The Florida Department of Environmental Protection recently gave final approval for a permit that will allow the City of Sarasota's plan to restore Lido Beach shoreline to go forward. The approval allows the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge up to 1.3 million cubic yards of sand from Big Pass and put it on Lido Beach. Siesta Key residents and organizations have contested the plan for years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has allocated about $13.4 million in funding toward the approximately $22 million re-nourishment project, according to a City of Sarasota press release. Work is expected to begin by next spring.