Posted on June 21, 2018
By Nicole Rodriguez, Herald-Tribune
The state has issued Sarasota a permit to conduct a renourishment project of critically eroded Lido Beach over the objections of Siesta Key residents.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Monday granted the city a permit it needs to dredge up to 1.3 million cubic yards of sand from Big Pass to rebuild parts of disappearing Lido Beach shoreline. The 37-page final order from DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein followed recommendations issued last month by administrative law Judge Bram D.E. Canter, who ruled the city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should be issued the necessary permits to carry out the project. Both Canter and Valenstein dismissed claims by Siesta Key Association and Save Our Siesta Sands 2 that the project would negatively affect navigation and cause harmful erosion to Siesta Key.
“After losing approximately 15 feet of shoreline during Hurricane Irma and the deceptively destructive Subtropical Storm Alberto last month, this is uplifting news,” City Manager Tom Barwin said in a statement Tuesday. “In addition to the city’s infrastructure being increasingly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, we are now experiencing high risks of property damage and business interruption.”
The city plans to start the project by spring and complete it by next hurricane season, which begins June 1, 2019. 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. The federal government will pay 62 percent of the cost; the state will cover 19 percent and the city is responsible for 19 percent. The Corps last week allocated $13.5 million for the project in its fiscal year 2018 work plan.
The permit, which imposes restrictions on dredging in some parts of the pass during spotted sea trout spawning season — which runs from April to September — has been fiercely contested by the Siesta Key groups, who have argued the shoals in Big Pass have never been dredged and it could trigger negative effects for south-drifting sand that lands on Siesta and has turned it into a word-famous destination. Instead, the groups suggested the city look to offshore sand sources.
Source: Herald-Tribune
