Dredging at Beer Can Island about to begin

After some delays caused by wildlife, residents and visitors will soon be able to pass through Channel 1A along Greer Island (Beer Can Island). The dredging project will be underway by mid-July, the Observer reports.  

Currently, a buildup of sand that gradually washed down shore from the beaches has made it impossible to boat through the channel.

Formally named The Greer Island Sand Spit Management Plan, the dredging project is about to fix this problem.

The contract for the dredge was issued in April and the project was set to begin in May. But nature had a different plan. A colony of least terns, a species of seabird, established itself on the proposed dredging site.

According to the Observer, the town of Longboat Key needed to obtain a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in order to continue the project with “minor activity.”