BRADENTON BEACH – Manatee County’s Leffis Key Preserve remains closed following damage from the 2024 hurricanes and a county spokesperson said the timeline for reopening is dependent on an ongoing review by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Manatee County Deputy County Administrator Bryan Parnell responded to a resident’s email request for information about reopening the 21-acre preserve at 2351 Gulf Drive S., across from Coquina Beach, writing, “The county is actively working through the federal FEMA approval process to secure funding for the necessary repairs. Because these repairs were not completed under an emergency authorization, FEMA’s review timeline is longer and is still underway. We are currently finalizing the project’s scope of work and confirming the budget needed to move forward.”
Parnell wrote that the county shares in the community’s frustration over how long the process is taking.
“The county has completed many post-storm repairs across our preserves using in-house crews, but Leffis Key requires a full redesign and specialized construction, making it more complex than other projects,” he wrote.
Once FEMA provides a final determination, the county will share a timeline for reopening, according to Parnell.
In addition to the acres of trails, Leffis Key has a 26-foot-high hill where one can get a panoramic view of Sarasota Bay and the Gulf.
“The hill was planted with native dune and coastal ridge plants such as sea oats, beach elder, dune sunflower, southern red cedar, green buttonwood, sea grape, gumbo limbo, Hercules’ club, Jamaica dogwood and strangler fig,” according to Manatee County’s website. “In addition, over 20,000 marsh grass plants, such as smooth cordgrass, saltwater cordgrass and salt jointgrass were installed along the banks of the tidal ponds. The plant installation was accomplished with volunteer labor that included hundreds of school children, local environmental clubs and citizens.”
Site amenities include footpaths that circle and scale the hill, benches and 1,500 linear feet of boardwalks that meander through the mangrove forest, with strategically placed viewing platforms penetrating the open water, according to the Manatee County website.
