The Midnight Pass has stopped flowing and been significantly damaged after reopening last week due to Hurricane Helen’s heavy waves, despite the sweat and hand-shovel efforts of those who want to keep the disputed passage open. It seems that it has narrowed to .
The flow of water between Little Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, between Siesta Key and Casey Key, had been filled with sand for decades, but Helen dug an opening and it temporarily reopened. For many local residents who have long advocated for dredging the waterway to restore flow between the bays, the new opening was a welcome boon from the devastating storm.
Despite efforts to shore up the newly reopened Midnight Pass levee with sandbags and timber, no water flowed from Little Sarasota Bay to the Gulf of Mexico at high tide on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
Midnight Pass was reopened during Hurricane Helen. Six shovels were left behind by people trying to keep the pass open. Despite these efforts and the reinforcement of the levee with sandbags and timber, water did not flow from Little Sarasota Bay to the Gulf of Mexico during high tide on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
Posts on social media show people are taking matters into their own hands, digging small channels and placing sandbags where sand within the pass has been redistributed by wave action since last week to maintain flow. They are shown trying to resolve things and keep things flowing.
In October 1921, a hurricane opened what was then known as Musketeer’s Pass between Siesta Key and Casey Key. Renamed Midnight Pass in 1924, by 1955 Midnight Pass was more than 500 feet wide and had a maximum depth of 13 feet.
The pass became shallower as a result of Hurricane Donna in 1960 and Hurricane Agnes in 1972, and dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway in 1963-1964, which altered circulation within the bay.
In 1983, contractors working for two Siesta Key homeowners reclaimed the pass because erosion threatened their homes.
Efforts to dredge a new pass were unsuccessful and died down in 2008 when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection denied the county’s application.
Midnight Pass was reopened during Hurricane Helen. Despite recent efforts to strengthen the newly reopened pass’s levees, no water flowed from Little Sarasota Bay to the Gulf of Mexico at high tide Wednesday afternoon.
Groups like Midnight Pass Society II have not given up the fight over the past decade. A new initiative was proposed and the state Legislature approved $1 million for project design and permitting, but Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the funding.
Earle Kimel contributed to this article.
Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Email ccasale@gannett.com and follow us on Twitter @vanityhack
This article originally appeared in the Sarasota Herald Tribune: Shovels try to keep water flowing in Midnight Pass after storm
