The City of Tybee Island, Georgia, recently announced that it has successfully secured $12 million from the federal government to complete beach nourishment this winter.
Photo By Richard Burkhardt, Savannah Morning News
Tybee’s beaches have faced recurring erosion due to storm surges and rising seas, amounting to a 60% loss of beachfront since their last renourishment in 2020. The project was not funded in the Corps of Engineers’ Fiscal Year 2026 work despite being scheduled, triggering a major advocacy effort by the ACC, city officials, and federal offices urging the Corps to allocate the necessary funding to rebuild the beach.
Through the US Army Corps of Engineers’ “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” initiative, $100 million was utilized for critical projects nationwide, providing the federal share of $12 million to the Tybee Island Shore Protection Project. The City will contribute an additional $8 million needed to complete the $20 million project, which includes placing 1.3 million cubic yards of sand to restore 5 miles of beach.
Tybee and partners have worked hard for years to prepare for and secure the funding for this project. Further support came from Senators Ossoff and Warnock, Representatives Carter and Collins, and state officials.
“We are grateful to everyone who helped make this happen. This is exactly what a strong federal, state, county and local partnership looks like, and we look forward to working with the Corps to get sand on the beach,” said Bret Bell, City Manager of Tybee Island.
Tybee Island was a key participant in the American Coastal Coalition’s #YEStoBeaches campaign, urging Congress to properly fund beach nourishment projects nationwide. With hundreds of petition signatures and comments flooding in from Tybee Island residents and visitors from across the State of Georgia, support for a timely beach nourishment project became abundantly clear.
“Relentless advocacy and public engagement from the American Coastal Coalition helped elevate this importance of this project to the highest levels of government when it was needed most,” said Dan Ginolfi, Executive Director of the ACC. “We are grateful for the involvement of the federal congressional delegation and their persistence in securing this funding.”
Work is slated to start in December of 2026.