- April 3, 2025
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While Longboat Key is widely known for its pristine beaches, the coastal town includes some hidden gem parks like Joan M. Durante and Quick Point Nature Preserve. In these parks, visitors are immersed in Florida nature and experience views of Sarasota Bay and its wetlands.
But currently, the main walkways of these nature parks remain closed after Hurricanes Helene and Milton left the parks in disarray.
It’s not just replacing a couple of loose boards. Entire boardwalks and observation decks need to be replaced in both parks.
Streets, Facilities, Parks & Recreation Manager Mark Richardson with the town of Longboat Key’s Public Works Department said this project is more involved than people may think, and costly. Replacing the parks’ boardwalks, the town dock and the boat ramp could cost around $2 million.
As Richardson walked around Durante Park with Mark Kerr, also with the town’s Public Works Department, he noted how the boardwalk damage gets worse as you move closer toward the bay.
The power of the surge from Hurricane Helene and the wind from Hurricane Milton dislodged boardwalks into disarray, and one observation deck in Quick Point is completely gone.
Some of the boardwalks that used to be flush to the ground are now raised 2 to 3 feet above ground.
In most areas, the state of the unstable walkways makes it difficult to pass and unsafe for the public to use.
For the parks, Durante Park will probably need 5,193 square feet of new boardwalk, and another 5,210 square feet for Quick Point.
The 10,000 square feet of boardwalks, town dock and boat ramp will be replaced with a new composite material as the town is moving away from using wood in public facilities.
In some areas of Durante Park, an older style of composite material existed, making it more slippery than the newer style. In Quick Point, the observation decks and most boardwalks were still made of wood.
“It’ll benefit the parks in the long run,” Richardson said.
The composite material is waterproof, more durable and lasts longer than wood, according to Richardson.
About a year ago, most of the boardwalks in Durante Park were replaced with this new composite material which cost around $150,000 for the project.
Given the recent damage, most of those fresh boardwalks will need to be replaced again.
Richardson said he is going to try to save on costs wherever possible.
For example, he hopes the lowest bidder for the project will do all the replacements across the town to save money on project mobilization.
Also, Richardson said the materials of some boardwalks are still salvageable, and he hopes he can work with the construction company to reuse some of those materials.
In some places, Richardson thinks the boardwalks could be pushed back into the ground and would only require some touch-ups.
While going through these large-scale repairs, Richardson said his staff will also re-evaluate the placement of benches throughout the parks.
In some areas, older benches have overgrown vegetation now blocks the views that once existed.
Now, with some benches destroyed or gone missing in areas around the town, Richardson said the town might look to relocate the benches for further cost savings.
On Feb. 13, Richardson and Kerr took a final walkthrough of Durante Park to measure the boardwalks to finalize the details before sending the project out to bid.
Richardson said the project would be in the bidding process for 30 days before the town could move forward with a construction company and receive a final cost estimate.
There would then be some back-and-forth with the contracts before getting started on construction, which Richardson estimated would take about 3-4 months.
“Hopefully we can time it right to do (the construction) in the summer when there are fewer people here,” Richardson said.
Town staff hopes these repairs and replacements to the town’s public facilities will be eligible for reimbursement by insurance and claims through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
FEMA has a list of different claims that break down eligibility for agencies to receive reimbursement funding after disasters. The agency’s Category G claim applies to parks, recreation and other facilities, which is the category the town would pursue a claim under for these repairs.
Depending on the claim, FEMA could reimburse projects like these for 75 to 100%.
The reimbursements usually have a deadline and, in this case, Richardson said he’s confident in meeting that deadline.
“I don’t see any problem getting it done in 18 months,” Richardson said.
There are also some repairs needed at Bayfront Park, but the park is technically owned by Sarasota County. Richardson said the county is responsible for capital projects in Bayfront Park, but the town handles operations and maintenance.
