Clearwater will bolt 3D-printed coral reef structures onto seawalls at three city parks after landing a $3 million state grant for the project.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) awarded the money to fund what the city calls a "living seawall" initiative, Bay News 9 reported Sept. 8. Seawalls at Mandalay East, Sand Key and Coachman parks will be rehabilitated with the artificial reef panels and textured ecological tiles that city officials say will support marine life and improve water quality.

How the Living Seawall Design Works

The concept is straightforward. A traditional concrete seawall gets a 3D-printed coral reef structure fastened to its face, creating texture and habitat where a flat barrier once stood. Samantha Reilly, an engineering specialist with the city, described the approach to Bay News 9's Melissa Eichman.

"There's a lot of extra square footage and little nooks and crannies and all these great things that the marine life can attach to it and grow and create habitat," Reilly said of the ecological tiles.

Bayview Avenue Site Gets Hybrid Treatment

A fourth site, Bayview Avenue, will get a taller seawall with a hybrid design that combines the coral reef panels with a living shoreline component. Reilly said the Bayview location offered more waterfront area to work with, giving engineers room for the combined approach.

Timeline Tied to Causeway Anniversary

City officials said they hope to finish the work by November 2027. That target coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Memorial Causeway, which opened as a two-lane drawbridge on Nov. 11, 1927.

Project Fits Into City's Resilience Plan

The living seawall project aligns with priorities Clearwater identified in its own Vulnerability Assessment. That assessment, funded through FDEP's Resilient Florida Program, flagged elevating seawalls as a high-impact adaptation measure for the city's most flood-prone coastal zones along Stevenson Creek and the waterfront.

The specific FDEP grant program funding the seawall construction has not been publicly identified. No city council vote or public comment period related to the project has been announced.