Jetties
Jetties are artificial structures usually errected perpendicular to the prevailing coastline. Jetties are often used to protect inlets and channels from being filled-in by sand moving off of adjoining beaches. Groins are often employed to prevent sand movement from one part of a beach to another as the result of littoral currents, prevailing wave motion and storms.
The success of jetties and groins is often a matter of hit or miss where there are both failures and positive outcomes. In recent years the use of both types of structures has been viewed with a good deal of scepticism. Both structures are costly and affect a small area of coastline. Longboat Key has experienced stiff resistance from the Florida Dedpartment of Environmental Protection to constructing groins at the Islander Ckub. After five expensive years the permitting has still not been approved.
There are some good success stories for jetties being used along Florida's coast to protect beaches as well as deminish sediment accumulation in navigational channels and inlets.
Hillsboro Inlet Florida is a good example of where a jetty has been constructed to protect the beaches of Broward County. In conjunction with a small specialized dredge and a weir in the jetty, sand is bypassed to the down-drift beaches rather than being allowed to enter the channel. The small dredge also harvests small near-shore shoals that form off the end of the jetty and during storms.