Local Government Alternative Plan for Longboat Pass in Application Phase

LONGBOAT KEY – While Longboat Key has submitted a plan for a groin and dredging project endorsed by the Manatee County Commission as part of their 5-year Inlet Management Plan, the West Coast Inlet Navigational District has also applied for a permit to use the ”sand trap“ process. The sand traps are a place in the bay that collect sand that comes from the beaches along the gulf. The permit, if granted, would allow the sand to be harvested from permitted locations and returned to the beaches where it came from, a process that is usually a benefit to the environment.

WCIND submitted the less intrusive plan earlier this year. The application can be viewed here. The two applications are not related. The Army Corps of Engineers can approve both applications, deny one and approve the other, or deny both of them. Public comment on the WCIND sand trap plan has been extended to May 13. Public comment on the Inlet Management Plan is open until May 16.

Those wishing to enter public comments can email Mark.E.Peterson@usace.army.mil, fax 813.769.7061, mail to Jacksonville District Corps of Engineers, 10117 Princess Palm Ave., St. 120, Tampa, FL, 33610; or comment by phone at 813.769.7065.