Sebastian inlet’s navigation channel is deeper again and its south beach has received more than a quarter million cubic yards of bypassed sand with the completion of the  Sebastian Inlet District’s sand dredging and placement project.

“Bypassing sand to downdrift beaches and maintaining the inlet’s navigational channel are critical to ensuring the inlet continues to be a key economic driver for the area,” said Sebastian Inlet District Chairman David Barney. “This has been our mission for 107 years.” 

ATL Diversified, Inc. (ATL), The District’s contractor, placed more than 271,000 cubic yards of sand on the inlet’s south beaches, using upland truck haul sources (92,222 cubic yards) and 178,893 cubic yards from the inlet’s channel and adjacent underwater “sand trap. ” In addition, ATL dredged and stockpiled 37,550 cubic yards of sand in the District’s Dredged Materials Management Area (DMMA) for future screening and beach placement. The DMMA is located on the north side of Sebastian Inlet State Park.

The project began in the fall of 2024 and continued with a permit extension until May 7, 2025.Work stopped due to sea turtle nesting season. The District’s Commission approved a contract time extension that authorized ATL to return for the 2025-26 dredging season.

Total project cost was approximately $8.5 million, and the entire project is eligible for at least 50 percent cost-share under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) Beach Management Funding Assistance Program. 

Under its state-mandated Inlet Management Plan (IMP), the District is required to bypass 75,000 cubic yards of sediment on an average annual basis. The District’s bypassing a total of 271,000 cubic yards under this project represents about 3.6 years of  credit towards the IMP target bypassing volume.

Fast Fact: The sand placed on the inlet beaches could cover approximately 43 regulation NFL football fields in 10 feet of material.

Posted on May 28, 2026