‘We’re anxious.’ Bradenton neighbors call on city to speed up sewage fixes
Bradenton leaders have repeatedly promised to fix the city’s troubled wastewater system, but residents of one neighborhood say they want to see quicker progress on a long-term solution.
The River Haven neighborhood along the Manatee River is a hot spot for sewage problems — one of the worst in the city. In interviews with the Bradenton Herald, neighbors questioned the city’s temporary solution and said they would prefer to see headway on a permanent fix.
The neighborhood’s lift station, one of the oldest in Bradenton, is in critical condition and in danger of failing, city officials say. To prevent that, Bradenton leaders plan to install a temporary lift station in the neighborhood to avoid a disaster while working toward a long-term solution.
Lift stations are responsible for moving wastewater to the city’s treatment facility, but the neighborhood’s 80-year-old lift station has been on life support for about eight years. Now, as city officials propose the temporary solution, residents are skeptical that it will only be a “Band-Aid.”
“We have to see something tangible,” resident Bob Seybold said about the longer-term project. “I want to see shovels in the ground.”
City officials provided an update on the temporary lift station at the end of August, saying the temporary lift station was imminent, but the larger project to fix the area’s wastewater was still a top priority.
City officials say temporary fix is necessary
But city officials continue to press for the temporary lift station near Lift Station No. 13. Perry said the station was originally built with a 16-inch structural concrete standard, which has deteriorated to four inches and is in danger of collapsing.
In May, the Bradenton City Council agreed to purchase a residential property at 2502 Riverside Drive E. for $441,000. The house belonged to former City Councilman Bill Sanders, whose political career in Bradenton was marred by strife with fellow council members and city staff.
The decision to buy the home had nothing to do with Bill Sanders’ turbulent history with the city, Mayor Gene Brown previously told the Bradenton Herald. Instead, the site was ideal because of its proximity to the ailing lift station, according to Brown and City Administrator Rob Perry.
However, the clouded status of the title for the house — due to Sanders’ divorce from his wife — may present challenges. If it can’t be resolved, the city may need to proceed with the sale through eminent domain, an issue the city council considered during a recent public meeting.
At the meeting, Ellen Sanders explained the legal troubles she has dealt with surrounding the home due to Bill Sanders’ lack of cooperation in signing the deed.
“I do want to sell that home,” Ellen Sanders said. “Eminent domain, I believe, is the only way that you guys probably will be able to get it because Bill (Sanders) refuses to come to Iowa and refuses to sign a deed.”
Bill Sanders responded by telling city council members that the eminent domain route would not be easy.
“I think you’re going to have a long road ahead,” Bill Sanders said.
After a discussion that reaffirmed the location of the site was critical to the project, the city council unanimously approved the option of pursuing the purchase through eminent domain.
The temporary lift station is part of the city’s larger plan to revamp the wastewater system in the River Haven area. Over five years, officials plan to upgrade the capacity of nearby Lift Station No. 3 so that Lift Station No. 13 can be taken offline and demolished.
Residents want action on larger project
While city officials say they need to build a temporary lift station first, neighbors in the area say they want to see progress on the larger, long-term solution.
Residents claim that the River Haven community has not received improvements from the city, particularly in addressing its wastewater issues, for decades. High tides and storm events can cause the lift station to become overwhelmed, leading to wastewater in the streets.
At a recent meeting with the Bradenton Herald, about 20 residents shared their concerns about the city’s plans for the temporary lift station.
“We’re anxious to see something happen in a forward direction,” Seybold said.
In 2023, the City of Bradenton received a grant for nearly $3 million from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), which will be matched with another $3 million in city funding.
Since then, residents say they have not seen a schedule or active construction.
“It’s supposedly an emergency, and the best they can tell us is that it’s a five-year fix,” resident Scott Weaver said. “That’s not an emergency…There’s no urgency on anybody’s part.”
Like Weaver, Seybold said he feels the city is “kicking the can.” When asked what the city could do, Weaver said increased communication and a realistic schedule would help ease some minds.
“I want to see someone step up to the plate, grab the bull by the horns and set a schedule,” Weaver said.
But the project is a complicated endeavor for the city, and part of its larger “Face It, Fix It” initiative to resolve its chronic wastewater problems by improving many of the city’s 64 lift stations and other wastewater infrastructure. Perry described it as an unprecedented undertaking for the city.
“I don’t think the city’s ever done a project of this magnitude,” Perry said.
That’s why construction could take three to four years, split up into three phases, according to Perry. The phases include replacing private laterals from nearby residential properties, replacing the aging collection system under the right-of-way and upgrading Lift Station No. 3.
City Councilwoman Lisa Gonzalez Moore, whose district includes the River Haven community, called the project one of her top priorities.
“That’s very important to me that that project happens,” Moore said. “It’s very ambitious…I can’t think of something as ambitious as replacing an entire collection system that the city’s had to do in the past.”
Balancing the need for a temporary station
Some of the neighbors’ distrust stems from the fact that the “temporary” bypass pump keeping Lift Station No. 13 operating was intended as a short-term solution, but has turned into what some residents call an “eyesore” for nearly eight years.
But city officials continue to emphasize the critical condition of Lift Station No. 13 and its vulnerability to failure. If it were to fail, it would mean about 170 homes without a wastewater collection system.
“It’s not a risk I think is appropriate to take on behalf of 170 homes that could really be facing a problem if the worst happens,” Moore said.
During high tides, rainy days and large storms, the River Haven neighborhood often experiences significant flooding. With an abundance of stormwater permeating the aging wastewater collection system, the dated lift stations are at an increased risk of failure.
Lift station failure could also result in sewage discharges into the nearby Manatee River, leading to large fines for the city.
Another concern from residents is that the city would feel less pressured to make ground on the larger project with a stable temporary lift station acting as a safeguard.
At a City Council meeting in April, Moore acknowledged that residents in the area have lost trust in the city.
“There’s also issues of trust,” Moore said. “I think that, from their perspective, being in that older part of the city, they want to make sure the larger project happens.”
The FDEP grant, which must be used by the end of September 2026, is one assurance that the city is working toward the larger project, she added. Perry said extensions are possible, but the grant process will keep some pressure on the city to make progress on the Lift Station No. 3 and No. 13 project.
“The allocation of dollars is kind of where the rubber meets the road,” Moore said. “And so since we’re already at the stage where we created a fund for the match, that gives me reassurance that the city has already done the internal process of making sure the dollars match up with the work.”
Progress made on temporary lift station
In March, city officials met at Bob and Linda Seybold’s house for a community meeting with River Haven residents to discuss the temporary lift station. At the time, a median dubbed the “pork chop” was presented as a possible location for a temporary lift station.
But then, at the city council’s April 9 meeting, River Haven residents told the city council they had concerns about using the “pork chop” due to line-of-sight issues and the possibility that a facility in the middle of a road would impede roadway access.
Perry said at that meeting, the “pork chop” was a starting point so the city could receive a cost estimate for the temporary station — an estimate of about $381,000. That’s also when Moore told fellow council members about the lack of trust she heard from her constituents in that area.
Then, in May, Perry proposed buying the Sanders house on Riverside Drive East for $441,000 to build the temporary lift station. The house had been listed since January, according to Zillow.
On Aug. 27, Lance Williams, the city’s chief operating officer, said parts for the temporary lift station had been ordered. He said once the parts arrive and the location is secured, it will take about 90 days to build the temporary station.
When Brown asked about the status of the Sanders house, City Attorney Scott Rudacille said the city will explore both avenues to purchase the property, whether it’s willingly or through eminent domain.
“We will pursue legal remedies...should there be further — what we believe to be — improper resistance,” Perry said.
Moore also provided an update, saying the blue pump on the street was replaced with a new one, but it is “just as ugly and unattractive.” She said having the new temporary lift station will be an improvement, but she remains focused on the larger project.
“As excited as I am to have the sub-pump that is operating current Lift Station 13... without progress, or apparent progress on Lift Station 3’s expansion, the neighborhood is always concerned that the temporary will become permanent,” Moore said. “And that is absolutely not the intent or what anyone wants.”
Williams assured the council that design on Lift Station 3’s expansion is underway, but the immediate focus is on supporting the area around Lift Station 13 to prevent “catastrophic” loss in the area.
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
