$7.5M in additional funds approved for Manatee County canal cleanup ahead of hurricane season

Yahoo

22-05-2025

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Manatee County has been working to clear ditches, drains, canals, and other waterways ahead of this hurricane season.
In March, commissioners approved $2 million in funding to start the work, and just this week, an additional $7.5 million was approved to continue into other areas.
Contracted crews fired up their chainsaws along Lakewood Ranch Boulevard Wednesday, focusing on clearing overgrown vegetation and debris from the Braden River.
In all, the county aims to clear 204 miles of stormwater canals and creeks.
Contract manager for the property management division in Manatee County, Jeff Bare, said this work should give residents some peace of mind going into this hurricane season.
The area where they focused their work this week saw significant flooding following Hurricane Debby last August.
'This will definitely help. They have removed literally tons of debris from the river out here. The ponds in their neighborhood all flow into that river, and with the blockages that were in the river, it would prevent or slow down the water leaving their ponds, thus creating more of a hazard of potential of flooding again with substantial rainfall,' said Bare.
The top priority right now is on the county's major waterway systems, such as Gamble Creek, Braden River, Buffalo Creek, and Cabbage Slough.
'If you don't have those major canals open, it doesn't matter if your small canal has no blockages. If your water backs up because it can't leave a large system like this, it's still going to back up into those residential areas. This is really the first step and a major step to allowing those smaller blockages to not have as big of an effect,' said Bare.
Residents who suffered damages last year are not looking forward to yet another hurricane season, but are optimistic the county's efforts will make a difference.
'I feel great, they are doing what they are doing. I wish it was a little sooner, but I am thankful for anything and everything they do at this point,' said resident Robert Dewey.
Dewey has lived in the Lakewood Ranch community for the last five years and said he hopes to see this kind of work become routine in years to come.
'This is a maintenance issue. You just can't pretend it is going to be fine and walk away from it, especially with all of the development going on. It is changing everything in terms of the water runoff and where it goes. I hope the county realizes this needs to be an ongoing maintenance thing, every five years, every 10 years, but you can't just pretend it is not gonna be an issue,' said Dewey.
We are told the first phase of work is almost finished, but the goal is to complete the remainder of the work ahead of the peak of this year's storm season.
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