Starting April 28, parts of Nokomis Beach parking lot to be closed long-term, to allow for staging of work
On April 22, the Sarasota County commissioners voted unanimously to approve a $2,137,326.70 agreement with the A2 Group for construction engineering and inspection services for the Casey Key Shoreline Protection Project.
The item was included on their Consent Agenda of routine business matters. As typical with such items, none of the board members offered comments on it before the vote.
During their regular meeting on March 26, they had agreed unanimously to a two-year, emergency repair initiative that would affect two sections of North Casey Key Road:
- Approximately 0.38 miles, from 846 N. Casey Key Road to 526 N. Casey Key Road.
- About 0.15 miles, from 332 N. Casey Key Road to 230 N. Casey Key Road.
A staff memo included in the April 22 meeting packet pointed out that, following the board’s decision last month, “The Public Works Department has negotiated a Contract in the amount of $44,590,755.48 with the Design-Builder, for permanent repairs to the shoreline and roadway in the Project area.” The company handling that part of the initiative is de Moya CHC Joint Venture LP.
County Public Works Director Spencer Anderson had estimated that the total expense of the road project would be about $46 million, given the rising cost of materials.
Weather permitting, that county staff memo added, the project will be completed in 734 days.
The Scope of Work in the agreement with the A2 Group explains that the de Moya company will construct “a permanent stabilized roadway system serving North Casey Key …” That document also notes that the work “may consist of installation of the temporary and permanent sheet piling, road reconstruction, revetment installation and other necessary work to rebuild and improve the shoreline of North Casey Key.”
Documents provided by the county’s Procurement Department, which also were in the agenda packet for the April 22 meeting, show that two other firms were on the short list for the engineering and inspection services portion of the undertaking. Those were AECOM Technical Services and DRMP.
The A2 Group has offices in Miami, Orlando and Port Charlotte, its website says. AECOM is based in Morristown, Tenn., while DRMP is headquartered in Orlando.
In conjunction with the start of the project on Casey Key, county staff announced on April 24 that, beginning on Monday, April 28, “parts of the Nokomis Beach parking lot, located south of the playground on the east side of Casey Key Road … will be closed long-term. This area will be used for construction staging [for the] major reconstruction project along North Casey Key Road.”
During his March 26 presentation to the commissioners about options for the Casey Key Road initiative, Public Works Director Anderson explained that he and his staff had worked with Nicole Rissler, director of the county’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department, and her staff to use the parking lot at Nokomis Beach Park for staging. He added that most of the work will be done by barge.
The release added, “The staging area is essential to support the equipment and operations required for this extensive project, which is vital to maintaining coastal access and protecting infrastructure from erosion and storm impacts.”
In the same April 24 news release, county staff further noted, “The 200 block of South Casey Key Road will be closed to the public beginning April 28. This closure is expected to continue through Fall 2027, as crews work to enhance the safety and resilience of North Casey Key Road.”