Division of Administrative Hearings, Florida
Filed: Mar. 09, 2017
The issue to be determined in these consolidated cases is whether the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) and the City of Sarasota (“City”) (sometimes referred to as “the Applicants”) are entitled to the proposed joint coastal permit, public easement, and sovereign submerged lands use authorization (referred to collectively as “the Permit”) from the Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) and the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to dredge sand from Big Sarasota Pass and its ebb shoal and place the sand on the shoreline of Lido Key.It is recommended that the joint coastal permit be approved, but only if it is modified to restrict dredging during the spawning season for the spotted seatrout; otherwise it is recommended that the permit be denied.
