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Commission directs staff to file KC Key shoreline permit and to formalize donation agreement for engineers' plans
Summary
After residents asked the county to serve as applicant for a multi‑mile Casey Key shoreline resiliency plan, the commission directed staff to submit the FDEP permit application using the engineered plans and to return with a donation agreement and procurement steps to handle expected follow‑up RAIs.
The Sarasota County Commission on Feb. 10 instructed county staff to submit a joint coastal permit application to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for a multi‑mile Casey (KC) Key shoreline resiliency plan prepared by private coastal engineers, and to negotiate a donation agreement to accept the consultant work product. The board also directed staff to solicit any additional engineering services the county would require to respond to DEP requests for additional information.
KC Key residents and their attorneys asked the commission to act as the permit applicant so state permitting could proceed. Attorney Fred Aschauer, who formerly ran the DEP division that handles the JCP program, told the board that Humiston & Moore (the coastal engineering firm) had prepared stamped, signed drawings and that the firm is willing to sign and seal the materials for submittal. Planning staff cautioned that while the application can be filed with those materials, DEP typically issues requests for additional information (RAIs) and the county should be ready with an engineer of record to respond to technical follow‑up. Staff also emphasized that no construction funding has been identified: preliminary construction cost ranges presented to the board were in the tens of millions of dollars, not covered by any current county budget.
Commissioners questioned funding approaches, including MSBUs/benefit units, grants, and potential Brownfield funding, and stressed that the county must clarify stakeholder responsibilities and future funding before construction would proceed. Commissioner Mast said she supported starting the permit process to avoid delay, while others pressed for a donation agreement that clarified roles during permitting. After discussion the board voted to direct staff to submit the permit application, accept the engineered plans as a donated work product pending a donation agreement, and return with a draft donation agreement and a plan to solicit required county engineering services.
No construction funding or binding financial commitment was approved; the board's action authorizes the county to begin the permitting phase and to formalize terms for using the privately funded plans in the public application process.
