Residents push county to expand Phillippi Creek dredging; commissioners ask staff for costs to widen work

Scores of residents urged Sarasota County commissioners to expand planned dredging in Phillippi Creek to include side channels, oxbows and coves, saying a narrow ‘‘high‑spot’’ cut would be only a temporary fix. Commissioners heard detailed public testimony during the open public comment period and later in a stormwater briefing that the county is preparing to begin high‑spot work. After the briefing, the board unanimously directed staff to solicit bids and pricing for expanding dredging — with operational limits to reduce seawall risk — and to return with cost estimates for the commission to approve.

Why it matters: Residents and homeowners described repeated boat strandings, sediment islands in oxbows and standing water after storms. Several speakers said the county has allocated HUD resilient SRQ funds that, they said, were intended to be used for a comprehensive restoration of the creek’s…