Tigertail Lagoon – Déjà vu all over again

Last year on August 28th, Tropical Storm Idalia 150 miles to our west caused the abject failure to the newly “restored” berm project at Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island. On August 4, 2024, Debby, a passing tropical storm, created a total over wash of the southern end of the berm project, as I observed on Monday morning.

It was unsafe to walk through the powerful waves washing over the sand; the north end of the now dead Mangroves was as far as it was safe to go. From this point, waves were washing over the entire beach to the north as far as the eye could see (see photo), and observed tons of sand consequently washing into the lagoon.  In other words, a culmination of two glancing blows one year apart have totally eradicated a $4M+ ‘restoration project’.

Following Idalia, our City Manager used his emergency authority to have the City fund an emergency repair for $47,528 to reclaim beach sand displaced by TS Idalia. Hopefully will he resist any pressure from the project’s advocates to do something similar post TS Debby. 

The first “regular maintenance” to the entire project is already scheduled in November, 2024 with Earth Tech Enterprise receiving the award for $295,365 approved by City Council on June 17, 2024.

A Cost-Sharing agreement was signed on June 11, 2024 between Collier County, Hideaway Beach Taxing District and City of Marco Island for the amount of $536,000.

The Tigertail Project is a 15-year permitted project with maintenance scheduled every 2 years and additional cost for event driven emergency repairs like TS Idalia, with Marco Island residents on the hook for their share of the cost for the life of the permit.

Project justification was stated as: “The project also restored wetland areas and tidal flow to the south part of Tigertail Lagoon, improving water quality and maintaining environmental habitats and recreational benefits,” according to the City of Marco Island.

Now consider the actual FACTS around the condition of the “restoration” project today: 

• Four miles of sand berm has been totally washed away by brushes with two minor tropical storms;

• The south end of the lagoon contains more sand today than it did before dredging started;

• The Tigertail County Park is less suited for recreational uses of the Lagoon today than it was three years ago.

• The berm has gone, and the impact of this week’s new sand intrusion into the lagoon regarding tidal flushing has to be determined, but it won’t be improved!  

• The endangered Black Skimmers that previously nested on Tigertail failed to produce a single fledgling again in 2024; In 2023 NO black skimmer nests hatched;

• Least Terns have totally disappeared, and destruction of their breeding habitat is a clear breach of Federal Law;

• All aquatic vegetation, necessary for a healthy marine environment, which previously thrived in the lagoon has vanished;

• Finally, the limited water quality testing done post dredging showed no improvements in water quality;

Elected supporters of this project are facing re-election in November and I suggest all taxpaying residents to consider their candidate choices carefully.