Sarasota sets funding and design work for Phillippi Creek dam removal; residents press for full dredging and emergency action

Sarasota County advanced funding and planning steps on April 8 for a Phillippi Creek flood‑risk reduction project that county staff says will include design, permitting and targeted construction tied to sediment removal and a sediment sump. The board added the project to the capital improvement program and accepted a Florida Division of Emergency Management subrecipient grant of $304,290.70; a budget amendment appropriated $1,131,091.24 for design and partial construction work.

Residents from areas along Phillippi Creek told the board they continue to press for full dam removal and oxbow dredging, citing a 2019 study they said was the basis for prior funding and community expectations. Nadia Bowen, speaking from the Southgate area, said the earlier study called for full removal and that doing so could remove nearly 150 homes from the 100‑year flood plain; she and other speakers urged the county not to settle for partial measures.

Stormwater Senior Manager Paul Semenek told the board that the term “partial construction” reflects current funding limits: the $1.13 million appropriation will cover updated study work, design and permitting, and any remaining funds will be applied to construction. Planned construction elements include removal of the remnant structure (the dam), sediment excavation between Tuttle Avenue and Weber Street and construction of a county‑maintained sediment sump on county property intended to capture downstream sediment moving through the creek.

Staff told commissioners that full design, permitting and construction scheduling could take up to a year. Commissioners and residents pressed staff for emergency measures before hurricane season; Paul Semenek said staff would identify priority hot spots from available bathymetry and pursue targeted maintenance or emergency sediment removal where feasible before the season.

What the board approved: the CIP addition for the Phillippi Creek dam removal design/partial construction project (Project #75885), execution authority for FDEM subrecipient agreement H1132 ($304,290.70) and a budget amendment to appropriate $1,131,091.24. Commissioners also directed staff to report hot‑spot findings and permitting timelines to the board.

Next steps: staff will solicit/update engineering study work, pursue additional construction funding (grants) and coordinate with the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) and regulatory agencies to refine permitting and potential emergency maintenance work.