City responds to county concerns on Big Pass dredge

Following a critical third-party review of plans to dredge Big Pass, city engineer Alex DavisShaw wants to establish a line of dialogue to address the issues raised in the consultant’s report.

The city is working with the Army Corps of Engineers on a plan to renourish Lido Beach, which would include the first-ever dredging of sand from Big Pass. Despite the negative tone of the review, conducted by a county consultant, city staff isn’t convinced that the issues are on their end.

On March 2, DavisShaw sent a formal response to county staff responding to the analysis of the proposed dredging. That letter expresses concern about the amount of available information pertaining to the project that Atkins, the consulting firm that conducted the report, didn’t seem to incorporate into its work.

“There are a lot of questions we had that don’t appear to have been evaluated by Atkins,” DavisShaw said. “Once we see they have all that information, we want to know what their questions are at that point.”

Atkins is scheduled to give a presentation to the County Commission March 23, though county  staff declined to expand on the county’s ongoing review process. The report said the Army Corps’ proposal lacks “the supporting documentation necessary to confidently accept the conclusions” — perhaps most significantly, that the project wouldn’t negatively impact Siesta Beach to the south. Residents on Siesta Key have expressed strong opposition to the project.

“We’re both concerned about the health and safety of our shorelines.” — Alex DavisShaw

Although the project does not technically require county approval, DavisShaw wants to ensure that any apprehension surrounding the dredge is addressed. A separate city-ordered independent review of the project recommends the city create a series of plans to address a wide range of possible outcomes following the dredge.

Although the Lido shoreline renourishment effort is designed to continue for up to 50 years, that report recommends treating the project as a one-time dredging until it’s clear what the impacts are. The city and Army Corps are working to revise their plans to incorporate that advice, a sign that the project’s broader impacts are being accounted for.

“We want to make sure any questions the county has are answered,” DavisShaw said. “We’re both concerned about the health and safety of our shorelines.”

As local governments continue to pore over the project, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is also reviewing the proposed plans. Currently, the city and Army Corps are responding to a request for additional information from the DEP.

DavisShaw said a decision from the state isn’t exactly imminent; additional questions could come after this request for information is addressed. Even with no major hurdles, the dredging likely wouldn’t start for a year — and it’s probable that it takes even longer.

One of the biggest questions remaining about the project is funding. Army Corps officials originally said the project could begin as early as 2015, but in addition to the pushback from county residents, federal money still has not materialized for the $23 million renourishment effort.

“It was not included in President Obama’s 2017 budget,” Army Corps spokeswoman Amanda Parker said. “Unless Congress does something differently to put it in there, it’s not in the 2017 budget.”

As a result, DavisShaw said, it’s more realistic that the bidding process for the project will begin around fall 2017. In the meantime, she’ll keep working on a local level to respond to concerns that continue to surround the project.

“If we need to set something up to talk with (Atkins) about where information can be found, we’ll do that,” she said. “We’ve expressed a willingness to communicate with them whatever they need to help them understand.”