Over $500M in utility improvements are coming to Sarasota County

SARASOTA COUNTY – In the next five years, Sarasota County is slated to spend more than $500 million to update its aging water and utility infrastructure system.

The county is also growing, as is the cost of maintaining its water, wastewater and reclaimed water system that’s spread out over 25 miles from University Parkway down to North Port.

At the same time, Sarasota County commissioners will be faced with several major policy hurdles in the not so distant future, including converting unregulated private underground pipes and maintenance structure, such as those found in mobile home parks, to the county’s wastewater collection system.

Sarasota also buys a large percentage of its water from Manatee County and that purchase agreement ends five years from now. Efforts to extend the agreement have proven unsuccessful.