Property owners in Sarasota County could see the taxes they pay for stormwater maintenance go up again, three years after an annual increase took effect.
The county commission will meet Friday to hear from the new stormwater director, and decide on a proposal to raise rates even further.
Residents opposed to another rate hike, and disappointed in the county’s approach to stormwater maintenance after Sarasota saw widespread flooding from Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton last year, are expected to attend and voice their opposition.
"I can't possibly support an increase in stormwater fees," said Connie Neeley, with the Forest Lakes Homeowners Association. "They have yet to justify the need."
Residents are still waiting for Phillippi Creek to be dredged, and many have lost confidence in what she described as the county’s “trust me mentality.”
"We've all woken up now. We've had to, because when flood water comes in your house at three in the morning, that's not something you forget,” said Neeley.
Sarasota County collects upwards of $27 million annually for stormwater, making it one of the best-funded programs in the state. The county also found $18 million in stormwater reserves from 2024, and expects tens of millions of dollars from a Housing and Urban Development grant to aid in hurricane recovery.
At Friday’s county commission meeting, Ben Quartermaine, who became the new stormwater director for Sarasota County last month, will give a presentation on “stormwater maintenance efforts, including an update on current activities and a discussion of the proposed stormwater rate for Fiscal Year 2026,” according to a county statement.
The commission is being presented with two options for raising rates, and county administrator Jonathan Lewis has recommended they choose the higher option, according to slides released ahead of the meeting.
The increases would include a jump in the base rate, plus a hike in the impervious fee per 500 square feet, which can make an individual homeowner’s assessment balloon, according to the square footage of their property and hard surfaces, like driveways.
According to the county’s presentation, homeowners with an average-sized house of 2,700 square feet who currently pay $112 annually for stormwater would see that assessment rise to $143 under the recommended rate hike.
“Just 36 months ago, several of us had 50, 60, 70% increases,” said Neely. “And now, based on the last trim notices, I've got neighbors that would have an 80% increase.”
READ MORE: How to check what you pay for stormwater in Sarasota County
In July, at a budget workshop, county commissioner Joe Neunder said he would like “an audit review of where our stormwater funds are being spent,” before moving to raise rates.
Commissioners will hear about that independent audit on Friday. It comes from a consultant with decades of knowledge of Sarasota hydrology, Steve Suau.
His report found there's plenty of money to spare, and funds can be moved to more urgent needs.
Funding that could be reprioritized amounts to more than $70 million between 2025 and 2030, or up to $14 million a year, Suau's report said.
Suau was one of the original founders of the stormwater division in Sarasota County years ago, and is now a consultant.
After neighborhoods like Laurel Meadows flooded unexpectedly in August of 2024 during Debby, which passed by Sarasota as a tropical storm, he discovered that a breach in a dike was to blame, and the county subsequently admitted it had not checked that area in years.
His report to be discussed Friday also pointed to a challenge in assessing the cost-benefit of many stormwater tasks, because “only a couple of the projects contained information enabling a preliminary estimate of the project benefit.”
Suau recommended that “benefits be quantified for applicable projects” to provide greater transparency, demonstrate the return on public investments, and inform project funding policy decisions.
He noted tools are available for this: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a Benefit-Cost Analysis application, and Sarasota County also developed a cost benefit tool in 2018.
