Sarasota nonprofit gets $400K grant to build storm-resilient shoreline

A $400,000 grant is helping transform the Sarasota bayfront with a resilient, living shoreline designed to soften the blow of future storms and clean runoff before it reaches the bay.Sarasota living shoreline projectThe Community Foundation of Sarasota County awarded the $400,000 grant through its Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund as part of its Recovery and Resilience Initiative. The grant went to The Bay Park Conservancy, the nonprofit managing the 53-acre city-owned park. The funding follows a $2 million donation match challenge by The Bay and Gulf Coast Community Foundation. "When it comes to preparing for disasters, a big part of that is also building resiliency. It’s preventing the impacts of that disaster when it does happen in the future," Jessica Muroff, CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, said. The project is funded by a combination of government, donor and foundation grants. Work is already underway and stretches from north of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall