SARASOTA

Emergency Lido Beach erosion project could begin this weekend

Nicole Rodriguez
nrodriguez@heraldtribune.com
The City of Sarasota placed 11 50-foot-long sections of trap bags on Lido Beach to protect vegetation and dunes from erosion. Nearly half of the bags were washed away by two-to-four-foot swells from Hurricane Michael in October. The total cost of all the bags was $30,000 with $17,000 covering the cost of 530 tons of sand needed to fill them, according to the city. [Herald-Tribune archive / 2018 / Carlos R. Munoz]

SARASOTA — An emergency project to rebuild parts of severely eroded Lido Beach could begin as early as this weekend.

Crews have already begun staging equipment at Lido Beach in preparation to use 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 City Manager Tom Barwin to declare a state of emergency. The project will take approximately 90 days to complete, with the schedule depending on weather and other variables.

“Lido Beach has long been at a critical point of erosion and significant danger,” Barwin said in a statement on Wednesday. “We issued the state of emergency in recognition of the serious threats that just one more storm could pose for our environment, our local economy, properties and infrastructure on Lido Key and the quality of life that we all enjoy. We eagerly await both this short-term renourishment and our long-term plan to protect our shoreline and restore Lido Beach to its natural beauty.”

The beach will remain open through the duration of the project. Beachgoers are advised to use caution and stay aware of active work zones and any equipment operating in the area, city officials said.

The project cost of $3.9 million is being shared by the city, Sarasota County, the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The city’s funding portion is approximately $600,000.

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 in August installed a series of jumbo bags filled with 500 tons of sand around the city-owned 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. Many of the bags washed away last month after powerful Hurricane Michael blew past the coast, headed for the Panhandle.

The emergency project is expected to keep the beach intact until a larger effort gets underway. The long-term beach renourishment project is expected to begin by spring and finish 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 covered by a mix of 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 Florida Department of Environmental Protection 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. Siesta Key Association and Save Our Siesta Sands 2 have contested the project.

Save Our Siesta Sands 2 in late September formally provided the federal agency a required 60-day notice of its intent to sue after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ignored a request from the group to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement to address economic and environmental concerns about the plan to dredge Big Pass and rebuild Lido Beach. The notice initiates a two-month period in which the Corps can remedy the issue raised by the group or face litigation if it refuses.

Before signing off on the project, the federal agency conducted a Final Environmental Assessment, which is not as comprehensive as an Environmental Impact Statement, according to the group’s St. Augustine-based land-use and environmental attorney Jane West. The group cited concerns about the impact of taking sand from nearby sources, or “borrow areas,” that it says are needed to protect Siesta Key.