Event to begin at 9 a.m. at Woodmere Park in Venice
Sarasota County will host a groundbreaking ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at Woodmere Park in Venice to mark the beginning of construction on the Alligator Creek Stream Restoration Project, “a major effort to improve water quality, restore habitat and strengthen coastal resiliency in southern Sarasota County,” county staff has announced.
Woodmere Park is located at 3951 Woodmere Park Blvd. in Venice.
The project represents a $25-million investment in the restoration and improvement of approximately 2.3 miles of the Alligator Creek corridor, a news release explains. The financing for the undertaking includes a $14.5-million “construction grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through its Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience funding competition,” the release notes. The remainder of the project expense is being covered by the county’s penny sales tax — or, Surtax — program and revenue from the county’s stormwater maintenance assessments imposed on property owners, the release adds.
“We’re turning years of planning and collaboration into action,” said Sarasota County Stormwater Director Ben Quartermaine in the release. “This project is an important investment in cleaner water, a heathier watershed and greater coastal resiliency.”
“Located in southern Sarasota County, Alligator Creek is a tidal waterway within the Lemon Bay watershed,” the release explains. The project will reduce excess nitrogen, as well as “nutrient and sediment pollution while restoring more natural water flow through the creek,” the release points out.
“The restoration effort will use a channel design to transform the existing canal into a more natural, winding stream that better supports the surrounding ecosystem, the release adds. The project also will stabilize eroding banks and add native vegetation to the area. It is expected to be complete by the fall of 2028, the release notes.
For more information about the Alligator Creek Stream Restoration Project, visit the Sarasota County project webpage.