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Residents urge dredging of Phillippi Creek after repeated flooding; county points to repairs and further study
Summary
Dozens of Phillippi Creek residents told commissioners their homes flooded repeatedly after Tropical Storm Debbie and asked the county to dredge the creek, remove sandbars and prioritize maintenance; staff said a berm breach was found and repaired and that dredging and jurisdictional questions are under review.
Dozens of residents affected by repeated 2024 storm flooding pressed the Sarasota County Commission on Jan. 21 for immediate dredging and long-term maintenance of Phillippi Creek, describing homes with flood damage, obstructed channels and sediment islands they say have worsened in recent years.
Residents’ accounts were visceral and detailed. Allison Cavallaro, president of the Floral Meadows homeowners association, told the board many residents do not fall inside mapped flood zones yet have “homes full of water” and lack flood insurance. "We don't live in a flood zone. Our homes were full of water," she said.
Several speakers (including Jim McWhorter, Jacob Crabtree and David Scott) described sandbars and large deposits of silt east of U.S. 41 that they said…
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