“We just got a lesson with three hurricanes in eight weeks,”
AG Lafley, Chair of The Bay Park Conservancy
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The Problem
Sarasota, Florida, sits on the edge of Sarasota Bay—a beautiful, but vulnerable, coastal zone. As storms grow stronger and more frequent, the city is increasingly exposed to storm surge, flooding, and polluted runoff. “We just got a lesson with three hurricanes in eight weeks,” said AG Lafley, Chair of The Bay Park Conservancy. “It doesn’t look like anything’s going to change.”
Hard surfaces, aging seawalls, and dense shoreline development put the area at risk. Rainwater rushed untreated into the bay, while rising water damaged public infrastructure and natural ecosystems.
The Solution
Bay Park was reimagined as a climate adaptation project. The old seawalls were removed and replaced with native vegetation and resilient, living shorelines. “We converted the shoreline from a crumbling seawall to an all-native, all-natural, resilient shoreline,” said Lafley.
The landscape was redesigned to treat every drop of stormwater through natural terracing, baffle boxes, and eco-friendly grading systems. Wildlife began to return, including birds and marine life, in the restored mangroves.
The Project
Phase 1 of Bay Park focused on restoring 10 acres of vulnerable shoreline. Key areas of the park were elevated—some by more than double their original height. “Where the Nest Pavilion sits, at 12 feet above bay level. When we started, it was only 5 or 6 feet,” Lafley explained.
The team worked around hardscapes like the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and a public boat launch, while moving buildings farther inland wherever possible. The park now functions as a community space and a storm surge buffer.
The Reason
“We’re very cognizant of the power of storms—and specifically storm surge,” said Lafley. With worsening climate impacts, Bay Park became a demonstration of how design, nature, and planning can protect people and ecosystems.
Who Was Involved
This success was made possible by a collaboration between The Bay Park Conservancy, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the City of Sarasota, Sarasota County, and critical climate science from the Climate Adaptation Center (CAC).