Sand war: only losers

Everyone on the outside watching this saga knew it was coming: Someone or some entity on Siesta Key would file a lawsuit to block the dredging of Big Pass to renourish the beaches of neighboring Lido Key.

And so it is. The Siesta Key Association announced its intent to file suit, giving the city of Sarasota and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 30 days’ notice.

Going to court to resolve disputes is the American way. It is one of the great features our founders adopted. But over the centuries, while still the source of justice in most instances, our court system often has become an expensive tool for one side to achieve its ends by wearing down the other. 

To be sure, the Siesta Key residents opposed to dredging Big Pass have every right to challenge in the courts the Corps of Engineers and Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s decisions to proceed with dredging Big Pass. Their cause has merit. They fear dredging will lead to damaging their properties and want to maintain the status quo. The Corps of Engineers and city are convinced dredging won’t do any damage.

In truth, neither side knows. 

But the Siesta Key residents don’t want to take the chance, which is understandable.

Meantime, the Gulf of Mexico’s continues to pound away, increasing the urgency to protect millions of dollars’ worth of property from destruction.

We’ve had letters to the editor urging a market-based, equitable solution: The city of Sarasota, state of Florida and Corps of Engineers could purchase insurance to protect the Siesta property owners. And if the insurance and dredging turned out to be prohibitively expensive, that might cause the city, state and Corps to seek a more economical source of sand. 

In lieu of that,  Sarasota City Manager Tom Barwin is showing the kind of leadership that is needed to help resolve this dispute without engaging in long, costly lawsuits. You can bet if this issue goes to the courts, it will move slowly — raising the legal and renourishing fees. 

Barwin is trying to prevent that. If you read his article, he notes how the city “has repeatedly offered to meet with those challenging the permit.” He is reaching out to them again. 

What’s more, he is committing the city to increasing its safeguards for Siesta Key and “establishing a contingency fund to make corrections” in the event damage occurs.

This matter  is especially urgent for Lido beach property owners. And the urgency of it, along with the threat of legal action, should give cause to the leaders of all the affected parties to come together to negotiate a solution good for everyone.

This is a time when at least one of our elected leaders — be it Congressman Vern Buchanan, state Rep. Julio Gonzalez, state Sen. Greg Steube, Sarasota County Commission Chair Alan Maio or Sarasota City Mayor Willie Shaw — should step forward and do whatever it takes. 

The way it’s going, no one is going to win. Lido beach property owners will suffer because of the delays. Taxpayers will lose because of the rising costs. And Siesta Key residents, even if they stop the dredging, won’t be totally victorious. They’ll have contributed to long-lasting animus between neighbors.