Marco Island asks county to add Big Marco Pass to project list after shoaling; county points to federal jurisdiction

Marco Island city officials raised safety concerns after recent shoaling in Big Marco Pass prompted relocation of navigation markers. City and county staff discussed options to monitor and manage the pass, but county technical staff said the inlet currently falls under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard jurisdiction for inlet management and markers.

Justin Martin, Marco Island's public works director, described a prior interagency virtual meeting (in September 2025) that included the Corps, Coast Guard and DEP and said the city paid for a bathymetric survey to document shifting sands and support marker relocation. "This is the only pass within all of Collier County that is currently not being maintained," he told the joint workshop, urging a joint effort and a multi‑agency inlet management plan.

County staff recommended pushing the issue through legislative delegations and lobbyists to move it higher on the federal priority list, and both city and county staff said they would continue coordination with state and federal partners.