What is an Inlet Management Plan and why do we need one?
Since 1986 the State of Florida has, by statute, incorporated inlet management planning into the statewide long-term comprehensive beach management plan. The objectives of inlet management planning are to provide for adequate sand bypassing at inlets; to improve the safety of inlet navigation; and to mitigate for inlet associated erosion losses. To this end, the Florida legislature amended Section 161.161 of the Florida Statutes to include inlet management planning as a required element of the state’s comprehensive beach management plan. Specifically, this statute mandates the evaluation of “each improved, modified, or altered inlet and determines whether the inlet is a significant cause of beach erosion.” Section 161.142 of the Florida Statutes was enacted for the purpose of establishing public policy related to improved navigation inlets. This statute addresses such issues as placement of sand from construction and maintenance dredging and sand bypassing requirements to downdrift bea
