September 16, 2026 - The City of Tybee Island was notified today that the federal government has allocated $12 million to allow Tybee’s beach nourishment project to move forward this winter.

The funding, provided through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, completes the funding package for the $20 million beach nourishment project, which will place about 1.3 million cubic yards of sand along Tybee’s shoreline to address erosion.

The announcement marks the culmination of months of persistent advocacy and collaboration involving the City of Tybee Island, Chatham County, the State of Georgia, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

Tybee Island is responsible for $8 million of the total $20 million project cost. Tybee’s share was raised through City of Tybee Island tax revenue, and contributions from Chatham County and the State of Georgia, led by strong advocacy from State Sen. Ben Watson and State Rep. Jesse Petrea.

The City has worked closely with the Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the past five years on permitting, planning, data collection and project logistics for a planned Winter 2027-28 nourishment.

“This is an incredible day for Tybee Island, and it is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and collaboration,” said Tybee Island Mayor Brian West. “Our City has done everything we could on the local level to be ready for this project. We raised our $8 million share, worked closely with Chatham County and the State, and spent months making our case to our federal delegation and the Army Corps.

“I am extremely grateful to Congressmen Carter and Collins, Senators Ossoff and Warnock, Chatham County, the State of Georgia and everyone who worked together to get us to this point. Our beach is our greatest natural asset, a critical part of our economy and our most important protection against ocean storms. This funding means we can now bring the beach back to the condition that generations of Tybee residents and visitors remember so well.

“Tybee has been ready for this project, and we have been patiently working and lobbying for the federal funding needed to complete it,” said Tybee City Manager Bret Bell. “Our staff, elected officials, consultants and partners have spent years preparing for this nourishment and months aggressively pursuing every possible avenue to secure the federal share. We are grateful to everyone who helped make this happen. This is exactly what a strong federal, state, county and local partnership looks like, and we look forward to working with the Corps to get sand on the beach.”

The project is particularly important as Tybee continues to experience significant shoreline erosion, which has led to a 60 percent reduction in sand volume since 2020. The Corps’ FY26 Work Plan released earlier this year did not include funding for Tybee’s project, which would have delayed nourishment until at least the winter of 2027-28. Since that announcement, City leadership has embarked on a persistent advocacy campaign that included letters and emails to federal partners and a trip to Washington that involved meetings with Army Corps representatives, Congressman Carter and key staff members for Senators Ossoff and Warnock.

Tybee’s 5-mile beach serves as critical nesting grounds for sea turtles, our main protection from coastal flooding, and is the center of a $200 million visitor economy that supports nearly 1,200 jobs. This year Tybee actively participated in the American Coastal Coalition’s #YEStoBeaches campaign, which urges Congress to properly fund beach nourishment projects across the country. For the past two years the federal program has received less than 20 percent of funding needed to complete congressionally authorized projects.

Tybee’s Shoreline Protection Project began in 1974, and has included periodic beach nourishments about every seven years. The project began after Congress approved a 50-year authorization, which was recently
extended another 12 years.

With the federal funding now secured, the City will continue working with the Corps on the next steps toward construction and sand placement, which is expected to begin in December 2026.

“This has truly been a team effort,” Mayor West said. “Tybee is grateful to everyone who stayed at the table, kept making the calls, kept asking the questions and kept fighting for this project. We are ready to get to
work.”

For additional information, please contact:
Emily Doherty, Communications and Outreach Manager
[email protected]
(912) 414-2438