Future beach projects need new identity

The town of Longboat Key may have an identity crisis on its hands when it comes to beach projects.

The Longboat Key Town Commission was told at a special beach meeting in May that its Comprehensive Beach Management Plan is still appropriate for maintaining the island’s beaches.

But Dr. Kevin Bodge, a beach consultant, engineer and the senior vice president of Jacksonville-based Olsen & Associates Inc., also explained to the commission the town’s “island-wide” beach projects don’t really put down sand on every square inch of the island’s beaches.

Bodge’s assessment is old news.

Town Manager Bruce St. Denis has stated for years that sand is placed in higher erosion areas, and the sand, which is constantly in motion, makes its way to other portions of the beach via wave currents.
The problem exists with how to label future beach projects.

At the commission’s June 16 regular workshop, St. Denis told the commission he would schedule a meeting some time this summer to discuss the town’s beach plan and what to call future beach projects.

“We understand it’s not an ‘island-wide’ project, per se,” St. Denis said. “But what do we call it? That’s what we have to discuss.”

St. Denis said the name of the beach projects could be crucial as to whether taxpayers approve money for future sand projects.

Commissioner Phillip Younger, a longtime champion of the town only renourishing portions of its beaches when necessary, agrees the town could have a problem on its hands.

“It’s difficult to get everyone involved in voting for a beach project when some residents can sit on the beach and not see any sand physically being dumped where they are sitting,” Younger said. “At the same time, any time a large project is being pushed on taxpayers, there has to be a buy-in. The town has to market it.”

It’s a quandary for Younger and others.

“I also feel the taxpayers need to be fully informed so they can make the best decision possible before they cast their vote,” Younger said.

Past beach projects have been met with 70% to 80% voter approval, which includes a $16 million beach project voters approved in March.

The good news, St. Denis said, is that voters approved that project even though they knew it was to place the majority of the sand, and some sand-saving structures, on the north end of the island.

St. Denis also believes the island’s educated voters and the beach presentations the town makes periodically will bolster the town’s cause for future projects, no matter what the beach project is called.

For years, St. Denis has explained to the voters that the island’s sand is in constant motion.

“Anyone who has a beach right now has sand, because the town has either placed sand on top of that person’s beach or near that beach,” St. Denis said. “And if your beach is stable and wide, it’s because there’s a place that’s eroding somewhere else that’s feeding your beach more sand.”

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].