Port Richey schedules special session on canal dredging after staff flags county funding opportunity

City manager and staff told the Port Richey City Council on March 11 they will schedule a special meeting or workshop within the coming weeks to map dredging priorities and coordinate with Pasco County on a potential funding opportunity.

Why it matters: staff said Pasco County is distributing a $589,000,000 pot of funds for eligible infrastructure projects and the city needs to understand whether canal dredging, dredge‑sites or related maintenance work would qualify. Council directed staff to convene a study session with county public‑works representatives and the city’s engineering consultant to review past permits, surveys and the scope of work the county would fund.

What staff said: city staff recommended resurrecting past surveys and permitting documents the city had for dredge sites and canals as starting material for any grant or county funding requests. Staff highlighted that canals in the city fall into three categories — city‑owned canals, resident‑owned canals and county‑owned canals — and that any permit and scope analysis must reflect ownership and environmental constraints. Staff also noted seagrass analyses and up‑to‑date permitting would likely be required for many dredging actions.

Next steps and timeline: staff said they will attempt to schedule the study session in the next two weeks to coincide with county availability. Council asked staff to secure a county public‑works representative for that meeting and to bring a summary of past surveys and permitting records to ground the discussion.

Ending: council agreed to wait for county participation before firming a date; staff said they will report back to council with available dates and the preliminary packet of engineering documents.