Hurricane Dorian's Strong Winds Causing Beach Erosion Concerns In South Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Florida's 660 miles of sandy beaches serve as the first line of defense against hurricanes, protecting roads, buildings and other infrastructure from storm surge. Now the concern, when it comes to Hurricane Dorian, is our treasured beaches.  Will Dorian cause beach erosion this far south?

"It has been a number of years. I can't remember exactly when. I think it was Sandy. It took out A1A. All of that had to be repaired," said property owner David Mann.

Florida's beaches get hammered by hurricanes. Many are depleted and still not repaired.

Federal money is available for restoration but $460 million has yet to be spent because because beaches, like Fort Lauderdale, are off limits half a year due to turtle nesting season.

Beach goers worry.

"There was not any of that today and the waves did not seem to be that strong, either, yet," said local beach goer Jim McKee.

So far, there has been no impact from Dorian but there could be and the Army Corps of Engineers is still working on finishing the first phase of Miami-Dade and Broward beach restoration caused by Hurricane Irma.

Now there is Dorian.

"We certainly worry about it. Any property owner worries about," said Mann.

Making matters worse are the king tides. Dorian's storm surge will ride in on those higher-than-usual waves that last until Tuesday.

City and county officials who manage the beaches are keeping a close watch on the sand because it is not  known what kind of impact Dorian will have on beach erosion in South Florida.