Drone used to advocate against 78-foot-tall bridge option for Longboat Pass

FDOT and town of Longboat Key officials stood in the parking lot of Coquina Beach, peering at a drone buzzing far above the Longboat Pass Bridge.

The drone was 80 feet in the air, a conscious decision by town leaders who pointed to the sky where the drone hovered to make a point. It’s roughly the height of a fixed-span bridge FDOT is considering to replace the drawbridge.

“We wanted to give the District 1 Secretary and his team a sense of the scale and magnitude of this bridge out in the field, a proposed high fixed span, and then simultaneous to that, get a sense of the nature and character of the area,” Assistant Town Manager Isaac Brownman said. “We met on the south side of Coquina Beach, and then we all drove over the bridge to continue our meeting at Town Hall.”

On hand to hear the town’s case for a drawbridge over FDOT’s preference of a fixed-span bridge were FDOT Interim District 1 Secretary Jamie Driggers and Longboat Pass Bridge Project Manager David Turley. FDOT District 1 Director of Public Information Janella Newsome said the town requested the meeting with FDOT to discuss planning options for the proposed new Longboat Pass Bridge.

“FDOT recognizes that actively listening to and incorporating feedback from the public and local government partners is absolutely vital to the success of any infrastructure project,” Newsome wrote in an email. “By prioritizing this collaborative input early in the planning process, potential challenges can be proactively identified, allowing FDOT to develop solutions that are community-supported, economically feasible and environmentally responsible.”

The meeting can be considered a last pitch by the town, which is advocating against a proposed 78-foot-tall fixed-span design for the new bridge. The existing drawbridge — also known as a bascule bridge — is now approaching 70 years in service, and plans to replace it have been discussed for years, with the Project Development and Environment Study phase wrapping up. FDOT held public meetings in March, where it shared that the fixed-span bridge was its preferred design over the two drawbridge options.

Town Commissioner Sarah Karon, whose district includes the northern end of Longboat Key, said it’s hard to imagine a bridge that tall connecting Anna Maria Island to Longboat Key. Brownman said it doesn’t fit the character of the island.

After the meeting between FDOT and town staff, Town Manager Howard Tipton wrote a letter outlining the reasoning for the town’s opposition to a taller bridge, including pedestrian accessibility and the character of the town.

“We recognize that the State of Florida has constructed very few bascule bridges in recent decades due to the significant capital, operational and maintenance costs associated with these bridge structures. However, we believe there are circumstances where the scale and visual impact of an infrastructure improvement must be carefully balanced against the character of the community it serves,” Tipton wrote in the letter. “In this instance, the Town believes substantial consideration should be given to preserving the unique character and quality of life that define the north end of Longboat Key.”

A final decision by FDOT is expected soon as the PD&E phase has an estimated completion of “mid-2026,” according to the project website.

“Our understanding coming out of the meeting was the DOT is going to make a decision, a final decision between District 1 and the central office in Tallahassee by end of summer,” Brownman said. “That's what I took away from the meeting.”