A call to live with the coast, as opposed to living at the coast; unless Florida coastal communities conserve beaches and mitigate storm impacts, the future of the beach-based economy is in question.

Coastal Zone Management Handbook comprises the first complete manual on coastal resource planning and management technology. Written by an international consultant, this handbook reflects a global perspective on the natural resources, sensitivities, economics, development, productivity, and diversity of coastal zones. The emphasis is on tropical and subtropical coastal ecosystems, but the information is widely applicable. In addition to its comprehensive coverage of general concepts related to coastal regions, the book describes the strategic basis for coastal management, provides a set of working tools for management and planning activities, and presents case histories of management projects around the globe. Extensive references are provided for each management analysis, practice, technique, and solution. Coastal Zone Management Handbook is made up of four sections:

More than one transplanted Floridian has paid $150,000 for a beautiful condominium with a sea view only to learn that, to keep the building from becoming part of the view, considerable additional money must be spent to build and repair seawalls or to pump up new beaches by dredging sand from offshore. Most of Florida's beachfront property lies on narrow strips of sand called barrier islands, which are low in elevation and subject to flooding during storms and hurricanes. Some of the construction is poor, adding to the problems facing homeowners, most whom came from other parts of the country with little awareness of the hazards of beaches. In Living with the East Florida Shore, Orrin H. Pilkey, Jr., of Duke University, along with his co-authors, has described the varied problems that confront the east shore of Florida today.