Sarasota County has implemented the Comprehensive Watershed Management Program to address water quality, water quantity, flooding, and natural resources in a holistic manner within each of the County’s six major watersheds.

The County and the Southwest Florida Water Management District are partnering to develop a Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for Lemon Bay, which is an estuary of national significance, and a designated aquatic preserve. The Lemon Bay WMP is a regional initiative that promotes and furthers the implementation of the Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program’s (CHNEP) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), SWFWMD’s Southern Coastal Watershed Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan, and the Lemon Bay Interagency Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan. The purpose of this initiative is to develop and implement a watershed management plan for Lemon Bay and its watershed to achieve the following objectives:

1. Improve and protect existing water quality.
2. Help develop Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) prepared by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to address adopted Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) issues within the Lemon Bay watershed.
3. Identify and provide a more natural hydrologic regime for Lemon Bay and the watershed.
4. Protect existing and future property owners from flood damage.
5. Develop ecosystem goals and targets based on the needs of environmental and biological indicators.
6. Investigate potential sustainable surface water supply options that are consistent with and support objectives from the Sarasota County.

Lemon Bay is a shallow, narrow bay which is generally bounded by Placida Harbor to the south, the City of Venice to the north and the City of North Port to the east. In July 1986, the Florida Legislature designated Lemon Bay as an aquatic preserve. The designation was accomplished largely through the support of concerned citizens. The purpose of designating Lemon Bay as an aquatic preserve was to preserve marine and estuarine areas in their natural or restored condition so as to maintain the aesthetic, biologic, and scientific values for both present and future generations.

Lemon Bay is a unique ecosystem consisting of mangroves, seagrass beds, oyster bars, and other biological communities. As an estuary, where fresh and salt water meet and mix, the bay provides vital habitat for fish, shellfish and wildlife. The bay also provides a recreational haven for local citizens and tourists. Boaters enter this small, shallow bay through creeks, the Intracoastal Waterway, or Stump Pass. There they find undeveloped islands and mangrove forests perfect for exploring, fishing, skiing and swimming.