LONGBOAT KEY — Officials have signed a settlement agreement that restricts the type of erosion control device that can be built at Longboat Key’s Beercan Beach.

A large permanent groin designed to minimize erosion will be removed from a state permit in order to keep Beercan Beach in its natural state, according to former Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash.

The Manatee-Sarasota Sierra Club and the town of Longboat Key were also signers of the settlement documents, according to copies of the documents.

The town may build two smaller, permeable adjustable groins in the vicinty of North Shore Drive, but would refrain from building the large permanent one planned for Longboat Pass, according to terms of the settlement.

“Driving over the bridge, going south, you see the island currently in a natural state,” McClash said. “It would have had a concrete structure going out the size of a football field.”

The settlement was reached as a formal hearing slated for Wednesday approached, documents said.

Sara Kennedy, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7031. Follow her on Twitter @sarawrites.