Sarasota commissioners green-light expanded Phillippi Creek dredge after residents’ calls for clarity

The Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously March 3 to move forward with a maximum-allowable Phase 2 dredge of Phillippi Creek, following a sustained wave of public comment demanding clearer scope and deadlines.

Residents who flooded during recent storms urged immediate action at the meeting. "After more than a year of intense community involvement, further delays are unacceptable," said Nadia Bowen of the Southgate Community Association, who asked the board to direct staff to submit a Phase 2 permit application by March 25 and to proceed with a 30-foot channel in the middle creek section before hurricane season.

Ben Quartermaine, the county's stormwater director, outlined staff's recommendation and technical rationale. He said Phase 2 would restore the creek cross sections roughly to their condition around 2000, removing about 25 years of accumulated sediment and improving conveyance and habitat function. The scope as presented includes a 50-foot-wide channel through much of the creek, two oxbow dredges, several identified "high spots," a 35-foot setback from docks and structures, and upstream sediment-sump features to ease future maintenance. Quartermaine said phase 1 (Tuttle to Beniva) was funded with SEU dollars and is about 50 percent complete; Phase 2 cost was estimated in the fall at approximately $24–26 million.

Quartermaine warned that Phase 2 permits with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection must account for ecological impacts (seagrasses, oysters and other habitat). He said permit review is lengthy and that staff's consultant believes a permit could be obtained by November; DEP sets permit fees at the end of the review process and, in this project, staff expects fees could be on the order of $133,000 if the application is deemed complete and accepted.

The board debated urgency and scenarios. Commissioners and staff contrasted rainfall-driven flood events (when Phase 1's conveyance improvements are most effective) with storm-surge-driven flooding that can push bay waters into the lower creek; Quartermaine said the project improves rainfall-runoff conveyance but cannot eliminate surge-driven flood risk.

Commissioners then approved a motion to accept the stormwater director's recommendation to proceed with the Phase 2 maximum-allowable dredge approach and to pursue permitting and procurement toward a contract later this year. The motion passed 5–0.

Next steps: staff will continue permit submittal and anticipate additional information requests from permitting agencies; the county will return with contract recommendations and budget amendments as needed to cover engineering and permit fees.