It’s hurricane season again, and it brings back lots of memories, not many good. I remember the mess with beach erosion, and also its first cousin beach renourishment. I also recall the mountains of sand that had to be removed from beach condominiums and HOAs, and their parking garages and parking lots.  Not to mention the destruction to the landscaping, either drowning it in salt laden beach sand, or just salt itself, which dehydrates every living plant and grass. And the wind damage, not just to the buildings, but all the accessories such as awnings, furniture, common areas, and the bushes and trees.  Do you have any operating reserve for such things?  Most community associations do not budget for hurricanes.  That’s odd to me, since so many are right on the water, have full exposure, even to tropical storms.

There have been a few beach renourishment projects that I can recall in my many years of managing beach front condominium associations. I collected my fair share of excellent shells from the huge slosh channels of sludge dredged up from off shore onto the beach to make it a beach.  The ground shook as the bull dossers moved the huge sand piles, and raked them out level. People could not chose which to complain about the most, the noise, the sand, or the fact that they had trouble renting their condominiums because of the mess.

I bring this subject up because all it will take to start the talk again of needing to build out the beaches, is a hurricane that could wash it all away.   I think of all the seawalls along the beaches that have not been stressed for many years now.  They used to have to serve their purpose and guard the sea water from the property.  Its been so long since they have not had beach sand up against their water sides, I wonder what their condition is right now?  They are older you know, they age just like we do.  I am not suggesting to cause an alarm by this post.  I am just reminding you that seawalls are important things, that have been largely out of sight and out of mind for almost a decade now.  Its up to you to check them and see if they require any maintenance or not.  Lose a seawall, lose a condominium associations.  Just saying.