Siesta resident says sand loss is a point of concern

Salvatore Russo, a part-time resident who lives near beach access 13 on Siesta Key, is concerned with the rate of erosion at the southernmost spit of sand connected to the public beach.

Access 13 is considered the public access to Point of Rocks, and Russo said there’s not much beach left.

“At high tide you walk right into the ocean,” Russo said.

Russo has lived in this area for about 20 years; he said he remembers the beach used to be wider than it is now. He owns a rental property near the area, and his tenants have complained there is nowhere to go when they get to the beach because the public area is too small.

“How can you have a beach access and no beach?” Russo said.

Russo emailed the Sarasota County commissioners last week seeking answers. He will meet with Laird Wreford, coastal resources manager for the county, April 27. In the meantime, Russo is putting together a petition he will distribute to local residents. 

“We’re going to take this to the max,” he said, but added, “Why did it have to get this far? It’s not like we’re asking for something that wasn’t there before.”

Wreford said, to his knowledge, the county has never done a renourishment project in that area. Generally, Wreford said, a beach renourishment project needs to have a beach that has at least 1.5 miles of erosion. The cause for this minimum is that when sand is laid down for renourishment, some of that sand is lost in the process, and the smaller the area, the more that is lost. Also, this area is home to native habitat and a coral rock bed, which the county can’t cover with additional sand. 

Although a renourishment project for that area is unlikely, Wreford said, there are other protective measures the county could take, such as a dune project.

Dawn Bear, general manager for Tropical Beach Resorts, said she’s been on the Key since 1990 and hasn’t received any complaints from visitors about the state of sand in the Point of Rocks area. She has noticed it fluctuate over the years and remembers it being thinner two years ago.  

“The beach just changes,” she said. “It’s Mother Nature.”