2015 Economic Evaluation of Florida’s Investment in Beaches

Office of Economic and Demographic Research: Economic Evaluation of Florida’s Investment in Beaches (January 2015)

At the request of the Legislature, the Office of Economic and Demographic Research completed an economic analysis of Florida’s statewide Beach Management Program. The scope of the evaluation included the following:  

  • Identify the strength of the relationship between Florida’s beaches and the state’s attractiveness as a tourism destination, including the impact on the state’s brand.
  • Calculate the state’s overall return on investment from its current expenditures on beach management and restoration projects.
  • Assess the impact of the potential shocks such as major storm damage or other disasters, including a discussion of the state’s economic risk.
  • Evaluate the return on investment as a project selection criterion. 

According to the report:

“[Office of Economic and Demographic Research] determined that the state’s brand is made up of nine features that attract visitors. Beaches are the most important feature of Florida’s brand, accounting for 25.5% of the state’s attractiveness to visitors. The state appropriates funds yearly to repair storm damage and ensure the high quality of the beaches.

The state’s investment in the Beach Management and Restoration Program generated a positive return on investment of 5.4. The [return on investment] was estimated using tax revenues resulting from visitor spending induced by the state’s investment in beaches. A return of greater than 1 means that the tax revenue generated by tourists to the state of Florida more than covers the state’s expenditure on beaches.”

For the full text of the report, see Economic Evaluation of Florida's Investment in Beaches (2015).

For any questions about any of this content, please contact Beaches_Funding@FloridaDEP.gov.

Last Modified: Tuesday, Apr 21, 2026 - 03:16pm