Anna Maria beach renourishment kickstarted with TDT funds

By S.T. Cardinal
| 8:00 a.m. June 25, 2026

An aerial view of Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island.

Longboat Key
News

A beach renourishment project on Anna Maria Island has been given a $6.18 million boost after the Manatee County Board of Commissioners gave approval for Tourist Development Tax funds to be used for the project.

The renourishment project will place sand on the eroded “Central Beach” segment of Anna Maria Island from 79th Street North at Holmes Beach to Fifth Street South at Bradenton Beach. Areas of Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach will also be renourished. Manatee County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are working together on the project, and the Federal Emergency Management Association and state of Florida are major funders.

Work is expected to begin this November and continue through March or April 2027.

“By advancing these funds now, Manatee County can coordinate beach-recovery efforts with our state and federal partners, reducing overall construction costs while accelerating restoration of some of our community’s most valuable coastal assets,” said Charlie Hunsicker, Manatee County’s director of Natural Resources.

author

S.T. Cardinal

S.T. "Tommy" Cardinal is the Longboat Key news reporter. The Sarasota native earned a degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando with a minor in environmental studies. In Central Florida, Cardinal worked for a monthly newspaper covering downtown Orlando and College Park. He then worked for a weekly newspaper in coastal South Carolina where he earned South Carolina Press Association awards for his local government news coverage and photography.