Construction debris raises concerns downtown

Walking from the Sarasota Farmers Market in late December, Sean O’Neil noticed something strange: snowfall.

Or, at least, something that looked like snow. O’Neil and his friends remarked on the tiny white flakes falling from the sky near the Whole Foods complex on Second Street — a seasonally appropriate phenomenon, yet curious for Southwest Florida.

A couple of weeks later, after the first of the year, O’Neil noticed the flakes again. This time, he was able to track down the source: It was plastic foam. The debris was falling from the 10-story, 180-unit The DeSota apartments construction site, located at the corner of Second Street and Central Avenue.

“A lot of this stuff was coming down, gathering in the mulch and the gardens nearby,” O’Neil said.

He asked a construction worker what the story was behind the foam flakes. He said the employees told him it was perfectly legal to do what they were doing, and the material was biodegradable. He wanted more evidence — and had a tough time finding it.

O’Neil works nearby, at the Sarasota Music Conservatory. He noticed the debris persisting, and tried to ask somebody at the city for information on the proper regulations. He didn’t get a substantive answer there, either.

Eventually, he said, project contractor Core Construction assured him the foam would get cleaned up. But in February, O’Neil saw more debris, so he sought a different avenue to get attention. He made a 4-minute video detailing the problem, titled “Styrofoam Styrofoam Everywhere SRQ,” and posted it to YouTube.

In the video, which includes pictures O’Neil took of the foam in the gutters and storm drains along Second Street, he expresses concern about the potential impact of the debris filtering into Sarasota Bay. O’Neil felt moved to create the video because of the lack of response he was getting.

“There was no intention to cause a ruckus,” O’Neil said. “I went through the proper channels, and the channels didn’t seem to be working.”

“I went through the proper channels, and the channels didn’t seem to be working.” — Sean O’Neil

The video has received more than 225 views. One of those viewers was David Quaderer, who found the video after O’Neil posted it to Facebook. He felt just as concerned about the potential impacts, and he sent the video to the City Commission.

“That’s not the kind of publicity we need for Sarasota,” Quaderer said. “It didn’t seem like Sean’s initial requests to staff were being addressed — at least not with the urgency that needed to be had.”

The city has indicated that its ability to regulate the impact of construction sites is relatively limited. In the past, City Attorney Robert Fournier has said disputes between contractors and private citizens are civil matters, not something staff is in a position to address.

But where O’Neil was frustrated by his inability to get a meaningful response, Quaderer said he made quick progress. City Commissioner Suzanne Atwell forwarded his message on to city administration. Soon after, Quaderer heard that Core Construction would have its crews use a vacuum system to clean the debris falling off the construction site.

“I got an immediate response that day from the city,” Quaderer said. “Overall, I’m fairly pleased the city was as responsive as it was.”

Representatives for Core Construction did not respond to several requests for comment.

O’Neil said he’s happy to see the impacts of construction being mitigated, but thinks it’s almost impossible to eliminate them completely.

“I saw it coming down again the other day,” O’Neil said. “I’m sure there’s still plenty getting blown away.”