Rubio talks renourishment at Lido Beach

Just before noon today, Sen. Marco Rubio walked onto the beach at Lido Key.

He stood at an access point near the Lido Beach pavilion for just a few minutes — a brief visit, but enough time for him to take note of the status of the barrier island’s shoreline. He was struck by what he saw.

“It’s not even high tide, and I’ve never seen erosion that comes up that close,” Rubio said. “You’re probably five feet away from there not even being a beach.”

Alongside city officials and Lido residents, Rubio discussed the future of the beach during a stop in Sarasota. The meeting came about after city officials visited Rubio’s office in Washington in December, asking for federal assistance as the city sought to renourish critically eroded portions of the Lido shoreline.

The city is working with the Army Corps of Engineers on a project to replenish Lido Beach by dredging sand from Big Pass. Earlier this month, the Army Corps announced it had allocated $13.5 million toward the project. The city hopes the long-term renourishment project can begin by early next year.

Although the plans have been contentious locally, Rubio expressed a desire to get sand on Lido as quickly as possible. He said the federal government can help communities in need of shoreline enhancement by allocating money expeditiously and providing assistance as local governments navigate the engineering process.

Rubio called the status of the beach an economic development issue as well as an environmental concern.

“One of the things that ties people to living here, visiting here and seasonally being here is access to a beach that has sand on it,” Rubio said. “If it doesn’t — and it’s as dramatic as what we saw here today — the long-term implications of that will impact property values, visitor dollars and ultimately the future economic viability of the region.”