Storm surge poles installed at Sarasota County beaches

To help beachgoers and coastal residents better understand the dangers of storm surge, Sarasota County is installing color-coded poles in three of the county’s beach locations.

The poles are painted four colors at graduated heights to match the National Hurricane Center’s storm-risk map, providing a visual representation of storm surge levels.

The county has installed poles at Siesta Beach and at Manasota Beach, with a third scheduled for North Jetty Beach before summer. A display is installed next to each pole with information about how the colors align with the county's warning and evacuation system. Each color represents 3 feet of water above ground level. They are:

• Blue: 1-3 feet above ground.
• Yellow: 3-6 feet above ground.
• Orange: 6-9 feet above ground.
• Red: Greater than 9 feet above ground.

Image courtesy of Sarasota County

“Storm surge can travel far inland, so we hope residents who live in an evacuation zone will prepare an evacuation plan before the start of hurricane season,” said Sarasota County Emergency Services Director Rich Collins in a news release. “We hope these poles help residents and visitors better understand the dangers of storm surge and make decisions for their loved ones.”

Areas along the Gulf Coast are vulnerable, but storm surge is not exclusively a beachfront problem. It can also travel up rivers and canals, reaching well inland from the coastline. In 2024, Hurricane Helene brought 4 to 7 feet of storm surge, followed less than two weeks later by Hurricane Milton, which produced an isolated peak of 10 feet of storm surge in the southernmost areas of the county and 4 to 9 feet along other parts of the county's coastline.

For information about the project, how to prepare for hurricane season, and the impacts that storm surge and flooding can have, visit scgov.net/beprepared.