The county no longer participates in the toilet rebate program.  This program has been obsolete for Sarasota County since approximately 2003. This program was a Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) grant-funded program.
 
When the utility administered this program for the county, a participant would contact the utility to reserve a 30-day timeframe to install a low-flow toilet. Upon installation, the participant would get a rebate. The amount of the rebate varied from year to year.
 
At a later time, SWFWMD determined that there was an illegal market to resell used toilets and stipulated that the participating agencies would also be responsible for disposing the used toilets. At that time, the utility decided to no longer participate as the utility lacked the resources to dispose used toilets. The grant funds for this program may no longer be available.

Dry Wells
If you currently use well water and want to connect to Sarasota County Utilities for water service, call Utilities to determine if service is available in your neighborhood. If so, Utilities will schedule an appointment for you to begin the connection process. Payment plans are available to pay for the connection.

Testing for water leaks in your home
The major cause of high water consumption resulting in a high water bill is due to a plumbing leak, toilet leak, or irrigation system leak or malfunction. A leak can be determined by reading your water meter. The majority of our water meters contain a leak indicator, such as a small triangle that turns when water is being used. Should this dial turn or the numbers advance when no water has been used, it may indicate that a leak exists in your plumbing system.

Toilet Leak Test

To determine if a leak exists:

• Read all the numbers on the water meter and make a note or drawing of the meter face and where all meter dials are located.
• Then do not use any water on the premises for at least two hours.
• Now re-read the meter to see if the dials or numbers have moved.
• If movement has occurred, you may have a leak.

To easily check if a toilet has a leak, perform a dye test. Place several drops of food coloring in the tank of the toilet but do not flush. Let stand for 30 minutes. Now check the toilet bowl. If the coloring has appeared in the bowl, your toilet "flapper" valve needs replacement. If no color appears, you most likely do not have a leak. Also check the water level in the tank. It should be at least one inch below the top of the overflow pipe. If less than one inch, adjust the float ball and recheck water level.