Charlotte County approves $29.1M Manasota Key sand contract
Nov 2, 2026
On Oct 27, 2026, the Charlotte County Commission approved a $29,103,880 contract with Great Lakes Dredge & Dock to dredge sand from the Gulf floor offshore of Manasota Key and pump it onto Manasota Key, Englewood Beach and Stump Pass Beach State Park. The bid quantity is 990,000 cubic yards (590,000 on Manasota Key and 400,000 on the south beach). Work is estimated to start around Nov 23, 2026, pending a pre-construction meeting, and must finish before sea turtle nesting season begins Mar 1, 2027.
The schedule is built around sea turtles, which is good. But nobody is counting the sand fleas and coquinas that will be buried. In one North Carolina study, they were 86–99% lower 5–10 weeks after sand placement. See the science.
The grain size of the borrow sand is not published. Charlotte County: what grain size is the borrow sand, and who's monitoring the creatures in the swash zone?
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