Heavy equipment moved onto Lido Beach on Monday to start a $12 million, federally funded project to rebuild more than a mile of storm-damaged sand dunes. The work is expected to take about 60 days.
Crews are staging in the parking lot south of the Lido Beach Pavilion and will place sand along a 1.2-mile stretch of shoreline. The material is 3,000 cubic yards of sand left over from navigational dredging at New Pass. That means the city is reusing sand already dug up for another purpose. The dunes it builds will stand 2 to 2.5 feet tall.
Sarasota Public Works Director Nikesh Patel said the goal is to protect upland property and Ben Franklin Drive while slowing future erosion. Once the sand is compacted, crews will plant native vegetation to hold the dunes in place, reduce sand loss and create habitat for coastal wildlife.
The dunes are meant to serve as a natural buffer between coastal infrastructure and storm surge. According to the report, surge has repeatedly battered the area since the beach was last renourished in 2021. The project is a joint effort of the city of Sarasota, Sarasota County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Officials have not said how much of the $12 million each partner is contributing or how the money is split among sand placement, planting and other costs. They also have not given a daily construction schedule, which may shift with the weather over the next two months, or said how many native plants will go in the ground.
Most of the beach, the pavilion, concessions, the pool, and the Bay Runner Trolley will stay open during construction. Small sections of shoreline near the sand pipelines will be closed temporarily. Once planting is finished, post-and-rope barriers and signs will go up to keep foot traffic off the new vegetation. City officials are asking visitors to stay out of restricted work zones while heavy machinery is moving.
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