New wrinkles in canal plan have Longboat leaders looking at options

It might be a while before a dredge crew can begin moving through the town’s public canals, but last summer’s red tide outbreak could end up playing a role in cutting the cost of the project.

Plans have been discussed for at least three years, and consultant Taylor Engineering Inc. updated town commissioners in April 2017 on the town’s Canal Dredging Feasibility Study.

At the time, the consultant identified 16 of the Key’s canals as “priority canals,” or those most in need of dredging to a depth of 3 feet below mean low water. This list included Canal 1A, which connects the lagoon of Greer Island to Sarasota Bay. That number was later revised to 14 canals and the Greer Island Beneficial Use Project, aimed at opening better access between Sarasota Bay and the lagoon along Greer Island, was identified. Material would be added to the gulf-side of the island to help bulk it up against wave action and erosion.