Could thousands of new Florida homes harm ancient burial grounds? ‘We are concerned’

The Seminole Tribe of Florida is raising concerns that a major housing development along Sarasota Bay could disturb sites holding centuries-old Native American artifacts.

Plans for Aqua by the bay, a project by Carlos Beruff’s Medallion Home, call for over 500 single-family homes, 2,300 multi-family units and 78,000 square feet of commercial retail space. It will stretch over about 520 acres along El Conquistador Parkway in Bradenton.

Aqua by the Bay has previously stirred controversy for its impact on wildlife and wetlands along Sarasota Bay. Construction of the master-plan community began in 2020 and has proceeded in phases.

But conceptual plans for the next 169-acre phase show that its western boundary would butt up against two sites that have been marked worthy of the National Register of Historic Places. Test digs in the areas turned up historical artifacts with links to Florida Indigenous groups, state records show.

In a letter to state officials earlier this year, Seminole representatives expressed concerns about development encroaching on the sites and asked for more information.

“Based on the information available to us at this time, we are concerned that the proposed undertaking has the potential to adversely impact cultural resources important to the Tribe,” the Seminole Tribe’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office said in a Jan. 31 email.

The state has not responded to those concerns. That’s likely because the state’s authority to issue 404 wetland permits, like the one required for Aqua, was stripped by a federal court decision two weeks later.

With the permitting process now on pause, it remains to be seen if the development will be allowed to build as planned near the coastal historical sites.

Medallion Home did not respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.

What do Sarasota Bay sites contain?

According to records on file with the Florida Division of Historical Resources, Native American artifacts and other items of historical significance were found during archaeological surveys at two sites along Sarasota Bay in 2001.

One of the areas is roughly 2.5 acres, or about the size of a city block, and the other is a little under half an acre.

Items found in both areas include ceramics, animal bone and unworked shell thought to date to the Weeden Island Period (450 to 1000) and the Safety Harbor Period (1000 to 1500).

Archaeologists noted the undisturbed condition of the sites and their potential to answer questions about how Florida’s first people lived. They also recommended a buffer of at least 50 feet to protect the areas from development.

Florida’s Gulf Coast was home to many distinct Indigenous cultural groups, including the Tocobaga and Calusa peoples, before the arrival of Europeans decimated Native American populations.

Today, the Seminole Tribe claims many of these groups as ancestors and works to preserve remnants of their cultures.

Seminole Tribe questions development impacts

Federal law requires agencies to consult with Native American tribes on development plans that could impact sites of religious or cultural significance to a tribe.

In Aqua’s case, the sites fall within the areas of interest of the Seminole Tribe and the Miccosukee Tribe.

In its January letter, the Seminole Tribe asked for more details about the “location, number, extent and types of impacts” anticipated near the historical sites and a “quality aerial map” showing how close development would come.

The Miccosukee Tribe has not submitted any comments regarding the development.

A spokesperson for the Seminole Tribe said in an email Wednesday that the Tribe has no additional comment but stands by its statements to FDEP earlier this year.

In plans submitted to the state, developers acknowledged that construction plans might have to be adjusted due to the proximity of the historical sites. They also promised to notify the state’s Division of Historical Resources if artifacts were found during construction.

What else is in Aqua by the Bay plans?

Residents have previously raised concerns about Aqua by the Bay’s impacts on wildlife and wetlands and opposed high-rise towers planned for the community.

Developers twice obtained permission from the state to remove bald eagle nests on the waterfront.

Earlier this year, the developer sought permission to skip wetland buffers recommended by the state to protect water quality and instead install a gabion wall — a kind of boundary made of cages filled with rocks.

Environment advocates argued that a gabion wall would leave Sarasota Bay with far less protection from pollution and could damage sensitive mangrove habitats.

A state agency asked the Aqua developers for more information about why they want to exclude wetland buffers from the building plans, and a final determination has not been made.

The proposed plans for the 169-acre phase of Aqua by the Bay include an 18-story high-rise, multifamily housing and a dog park, according to documents submitted to the state.

To prepare for development, much of the area has already been graded under a previous permit.