Town works to secure sand for this summer

Sand could come sooner than expected for the north end of Longboat Key.

Town Manager Dave Bullock made it clear in August that the town was interested in sand for the Key’s shore that the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) plans to dredge out of the Intracoastal Waterway near Jewfish Key.

That project, which was expected to start in summer 2015, around the same time the town builds two groins to hold sand on the north end, has received a draft permit early and could begin this summer.

Public Works Director Juan Florensa said the permit has been approved by the state and the project could receive a federal permit in a couple of weeks. Approximately 50,000 to 75,000 cubic yards of sand could be placed on the north end up to the Broadway beach access to act as a stopgap fix until sand-saving structures can be built the following summer.

“We are in dire need of the sand, and we told WCIND we will take the sand once it becomes available,” Florensa said.

In a March 7 email to the Longboat Key Town Commission, Bullock explained WCIND’s project calls for dredging the channel near Longboat Pass, while placing beach-compatible sand on the north end of Longboat Key. WCIND will dredge the channel northwest of Jewfish Key to prepare to install flood shoal sand traps in that area. The traps, once installed, will trap between 40,000 and 60,000 cubic yards of sand that has swept off the north end of the Key and deposited in a large sandbar near Jewfish Key that is a popular spot for boaters to anchor on the weekends.

WCIND has been working on a permit for the sand traps because that same sand also makes its way into the Intracoastal Waterway, clogging up the boating channel and forcing the district to perform expensive dredging projects.

The traps will be installed in a shallow depression in the waterway and intercept sand before it makes its way to the Jewfish Key site. 

“It’s our sand from the north end that’s being deposited into these sand traps, so it makes sense to get it back,” Florensa said. “And it would be back on the beaches before the upcoming hurricane season if everything works out with the permitting process and WCIND can acquire a contractor and dredge to perform the work.”

Florensa and Bullock attended a WCIND meeting last week to push for the sand. WCIND board members agreed to accelerate plans and place sand around Longbeach condominiums and the surrounding area once the sand is removed. WCIND has also agreed to allocate $500,000 toward the project.

Bullock will add a discussion item to the commission’s March 17 regular workshop to discuss the project and any associated costs for the town. Commissioners are expected to debate how much the project will cost the town. Some commissioners said it doesn’t make sense to spend money for more sand on the north end until there are structures in place that will hold the sand in the area.

Bullock, though, believes the sand could act as a buffer while the town waits for a permit for sand and structures in summer 2015.

“This effort would address a worsening condition at this particular location and provide some storm protection for the area until the groin project is complete,” Bullock wrote in his email to commissioners.
Longbeach President Bob Appel called the potential sand source “promising” on Monday.

“It certainly will help us because, at the moment, we need to survive between now and the time the groins are installed,” Appel said. “We are certainly anxious about our eroding property and this seems like a godsend. The town is working hard to help us, and we appreciate it.”

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected]