Unnoticed by most of our citizens, the Town of Hillsboro Beach, in cooperation with Deerfield Beach and Broward County, recently agreed to another "emergency" beach replenishment at the north end of Town. This comes barely three years after the major nourishment of 2011, which was supposed to last 10 years and for which we'll all be paying tax assessments through 2021. The cost of the sand (per yard) for this mini-nourishment has nearly quadrupled in just three years.
Given the futility of doing nourishment after nourishment without gaining any long-term benefit, a diverse group of concerned citizens (Hillsboro Beach Advocates) has come together in an effort to address the cause of our beach problem. This group has done extensive research and with the help of various beach-erosion experts, has identified two major issues at the root of the Hillsboro Beach erosion problems.
Attached you will find a two-page recap of a presentation made to our Town Commissioners on April 1, 2014. The "groins" to which the recap refers are the Deerfield Beach rock piles, and the "inlet" is the Boca Raton Inlet. This recap includes very specific information regarding the looming financial disaster Hillsboro Beach taxpayers are facing unless we have a major change in course. Clearly, continuing to buy and dump sand that is almost immediately scoured away is not addressing the root cause. There is a better approach. A recommended change in course will be presented at a short meeting on April 30th at 3:30 PM in the lobby of Opal Towers East, 1147 Hillsboro Mile.
The beach is what makes our town unique. It is in our best interest to pursue action to resolve the erosion problem in order to keep property values up and tax assessments down. Think of it as identifying and dealing with the cause of a medical problem versus taking expensive pain pills that temporarily mask the real issue.
In order to be successful, property owners need to unite. We are a very small town, surrounded by much larger municipalities. For 52 years, Hillsboro Beach citizens have borne the expense of dealing with damage to our beach caused by manmade structures not in our jurisdiction. Never once in those 52 years has the Town of Hillsboro Beach raised objections to the appropriate entities. Given the astronomical increase in the cost of sand and the discord caused among our own citizens in deciding how to fairly allocate the cost each time a replenishment is done, the time has come for the Town of Hillsboro Beach to speak out. It is imprudent and insane for us to continue throwing good money after bad in silence. (Einstien's definition of INSANITY: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results)
We invite you to register your concern and hear more at the meeting on April 30th. If you have neighbors who have expressed concern about higher and more frequent tax assessments, please invite them to attend this meeting as well. All residents of Hillsboro Beach are welcome. We must raise a single voice to generate action on the part of our elected officials. It has been suggested by one of our Commissioners that we submit a petition to this end. Every signature is vitally important.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can also show your support/concern by responding to this message via email. We'll be happy to keep you in the loop as we make progress. Please reply to HillsboroBeachAdvocates@gmail.com, and include your name and local address in your correspondence. And please, feel free to forward this information to your friends and neighbors here in Town. This impacts each and every one of us!
Thanks for your interest and support.
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