The City of Sarasota requested federal assistance with shore erosion more than a decade ago, and Congress directed the Corps of Engineers to construct the Lido Key Project as part of the Sarasota County Hurricane and Storm Reduction Project. The Corps conducted an Environmental Assessment in 2002, with a Feasibility Report Addendum in 2004. The Corps report describes a preferred plan with nourishment of an 80-foot wide beach berm on 1.56 miles of shoreline and a groin field at the southern limits of the project. The nourishment would require sand placement at approximate five-year intervals for 50 years.

The offshore sand sources evaluated in the report for Lido Key did not contain sand that meets current Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s criteria. A subsequent sand search was conducted to identify other sources; however, no
compatible offshore sand was identified within an economically feasible distance of Lido Key. The high cost associated with bringing in offshore, compatible sand would have far outweighed the federal project's benefits and negated federal interest in the project.