Sarasota is hosting a celebration on May 27 for the recently completed Lido Beach renourishment project!

Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC

 

 

Sarasota, FL:  The City of Sarasota will host a celebration for the recently completed Lido Beach renourishment project at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 27.

 

Officials, project stakeholders and the general public will gather on the beach near the newly renovated Lido Pavilion, 400 Benjamin Franklin Drive, to mark the conclusion of this major project, a partnership between the City and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 

The state and federally permitted work began in the spring of 2020 following years of extensive design and planning, community engagement, legal challenges and the support of the Lido Key Residents Association and Lido Key businesses. Nearly 700,000 cubic yards of recycled sand was added to a 1.56-mile stretch of Lido Key, from the public beach in the north to Ted Sperling Park at South Lido.

 

“This project has been many years in the making, and it’s amazing to see the dramatic difference and the huge new beach being enjoyed by our residents and visitors,” said Sarasota Mayor Hagen Brody. “Lido Key is one of the crown jewels of our City, and this renourishment ensures that its critical infrastructure, roads, properties and ecological habitats will be protected for years to come.”

 

In addition to the sand placement, which extended the beach by an average of about 300 feet, or the length of a football field, contractor Cottrell Contracting Corporation also built two groins along South Lido that utilize nearly 5,000 tons of armor stone to interrupt or trap the flow of sand and reduce erosion.

 

“The Lido Key shoreline has been greatly damaged and reduced by storm events over the years, so it’s critical to have this much larger beach area and two buried groins in place to preserve and protect our barrier island, especially as we enter another hurricane season,” said City Engineer Alex DavisShaw.

 

The cost of the $12.68 million project was shared by the City (19%, from Tourist Development Tax dollars), the state of Florida (19%) and the Army Corps (62%). Officially known as the Lido Key Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project, it represents the start of a 50-year partnership with the Army Corps that will allow the City to respond more quickly to future storms and erosion with renourishments anticipated on a five-year cycle.

 

“This has been a great project, a long time in the planning and with lots of challenges along the way, but I think the final construction has turned out great,” said Bryan Merrill, project manager for the Corps’ Jacksonville District. “We’ve had super support from our partners in the City and strong execution by our contractor and Corps folks. Scores of people of have contributed their expertise and hard work over the years to make this happen, and I am very happy to be the PM at this historic milestone.”

 

The City also partnered with Sarasota County, which provided a staging area for the project at Ted Sperling Park, and with Mote Marine Laboratory, Audubon Florida and Dial Cordy and Associates, which conducted sea turtle and shorebird monitoring before, during and after the construction.

 

For more information, contact Jason Bartolone, Communications Specialist:  941-928-3988.