The Bay Park in Sarasota is a 53-acre waterfront park that is being revitalized to provide a resilient shoreline and improve water quality, while expanding public access to Sarasota’s Bayfront. The project is designed to showcase the natural environment and resources of Sarasota, while fostering public enjoyment through recreation. The park improvements include extensive stormwater improvements, an ADA accessible kayak dock, a fishing pier, and a mangrove walk around the bayou.

To assess potential impacts to marine resources and assist in planning and design of key project elements, Bennco Engineering conducted marine resource surveys, prepared an environmental impact analysis, and developed benthic monitoring and coral relocation plans. Our team of marine biologists conducted surveys adjacent to the Park shoreline between 2020 and 2023, collecting quantitative and qualitative data to characterize the benthic community. Biologists recorded data on seagrass, coral, macroalgae, and other benthic resources, which was used to site the proposed fishing pier, and avoid and minimize impacts for various Park improvements. This data also provided a baseline to document net improvements to water quality resulting from stormwater improvements.

In addition, Bennco Engineering secured permits for various Park elements, including the ADA accessible kayak dock; pedestrian bridge replacement; drainage, mangrove trimming, and maintenance dredging within the mangrove bayou; and the Sunset Fishing Pier. The Project will provide over $65M in improvements to the 53-acre park including transient day docks and new seawalls within the Canal District, extensive water quality improvements through stormwater retrofits, living resilient shorelines, and restoration of Hog Creek.

Our grants team has secured grant funding and plays an integral role in administering the more than $19M of funding from local, state, and federal agencies for The Bay Park. Administration of the awarded grants includes managing the grant budgets, tracking deliverables, coordinating cash flow, and preparing reports and compliance documents.