Posted on May 5, 2025
Work is moving forward on several fronts to dredge portions of Sarasota County’s Phillippi Creek, eventually from its mouth in Sarasota Bay all the way upstream to Beneva Road, just north of the Pinecraft neighborhood.
In late April, Sarasota County commissioners set into motion a plan to spend about $75 million of federal storm-recovery money through the Resilient SRQ program to clear sediment from a large stretch of the waterway. By rule, they must spend that money within six years.
In its scheduled Tuesday meeting, commissioners will take action on additional issues that could further support that work, beginning on the westernmost segment of Phillippi Creek. They’ll meet beginning at 9 a.m. at the Robert Anderson Administration Center, 4000 South Tamiami Trail in Venice. Visit SCGov.net to see the agenda.
Catastrophic flooding during the 2024 hurricane season, beginning in August with Tropical Storm Debby’s torrential rains, plagued homes and businesses along Phillippi Creek.
The creek that originates near Fruitville Road and Lorraine Road drains storm water from a large swath of northwestern Sarasota County into Sarasota Bay. But following 2022’s hurricane season — and beyond — it has become clogged with sediment. Studies show a portion of the creek between Beneva Road and U.S. 41 are as shallow as 2 feet.
Following the 2024 flooding, residents along the creek implored county officials to do something about their plight. At the April 22 commission meeting, they came out in force in support of the Resilient SRQ spending, many with first-hand experiences from last summer’s rising waters.
“I’m just putting furniture back in my house,’’ said Deb Hayes, who lives alongside Phillippi Creek, not far from the Southgate traffic circle where the creek flows under South Tuttle Avenue. “Please don’t let it float away.’’
In reviewing the reasons for the flooding — beyond more than a foot of rain in a day — county leaders and independent consultants found the flooding was likely caused by a combination of factors, including prime suspect as a breach in the earthen berm that holds excess water in Celery Fields, dumping water into Laurel Meadows. From there, it rushed downstream along Phillippi Creek, breaching its narrow banks until it widens and deepens into a navigable waterway.
Federal authorities still need to review the county’s request to direct the $75 million toward the dredging project.
But in the meantime, a smaller dredging project is likely to begin — perhaps this summer, funded instead with local dollars. And more spending is under consideration to keep the creek flowing more freely.
County commissioners on Tuesday will consider advancing a request to the West Coast Inland Navigation District to spend $3 million to dredge between the creek’s outlet into Sarasota Bay to a point just upstream of the U.S. 41 bridge.
A small segment of the project area would first need to be classified a “public waterway,’’ and thus be eligible for WCIND funding, which residents of Sarasota County and surrounding counties fund through a property tax line item. Among the criteria for a public waterway: the general public must have access to such facilities as a public boat ramp or a commercial use must exist, such as a marina or restaurant. The proximity of several businesses in that area opens that possibility.
Commissioners will consider that along with a broader expansion of the public waterway designation to include a major portion of Phillippi Creek, all the way to Pinecraft Park — which has a boat ramp.
Once designated a public waterway, that segment of Phillippi Creek would become eligible for locally funded maintenance dredging.
In both cases, County Commission approval would be forwarded for final consideration by WCIND.
