Group Convenes to Expedite Restoration Projects 

Historically, seawalls were the traditional way of protecting a shoreline from erosion.  We now know that seawalls have several drawbacks.  Seawalls remove the shallow water/land interface that provides habitat for the ecosystem of the waterway.  This habitat is an important part of the food chain, and vegetation and aquatic life that thrive there, such as mangroves and oysters, also promote good water quality. Also, where a natural shoreline can absorb a wave, a wave can bounce off a seawall and exacerbate erosion elsewhere.  Living or Enhanced Shorelines can provide both erosion protection and habitat in an aesthetic way thereby benefiting property owners and waterways. A number of these projects have been completed on the Hillsborough River, including at Ulele, Cotanchobee, USF, and Julian B. Lane Parks.   

Not only are Living and Enhance Shorelines preferred over traditional seawalls, but they are also more resilient to storms.  Due to the benefits of these projects, the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission provides a discount on permitting fees for such projects.  This benefits property owners by providing a more aesthetic, environmentally sensitive, and resilient project with lower permitting costs.   

Tom Ries of Ecosphere Restoration Institute, Inc. came to the Hillsborough River Board’s Technical Advisory Council meeting in March to present on efforts to revive a multi-agency permitting group to expedite the permitting of large environmental restoration projects. Despite the benefits of these environmental restoration projects, there are no expedited pathways for their permitting.  The revived group is called the Multi-Agency Review Team (MART) and is convened under the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s Resilient Shorelines and Spaces Work Group.  It is hoped that agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers will join this group and help facilitate improved shorelines and other environmental restoration projects for residents and wildlife.