FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — Lee County commissioners awarded a contract to install protective mats along the shoreline near the Punta Rassa Boat Ramp to reduce erosion and increase resiliency.
The Board of County Commissioners voted to award the contract to install articulating concrete mats on the mainland side of the Sanibel Causeway.
Lee commissioners said the interconnected concrete blocks will diffuse wave energy, reduce erosion, and stabilize the shoreline without altering natural flow patterns.
The mats will be installed along the shoreline from just west of the boat ramp around the parking area to the southern side of the point. The low-bid contract of $991,300 was awarded to Fort Myers-based Earth Tech Enterprises Inc.
Work is expected to begin in late 2026 and be completed in spring 2027. Lee commissioners said the project will not impact the boat ramp but may occasionally close portions of the parking lot.
The funding comes from Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development following Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Lee County on Sept. 28, 2022. The articulating block mats will provide another layer of resiliency to help minimize the effects of wave action on the boat ramp site.
The Punta Rassa Boat Ramp at 15001 Punta Rassa Road was closed following Hurricane Ian. In partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation, the site served as a staging area for permanent Sanibel Causeway repairs and was pivotal in the restoration of the arterial road connecting barrier islands to the mainland.
Upon completion, FDOT installed resiliency measures including higher seawalls and additional armoring stone to protect the boat ramp site. The boat ramp reopened in August 2025 as work continued with the installation of a fish cleaning station with a shade structure, dock repairs and replacement and new landscaping.