A delightful beachside community nestled between the larger communities of Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, beautiful Lauderdale-by-the-Sea offers an array of activities to make your stay memorable. From their modern boutique lodging, to their amazing selection of restaurants and one-of-a-kind shops, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a paradise waiting for you to explore.
FOUNDING PARTNER FOR THE VOLUNTEER BASED DUNE RESTORATION PROJECT
Our program started in 2013 after Tropical Storm Sandy. We lost so much sand (many properties were left vulnerable), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers implemented an emergency sand replenishment project to help restore the beach.
Planting sea oats on the beach to trap windblown sand is not uncommon. What makes Lauderdale-By-The-Sea's program unique is that we have planted sea oats along the entire 2.4-mile length of our shoreline. It took five years and the efforts of more than 1,000 volunteers, but we now have a continuous, natural, self-sustaining dune system in place.
The Town Commission appropriated $10,000 to purchase sea oats. Youth Environmental Alliance (YEA), a local non-profit organization, brought in volunteers to do the planting, including many school children from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. It has been a great educational experience for the children and they receive community service credits for their efforts. Several major corporations including Wells Fargo, Best Buy, FPL, Office Depot and JM Enterprises, have provided donations and hundreds of corporate volunteers to help with the planting, making it a green team-building event and true public-private partnership.
Award Winning Program
Through this program, the Town has planted more than 200,000 sea oats along the beach. We are also removing invasive plants and replacing them with rare native species. Broward County recognized our program in 2015 by awarding the Town its prestigious NatureScape Emerald Award for special achievement in environmental protection. The Town in 2017 also received an Environmental Stewardship Award from the Florida League of Cities for its sea oats and staghorn coral projects, two programs that help mitigate beach erosion.
Our sea oats planting program has demonstrated that a small town with limited resources can take substantive actions to protect the environment, enhance the economy and help ensure the long-term sustainability of the beach at minimal cost.
