Emergency renourishment to stem Lido Key beach erosion anticipated to start by Nov. 15

SARASOTA — An emergency project to rebuild parts of critically eroded Lido Beach could begin within a matter of weeks.

The Sarasota City Commission on Monday authorized City Manager Tom Barwin and staff to vet and execute an agreement with the lowest bidder for the job, which entails using 150,000 to 200,000 cubic yards of sand from New Pass to rebuild the shoreline that officials say has lost an estimated 15 feet in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma last September and Subtropical Storm Alberto in May, prompting Barwin to declare a state of emergency.

The lowest bid, approximately $3.9 million, is from Coastal Dredging Company, city officials said Monday. Should the company not pass the vetting process, the commission authorized Barwin to select the second bidder, Weeks Marine, for a price tag of roughly $4.8 million.

“Because of the condition of Lido Beach, one of the concerns we had was trying to move the contract forward as quickly as possible,” City Engineer Alex Davis Shaw said.

The project is anticipated to begin by Nov. 15, Barwin said.

“This is a critically needed project and an urgent priority for the city as we look to protect the infrastructure and vulnerable properties on Lido Key,” Barwin said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is contributing toward the project, while the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has pledged to match 50 percent of the roughly $1.6 million the city and Sarasota County pay for the project — if Coastal Dredging Company pans out. DEP will still split the cost if the city must go with the costlier contractor, city officials said.

The erosion on Lido Beach has started to take a financial toll, impacting businesses and causing property damage along the barrier island. Private properties on Lido Beach sustained some damage from Alberto, and the concession stand at the pavilion has suffered economic losses. City workers last month installed a series of jumbo bags filled with 500 tons of sand around the pavilion after city officials noticed nearby dunes, which serve as a natural barrier from the ocean, began to disappear from erosion that has plagued the shoreline in recent months. The bags will remain around the pavilion though hurricane season, which ends Nov. 1, city officials said.

The city also plans to start a long-term beach renourishment project by spring and complete it by next hurricane season, which begins June 1. The initial renourishment would take 950,000 cubic yards of sand from Big Pass, and subsequent restoration projects would occur every five years, dredging about 500,000 cubic yards each time. The projected cost is $20 million to $22 million and will be funded with local, state and federal funds.

The long-term project, however, has been fiercely opposed by a faction of residents on Siesta Key, who claim dredging Big Pass would negatively affect navigation and cause harmful erosion to the key.

The DEP in June granted the city a permit it needs, following recommendations issued in May by an administrative law judge, who ruled the city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should be issued the necessary permits to carry out the project, which has been contested by Siesta Key Association and Save Our Siesta Sands 2.