Manson Restores Pensacola Beach

Known for its crystal-clear Gulf waters and signature sugar-white sand, Pensacola Beach is one of Florida’s premier coastal destinations, drawing millions of visitors each year and supporting a local tourism economy valued at more than a billion dollars annually. In recent years, coastal erosion has narrowed approximately eight miles of shoreline, reducing the natural barrier that helps protect the surrounding community. To restore the beach and strengthen that protection, the Santa Rosa Island Authority (“SRIA”) commissioned Manson to perform a major beach renourishment project.

The GLENN EDWARDS and FREDERICK PAUP hopper dredges worked side by side for a short period on the Pensacola Beach Renourishment project. Photo credit: Pensacola Beach Project Team

“In areas like Pensacola Beach, hurricanes are prevalent,” says Manson Project Engineer Caitlin Daly. “This project replaces sand and protects the coastal environment and the surrounding Pensacola Beach community.”

With the shoreline’s natural defense diminished and SRIA’s goal of reopening the beach in time for summer looming, Manson developed a plan to dredge sand from a nearby borrow site, pump it ashore, and place it along the eight-mile stretch of Pensacola Beach.

The FREDERICK PAUP pumped material on shore while crews spread the sand evenly across the beach. Photo credit: Pensacola Beach Project Team

Manson’s project team mobilized onsite in early January 2026, bringing in the equipment needed to support both offshore and beachside operations. Shortly thereafter Manson’s newest hopper dredge, the FREDERICK PAUP, joined the project—marking the hopper’s first beach renourishment job—along with tugboats, dozers, loaders, beach pipelines, and submerged pipelines.

The project’s large footprint required close coordination across several teams, including dredge crews, engineers, beach crews, and third-party surveyors. With operations taking place both on the beach and offshore, communication was essential to keeping the work moving safely and efficiently.

“The most challenging part of this project was making sure each group was on the same page,” says Field Engineer Michael Williams. “We made sure to communicate daily and to ensure operations ran smoothly whether on the dredge or on the beach.”

Dozers spread material throughout each section of the beach during pump-out. Photo credit: Pensacola Beach Project Team

Using third-party tugs and heavy equipment, the team installed four half-mile submerged pipelines along the beach from east to west, connecting each line to shore pipe so material could be pumped ashore. Meanwhile, the FREDERICK PAUP crew made several trips between the borrow site and the submerged sublines—pumping out at each one. To maximize operations, the hopper dredge GLENN EDWARDS crew also joined the FREDERICK PAUP crew for a few days—with both dredges sharing the work to dredge and pump off.

“Essentially, the pump-out process was that the dredge crew would start at the eastern subline, flip west to the next subline, move back east, and then finish at the western most submerged line,” Caitlin says.

On the beach, crews used dozers and loaders to spread the pumped sand, raising and extending the berm—the flat terrace of sand above the high-water line, which provides natural protection from waves and storm surges and a nice place for visitors to place their beach chairs.

Over several months, the team advanced from east to west, widening one section of the beach at a time. As each area reopened, residents and visitors returned to enjoy the restored shoreline and see the progress firsthand.

The beach crew set up pipeline along the beach to prepare for pump-out operations. Photo credit: Pensacola Beach Project Team

In May 2026, the project team completed the final section, fulfilling SRIA’s goal of reopening Pensacola Beach in time for the busy summer season.

Manson’s connection to Pensacola Beach continued beyond the renourishment project through its sponsorship of the 2026 Pensacola Beach Air Show, held July 15 through July 18. The event brought the community together to celebrate America’s 250th year of independence and the 80th anniversary of the Blue Angels Navy flight demonstration team, offering a fitting close to a project that helped strengthen and restore one of the Gulf Coast’s most iconic shorelines.

“Local homeowners and tourists are very happy that we’re here,” says Dredge Project Engineer Daniel Kruse. “Throughout the project, they’ve thanked us for the work we’ve done and appreciate our hard work out here.”

Visit Manson's Vimeo page to watch a video on the Pensacola Beach Restoration project.