Posted on January 28, 2026
Manatee County officials say coastal restoration and beach protection projects planned for Anna Maria Island are moving forward on paper, but construction schedules remain tentative and, in some cases, are contingent on federal requirements still being resolved.
A county construction timeline provided to Bradenton Beach city officials shows multiple projects proposed in 2026 and 2027, including beach renourishment, offshore breakwaters, artificial reefs and jetty rehabilitation centered around Coquina Beach and Longboat Pass. County staff have said that the work schedule is subject to change based on permitting, funding and property access.
In a Jan. 9 email to Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie, county natural resources director Charlie Hunsicker said the projected schedule for the work had not changed, but he emphasized that the start of the federally managed central beach renourishment project, stretching from 79th Street North in Holmes Beach to Fifth Street South in Bradenton Beach, depends on the county securing supplemental construction access easements requested by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The easements would affect 10-20 privately owned properties within the federal project area.
County officials said additional clarity on those easement requirements is expected in March.
County commissioners voted unanimously in March 2025 to approve state grant funding supporting several of the other projects listed in the timeline.
The vote allocates funds from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for nearshore and shore-based improvements, primarily at Coquina Beach.
The state grant funding approved in 2025 applies to reef, breakwater, and jetty projects.
The proposed state-funded projects include offshore breakwaters, a mitigation boulder reef, a recreational nearshore reef and rehabilitation of the Longboat Pass jetty. The artificial reef components are funded through a $60,000 FWC grant, while $375,000 in DEP funding is designated for erosion control measures, including removal of deteriorating groins at Coquina Beach North and construction of four offshore breakwaters.
The county timeline also lists a Hurricane Helene FEMA “Category G” renourishment project at Coquina Beach, with bidding and award phases proposed in 2026 and construction extending into 2026-27.
In addition, the Longboat Pass Jetty rehabilitation is shown as a proposed late 2026 early 2027 construction project intended to stabilize the southern end of Coquina Beach by retaining sand and reducing shoaling in Longboat Key Pass.
