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Manatee County working with contractors to clear canals and waterways before 2025's hurricane season

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Updated  April 11, 2025 6:18pm EDT
Manatee County
FOX 13 News

Crews work to clear Manatee County waterways

FOX 13's Kim Kuizon reports.

The Brief

    • Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton toured through Manatee County, leaving record damage.
    • Much of that damage remains as another hurricane season approaches Florida.
    • Crews say they’ve been working around the clock to clear canals and waterways in the county.

PARRISH, Fla. - Tropical storm Debby brought flooding that had never been seen in many parts of Manatee County. Hurricanes Helene and Milton didn’t help.

Since the twin storms, crews have been working around the clock to clear county waterways. 

They’ve finished hundreds of requests from residents, and now they’re working with contractors to get to each site as a new hurricane season approaches. 

Dig deeper:

A once flowing waterway, Gamble Creek isn’t its old self. In fact, it needs some help.

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"It’s barely passable to get down to the creek. A lot of times, people who have lived here longer say it would be nice to get the creek back to what it once was," said Brett Reeder.

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Residents said the creek and nearby canals and ponds have been neglected for far too long. They say debris and overgrowth have clogged things up.

The backstory:

Last June, tropical storm Debby brought flooding that had never been seen before to Reeder’s property and his neighbors off Jim Davis Road in Parrish.

"Everybody’s barns that were lower than the house – a lot of that was lost. Dry wall in a lot of the houses," said Reeder. 

Manatee County has been working to clear 600 work orders, where canals and ponds have been blocked by debris.

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"We have trees that are 48 inches in diameter, sometimes smaller, but 15 inches in one canal," said Zach Custer, the Supervisor of Landscape & Stormwater for Manatee County. 

What they're saying:

Their job continues every day. 

"We work 14 hours a day, six days a week since the hurricane. We’ve had one day off a week, and we are just trying to push to get all this open as best we can before the storm season," said Custer.

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With 145 work orders left, Manatee County Commissioners approved $2 million for canal clearing. They’re now working with contractors to speed up the process.

"We are in the air with drones, we are in the water with boats and we are on the land with machines. That trifecta alone we are accomplishing more than we ever have," said Carmine DeMilio, the Deputy Director of Property Management for Manatee County. 

Big picture view:

Residents have voiced their concerns to county commissioners. 

"We are asking for more than this, but this is what they were able to achieve. I’ll take any positive steps," said Tony Sciullo. 

Residents like Sciullo hope commissioners will look closely at new developments and silt formed in Gamble Creek.

For now, he and other neighbors said it’s a first step.

"Something has got to be done. The creek can’t handle the current volume of water that it’s getting right now. This is a great start. I’m glad they’re here. They’re doing something; they’ve heard us. We are happy something is being done," said resident Lawrence Marchione.

The Source: FOX 13’s Kimberly Kuizon collected the information in this story.

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