More than half of money — $7 million — allocated for Lorraine Road widening south of Clark Road
On May 29, when the Florida Housse and Senate passed the state budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which will begin on July 1, the document included $13,770,000 for projects in Sarasota County, including $7 million for part of the Lorraine Road extension and $2 million for dredging in Phillippi Creek, The Sarasota News Leader has learned.
Rob Lewis, Sarasota County’s director of governmental relations, provided the News Leader a list of all of the projects and the amounts awarded to them.
However, Lewis cautioned that he has no idea when Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to work on the annual veto list.
The appropriations request documents that the News Leader found on the Legislature’s website indicate that state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, championed all of them.
The projects, from highest appropriation to the lowest, are as follows:
- Lorraine Road Segment C Phase 2, $7 million — The document prepared for Gruters said that the county would match the state funds with $7 million, for a total of $14 million. The document explained that the state money would be used to “extend Lorraine Road from the planned Exit 200 interchange on the Palmer Ranch East property,” approximately 1.5 miles south toward Knights Trail Road.
The document also noted that, since “no north-south roadway connection [exists] east of I-75 south of Clark Road,” the four-lane extension “will … significantly [improve] hurricane evacuation routes and [provide] critical additional capacity during periods of severe congestion on Interstate 75.”
Further, the document pointed out that part of the state funds would be used for bicycle lanes, sidewalks and a multi-use path that would connect to “the planned statewide trail system.”
It also said that since the four-lane Lorraine Road will serve as an alternative connection east of the interstate, it will help the thousands of employees of “[m]ajor employers,” such as “PGT Window + Doors [and] Sarasota Memorial Hospital,” which are “located nearby …”
The design of that segment remains underway, the document reported. The estimated start of construction was put at Nov. 30 of this year, with completion exactly two years later, in 2028.
In response to standard question in the document, county staff explained, “Benefits and outcomes [of the project] will be measured by responses to Sarasota County’s annual citizen survey and traffic modeling to document capacity improvements.”
- Clark Road/McIntosh Road intersection improvement, $2.5 million — The funds would be used to realign the intersection of Clark Road and McIntosh Road, which is offset and bifurcated by The Legacy Trail, the relevant document explained. “Completing the realignment will resolve the issue of errant vehicles turning down the [Legacy Trail] entrance, improving the safety of the intersection for all users, motorized and ped/bike, and will mitigate/reduce crashes, aligning with Target Zero goals,” it added.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is completing the state environmental study for this project, the document noted. “Funding is requested for design, right of way and construction activities.”
The county had sought $5 million from the Legislature, which would have been about 62% of the total expense of $8 million, the document said.
“The target population is the general population of Sarasota County, residents and visitors, in addition to travelers from adjacent counties and state travelers using [Clark Road] and McIntosh [Road],” the document continued. “Vehicular traffic through this intersection totals 53,000 per day,” it added, indicating that an estimated 1,000 pedestrians and bicyclists daily use The Legacy Trail segment in that area, as well.
The approximate starting date for construction was cited as Nov. 30, 2027, with completion by Nov. 30, 2029.
- Phillippi Creek dredging: $2 million — The legislative appropriation request document said the county would use the state funding to remove sedimentation and debris build-up from 2024 storm season, “mitigating potential flooding of residential and commercial structures and evacuation routes.” It also pointed out, “Flood prediction modeling” suggests that the sedimentation, caused by previous storm events, could exacerbate flooding during a 100-year event produced by 24 hours of rainfall.
Altogether, the county had requested $8 million, which — it said — represented 50% of the entire expense. The document added that the proposed activities included not just the dredging but the stockpiling and disposal of the sediment removed from the waterway; “pollution prevention controls and reporting; environmental planning; and construction management and oversight to ensure [the] project stays on time and within the budget.”
The document further pointed out that more than 1,100 residential properties are located in the Phillippi Creek Basin.
The target date for completion of the work is Aug. 15, 2027, the document said explaining that the county has created two phases of dredging. The first entailed sediment removal from the creek between Tuttle Avenue and Beneva Road, a distance of 1.53 miles. The goal was to dredge the 50-foot-wide main section of the waterway to a depth of 4 feet. (That work was completed by the end of May, addressing what county Stormwater Department Director Ben Quartermaine called the “high spots” in that portion of the creek.)
The second phase, which Quartermaine has told the County Commission could start late this year but more likely will begin in early 2027, will involve what Quartermaine has characterized as the “maximum allowable dredge” of the waterway between U.S. 41 and South Beneva Road.
- Beginning Farmer Program: $1.5 million — The related document explained, “Sarasota County has acquired a property with existing barns, animal pens, and pastures that with renovations could serve as a demonstration and incubator farm and ranch and location for 4-H youth to house their agriculture- and horticulture-related projects. This hands-on learning environment will support both adults and youth and grow the agricultural economy.”
The county sought $3 million for the initiative, called the Beginning Farmer and 4-H Youth Agriculture Education Complex, with the county planning to provide a 50% match, for a total of $6 million.
The document further noted, “The project will have benefits for aspiring farmers and ranchers in supporting their business development goals … and providing workforce training. That will also support preservation of agricultural heritage, environmental protections through application of farming best practices, and increased resilience of the local food system. The youth programs will support leadership development, career exploration, hands-on learning, and active, healthy living. Outcomes will be measured through comprehensive evaluation surveys, observations, data tracking of number served, knowledge gained, and behavior changed, as well as jobs and business enterprises created.”
Moreover, it pointed out, “”The Livestock Incubator will provide a space and training for aspiring ranchers to practice and learn before they take the step of purchasing property of their own.” It added, “Beginning farmers could farm small plots for produce and test meat and egg business plans in a low-risk environment. They would receive training and support for market development and coordination for contribution of products to families facing food insecurity.”
The goal cited in the document is for the county to launch the initiative in early January 2027.
- Emergency utilities interconnect: $520,000 — The county had sought $1,040,000, or 51%, of the expense of “[d]esign, permitting and construction” of an emergency potable water interconnection system between the county and the City of North Port, to benefit the residents of unincorporated Sarasota County as well as those of the city. The relevant document explained that “the transfer of potable water” between the two local governments “is critical during natural
disasters, water supply disruptions, and other times of emergency …” The project also would provide “significant resiliency and redundancy for both entities,” the document said.
Further, it explained, “The entire population of the service areas of Sarasota County Public Utilities and the City of North Port Utilities could
potentially be served by and benefit from this project. The two Utilities entities together serve a population of approximately 330,000 individuals.”
The starting date of that initiative was estimated to be Dec. 1 of this year, the document noted.
- Little Sarasota Bay (Midnight Pass): $250,000 — The county was seeking $500,000 from the state, which would have represented half of the $1-million expense, the related document noted.
“The restored tidal connection between the Gulf and Little Sarasota Bay” has “improved water quality in Little Sarasota Bay,” the document said. That “will have a positive impact on fisheries, shellfish, and seagrasses,” the document pointed out. “It is further believed that the improved marine and estuarine ecosystems within the bay will boost economic and tourism activity in this part of Sarasota County through increased tourism, boating, related retail/commercial activities and property values,” it added.
Funding will support “[c]ontinued study, planning, regulatory coordination, and preliminary engineering necessary to ensure that Midnight Pass remains open,” the document noted.
The county also received $500,000 from the state for the 2024-25 fiscal year budget, the document said.
In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene reopened the waterway on south Siesta Key, which had been closed since 1983. Although the channel between Little Sarasota Bay and the Gulf soon closed again, Hurricane Milton blew it open once more after Milton came ashore at Big Sarasota Pass on Siesta Key the night of Oct. 9, 2024.
County staff and a consultant have been monitoring the waterway, recording data about the size and location of the opening, as well as depth measurements.