The grant to The Bay Park Conservancy will help convert nearly one mile of vulnerable land into a living, resilient shoreline that will help the area withstand and recover from future storms.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County recently awarded a $400,000 grant as part of its Recovery and Resilience Initiative to help transform a stretch of land at The Bay into a living shoreline designed to mitigate the impact of future storms and provide lasting environmental benefits to the area.

The project will raise shoreline elevations, replace seawalls and other hardened features with natural alternatives, install green infrastructure to filter stormwater and more. The improvements are expected to reduce the City of Sarasota’s vulnerability to storm surge and coastal flooding, help protect adjacent infrastructure, improve water quality in Sarasota Bay and restore nearby coastal habitat. In addition to the physical changes to the shoreline, the grant dollars will also be used to create public education opportunities so that residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations can learn about the techniques used to create natural shorelines and implement those best practices in their own work.

Above, from left to right: morning at The Bay, a yellow-crowned night heron, riprap being installed near the shoreline

The foundation’s grant was made to The Bay Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that oversees The Bay, which is located on 53 acres of city-owned bayfront land. The resilient shoreline project is part of Phase 2 in the organization’s long-term transformation plan for the public park that is open and accessible to all. The Community Foundation’s grant comes on the heels of a $2 million donation match challenge created by The Bay and Gulf Coast Community Foundation, doubling the impact of the investment.

“The Bay’s shoreline will act as a model for sustainable, resilient waterfront design for all of Florida’s Gulf Coast,” says Jessica Muroff, the president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. “It builds on proven strategies that can be used by homeowners, businesses and local governments throughout the region. This project, and those it inspires, will help our community become stronger in the face of catastrophic storms like those we experienced in 2024.”

Elements of the resilient shoreline project include:

• Raising elevations from 5 feet above sea level to as high as 9.5 feet in some areas;
• Replacing hardened shoreline elements with natural systems that dissipate wave energy and reduce erosion;
• Installing rain gardens (depressed areas in a landscape that collect rainwater and allow it to soak into the ground) and other green infrastructure to capture, filter and treat stormwater before it enters Sarasota Bay;
• Planting Florida-friendly, salt-tolerant trees and greenery that stabilize the shoreline;
• Strengthening the shoreline with larger-sized riprap (layers of stones that protect soil from erosion);
• Installing accessible waterfront walkways, seating and shaded areas;
• Providing accessible public education programs so that community members can learn why resilient shorelines are important and how they can implement similar strategies;
• Sharing key lessons and takeaways from the project with the public so that other communities can emulate its success.

These improvements are expected to reduce the city’s vulnerability to storm surge and coastal flooding, helping safeguard nearby residential and commercial areas. The project will help treat 4.1 million gallons of stormwater each year, reducing pollution in Sarasota Bay and improving water quality.

These improvements build on The Bay’s completed Phase 1, which included similar upgrades to an adjacent piece of shoreline. In 2024, when Sarasota was battered by Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, The Bay remained open to the public, showcasing how resilient shorelines can mitigate the impact of storms.

“This important grant builds on the Community Foundation’s longstanding support and helps advance the promise of One Park for All,” says AG Lafley, Bay Park Conservancy CEO. “Creating a ‘Ribbon of Resilience’ along the shoreline will help The Bay serve as both a first line of defense against storms and a last line of defense for Sarasota Bay by filtering polluted stormwater before it reaches the water. Just as important, the lessons learned here can be shared and applied by municipalities, businesses and homeowners throughout the region.”

The Community Foundation’s grant was made through the organization’s Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund, which was created in partnership with The Patterson Foundation in the days before Hurricane Ian made landfall in 2022. To date, the fund has granted nearly $6.9 million to organizations that provide home repairs and rebuilding, mental and behavioral health support, legal case management, youth and children’s services, environmental restoration and more. The fund anchors the Community Foundation’s broader Recovery and Resilience Initiative, which reflects its evolving strategy of working alongside partners, stakeholders and residents to strengthen the community’s ability to recover from disasters and prepare for future challenges.