Residents express concern as Phillippi Creek dredging project reclassified to standard permit
Residents express concern as Phillippi Creek dredging project reclassified to standard permit
FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
SARASOTA, Fla. - Sediment, debris and vegetation fill sections of the Phillippi Creek in Sarasota County.
Boats can barely pass certain areas and residents worry about flooding from heavy rains.
The backstory:
That’s what happened during the 2024 hurricane season.
Residents were hopeful of an emergency dredging project, but they’ve now found out a county permit has been reclassified.
The slow process has residents worried about losing even more.
Seth Johnson has lived in South Gate for more than 10 years.
He’s watched as a build-up of sand, silt and sediment contributed to flooding from the 2024 hurricane season and leaving many of Seth’s neighbors building back.
"I think everyone feels both frustrated and anxious. We are moving into storm season here with no relief, no projects have been started, nothing has been done despite everyone’s best efforts being put into this," said Johnson.
Residents were holding onto hope of an expedited dredging project through the Army Corps of Engineers.
They found out this week that Sarasota County’s expedited permitting will not go through.
It’s since been reclassified as a general permit which could add up to eight months of review.
"We want the creek to be maintained for generations to come, and we are not seeing that. They’ve always blamed budgeting and this that or the other, but it’s in the ordinance they are supposed to be responsible for this type of dredging and maintenance," said Johnson.
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Sarasota County Commissioner Tom Knight said there has been a disconnect with County staff.
"We gave instructions clearly about the urgency. We made the money available to our staff and to be quite honest their complacency puts us in a bad position right now," said Knight.
Knight has called for a revamp of Sarasota County operations with a new storm water department after failures he said he’s seen.
"Our county commission, the board put as much urgency as needed to be put. The money is available. I think as we work through the rest of our budget workshops and the rest of this year, there will be some answers that have to be given to us by our county staff and administrator about what happened," he said.
Why it matters:
Caprill Hembree had a foot and a half of water inside her home on Phillippi Creek.
"We are a bit nervous to start the reconstruction of our home, with the news that this is being delayed and is that weeks, months or years? I can’t afford to put our house back again and again and again," she said.
Caprill said she is thankful for commissioners working to act, but hopes Sarasota County will figure out a solution before it’s too late.
"I think that there is a gap somewhere where somebody doesn’t understand something. I don’t know who it is, and it doesn’t really matter who it is, we just have to get that gap closed so we can get this emergency project done," she said.
The Source: Information was gathered through the U.S Army Crops of Engineers, Sarasota County and residents.
The other side:
The U.S Army Corps of Engineers said the permit was not denied, and they do not necessarily issue an ‘emergency permit.’
Permits can be expedited for projects that have experienced damage as a result of a storm.
They told FOX 13 Sarasota County anticipated the project would be authorized under the emergency permitting process. However, there was not a general permit that the proposed work qualified under.
The Phillippi Creek Project is being processed under a standard permit due to the amount of quantity of dredged material proposed for this project.
That is more than 50,000 cubic yards.
The other reason for this type of permit is that the proposed area to dredge is new work. The area has never been previously dredged, and it cannot be considered a maintenance dredge scenario.
The U.S Army Corps of Engineers said they are working to move this permit review quickly through the process. But, it does require us to coordinate with the National Marine Fisheries Service Protected Resource Division on listed species (turtles/smalltooth sawfish).
The Source: FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon gathered the information for this story.