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

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…