Leffis Key Preserve Remains Closed as FEMA Review Delays Repairs
BRADENTON BEACH — Leffis Key Preserve remains closed more than a year after sustaining damage from the 2024 hurricanes, with Manatee County officials saying the timeline for reopening depends on the completion of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) review.
The 21-acre preserve, located at 2351 Gulf Drive S. across from Coquina Beach, requires extensive repairs that are still awaiting federal approval. According to Manatee County Deputy County Administrator Bryan Parnell, the county is moving through FEMA’s approval process to secure funding for the necessary work, but the review is taking longer because the repairs were not completed under an emergency authorization.
County officials are finalizing the scope of work and confirming the project’s budget as part of the ongoing review. Parnell acknowledged that the county understands the community’s frustration with the prolonged closure, noting that while in-house crews completed many post-storm repairs across the county's preserves, Leffis Key presents unique challenges.
Unlike other sites, Leffis Key requires a full redesign and specialized construction, making it a more complex project. County staff say this additional complexity has contributed to the extended timeline.
Once FEMA issues a final determination on funding, Manatee County plans to share a projected schedule for completing repairs and reopening the preserve.
Leffis Key is known for its elevated 26-foot hill that offers panoramic views of Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The preserve was designed with native dune and coastal ridge vegetation, including sea oats, beach elder, dune sunflower, southern red cedar, green buttonwood, sea grape, gumbo limbo, Hercules’ club, Jamaica dogwood and strangler fig. Along the tidal ponds, more than 20,000 marsh grass plants were installed, including smooth cordgrass, saltwater cordgrass and salt jointgrass, much of it planted with the help of volunteers, schoolchildren and local environmental groups.
Amenities at the preserve include footpaths that circle and climb the hill, benches, and approximately 1,500 linear feet of boardwalks winding through mangrove forests, with viewing platforms extending over open water. County officials say the goal is to restore these features while ensuring the preserve is rebuilt to withstand future storms.
