In Panama City, where their beaches needed restoration badly, over 1.35 billion dollars in damage was sustained as a result of Hurricane Opal. Without healthy beaches the vast majority of these tourists would not visit Lee County, which means our economy could take a sharp downturn. Without these tourists, taxes could increase and unemployment could rise dramatically. Lee County works to attract new business and industry to our community. The coastal location and 50 miles of white sand beaches are an extremely important asset in promoting our area as a site for business relocation.
New business helps to diversify our economy and protect the community's future economic viability.
They are home to thousands of animals which depend on healthy, sandy beaches and dunes. Beaches provide habitat for sea turtles, shore and wading birds, mollusks and other creatures, many rare, threatened or endangered. The continuing loss of beaches increases competition for remaining resources, reduces overall populations, and forces relocation outside of Lee County. Before Jupiter Island's beaches were renourished, they were so badly eroded that there was very little beach for sea turtles to nest. In 1969, Jupiter averaged only 77 nests per mile.