The commission tackles points of stormwater management failure exposed by the 2024 storm season.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: August 27, 2026
Host: $32 million. That’s what Sarasota County decided this week to invest in flood resilience projects. Ramon Lopez brings us the details.
Ramon Lopez: With the primary election now behind them, the five Sarasota County Commissioners on Tuesday turned their attention to tackling one of the major issues on the minds of county taxpayers: stormwater.
Flooding in Sarasota during Hurricane Helene. | Screenshot Sarasota Police Department video
It’s been two years since a trio of devastating hurricanes revealed critical weaknesses in Sarasota County’s flood control systems. First addressed was the most visible problems at flood-prone Phillippi Creek.
This week the county leaders turned their attention to other local areas. The commissioners approved a total of $32 million in stormwater projects. They are primarily funded through Resilient SRQ. That’s how the county is spending federal hurricane recovery dollars from the 2024 hurricane season.
Three contracts cover three areas hit hard by the 2024 hurricanes: Bahia Vista, Celery Fields and St. Armands.
Satellite photo showing the area of focus for Bahia Vista stormwater improvements. | Courtesy Sarasota County
$6 million was earmarked for Bahia Vista neighborhood flood mitigation. Especially hard hit was the Amish-Mennonite village of Pinecraft. Some homes there were flooded by 10 feet of murky water.
An equal amount was approved to enhance the regional stormwater facility’s central cell at Celery Fields. It provides the area’s largest and most reliable flooding drainage, while doubling as a park and wildlife habitat.
The central cell will be excavated to allow for more water flow. The vote of the commissioners was made during the first meeting at the county’s new $100 million administration building, which is located near Celery Fields. The Celery Fields work will be similar to the ongoing dredging at Phillippi Creek.
$14 million was approved for St. Armands Resiliency and Flood Mitigation.
Satellite photo highlighting the area of focus for St. Armands stormwater improvement efforts. | Courtesy Sarasota County
The trendy Sarasota shopping and dining district adjoining Lido Beach is no stranger to floods. Storm surge and heavy rains brought by two hurricanes in 2024 inundated St. Armands Circle, prompting days worth of lost business. Some of the businesses never reopened. The community cried for a solution to the long-existing flooding problems.
The county commissioners heeded the advice of newly-hired Stormwater Department Director Ben Quartermaine to spend nearly $14 million to enhance St. Armands flood resistance. Pump stations and generators were worked on to improve reliability and capacity.
But no fix to the problem came immediately and the area suffered more street flooding on July 23 as the result of a heavy thunderstorm. Water pooled around outdoor seating in the area of St. Armands Circle.
Allison Cavallaro’s dog, Vinny, stands in front of the family’s Laurel Meadows home after Tropical Storm Debby caused flooding in the neighborhood in August 2024. | Photo: Allison Cavallaro via Suncoast Searchlight
And let’s not forget the Laurel Meadows subdivision, where 56 homeowners have filed a civil lawsuit against Sarasota County seeking between $15 million and $20 million in damages following flooding caused by Hurricane Debbie in August 2024. The plaintiffs said the flooding would not have occurred if a dike maintained by the county hadn’t been breached. The lawsuit is currently making its way through the court system.
It is significant that Ben Quartermaine was hired to run a new stormwater department separate from Public Works. This, after howls of protest came from flooded-out homeowners around the county.
Phillippi Creek flooding was the first target of Quartermaine as part of a $14 million contract. Phase One of sediment dredging there has been completed. The stormwater czar is now working on permits, and soon they’ll be a bid package so that by the end of the year, there will be a proposed contract for Phase 2 of the Phillippi Creek dredge.
As the work there progressed, other county workers cleaned out ditches and retention ponds to guard against future fresh-water creek flooding.
Flooding in the Pinecraft area during Hurricane Debby. | Screenshot Sarasota Police Department video
The county’s budget for stormwater has increased by almost 75% with Quartermaine’s hiring. He’s working with about $84 million.
Quartermaine says the county now has a better handle on flood management. And he says the systems are working as efficiently as they can.
Fingers crossed.
This is Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm.