Manatee County is tearing out a failing seawall at Bishop Point Park and replacing it with a living shoreline, a natural erosion barrier built from native plants and other organic materials.

Construction began a couple of weeks ago, according to Sherri Swanson of the county’s Natural Resources Department. She hopes to finish in just over a month, though weather, materials, and permitting could change that. Swanson said the project is the county’s first living shoreline, with more planned at Warner’s Bayou, Hidden Harbor Park, Rose Park, and Portosueno Park. The county is working with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program on Rose Park.

Swanson said the money comes from Resilient Florida, a state program, which means state taxpayers are footing the bill. The county has not made the Bishop Point price tag part of the public conversation in the report, and no cost comparison with a new seawall was offered.

The county says living shorelines can cost less to build and maintain while supporting the local ecosystem. Megan Barry of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program said seawalls need ongoing maintenance and eventual replacement, a problem she sees across aging bayfront infrastructure. She argued that living shorelines grow more resilient after installation and protect property as well as seawalls over time.

Barry acknowledged that seawalls and living shorelines can both work, and that seawalls remain more common. She said many residents still don’t know what a living shoreline is, and her group wants property owners to see it as one option among several.

Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Google, & X

St. Pete-Clearwater Sun: local St. Pete-Clearwater & Tampa Bay, FL news at PIE-Sun.com