Stormwater

City Attorney Jackie Kovilaritch believes sewer capacity fees are exempt from Senate Bill 180. She also said the legal team can explore any potential loopholes on a “case-by-case basis.”

After floods ravaged the county last year, commissioners said there seems to be enough already in the coffers, and from hurricane relief aid.

The county has not yet begun dredging Phillippi Creek, and many in Sarasota are concerned about a repeat of last year's floods this hurricane season.

Phillippi Creek is a seven-mile-long waterway that stretches across Sarasota County. Residents say it desperately needs to be dredged to prevent the type of floods that ravaged the area in 2024.

The $2.1 million project will reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and trash flowing into the waterway that stretches through the Treasure Coast.

Public Works Administrator Claude Tankersley said officials now expect to receive disaster recovery funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) “sooner than we had anticipated.”

Utility bills will increase an average of around 9% in fiscal year 2026, which begins Oct. 1. Officials recommend a 17.5% increase on stormwater rates.

Mark Cunningham becomes the highest-ranking official to step down in the wake of revelations about widespread failures in the county's stormwater system. County officials did not disclose the reason for his leaving.

The county is moving quickly to make stormwater its own department, rather than a division within public works, as it hired Ben Quartermaine as the director. The job posting included a salary up to $180,000 per year.

Stormwater activities are currently managed under a division within the Public Works Department.

Many residents believe the county has fallen short on its duty to remove sediment and vegetation from creeks, ditches and drains that keeps heavy rains from causing massive flooding.

The eight public meetings will be held through May 19.