Is Dredging Open Midnight Pass Finally Dead in the Water?

Applied Technology and Management will present their findings to the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners on alternatives to establish a Gulf to Bay Tidal Connection in the vicinity of the former Midnight Pass area on  Tuesday, September 10, 2024 (Agenda Item # 33).

According to the study: 

• The bar is high for new projects in the coastal zone (and getting higher)
• History of approval for controversial projects in the coastal zone is not good 
• Mitigation for resources (particularly seagrass) is technically challenging and expensive
• Effort and time required are significant, and success is uncertain 

Regarding previous court cases of permits proposed by Sarasota County to dredge open Midnight Pass, ATM states: 

• In review of the above, there is no technical/scientific path to overcome the fundamental conclusions. (DOAH Case 90-3533; Challenge to DER (Now DEP) Permit DENIAL. DENIAL was affirmed. Notice of Intent to DENY (12/11/2008). Application withdrawn by County.) 

ATM also states:

• A change in Florida Statutes would be required to advance an inlet alternative.
• A coastal inlet would require a County-wide update to the Sarasota County Manatee Protection Plan (the adopted plan states this)
• A coastal inlet would require an update to the FEMA Flood Hazard Maps.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection was not alone in objecting to dredging Midnight Pass. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS), the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) also objected to the dredge. The fact is, not one regulatory agency supported the County’s attempt to dredge open Midnight Pass. 

Establishing a Little Sarasota Bay—Gulf to Bay tidal connection will not solve the pollution problems of Little Sarasota Bay; it would nearly move the pollution to the Gulf of Mexico, where “unintended consequences” are likely to occur.

The solution to pollution is NOT dilution; the solution is elimination and reduction. The closing of Midnight Pass did not cause the pollution of Little Sarasota Bay; stormwater runoff is the primary cause of the pollution. 

It's time to end the 40-year-old debate. The question of whether Sarasota County can obtain permits to dredge open Midnight Pass has been answered, the answer is clearly no.
 
There are many projects in the Little Sarasota Bay watershed worthy of funding that are ecologically beneficial, do not cause ecological destruction, and are fiscally responsible. Dredging open Midnight Pass is not one of those projects. 

Glenn Compton is the Chairman of ManaSota 88, a non-profit organization that has spent over 30 years fighting to protect the environment of Manatee and Sarasota counties.