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South Padre Island officials are calling on support to protect federal Coastal Zone Management grants that have long helped the city fund dune protection and beach access ramp projects, the city announced in a statement on Facebook on May 26.
In the post, the city shared an online form for community members to give a statement on coastal funding support via the Coastal States Organization.
“This is the second year that the federal government has proposed eliminating a lot of that coastal funding,” said SPI’s Shoreline Director Kristina Boburka. “Thankfully last year there was bipartisan support to include it in and so it ended up getting included into the budget.”
Last fiscal year, Congress authorized $6.2 billion in appropriations funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to perform essential services, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Brownsville.
“The Administration’s proposal to eliminate federal support that local municipalities rely on to save lives, conserve water and the environment, and mitigate damage to homes and businesses is dangerously cruel,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
“Congress came together last fiscal year to reject the President’s request, and we must do so again,” he said.
Life-threatening hurricanes and extreme flooding are costing taxpayers millions for recovery efforts, he continued, adding that he will continue to raise SPI’s concerns at the U.S. Capitol to “ensure every coastal community in South Texas is protected.”
Campaign representatives for Eric Flores, the Republican nominee contending for Gonzalez’s congressional seat, did not respond to requests for comment.
If approved, the Coastal Zone Management grant cuts would make it harder to offset costs, Boburka said, noting that the city matches the grant amount awarded for the projects.
“One project starting later this year received $400,000 in grant funds for accessible beach access,” she said. She noted that funding awarded by the city varies by project.
It would be a lot harder to fund those types of projects if the funding at the federal level is eliminated as it’s proposed, she said.
Improvements include more parking and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility through construction of sidewalks along Gulf Boulevard to dune walkovers, Boburka said. The city has also been able to construct ADA amenities like permanent restrooms and rise stations on the dune walkovers, she said.
“Those dune walkovers are critical because those allow us to essentially create a continuous dune system in that area, which helps with the overall resiliency,” she said, noting that funding is critical to protecting coastal natural resource areas.
The city council puts the funding to good use, said City Councilman Joe Ricco, who noted that the city has recently redone many beach walkovers. He said that the walkways are designed to protect the dunes so that they can keep growing and protect the Island from more erosion during storms.
Beach tourism is the main industry at SPI, which brings business and needs to be protected, he said. Ricco is also general manager at Louie’s Backyard on the Island.
“We need that funding in place, period,” Ricco said.