PALM COAST, Fla. – Flagler County’s fragile coastline is getting a major facelift with $9 million announced for dune restoration near MalaCompra Beach Park.

The funding will reinforce dunes from MalaCompra Park north to Marineland, making them about 14 feet tall and much wider to better withstand storms.

“The two-to-three-foot surge that was caused by the hurricane didn’t really impact the Southern end of the county much at all but in the Northern part of the county it did erode most of the dune that’s there,” said Ansley Wren-Key, the county’s coastal management administrator.

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Hurricane Milton in 2024 left northern Flagler County nearly bare after a small storm surge eroded much of the dune system.

The county’s coastal engineering team has been waiting for FEMA funding since Milton to reinforce the dunes before another storm hits.

“There was a long time where even the folks at FEMA that usually give me all the answers on where my project is, what’s going on, they couldn’t tell me anything,” Wren-Key said.

On Wednesday, Congressman Randy Fine announced he secured the $9 million needed to move the project forward.

“What I was told by Andy and the other folks here in Flagler County is we have nine million dollars that’s waiting, it’s approved, it’s in the budget for the beaches but we can’t get a signature out of Washington,” Rep. Randy Fine said.

Now with the official signature, the county can start work as soon as possible.

This project will continue the dune restoration efforts already underway in the southern part of the county.

A contractor currently restoring dunes just south of MalaCompra will be paid to extend the work northward.

“It’ll be robust enough to get through a Category one or two hopefully,” Wren-Key said.

When asked about stronger storms, the county said FEMA will provide additional funding to keep rebuilding the dunes as needed.

Work on the northern dunes is scheduled to begin Nov. 1.