Waterways

Keep Our Waterways Beautiful and Effective

---

Notes for February 20, 2026 Waterways Event

ENJOYING & PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITY WATERWAYS

Homeowners, friends and interested neighbors met on February 20th at the Jacaranda Library and shared three relevant and informative presentations by Sarasota County experts on stormwater management and the need to use best practices for managing and protecting our shared lakes and ponds. We learned about a range of resources, options and incentive programs for effective stormwater management and erosion control. We exchanged a few questions & answers with each speaker, but we could definitely have spent much more time talking together and sharing mutual interests.

Our thanks to our three presenters:

• Jennifer Rudolph, NEST Coordinator, Sarasota County
  • NEST (Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Team) provides education, technical guidance, and incentive programs to help homeowners protect and restore lakes, ponds, and other water resources.
  • Learn more: https://www.scgov.net/government/sustainability/nest

• Michael D’Imperio, Water Resources Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County
  • Michael provides education, outreach, and science-based guidance related to water quality, fertilizer best practices, stormwater impacts, and water conservation.
  • Learn more: https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasota/water-resources/

• Noah Taylor, Community Rating System (CRS) Coordinator, Flood Management
  • Noah works with FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS), which helps communities reduce flood risk and may provide flood insurance premium discounts through proactive floodplain management.
  • Learn more: https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance/community-rating-system

Sharing their expertise is their job; sharing their enthusiasm for their job is a bonus! We’ll look forward to hosting them again.

Special thanks to Misty Bures and Julie Brooks, AMI Association Manager and Administrator respectively, for helping the Waterways Committee provide a Zoom option for the meeting.

Here’s the link for the Zoom recording (link pending) if you missed the meeting or if you just want to take more notes.

How to Manage Landscape Debris

Florida’s long growing season can generate a lot of debris from routine lawn and landscape maintenance. This green waste can add to nutrient pollution in waterbodies and clog stormwater swales, drains, and inlets if not handled and disposed of properly. 

Ponds are especially sensitive to excess nutrients. Ensuring that landscape management plans include the proper collection and handling of landscape debris will go a long way to protect and improve pond health.

Step 1. Trees that drop their leaves and seeds such as acorns can provide a large pulse of organic nutrients into downstream waters. Regular cleanup of fallen leaves and acorns around the pond and within the pond watershed is essential for healthy pond management. 

Step 2. Grass clippings are small but mighty in number and contain nutrients that fuel algae growth. Use grass clippings to feed the lawn, not the pond. Lawn clippings, leaves, and landscape cuttings should be mulched and recycled back into the lawn or landscape or bagged for yard waste pickup. Escaped clippings should be blown back into the yard where they can decompose and provide nutrients to the soil and grass. Deliberately blowing lawn clippings or leaves into the road or storm drain or dumping palm fronds or branches into swales, creeks, canals, or ponds is a violation of local ordinance. 

10 ways you can improve water quality in your community waterways so you can have more birds, more fish – and more fun!

4) Capture and Reuse Rainwater

• Install rain barrels or cisterns to catch the rain.
• Use roof rain gutters only when needed.
• Direct downspouts to plant beds or grassy areas.
• Collected water helps recharge groundwater when used on lawns and gardens.

5) Plant Trees

• Trees reduce the need for grass, fertilizer and mowing.
• Trees intercept rainwater and capture pollutants.
• Tree roots help rainwater infiltrate into the ground, reduce surface water runoff and erosion.

6) Let the Rain Soak In Using Porous Materials

• Use pavers instead of concrete to let the rain soak in.
• Use shell or stone for walkways and parking.
• Consider using pervious concrete or flexible pavement for sidewalks, driveways and parking areas.

7) Create a Rain Garden

• Rain gardens increase rainwater and groundwater infiltration.
• Rain gardens reduce stormwater runoff into our bays and waterways.
• Rain gardens create a natural habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.
• Rain gardens clean stormwater before it leaves your property.

8) Enhance Our Ponds, Bays and Waterways

• Naturalize the shoreline with native plants.
• Participate in water body renovation projects to help minimize erosion.
• Floating plant islands improve water quality and habitat.
• Create a “maintenance free” zone between lawn and ditches, ponds, creeks and bays to reduce fertilizer contamination and erosion.

9) Pick Up Pet Waste and Litter

• Improve water quality.
• Removing pet waste reduces bacteria and harmful algal blooms in our waterways.
• Litter pollutes our waterways and can restrict flow in our stormwater pipes causing flooding.

10) Participate in the NEST Program

• Improve your neighborhood environment.
• Learn how to keep our water bodies healthy.
• Get involved! What we do in our yards affects everyone.
• Potentially increase the value of your home or property.

11) Grant Sources for Funding

START (Solutions To Avoid Red Tide)

• Sarasota County Neighborhood Services
• Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
• Coastal and Heartland National Estuary Partnership
• Florida Native Plant Society
• Southwest Florida Water Management District

See more great tips and tricks at: Community Resources – Sarasota.WaterAtlas.org

RainCheck Program – an annual nationwide movement
Sarasota County will reimburse property owners up to $5,000 for the installation of eligible, pre-approved projects that increase stormwater retention on-site. For more information and examples of qualifying projects, visit here: Low Impact Design (LID) – Sarasota.WaterAtlas.org. Applications for RainCheck will be accepted from October 1, 2025 through June 1, 2026.