SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Sarasota County commissioners have approved five efforts to plan and manage Midnight Pass.
County staff say the goal is to keep Midnight Pass open and to maintain safety and consistency for people who use it.
Five steps approved
According to Sarasota County, the five approved efforts are:
- Continue data collection and modeling efforts
- Advance plans for signage and channel markers
- Continue assessment of channel dredging
- Initiate state and federal permitting process for maintenance of current inlet dimensions
- Continue stakeholder engagement
County survey works underway
County staff have been running weekly surveys of the pass, tracking its depth and position. The next phase of work includes collecting more data, adding channel markers and advisory signs, and considering future dredging to keep nearby channels open and safe.
Charter captain hopes for dredging
Charter captain Matt Fueyo said the pass has become important to his charter business.
“There are so many more shells and more activities that we’ve been able to do down in this region as well. It’s been really good for our tourist-based company,” Fueyo said…