Sand loss prompts warning for north-end

Ongoing north-end erosion has prompted Longboat Key Town Manager David Bullock and Public Works Director Juan Florensa to warn owners at the nine-unit 360 North condominium that just 30 to 50 feet of dry beach remains between their buildings and the Gulf.

“Once this remaining sand is eroded, there may be overwash in times of high surf that might impact the grounds or buildings of the nine units located on the site,” Bullock wrote in an April 26 email to the Longboat Key Town Commission, referring to the $4.5 million emergency beach project that deposited 133,000 cubic yards of sand as a temporary fix last summer.

When the project was completed, just about a year ago, the area’s beach spanned approximately 150 feet.
According to Florensa, high winds and waves from storms that occurred a week-and-a-half ago exacerbated erosion.

Charlie Sweeney, president of the 360 North condominium association, had headed to his Indiana home before the storms and wasn’t aware of the level of erosion until he participated in a conference call with Bullock and Florensa.

Sweeney expressed disappointment that the town doesn’t plan to put additional sand in place for the summer.

“It seems to me that we’re no further in pursuit of an acceptable goal than we were a few years ago,” he said. “We’re at the mercy of nature, and the town is going to leave us in that position.”

Florensa, however, said it was unlikely that the town would place more sand in the area.

“I think putting more sand in that area is not sustainable or a wise use of taxpayer dollars,” he said.

Florensa said the condominium doesn’t seem to be in jeopardy and the conference call was intended to keep homeowners up to date about the shrinking beach because many are seasonal residents.

The Longboat Pass Inlet Management Study, commissioned jointly by the town and Manatee County, concluded that the long-term solution for controlling erosion should include a terminable groin on Beer Can Island and two permeable adjustable groins on the north end.

However, the process of permitting, designing and building any structures and placing additional sand in the area will likely take between 24 and 36 months.

The commission reached consensus to move forward with the permitting process for the structures recommended by the Longboat Pass Inlet Management Plan but hasn’t yet voted on whether to accept them. The Manatee County Board of Commissioners voted to move forward with the design and permitting recommended in the study.

Sand dynamics cause much of the north end’s erosion, with sand along the northern part of the Key moving northward opposite Gulf-beach sand, which typically moves toward the south.