SIESTA KEY, Fla. (AP) - Officials are set to begin a $21.5 million restoration project on south Siesta Key to help battle erosion near one of the state's most popular beaches.
Sarasota County plans to add about 690,000 cubic yards of sand and 1.1 acres of dune vegetation starting next month.
The county approved the project Wednesday along with a special taxing district in the affected area that will raise about $3.5 million starting in 2017.
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1M5V8xF ) that this is the second time in less than a decade that the county has taxed property owners to pay for so-called "renourishment" of the shoreline. The last time was 2007.
While the last project was meant to protect Siesta Key for about 10 years, shoreline erosion has been happening faster than anticipated.
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