Sarasota commissioners approve draft plan to spend $210 million in storm-recovery CDBG-DR funds; Phillippi Creek dredging set as top infrastructure priority

Sarasota County commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 25 to publish a draft action plan and unmet-needs assessment for the county's second allocation of CDBG-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds tied to the 2024 storms Debbie, Helene and Milton. Staff told the board the allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development totals $210,094,000 and must be submitted to HUD within 90 days of the federal register notice. The draft plan organizes funds into housing, infrastructure (including navigation channels), mitigation, planning and administration, and will go out for a 30-day public comment period.

Why it matters: HUD requires 70 percent of the grant to benefit low- and moderate-income households and allows a 15 percent mitigation set-aside. The county must show tiebacks to the 2024 storms and demonstrate that the money addresses unmet needs; staff said the clock for spending begins only after HUD approves the action plan. Commissioners said speed and accountability are both priorities.

Staff opened the session by walking the board through initial proposals that placed roughly $94.5 million toward housing programs and $100 million toward infrastructure and public facilities. The housing bucket included homeowner rehabilitation and reconstruction, reimbursement programs, and incentives for multifamily affordable housing; a 15 percent mitigation set-aside was included for single-family mitigation projects. In response to repeated public comments — and sustained advocacy from neighborhood groups asking for waterway work — commissioners revised the infrastructure figure on the floor and directed a larger allocation for dredging and related waterway projects. After board discussion, the commissioners increased the county’s initial estimate for dredging/major waterway storm-related repair to $75 million and set homeowner rehabilitation at $25 million and multifamily affordable housing at $30 million (all amounts are the board’s working allocations and will be finalized after the 30-day comment period and staff responses).

Public comment focused heavily on damaged waterways and neighborhood flooding. Dozens of residents from the Sand Association and neighborhoods along Phillippi Creek urged immediate dredging, saying sandbars and sediment were blocking channels after the 2024 storms and that homes remain at risk. Art Braswell, a Gulf Gate resident, asked commissioners to “direct county staff to request funds from the grant to be designated for the purchase of the former golf course so that it may be developed into a storm water management system,” citing broader watershed runoff that feeds local flooding.

Staff answered technical questions during the discussion. Steve Hyatt, division manager for program management, told the board the mitigation set-aside offers greater flexibility for resilience projects but that all activities must meet HUD eligibility rules and the national objective that funds primarily benefit low- and moderate-income households. Public works director and county engineer Spencer Anderson warned estimates for a full Phillippi Creek program remain preliminary, and that a feasibility and permitting phase is needed before final designs and precise costs can be determined.

The board approved the draft plan for public release and directed staff to post the plan and begin the 30-day comment period; staff will return in April with responses to comments and a final recommended plan for HUD submission. The commissioners and staff emphasized the plan is a first-step snapshot and expects future amendments as needs and project feasibility evolve.

What's next: The county will publish the draft action plan for a 30-day public comment period, compile responses and return to the Board of County Commissioners for final direction before submitting the plan to HUD. Final award and contract work will follow HUD approval of the county's action plan.