The sand rebuilding the city of Naples' beach this fall is coming by truck from Immokalee, an inland mining town, not from the Gulf floor. The trucks run six days a week, about 9,450 trips in all, and the work is set to finish around Christmas.
Sand placement on Naples Beach began Monday, Oct. 26, The Florida Press reported. Crews have been spreading sand six days a week since then. If your morning walk has run into a fenced section, or a sand truck creeping along the waterline, here's what's happening.
The Stretch Getting Sand Runs From Doctors Pass to 21st Avenue South
The project covers 3.5 miles of shoreline. It starts at Doctors Pass and ends just south of 21st Avenue South, and the whole reach sits inside the City of Naples. In the county's engineering terms, it runs between Florida Department of Environmental Protection reference monuments R-58A+300 and R-79. Collier County's Oct. 13 announcement lays out the full plan.
The total is more than 208,000 tons of sand. The county commission awarded the hauling and placement contract on Oct. 13 to Earth Tech Enterprises Inc., a Fort Myers company in business in Florida since 2000. It was the lowest responsive bidder of five, and it has handled several earlier Collier County renourishment projects.
Every Grain Is Trucked From an Inland Mine
All of the new sand comes by road. The county is buying beach-quality sand from Stewart Mining in Immokalee and trucking it to the coast, the same method it has used on its other renourishment projects in recent years.
That choice shows up in the budget. The county puts the whole project at about $8 million, broken down like this:
- About $5 million for Earth Tech's contract to haul and place the sand
- About $2.4 million for the sand itself, from Stewart Materials in Immokalee
- The rest for engineering design, permitting, inspections and shorebird monitoring
The money comes from Tourist Development taxes, usually called the bed tax because guests staying in Collier County lodging pay it. That's a 5% tax on overnight stays, and state law says it can only go to tourism-related uses, Naples Press reported while covering an earlier project. So visitors are paying for the beach residents walk all year.
Part of the bill may also come back to the county. Some of the work may be counted as Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene recovery, and the county plans to ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse those costs. It will also request FDEP cost-share money for the non-federal portion if the project qualifies.
Two Hurricanes in Two Weeks Put This Shoreline Next in Line
This stretch lost a lot of sand during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, WINK News reported. The two storms came two weeks apart. Helene brushed past on Sept. 26 and 27. Milton followed on Oct. 9 and 10 and pushed about 6 feet of storm surge into the city of Naples. High tides carried sand off the beaches, dumped up to 5 feet of it onto beach ends and buried some roads under as much as 4 feet, according to Naples Press.
The county doesn't try to fix every beach at once. Collier has renourished its beaches since 1996 and rotates them, working on a different beach each year, Naples Press reported.
The previous truck-haul turn went to Park Shore, just north of Doctors Pass. Here's how that project, as approved, compares with the one underway now:
| Park Shore project, as approved | Naples Beach project, underway now | |
|---|---|---|
| Shoreline | 1.25 miles, just north of Harbour Drive to Seagate Drive | 3.5 miles, Doctors Pass to just south of 21st Ave S |
| Sand | About 160,000 tons | More than 208,000 tons |
| Approved budget | $7.5 million | About $8 million |
| Sand source | Stewart Materials, Immokalee | Stewart Mining/Materials, Immokalee |
The current project covers almost three times as much shoreline for roughly the same budget. Prices had also climbed. Coastal Zone Manager Andy Miller told the Tourist Development Council while that project was being approved that, after Hurricane Ian, competition for contractors and sand plus post-COVID inflation pushed costs from $50 a cubic yard to $70 to $80.
The Park Shore numbers also show how long a renourishment is supposed to last. That beach got 130,000 cubic yards in 2019, and the haul was expected to last five years unless heavy storms or hurricanes took the sand sooner.
What the Trucks Mean for a Weekday Walk
The beach stays open throughout. Small areas are fenced off where crews are working, and spotters watch the sand trucks as they drive along the beach to each work zone. The closures move with the crews and lift once each section is done, WINK News reported.
Crews work Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday is the one day without trucks on the sand, which makes it the easiest day for a long, uninterrupted walk from one end of the project to the other.
Off the beach, the roughly 9,450 truck trips follow two designated routes to a north access point and a south access point, and WINK told drivers to expect some traffic near those sites.
Beachgoers who spoke to WINK News when the work started had mixed feelings. One said the sand had become firmer underfoot:
"This is a harder sand to walk on now than I'm used to. So I'm used to the fluffy sand that had you know last year. So this is to me, it kind of needs it."
Another beachgoer doubted how long the approach can last. "Each year we put sand in, and every year the ocean takes it away with sea levels rising," she told WINK, adding later that she was "thrilled" because sand on the beaches is what brings visitors. WINK also reported that the project is meant to help protect nearby streets from flooding.
The Calendar Between Now and Christmas
The county's schedule leaves room for a holiday break and still finishes before the year ends:
- October: Crews began setting up equipment and the staging areas ahead of sand placement.
- Monday, Oct. 26: First day of sand placement.
- Thursday, Nov. 26, through Sunday, Nov. 29: Work stops for Thanksgiving, so the beach is truck-free for the holiday weekend.
- Monday, Nov. 30: The usual six-day schedule picks back up.
- By Christmas: WINK reported the project should wrap up around then. The county's official target is before the end of 2026.
If you're hosting family for Thanksgiving, the long weekend falls inside the pause. Guests coming at Christmas should find a finished beach if the schedule holds.
Where to Ask About This Week's Work Zone
The fenced sections move as the work does, so the most reliable source for where crews are on a given day is Collier County Coastal Zone Management. Section Manager Andy Miller can be reached at 239-252-2922, and the office takes questions and comments at [email protected]. The county's project announcement also has the full scope and funding details.
A rebuilt beach at the end of your street changes your daily walk, and it's part of what a buyer sees when a home near the water goes on the market. If you're planning to buy or sell near the water in Naples this season, Adam Papish and the team can tell you how projects like this one fit into your timing. Find your next dream home, with a guide who keeps up with the shoreline.