State to close, fill in newly formed Milton Pass
By JESSICA ORLANDO,1 days ago
MANASOTA KEY — Officials advised against allowing two passes to occupy the same stretch of Manasota Key during Tuesday’s Charlotte County Commissioners meeting.
The two passes up for discussion are Stump Pass and the newly opened pass less than a mile away dubbed Milton Pass.
The new pass cut across Stump Pass Beach State Park, joining the Gulf of Mexico and Lemon Bay, when Hurricane Milton blasted the Southwest Florida coast on Oct. 10.
County consults say the pass shouldn’t be allowed to stay.
MILTON PASS
Beach recovery will be comprehensive and involve the closure of Milton Pass, according to Michael Poff with Coastal Engineering Consultants, the county’s longtime consultants for dredging and managing Stump Pass.
“The inlet management program for Stump Pass is to keep the navigation channel hydraulically efficient, keep the flow to the channel,” Poff said. “We’ve had a great success with the programming.”
The state of Florida wants to close the “breach” known as Milton Pass, he explained.
“It’s their land,” Poff said. “The state wants to close it, and they will pay 100% and they want to partner with the county to accomplish that — so that the Stump Pass channel is our primary navigation channel, and the beaches remain vibrant on both sides of the pass.”
Milton Pass is 10 feet deep in the center. Poff said it’s not likely to close naturally anytime soon.
“Looking back at history, where Milton Pass is now, is where Stump Pass was in the late 1800s,” Poff said. “Hurricanes reached the split and placed the inlet to the south, where we’ve been maintaining it.”
If Milton Pass were to stay open, it would essentially reduce the flow of water through Stump Pass.
“There’s only enough tidal prism, meaning the exchange of water to the bay, for one pass to truly be efficient for navigation,” Poff said. Two passes “… will reduce hydraulic efficiency.”
Long term effects could include erosion on Englewood Beach, a few miles north on the key.
“One’s going to give, and so we’ve already spent significant resources (on Stump Pass),” Poff said. “The state has said they want to close, and they’re going to pay 100% and so it makes sense to partner with them.”
Commissioner Bill Truex said it’s important for residents to understand why the pass needs to be closed.
“I didn’t have a problem with it being left open — until I learned there was a problem,” Truex said. “The navigation portal being Stump Pass is the logical, I think, outlook with that being an outlet passage point makes a lot of sense for us to have.”
Truex said it’s not sensible to maintain another pass.
“I think it’s really important that the public understand that, yeah, there may be a lot of you who want to continue to to have that pass open, but for the benefit and the health of Stump Pass, we’re going to have to work with the state, and it is their call,” he said.
“The navigation of Stump Pass is going to be really important for our community and the livelihood of boating and fishing,” he said.
BEACH RECOVERY
Hurricanes Helene and Milton heavily eroded the barrier islands, and also dumped tons of sand on top of them. Englewood Beach’s parking lot is now home to a mountain of sand that is being sifted for debris.
Beach recovery options included addressing only the storm erosion volume, or completely restoring beaches and dunes.
Commissioners chose the second option, totaling $34.2 million in recovery requests for the beaches.
“The goal is to get started on Manasota Key on March 1, giving us two months to get everything done, which will be a miracle,” Poff said. “We’re going to ask for an extension into (sea turtle) nesting season.”
In terms of funding, that’s all a bit complicated.
The aggressive schedule is to take advantage of the contractors working around the Gulf, offering them a competitive price. FEMA, Florida Hurricane Restoration Reimbursement Grant Program and the county’s annual Beach Management Funding Program are all opportunities for funding.
Commissioner Chair Joe Tiseo said the $34.2 million will be a prioritized ask from state representatives.
“We had a state of emergency here,” Tiseo said. “They’ve got to act, and we’ve got to tell them.”
Poff said they’re trying to get the local share under $5 million, but it depends on FEMA.
“Less than 10% of the overall program is where we’re trying to get you to, but FEMA would have to approve in an amazing record time, as with the state legislation with these numbers,” Poff said.