Siesta Key Association voices concern about Army Corps re-design

The Siesta Key Association discussed the possibility of legal action at its April meeting Thursday night following the release of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s new re-design and environmental assessment of the Big Pass dredge.

Catherine Luckner gave an update on the new re-design and the changes that were within the design.

The state and the corps are trying to submit their applications for federal permitting concurrently, and the corps listed Fall or Winter 2015 as a start date for construction. Luckner urged SKA members to get involved.

“It’s up to us to look for things that could effect us,” she said.

She suggested everyone should write to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as it has to answer all correspondence. 

"We should snow them (with letters)," her husband, Bob Luckner, said. 

One main differences Luckner found in the re-design was a change in the sand source location. Previously, the Army Corps had planned to dredge sand from the ebb shoal on Big Pass. However, in the re-design, the corps presented a preferred alternative, which would remove sand in the Intracoastal Waterway and create a deeper channel through Big Pass.

“What are the risks of digging up a channel?” she said.

The corps is still using data from studies completed in 2002 and 2004, more than 10 years ago, and Luckner questioned the validity of the information. The county has still committed to completing an independent third-party review of the Army Corps, but Luckner said most of the seven pre-approved firms have ties to the corps.

One SKA member suggested legal action. Luckner said that SKA has a fund for legal matters.

“It’s healthy,” she said.

Jeanne Ezcurra, a SKA member and a director and treasurer of Save Our Siesta Sands 2, told SKA that her organization was also going to pursue legal action if necessary and had a coastal geologist hired to study the Army Corp’s models. She suggested the two organizations should work together if the situation called for a legal move.

County Commissioner Charles Hines also appeared at last night’s meeting to talk about current and upcoming county capital improvement projects. He explained that, at a recent budget discussion, the county had decided public safety should be the top priority.

He praised the county’s efforts to continue building projects such as the Gulf Gate Public Library and four new fire stations.

“When other communities hear what we’re doing, coming out of a recession, they’re astonished,” he said.

He also talked about the county's recent decision to grant $1 million in Tourist Tax Dollar funds to the city of Venice to help with its beach renourishment project. The county's policy on this allocation is under discussion. He said he didn't think beach renourishments in their current form were a viable solution to the problem, as they become more expensive and more frequent. Hines said there should be some investigation into alternative methods.