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Tarpons Springs seeks compromise in Anclote River dredging project

The city plans to request a permit to dredge 1.93 acres of the extended turning basin. It's less than the city wanted, but more than they thought they would get.
 
The dredging project would remove nearly two decades’ worth of silt and sediment from the river, restoring the Anclote River to its normal depth of 11 feet — deep enough to support commercial fishing boats and waterfront tourism. [JEFF ROSENFIELD | Special to the Times]
The dredging project would remove nearly two decades’ worth of silt and sediment from the river, restoring the Anclote River to its normal depth of 11 feet — deep enough to support commercial fishing boats and waterfront tourism. [JEFF ROSENFIELD | Special to the Times]
Published July 28, 2020

After months of back and forth with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Tarpon Springs City Commission hopes they’ve finally found a permit everyone can agree on.

At their July 14 meeting, the commission decided to request a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection to dredge 1.93 acres of the Anclote River extended turning basin.

Dredging the extended turning basin would give commercial fishing boats plenty of room in the river to turn around. Marine and tourism-related business contributes $252 million to Tarpon Springs’ economy each year, according to a 2016 economic impact survey.

The Department of Environmental Protection previously suggested the city apply for a 1.45-acre permit, significantly less than the city’s original request of 3.82 acres.

Rep. Chris Sprowls (R-Palm Harbor) has been heavily involved in the dredging project at the state level. He worked with city staff and the Department of Environmental Protection to negotiate an informal offer of 1.93 acres.

City Commissioner Costa Vatikiotis said the commission would prefer to dredge a larger portion of the extended turning basin, but he thinks 1.93 acres is “the best we can do at this point.”

The city has already secured a permit, as well as more than $4.5 million, to dredge the federal channel. The extended turning basin is outside of federal jurisdiction.

The commission also unanimously approved a letter to the Pinellas County Commission seeking financial support to dredge the extended turning basin at last week’s meeting. They previously requested over $800,000 from the State of Florida, but Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed the funds at the end of June.

Related: RELATED: Despite governor's veto, Tarpon Springs still plans to dredge Anclote River

The commission can’t be sure their request for 1.93 acres will be accepted.

“All they said is that they would be “more comfortable” with 1.93 acres,” said Vatikiotis. “You never know what you wind up with until the correspondence between the two sides are actually passed through Tallahassee and Tampa for approval.”