The county
has moved ahead and contracted with Atkins North America Inc. for $49,000 to
review the Army Corps of Engineers’ (ACOE) plans to harvest sand from the Big
Pass Shoal for the Lido Beach renourishment project.
In an email
to County Administrator Tom Harmer from Manager of Development Services and
Environmental Protection Matt Osterhoudt in early June, “We expect the
consulting firm Atkins North America, Inc., to complete the peer review by the
end of September 2015.”
The county
is spending the money for the review at the urging of the Siesta Key
Association.
The ACOE
has stated in permitting documents that the renourishment would have no
significant effect on Siesta Key beaches. The Big Pass Shoal renourishes Siesta
Key beach naturally.
