Midnight Pass and Little Sarasota Bay

The Sarasota County Commission recently agreed to accept a $500,000 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to study Little Sarasota Bay and Midnight Pass. Additional discussion on Midnight Pass is scheduled for the Dec. 9 Board of County Commissioners meeting. 

Any management plan for Midnight Pass should require an update to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Maps, study if an opened Pass increases the risk of storm surge, include offshore monitoring of the Gulf waters, update the county wide Manatee Protection Plan, increase Marine Patrol enforcement, implement habitat restoration, and ensure Little Sarasota Bay stormwater discharges comply with water quality standards.  

Monitor for Pollution of Gulf Waters

Maintaining a Little Sarasota Bay - Gulf to Bay tidal connection will not solve the pollution problems of Little Sarasota Bay. It merely moves some of the pollution to the Gulf, where “unintended consequences” are likely to occur. The solution to pollution is NOT dilution; the solution to pollution is elimination and reduction. 

Wastewater, stormwater and septic tank pollution reduction entering Little Sarasota Bay should be a priority.

Septic tanks can discharge residual nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants into adjacent waterways. Most soils located in the Little Sarasota Bay watershed are rated severe by the Natural Resource Conservation Service and are not suitable for septic tanks. 

Non-point source pollution associated with stormwater runoff from residential development has significantly increased the pollutants in the Little Sarasota Bay watershed. 

Sarasota County should increase monitoring in the Gulf waters near Midnight Pass to detect higher levels of pollution, algae blooms, red tide, and bacteria. 

Nearshore Hardbottom Monitoring Plan

A nearshore hardbottom monitoring plan is needed for hardbottom areas located offshore of Siesta Key and Casey Key. Hardbottom habitats provide important cover and feeding areas for many fish and invertebrates, including threatened and endangered aquatic species. The potential to exacerbate red tide blooms by an open Midnight Pass cannot be ignored.  
 

Update FEMA Flood Maps

Sarasota County must immediately act to update the FEMA Flood Hazard Maps. More people and property are likely in storm surge areas since a new inlet has opened in Little Sarasota Bay. 

Storm surge is the most dangerous hazard from a hurricane.  A Category 5 hurricane could produce an eighteen-foot storm surge. Sarasota County has the responsibility for the safe evacuation of not only its residents and property owners but others as well. 

Stormwater Runoff - Verify that Stormwater Discharges are Being Monitored for Compliance

Increased runoff for impervious surfaces and continuing urbanization of the Little Sarasota Bay watershed contribute to a decrease in the bay’s salinity. Stormwater runoff changes salinity patterns and increases toxic chemical transportation and sedimentation. Freshwater and intertidal wetlands have been severely altered or eliminated in the Little Sarasota Bay watershed due to unwise residential land development. 

Sarasota County does not sample stormwater outfall discharges. Compliance monitoring, illicit discharge survey information, presumptive criteria, and associated hydrologic and water quality model calibration and verification are needed.  

There are hundreds of public and private stormwater outfalls discharging into Little Sarasota Bay.  These outfalls discharge directly to Little Sarasota Bay with no compliance monitoring of the discharge. A total count of public outfalls and a tally of private outfalls should be identified and monitored.

County-Wide Manatee Protection Plan Update Needed

The Midnight Pass area is critical habitat for the endangered West Indian Manatee. 

Management plans for Little Sarasota Bay should seek to reduce manatee-boat collisions, ensure sufficient abundance and distribution of seagrasses to support manatee populations, coordinate with law enforcement, and reduce seagrass scarring by motorboats.

Increase Funding for Marine Patrol Enforcement of Boating Regulations 

The environmental site conditions in the vicinity of Midnight Pass are being impacted due to the significant increase in boating since Hurricane Milton.  Prop dredging is degrading important seagrass habitat, and boating activities such as prop scars, hydrocarbon pollution, and wildlife disturbance are on the increase. 

Sea grass beds are being severely impacted by jet skis and small watercraft in the shallow waters of Little Sarasota Bay and the Midnight Pass area. A priority in the management of Little Sarasota Bay should be to restrict jet ski and motorized watercraft use in seagrass beds and restore areas of disturbed bay bottom. Marine patrols and law enforcement should be increased in problem areas. 

Restoration of Jim Neville Marine Preserve

The 35-acre preserve owned by Sarasota County needs upland restoration, marsh and mangrove creation, and tidal lagoon restoration. The Jim Neville Preserve is located immediately east of Midnight Pass. A priority in the management of Little Sarasota Bay should be the restoration of the Jim Neville Preserve. 

Palmer Point Park Restoration 

Ecological restoration of the degraded habitats at Palmer Park Point can be done through the removal of exotic vegetation, mangrove, upland, and tidal lagoon restoration, and planting native vegetation. Palmer Point Park restoration would benefit native and migratory bird populations such as the federally protected Piping Plover, create diverse marine habitats that could support many fish and shellfish, provide water quality benefits, and reduce erosion and sedimentation. 

Mangrove Restoration 

Mangroves are critical to the formation of estuarine marine food chains, shoreline protection and stabilization, wildlife nurseries, and the natural filtering process of water.

Mangrove cutting and trimming result in deleterious ecological effects. These effects include the reduction in standing leaf crop, net primary production export, flower and propagule production and reduced fauna habitat utilization. 

A priority in the management of Little Sarasota Bay should include the enforcement of existing regulations on the trimming and cutting of mangroves, as well as mangrove restoration and creation 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.