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Sarasota County approves Phase 2 of Phillippi Creek dredge, citing modest flood-stage gains and long permitting
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Summary
The Sarasota County Commission voted 5–0 to proceed with a Phase 2 "maximum allowable" dredge of Phillippi Creek, accepting the stormwater director’s recommendation to pursue permitting, procure a contractor and use resilient SRQ funds; staff estimated Phase 2 at $24–$26 million.
The Sarasota County Commission on Friday voted unanimously to move forward with Phase 2 of a "maximum allowable dredge" project for Phillippi Creek, accepting the recommendation of the county’s stormwater director to pursue permitting and contracting toward a year‑end start.
Ben, the county’s stormwater director, told commissioners the project would restore the creek to conditions roughly matching surveys from about 2000 by removing roughly 25 years of accumulated sediment. "We're attempting to restore the creek to a condition that existed in approximately 2000," Ben said, describing benefits that include improved creek habitat, increased conveyance efficiency and navigational gains. He added the work will create sediment sumps so future maintenance and removal of dredged material can be done more easily.
Why it matters: County staff said Phase 1 (a $15,000,000 SCU‑funded effort from Tuttle to Beniva now about 50% complete) delivered the biggest conveyance gains. Modeling for the downstream Phase 2 indicates only a minimal change to flood stage in many areas — on the order of 0.01 feet. "That’s 1/8 of an inch, correct?" a commissioner asked; staff confirmed the modeled change is a fraction of an inch and emphasized that Phase 1 produced the bulk of the stormwater benefit.
Permitting and schedule: Ben said Phase 2 will require review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Protection because the Corps must consider ecological impacts such as seagrass and oyster beds. He described Army Corps/DEP review as a six‑to‑nine‑month process and said his consultant expects a permit by November. Staff plans a parallel call for services so a contract could be presented in November or December.
Scope and cost: The Phase 2 proposal includes a 50‑foot‑wide channel, additional areas outside that cut but set back 35 feet from docks and structures, two oxbows, and work upstream of the tunnel dam and about 1,000 feet upstream of the U.S. 41 bridge to eliminate a gap with the WCIND project. Ben gave a previous fall estimate for the maximum allowable dredge at $24 million to $26 million and reiterated the figure is an estimate.
Limits and tradeoffs: Ben told commissioners that bifurcating the Phase 2 work or diverting funds to smaller tributaries such as Bridal Creek would increase permitting and staff costs and reduce the total amount of material the county could dredge with the available resilient SRQ funds. He and commissioners also stressed a technical distinction between rainfall/runoff events and storm surge: while Phase 1 and Phase 2 improve conveyance for rain‑dominated events, they will not eliminate flooding when bay water is pushed into the creek by storm surge.
The vote: The chair called for a motion to accept the stormwater director’s recommendation. Commissioner Nundur moved to proceed; Commissioner Smith seconded. The commission voted 5–0 in favor.
Next steps: With the motion approved, staff will pursue Corps and DEP permits, issue the procurement notice for services, and return with a contract recommendation later this year.
