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Bob Solari <br />Chairman <br />District 5 <br />Joseph E. Flescher <br />Vice Chairman <br />District 2 <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />June 9, 2016 <br />Representative Lois Frankel <br />1037 Longworth House Office Building <br />Washington, DC 20515 <br />Dear Representative Frankel, <br />Wesley S. Danis <br />District 1 <br />Tim Zorc <br />District 3 <br />Peter D. O'Bryan <br />District 4 <br />Thank you very much for your ongoing work to amend federal law to permit the U.S. <br />Army Corps of Engineers (the "USACE") to consider and use non-domestic sand during <br />federal beach nourishment projects. We support your efforts and urge you to continue <br />your work as the Water Resources Development Act moves to House floor. <br />As you know, all local domestic offshore sand resources near Miami -Dade and Broward <br />counties in southeast Florida have been exhausted by past beach nourishment <br />projects. Despite the fact that large quantities of sand are available approximately 60 <br />miles east of Miami Beach along the Great Bahama Ban, the USACE lacks the <br />authority to acquire non-domestic sand sources per Section 935 of the Water <br />Resources Development Act of 1986 ("WRDA 1986"). Rather, WRDA 1986 restricts the <br />USACE to use available domestic sand resources. According to the most recent study <br />conducted by the USACE, the closest available domestic sand resources are located <br />approximately 130 miles to the north of Miami -Dade County offshore of St. Lucie and <br />Martin counties. The Indian River County Board of County Commissioners opposes the <br />dredging and removal of bulk ocean sand from Martin and St. Lucie counties to benefit <br />Miami -Dade and Broward counties. Indian River County is also concerned that its <br />offshore sand resources will be targeted once the resources near Martin and St. Lucie <br />counties are depleted. <br />Your efforts would simply create options. The amendment does not mandate whether <br />domestic or non-domestic sand should be used but rather would allow the USACE to <br />use non-domestic sand if the USACE determines it is practical. Moreover, this could <br />offer savings to the federal government and local sponsors due to lower transportation <br />costs. <br />1801 27"' Street, Building A <br />Vero Beach, FL 32960 <br />(772) 226-1490 <br />112 <br />