Sarasota using FEMA grant money to improve storm resiliency after Hurricane Ian caused serious damage

SARASOTA, Fla. - The City of Sarasota was awarded at least three grants for infrastructure resiliency projects from FEMA's Hurricane Ian Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

The grants will help improve stoplight intersections and equip key city buildings with impact windows and generators.

"After Hurricane Ian, a period of time goes by and we'll get an announcement from the State of Florida on mitigation grants that are available," Todd Kerkering, Emergency Manager of the City of Sarasota, said.

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Sarasota County and its municipalities were awarded $30 million.

"The City of Sarasota submitted several projects, of which three so far have been approved by FEMA for funding," he said.

One of those projects is a more than $2.3 million stoplight intersection improvement project.

"We have three major intersections that are going to go from a wire traffic signaling system to the big, heavy-duty mast that will support when high winds are here," Kerkering said.

Those intersections are N. Orange Avenue and Dr. MLK Jr. Way, Ringling Boulevard and Lime Avenue, and Ringling Boulevard and Shade Avenue.

"Those lights are heavy, they can become an impact if it drops on your vehicle. That can result in injuries and create additional backlogs and traffic dangers," he said. "It's also just the cost. We've been getting hit every couple of years in this area and if we're going out every couple of years… just monetarily speaking, it's going to add up."

The City was also awarded grants that will fund 75% of two projects at a key building during natural disasters: the Payne Park Employee Health & Tennis Center.

"We're able to harden that building completely now. Now we're looking to add the generators, so it allows us an additional facility for resources," he said.

In addition to the generators, the city can also purchase impact windows for the building.

"If we're heavily damaged, we can have a fallback location for some of our other city offices," he said.

Kerkering said the City of Sarasota has also applied for more grants to help strengthen shorelines.

"With this whole Hurricane Ian Hazard Mitigation grant program, we applied for several locations of deteriorating seawalls within the city," he said.

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Those areas would be City Island, where Mote Marine Lab is located and the Martin Luther King Jr. park near Ringling College.

The City hopes to break ground on the intersection improvement project in the next couple of months.

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