SOSS2 to host community meeting on proposed dredging of Big Pass

Session planned for Thursday, Jan. 26, at St. Boniface on Siesta Key

Image courtesy of SOSS2

On Jan. 26, Save Our Siesta Sand 2 (SOSS2) will host a community meeting on the proposed $19-million Lido Renourishment Project.

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church on Siesta Key. It is set to end at 7:30 p.m.

The program has been planned in response to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announcement of its intention to issue a permit to the City of Sarasota and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge Big Sarasota Pass to renourish South Lido Key Beach. A nonprofit organization, SOSS2 has been fighting the proposal for the removal of sand from Big Pass.

Along with SOSS2 Chair Peter van Roekens, the speakers will be Jono Miller, retired director of the New College of Florida’s Environmental Studies Program; Rob Patten, former chief of Sarasota County’s Natural Resources Department; and Mark Smith, chair of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce. The focal points of the discussion will be What Do You Need To Know? and What Can You Do?

St. Boniface is located at 5615 Midnight Pass Road on Siesta Key.