County shores up Lido dune protection

Most people looking ahead to the Fourth of July are eager for a long, leisurely weekend of cookouts and fireworks shows.

As Carl Shoffstall gets ready for the holiday, he’s searching for ways to prevent damage to the Lido Key shoreline.

Shoffstall, president of the Lido Key Residents Association, spends a lot of time thinking about that shoreline. Residents on Lido say the beach is perilously thin at the beginning of hurricane season, and worry that a single storm could cause major damage.

“It’s virtually gone,” Shoffstall said.

But the weather isn’t the only threat to the beach ecosystem. Every year, thousands of visitors descend on Lido Beach for the Sarasota Power Boat Grand Prix, scheduled for July 1 and July 2 this year. Shoffstall fears the big crowds heighten the risk that people do something harmful to the beach.

Specifically, he’s worried about people walking across the dunes to get to the beach. The dunes are a valuable part of the Lido shoreline. Anchored by vegetation, the dunes are a resource for animals in the area, and they represent a stable source of sand separating the beach from the built environment.

“The dune systems are protection for the residences and businesses across the coastal area,” said Ryan Murphy, operations manager with the county’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources department. “When people are walking across it, they’re essentially killing that dune vegetation.”

On June 4, Shoffstall wrote an email to County Commission Chairman Paul Caragiulo and other city and county leaders. During the Memorial Day weekend, he saw people walking though the dunes. He asked the county, which oversees Lido Beach, to consider roping off both sides of the dunes before the boat races. Given the state of the beach, he said it was crucial that officials take proactive steps to defend the dunes.

Within a week, Shoffstall got a satisfying plan from county staff. He worked with Murphy, who developed a list of precautions the county could take to protect the beach. The county is working to fence off the dunes as Shoffstall requested along the entire length of the public beach. It will also bring in additional personnel for the weekend of the boat races and install signs along the beach in areas where staff is concerned people might try to cross through to the beach.

The most important thing, Murphy said, is making sure the public is aware of the potential damage people can do. He’s asked Shoffstall to reach out to members of the Lido Key Residents Association to see if people are willing to volunteer to help monitor the beach and talk to visitors during the holiday weekend.

“A lot of what we can do to protect our dune system is about educating the public,” Murphy said.

The dunes aren’t the only things the county wants to protect. Murphy said staff will emphasize the sea turtle nesting regulations, including the hours people are allowed to be on the beach, and remind visitors to keep the beaches clean.

Shoffstall said the Lido Key Residents Association is also seeking volunteers to monitor the black skimmer bird colony on the beach and to help clean up the shoreline when the boat race and holiday is over.

Lido Key residents are still pushing strong for some sort of short-term shoreline protection project as they await the potential dredge of Big Pass for renourishment. City staff is investigating its options, but nothing is planned yet.

In the meantime, residents are counting on the county and city to do what they can to make sure things don’t get any worse.

“We are working to make sure we take all the possible measures to protect the beach,” Murphy said.