- December 8, 2025
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When the Sarasota City Commission takes up the matter of a request by the City Commission for $25 million in Resilient SRQ funds for St. Armands Key on Dec. 16, Chris Goglia wants to pack the meeting chamber.
Last week, the president of the St. Armands Residents’ Association issued a plea via email to its membership to make the trip to Venice, where the commission will meet until the county’s new administration building opens early next year. He said a show of force may be necessary to convince commissioners that, after years of perceived neglect of the key’s stormwater drainage systems at the hands of the county, the time to act is now.
Only two days after sending the email, Goglia said the response inspires optimism for the turnout.
“If we have 30 speakers, and I think that's a realistic number, and they all use their three minutes, that’s an hour and a half right there of public comment,” Goglia said. “This is a regular County Commission meeting with a huge agenda. I could see us having 40 speakers.”
The group of advocates will include key staff from the city of Sarasota. Similarly, Goglia anticipates the same from the town of Longboat Key, whose primary interest is access to and from the south end of the key is through St. Armands. Following hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, up to 3 feet of water cut off that access for several days, covering the streets.
“Every stakeholder group that I can think of is going to be there saying this project is important, and they're going to be hitting the from all different angles — investing in homes, investing in businesses and being a viable tourism destination.” Goglia said.
St. Armands doesn’t flood only during hurricanes — much of the 2024 flooding came from storm surge — but has also suffered heavy rain events. The pump system, which has often failed to keep up, is to blame, and may compromise the Gulf and Bay outfalls.
Sarasota County administers stormwater management in the city, including St. Armands, via interlocal agreement.
County Commissioner Mark Smith, whose District 1 includes St. Armands, Lido Key and the portion Longboat Key within Sarasota County, said a show of support will be important as commissioners balance Resilient SRQ funds — $57 million of which is earmarked for repair, replacement and enhancement of public infrastructure to mitigate future risks and address urgent needs — with other requests countywide.
“It’s very important. St. Armands is the crossroads because it's an evacuation route,” Smith said. “It’s the gate that you’ve got to get through in order to get off the islands. You can elevate your residence or your business, but you're not going anywhere if you can't get through the circle.”
Smith said stormwater maintenance has been in general neglect countywide, and until recent years the county has been “lucky” to avoid major hurricanes for decades. The recent separation of stormwater maintenance from the Public Works Department and the appointment of Ben Quartermaine to head the new Stormwater Department, he said, will help the county play catch-up on updating “older systems like St. Armands.”
“I feel their pain of being flooded myself,” Smith said. “My office was flooded. It missed my house by a foot. I’m not sure the whole $25 million is going to make it out there, but we’ve got to have some money. Like with everything in government, there’s always more need than money. I’m not sure how many millions it's going to take, but we have to devote enough to get the rainwater out and keep sea water from coming in.”
As a significant attraction for tourists, visitors and residents alike, Gogila said the importance of addressing St. Armands flooding ranges farther than just the residents and commercial property owners there.
“If you think about great cities around the world, they have an identity. They market that identity, and they’ve really tied it to St. Armands and all the barrier islands,” Goglia said. “This is a plea to the county not to let that just wither away.”
