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VIDEO - Stormwater Director Ben Quartermaine provides Philippi Creek Update: Phase 1 and 2

 

Updated as of June 26, 2025:

BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS:

In March 2024, the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) conducted an onsite assessment of Sarasota County Emergency Management.  During this assessment, the team noted that the overall COOP plan was satisfactory; however, it was lacking line of succession for the Board of County Commissioners.  Following the site visit, the team was given time to update any findings to comply with the assessment competencies.

1. It is recommended that Sarasota County’s asset management software be linked to the stormwater infrastructure database so the public and SEU customers can track public stormwater infrastructure inspection and maintenance activities in real time.

   This Recommendation is 75% Complete.

   Public Works is working with EIT/GIS to integrate the Cartegraph work management system software platform database with the Stormwater GIS database so users can select an infrastructure asset on a map and see its maintenance history.  We plan to show the Board the new user interface during the September 5, 2025, Stormwater Workshop.

    

2. It is recommended that the SEU conduct annual if not routine open houses with community representatives within each of the five primary watersheds: Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, Dona/Roberts Bay, Lemon Bay, and Myakka River.SEU should utilize the open houses to review maintenance schedules and “Hot Spots” with existing and new residents and to solicit input on other maintenance needs from SEU customers.

   This Recommendation is 100% Complete.

   The following in-person community events were conducted:

   • May 5, 2025 – Public Works staff conducted the Little Sarasota Bay community workshop.
   • May 8, 2025 – The Sarasota Bay workshop was combined with the County Hurricane Expo.
   • May 12, 2025 – Conducted the Lemon Bay community workshop.
   • May 30, 2025 – The Dona/Roberts Bay was combined with City of Venice hurricane expos.
   • May 31, 2025 – The Myakka River workshops were combined with City of North Port hurricane expos on.
     
     

   Additional workshops will be scheduled in the future.

    

3. It is recommended that SEU inventory all dikes (or levees) within the City of Sarasota and unincorporated Sarasota County. The inventory should identify the ownership and entity responsible for maintenance of all dikes (or levees).Finally, the SEU should require that all dikes (or levees) are inspected and certified annually by a professional engineer to ensure proper operation and maintenance.

   This Recommendation is 75% Complete.

   • Public Works staff inspects berms adjacent to county-maintained waterways and will maintain them as necessary for flood protection.
   • Recent LIDAR images are being evaluated to identify any potential unknown structures that may require regular inspection and maintenance for flood protection.
   • The SWFWMD requires regular certification of permitted stormwater systems that is signed and sealed by a professional engineer.
   • There are no FEMA-certified levees or dikes in Sarasota County that require mandatory inspections to maintain their flood protection certification.

     Specific to structures in the County that act as a dike or levee, there are only 3 and their status is as follows:
     
     Specific to structures in the County that act as a dike or levee, there are only 3 and their status is as follows:

   • Bahia Vista Lockwood Ridge “Levee” – This is along Phillippi Creek north of Bahia Vista Street and protects some homes in the Pine Shores neighborhood through a combination of pumps, earthen structures and flood timing. This was permitted by the SWFWMD and requires a recertification to the SWFWMD every 5 years by a licensed professional engineer. This system is maintained and inspected on a regular basis and is on the County “hot spot” list for special inspection before and after every predicted major storm event.

   • Agricultural berm between Cowpen Slough and Phillippi Creek south of Fruitville Road to Bee Ridge Road – Built for agricultural water management purposes in the early 20th century, this structure has been in place for nearly 100 years without regular maintenance or inspection. It is largely overgrown with heavy vegetation. Following the 2024 storm events, this structure has been inspected for any obvious signs of erosion that would compromise the general function of dividing the flow of water between Cowpen and Phillippi Creek. Any areas of erosion have been repaired and reinforced to provide a consistent berm structure. It is unknown if this structure was permitted or designed to any specific engineering standard or plans therefore it is impossible for a professional engineer to certify its condition to any standard. We have hired a consulting engineer to design and permit the complete replacement of this structure so it can be regularly inspected against a known standard. HMGP and Stormwater Utility funds are planned to be used for construction. Until the new structure is constructed County engineering and field staff will be regularly inspecting this structure before and after major storm events.

   • Hidden River Berm – This is located along the east side of the Myakka River adjacent to the Hidden River subdivision just south of Myakka Road. It is a private structure on private property of unknown condition which has failed and been repaired on multiple occasions by Hidden River as recently as during Hurricane Ian. It is the responsibility of the residents within Hidden River per the subdivision plat. County staff have been open to the concept of creating an improvement district in the Hidden River subdivision to provide resources for proper reconstruction and maintenance of the structure, but due to division within the neighborhood, it is improbable that the subdivision could generate enough support for such.
     
     The County has no right or responsibility to enter onto this private property for any formal compliance or engineering evaluations of the structure.

4. It is recommended that the SEU pursue the creation of additional floodplain storage within and on public lands adjacent to the Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility.

   This Recommendation is 25% Complete.

   • Public Works is working with Property Management to inquire with owners of properties adjacent to the Celery Fields regarding their willingness to sell or partner with the County.
   • Staff is in the process of identifying opportunities to increase floodplain storage within the existing Celery Fields footprint.
   • $20M in HMGP funding has been requested for this effort.

      

5. It is recommended that SEU re-evaluate the efficacy of the Main C structure gates operation in terms of resulting flood impacts both upstream and downstream. If it is determined that the operation of the Main C Weir gates is warranted, automation should be pursued, and transparent notification protocol should be established in coordination with affected upstream private properties. Once the protocol is established, it should also be incorporated into the County’s existing text/email alert systems and sent to the potentially affected properties.

   This Recommendation is 15% Complete.

   • A consultant is working on an operational and automation plan for existing operatable stormwater structures within the Celery Fields. The plan is expected to be completed by November 2025.
   • Furthermore, the Celery Field Main C Weir operation is being evaluated by the consultant and Public Works Stormwater engineers. If determined to be appropriate, localized alerts of when the Main C weir is being operated can be implemented. Until this evaluation is completed, the 2014 operating manual will be the guide to the operation of structures around the Celery Fields.

      

6. It is recommended that SEU contract with USGS to manage ARMS, including the development of rating curves and publishing of rainfall, stream stage/elevation, and discharge data.

   This Recommendation is 100% Complete.

   • USGS already manages several of our ARMS stations. The USGS has refused our request for them to manage the remainder of ARMS due to their lack of resources to do so.
   • Staff will continue to coordinate with USGS on future options for them to provide us with additional resources.
   • In the meantime, Stormwater staff will continue to expand, operate and maintain the ARMS.

      

7. It is recommended that the internal core expertise and capacity of SEU staff continue be built to proactively manage the technical, operational, and customer service aspects of the stormwater program using state of the art technologies. This may require at least a partial restructuring of leadership, organization, and staff expertise. As such, market competitive salaries must be considered to attract competent and qualified full-time employees. The creation of a culture of multidisciplinary collaboration and a proactive sense of purpose must be a priority of leadership.

   This Recommendation is 75% Complete.

   • A new Professional Engineer position was recently added to the Stormwater Division and was filled as of early June 2025.
   • The Board requested the County Administrator restructure the Public Works Department into two departments; a new Stormwater Department and separate Transportation Department. Options for such will be proposed at the July 1/2, 2025 Budget Workshop meetings.
   • Public Works has contracted consultant and contractor resources to supplement stormwater engineering, planning and field efforts.
   • Human Resources is conducting a salary study.

    

8. Recognizing that not all floodplains are created equal, and that FEMA has defined several floodplain categories, it is recommended that SEU make provisions to widely publish the SEU floodplains utilizing such categories for ease of public access.

   This Recommendation is 100% Complete.

   The County has a webpage that is accessible by the public for any FEMA or County Community flood zone information for properties.  It also includes information about individual elevation certificates and Association letters of map change or revision.  

   Floodplain information was a subject of much conversation with residents during the five Community Workshops held during May 2025. 

    

9. It is recommended that SEU proactively prioritize floodplains for planning and protection through acquisition of public easements. Such a proactive program should include coordination, if not a partnership with other agencies and programs such as Sarasota County’s Environmentally Significant Lands Protection Program (ESLPP) to implement floodplain, water quality, and ecological function enhancements; facilitate public access and recreation opportunities; and assure perpetual management (i.e. operation and maintenance), as applicable. The 1994 purchase and subsequent enhancement of the Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility established a successful model for proactive floodplain planning, protection, enhancement, and public access by SEU.

   This Recommendation is 25% Complete.

   Alternatives for property acquisition to protect and enhance existing floodplain are being evaluated and will be discussed in the final report to the Board Action Agenda Item: Stormwater Facilities Opportunities.

   This information is anticipated to be presented to the Board following completion of the consultant engineering evaluation in November 2025

    

10. It is recommended that the available floodplain models and maps be used proactively to more rigorously evaluate rezoning applications that propose to increase densities in designated floodplains.

    This Recommendation is 100% Complete.

    This was a policy consideration proposed to the Board during the 2nd stormwater workshop on March 12, 2025 (Policy Proposal Option 11).  During that workshop, the Board directed staff to not pursue further consideration of requiring stormwater concurrency in the land use petition phase of development.

     

11. It is recommended that SEU engage with the SWFWMD, United States Geological Survey, and any other appropriate authoritative and academic agencies to update the design rainfall volumes for planning and regulatory purposes.

    This Recommendation is 100% Complete.

    This was a policy consideration proposed to the Board during the 2^nd stormwater workshop on March 12, 2025 (Policy Proposal Option 10).  During that workshop, the Board directed staff to further evaluate this option and provide additional information for future consideration during a follow-up Board meeting discussion item.

    SWFWMD regulatory staff have not indicated an intent to modify the state rainfall data but staff continues to coordinate with them on options for planning purposes.

    From an increased regulatory purpose, this effort cannot proceed due to Florida State Bill 180 approved by the Governor’s office on June 27, 2025 which restricts the County from adopting any Code changes that would create a more burdensome policy until 2027.

     

12. It is recommended that SEU utilize the SEUAC to the maximum extent possible regarding further vetting of the recommendations contained herein; evaluation of cost-effective technologies and approaches to implement these recommendations; and strategies for broader engagement of SEU customers. 
    This Recommendation is 90% Complete.
    
    Public Works continues coordinating with the SEUAC at bi-monthly meetings to provide updates and solicit SEUAC input on proposed regulatory and operational changes.  The SEUAC will present their annual report to the Board on July 9, 2025.