video to watch.

[@PaulBalzano]

Hi Tom, Thanks for your comments. They are much appreciated.

[@deep-fried-zombie699]

Are they planting mangroves? Because if they’re not, this is pointless.

[@PaulBalzano]

I don't believe they are, but without the dredging, the Tigertail Beach would have been choked off from fresh water with all in it destroyed.

[@davidrasmussen2975]

We had two strong sand moving hurricanes in past 5 years. Each winter brings strong storms that have moved sand parallel to the beach. If one looks at all the sand buildup in the outlet of the nearby Marco River, it’s not hard to imagine this as temporary. While HAB put up most of the money and almost a Million of Tourist taxes paid the balance, Ian did much more damage to the rest of Marco’s beach and berms. That will need continual reclamation and available funding is over subscribed for more than patch work. $5 million in laser grading was done a few years ago on southern half of the islands beach. All of that is been completely restored to previous backward slope. The beach and adjacent condos need a significant increase in stormwater protection from flooding. Funding for that is not available and could dwarf the small Hideaway sandbox sand moving and dredging. Local governments have not taken resilience seriously.

[@PaulBalzano]

David, thank you for your comments.

[@scottmoore185]

I understand the desire to keep the beaches open for business and to keep nature as it was prior to the storms. However this is an ongoing fight against nature that will require millions of tax dollars in perpetuity to maintain. I say spend the money on more worthwhile projects and allow nature to do what it will. If we lose some beaches in the process, so be it.

[@PaulBalzano]

Hi Scott. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@brendaschillaci322]

It is looking great!

[@PaulBalzano]

For sure!!

[@marshallaurnou9446]

Interesting to see the construction equipment working. But, it is a phenomenal waste of money and time. The gulf will reclaim it in a couple of years and politicians will waste more money doing this again as they have every few years we've been living in the towers there. Nothing special about the last two storms, there were ones before and will be more to come. Plus - this project destroyed acres of protected bird and turtle breeding habitat.

[@PaulBalzano]

Hi Marshall, thanks for providing your comments. Yea, it's impossible to stop mother nature, and I agree that future storms will provide more destruction as they have done here recently with 9 foot storm surges, and also Ft Myers and other places. The question is whether or not we stand by and do nothing or try and save what we can. Thanks again...

[@kinghappney3210]

agree

[@CathyAhern]

Great video thank you!!!

[@PaulBalzano]

Thanks Cathy! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@ColinRowan]

What a waste of tax payers money. Leave the nature it alone to do what it needs to do. Where were all of you when creation was made?

[@PaulBalzano]

Hi Colin, thanks for sharing your comments.

[@rafaelrohenajr.689]

You might be right but Marco's dredging development was one of the largest man over nature efforts in the country. Or do you think all these seawalls are natural creations.

[@Andy.Garcia]

Another example of man creating and trying to maintain his own paradise………. This will last only as long as it takes the next storm to hit the area.

[@PaulBalzano]

Hi Andy. Thanks for taking the time to provide your comments.

[@CaityHayes-hr3su]

Except that it has resulted in the death of hundreds of benthic marine life, the workers are driving over sea turtle nests, and the equipment has prevent sea turtles and endangered nesting shorebirds from having a place to nest this year. So no this project isn’t doing anything to improve the ecosystem as it has resulted in horrid marine life death and ecosystem disruption.

[@PaulBalzano]

Hi Caity, thanks for taking the time to provide your comments.