[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6096465,"mediaKeyId","2832902-7e05891881cb42b91bfce72b1e8fa3b2","parentId",2832902,"title","County authorizes staff to pursue Phillippi Creek dredging design and permitting with WCIND; residents press to extend work to Pinecraft and oxbows","audioSeconds",5019,"startMs",369000,"endMs",5388000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2832902-7e05891881cb42b91bfce72b1e8fa3b2&start=369&end=5388","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2832902-7e05891881cb42b91bfce72b1e8fa3b2/thumbnail_369000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6096465/Sarasota-County/Florida/County-authorizes-staff-to-pursue-Phillippi-Creek-dredging-design-and-permitting-with-WCIND-residents-press-to-extend-work-to-Pinecraft-and-oxbows","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6096465-15df27bac9b1b5171d4248a0c7ecb96d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197190&Signature=BBlt7Ni7fqZu01ela6EbOc8Xp8E30BFoZaai4FV3WVfHsh0~9vp3KlDxWmWI4g-v6D1lqCjPLabhUW-C3sIuk9wIhxlZzvbeWkuO9-aarNL~frcx1RX6yKMw-XpJfbTWQrEv~0Tuc4rQIWre-HHMrXu0Z~gAyNGFxAhHaTpLpjAXe~G8ZqdBD-hnsm9p8l2xCXy~w5fhhCmc7tW2Zef9YEkW0doOt53OxPf2NHfNItnMh7On5cyFDlKiybKpD9AoZeQ4O9TE-XiqiZ0oP~m9TRyYFt3L5XmRK83cQKVfdpAPOrTl1gh5iv4yM~iukT11VTHX0B6ppHxuPl3rEydWTg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Sarasota County, FL","date","2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","article","The Sarasota County Commission on March 12 authorized staff to work with the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) to design and pursue permits to extend maintenance dredging of Phillippi Creek northward to Boniva and to bring back any actions necessary for construction approval.

The action caps weeks of public appeals and technical briefings after last summer's storms flooded homes along the creek and its oxbows. Public commenters urged the county to require dredging all the way to Pinecraft, to include the community oxbows behind Mineola and River Ridge, and to build in a plan for ongoing maintenance.

Why it matters: Phillippi Creek is a primary drainage channel for large portions of north Sarasota County. Residents and engineers told the commission that sediment and vegetation have substantially reduced the creek's capacity and raised flood risk for adjacent neighborhoods. County staff and WCIND reported that design, surveys and permitting must be completed before a construction contract can be priced and performed.

WCIND and county update and funding issues
WCIND officials have already advanced feasibility designs and bathymetry for the creek to Boniva. WCIND has a contractor under consideration for the section west of U.S. 41 to the creek mouth, and staff cited a rough order-of-magnitude construction estimate for that initial segment in the low millions (\"about $2.02 to $2.5 million,\" staff said). The county has a survey that reaches as far north as Boniva but noted the bathymetry did not include the smaller oxbow canals behind islands; staff said those will require additional surveying and technical evaluation.

County staff told the commission that multiple funding paths are under review, including use of Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds; staff cautioned that federal procurement and eligibility rules for those dollars could affect how contracts are solicited and whether WCIND or the county must lead procurement.

Public comment pressed for a broader scope and faster timeline
Dozens of residents described flood damage to homes on Tanglewood Drive, Mineola Drive, River Ridge and other neighborhoods. Several speakers said small changes in water level made the difference between minimal damage and major loss. Anthony Weiner told commissioners, \"If the water had been a half inch higher, the whole house would have been inundated.\" Nadia Bowen, representing the Southgate Community Association, asked the board to \"include the Southgate portion of Phillippi Creek and our Oxbow Canals into the Phillippi Creek dredging plan. Ideally, this project should extend all the way to Pinecraft.\"

Technical and permitting questions, and emergency options
Staff briefings spelled out two near-term technical steps: (1) finalize the feasibility study and dredge-volume estimate (including a definition of planned channel width and depth) and (2) resolve options for dredge-spoil placement or disposal. Commissioners also asked staff to explore emergency permitting or limited emergency dredging to open a continuous channel to reduce immediate flood risk while the full permitting and funding work proceeds. Staff said state and federal emergency authorizations exist but added that the interaction with CDBG-DR funding requires legal and procurement review.

Board action
Commissioner John Smith moved and Commissioner Maff seconded a motion authorizing staff to work with WCIND and the district's consultant to advance design and permitting extending the Phillippi Creek project to Boniva, with staff to return to the board for any ratifications or agreements needed for execution. The motion passed unanimously.

What remains uncertain
Staff did not set a construction schedule or a guaranteed start date for the Boniva-to-mouth work, and WCIND and county staff said oxbow canal work will require separate surveys and permit evaluations. The final construction cost for an extended project will depend on the dredge volume and spoil management plan. Commissioners and staff emphasized the need to balance urgency with federal procurement rules when using CDBG or disaster funds.

Next steps
Staff will continue bathymetric and feasibility work, add oxbow surveys, evaluate spoil-management options, and return to the commission with recommendations for agreements, funding sources and any permits or local agreements required to move to construction.

Sources: Sarasota County public comment and staff briefings at the March 12, 2025 Board of County Commissioners meeting; WCIND update provided to county staff.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting Mar 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Sarasota County Commission voted unanimously on March 12 to authorize staff to work with the West Coast Inland Navigation District on design and permitting to extend Phillippi Creek dredging to Boniva, responding to intense public pressure after repeated flooding in 2024.","taxTitle","Sarasota County, Florida","taxId",2880,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6096451,"Residents of Saddle Creek and Southgate urge county to dredge Cowpens Slough and local oxbows after repeated flooding",527,17244000,17771000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2832902-7e05891881cb42b91bfce72b1e8fa3b2&start=17244&end=17771","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2832902-7e05891881cb42b91bfce72b1e8fa3b2/thumbnail_17244000.jpg","/articles/6096451/Sarasota-County/Florida/Residents-of-Saddle-Creek-and-Southgate-urge-county-to-dredge-Cowpens-Slough-and-local-oxbows-after-repeated-flooding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6096451-9791fbf33def22ebc7bea1e86466f474/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197190&Signature=MzakMqDKrDeloaVrDVwGLSmH9p2jUdSGcDrczg13UoNTjA9wbH~Re2Pf63Ra6uQHNO2Mv7zBDEOyHcJjD-Xwzj9Wp~S597U5HapKLJ~2BlLETdSC28S8RN6tlF1DVj6R~8Xw56MgHnLAULF5ew17h6~cshpSakXoxnjqTZMtxP0dNG04QM8A~cHNFCDxNgoB5Gmzq0oGPdj5E88JfCDnkP3pDm2MkzaEEKllXq0EeSgnFie8M0qpbSpabUsQnMu12fsu6~2iXtIzpknBHvIhfife~mxAFBki-Y8ELftSbADn~32MyTYfnlS37upjL59qCB6n6OV9IZmMnkkodfpxzQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several residents from Saddle Creek, Mineola and Southgate told the board on March 12 that their neighborhoods flooded repeatedly in 2024 and early 2025 and asked the county to prioritize dredging and more frequent maintenance of Cowpens Slough, Phillippi Creek oxbows and local canal outlets.

Residents' accounts and requests
Several speakers said their houses, garages and personal property were flooded during Tropical Storm Debbie and later rain events. Karen Kirsch described losing three cars, damage to a lawn mower and severe flooding of yards and storage areas on several acres of property: \"The water continued to rise...I have never seen flooding like we experienced after Deb in Saddle Creek.\"

Community groups and homeowners asked the county to survey and dredge Cowpens Slough (public commenters said the last maintenance on Cowpens was decades ago) and to add the oxbow canals and private inlets to any Phillippi Creek work. Nadia Bowen, speaking for the Southgate Community Association (representing more than 2,000 homes), asked commissioners to \"include the Southgate portion of Phillippe Creek and our Oxbow Canals into the Phillippe Creek dredging plan. Ideally, this project should extend all the way to Pinecraft.\"

Technical points cited by residents
Residents and a retired engineer in the audience cited sedimentation and channel narrowing as causes of reduced conveyance capacity. Malcolm Scott, who described 47 years of observation along Phillippi Creek, used hydraulic reasoning to argue the creek's \"hydraulic radius\" has decreased because of silting and needs dredging to recover conveyance.

County response and next steps
Commissioners and county staff said they heard the testimony and would incorporate oxbow and Cowpens Slough considerations into ongoing feasibility studies and dredge planning. Staff also noted the need to evaluate seawalls, private docks and existing infrastructure if bank-to-bank dredging were considered.

Sources: Public comment session at the March 12, 2025 Board of County Commissioners meeting; remarks by Karen Kirsch, Bruce Hiller, Nadia Bowen, Malcolm Scott and other Saddle Creek and Southgate residents.","Multiple Saddle Creek and Southgate residents described repeated flooding and property losses during the 2024 storm season and called on the county to dredge Cowpens Slough and include oxbow canals in maintenance plans.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6096456,"UF/IFAS presents county vulnerability and adaptation plan; identifies Phillippi Creek among six geographic focus areas",2365,2331000,4696000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2832902-7e05891881cb42b91bfce72b1e8fa3b2&start=2331&end=4696","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2832902-7e05891881cb42b91bfce72b1e8fa3b2/thumbnail_2331000.jpg","/articles/6096456/Sarasota-County/Florida/UFIFAS-presents-county-vulnerability-and-adaptation-plan-identifies-Phillippi-Creek-among-six-geographic-focus-areas","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6096456-8a81e92116aa9205931ca85fd80a8ef0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197190&Signature=lRgJ03iQM54U~7lxU19yc-7tvuLmFqgewUpqbwWLrAxBcDe6gPHpIx5mQiOCimH4FmZ7VxH187STw3KEJgeMKTL4WWOOpQ2Lb4iUY3JH5eQtTsDYuccHTa0uf1DGlmzFp8HZIYv~CTLlAWlgtMyB4R--MJMIOwO2HHALpIUKn-Ra0IHVSNt8o7xg5a~nrRdyv0H0Hx6~ghj2YwfmX3SE6isW5fD4LJPwusUGi6EmTEcxfNdBsXqs9qyYt5-I81Bzcctr~J7sFIhRvnL4-n0vXT82y9Pj-a1obyPsM8lDiSBKQj07APxkPmCP4wNjAIFzR4J4ut0SPSZsxcNkDa3gDQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability presented the Sarasota County Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan on March 12, a grant-funded, multi-year assessment of county-owned and critical community assets that ranks flood risk and recommends prioritized adaptation projects.

Process and scope
The project was funded by a Resilient Florida Planning Grant awarded in 2022 and updates previous analyses; it covered unincorporated county assets and focused on four flood hazards: tidal/coastal surge, storm surge, rainfall-induced flooding and sea-level rise. UF/IFAS staff and county teams compiled GIS inventories, ran exposure and sensitivity analyses for county assets, and modeled impacts at current levels and in future scenarios (2040 and 2070).

Focus areas and example projects
The cross-department team selected six geographic focus areas with clusters of high-risk assets: Phillippi Creek, Siesta Key/Casey Key and Manasota Key, Nokomis, and the South Myakka River area. The adaptation plan lists a range of candidate projects, chosen and ranked to align with grant criteria. Examples cited in the presentation included vacuum-sewer rehabilitation and stormwater restoration in the Phillippi Creek area, force-main upgrades on barrier keys, coastal restoration in Nokomis and generator and park improvements in the South Myakka region.

Funding and next steps
Staff said the county is already pursuing several resilience-related grants and will use the plan to target implementation grants, including Resilient Florida Implementation Grants and Coastal/estuary funding. A public web page and interactive story map was made live concurrent with the presentation, and UF/IFAS staff promised continued cross-departmental coordination to pursue project design, prioritized funding applications and public outreach.

Why it matters
The plan supplies a county-wide, grant-ready inventory and prioritized project list that county departments can use to accelerate funding requests and to coordinate projects that reduce vulnerability to future flood hazards.

Source: Presentation by Lee Hayes Byron, UF/IFAS director for extension and sustainability, and project lead Sarah Kane, at the March 12, 2025 Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners meeting.","UF/IFAS presented a county-funded vulnerability and adaptation plan that ranks county-owned and critical community assets for flood risk, prioritizes six focus areas (including Phillippi Creek) and provides a prioritized project list and funding pathways to inform grant applications.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6096460,"Commission reviews 16 stormwater policy options; asks staff to study public impact and pursue follow-up process",3121,7924000,11045000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2832902-7e05891881cb42b91bfce72b1e8fa3b2&start=7924&end=11045","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2832902-7e05891881cb42b91bfce72b1e8fa3b2/thumbnail_7924000.jpg","/articles/6096460/Sarasota-County/Florida/Commission-reviews-16-stormwater-policy-options-asks-staff-to-study-public-impact-and-pursue-follow-up-process","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6096460-9d9a6416ed6f924e42a8718a0d20d28b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197190&Signature=oOh2Q1j62g77jUs6jO8ynO7J~DpACnJ2Qd4xPliFIl~uaEPu7KpB2-RLXPGgTTnHBMiiConkBqcGAV5n4j3UT1GWnnXXjVg54jseIUnjCicmo0qIC6bVun9bNfizHo8VZcK734BsjSLcGcF1VYvMjo2wkHovpjmphKoR8cBB3QnCT-hndek~y-Xxh-mw5ip7zLF2i7aKwgUoaYQqumtuCtu2AfJsGiM82hOIoLyNGjpIx76h6jYlDvpwe8JMaPoGPkx9kRuql9evBDx9Am2buxDj9YmpIgjuw7J9tuJf5chihYqJXWMW5jEV4lyDrFIEfCFoToBQ8K-BpYL5imgrBw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sarasota County's Public Works Department presented a menu of 16 regulatory and operational options on March 12 designed to reduce flood risk countywide. The options ranged from technical changes to design rainfall (including consideration of NOAA Atlas 14 or a 500-year standard) to restrictions on development in high-risk floodplain areas and new build/lot-level requirements for stormwater treatment.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff emphasized that choices about design standards, freeboard requirements, and whether to regulate future conditions will shape how the county evaluates new development, redevelopment and long-term capital investments. Many options would affect only new development; others could require costly retrofits or raise legal issues involving private property rights.

Options overview
Public Works and stormwater staff summarized options including: using higher design-rainfall curves (NOAA Atlas 14 or adding a 0.2%/500-year event), requiring more freeboard for structures, adopting low-impact development (LID) Best Management Practices more broadly, applying a safety factor to stormwater calculations, requiring no increase in runoff volume after development, setting minimum culvert sizes, tightening drainage easement widths, and restricting development in the highest-risk floodplain zones. Staff also noted issues related to implementation time, legal risk and staff capacity for enforcement.

CRS and short-term steps
Stormwater staff highlighted the county's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS). Staff said several of the options could generate CRS points that lower flood-insurance premiums for county policyholders if implemented. The department is in the middle of a CRS audit and is pursuing prerequisites that could raise the county rating and result in deeper insurance discounts.

Board direction
After discussion the commission voted unanimously to ask staff to continue detailed evaluation and public outreach on the options. Commissioners repeatedly asked staff to prepare an implementation pathway that distinguished measures applicable to new development from those that would require retrofit or legal/fiscal mitigation for existing neighborhoods. Several commissioners said they were open to strengthening standards for new development but concerned about unintended consequences for homeowners and affordable housing if rules were applied to existing lots.

Next steps
Staff will perform legal and fiscal reviews, estimate costs and staffing needs for any proposed changes, and pursue a public engagement process (workshops in each watershed) before returning to the commission with draft regulatory language and program costs. Staff said some options could be implemented sooner as operational changes while others would take longer because they require code or comprehensive-plan changes, model updates, or state coordination.

Sources: Public Works presentation and discussion at the March 12, 2025 Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners meeting; Paul Seminek, stormwater senior manager; Spencer Anderson, county engineer.","Sarasota County Public Works presented 16 regulatory and operational options to reduce flood risk, ranging from adopting higher design-rainfall standards to restricting development in high-risk floodplains. The commission asked staff to analyze public impacts and continue with community outreach and legal review.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County authorizes staff to pursue Phillippi Creek dredging design and permitting with WCIND; residents press to extend work to Pinecraft and oxbows

Residents of Saddle Creek and Southgate urge county to dredge Cowpens Slough and local oxbows after repeated flooding

UF/IFAS presents county vulnerability and adaptation plan; identifies Phillippi Creek among six geographic focus areas

Commission reviews 16 stormwater policy options; asks staff to study public impact and pursue follow-up process