Flagler Beach, FL - A Flagler County inmate work crew spent some time this week with the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Flagler Beach to help restore weather damaged dunes.
Before the pandemic hit, FDOT had already arranged for 90 dump trucks full of sand to replace the sand that had been recently washed away during recent storms in Flagler Beach. The plan is to effectively recover the newly install sea wall on North Oceanshore Boulevard, which had already washed away.
Usually, FDOT utilizes inmate work crews from the Tomoka Correctional Institution, but they remain on lockdown thanks to the pandemic. Instead, Flagler Beach Police Chief Matthew Doughney requested the use of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office Inmate work crew, which Sheriff Rick Staly immediately authorized.
Work began on Monday (May 18th) and carried into today (May 19th) as crews work to distribute the sand and restore the dunes. Furthermore, FCSO added that a detention deputy is also supervising the work crew during their normal shift so there is no additional cost to taxpayers.
Flagler's work crew was organized in August of 2018 by Sheriff Staly and is a voluntary initiative designed to help rehabilitate low-risk offenders. The crew is mainly responsible for cutting grass, pulling weeds and other landscaping projects throughout the county.
Additionally, the inmate work crew has assisted Flagler residents with hurricane prep and has saved taxpayers more than $100,000, according to FCSO.
