Sarasota News Leader
August 30, 2013
Page 37
SARASOTA RESIDENTS HAVE LEARNED THAT A STATE RULE CHANGE
CREATES A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COUNTY TO TRY TO REOPEN
MIDNIGHT PASS
By Rachel Brown Hackney
Editor
The chairman of the Midnight Pass Society
says he is "cautiously optimistic" about renewing an effort this year to open Midnight
Pass, as the area marks the 30th anniversary
of the inlet's closing.
with officials of the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection (FDEP) to discuss
whether the county was treated unfairly in its
last attempt to gain state and federal approval to allow water once again to flow through
Jim Herbert was among a delegation of Sara- Midnight Pass from Little Sarasota Bay to the
sota County residents who met on Aug. 21 Gulf of Mexico.
A slide from a presentation to the County Commission several years ago shows impacts emanating
from the closing of Midnight Pass in 1983. Image courtesy of Sarasota County