After some delays, the barge and dredging equipment arrived in Cape San Blas early Monday morning to begin the renourishment process. It's not a cheap project, but the taxpayers say the benefits far outweigh the cost.

About a dozen people gathered on the coast of Cape San Blas Monday morning to see the long-awaited renourishment project get underway.

"It's been two a half years coming and so another six months and we'll have the beach finished, hopefully," said Tim Wright, a Cape San Blas homeowner.

The entire restoration project won't be complete until November or December and will cover just under seven miles of beach front.

About 50 percent will funded by the Tourist Development Council and the state. The other half is being paid for by Cape San Blas homeowners through a bonding tax. It's a cost they say they're willing to pay.

"One of the things that we love about the cape is the fact that we're very low density and so we don't have the amount of money coming from tourism dollars, so we as homeowners had to step up to the plate," said Laurel Eiler, a Cape San Blas homeowner.

Numerous storms have damaged the beaches of Cape San Blas over the years, strengthening the need for renourishment.

"Seventy homes on Cape San Blas were condemned as a result of Ivan and it hit Pensacola, which was 150 miles away. So we had a lot of erosion needs, and periodically it was getting worse and worse," said Paula Ramsey Pickett, Gulf County's tourism director.

Once the project is complete they'll have to continue maintaining the beaches approximately every eight to ten years.

For more information on the project, you can log onto www.savethecape.com.