Beaches and dunes provide recreation, wind and wave protection, wildlife habitat, and shallow water recharge. Brevard County's south beaches and dunes contain significant recreational and natural resources. Since 1984, the County has worked with the State to purchase beachfront lands to satisfy increasing recreational demands. County, State and Federal agencies have also been working together to buy additional lands for conservation purposes. The South Beaches contain core segments of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge—established to preserve beachfront nesting habitat for endangered sea turtles. Brevard County recognizes the need to balance recreation with environmental interests to effectively manage the resources of the south beaches. To guide this balancing effort, the County is developing a plan for "Managing Brevard County’s South Beaches and Dunes."

Walking over dunes to reach the beach tramples vegetation and loosens sand. This process weakens the dune and increases the chances of erosion. Repeated use of the same path over a dune eventually causes a dune blowout: a gap in the dune typified by loss of vegetation and loose sand. Dune blowouts increase the erosion potential of storm events, threatening public and private structures landward of the blowout—including Highway A1A, the South Beaches only emergency evacuation route.

One way to prevent dune blowouts is to construct dune crossovers: short boardwalks that cross the dune with stairs or a ramp leading down to the beach. While some areas have a sufficient number of crossovers, other areas are lacking. In areas lacking public crossovers, patterns of historic trail-use have resulted in 63 blowouts. Although crossover structures are invasive and do cause some habitat loss, they are less damaging than blowouts. Brevard County’s Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) is responsible for the development of public beach crossovers.

Invasive plants and animals often take hold in and around blowouts, crowding and out-competing native species that are critical to the health and stability of the beach ­dune ecosystem. Where this occurs, active management is needed to restore dunes to their natural height and to revegetate them. Once crossovers are constructed to provide for public access, active restoration of these and nearby blowout sites should also commence. Brevard County’s Natural Resources Management Office (NRMO) is responsible for developing local beach management and dune restoration efforts.

Brevard County's NRMO and PRD are developing a ranking system that will be used to prioritize areas where developing beach access will serve recreational demands and simultaneously nurture the health and stability of the area’s beach and dune ecosystem.