Hermitage hurricane damage repairs still a year away

In its quest to purchase the Manasota Beach property it leases from Sarasota County, officials and supporters of Hermitage Artist Retreat have intimated that the county has been remiss in affecting repairs of 2024 hurricane damage there.

Not so, countered Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and National Resources Director Nicole Rissler, who told the County Commission at its Sept. 9 meeting her department is acting as quickly as the bureaucratic process — much of it beyond the county’s purview — will permit.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton pushed tons of sand and upward of 4 feet of water into beachside buildings Hermitage leases from the county, and rather than waiting for the government to respond began removing sand, making some repairs and boarding up buildings in order to resume a semblance of normal operations. 

In requiring Hermitage officials to cease and desist, they were informed that their recovery efforts run afoul of state and local procurement policy, and that official procedures must be followed.

Acknowledging the county has a full plate of storm remediation projects across all its parks and other properties, Hermitage has made an offer to acquire the historic beachfront county property and assume all maintenance and repair obligations.

Rissler told commissioners the county has secured a design-build contractor for engineering of Hermitage repairs and that staff is working with the company to expedite the process to the extent possible.

Even at that, restoration of the property is likely more than a year away.

“The need for design, engineering and permitting has to be completed, but rough estimates, pending state and local permitting and historical designation approvals, is a minimum of a year,” Rissler said. 

So why does it take so long?, Rissler asked herself rhetorically,

Photo by Ian Swaby

“This campus is historically designated. It sits on a barrier island, and it's complicated to say the very least when you talk about permitting and approvals,” she answered herself. “Why do we need all this civil engineering? That's because the Hermitage unauthorized moved tons of sand away from the buildings, but it didn't get surveyed. It hasn't been graded, and it hasn't been designed for proper drainage in the future.”

As a result, Rissler said, there could be ponding or flooding. Because the buildings are of wood construction and had 4 feet of saltwater in them, all electrical systems must be redesigned and replaced to minimize fire risk. 

“If we don't properly mitigate for future loss, we won't be eligible for any future funding from FEMA as they won't pay for repetitive losses that we haven't worked to mitigate,” she said.

Rissler’s impassioned presentation to commissioners included a rejection of any implication that the county has neglected the issues at the Hermitage campus, which consists of 8.5 acres and multiple buildings.

According to Rissler, the status of work on the Hermitage campus to date includes:

• Receipt of contractor A2's (pronounced A-squared) scope and proposal for the design and engineering for the restoration of the campus. 
• Staff met with A2 and its design team twice in recent days to discuss the proposal and ways to expedite repairs. 
• A meeting with grants, contracts and parks staff is being scheduled to discuss timeline and options for contract amendment to keep moving forward. 
• Capital projects staff are also supporting the review of the proposal to look for any areas of concern or areas of efficiency. 
• Complete campus restoration timeline is still unclear absent design, engineering and permitting, but rough estimates pending state and local permitting and historical designation approvals is a minimum of a year.

Construction costs are not net known due to design work needed for proper repair and mitigation efforts. 

Staff will proceed with full campus restoration plans, Rissler said, unless directed otherwise by the commission. A full presentation is being prepared for the commission to receive in October, which will include details for repairs, restoration, alternate delivery methods and other factors for consideration.

“If we change course, staff are developing a discussion related to the land conveyance proposal from the Hermitage,” Rissler said. “Right now, we're keeping those separate and distinct conversations. The appraisals have been ordered, and the land use analysis is underway.”

Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg told the Observer he was surprised that the issue was discussed at Tuesday’s meeting.

In a letter he sent to Rissler and County Administrator Jonathan Lewis on Wednesday, he wrote, “Had we known the Hermitage repairs were going to be discussed yesterday … some of our trustees and staff and I would have happily made ourselves available to address any of the concerns that were raised.

“For the record, we have yet to receive any notice from you or any county official regarding the concerns you mentioned in the report. We have not been made aware of outstanding violations aside from your mention at yesterday’s BCC meeting.”

A formal discussion between the commission and Hermitage representatives has yet to be set as staff continues discussions for possible sale of the property. Hermitage officials say they want to acquire the site in order to finish recovery efforts they’ve started. Short of following FEMA protocols, however, any repairs they make may not, literally, hold water in the long run and disqualify Hermitage from future recovery relief.

“We have always been open, honest and realistic with the timeline and the challenges of restoration of this historic gulf-front location, the importance of restoration in a way that optimizes FEMA reimbursement and mitigates for future losses, and it will continue to be a priority for us,” Rissler said. “For anyone to accuse or insinuate that we have not been genuine or acting in the best interest of the county and its assets is disheartening and just wrong.”