Sarasota County dredging removes 60,000 yards from creek

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Sarasota County has removed 60,000 cubic yards of material from Phillippi Creek in the first phase of its dredging project. Stormwater director Ben Quartermaine told the Sarasota County Commission on May 19th that it is enough dirt and sediment to fill 8,000 dump trucks.

[00:00:18]He said phase one reestablishes the efficacy of the channel after severe [music] flooding prompted by Hurricane Debbie.

[00:00:25]The dredging started at the end of December 2025 and covers the 7.2 mile creek. It [music] could cost as much as $64 million while phase one is projected to cost about $16 million.

[00:00:38]About $75 million of the $210.1 million the county received from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development has been earmarked for Phillippi Creek dredging.