Commissioners had agreed to lower stormwater assessments for 2026 fiscal year, but told Stormwater Department director he could seek extra funding for specific needs
On Aug. 19, during the Sarasota County commissioners’ final workshop regarding the 2026 fiscal year county budget, County Administrator Jonathan Lewis told them that he and Ben Quartermaine, the director of the new county Stormwater Department, had agreed that the FY 2026 stormwater assessments could be kept lower than staff had proposed in early July.
Then, on Sept. 5, during their last Stormwater Workshop, the board members formally decided not to proceed with more than a minor uptick in those assessments, which each property owner pays.
Stephen Suau of Sarasota, a stormwater consultant who had been working under contract on a number of stormwater issues at Lewis’ behest, pointed out on Sept. 5 that the Stormwater Department should have ample resources for the new fiscal year. He noted the $75-million allocation the commissioners approved in late April, out of the $210.1-million federal grant that the county received in January to cover unmet needs resulting from the 2024 storm season. Moreover, Suau talked of the $50 million in revenue that the county expects to receive as a result of its penny sales tax — or Surtax — Program through 2039 having been dedicated to stormwater work.
Nonetheless, Commissioner Tom Knight told Quartermaine on Sept 5, “Certainly, if it gets to the point later in the [2026] fiscal year that you see you need something more,” the board members will work with staff to provide the extra funds to the Stormwater Department.
County Administrator Lewis also had talked of the potential that Quartermaine might have to seek extra money, given the decision about the assessments.
Quartermaine himself has discussed the need to replace staff members who had left the Stormwater Division when it was under the figurative umbrella of the county’s Public Works Department.
As it turned out, as part of the board’s Oct. 8 regular meeting agenda, Quartermaine ended up asking for $7,869,251, and the commissioners unanimously approved that amount.
A staff memo in the Oct. 8 agenda packet noted that one of the items on the County Commission’s 2025 Board Policy Agenda said, “Complete a comprehensive evaluation of the entire Stormwater Environmental Utility to identify gaps, develop maintenance level of service, and assess modernization opportunities and alternative funding sources.”
Therefore, staff was making the appropriation request not only in light of the recovery from the 2024 storm season and the board policy, but also in an effort to “expedite the allocation and prioritization of funding for Systemwide Stormwater Infrastructure Maintenance, Repair, and Restoration activities as necessary,” the staff memo added.
Quartermaine was recommending that the county hire 13 new full-time employees (FTEs), along with purchasing equipment and vehicles “to adequately address the significantly high workload,” the memo said. “The Stormwater Director will monitor implementation of all improvements to existing staffing and equipment to determine whether additional resources are needed. The intent of the proposed FTE resources will not only be to address stormwater maintenance and inspection turnaround times, but also to ensure an increased level of service to complete critical drainage infrastructure inspection and maintenance,” the memo explained.
A note at the end of that staff memo pointed out that the pay for the following new full-time staff members would be covered by the budget amendment: one Business Professional II, one supervisor, two Manager II’s, one crew leader, three Equipment Operator III’s, three Skilled Trades Worker I’s, and two Skilled Trades Worker II’s.”
The new pieces of equipment proposed are as follows: two Menzi mowers with attachments, two Ford F-350 4×4 trucks; one dump truck; one GVWR trailer (‘GVWR’ stands for gross vehicle weight rating); one Ford F-550 CCTV truck; one Kenworth T880 Aquatech; one Ford F-150 Extended Cab 4×4; and one Ford F-550 single cab with arrow board.
The stormwater funding was listed on the Oct. 8 agenda as a Presentation Upon Request, meaning no staff comments would be provided unless one or more commissioners requested them. Chair Joe Neunder noted that no member of the board had let him know about the desire for a presentation, and no member of the public had signed up to address the item. Neunder then closed the hearing.
Commissioner Teresa Mast made the motion to approve the budget amendment, and Commissioner Mark Smith seconded it. The vote was 5-0 in favor of the funding.