The City of Sarasota officials and community members gathered earlier this week to announce the long-awaited completion of Lido Beach’s renourishment.
“Officials, project stakeholders and the general public gathered on the beach near the newly renovated Lido Pavilion, 400 Benjamin Franklin Drive, to mark the conclusion of this major project, a partnership between the City and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” the City said in their official release.
The state and federally permitted work began in the spring of 2020 following years of extensive design and planning, community engagement, legal challenges and the support of the Lido Key Residents Association and Lido Key businesses.
Nearly 700,000 cubic yards of recycled sand was added to a 1.56-mile stretch of Lido Key, from the public beach in the north to Ted Sperling Park at South Lido.
“This project has been many years in the making, and it’s amazing to see the dramatic difference and the huge new beach being enjoyed by our residents and visitors,” said Sarasota Mayor Hagen Brody.
“Lido Key is one of the crown jewels of our City, and this renourishment ensures that its critical infrastructure, roads, properties and ecological habitats will be protected for years to come.”
In addition to the sand placement, which extended the beach by an average of about 300 feet, contractor Cottrell Contracting Corporation also built two groins along South Lido that utilize nearly 5,000 tons of armor stone to interrupt or trap the flow of sand and reduce erosion.
The cost of the $12.68 million project was shared by the City (19%, from Tourist Development Tax dollars), the state of Florida (19%) and the Army Corps (62%).