SARASOTA, Fla. — After closing for more than a month, Lido Beach is finally ready to welcome back visitors.
Lido Beach will reopen to the public on Saturday, Nov. 2, with nearly all its regular amenities. People can expect newly paved walkways along with access to the public restrooms, the Lido Island Grill concession stand and lifeguards on duty.
Described as "a Sarasota crown jewel," the beach closed on Sept. 25 after suffering significant damage from Hurricane Helene. According to city officials, Helene damaged Lido's concession area and public access points, bucking sidewalks and creating hazardous conditions.
Lido Beach was further damaged when Hurricane Milton made landfall in Sarasota on Oct. 9.
Part of the restoration included removing "mountains of sand" as high as 4 feet from Benjamin Franklin Drive just to access the pavilion, the city said. It also included restoring the restrooms which had endured several feet of storm surge.
Crews also had to remove buckled sidewalks and replace them with new concrete slabs, repair a damaged seawall, remove piles of debris and deep clean the restrooms and concession area.
Beachgoers will, however, notice a large pile of sand that had been removed from the roadways and placed on the east side of the parking lot. Some areas of the beach marked with caution tape and barricades will also stay closed due to safety concerns.
North Lido Beach and South Lido Beach at Ted Sperling Park are still closed to the public.
“I couldn’t be more impressed by our Parks and Recreation crews who put in long hours after Helene and Milton to restore Lido Beach to a point where we could reopen it,” Parks and Recreation Director Jerry Fogle said. "We look forward to welcoming residents and visitors back to Lido Beach.”
