we should leave the barrier beaches to be just that. But I'm not the mayor of one of those communities or a State Rep with a hand in the developers' pockets.
What you say about fishermen building only what they could easily rebuild reminds me of Bernard Moitessier's description of "improved" housing on Pacific atolls.
The islanders traditionally made their homes out of palm fronds, etc, which let the breeze blow thru and keep everything cool. If they blew away, they could be quickly replaced. The the French started building houses out of cement blocks and with tin roofs . . wicked expensive for a subsistence economy and hot as heck. Not smart.