Posted on June 23, 2021
SARASOTA – Now a wide ribbon of Gulf-front sand, the recently renourished Lido Beach has earned national recognition as one of the country’s best restored beaches.
Awarded by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA), the recognition acknowledges beach restoration projects that successfully increase a shoreline’s resiliency against storm damage and flooding while preserving its role in the natural nearshore ecosystem.
The project added two groins and nearly 700,000 cubic yards of sand pumped onto a 1.56-mile stretch of Lido Key that had been eroding for decades. From the north public beach access to Ted Sperling Park, the beach’s width has been extended by an average of about 300 feet.
At a cost of $12.68 million, the project was funded 62% by federal money, 19% by state money and 19% by local money derived from bed taxes.
The restored beach will help to protect the region’s critical infrastructure, properties and wildlife, while maintaining what Sarasota Mayor Hagan Brody calls “one of the crown jewels of our city.”
In partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the city of Sarasota had been developing the project for more than 20 years. Its long-awaited completion was announced last month.
Lido Beach was one of only three beaches to make ASBPA’s annual list of best restored beaches. Upham Beach in St. Petersburg and St. Joseph Peninsula in Gulf County were also recognized.
The restoration projects were judged on their economic and ecological benefits to the community, short- and long-term success of the project and the challenges each community overcame during the course of its completion.
“This year’s restored beach award winners represent a variety of beach types, and I congratulate them for the hard work and beautiful beaches they have protected and enhanced,” said ASBPA President Tony Pratt.
“For more than 50 years, beach restoration – the process of placing beach-quality sand on dwindling beaches to reverse or offset the effects of sand loss – has been the preferred method of shore protection in coastal communities, and the original living shoreline approach to addressing coastal erosion,” Pratt said.
The project did not win acclaim from opponents who attempted an array of unsuccessful legal and procedural maneuvers in an attempt to preclude the plan to use an offshore sand source for the renourishment. Most recently, the Second District Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by the Siesta Key Association and longtime resident Dave Patton who had sought to block the first-ever dredging of Big Pass.
Opponents had contended that the dredging could endanger the natural buildup of sand on Siesta Key’s internationally famous beaches.
The completion of Lido Beach’s restoration marked the start of a 50-year partnership between the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that allows for additional renourishments on the barrier island to prevent against future storm damage.
“The renourishment of Lido Beach has been more than 20 years in the making, with many individuals from the City, our partner agencies and the community working through the permitting and design process and lengthy legal challenges over the years,” said Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown. “It’s been amazing to see the beach’s transformation, and we are honored to receive this recognition for what is a beloved Sarasota destination and an important economic driver for our community.”
