Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dredging topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves up to $30 million for major‑waterway dredging projects; awards conditional on permits and HUD reviews
Summary
After presentations on eligibility and scoring, commissioners conditionally approved three competitive dredging applications (Hudson Bayou, Phillippi Creek, and Celery Field expansion) totaling roughly $29.7 million of the $30 million set aside for major waterways, with awards contingent on HUD environmental clearances and execution of subrecipient agreements.
The Board approved conditional awards for the county’s competitive ‘‘dredging of major waterways’’ program, which set aside $30 million from the 2024 CDBG‑DR allocation for flood control, stormwater management and navigation dredging.
Office of Financial Management staff said three applications — two from the City of Sarasota and one from Sarasota County — asked for approximately $29.7 million. The largest single request was for Hudson Bayou (city application; total project budget $15 million; county request $13.7 million to remove ~80,500 cubic yards). The City of Sarasota also applied for a second dredging project (project budget $20 million; county request $10 million) and the county proposed an expansion of the Celery Field regional stormwater facility.
Commissioners discussed the need to confirm matching or additional federal appropriations (the city reported it is pursuing a federal appropriation tied to Army Corps timing), and staff noted any award would be conditional on HUD environmental review and subrecipient agreements. The commission voted to approve staff’s recommendation to fund the three projects, with direction that staff return if federal appropriations tied to any project do not materialize.
The Board also asked the City of Sarasota to regularly update the county on the status of pending federal appropriations and related Army Corps timelines. Staff reminded commissioners that all CDBG‑DR projects must meet eligibility tests, HUD national objectives and environmental review requirements before procurement and construction can begin.
What’s next: staff will execute conditional award letters, pursue subrecipient agreements, and track federal appropriations and permitting; projects will proceed as environmental clearances and agreements are completed.
