While some beach erosion is due to natural forces and imprudent coastal development, a significant amount of coastal erosion in Florida is directly attributable to the construction and maintenance of navigation inlets.
Florida has over 60 inlets around the state, many of which have been artificially deepened to accommodate commercial and recreational vessels and to employ jetties to prevent sand from filling in the channels.

A by-product of this practice is that the jetties and inlet channels have interrupted the natural flow of sand along the beach causing an accumulation of sand on one side of the inlet, and a loss of sand to the beaches on the other side.