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Sarasota County works to clear 180 miles of ditches before hurricane season ramps up

By
Updated  June 26, 2025 5:44pm EDT
Hurricanes
FOX 13 News
Sarasota County works to clear 180 miles of ditches before hurricane season ramps up

Sarasota County works to clear 180 miles of ditches before hurricane season ramps up

FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.

The Brief

    • Sarasota County Public Works crews and contractors are working to clear 180 miles of roadside ditches of debris.
    • This is a step to help prepare for this year’s hurricane season.
    • Residents are reminded some ditch maintenance falls on homeowners.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Off of Bell Avenue, residents are finally seeing progress as Sarasota County is clearing out ditches in the neighborhood. 

Residents said this maintenance has been needed for years. 

The backstory:

Sue Inman hopes work here will prevent what she experienced last hurricane season. 

"I’m hoping we won’t get flooded. We had one really bad rainstorm where it was just below my knees in my driveway. That’s scary because I really don’t want my house to flood," she said. 

Crews with Sarasota County Public Works have been working on ditch clearing. 

"They come and excavate the extra sediment that has accumulated in the ditches over the years," said Travis McCanna, a Supervisor for Sarasota County Public Works. 

McCanna said tropical storm Debby and hurricanes Helene and Milton put the system to the test with a record amount of rainfall and backups. 

Some backups could have been prevented by residents. 

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"A lot of debris. It could be yard debris, both vegetative and non-vegetative. The number one item we see is trash can lids. Trash can lids are perfectly round. Sometimes square it can get sucked into the pipe, and it can cause a major, major blockage," said McCanna. 

Sarasota County has brought on contractors to help with the clearing of 180 miles of roadside ditches. 

"After that ditch excavation we will come back and jet clean the pipes. About 30 miles of pipe will be jet cleaned after about 180 miles of ditch are excavated," said McCanna. 

Sod will be placed to stabilize the ditches. 

OTHER NEWS: NWS surveying damage after tornado touches down in Pinellas County

Sarasota County crews are working south while contractors are north. 

"We are going to work through the massive amount of work assignments we have to basically get this taken care of," said McCanna. 

Residents, like Sue, hope ditch clearing will continue. 

"It’s finally happening. I’ve been here 16 years and this is only the second time that they’ve done this. We shouldn’t have to wait this long," said Inman. 

How you can help:

Sarasota County Public Works reminded residents it is the homeowner’s responsibility to mow the ditch and perform litter control out to the edge of pavement. 

What's next:

Crews hope to get a bulk of the work done before hurricane season ramps up. 

Sarasota County said the ditches also help to pick up pollutants and clear water before it goes back to the aquifer.  

The Source: Information was gathered by FOX 13’s Kimberly Kuizon through residents and Sarasota County. 

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