Project designed to add about 3,000 cubic yards of New Pass sand to beach to create 1.2 miles of dunes
A project to install vegetated dunes along Lido Beach will begin on or shortly after Monday, Sept. 21, City of Sarasota staff announced this week.
“Beach users can expect to see equipment mobilizing on the beach as soon as Sept. 14,” a news release noted.
The Lido Beach Dune Restoration Project will include “the placement of approximately 3,000 cubic yards of sand onto Lido Beach to create 1.2 miles of sand dunes, followed by the planting of Florida-friendly vegetation to anchor and protect the newly restored dunes,” the release added.
“Public access to Lido Beach will be maintained throughout the expected 60-day duration of the project,” the release pointed out.
“Sand dunes play a critical role in protecting Sarasota’s barrier islands by absorbing wave energy, containing windblown sand, and acting as natural flood barriers during severe weather events,” the city news release explained. “In addition to safeguarding infrastructure, vegetated dunes contribute to a healthy ecosystem by providing shelter, feeding grounds, and nesting areas for coastal wildlife,” the release noted.
During a March 26 informational meeting that city staff hosted about the dunes project, a slide shown to the public explained that vegetated dune systems have root systems that help stabilize the interior of the dunes and “reduce erosive impacts.” Dunes also provide privacy for private property owners, it said.
Another slide pointed out that discussions about a potential beach dune project on Lido began in 2020 between representatives of Taylor Engineering of Tampa and city staff. In 2023, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) modified its permit for Lido Beach renourishment initiatives to allow for a “dune feature on the south end of Lido Key,” one more slide noted. That permit modification will allow the city “to restore the dunes atop the existing beach berm” on Lido. The maximum dune elevation will be 6.6 feet above NAVD88, that slide added. That height corresponds with the stormwater elevation factored over 25 years, the slide also said.
In addition to dune restoration, the release continued, the project calls for the placement of new post-and-rope barriers and corresponding signage to protect the dunes once they have been completed.
Sand for this project came from New Pass, which was the source of the sand that the USACE’s contractor used for the recent Lido Beach Renourishment Project, the release added.
For more information, persons may visit Engage.Sarasotafl.gov/lido-beach-renourishment, the release said.