Stormwater Assessments and Maintenance: Sample Email to County

A sample letter / email regarding assessments and maintenance - it offers some choices the sender needs to make before sending to the Board of Sarasota County Commissioners

Hurricane Debby - Photo: Mike Lang, Herald Tribune


Dear Commissioners:

I (reside in/represent) the _______________ subdivision of Sarasota County (or the City of Sarasota).

Given the heightened attention to stormwater and flooding impacts across Sarasota County, I reviewed my personal stormwater assessment fees for the last decade.  To my surprise, my annual stormwater assessment has increased dramatically in recent years and leading up to the storms last year – see plot below. Yet I have (rarely/never) seen anyone maintaining the public drainage infrastructure (cleaning out the sediment buildup or removing the overgrowth of Brazilian pepper) located adjacent to our community. 

And our annual stormwater assessment appears to be on a trajectory to continue to increase, with a corresponding decrease in the level of service.

In reading about the lack of maintenance in other public drainage waterways such as Phillippi Creek, this seems to be a county-wide issue.  This is extremely worrisome as we head into another storm season.  The obvious question is, "What are the taxpayers getting for these ever-increasing stormwater assessments?" 

I know that the Commission are asking these same questions and have a scheduled Stormwater Workshop on May 21, 2025.

I implore you to relentlessly investigate this situation until we have a transparent, accountable, and effective stormwater program that protects residents and "our" investment in Sarasota County, namely our homes.   

 Respectfully,

Name

Address

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