Public hears scientific findings and long-term strategies to keep naturally reopened inlet flowing
By ChrisAnn Allen
The natural reopening of Midnight Pass was a silver lining in the historic 2024 hurricane season.
A Dec. 2 event, held at the Gulf Gate Library and attended by about 100 people, gave the public an opportunity to learn more about the science behind Midnight Pass and the county’s plans to keep it open.
Historically a migrating inlet on the southern end of Siesta Key, Midnight Pass was first documented in the late 1800s. Over time, the pass moved north and posed an erosion threat to homeowners, who filled it in during the 1980s. Since then, activists intent on reopening the pass — citing water quality concerns in Little Sarasota Bay — have worked with the county on reopening efforts. Ultimately, Mother Nature intervened. Due to environmental impacts from back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton in late September and early October 2024, the pass reopened naturally as an inlet.
Now, the county and its stakeholders are focused on keeping it open.
Sarasota County contracted with Applied Technology & Management Inc./Geosyntec Consultants (ATM) for weekly monitoring of the pass, with regular board updates provided by ATM senior principal Mike Jenkins, Ph.D. At a recent commission meeting, following a suggestion from the public, commissioners directed staff to schedule an evening community meeting so residents unable to attend daytime meetings could learn about the science behind keeping the pass open and ask questions directly of the researchers involved.
The session was facilitated for the county by Noah Valenstein, JD, of Brightwater Strategies Group and featured speakers Ping Wang, Ph.D., of the University of South Florida; Steve Peene, Ph.D.; and Jenkins, both of Geosyntec Consultants.
Valenstein opened the discussion by citing the county’s website, which outlines plans for maintaining flow at the pass, including “feasibility and conceptual planning, environmental studies, regulatory coordination, and preliminary engineering for water quality improvement projects within Little Sarasota Bay based on the current open pass condition.” According to the county, weekly data collection — including inlet depth and width measurements — is particularly valuable, as it has been more than 40 years since conditions warranted this level of monitoring of a naturally formed inlet.
Wang, director of the coastal research lab at USF, said he studies beaches and inlets as a “working system,” evaluating how sand moves from one side of an inlet to the other. He explained that his work focuses on sediment pathways and mechanisms, with sediment movement competing against water flow through the inlet. Wang said the balance between these forces changes seasonally and is key to understanding and managing the system.
To date, Wang said his research shows the volume and area of the pass have grown over the past year. The beach-dune system north of the pass is eroded, while the system to the south remains relatively robust.
Jenkins said his work with the county began before the 2024 storms, when officials were attempting to develop a strategy to reopen the pass — a process complicated by legal and regulatory hurdles. “Because the pass has opened of its own volition, some of those hurdles are no longer in the way,” he said, adding that the new directive is to keep Midnight Pass open.
He said a combined approach of monitoring the reopened inlet and modeling for future planning is essential. Because the pass has only been open slightly more than a year, Jenkins said continued evaluation is necessary before any action is taken.
“Any action in a coastal zone has a high level of regulatory oversight,” Jenkins said, noting the reopened inlet is considered a “new condition,” allowing for inlet management rather than reopening efforts. He added that state inlet management programs require offsetting erosion to adjacent beaches, which are considered critically eroded both north and south of the pass.
Jenkins said about half of Florida’s 66 state-recognized inlets are engineered and operate under inlet management plans that include permits, structures or dredging — long-term commitments typically based on at least 10 years of data.
He also said an emergency response plan is being developed to address possible inlet closure, a key concern for the county and stakeholders. The plan would be issued as part of a county emergency declaration, allowing officials to bypass lengthy permitting processes.
“When the pass closed in the 1980s, it was no longer considered an inlet, which created significant regulatory challenges to reopening it,” Jenkins said. “Our charge is to ensure that does not happen again.”
Jenkins said that if the pass closes, action would be taken immediately. “There are restrictions and limits, but note that there is an emergency response plan in our back pocket,” he said.
He concluded by emphasizing that any long-term plan — including dredging or structural support — must be approved and formally adopted by the county commission.
“And we’re not there yet,” Jenkins said. “In reality, we’ve had one year of data.”
During the question-and-answer session, Midnight Pass-area resident Jim Springer asked whether an emergency plan exists in writing.
“It is a work in process,” Jenkins said. “We’re working with county staff to develop it.”
