Emergency dredge work to begin soon on Longboat Key

Long-awaited emergency dredging work to reopen Longboat Key’s Canal 1A near Greer Island will prompt the immediate closure to the public of the beach east of Longboat Pass Bridge for three weeks, town officials said in a news release on Monday.

The town holds permits from federal and state agencies to dredge 1,000 cubic yards of sand from the waterway, which is ankle-deep in some areas under some tidal conditions. The idea is to reopen the passage between the lagoon and Sarasota Bay for tidal flushing, wildlife access and boats.

A larger dredging plan remains on the books.

Until mid-July, town officials will close the beach east of the bridge to allow the contractor to perform the emergency-dredge work.

Following the dredging, the town will finish marking with signs and buoys a pair of “motorboats prohibited areas” on the southeastern portion of the sand.

Those areas will then be permanently off-limits for power vessels and limited to swimmers, kayakers and paddleboarders, though power vessels would still be allowed to beach and anchor in adjacent unrestricted areas.