Sarasota County commissioners have approved a five-part plan for Midnight Pass, the inlet into Little Sarasota Bay that hurricanes reopened in 2024, WWSB ABC7 reported on October 5. The county will keep gathering data and modeling the inlet, advance its plans for channel markers and signs, keep studying whether to dredge the channel, start the state and federal permit process to hold the inlet at its current size, and keep the public involved.
The pass was filled in 1983 in a failed attempt to move it farther south, and stayed closed until Hurricanes Helene and Milton opened it in fall 2024, the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program says. County crews survey its depth and width every week when conditions allow. At a September update, commissioners heard that about 90 surveys show the inlet holding steady, FOX 13 reported.
What it means on the water
The pass has no markers yet, and the county hasn't said when they'll go in. Charter captain Matt Fueyo told WWSB that storms and wind shift the pass's sand and depth, which makes it tricky to run. Go slowly, read the water, and look at the county's latest survey before you try it: it posts the data online and emails weekly updates.
For fishing, the open pass means more Gulf water moving through Little Sarasota Bay. The county's consultant says that exchange is improving water quality in the bay and should help seagrass and fish over time. The estuary program adds two cautions: the bay is an important fish nursery and nobody knows yet how its fish will change, and red tide may reach it more easily now that it opens straight to the Gulf. Our Sarasota inshore guide covers the pass and the bays around it.
Before you fish Little Sarasota Bay, check FWC's current Sarasota Bay region rules for snook, redfish and trout.