Stormwater History

A major stormwater improvement project was completed on St. Armands. A map of pump stations and baffle boxes, and a summary of the project details, can be viewed here.

Not all of St. Armands Key drains by gravity alone.  Previous to this project, there was a single pump station on St. Armands (PS 2005).  This project rehabilitated that pump station, added four additional pump stations (for a total of five; each pump station has two pumps for a total of ten), added baffle boxes to collect debris and prevent it from reaching the pumps, and added two backup generators to power the pumps.

Response from County Stormwater Operations Manager to a photo (see below) submitted by a St. Armands resident:

All the drains were inspected and what needed to be cleaned was cleaned. This was the one you called to me just prior to Debby coming in.

The reason why we had reported this particular storm drain was because Hurricane Debby was coming and a nearby resident had just sent this photo:

  

The County Stormwater Operations Manager personally came out that same day and reported the following:

"I am here now. The incoming and outgoing pipe are both clear and flowing. The vegetation is laying down and not obstructing the drainage."

Most of our storm drains lead to one of several below-grade "baffle boxes" that collect debris in "cages" before it can reach and clog/damage our stormwater pumps. The county has previously told us that they clean these out quarterly. The city is responsible for street sweeping. But, when you're out and about, if you notice debris or vegetation potentially clogging an individual storm drain, it needs to be reported.

Our Association email to Interim City Manager (who is also the city Public Works Director) and Deputy City Manager:

I'm writing on behalf of the Board of Directors of the St. Armands Residents Association to request that the city inspect our below-grade stormwater drain pipes.

After two years of damaging flood events on St. Armands, we know the following to be true:

1. Our pumps have been unreliable, and when they have failed, stormwater has not been draining.
2. Temporary pumps with generators have had to be brought in to remove the water from our streets.
3. The city recently mulched our medians and park, despite past flood events moving mulch into our storm drains
4. The recent hurricane floods deposited clay-like mud all over St. Armands and it has entered our drains. This mud will not be collected in baffle boxes. How and when will it get removed?

Are our pipes clogged? Have they collapsed? Or are they just inadequate? We'd like the city to figure this out, and then put together a plan to address it.

We believe that the correct approach is to "televise the storm system piping" to find any breaks and obstructions. We expect that you will find that our underground drain pipes are clogged or have collapsed to varying degrees so that flood water does not drain as designed, if at all.

We ask that this gets done before the upcoming summer rain and storm season. Could you please let me know what, if anything, will be done, and when to expect it?

Response from County Stormwater Operations Manager:

I understand 2024 has been a very trying year. We have weathered four storms. I want to rehash each storm, if I may, for your good and mine.

June 11th flash flood event [Invest 90L] caused the first flooding problem. The pump station panels went underwater and needed to be replaced.

Pre-storm

• This was not predicted, but we had all stations running and several pumps were replaced with new ones at this time.

Post-storm

• Pumps were brought in to lower the water level and get the infrastructure up and running again.
• All panels were replaced at a higher elevation, and emergency pumpouts were installed.
• Stormwater catchbasins were inspected and cleaned as needed.

On August 5th, Debby stalled over the county, dropping approximately 18 inches of rain and had little effect on St. Armands.

Pre-storm

• All stations were inspected and tested to ensure they were functioning properly.
• All infrastructure was visually inspected and cleaned as needed.
• Rented pumps

Post-storm

• All stations were inspected to ensure they remained functioning.
• All stormwater infrastructure was inspected and cleaned as needed.

On September 24th Helene brought some rain and four to five foot storm surge at a high tide. The Circle had five to six feet of water. All the new panels went underwater, and were shorted out again. This also caused generator failure behind the Fire Station (water in the fuel) and the Fillmore parking (winding failure), which is currently under repair.

Pre-storm

• All stations were inspected and tested to ensure they were functioning properly.
• All infrastructure was visually inspected and cleaned as needed.
• Rented pumps and generators

Post-storm

• Pumps were brought in to lower the water level and get the infrastructure up and running again.
• Panels were inspected, and parts were ordered to replace appurtenances that came in contact with the saltwater.
• The City of Sarasota began removing sand from the roadways.
• All stormwater infrastructure was inspected and cleaned as needed.

On October 5th Milton brought wind and storm surge. Creating another flooding event with 2 feet of water in the circle.

Pre-storm

• All stations were inspected and tested to ensure they were functioning properly.
• All infrastructure was visually inspected and cleaned as needed.
• Rented pumps and generators

Post-storm

• Pumps were brought in to lower the water level and get the infrastructure up and running again.
• Stations appeared to run.
• The City of Sarasota continued removing sand from the roadways.
• All stormwater infrastructure was inspected and cleaned as needed.
• Finished cleaning all the outfall pipes on Ben Franklin Dr. October 29th.

Jan. 6th we put in a Work Order to clean and televise all the infrastructure around St. Armands Circle. The assessment should begin in early March and be completed by the end of March. The baffle boxes are already inspected quarterly and cleaned as needed. I hope this addresses your concerns.

We received responses to 21 questions that we sent to the County Director of Public Works and Stormwater Operations Manager.

Televising Stormwater Pipes

(1) The county was supposed to televise our stormwater pipes during the month of March. What were the results?

We haven't completed this task. It is an ongoing project. It looks really good from what was cleaned and televised to this point. Some of the pipes were dirty, but there were no blockages.

(2) Are photos or videos available?

Once completed, we can share.

(3) What technology and methodology was used to televise the drains, and were any robotics used like those at https://redzone.com/?

We do not use Redzone; we utilize closed-circuit television equipment (CCTV).

(4) Was the work limited to the St. Armands commercial district, or did it include residential streets as well?

Please see the attached map. The yellow lines are being cleaned and televised.

(5) How many and what percentage of our storm drains got cameras inserted, broken down by commercial district and residential streets?

It is mainly Commercial.

(6) What percentage of our underground pipes got televised, broken down by commercial district and residential streets?

It is mainly Commercial.

(7) On January 4, 2024, the county told us that "Gravity stormwater pipeline joints are connected with gaskets or put together with Ram Neck (a tar-like material), and then the joints are wrapped with cloth. This process prevents the sand from entering the pipe; however, the joint can still allow water to flow into the pipe. Although this is not an acceptable practice for sanitary sewers that need sealed joints, it is for storm sewers." To what extent were the cameras able to effectively navigate these joints for the purpose of televising the drain pipes?

They are not having any problems. The joints have gaskets.

(8) What, if any, actions has the county taken or is planning to take as a result of the televising of St. Armands storm drains?

Compromised pipeline will be scheduled for repairs via direct bury, sectional liners, or whole liners from catchbasin to catchbasin.

Storm Drain and Pipe Cleaning

(9) People observed what looked like water jets being used to clean out storm drains. Was this done before or after televising them?

Pipeline is cleaned before televising the pipe segment.

(10) In one case, it was observed that jetted water was inserted into one storm drain (drop), and was coming out of a storm drain (drop) across the street. This was where Fillmore Dr connects with St. Armands Circle. Is that a sign that the drain pipe was clogged since the water was coming back up on the street and not draining?

No, it means the nozzle made it from one side of the street to the other. When the nozzle reaches the other side, it sprays through the gate. This is normal.

Backflow Preventers

Background: It is our understanding that St. Armands Key has nine outfalls from which stormwater drains, or is pumped into, the bay. Four of these outfalls, the four that drain by gravity alone, are supposed to have Tideflex Duckbill Backflow Preventers on the ends of the outfalls. The other five outfalls do not have these because these are the outfalls that have check-valves (a different type of backflow prevention) built into the pump stations that feed them. On January 12, 2004, the county told us that our five pump stations "have check valves In the vault, which prevent the discharge pipes from backflowing into the wetwell. There is no need for Tideflex valves in these locations."

(11) On January 4, 2024, the county told us that "we have four Tide Flex Valves on the system. They have all been inspected and are functioning". In February 2025, we took a photo (pasted at the bottom of this email) showing the Tideflex Duckbill Backflow Preventer located near the southern end of St. Armands in the vicinity of Fillmore Dr had broken off at the end of the outfall. When does the county plan to fix this?

Well, thank you for letting us know. I will get a work order put in to repair the tideflex valve.

(12) When does the county plan to inspect the other three outfall locations that are also supposed to have the Tideflex Duckbill Backflow Preventers to see if they might have also broken off?

I do not think that will be the case, but we will check them while there.

(13) On January 9, 2004, the county told us that the check valves (backflow prevention) at Pump Station PS 2005 "are shot". What was the cause of this and how was this remedied?

Saltwater corroded the valve unusable. The vendor replaced the entire valve assembly.

(14) What condition are the check valves in at our other four pump station locations and what is the county's plan to repair or replace these to prevent failure during a future storm event?

The rest of the station were already plumbed with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) piping and check valves.

Backup Generators (behind Fire Station and behind The Met)

(15) On October 3, 2024, the county told us that "Both generator station fuel tanks suffered water infiltration during Helene. Emergency service was performed to clean and refuel the generators." What is the condition of those generators today, and what will be done to keep this same thing from happening in a future flood event?

The generator behind the fire station has been repaired, and is operational. The generator in the parking lot sustained major damage and is not currently functioning. The windings and the stator were destroyed from saltwater intrusion, and parts are not available because of age. We are currently waiting on two estimates for a complete replacement. Unfortunately, if we get a high storm surge, the generators will fail.

In addition to what is written for Q15, we do have plans to rent back-up generators for the season that will be pre-deployed as possible to power the south generator location and/or the north location if that were to be compromised.

Pump Station Control Panels

(16) The county has told us that "All the new panels went underwater, and were shorted out again... Panels were inspected, and parts were ordered to replace appurtenances that came in contact with the saltwater." Can the panels be waterproofed to prevent this from happening again?

The panels are waterproof and higher. The water came in through the underground conduit.

(17) The Longboat Observer printed an article on January 25, 2025 (https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2025/jan/29/town-resiliency-lift-stations/) saying that: "At those lift stations are electrical control panels that manage the amount of wastewater within that lift station. Currently, the control panels are fixed about one to two feet off of the ground" and that the town is looking at "Having them on a pole that can be elevated in the event of a possible storm". Can this be done with the St. Armands stormwater panels?

They have already been elevated from one foot to four feet. This is standard practice for all of the county's 800 wastewater stations.

Use of Wood Mulch

(18) After multiple recent flooding events and after televising our drains, what is the county's opinion of the city's continued use of wood mulch on St. Armands: is it not a problem, or should alternatives be investigated?

Yes, mulch was cleaned out if the drains, but so was a lot of trash and yard waste.

Temporary, Trailer-Mounted Pumps with Generators

(19) It has been observed that the county and/or the city has been staging temporary, trailer-mounted pumps and generators on St. Armands so that they can be quickly activated should our permanent pumps fail. Is that the continued plan going forward?

Yes, it is. However, we pulled back the generators and the pumps during Helene and Milton due to the predicted surge. That was a very positive move, or we would have lost all of our backups.

(20) What triggers the decision to bring out the trailer-mounted pumps with generators?

Generators and pumps are two different things. Portable pumps are used to lower the water hydraulically, and generators supply power to the pumps in the station. The missions system or SCADA makes us aware of the problems as they are happening.

(21) Do we, as the residents association, need to ask for this to be done each time, or can we trust that it will be done when appropriate?

We are usually aware of this and will respond as quickly as possible, but when in doubt, let us know.

We received answers to six additional follow-up questions that we had sent to the County:

(1) The county has not completed the work of televising our storm drains yet, even though they had previously indicated the work would be performed in March.

When will the work be completed, and when will a report be provided to the city?

Unfortunately, the county didn’t complete the system by the end of March due to equipment failure. With the added pipeline request, it should be complete by mid May. The videos will be reviewed and followup work orders produced as needed. The county will provide the videos to the city, but there will not be an engineers report.

(2) The county mainly televised drains in the commercial district, not the residential district, despite there being homes that have been flooded four times in the last two years. See the map below. Nothing was televised in our hardest-hit northeast quadrant.

Could you request that the county televise the entirety of Madison Dr from end-to-end, and also N Adams Dr, N Washington Dr, and John Ringling Blvd in the area all around the St. Armands Parking Garage, the St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, Pump Station PS 2005, Pump Station PS 7010, and Baffle Box BB# 5-10-65? (this has been the most flooded area from rain-only events)

The county added the northeast section of the circle to the work assignment. It will be cleaned and televised.

(3) The county cleaned the drains BEFORE televising them. I suppose this makes sense if you're looking for damaged pipes. But we wanted to know how clogged the drains had gotten and how that could have impeded drainage.

For any televising not yet performed, can that be done both BEFORE and after the cleaning?

For drain pipes that have already been televised, was any record kept regarding the amount of mud and debris removed prior to televising?

Pipeline needs to be cleaned before the camera is sent in to televise. The County had to dump their truck once since cleaning on St Armands Circle because it was going in for service. There was approximately three yards of debris in the truck, not much at all.

(4) One of the answers says: "Compromised pipeline will be scheduled for repairs via direct bury, sectional liners, or whole liners from catchbasin to catchbasin." No detail was provided about whether or not any of this would be necessary at all, how much of each repair method would likely have to be done, and the timeframe for doing it.

Could we get more information about this?

Also, if any of this is necessary in the portion of the island that was televised, wouldn't that be an indicator that it might also be necessary in the portions of St. Armands that were not televised?

The county has completed 75% of the pipeline originally scheduled, and no defects or failures have been Identified to date.

(5) One of our two backup generators is inoperable and apparently can not be repaired. It provides backup power to pump stations PS 7010 (east side of St. Armands) and PS 3015 (south side of St. Armands). These pump stations will no longer work in the event of a power outage.

What is the timeline for this generator to be replaced?

The county is currently getting quotes and will expedite the process as quickly as possible. In the meantime a rental generator will be installed May 23rd and will remain in service until the new generator is installed.

(6) The county indicated that wood mulch was pulled out of the storm drains, but they did not make a recommendation about whether the city's continued use of wood mulch in the park and in our medians is a good idea. We would like to share this recommendation with residential and commercial property owners.

What is the county's recommendation on this?

The county doesn’t have a recommendation; it is up to the city, but it would be preferable to have something less buoyant.

We sent these additional follow-up questions to the County Director of Public Works and we have never received an answer:

Just over six weeks ago, on April 15, you sent answers to some of our stormwater questions... I'm hoping that six weeks is enough time for new updates to be available. Specifically:

(1) You wrote: "the county didn’t complete the system by the end of March due to equipment failure. With the added pipeline request, it should be complete by mid May," The additional pipeline request referred to Madison Dr in the northeast quadrant. Has the televising of the pipes been completed? Can you provide an updated map of where this work was done? Here is the previous map:

(2) Some residents have asked me if any pictures or videos of the televising of the pipes are available, and if anything was found that needs to be fixed. The April 18 County newsletter mentioned this. Is there anything notable that you can share about the results?

(3) Regarding the inoperable backup generator at the Fillmore Parking Lot, you wrote: "The county is currently getting quotes and will expedite the process as quickly as possible. In the meantime a rental generator will be installed May 23rd and will remain in service until the new generator is installed." We've noticed that the rental generator is in place per the picture below--thank you. What is the status of the new replacement generator?

(4) It is my understanding that there are nine outfalls on St. Armands, five of which serve our pump stations which have in-line backflow preventers in the pump chamber, and that the four outfalls that drain by gravity alone are supposed to have Tideflex Check Valves on the ends of the pipes. We sent the picture below showing that the Tideflex check valve had broken off one of these (southeast quadrant). I don't see the Tideflex check valves on the ends of the other gravity-fed outfalls. What is the status of getting the broken Tideflex check valve repaired? And can you explain why I don't see them on the other outfalls that drain by gravity alone?

Thank you. I really appreciate your time and attention to these matters.

Note:  We have never received a reply to these four questions.

Sarasota County Press Release:  Ben Quartermaine named the first Director of Stormwater Department

SARASOTA, FL – Ben Quartermaine has been selected as the county’s director of the newly structured Stormwater Department. He’s expected to assume the role Aug. 11, upon successful completion of the County’s standard pre-employment processes. This marks a significant step in the county’s dedication to enhancing its stormwater stewardship.

“Ben’s deep technical knowledge, passion for water resource conservation and proven leadership make him the ideal person to head our stormwater efforts,” said Jonathan Lewis, Sarasota County Administrator. “We are confident his expertise and leadership will prepare us for the future.”

Quartermaine previously worked for Sarasota County in stormwater operations. He was born and raised in Sarasota. He has nearly 30 years of experience in civil design and stormwater infrastructure throughout Florida and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Central Florida. A lifelong Floridian, he’s led sustainable watershed management projects and renewable energy initiatives while working as a Senior Project Manager at Stantec.

Established in July 2025, the Stormwater Department is dedicated to enhancing flood protection, improving stormwater quality and supporting healthy watersheds throughout Sarasota County.

In his new role, Quartermaine will develop and implement comprehensive stormwater and flood mitigation strategies, lead infrastructure planning, maintenance and inter-agency collaboration.

For additional information about the Stormwater Department, please visit scgov.net/government/stormwater.