Despite permit, Big Pass dredge remains contentious

The state has approved plans to renourish Lido Key with sand from Big Pass, but Siesta Key residents are still considering options for objecting.

Sarasota City Manager Tom Barwin has spent years urging Siesta Key residents to drop their opposition to the city’s plans to renourish Lido Key with sand dredged from Big Pass.

For years, those efforts have been unsuccessful. Siesta residents maintain the project could harm their island and create more severe wave action in the waters between the two keys. They’ve consistently cast doubts on any studies designed to provide assurance that the dredging will not be problematic.

And yet, this week, Barwin made the same overtures following the latest sign of progress for the Big Pass dredging — the state’s decision to issue a permit for the project.