The right sand

What Florida law requires

Florida Administrative Code rule 62B-41.007(2)(j) says fill must be “beach compatible”: predominantly carbonate, quartz or similar sand, 0.062–4.76 mm, similar in color and grain-size distribution to the native beach. It may contain no more than 5% by weight of silt, clay or colloids (passing the #230 sieve) and no more than 5% fine gravel (retained on the #4 sieve), and no construction debris, toxic material or excess coarse gravel or cobbles (rule text, Cornell LII; Florida Administrative Code).

Why it matters to animals

• Too fine or silty: clouds the surf zone and smothers the filter-feeders that strain the water.
• Too coarse or shelly: mole crabs and coquinas must burrow quickly with each wave; the NC review tied mismatched, shellier fill to deeper and longer declines (Peterson et al.).
• Upland mine sand: several Florida projects truck sand from inland mines, such as Collier County's use of Stewart Mining in Immokalee (Collier County). It still has to meet the rule, but its grain size can differ from native sand.

Our standard ask

Ask that every permit publish the grain-size analysis of borrow sand next to the native beach, and require a post-placement check that fill falls inside the rule limits. Grain-size data for most projects in our tracker is not published in the funding documents; it sits in permit files and quality-control reports.