Midnight Pass appears to have stopped flowing and to have narrowed significantly after Hurricane Helene’s pounding waves reopened it last week, despite apparent efforts by people who want to keep the disputed passage open using sweat and hand shovels.
The flow of water from Little Sarasota Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, between Siesta and Casey keys, temporarily resumed after decades of being filled in by sand as Helene carved an opening. For many local residents who have long advocated for the restoration of flow between the Gulf and the bay by dredging a channel, the new opening was a welcome benefit from an otherwise devastating storm.
Posts on social media showed people taking matters into their own hands to keep the flow going by digging a small channel and placing sandbags where wave action since last week has redistributed sand in the pass.
In October 1921, a hurricane opened what was then dubbed Musketeers Pass between Siesta and Casey keys. It was renamed Midnight Pass in 1924, and by 1955 Midnight Pass was more than 500 feet wide with a maximum depth of 13 feet.