The recently completed Lido Beach renourishment project has earned national recognition, landing on the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association’s annual list of the country’s best restored beaches. The award acknowledges community beach restoration projects around the United States that “increase a shoreline’s resiliency, the beach’s ability to mitigate storm damage and flooding from severe storms and naturally allow the beach to adjust to short-term sea level rise while remaining an important part of the nearshore ecosystem.”

The Lido Beach renourishment, a partnership between the City of Sarasota and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, added nearly 700,000 cubic yards of recycled sand to a 1.56-mile stretch of Lido Key, protecting critical infrastructure, properties and wildlife habitats. Two rock groins were also constructed along South Lido, helping to trap the flow of sand and reduce erosion. Lido Beach was one of only three beaches on the list, joining two others in Florida: Upham Beach, in St. Petersburg, and St. Joseph Peninsula, in Gulf County. Projects were judged on three criteria: the economic and ecological benefits the beach brings to its community; short- and long-term success of the restoration project; and the challenges each community overcame during the course of the project.

The Lido Beach renourishment was the start of a 50-year partnership with the Army Corps that will allow the City to respond more quickly to future storm events with additional renourishments on the barrier island.