Midnight Pass: Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars to be Wasted

The Sarasota County Commission recently directed county staff to draft an amendment to change Florida Statutes so permits could be pursued to dredge a tidal connection between Little Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. If Sarasota County is successful, such an endeavor would be detrimental to water quality and environmental protection throughout Florida, all for the very remote chance of getting permits to dredge open Midnight Pass.
 
Applied Management Technology (ATM) recently presented various options for establishing a tidal connection between the Gulf and Bay. The commissioner’s response to the study was predictable: dredge open Midnight Pass. It is clear the priority for county commissioners is not water quality improvements in Little Sarasota Bay but providing boat access to the Gulf. 

Unfortunately, ATM left the door open a crack by inferring that a change in Florida Statutes is needed if the commissioners want to pursue permits to dredge open the Pass. The commissioners grabbed that carrot, noting there is $500,000 from the state legislature to waste on the attempt. 
 
A new coastal inlet would require an update to the county-wide Manatee Protection Plan and an expensive FEMA Flood Hazard Maps update. If a new inlet is opened in Little Sarasota Bay, more people and property will be in storm surge areas. 
 
Pursuing changes in Florida Statutes is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money and county staff time. If the county chooses to proceed with dredging Midnight Pass, it will burden taxpayers for at least the next 30 years. This will be one of the biggest environmental and financial fiascos in Sarasota County’s history. 
 
Chapter 62B-41.005(12) of the Florida Administrative Code specifically prohibits the creation of artificial new inlets or flushing outlets. Apparently, the county commission is under the incorrect assumption that eliminating or changing a few words in a statute could allow the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to issue permits to dredge Midnight Pass.
 
However, numerous changes would be needed at both the state and federal levels related to:  

• Coastal inlets
• Manatee protection
• Wading bird habitat protection
• Threatened and Endangered Species
• Seagrass & Fisheries protection
• Outstanding Florida Waters designation
• Turtle nesting 
• Wetland habitat protection 
• Public beach access provisions 

The environmental sensitivity of Midnight Pass's surrounding area makes dredging infeasible. Little Sarasota Bay is designated Outstanding Florida Waters and is one of the best remaining estuarine wetlands in Southwest Florida.
 
There is a strong probability that a challenge to any Midnight Pass dredge permit would be successful based on comments by FDEP recommending the denial of Sarasota County’s previous two attempts to dredge the Pass.
 
Whether Sarasota County can obtain permits to dredge open Midnight Pass has been answered three times, twice by FDEP and once by the courts. The answer is clearly no.
 
The possibility of spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for additional studies would be better spent on enforcement of existing regulations by the various agencies charged with protecting the health and well-being of Little Sarasota Bay.
 
There is no doubt that dredging open Midnight Pass would be environmentally destructive and fiscally irresponsible.
 
ManaSota-88 strongly recommends that the Sarasota Board of County Commission withdraw its endorsement and financial support for conducting additional studies to dredge open Midnight Pass.

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.