State of the beach

1. Longboat Pass Dredging/Beach Fill

Start date: Summer/fall

Amount of sand: 239,000 cubic yards

Groins

Longboat Key Public Works Director Juan Florensa said construction of two groins near the North Shore Road beach access is 90% complete. The popular beach access could reopen by Memorial Day weekend. Cleanup is starting in the construction area, and trucks are now bringing approximately 7,000 cubic yards of sand to  the area in and around the two groins. The structures will keep sand on the shoreline that often washes away into Longboat Pass.

Beer Can Island

The state of Beer Can Island erosion is severe. At high tide, there’s no northern shoreline for beachgoers who arrive by boat. The town agreed to nix a terminal rock groin that was supposed to be constructed near the western tip of Beer Can Island to combat erosion. The groin was part of a permit challenge settlement the town agreed to two years ago to allow the two North Shore Road groins to be built. Those groins will slow sand loss on Beer Can because when sand is swept into Longboat Pass, it essentially starves Beer Can Island of sand.

Longboat Pass Dredging Project

As soon as this summer, the town hopes to perform a $3.5 million dredging of Longboat Pass to fill in eroded areas of the north end with approximately 239,000 cubic yards of sand from Gulfside Road to the North Shore Road beach access. Good news came for the town April 22 when former Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash announced he will withdraw his challenge of a state permit for the project.

2. Central Key Truck Haul Beach Fill

Start date: Fall 

Amount of sand: 250,000 cubic yards

Mid-Key Beach Project

Longboat Pass and New Pass don’t have enough sand to fill in eroded areas of the shoreline in the center of the Key. That means the three-tiered beach project beach project will come with a $10,983,192 sand-haul project. Dump trucks will bring approximately 250,000 cubic yards of sand from a sand source in the middle of the state in the fall.

3. New Pass Dredging/Beach Fill

Start date: Fall

Amount of sand: 315,000 cubic yards

South End Beach Project

Town staff is working as quickly as it can to address a severely eroded shoreline behind L’Ambiance and neighboring Islandside condominiums that include The Pierre, Longboat Key Towers, Sanctuary and the Privateer. 

So much sand has been lost that at high tide Gulf water laps at 7-foot beach escarpments that are kept in place by large areas of vegetated dunes. 

Florensa said he visits the south-end erosion hot spots weekly to stay apprised of the situation. He says that despite the look of the beach, there’s still a healthy vegetative dune system in place behind the condos that will keep the condos protected until sand arrives from a $3 million New Pass dredging project that could begin this summer if permits are approved. 

The project will place 315,000 cubic yards of sand from New Pass to restore a recreational beach on the south end. The town is hopeful it can perform both the Longboat Pass and New Pass dredging projects back to back this summer to minimize mobilization costs.

Emergency sand truck haul project

Town Manager Dave Bullock said he will bring back an emergency dump truck project again if judicial challenges by individuals or environmental organizations delay the dredging projects by challenging the permits. 

“The commission told us if there’s a delay in the (south end) project, to bring back the $1.5 million truck haul project,” Bullock said. 

The town  is currently working on revising permits for emergency dump truck sand haul projects for the south end of the Key and portions of the middle of the island.