Manatee County commissioners approved more than $100 million in proposed federal disaster-recovery funding for stormwater and infrastructure projects aimed at reducing flooding after three hurricanes in 2024.

The Oct. 7 vote approved projects funded through a $252.7 million Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) allocation for drainage improvements, automated water-control gates, wastewater upgrades and hardening of public facilities, according to Manatee County.

The program, called Lasting Manatee, was established after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated the funds in January 2025 to address damage from Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. Up to $125 million of the allocation is designated for infrastructure recovery and resiliency projects.

For Lakewood Ranch-area residents, the decision signals a countywide push to catch up on stormwater infrastructure. Although the approved project list does not identify a Lakewood Ranch project, the county's largest investments target watersheds and neighborhoods across Manatee County that have experienced repeated flooding.

Where the money goes

The two biggest projects are automated outfall structures. About $24.9 million will fund remotely operated water-control gates at up to 47 stormwater facilities in the Pearce Drain watershed. Another $19.1 million will pay for similar structures along Bowlees Creek.

Tom Gerstenberger, engineering division manager for Manatee County Public Works, told ABC7 the gates let the county lower water levels ahead of a predicted storm. That creates room to hold incoming rainwater.

"With these gates, we can create additional flood storage prior to a storm event," Gerstenberger said. He said 15 automated outfall structures have already been installed throughout the county.

Other county public works investments include $11.3 million for the Meadors Subdivision/Pennsylvania area, $8 million for Sylvan Oaks stormwater improvements, about $1.7 million for Glen Creek and $1.5 million for Sylvan Oaks flood mitigation, according to the county's approved project list.

Commissioners swap out logistics center

Commissioners changed the original project list during the Oct. 7 meeting. They removed funding for a public safety logistics center and added the $24.9 million Pearce Drain project, Bradenton Magazine reported.

Commission Chair Tal Siddique said he felt the county "should be putting money toward resilience and the logistics center can be funded with other buckets of funds."

Commissioner George Kruse agreed, saying the money "should be used for what we keep arguing in Tallahassee and D.C. is our No. 1 need, finally catching up to decades of lack of focus and capital toward flooding and stormwater."

Hurricane Debby's heavy rainfall exposed the Pearce Drain watershed's limited flood storage, flooding all residences in the Centre Lake subdivision, according to Bradenton Magazine.

Municipal projects and next steps

Six municipalities received funding for approved projects under a population-based allocation framework. Individual projects were also evaluated against federal and county eligibility, community need, resilience and readiness criteria.

Bradenton's share includes $3.65 million for drainage improvements in the Crescent Court neighborhood, a Second Avenue East drainage and evacuation-route project, and resilient drainage construction in the Riverside Drive area, where more than 24 homes experienced structural flooding in 2024, according to Bradenton Magazine and the county's project list.

Palmetto, Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Longboat Key also received funding.

Construction will not begin right away. Approved projects must first complete federal requirements, which may include environmental review, duplication-of-benefits analysis and cost-reasonableness review before funds can be committed, the county said. Construction start dates have not been announced for the projects.

Ashley Schnitker, grants division manager for Lasting Manatee, said residents can visit lastingmanatee.org to explore an interactive map of approved projects. The county plans to update the maps as work progresses.

The infrastructure program is separate from Lasting Manatee's Home Recovery Program, which allocated about $75.6 million to help eligible homeowners with remaining hurricane damage. Homeowners already in that program do not need to take any action because of the infrastructure vote.