Response to News Leader public records request shows multitude of tasks assigned to county staff
Although Phillippi Creek flooding issues have been a primary focus of Sarasota County Commission discussions this year — illustrating the need for significant stormwater maintenance — Siesta Key residents also have seen what happens when stormwater drains are not kept clear.
Following comments that a Siesta Key resident made to the County Commission during its May 21 stormwater workshop, the county’s Public Works Department staff did address issues on the barrier island, The Sarasota News Leader learned through a public records request.
During the Open to the Public comment period of the afternoon stormwater workshop in May, Natalie Gutwein, team leader and spokesperson for an organization called the Siesta Key Beautification Alliance, told the board members, “We’re working very diligently to put Siesta Key back together after the three hurricanes last year.” She was referring to Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024, Hurricane Helene in late September 2024 and Hurricane Milton, which came ashore on the Key at Big Pass on the night of Oct. 9, 2024.
Gutwein has appeared before the commission numerous times this year, pleading for the board to approve $30 million to not only repair damage to the island from last year’s storm season but also to refresh the look of Siesta, in an effort to keep tourists coming — and spending money.
On May 21, Gutwein added, “We must also address the stormwater drainage issues …”
On May 12, she pointed out, with just 2.5 inches of rain having fallen, “Siesta Key was completely flooded all over again,” which triggered PTSD in island residents.
She showed the commissioners several photos to illustrate her remarks.
“One of the biggest concerns I had,” Gutwein continued, was that if a person had experienced a heart attack on May 12, the individual might not have been able to get off the island in a timely fashion for treatment, given the situation on many of the roads.
“Our storm drains out there seem to be almost completely blocked,” she added. In fact, Gutwein noted, a stop sign that blew down during the 2024 hurricane season still was blocking a storm drain in the area of the Beach Club on Ocean Boulevard in Siesta Village.
She urged the commissioners, “Don’t forget Siesta Key” when they were deciding how county stormwater funds should be allocated for maintenance.
‘A detailed list of every single action’ on the Key since Sept. 27, 2024
Through a public records request, the News Leader learned that on the morning of May 23, Gutwein emailed Spencer Anderson, director of the county’s Public Works Department, and Sheyla M. Veltri, senior manager of that department’s Field Services group, to request “a detailed list of every single action the county has taken to repair or clean the storm water drains on Siesta Key since September 27, 2024?”
That date was when Hurricane Helene’s storm surge swept most of the island.
Gutwein added, “It is absolutely imperative that we know where the drains have been cleaned and where they haven’t so we can properly prepare for the upcoming storm season.”
Gutwein noted that commission Chair Joe Neunder, who represents the southern part of Siesta as part of his District 4 territory, also had sought that information from Public Works, as she knew from email correspondence with him.
A second commissioner — Mark Smith, who lives on Siesta — represents the northern part of the island as part of his District 2 territory.
The email chain shows that Anderson had responded on May 22 to an earlier email from Gutwein. He wrote, “There was significant drainage maintenance work done on the Key following both Hurricane Helene and Milton. Following the rain event last week, it is noted that there are still areas that require attention either from being latent issues from our previous maintenance or something that has occurred since due to all of the collateral public and private recovery and repair work on the Key. Given this is the case, I assigned my team to perform a structure-by-structure assessment of public drainage infrastructure on the Key to document conditions and, where necessary, perform any needed maintenance. That work is underway.”
Anderson noted that he had copied Veltri on that email. “She will be happy to provide updates as we make progress.”
The News Leader also received from the county’s Public Records team a copy of a June 4 email that Anderson sent to the County Commission. He wrote, “Based on information from our Automated Rainfall Monitoring System (ARMS), the County encountered up to 1.90 inches of rain over the past 24 hours. Geographically across the County, the rain distribution varied significantly over the past 24hrs (less than .5in to 1.90in) …”
He added, “We have responded to localized flooding concerns on Avienda Messina (Siesta Key), US41 and University Parkway, and Calle Minorga (Siesta Key). Some of these issues appear to be attributable to adjacent construction activity impacting the drainage system. There may be other localized issues from today that we are not immediately aware of.”
More than 900 pages of reports related to Siesta stormwater maintenance
In late June, the News Leader received from the county’s Public Records staff 904 pages of reports about stormwater maintenance on Siesta Key. Apparently, they were provided in response to Gutwein’s and Neunder’s requests for information about the initiatives that staff had pursued since Hurricane Helene struck last year.
The following are examples of details from the reports:
- On Dec. 11, 2024, county workers cleaned a “trench drain in front of 763 Siesta Dr., Sarasota.” The form indicates that the work order was dated June 24, 2024, not quite six months prior to the cleaning of that area.
- A document dated Feb. 18 shows that county staff cleaned a stormwater structure and pipes located at 3251 Higel Ave.; that work order was dated July 12, 2024. Two other reports involved staff action at the same location.
- A report with the entry date of Sept. 19, 2024 notes that on Nov. 19, 2024, staff cleaned “trench grates on the south side of Siesta Drive” from 810 to 852 Siesta Drive. Two more reports showed further work on Nov. 19, 2024 in that area.
- Additionally on Nov 19, 2024, pipes and a stormwater structure were cleaned at 3935 N. Shell Road. Three more task reports were provided for the same area, also showing work on Nov. 19, 2024. The entry date on them was Oct. 2, 2024
- A work order with an entry date of Oct. 14, 2024 referenced the need for pipes and stormwater structures to be cleaned on Ocean Boulevard from the Higel Avenue intersection to 4439 Ocean Blvd. and the environs. Altogether, 48 more task reports were filed in regard to that undertaking. Each noted work done on Nov. 19, 2024.
- A work order with an entry date of Oct. 21, 2024 pertained to the Jan. 21 cleaning of pipes and stormwater structures near the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Norsota Way on the northernmost part of the Key, off Siesta Drive. Three other work orders were filed in connection with that initiative.
- Multiple task reports with an entry date of Feb. 19 pointed to the need to clean out storm drains along Siesta Drive. For example, one noted 3 to 6 inches of sand near the intersection of Hamilton Street and Siesta Drive; a second referenced 3 inches of sand and leaf litter in a storm drain between the intersections of Anglin Drive and Flamingo Avenue; a third pointed to 1 to 2 inches of sand in a storm drain between the intersections of Hamilton Street and Seagrape Drive; a fourth noted 2 to 6 inches of leaf litter distributed throughout a trench drain, “sand buildup along driveway and trench drain,” and “multiple grates missing” in an area along Siesta Drive, east of Seagrape; and a fifth cited 3 inches of sediment and leaf litter at another spot off Siesta Drive, farther east.
- A task report with an entry date of July 8, 2024 said that a stormwater structure in the southwest corner of the main parking lot at Siesta Public Beach needed to be cleaned. That work was not done until Jan. 14, the document showed.
- Ten reports with the entry date of Oct. 3, 2024 reference the need for the cleaning of “all curb inlets and grate structures” along Beach Road up to the Midnight Pass Road intersection. The entry date was six days before Hurricane Milton struck the Key. The work was not done until Nov. 19, 2024, the reports show. Each had a reference to Hurricane Helene.