NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – Beach residents are concerned people are preventing sea oats from growing on the freshly renourished sand dunes.
Last October, many dunes were destroyed in Atlantic, Neptune and Jacksonville beaches during Hurricane Matthew. The city of Jacksonville, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, has spent the last few months dredging and restoring the sand dunes.
The Army Corps will continue this month to plant the sea oats that help keep the sand together, but residents said that won't happen if people continue to use the dunes as a shortcut.
"For months, people would go back and forth, straight across the dunes," Neptune Beach resident Marty Lunsford said.
"The unfortunate thing is people are still being stupid and walking on them," Douglas Young said. "They don't realize you have to stay off of them for them to heal."
Imagine destroying more than $22 million. That's what residents said they feel continues to happen as they see person after person walk on the newly built sand dunes.
After Hurricane Matthew, the city of Jacksonville and the Army Corps of Engineers spent months dredging and renourishing the sand. Now, the second phase of restoration has begun with more than half a million sea oats being planted.
Residents who live in Neptune Beach said people using the dunes as a shortcut was a problem, blaming accessibility. They said two weeks ago the brand-new boardwalk was not open, and instead of walking a block, people would cut through the sand dunes.
"During Hurricane Matthew, I think (the dunes) really protected our houses," Neptune Beach resident Debi Little said. "We didn't get any water, and they did a good job."
For that reason, it is the law to stay off of them, or lawbreakers can face a $500 fine.
"This neighborhood is here because of the sand dunes," Young said. "It's not even a discussion. You can see where they stopped at the water and didn't come down here, and without those, we would have been in big trouble."