The Sarasota County Stormwater Department at work. Photo courtesy of Sarasota County.

The management of Sarasota County’s stormwater is a critical element to resident safety, business development and overall quality of life. The area is one defined by water—not only by the Gulf of America to the west, but by the wetlands, tributaries, rainfall and tropical storms that permeate Sarasota’s semi-tropical environment. Sarasota County contains five major watersheds—Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, Dona/Roberts Bay, the Myakka River and Lemon Bay—as well approximately 600 miles of canals, 375 of which are maintained. Earlier this summer, Sarasota County created a new Stormwater Department and on August 11, Ben Quartermaine began his role as director of the department. Quartermaine, a Sarasota native, brings 25 years of stormwater management experience to the role.

“I grew up here, graduated from Riverview High School and my family and extended family are all here in Sarasota,” says Quartermaine. “Early on in my career, I worked for Sarasota County as a young engineer, reviewing development plans and helping to build our stormwater models that we work with today. Then I went into the private sector and helped design projects such as the Celery Fields and other projects throughout Sarasota and Southwest Florida that primarily deal with flood mitigation.”

Flood mitigation is the name of the game for Quartermaine and the Stormwater Department as the County heads into the heart of hurricane season. Last year, Hurricane Debbie brought an unprecedented amount of rainfall, overwhelming much of North County with flooding. Hurricanes Helene and Milton only added to the damage across the Gulf Coast. “The maintenance of our stormwater systems is one of the biggest challenges that we face throughout the year,” says Quartermaine. “Our crews are responsible for the maintenance of the creeks, channels, all of the piping systems and roadside swells and ditches throughout the county. Our goal heading into hurricane season is to ensure that those systems are working as efficiently as possible.”

Transparency is another objective of the Stormwater Department. The department is currently building an ArcGIS program that will show exactly where the crews have been working and plan to work. “It was a board directive that we, as the Stormwater Department, provide that information so if people have questions about the maintenance of stormwater systems adjacent to their house or neighborhood, they can go online and find a map system that shows them the progress that we’re making,” says Quartermaine.

Sarasota County, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, 34236

The Sarasota County Stormwater Department at work. Photo courtesy of Sarasota County.

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