Seawall & Bulkhead Help in Sarasota & Manatee

Two Surges in Two Weeks

Hurricane Helene passed offshore in late September 2024. Two weeks later, Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) notes that the area most affected by Milton had also been hit by Helene, and that erosion and debris from the first storm compounded damage from the second. The table below collects the NHC's readings and observations for this region.

Milton's inundation was 6 to 9 feet above ground from Venice south to Boca Grande, and 4 to 6 feet from Longboat Key to Venice. Around Manasota Key, NWS survey crews concluded that fast-moving water and tremendous wave action caused the blowout of the first floor of many structures. In mainland Manatee County, the NHC reports at least 594 structures destroyed by Helene. Earlier, during Ian in 2022, flooding from the Myakka River shut down I-75 in southern Sarasota County.

Barrier Islands, Bays and Rivers

The region's shorelines range from open Gulf beaches to sheltered estuaries and tidal rivers, and each brings different rules. Sarasota Bay was named an estuary of national significance by Congress in 1989, and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program is one of 28 National Estuary Programs. Lemon Bay, reached from parks in Sarasota and Charlotte counties, is an aquatic preserve and an Outstanding Florida Waterbody with seagrass and oyster habitat and mangrove islands. The Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve runs from the south end of Port Manatee to Emerson Point on the north bank of the Manatee River and includes Terra Ceia Bay and Bishop Harbor.

The Gulf beaches of both counties have DEP coastal construction control lines, so construction seaward of the line on a sandy beach needs DEP review. Canal, bay and river seawalls are outside that program but can fall under estuary and aquatic preserve rules.

Local Rules We Could Verify, and Ones We Could Not

Holmes Beach. The city's code requires a permit before any seawall or marine structure is built or altered, construction to licensed-engineer standards, a connection to the neighboring wall with no opening, and owner maintenance of the wall, tie-backs, caps and deadmen. Its seawall manual and checklist are detailed. See the Holmes Beach page.

Manatee County. The county promotes living shorelines as a nature-based alternative to vertical seawalls where the site suits them, and says each shoreline must be evaluated individually. Its Bishop Point Living Shoreline Project will replace an aging seawall at Bishop Point Park with a living shoreline.

Sarasota County. We could not read the county's seawall permitting rules for this guide because its website refused automated access. A May 2026 WWSB news report said the Sarasota County Commission voted 3-2 against two Manasota Key homeowners' request to build a seawall to protect their beachfront homes from erosion; one homeowner said commissioners cited concerns about neighboring properties and the beach. Sarasota County also has an FWC-approved manatee protection plan (2011), which regulators use when reviewing new or expanded boat facilities.

Not verified for this guide: the City of Sarasota, Longboat Key, Venice, Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach, Bradenton and unincorporated Manatee County. Ask each building department directly before planning work.

Estuary Rules Can Favor Sloped and Living Shorelines

Florida law states an intent to protect estuaries and lagoons from the damage caused by vertical seawalls. Under section 373.414(5), F.S. (opens in a new tab), when the state reviews a permit application to repair or replace an existing vertical seawall, it shall generally require riprap facing or full riprap replacement, unless an exception applies, such as an existing manmade canal already partly lined with vertical seawalls. Work that is otherwise exempt is not affected. That makes it worth asking early whether a riprap-faced, hybrid or living shoreline design suits your site. Manatee County notes that living shorelines are particularly effective in lower-energy coastal environments and are not appropriate for every location.

State Layers That Apply in Both Counties

• Section 403.813(1)(e), F.S. (opens in a new tab) exempts restoring a seawall at, behind or within 18 inches waterward of its previous location from state environmental permitting, but it does not remove local, state-lands or coastal construction requirements.
• Aquatic preserves, including Lemon Bay and Terra Ceia, restrict seawall work waterward of the shoreline. Section 258.42, F.S. (opens in a new tab), allows approval of restoration up to 18 inches waterward in a preserve, while DEP's Rule 18-20.004, F.A.C., exempts restoration only within one foot from applying for consent of use, so confirm the limit with DEP.
• Both counties are in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and in DEP's Southwest District, headquartered in Tampa. Which of the two reviews a state environmental application depends on the project, so confirm the right office when you apply.

How to Evaluate a Contractor

Florida Bulk Head accepts project inquiries from Sarasota and Manatee counties and connects owners with a qualified participating contractor when one is available, subject to availability. Barefoot Marine Construction does not perform work in this region. If no contractor is available for your project, we will tell you. See the lead-sharing disclosure for how your information is handled.