As ‘100-year storms’ become more frequent, neighbors fear fragmented wetlands and stormwater systems won’t be able to keep up.
By Noah Lechtenstein
Original Air Date: July 31, 2026
Host: Hi Hat Ranch could become the largest planned development ever in Sarasota County—spanning 10,000 acres for potentially 13,000 homes. Now, the family behind the project wants to move ahead with a 3,000-home Phase 1. But it’s happening just two years after devastating storms hit the area, with flooding that put residents nearby underwater. A community workshop this week was an opportunity for neighbors to weigh in, and WSLR News reporter Noah Lechtenstein was there.
Noah Lechtenstein: The topic at hand was a rezone petition that would allow Hi Hat Ranch to develop Hi Hat Village 1—3,000 homes on more than 2,000 acres.
Map of the proposed Bee Ridge Road expansion
Around 70 people packed a church on Bee Ridge Road, with extra chairs being needed before the meeting started.
Hi Hat Ranch has been owned and operated by the Turner family since 1943. Jim Turner became part owner in the ‘90s and has since been in a development and leadership role for the property. Turner, alongside Mike Campbell, represent the owners of the ranch.
Hi Hat cleared the biggest hurdle, called a Master Development Order, or MDO, five years ago. The MDO is essentially a concept of the project that provides long term guidance and a plan for the ranch as a whole. The approved MDO allows for 13,000 homes, two schools and a fire station, among other services.
But now, it’s about specifics. The rezone petition for Village 1 would move more than 2,000 of the 10,000 acres from “Open Use Rural” to “Village Planned Development.” If the county commission approves it, Village 1 would house around 3,000 homes in six neighborhoods.
Map showing the location of the planned Hi Hat development. A dam shielding neighbors from nearby Cow Pen Slough broke in 2024, flooding roads and subdivisions.
Two national companies would build the 3,000 homes—1,400 by Pulte Homes, with the other 1,600 by Lennar. The homes’ price ranges are expected to be from close to $400,000 to $1 million. 450 of the homes would be in the lower price range, between $370,000 and $460,000.
The developers propose four road projects. Of the four, two are not legally required, and three are being paid in full by Hi Hat. Bee Ridge Road will be widened along a one-mile stretch, which will cost the county $14 million, with an equal amount being funded by Hi Hat. A roundabout on Bee Ridge, and an extension of Bee Ridge through county land and Hi Hat property will all be paid for by Hi Hat.
Florida law prohibits developers from having less than 50% of open space on “Village Planned Development” land. Hi Hat Ranch promises 55%, with Village 1 having more than 57% of open space.
At the workshop, Jim Turner highlighted the environmental aspects of the Village 1 plans.
Jim Turner
Jim Turner: With respect to environmental, we’ve mentioned a 57% open space that contains our environmental systems, which is vast wetlands, floodplains areas, areas of high ecological value.
NL: Despite the open space, a closer look at the Village 1 map shows that most of the wetlands will be split up. Wetlands have the ability to absorb water, which in turn helps mitigate flooding. When separated or built over, these wetlands cannot absorb flooding as well.
Sarasota experienced three storms in 2024. One notable flood was caused by tropical storm Debby. Cow Pen Slough, which runs close to the Hi Hat land, had a dike breach. The failure sent a wall of water rushing backward onto roads and into neighborhoods that had never flooded before, leaving residents trapped as water filled their homes.
At the workshop, residents expressed their concerns about building houses so close to the areas that flooded.
Resident: Cow Pen Slough failed during tropical storm Debby, August 2024. How are we to believe that the loss of 2,000-plus acres of water absorption and lands will not put us at risk of another disaster?
NL: Kris Wilhoit, an engineer with consulting firm Stantec, said repeatedly that the development will include stormwater systems that would keep water from running into neighboring land.
Hi Hat Village development concept plan
Kris Wilhoit: Again—I’ll keep repeating myself. It’s the same answer. We have to attenuate on-site to make sure we don’t show any increases in the floodplain off-site.
NL: Since the devastation of 2024, Sarasota County has taken extra care of infrastructure maintenance and created a stormwater department, led by Ben Quartermaine. Charlie Bailey, the development attorney who led the workshop, said the project’s staff has been working closely with Quartermaine to make sure they meet all requirements from the county.
Those same requirements failed to keep the county protected during Debby. Developers are required to build drainage systems capable of handling a 100-year storm event. The county defines this specific event as a threshold of 10 inches of rain over a 24-hour period. Debby produced over 12 inches of rain in just 24 hours.
Resident: Again, my question is, if that standard appears to be outdated and “100-year storms” happen every five years now, why not design to a higher standard?
NL: Bailey stated that, if requirements were to change, they would change their plan to meet them.
Questions from the audience spanned over half the workshop, with nearly all regarding stormwater. It remains to be seen if Sarasota County will update their standards.
The next steps for the project are a formal review from the county, expected within the coming months. After that, a public hearing in front of the planning commission is expected around Fall 2026. The final step will be a county commission hearing.
Reporting for WSLR News, Noah Lechtenstein.
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