-copied from Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Newsletter September 2013
SBEP and the City of Sarasota have installed a living shoreline area at
Bay Front Park in downtown Sarasota. The project features 150-feet of
Florida-native plants. The use of plants will help stabilize the
sediments and provide habitat that attract birds and other wildlife.
Living shorelines provide a natural alternative to hardened seawalls
made of concrete, rock and other materials. The use of plants and
sloping shorelines provides a buffer for stormwater pollution running
into local waterways.
The Southwest Florida
Water Management District provided funding support for the new project
and Stantec is the contractor. SBEP and its partners completed the
region's first living shoreline project in 2011 at Herb Dolan Park in
Bradenton Beach. Concrete rubble was removed from the site and replaced
with natural fiber material and native vegetation. The SBEP website
provides more information about living shorelines.