Why is there so much beach erosion in South West Florida and what can we do about it?

They just do what they have always done, add sand. They just added sand to Anna Maria Island, looks beautiful. Sand naturally moves away from certain parts of the shore a gathers in others (eluviation). Man likes to move it back periodically to keep the coastline relatively consistent and pretty.

I’m second guessing the term eluviation. It might be a different geological term that is correct. But, the movement of the soil and sand from water current and weather is a real thing. Other parts of the country collect coastline, you happen to live somewhere where you lose it.

When you melt the polar ice caps the oceans rise. Nothing can be done short of getting serious about global warming and it might be to late for that.

I did a little digging into this question and what I did not expect was this statement that makes the most sense….
“While some of this erosion is due to natural forces and imprudent coastal development, a significant amount of coastal erosion in Florida is directly attributable to the construction and maintenance of navigation inlets.”

One issue is that Florida hasn’t had a serious hurricane since Katrina. One of the positives to a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico is that a lot of sand gets moved around as a result on the wave action and perturbation of sand and sea. A side benefit of a hurricane – perhaps the silver lining – is that sand gets moved around.

So what is needed is a moderately powerful hurricane or two centered in the Gulf, each year,

Don’t worry. With the rise in sea level that is coming over the next 20–40 years, it will all disappear.

If you look at @Cruiser‘s link, which I only skimmed, Florida watches these things. When I studied real estate we are taught about the movement of shore line (can’t remember all the terms as I said above. Eluvial might be sediment downward? Aluvial might be the shift of the sand away from the shoreline?) This is always going on it isn’t just “rising waters” from global warming and storms. For instance Miami might lose shore line and it gets deposited in NC. I made upthat specific example up, but that is the sort of thing that goes on constantly throughout time. it has to due with the current of the water, and then add in some hurricanes, plus rising waters.

That’s just the natural cycle of shoreline. Stop trying to change it. What a huge waste of money to try to prevent the sands from shifting up and down the coast.