(Above) The tide in the Gulf of Mexico almost reaches the First Lido Condominium complex at 1900
Benjamin Franklin Drive on Lido Key. Image courtesy Lido Key Residents Association
That letter said, "I would like to emphasize
that we do not oppose renourishment at
Lido Key, but we insist that any renourish-
ment does not jeopardize Siesta Key in any
way or impair navigation and alternatives to
obtaining sand from Big Pass be appropri-
ately explored and used."
Corps of Engineers project managers have
called for the dredging of Big Sarasota Pass
to provide the majority of the approximately
1.2 million cubic yards of sand needed for
the first renourishment of Lido Key under a
50-year plan. The pass, which separates Lido
and Siesta keys, never has been dredged.
Opponents of the plan fear such action will
lead to impairment not only of the naviga-
tional channel but also of Siesta's beaches.
On May 14, Susan J. Jackson, a spokeswoman
for the Corps of Engineers in its Jacksonville
office, told The Sarasota News Leader in an
Hopefully, we'll get this in here in the
next few weeks and share it with everybody.
Alexandrea Davis Shaw
City Engineer
City of Sarasota
Sarasota News Leader May 16, 2014 Page 56
