Why I Support the Tigertail Restoration Project

Much has been written in the Coastal Breeze News, other local newspapers, and social media posts regarding the impact of Idalia on the Tigertail Restoration Project. At the last City Council Meeting on 9/18/23 I spoke in favor of continued efforts to restore the area in response to the damage caused by Idalia.

If you have not read it yet, please review the study done by Dr. Mohammed Dabees, et. al (2022) that is referenced at the end of this editorial. In addition to reading this study, I also read many supportive documents that were signed off by the various agencies (FDEP, Florida Fish and Wildlife, etc.) responsible for environmental oversight of the project.

Besides speaking to Dr. Dabees about the project, I have also spoken to key people involved in the project (the project’s Construction Supervisor, Collier County Commissioner Rick LoCastro, Linda Ryan, President of Hideaway Beach Tax District, Brad Cornell and Brittany Piersma of Audubon Western Everglades, Andrew Miller, Manager Collier County Coastal Zone Management, senior Marco Island City Staff, and countless residents (some supporters of the project, most non-supporters) regarding the project.

I spent many hours walking the project or kayaking the lagoon from beginning to end at least once a week since its inception. Prior to the project I walked the entire lagoon with Brad Cornell and Brittany Piersma to get a better understanding of their perceived impact on the different bird species that would be affected.

Lastly, I spent three hours with Mohammed and the Construction Supervisor touring the project and asking questions about the nature of the dredging, construction of the berm, effects of natural sloping due to wave action built into their engineering design, and the impact of storms and hurricanes on the finished restoration.

The sense I got from doing this research was that the project was vital for stopping the continued loss of beach, navigable lagoon acreage, and buffer for the Hideaway Beach neighborhood from storm surge. I also came away with an understanding of this area as one that will always be in flux and need human engineering to maintain it. To leave it to the whims of nature would be to ensure the destruction of the areas cited in this paragraph.

I believe that the City of Marco Island and Collier County must take the lead moving forward to ensure continued rebuilding/replenishment of the beach and dunes and dredging of the lagoon on a regular schedule. We can no longer abdicate the full financial responsibility for this work to the Hideaway Tax District. Their diligence and generosity (over $3,000,000 for this project alone) over the years has helped keep this valuable public resource alive. It is time that we (the city and county) help them bear this financial burden.

Among the reasons I supported the project and continue to support a joint, ongoing effort, to prompt repair and continued restoration of the beach, dunes, and lagoon are:

• It restored two vital public resources that were deteriorating (the northern third of our beach and the Tigertail Lagoon).
• Ongoing repair and restoration keep these vital public and tourist resources thriving.
• It restored the beach and lagoon barriers to storm surge that protect the Hideaway Beach neighborhood.
• Ongoing repair and restoration are needed to protect this area.
• It restored vital tourist attractions that add millions of tax dollars in revenue to the Tourist Development Committee (TDC) that are shared across Collier County.
• Ongoing repair and restoration will protect and enhance this vital resource.
• It actually added marine habitat that supports manatees, dolphins, and other species.
• It temporarily (no proof of permanent loss) limited nesting areas for certain species of shorebirds, many of which have already returned.
• It temporarily (no proof of permanent loss) disrupted sea turtle nesting activity.

Sincerely,

Councilman Rich Blonna

Marco Island, Florida