Their main job is to prevent beach erosion by keeping the sand from blowing or washing away with a storm. Erosion occurs when the beach is worn away by natural forces such as rising sea levels or artificial forces such as shoreline construction. Florida's sand beaches are losing an estimated 15,000 cubic yards a year to erosion. Coastal strands are found between beaches and dunes but are endangered stretches found only along Florida's east coast. This type of habitat contains woody vegetation such as palmettos and cabbage palms and animals such as gopher tortoises and beach mice.
Maritime forests lie inland from coastal strands.
These areas are old dunes that have been around long enough that trees such as live oaks have grown upon them. You'll also find animals such as squirrel tree frogs and migrating birds living there. Barrier islands cover more than 700 miles in Florida. The start out as sandbars and eventually buffer the mainland from winds and large waves. Over time coastal strands and maritime forests develop on these islands.