A wooden footbridge leading to the beach

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Beach Renourishment Brings Seashells to Lido Key

Something to “Shellebrate” is going on along the beaches of Lido Key!

About a mile stretch of Lido beach is covered with mounds of rare, unbroken shells… natures jewelry as far as the eye can see!

There is currently a beach renourishment taking place, dredging soft white sand from Big Pass and spread it along Lido Key Beach.  The project entails dredging and spreading about 710,000 cubic yards of sand on the highly-eroded south Lido Key Beach from the southern tip of the island to about 1.5 miles north.

Because of this excellent opportunity to find gifts from the sea, visitors and locals alike are spending these hot late summer days on the shores of Lido in search of beach treasures for keepsakes, jewelry and crafting, but also for the sheer peace and enjoyment that beach-combing brings.

Shells of this magnitude are typically found on Captiva or Sanibel beaches, south of the Sarasota area.  Other than a beach renourishment, searching after a storm is the best time to find exciting treasures as shells have been stirred up from the bottom of the ocean and washed ashore.

The City of Sarasota says the restoration work will help protect the Lido Key shoreline, infrastructure and wildlife from erosion and storms. The beach will remain open to the public as the work is expected to end sometime in October.