Commissioners approve contracts with Miami firm
A unanimous Oct. 21 Sarasota County Commission vote cleared the way for Continental Heavy Civil Corp. of Miami and Brunswick, Ga., to begin the removal of what the county’s stormwater staff members have deemed the “high spots” in Phillippi Creek from just south of Tuttle Avenue, north to Beneva Road.
The total amount that the board members approved, as an amendment to the county’s Capital Improvement Program for this fiscal year — which began Oct. 1 — was $14,482,224, a staff memo included in the Oct. 21 agenda packet said. However, the full amount going to Continental Heavy Civil Corp. will be $13,697,200, the memo noted.
In response to a question from The Sarasota News Leader about when the dredging will begin, the Stormwater Department staff reported in an Oct. 30 email, “The pre-construction meeting was held with the contractor on Oct. 27. The contractor will be issued a Notice to Proceed in November. County staff has already begun pre-construction activities, to include surveying and prepping management sites.”
During Oct. 21 remarks to the commissioners, Stormwater Department Director Ben Quartermaine said staff was working to determine whether the high-spot dredging should cover an area 30 feet wide or 50 feet wide in the creek.
The county Invitation for Bids for the high spot dredging said, “The intent and purpose of this Project is to provide dredging of approximately 12,054 linear feet of segmented channel, generally 50 feet (ft) wide, to -4 ft mean low water (MLW) …” It added, “The Work includes the mechanical and/or hydraulic removal of sediment, acquisition and construction of temporary staging areas, the construction of necessary retention ponds and/or return water control structures, dewatering of sediment, loading sediment into Contractor provided sealed trucks, the transportation to and disposal of the dredged sediment at the Sarasota County Landfill facility (or other site as agreed to by County), all erosion and turbidity control, turbidity monitoring and reporting, and final site cleanup (including any temporary staging areas) and restoration of any work area utilized in performance of the Work.”
However, the budget resolution that the commissioners approved last week said the following: “The Phillippi Creek High Spots Stormwater Conveyance Dredging Project involves dredging approximately 8,925 linear feet of channel, generally 50 feet wide, to a depth of -4 feet mean low water (MLW).”
Quartermaine also told the commissioners on Oct. 21, “We’re diligently trying to determine how, and to what extent, we should dredge between Tuttle [Avenue] and Bee Ridge [Road]. It’s very straightforward with our modeling; it just takes time.”
That would be the Phase 2 high spot dredging, he added.
Its area overlaps the portion of Phillippi Creek where the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND), which is based in Venice, plans its dredging of the waterway, Quartermaine pointed out. The question has arisen about whether that dredging needs to be 30 feet wide of 50 feet wide.
A county staff memo in the Oct. 21 agenda packet explained that after county staff issued its formal notice about the intent to award the contracts for the dredging in what are identified as Groups 1 and 2, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) informed county staff that it would not approve two different permits — for the county and for WCIND — to work in the same area. Thus, county staff “reviewed the issue with WCIND and decided to move forward with high-spot areas 4-11” of Groups 1 and 2.
Beginning in January, numerous residents who live along Phillippi Creek began appearing at County Commission meetings, reporting that they had suffered repeated flooding of their homes during the 2024 storm season because of the buildup of sediment in the creek. They provided plenty of photos to illustrate their points.
Residents explained that, because of the extensive sediment buildup in the waterway, the rainfall produced by Tropical Storm Debby in early August 2024 and the storm surges from Hurricanes Helene and Milton essentially flowed over the sediment onto their properties bordering the creek.
The staff memo in the Oct. 21 agenda packet explained, “In response to concerns raised by residents regarding persistent flooding and decreased flow within Phillippi Creek, the County initiated a post-storm assessment of the waterway. This assessment included hydrologic modeling and visual surveys to evaluate sediment accumulation and flow impediments within the [manmade] and tidal portions of Phillippi Creek.”
The memo added, “The County’s review identified 11 distinct sections within Phillippi Creek exhibiting significant sediment buildup, referred to as ‘high spots areas.’ These areas were determined to be potential contributing factors to reduced water conveyance capacity, increased flood risk, and potential impacts to water quality and habitat within the creek corridor.”
The memo then noted, “Based on the findings of the assessment, it was determined that [the] dredging of these 11 high-spot areas is necessary to restore the hydraulic function of Phillippi Creek. The sediment accumulation in these areas is likely the result of both natural sediment transport and the increased runoff and debris mobilized during the FY24 storm season.
An overview of the dredging plans
An Oct. 22 fact sheet issued by staff, which may be downloaded from the county’s Stormwater page, says that, on Oct. 8, the county received the permit it needed from the USACE for the high spot dredging. The fact sheet further notes that WCIND received its USACE permit on Oct. 8, as well, for the dredging of the lower area of the creek, from its mouth to approximately a quarter of a mile east of U.S. 41.
The county’s USACE permit allows the removal of 12,856 square feet — or, 48,299.71 cubic yards — “of substrate over 8,925 linear feet using a shallow barge.”
The fact sheet adds, “WCIND has begun soliciting contractors for Lower Creek dredging.” After the necessary federal environmental review has been completed,” the fact sheet notes, and WCIND receives approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD), “the county can solicit for a contractor.”
That section of the fact sheet refers to the county’s receipt in January of a $210-million grant award from HUD to respond to unmet needs resulting from the 2024 storm season. That grant is being managed by county staff through what is called the Resilient SRQ Program.
In late April, the County Commission voted unanimously to dedicate $45 million of that grant to the dredging of Phillippi Creek.
The formal contract for the Group 1 portion of the sediment removal calls for Continental Heavy Civil to receive $3.3 million, while the contract for the Group 2 work says the company will receive $10,397,200. Both documents point out, “Time is of the essence in the performance of this [work].” Each calls for substantial completion of the dredging within 180 calendar days after its start, with another 30 days allocated for the company to deal with any issues identified by county staff on what is called a “punch list.”
What about the oxbows and South County?
During the Oct. 21 discussion, Commissioner Mark Smith asked Quartermaine whether Continental Heavy Civil also would be able to dredge what residents call the “oxbows” in portions of Phillippi Creek, as a speaker during the Open to the Public comment period that morning had stressed again the need for that action.
“It’s certainly probable,” Quartermaine replied, especially in the area between Tuttle and Bee Ridge Road. In fact, he added, it is “highly likely.”
“We’ve got another week of modeling,” Quartermaine continued, before seeking a modification of the dredging permit to include the oxbows.
“The staff has been fantastic in their calculations,” he noted.
“I’m glad you said that out loud,” Smith told Quartermaine, referencing not only the people in the Commission Chamber that day in downtown Sarasota but those watching the meeting on TV or online.
“Having walked on the oxbows,” Smith indicated, he understood the need for their removal as impediments to water flow in the creek.
“The more capacity we have in Phillippi Creek,” Smith added, “the less chance that anyone gets flooded.”
Quartermaine noted the ongoing staff communications with residents who live along Phillippi Creek, saying those would continue.
Then Commissioner Tom Knight reminded Quartermaine that many of his constituents have been asking him about dredging of creeks in South County, especially Shakett Creek. (Knight, who lives in Venice, represents District 3.)
Quartermaine responded that surveys of South County creeks have been scheduled and likely would take place over the next three weeks. He would be back before the board members later with recommendations about dredging them, he added.
The funding factor
During the discussion, Commissioner Teresa Mast asked Quartermaine whether the money for the high-spot dredging contracts would come out the county’s most recent Resilient SRQ grant from HUD.
She reminded him that the board in July approved a $10-milliion budget amendment for stormwater initiatives, as well.
The funds under consideration on Oct. 21, Quartermaine replied, would come out of the money set aside in the county’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget for stormwater work. However, he added, it could end up being repaid to the CIP out of the Resilient SRQ Program.
Additionally, County Administrator Jonathan Lewis told the commissioners that he and Quartermaine — along with Rob Lewis, the county’s director of governmental relations — met with the members of the Sarasota County Legislative Delegation the previous week in Tallahassee. During those sessions, Lewis said, they discussed with the legislators the funding needed for the Phillippi Creek projects.
All of the Delegation members, Lewis continued, were “very supportive” of the county plans, including state Sen. Joe Gruters of Sarasota, who also serves as the chair of the Republican National Committee.
If the county does end up receiving a state appropriation in 2026 for stormwater initiatives, Lewis said, that money could be allocated to yet other work that needs to be done in the stormwater system.
Commissioner Mast ended up making the motion to approve the contracts with Continental Heavy Civil, and Commissioner Smith seconded it.