DeSantis OKs $6 million for part of Lorraine Road extension south, along with Phillippi Creek septic-to-sewer work and Ibis Street multi-use trail
Although Gov. Ron DeSantis this week vetoed nearly $600 million in legislative appropriations for the state’s 2026 fiscal year — which began on July 1 — Sarasota County fared well, as Rob Lewis, the county’s governmental relations director, reported to the County Commission on July 1.
The state budget includes the following funding for the county, Lewis reported in response to a request from The Sarasota News Leader:
- Lorraine Road Segment C Phase 1 — $6 million.
- Phillippi Creek Resiliency Force Main: $800,000. As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explains, “Force mains are pipelines that convey wastewater under pressure from the discharge side of a pump or pneumatic ejector to a discharge point. Pumps or compressors located in a lift station provide the energy for wastewater conveyance in force mains.”
- Ibis Street Multi-Use Trail — $350,000.
Rep. James Buchanan, R-Sarasota, submitted the request for the Lorraine Road funding, a state document shows. The county is required to put up a $6-million match, the document says.
The request explains that the funds will be used for multi-modal roadway improvements “to provide increased resiliency, safety and capacity for vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic on approximately 1 mile on Lorraine Road from [the] northern boundary of Palmer Ranch East Property to the proposed Exit 200 Interchange.” The segment will comprise four lanes, the document notes, providing “capacity to support hurricane evacuation” and serving as an alternative north-south route east of Interstate 75 “to keep local traffic off of the interstate system.”
Among other details in the document, it points out, “The Sarasota County Commission and the [Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)] have included this project as one of their top priorities. The landowners in the surrounding area have expressed support by participating in [a] Public-Private Partnership by donating the right-of-way,” which is saving “tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.”
Residents of the surrounding area have expressed support for the initiative, the document adds.
For further justification of the funding need, the document says, “Major employers are also located along the corridor,” so the road segment “would relieve congestion for thousands of commuting employees and citizens.”
Moreover, the document notes, “The area stormwater management system will be improved to current local, Southwest Florida Water Management District and Florida Department of Environmental Protection requirements.” The document does point out, “A pre-development and post-development study will be completed as part of the design and engineering phase.”
State Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, requested the other two county appropriations, other documents show.
The materials regarding the Phillippi Creek force main initiative note that the original request was for $1.6 million, which would have necessitated a county match of the same amount.
Those documents explain, “This project will provide wastewater system resiliency [for] wet weather events and wastewater system capacity in the Phillippi Creek watershed, an environmentally sensitive area included in a septic to sewer conversion initiative. The project will design and construct approximately 5,000 linear feet of 12-inch diameter force main to replace an existing 10-inch diameter segment. The project will result in a reduced risk of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in the areas connected to this force main.”
Further, the documents point out, “This project was identified in Sarasota County’s 2020 Wastewater Master Plan as a Capital Improvement Plan, and a Capital Improvements Program project has been established. [U.S. Rep. Greg] Steube [the Sarasota County Republican elected from Florida’s 17th District] has also taken a supportive stance towards assisting local communities in reducing/eliminating Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs).”
The documents add that that initiative will protect “the wetland/riverine/marine environments from the effects ofSanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs),” which can result in the introduction of pathogens and excess nutrient loads into those resources. High loads of nitrogen, especially, are associated with red tide outbreaks, scientists have determined.
The estimated timeline for completion of that project is February 2028, the documents note.
Finally, in regard to the Ibis Street undertaking, McFarland put in a request for $1.9 million for the design, permitting, right of way acquisition, and construction of the multi-use recreational trail along Ibis Street, which will provide “an alternate mobility option and [promote] health and safety for non-vehicular movement in the growing region,” the related documents explain.
“The construction of a safe trail will promote biking and walking for residents located in the area,” the documents say. That will promote active lifestyles, “which will help improve mental health and reduce the risk of health complications,” the documents add.