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Longboat Key outlines $32M–$38M beach recovery plan after storms; seeks county, state and federal support
Summary
Longboat Key officials estimated a loss of about 407,000 cubic yards of beach sand from recent storms and presented staged renourishment estimates ranging from about $16 million up to $32 million, plus $6 million for a Gulfside Road stabilization project.
Longboat Key officials told the joint meeting they estimate about 407,000 cubic yards of sand loss on their Gulf beaches from recent storms and are pursuing a multi‑phase nourishment and stabilization plan that would require state, federal and local support.
Charlie Hunsicker, director of Natural Resources for Manatee County (speaking in the county/town briefing), summarized the town’s figures: the 407,000 cubic‑yard restoration is currently estimated at about $16,000,000; adding roughly 212,000 cubic yards to return to the 2021 shoreline would raise the project to about $24,800,000; a larger 800,000 cubic‑yard plan timed for 2027–28 was estimated around $32,000,000. Longboat Key staff said those totals exclude additional, site‑specific structural work the town proposes on Gulfside Road (an estimated $6,000,000) to stabilize vulnerable road segments where homes are closest to the Gulf.
Town and county staff said they have submitted claims to FEMA and the Florida Division of Emergency Management and are pursuing federal, state and county grant programs; the beach program for federal‑partnered reaches generally follows a roughly 50% federal, 25% state, 25% local sharing model for eligible coastal projects, while recreational non‑federal reaches typically rely on 50% state / 50% county support, the county director said. The county’s natural resources director estimated combined county, state and federal investments across related coastal projects could total about $65,000,000 when jetty rehabilitation, Coquina and Cortez Beach repairs and islandwide renourishment are combined.
Why it matters: town officials said beaches act as the first line of defense against storms and that current dune and sand reserves are lower than in past years, increasing vulnerability in coming storm seasons. Town staff asked the county for continued coordination and potential financial support for nourishment and structural stabilization.
Next steps: the town expects to advance designs, continue grant and FEMA reimbursement processes, and aims to begin major nourishment in 2027 or 2028 if permitting and funding align. No formal county commitment was made during the meeting; staff thanked the county for prior contributions, including about $2.8 million toward groins at Greer Island installed before the town’s 2021 project, which staff said performed well through storms.
