Florida county battered by 2024 hurricanes spends $125M on beach restoration

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The white sandy beaches along a swath of Florida's Gulf Coast were battered by three hurricanes last year, leading to a multimillion-dollar effort to repair a coastline that is the region's economic engine.

Crews are working with dredges, trucks and pipelines along the 35-mile (56-kilometer) stretch of beach in Pinellas County that includes cities such as Clearwater Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Beach and Redington Beach. It's a prime tourist destination that is still recovering from hurricanes Helene, Milton and Debby.

Helene was the most destructive for the beach towns, even though it made landfall far to the north. Twelve people died in Pinellas County because of strong storm surge that reached 8 feet (2.4 meters) high in some places.

In past years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played a major role in beach restoration, but not this time. The Corps wants private landowners to sign up for permanent easements that would allow government access in perpetuity — a change that has met with stiff resistance.

So Pinellas County is doing the beach restoration itself, spending more than $125 million in tourism tax revenue to cover the costs. The county also has an easement program, but because some property owners won't sign up, there will be gaps in the beach renourishment that could lead to damage in future storms.

“We can't do it as well as we could,” said Barry Burton, the Pinellas County administrator. “Our desire is to place sand across as much of the beach as we can.”

The project calls for using 2.5 million cubic yards (1.9 million cubic meters) of sand that's being dredged and pumped from offshore. In places where property owners refused to sign the easements, new sand is being placed toward the Gulf side of the beach, which is public. The beaches are being widened by as much as 100 feet (30 meters).

For its part, the Army Corps said it can't justify spending millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars on beach renourishment without permanent easements to allow access.

“The Corps cannot construct a project with ‘gaps’ due to missing easements,” the agency said in a statement. “The Congressionally authorized, engineered project cannot provide the level of protection when constructed with gaps.”

Those gaps mean that properties with sand dunes and an elongated beach might be next to another one with nothing — and that's where the storm surge in future hurricanes will go.

In the past, the Army Corps paid about 65% of the beach restoration costs. Now, Pinellas County is footing the bill alone, with money that had been earmarked for a new Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium and related development that fell through.

The team's current ballpark, Tropicana Field, was heavily damaged in Hurricane Milton last October but is being repaired in time for next season. The Rays were sold to a new group of investors this year, and where the team will play in the future is in limbo.

The county won't be able to afford beach work like this again, said Public Works Director Kelli Hammer Levy.

“This is the last and only time,” she said. So it’s really important that going forward, we have federal support."

Workers replace the sand washed away by recent hurricanes along the gulf Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Workers replace the sand washed away by recent hurricanes along the gulf Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

A dredge boat pumps sand back onto the beach along the gulf Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Workers replace the sand washed away by recent hurricanes along the gulf Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Workers replace the sand washed away by recent hurricanes along the gulf Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 18, 2026--

Running shoes brand Xtep has announced that it will form a joint venture with Bonia, a distributor with over 50 years of market expertise in Malaysia, to jointly develop the Malaysian market. Analysts indicate that this move will accelerate Xtep’s drive to become the leading running brand in Southeast Asia. Notably, this new strategic direction also involves an adjustment to Xtep’s previous business cooperation model in Malaysia. In line with Xtep Group’s overall strategic shift, the company’s business model in Malaysia will be upgraded from a single exclusive distribution arrangement to a multi-channel setup. The former exclusive distributor, VGO, will transition to a “non-exclusive distributor” and remain a key partner for Xtep in deepening its local market presence. Before Xtep’s partnership with Bonia, VGO served as Xtep’s exclusive partner in Malaysia. As the initial partner facilitating Xtep’s entry into the Malaysian market, VGO laid a solid foundation for the brand’s successful entry. Xtep will continue its collaboration with VGO to advance the Xtep brand’s development through channels where VGO holds particular strength. Meanwhile, Bonia will focus on maximizing Xtep’s brand visibility in Malaysia’s core commercial districts and running brand hubs.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260114707896/en/

Chinese media reports highlight Malaysia as Xtep’s springboard for expansion into Southeast Asia, emphasizing that this business model transformation is crucial for implementing the “Chinese Root, World-Class Running Shoes” strategy proposed in 2022. Bonia’s sales network spans Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and other Southeast Asian markets. The company maintains strong, stable relationships with major shopping centers in these countries, possesses deep insights into local consumer needs, and has solid cross-border retail operation capabilities.

The first store under Xtep’s partnership with Bonia opened in Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur. According to Xtep, this 3,262-square-foot professional running flagship store displays performance running products by function and features services such as a trial running zone and foot shape and gait analysis, allowing runners to experience world-class running technology. This store also showcases stories of local runners and photos from local running events to enhance runners’ sense of belonging.

Running culture in Malaysia is maturing. Data from the World Bank and Euromonitor International shows that Malaysia has the largest sportswear and footwear market in Southeast Asia. The Malaysian Sports Culture Index 2023 survey revealed that 63% of respondents cited jogging as their favorite sport. In terms of road racing popularity, the 2024 Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon attracted over 40,000 participants.

Xtep entered the Malaysian market in 2024 and has consistently employed an operational strategy of “Professional-to-mass influence” coupled with a cultural strategy of “adapting to local conditions”. The brand has connected with local consumers through events and running communities. During its partnership with VGO, Xtep organized several large-scale running events in Malaysia, including the “10KM Time Challenge” held in Penang in August 2024, which attracted top athletes from Indonesia, Singapore, Uganda and Kenya. With Malaysia emerging as a strategic hub for international growth, Xtep envisions the country as both a blueprint for overseas expansion and a dynamic showcase of its running heritage.

Comprehensive Channel Upgrade! Xtep Leverages Southeast Asian Foothold to Advance Global Running Footwear Strategy