Two Wake-Up Calls: Wastewater and Stormwater

1. Sarasota County: Wastewater Wake-Up Call

During the severe red tide bloom that plagued southwest Florida in 2018 and 2019, it was revealed that Sarasota County Utilities was -- and for years periodically had been -- releasing millions of gallons of reclaimed wastewater each day for several weeks and months at a time from their Bee Ridge Wastewater Reclamation Facility to Phillippi Creek. While the wastewater was treated to remove pathogens, break down organic matter, and reduce nutrients, the concentration of nitrogen that helps fuel red tide was elevated well above that for direct discharge to surface waters such as Phillippi Creek and the bay.

As residents and businesses suffered from the severe and prolonged red tide bloom, this revelation made Sarasota County Government seem tone deaf to the public it served. And stunningly, the County Commission at the time were surprised to learn that these reclaimed wastewater discharges had been occurring.

To say the least, the longstanding neglect was a wake-up call, and the County Commission moved immediately and definitively to direct the County Administrator to take actions that would both correct the situation and restore public trust. In addition to moving to restructure the leadership, organization, and staff competence of the Wastewater Utility, the County Commission made the bold policy decision to upgrade all three of the County’s wastewater treatment plants including the Bee Ridge plant to meet Advanced Wastewater Treatment standards in order to reduce the excess nitrogen at an estimated public investment cost of $510,000,000. 

2. Sarasota County: Stormwater Wake-up Call 

WFLA Coverage of Debby in Sarasota

Sarasota County Stormwater Utility Wake-up Call

Fast forward to early August 2024: the rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Debby in the northwest Sarasota County and particularly the Phillippi Creek watershed resulted in severe flooding that was further exacerbated by numerous deficiencies in Sarasota County Stormwater Utilities’ management, maintenance, and operations. Specifically,

- a breach in an overgrown dike that had apparently been existence since 2019  allowed excessive floodwater from the adjacent Cow Pen Slough watershed to enter the Phillippi Creek watershed where it flooded homes in the Laurel Meadows subdivision; 

- misoperation of a water control structure in direct violation of written protocols  increased flooding of private businesses around the Celery Fields area; 

- decades of unattended sediment build up between US 41 and Beneva Road increased flood elevations in adjacent homes. 

A dramatic increase in the Countywide annual stormwater assessments in 2022 has been accompanied by a decrease in Countywide customer satisfaction in terms of stormwater maintenance. Charging more for less in the wake of Tropical Storm Debby again made Sarasota County Government seem tone deaf to the public it served. We have been here before. Can the Board of County Commissioners once again rise to the need for transformation and what would this look like?

This has been accompanied by a countywide decrease in customer satisfaction in the  maintenance responsiveness and level of service that transcends Phillippi Creek and Tropical Storm Debby. At the same time, Stormwater Utility revenues dramatically increased from approximately $17 million in 2021 to over $27 million in 2024. Charging more for less made Sarasota County Government seem tone deaf to the public it serves 

It feels like we have been here before. Can the Board of County Commissioners rise to the need for transformation again? What would this look like? 

• First and foremost, for transparency and accountability, the County Administrator should  be directed to untangle the Stormwater Utility from Public Works and consolidate this enterprise fund as an independent business center similar to its other enterprise fund, the Sarasota County Water and Sewer Utilities. 

• Second, the internal core expertise and capacity of the Stormwater Utility staff needs to be built to proactively manage the technical, operational, and customer service aspects of the stormwater program using cost-effective and state-of-the-art technologies. This will require a 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.

• Third, to address customer dissatisfaction with neglect and to meet public expectations, the Stormwater  Utility should conduct annual if not routine open houses to engage with community representatives within each of the five primary watersheds: Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, Dona/Roberts Bay, Lemon Bay, and Myakka River (map below). These open houses should be used to review maintenance schedules with existing and new residents and to solicit input on other maintenance needs from customers. 

Putting these recommendations into action will provide Sarasota's residents with peace of mind knowing we have a well maintained system in place to handle extreme summer storms and hurricanes.

Five Watersheds: Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, Dona/Roberts Bay, Lemon Bay, and Myakka River