Posted on March 11, 2020
The issue of renourishing the highly eroded Lido Beach, which has been contentious and a drawn out battle, may soon come to a resolution. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has stated that it expects to award a contract the week of March 17.
The estimated cost is just shy of $20 million of which the Army will fund 65 percent and the City of Sarasota the remainder.
According to City Engineer Alexandrea Davis Shaw, a State grant will pay half of the 35 percent the city is responsible for contributing.
The project entails placing sand along the Lido shoreline about every five years after the first project is finished. The State has granted a 15-year permit and the initial sand will be dredged from Big Pass.
It is the dredging from Big Pass that angered some Siesta Key residents and led to numerous legal and administrative challenges.
The City is planning to consider amending its agreement with the USACE to allow the contribution of additional funds if the total cost of the project goes above the budgeted $19.6 million.
The City has about $1.3 million in its beach maintenance account, which is funded throughout Tourist Development Council Bed Tax Revenue.
Sarasota County allocates a percentage of a Bed Tax that is imposed on tourism units to help pay for beach maintenance.
Source: lbknews.com
