Siesta Key Chamber wades into Big Pass dredge debate

The Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce announced its opposition to an Army Corps of Engineering proposal to mine Big Pass for Lido Beach sand in a statement Monday. The release highlighted a rising tide of resistance to the $22.7 million, 50-year project among Siesta residents and businesses.

The chamber’s move came one week after the Siesta Key Association officially announced its opposition to the Army Corps’ proposal.

The Sarasota County Commission will address the Big Pass dredge in March, spurring Siesta Key business owners and residents concerned about the potentially negative impacts of the dredge on Siesta beaches to mount opposition to the project and push county commissioners to intervene.

“My sense is that there will be more to come in support of our opposition as we near the date when this becomes part of the County Commission’s agenda some time in March,” Siesta Chamber board member and former Chairwoman Maria Bankemper wrote in an email to the Sarasota Observer.

The Siesta Key Chamber, which represents the island’s businesses and comprises more than 500 members, moved to oppose the dredge by a unanimous vote at a Jan. 16 board meeting. On Jan. 27, Bankemper advised the County Commission of the chamber’s position.

The chamber’s move to formally oppose the dredge follows a recent shift in businesses’ and homeowner groups’ strategies on Siesta Key to wait until the Army Corps had released all of its data to take a stance on the project.

But, the upcoming commission hearings and worries about the Army Corps filing for permits have injected urgency into the perceived need for more scrutiny of the corps’ plans.

Bankemper suggested that the Siesta Key Village Association, which has not yet taken a position on the project, will announce its formal opposition to the dredge soon.

“That would be all three entities on Siesta Key taking a position against the removal of sand from the shoal in Big Pass,” Bankemper said. 

SKVA President Cheryl Gaddie said she would bring the Big Pass dredge up for discussion at the group’s Feb. 4 meeting.

“I’ll call for a vote to see how the members feel,” Gaddie said.

Gaddie agreed that opposition was mounting on the Key against the Big Pass dredge, but she also conceded that not all of the information was yet available to take a definitive stance for or against the project.

“Nobody wants Lido to not have nourishment, it’s not a possessive thing,” Gaddie said. “But this is our livelihood, this is our beach. We just want to see the facts.” 

If you go
The Siesta Key Village Association will discuss the Big Pass dredging project at a meeting at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 4 at the Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar, 5250 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key.

Contact Nolan Peterson at [email protected]