Sarasota Residents Demand Action on Flooding and Stormwater Maintenance Projects

The Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners held a regular meeting on April 22, 2025, addressing critical community concerns, particularly regarding flooding and stormwater management. The meeting featured multiple speakers, including representatives from local homeowners associations and neighborhood coalitions, who voiced their urgent needs for infrastructure improvements.

The session began with a speaker advocating for increased choices for students, emphasizing the importance of community connections in education. Following this, Connie Neely, representing the Forest Lakes Homeowners Association, highlighted the ongoing flooding issues related to Phillippi Creek. She expressed support for the Resilient SRQ application, which includes dredging efforts but noted the lack of specific details regarding maintenance. Neely urged the county to allocate funds from the stormwater environmental utility budget to initiate maintenance dredging.

James Haft, representing the Hudson Bayou Restoration Coalition, followed with a plea for the action plan to include dredging for Hudson Bayou, which he described as a vital catch basin for the city. He reported significant silt buildup, which has led to flooding in recent storms, and requested funding to address these urgent issues.

Flo Entler, president of the Arlington Park Neighborhood, raised concerns about stormwater management exacerbated by recent developments in her area. She pointed out that increased construction has reduced pervious land, leading to more flooding. Entler called for improved maintenance of stormwater infrastructure and urged the commission to prioritize these issues.

Kelly Brown, president of the Gillespie Park Neighborhood Association, echoed these concerns, emphasizing the need for maintenance of local waterways, including Hudson Bayou and Whitaker Bayou. She highlighted the historical flooding issues in her neighborhood and requested support for a capital improvement project aimed at resolving persistent flooding problems.

The meeting concluded with a clear consensus among speakers that stormwater management and flooding are pressing issues that require immediate attention and funding from the county. The commissioners acknowledged the concerns raised and indicated a commitment to addressing these critical infrastructure needs in future planning and budgeting efforts.