Manatee County · Waterfront
Docks, Seawalls & Dredging in Longboat Key, FL
Longboat Key sits on Sarasota Bay / Gulf of Mexico, Longboat Pass and Longboat Pass, with waterfront homes in Country Club Shores, Sleepy Lagoon and Sleepy Lagoon / Buttonwood / The Village. Langley Coastal builds and repairs docks and pilings, installs boat and PWC lifts, repairs seawalls and performs dredging for property owners in Longboat Key. Permitting is handled in full.
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Services in Longboat Key
Every service below has its own page. Five of them have one written for Longboat Key.
Dock Construction
New docks, complete tear-outs and rebuilds, and worn deck boards replaced.
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Piling Services
Pilings restored where they can be, replaced where they cannot, under a dock, a lift or a boathouse.
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Seawall Construction
Aging walls removed and replaced, designed with licensed engineers.
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Seawall Repair
Inspection with photo and video, then hydraulic cement, forms and rebar, or foam injection.
Explore seawall repair in Longboat Key
Boat Lift Installation
Fitted on a new dock or one you already have, working with the lift manufacturers.
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Boat Lift Maintenance
Cables, drives and lift pilings kept working in salt water.
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Dredging
Depth restored at docks, canals and shorelines. We handle the permitting.
Explore dredging in Longboat KeyGeneral Construction
The land side of a waterfront property: building, demolition, sitework and pools.
Explore general construction in Longboat KeyLongboat Key's waterfront
What shapes dock, seawall, and dredging work here. Sources are linked.
Waterways
- Sarasota Bay / Gulf of Mexico: Town is coterminous with the barrier island, lying between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf, and spans Manatee and Sarasota counties; 16.0 sq mi total of which 11.92 sq mi is water; 38-acre Jewfish Key lies inside town limits and is boat-access only [en.wikipedia.org]
- Longboat Pass: Inlet in Manatee County connecting the Gulf with the north end of Sarasota Bay, separating Anna Maria Island from Longboat Key; about 7 mi south of Passage Key Inlet and 10 mi north of New Pass (Sarasota County); its federal channel connects to the GIWW in Sarasota Bay [floridadep.gov]
- Longboat Pass: Federal project (authorized 1975): entrance channel -12 ft MLLW design depth, 150 ft wide, Gulf to the bridge; -10 ft MLLW, 100 ft wide from the bridge to the GIWW; 3,754,186 cy dredged from the channel, GIWW and shoals 1951-2021 [floridadep.gov]
- Gulf Intracoastal Waterway: In 1939, during GIWW construction, Jewfish and Pickett keys behind Longboat Pass were joined with dredge spoil [floridadep.gov]
Waterfront neighborhoods
- Country Club Shores: South-end neighborhood on the Sarasota County side, built by Arvida in the 1960s; most homes on deep-water canals or bayfront with direct Sarasota Bay/Gulf access [buysarasota.com]
- Sleepy Lagoon: North-end waterfront neighborhood of 269 properties on both sides of Gulf of Mexico Drive with boat docks and bay access [buysarasota.com]
- Sleepy Lagoon / Buttonwood / The Village: Low-lying areas targeted by three town stormwater drainage projects after the 2024 hurricanes [yourobserver.com]
- Bay Isles: Home of the Longboat Key Club Moorings marina at 2630 Harbourside Dr on Sarasota Bay [opalcollection.com]
Marinas, bridges and inlets
- Longboat Key Club Moorings: 291 deep-water slips for vessels up to 150 ft; Florida Clean Marina; fuel dock with diesel, gas and pump-out; transient $5.25/ft/night [opalcollection.com]
- Cannons Marina: Family-run since 1981 at 6040 Gulf of Mexico Dr (ICW marker 33); Grady-White dealer, rentals, certified Yamaha service [cannonsmarina.com]
- Longboat Pass Bridge (SR 789): Single-leaf bascule built 1957 (original 1926 bridge destroyed 1932) linking Longboat Key and Bradenton Beach [en.wikipedia.org]
- Longboat Pass Bridge: 17 ft closed vertical clearance, 45 ft horizontal; opens on demand 24/7 by horn or VHF 09; near GIWW mile 85; typical nearby depths about 4.5 ft [marinas.com]
Permits and rules in Longboat Key
Rules change; confirm current Longboat Key requirements with the authority before work starts.
Manatee County permit authorities that cover Longboat Key →
- Seawall rule (Town of Longboat Key (Code Ch. 151 seawalls; Ch. 158.155 structures over water))
- Town Commission voted 7-0 on April 1, 2024 to raise the maximum allowable seawall height from 4.5 ft to 6 ft (Chapter 151), citing 6 inches of sea-level rise in 20 years and walls being overtopped; by March 2025 the town had issued 27 permits to raise seawall heights. [yourobserver.com]
- Dock and boat-lift permits
- Town of Longboat Key Planning, Zoning & Building (941-316-1966; Accela portal since April 22, 2025 with a Dock/Seawall/Lift permit type) + FDEP Southwest District + USACE Jacksonville District. Sec. 158.155: docks in canals/lagoons/passes may project the lesser of 30 ft or 30% of navigable width; 50 ft in Sarasota Bay; max dock area 500 sq ft; 15-ft setback from riparian lines; single-family docks moor no more than two vessels; pilings max 8.5 ft above deck. [longboatkey.elaws.us]
- Seawall repair permits
- Town of Longboat Key (Ch. 151; max 6 ft) + FDEP + USACE. Town review raised the cap to 6 ft in 2024; FDEP 62-330.051(12)(b) exempts restoring a wall damaged within the last year up to 18 in waterward; Corps SPGP VI covers shoreline stabilization via DEP self-certification. [yourobserver.com]
- Dredging permits
- Town canal maintenance program + FDEP Joint Coastal Permit for the pass (Manatee County/Town JCP 0298107-009-JN to 2030) + USACE/WCIND for the federal channel. Canal program: Resolution 2026-14 adopted June 22, 2026 (6-0) sets a $620 per equivalent-benefit-unit non-ad-valorem assessment on November 2026 tax bills, about 80% from canal-front parcels and 20% townwide, for a roughly $9M dredge of 88 canals to 5 ft with maintenance thereafter. [lbknews.com]
Local conditions that matter
Tides, storms and siltation
- NOAA station 8726089 Longboat Key (27.34N, -82.59W): mean tide range 1.27 ft, great diurnal range 2.07 ft; MHHW 4.36 ft vs NAVD88 3.79 ft on station datum [api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov]
- Hurricane Helene surge reached about 7 ft NAVD88 on Longboat Key (Idalia 2023 was 4.5 ft); the town responded by raising freeboard, seawall height and dock/lift height allowances and issued 27 seawall-raise permits by March 2025 [yourobserver.com]
- Helene maximum inundation on Longboat Key: 6.68 ft above MHHW (USCG sensor, Sep 26, 2024) [islander.org]
- Helene surge lifted boats off lifts (one 30-ft boat landed in a neighbor's yard; others sank or floated down canals) and soaked lift motors and controllers; the old code capped lifts at 5 ft above the dock [yourobserver.com]
On the water
- FAC 68C-22.014 (Manatee County side): Sarasota Bay Anna Maria Island/Jewfish Key area, Longboat Key area incl. Sister Keys, and east side are Slow Speed all year; 25 mph only in limited channels. [flrules.elaws.us]
- Longboat Pass shoaling history: by 2006 the channel had shoaled to -3.5 ft MLLW (8.5 ft above the authorized -12 ft); after the 2016 dredge the controlling depth was -7.2 ft MLLW; the Gulfward channel migrated about 1,500 ft SE in six years [floridadep.gov]
- Both New Pass and Longboat Pass 'shoal at a fairly high rate' per the town public works director; the 2026 pass dredge is the second in three years [yourobserver.com]
- Longboat Pass Bridge: 17 ft closed clearance, opens on demand, VHF 09, near GIWW mile 85 [marinas.com]
Recent Dock Work
Longboat Key — frequently asked questions
What seawall height rule applies in Longboat Key?
Town Commission voted 7-0 on April 1, 2024 to raise the maximum allowable seawall height from 4.5 ft to 6 ft (Chapter 151), citing 6 inches of sea-level rise in 20 years and walls being overtopped; by March 2025 the town had issued 27 permits to raise seawall heights. (Town of Longboat Key (Code Ch. 151 seawalls; Ch. 158.155 structures over water)). An inspection of your Longboat Key seawall, with underwater photos and video, shows whether a repair or a rebuild is the right route. [source]
Who permits a new dock or boat lift in Longboat Key?
Town of Longboat Key Planning, Zoning & Building (941-316-1966; Accela portal since April 22, 2025 with a Dock/Seawall/Lift permit type) + FDEP Southwest District + USACE Jacksonville District. Sec. 158.155: docks in canals/lagoons/passes may project the lesser of 30 ft or 30% of navigable width; 50 ft in Sarasota Bay; max dock area 500 sq ft; 15-ft setback from riparian lines; single-family docks moor no more than two vessels; pilings max 8.5 ft above deck. [source]
Do I need a permit to dredge my canal in Longboat Key?
Town canal maintenance program + FDEP Joint Coastal Permit for the pass (Manatee County/Town JCP 0298107-009-JN to 2030) + USACE/WCIND for the federal channel. Canal program: Resolution 2026-14 adopted June 22, 2026 (6-0) sets a $620 per equivalent-benefit-unit non-ad-valorem assessment on November 2026 tax bills, about 80% from canal-front parcels and 20% townwide, for a roughly $9M dredge of 88 canals to 5 ft with maintenance thereafter. Langley handles that permitting for Longboat Key dredging projects. [source]
Which Longboat Key neighborhoods do you serve?
Waterfront neighborhoods across Longboat Key, including Country Club Shores, Sleepy Lagoon, Sleepy Lagoon / Buttonwood / The Village and Bay Isles (ZIP 34228). Longboat Key is in Manatee County, one of the four counties Langley Coastal serves.
Are there speed or manatee zones near Longboat Key docks?
FAC 68C-22.014 (Manatee County side): Sarasota Bay Anna Maria Island/Jewfish Key area, Longboat Key area incl. Sister Keys, and east side are Slow Speed all year; 25 mph only in limited channels. That sets how a dredge or barge is scheduled and staged in Longboat Key. [source]
Does Langley Coastal Construction work in Longboat Key?
Yes. Longboat Key is in Manatee County, one of the four counties Langley Coastal Construction serves; call (954) 406-0696 to schedule Longboat Key work.
Sources for the Longboat Key facts above are linked inline (24 public pages); they describe Longboat Key, not Langley projects, and rules change, so confirm with the permitting authority.
Nearby Waterfront Areas We Serve
What Longboat Key area customers say
Needed a repair on my new dock. One of my friends recommended langley coastal construction. They did a great job. Everything is now repaired well. Also offered great services. Would recommend them to anyone in need of a new dock or any repairs.