Posted on January 5, 2026
By ChrisAnn Allen
Sarasota County has begun a multimillion-dollar dredging project along approximately seven miles of Phillippi Creek, an effort officials say is designed to reduce future flooding like the widespread damage caused during the 2024 hurricane season.
County officials began moving forward with the project in December 2025, targeting sediment buildup that has slowed stormwater flow through one of the county’s most flood-prone waterways.
According to project information published by the county, the dredging is intended to improve stormwater drainage from the creek’s mouth near U.S. 41 north to South Beneva Road, a corridor that runs through several vulnerable neighborhoods.
Hurricane Debby, which brought prolonged rainfall and runoff to Sarasota County in August 2024, strained the already taxed stormwater system and contributed to significant flooding throughout the Phillippi Creek basin. The county cited Debby — along with hurricanes Helene and Milton later that year — as key drivers behind an accelerated focus on long-term stormwater improvements. Much of the recovery work now falls under Resilient SRQ, a federally funded disaster-recovery initiative supporting mitigation and resilience projects following the 2024 storms.
According to the county’s Oct. 22, 2025, fact sheet, Phillippi Creek is a 7.2-mile waterway whose basin includes 44,818 residential properties and 2,108 commercial properties. The creek funnels water from a broad area toward Roberts Bay, and years of sediment accumulation slowed water flow, contributing to extreme flooding during the 2024 storms.
The dredging effort is divided into upper- and lower-creek phases. Upper-creek work, funded by Sarasota County, extends from the end of West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) dredging north to South Beneva Road. Lower-creek dredging begins near the creek’s mouth and extends east of U.S. 41. That phase is funded and managed by WCIND using County Navigation Improvement Funds. Both projects are coordinated to maintain consistent depth and width along the creek’s centerline.
The county’s high-spot dredging phase targets isolated sections with significant sediment buildup. Those areas will be dredged to 50 feet wide and 4 feet deep at mean low water, restoring stormwater conveyance where shoaling has been most severe. Farther south, WCIND’s work will establish a 30-foot-wide, 4-foot-deep channel to improve water flow between Phillippi Creek and Roberts Bay.
Dredging effort on Phillippi Creek
To support the project, the county assembled a $64 million funding package that includes the Stormwater Environmental Utility, WCIND funding and federal assistance through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery program. HUD approved $45 million in June 2025 as part of the Resilient SRQ action plan, and the grant agreement was executed in July 2025. An additional $16 million in county utility funding and approximately $3 million from WCIND complete the current financial plan.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the required federal permits on Oct. 8, 2025, clearing both WCIND’s dredging application and the county’s high-spot dredging request. The County Commission approved the dredging contract on Oct. 21, 2025, allowing contractors to mobilize equipment and prepare dredge material management areas.
Environmental review required for the HUD-funded portions of the project remains ongoing. The review is intended to ensure dredging activities do not harm natural resources, public health or water-dependent uses. Once completed, the county will be able to solicit contractors for remaining upper-creek dredging not covered under WCIND’s scope.
County officials said residents have been engaged throughout the process through four Board of County Commissioners stormwater workshops and biweekly meetings with homeowners associations and community groups. Those discussions focused on timelines, sediment disposal locations and flood-reduction expectations.
Sarasota County describes Phillippi Creek as a “major stormwater conveyance system” and says dredging will help restore its intended capacity. Officials estimate that nearly 47,000 residential and commercial properties within the basin will benefit from improved stormwater flow.
Additional resilience projects under the Resilient SRQ program may follow, depending on federal approvals and coordination with WCIND.
“This is about restoring the system so that when we have large storm events, the water stays where it’s supposed to — in the channel,” county Stormwater Director Ben Quartermaine said at an Oct. 21 commission meeting. “Residents have waited a long time to see this happen.”
