SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Sarasota County is spending $25 million to restore Alligator Creek, a waterway that has shifted from a natural tidal creek into a straight drainage canal.
Alligator Creek is part of the Lemon Bay watershed. Crews will soon begin restoring and transforming the waterway.
Sarasota County Commissioner Tom Knight said he grew up spending time on the creek.
“Maybe someday we will see baby boomers, or maybe grandchildren, get into a tube and ride down Alligator in the Intracoastal Waterway like we did 59 years ago,” Knight said.
Knight said he remembers riding the creek during storms as a child.
“Back in the fun days, when there were storms, we would get into tubes and jump off the bridge at Shamrock Boulevard and ride the creek down to the Intracoastal Waterway, then ride the Intracoastal down to the South Venice Beach Ferry, where we would depart and go home,” Knight said.
The project will recreate a more natural, winding stream, stabilize eroding banks and add native plants to support fish and wildlife.
Paul Semenec, senior manager, described the current state of the waterway and the goal of the project.
“The intent is to return what you see behind me, which is a basic storm water drainage canal intended to move water as quickly as possible off the landscape, to a more natural creek,” Semenec said.
Of the $25 million project, $14.5 million is coming from a NOAA grant. The remainder is funded through the local penny sales tax and stormwater fees.
Mote Marine Laboratory is working with the county to monitor the creek’s recovery.
County leaders say restoring the waterway could help it better handle heavy rain and hurricanes while reducing erosion, flooding and polluted runoff into Lemon Bay.
The goal is to keep the water clean and invite more wildlife to the creek.
