What to do with beach sand following Hurricane Helene

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane Helene brought devastating damage to the Tampa Bay area, even displacing sand from the shorelines.

Crews are working with the overwhelming amount of sand and continue their efforts to remove that sand. However, the gritty substance that moved onto residents’ private homes and businesses is their responsibility to remove the sand, since officials cannot enter private property.

So what do you do with it?

Do not return the sand to the beach

Due to the possibility of the sand containing nails, debris, or household contaminants like oil, bleach, or fertilizers, sand that washed onto your property cannot return to the shoreline.

The dumping of sand is a direct violation of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) regulations.

Do not put sand in your trash or push it onto roadways

Residents should also not try to clear any public roads, as the Public Works departments are working on authorization from the FDEP to screen clean sand, remove debris, and return clean sand to the beaches.

Do not place sand on sea walls

Placing sand on damaged sea walls (that are exposed) could cause further damage and be costly.

Keep your remaining sandbags

Residents are encouraged to keep their sandbags through the end of storm season (Nov. 30).

Manatee County residents are encouraged to stay updated on storm information at mymanatee.org/storm .

Pinellas County residents can visit Pinellas.gov for additional emergency storm information.

Sarasota County residents can visit scgov.net for storm recovery updates.

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