A blog dealing with Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Ten More Questions about the Corps' "Hole in the Shoal" Proposal

I may have been a little hasty in assuming there were only ten top questions about this project. Here are ten more that need to be asked (and answered):

11. Has the City of Sarasota or the Corps of Engineers been cooperating and collaborating with Sarasota County on this project? If so, how, when, and to what extent?

12. Have there ever been any hearings on this project? (We are unaware of any County or City hearings. Did the Corps ever hold hearings?) Implicit in this question is whether any fifty-year multi-million dollar contract should be entered into by the City without public hearings. 

13. There has been recent contention between the City and County regarding jurisdiction over new dredging projects within the City. This was believed to only affect a proposed navigation channel at the end of 45th Street. It is now clear the resolution could affect this project. What is the status of this jurisdictional dispute? 

14.What are the exact City and County boundaries in the vicinity of Big Pass and out into the Gulf?

15. Has this project subverted or derailed the previous pattern of alternating sharing of New Pass sand between Lido and Longboat beaches? 

16. How does the Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan address dredging in previously undredged locales and adding hardening structures to beaches? Does the County Plan apply in municipalities?

17. Does South Lido Park have any covenants or management plan restrictions that would affect the placement of groins?

18. How do we reconcile the discrepancy between the recommended locations in the Corps proposal, which differs from the County's adopted Inlet Management Plan?

19. The state beach management plan mentions "offshore sources". How can the Corps claim their proposal is congruent with the state plan if it would be taking sand from the ebb tidal shoal and not offshore? 

20. Does the model the Corps is using predict the existence and movement of Sand Dollar Island, which is important both recreationally and for wildlife? If not, why not?