SWFL water manager cites complaint with Sarasota in denying Bobby Jones water quality project

Apr. 13—SARASOTA — Sarasota's own representative on a state board that manages regional water resources recently voted against a $1.5 million grant targeted for a crucial wetland redevelopment project at Bobby Jones Golf Course.

The denial was "highly unusual and something I never experienced in my 27 years of public service," said Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown in an email to city commissioners and staff informing them of the decision.

In a 2-1 subcommittee vote last week, Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Vice Chairman Joel Schleicher voted to deny the city's request that the district contribute half of the $3 million construction cost to build an 18-acre wetland treatment system next to the municipal course.

The regional project is meant to restore wetlands and improve water quality by filtering tons of impurities and nutrients before water enters the Phillippi Creek and eventually Sarasota Bay. It was highly ranked by the state and supported by the city of Sarasota and Sarasota County.

Schleicher's objection did not appear to be focused on the project itself but on his dislike of the city of Sarasota and its apparent complaints about other projects.

For about five minutes, Schleicher, a technology company CEO who was appointed to the board in 2017 by former gov. Rick Scott, lambasted the city's mismanagement of Lift Station 87 and grievances over street flooding issues on U.S. 41 near the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Sarasota.

Schleicher subsequently denied an attempt to bring the proposal before the full 13-member board that oversees water resources across a 16-county region, including Sarasota-Manatee. For projects to receive consideration, they need the blessing from the area's representative.

Schleicher, who represents Sarasota and Charlotte counties on the water board, has repeatedly railed against city officials in recent years.

In a blogpost last year, he equated Sarasota city officials to "drunken sailors" and criticized their attempts to redevelop Bobby Jones Golf Course and other efforts.

In an interview with the Herald-Tribune on Monday, Brown, the city's manager, said that Schleicher's attempt to block the project would likely amount to a temporary setback (construction is supposed to begin in December). Brown said that the city commission may consider formally appealing their request for funding or explore the possibility of funding the project itself.

To Brown, the opportunity to treat billions of gallons of water full of nutrients that contribute to harmful algal blooms before it reaches Sarasota Bay and other waterways is too important to pass up.

"This is not about us, it's about Sarasota County and our entire region," Brown said.

For years the city has struggled to settle on plans to redevelop the nearly 300-acre historic Bobby Jones Golf Course. Last year, city commissioners agreed to reduce the size of the municipal course and expand park land. Included in the effort is a conservation easement and the construction of a wetlands system that would create additional wildlife habitat and significant stormwater quality improvement in the heart of Sarasota.

An estimated 2.6 billion gallons of water flows through Bobby Jones every year. The project was supported by the county largely because it would help mitigate polluted water collected from 5,800 acres north of the municipal course.

In 2019, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that instructed the five water management districts to prioritize funding to focus on projects that will address harmful algal blooms.

The project in Sarasota received a high ranking from the water management district's staff ahead of last week's meeting.

Thursday's vote came as a shock to government officials and environmental advocates.

Jon Thaxton said he was "stunned."

"It's unimaginable that Sarasota County taxpayer's money would be rejected for coming back to county for water quality, the exact and precise reason the money was collected in the first place," said Thaxton, a former county commissioner and senior vice president of community investment for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

Earlier this year, the nonprofit published a first-of-its kind resource to spur and guide community-wide action to transform water quality throughout Sarasota County. One key takeaway: Restoring and enhancing wetlands is among the most cost-effective nutrient reduction and climate mitigation tools available to local governments.

Phillippi Creek is a key piece to those efforts. It flows 7.2 miles from the Celery Fields east of Interstate 75 to Robarts Bay, and the quality of the water from the creek is critical to health of the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota's beaches.

The project would divert two canals to Phillippi Creek. These diversions would de-channelize the linear ditches dug years ago and create a slower, more natural flow of water through the wetlands. These biological processes in the wetlands would reduce the pollutants and nutrient concentrations in the water before discharging into Phillippi Creek.

The hope is to restore wetlands impacted almost a century ago by the construction of the golf course.

The decision to reject the city of Sarasota's proposal comes at crucial time for the area's environment. The environmental disaster at Piney Point dumped tens of millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the Tampa Bay.

"The timing couldn't be worse for us to be turned down for a project like this," Thaxton said.

'Highly irregular'

City Commissioner Erik Arroyo, who represents the area east Sarasota that includes Bobby Jones, declined to comment.

"Making public statements would be premature on that topic," Arroyo said.

Mayor Hagen Brody said he was "disappointed" to hear the water board had rejected the proposal.

"It's disappointing considering that approximately 2.6 billion gallons of storm water runoff flows through Bobby Jones every year on its way to our bay," Brody said. "That's billion with a B, collected from about 5,800 acres of the city and county. I can't think of a more impactful water quality improvement project locally, which is why we need to get it done with or without SWFWMD's help, but it would be nice to have their support."

Christine Johnson is the president of the Conservation Foundation of the Gulfcoast, the nonprofit that negotiated a conservation easement on the municipal course and is helping raise money for capital costs for the park.

"This project ranked 'High Priority' by SWFWMD staff and for good reason," Johnson wrote to the governing board on Thursday. "The public is very much behind the plan to restore wetlands."

Nancy Milholland lives near the municipal course and is the founder of the Conserve Bobby Jones advocacy group.

"It seems highly irregular," Millholland said of Schleicher's decision on Thursday. "To me, it's something that needs to be addressed."

To Millholland, efforts to restore the watershed at Bobby Jones and the additional park space help to "level the playing field for equity and access to park land."

Bobby Jones is a "gem in the middle of the city" that would be a huge "win-win for the environment and the residents of the county."

"I can't imagine why it wouldn't go forward," Millholland said.

Timothy Fanning covers Sarasota government for the Herald-Tribune. Reach Timothy at [email protected] or on Twitter: @timothyjfanning. Support the Herald-Tribune by subscribing today.

___

(c)2021 Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Fla.

Visit Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Fla. at www.heraldtribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.