Midnight Pass brings clearer water, potential new opportunities for tourism

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Sarasota County has decided that a waterway reopened by storm surge from last year’s hurricanes will remain open.

Midnight Pass connects Little Sarasota Bay and the Gulf. It was originally filled in during the 1980s and stayed that way until the historic storms of 2024. For more than a year, the county studied the impact of the restored channel between Siesta Key and Casey Key.

Helping people make memories is a passion for charter captain Mike Nix.

“Well, it’s all based on just fun day outings on the water,” he said.

He started his company, Key Life Charters, in 2016. He takes clients out on Little Sarasota Bay and the Gulf.

“We do sightseeing, dolphin trips, sandbar stops, snorkeling, paddle boarding, tiki bar crawls by boat—so anything that’s basically fun,” he said.

Nix is heading toward a special spot—one he’s excited about.

“This is Midnight Pass. And if you look back to the west, you’ll see where it opens up,” he said.

Storm surge from Hurricanes Helene and Milton naturally reopened Midnight Pass last year. The channel had been closed since 1983. Mike went out to see it for himself a week after it opened.

“I loved it. I thought it was fantastic,” he said.

The first thing he noticed was an improvement in water quality in Little Sarasota Bay.

“Immediately, the water cleared up back in here from what it was before—immediately,” he said.

Water quality is one of the factors Sarasota County studied within Midnight Pass. Others include depth, marine life, and more.

Rachel Herman is the Environmental Protection Division Manager for Sarasota County. She says they started collecting data just days after Midnight Pass fully opened and have been studying it every week since.

“We’ve been able to see how it’s changing, and there’s been some seasonal variability with wider, deeper flow volume, as you would expect during the summer. That changes a little bit in the winter, as rainfall decreases,” she said. “There’s a lot of good things that have come out of it. Water clarity is one thing. If you’re in Little Sarasota Bay now, you’ll notice the water is a lot clearer.”

The impact is more than just scientific data—it’s also becoming a tourist attraction. Mike says he’s seen hundreds of boats and people swimming near Midnight Pass and believes it could help local businesses.

“I think it’ll be a draw for companies like kayak tour companies. Hopefully, it’ll open up some business restaurant-wise and hospitality-wise on the south end of Siesta Key, because it’s kind of been overlooked,” he said.

With positive impacts on both the environment and potentially the economy, Midnight Pass has returned to what it once was.

Ongoing monitoring and studies of Midnight Pass will continue, according to the county. Officials say they’ve partnered with experts, including scientists from the University of South Florida, for continued data collection.