County cleared for seagrass removal

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed off on the Hernando Beach dredge permit Friday, setting the stage for the next phase of the project: seagrass removal.
Assistant County Engineer Gregg Sutton said Seagrass Recovery, based in Indian Rocks Beach, has charged the county $378,000 to do three things: assess the seagrass at the dredge site, remove it to a protection area and then monitor its progress.
The $378,000 was built into the $1 million supplemental agreement the county signed off on for its engineering consultant, The Halcrow Group, in May.
"This is a big milestone," said Sutton, referring to the Army Corps approval.
To get more specifics behind the seagrass removal, Hernando Today contacted The Halcrow Group Vice President Paul Starr. But Starr said he is prevented by contract to the talk to the media without permission from his client, the county.
Attempts by Hernando Today to get that clearance were unsuccessful.
This is the second time Starr refused to comment on the dredge project, which has suffered endless delays and cost the county millions.
Sutton said he will meet with Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials next week and update them on other aspects of the project, including rock disposal, a wildlife survey and an overall dredging plan.
Sutton estimates it will be mid-July before work begins on extracting the seagrass.
Seagrass is the underwater flowering plants that live in protected bays, lagoons, and other shallow coastal waters, according to the Seagrass Recovery Web site.
This grass-like vegetation forms small patchy beds that can develop into expansive meadows that can take decades to form, according to the site.
Meanwhile, the public will get a chance to ask questions about the entire project and meet some of the officials who will be doing the work during a public meeting sometime in July.
The time and place has yet to be announced, Sutton said.