Clogged Manatee waterways made hurricane flooding worse. County officials have a fix

With hurricane season about two months away, Manatee County officials are pumping an extra $2 million into efforts to clean up the county’s canal system and prevent flooding.

Carmine DeMilio, Manatee County’s Deputy Director of Parks and County Grounds, said staff have been working tirelessly since last September to remove canal blockages, like downed trees, left by hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.

A recent staff review and an independent report on Manatee County’s flooding issues pinpointed canal maintenance as a key to preventing future flooding.

But 2024’s unprecedented hurricane season, which included record-breaking rainfall and storm surge for Manatee County, has left the county’s 55 stormwater employees struggling to catch up.

“With miles and miles of canals that need to be cleared before the next rainy season, it is essential to clear these canals as quickly and completely as possible in order to help mitigate potential damage if these canals were to flood,” DeMilio said.

The county manages over 540 canals and 330 stormwater ponds, staff said, and there are also issues that need to be addressed in natural waterways like the Braden River and Gamble Creek. Staff said that the three hurricanes generated a combined 745 work orders for the county’s stormwater team. About 200 of the work orders remain. There are also over 300 trees that still need to be removed from canals, down from 800 after the storms, staff said.

At a board meeting Tuesday, DeMilio and other staff members urged the Board of County Commissioners to approve the funds to hire a contractor to finish the work on time.

Residents show support for flood prevention spending

A handful of residents whose homes were impacted by flooding in last year’s storms spoke in support of funding flood prevention.

Anthony Sciullo, who lives on Jim Davis Road, said county staff recently visited properties in his neighborhood and identified many issues that need to be addressed.

“They saw with their own eyes …the backup and the mess, and they understood that they could fix it,” Sciullo said. “I fully support this project along with several of my neighbors …because last year we were directly impacted by this...all three of these storms.”

Board approves $2 million for flood prevention

Board members voted 7-0 to approve the $2 million funding request.

“Outsourcing this job is probably going to be the best avenue for us to approach on this,” Commissioner Jason Bearden said.

“We’ve got a good solution here,” Commissioner Carol Ann Felts said. “Let’s use this as a basis for how we move on and we take proactive measures in the future to deal with the emergency situations that we’ve experienced in the last year.”

What happens next?

The county will pay an estimated $1.9 million to Rick Richards Inc., a Manatee County-based wetland maintenance and restoration company, to assist with canal cleaning.

Public Works Contracts Manager Jeff Bare said the contractor’s efforts will target flood-prone areas where some of the worst blockages remain, including:

• The Braden River in the Summerfield area
• Gamble Creek from Jim Davis Road to Golf Course Road
• Buffalo Creek and Cabbage Slough off of Interstate 275 in North Manatee County
• A half-mile stretch of canals along County Road 675 near the Manatee River

Bare said staff will return with an additional request of around $7.5 million to address blockages along a 4-mile stretch of the Braden River, from Lorraine Road to Interstate 75.

“Our system took a tremendous beating,” Bare said. “We’d like to be able to go into the 2025 hurricane season and be able to say … to anybody who asks, yes, we’re ready for this season.”