Floridians Ask For State Of Emergency Over Vanishing Beaches

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- Homeowners living on Central Florida's east coast are asking the governor to declare a state of emergency as wind and waves from Tropical Storm Noel continue to scrape away large portions of city beaches.

More than 50 percent of the state's beaches are experiencing erosion with nearly 400 miles considered "critical" and threatening structures, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

In Satellite Beach, beach erosion has cut into sand dunes threatening homes.

Homeowner said they lost nearly 3 feet of shoreline overnight and early Thursday.

"If you have a house here, it is depressing," Satellite Beach visitor Ed Dietz said.

Brevard County officials are encouraging businesses and homeowners on the coast to contact their Chamber of Commerce to push for state emergency aid to replenish the depleted beaches.

"It is the only way we will be able to preserve any beach whatsoever," property owner Dawn Heather-Sutton said. "We have had quite a bit more erosion. There is not much left.

In 1986, the Florida Legislature passed a "Take Care of Our Beaches" act and since then has spend $580 million to keep beaches from washing away.

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