Nearly five months after Bayside Dredging LLC cleared thousands of cubic yards of sand from Johns Pass, Hubbard’s Marina owner Dylan Hubbard says boaters are safer — but the fix may not last. According to coastal scientists, any permanent solution could come at the expense of beaches south of the pass.
“The sand is gone, and we got the water there,” Hubbard said. “But it’s nowhere remotely where we need it to be. It’s a good first step, a huge improvement, but there’s still sand and a lot of bridge material left.”
The project deepened portions of the channel that had become increasingly difficult for recreational and commercial boats to navigate. But one of the shallowest areas, beneath the Johns Pass Bridge, remains largely untouched. According to Hubbard, crews couldn’t dredge there because of submerged debris left behind from previous bridge work.
Also read: Long-delayed Johns Pass dredging process to begin
“They weren’t even able to dredge around the bridge,” he said. “Six-foot handrails and rebar are making the areas shallow and causing the current to slow down, causing sand to accrete.”
That debris continues trapping sand moving through the pass, allowing shoals to reform even after the dredging was completed.
“The project was largely unsuccessful because of all the debris,” Hubbard said.
Even so, he said the difference has been noticeable.
“Huge improvements for safety,” he said. “The challenge is that the sand is coming back already, so these improvements may be short-lived.”
Hubbard points to surveys completed before construction as evidence of how quickly conditions change. Between November 2025 and February 2026, roughly 5,000 cubic yards of additional sand accumulated in the pass — a nearly 30% increase before the dredging contract was even finalized.
“When anyone else needs sand, come to this location and grab it,” Hubbard joked.
Instead of relying on repeated dredging, Hubbard believes extending the north jetty offers the best long-term solution.
Ping Wang, a coastal geologist at the University of South Florida who studied the inlet years before the dredging project began, agrees with Hubbard on one point: dredging alone will never permanently solve the problem because tides and currents continually push sand back into Johns Pass.
Where they disagree is the solution. Wang said extending the north jetty would alter the natural movement of sand, increasing erosion on Madeira Beach, Treasure Island and Sunset Beach while changing the morphology of the inlet itself. Although periodic dredging can feel Sisyphean, he believes it remains the better long-term approach.
“I understand we will have to dredge it again, but not for another 10 years. This is a local problem to solve without creating unintended complications,” Wang said. “Hubbard makes good observations; he has good intentions; but he’s not an expert.”
The sand buildup creates more than just headaches for boaters, according to Hubbard.
“It creates a challenge with drainage, so the city is always wasting city dollars to keep going out there,” he said. “We are constantly wasting dollars maintaining a drain that keeps getting sand buildup. All we are doing is putting Band-Aids on the problem.”
Hubbard acknowledges why extending the north jetty remains controversial: changing how water flows through Johns Pass could reduce sand accumulation inside the inlet, but it could also interrupt the natural movement of sand to beaches south of the pass.
“Anything we do at Johns Pass to permanently fix the issue may permanently affect the southern beaches adversely,” Hubbard said.
According to Hubbard, the Florida Department of Transportation is developing a plan to remove the submerged bridge debris that prevented dredging beneath the bridge. He also said U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s office has been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pursue additional federal assistance for future dredging and beach renourishment.
Bayside Dredging LLC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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