Sea Level Rise Monitoring

The City of Sarasota has made it a priority to plan for and adapt to sea level rise. We started by analyzing city-owned infrastructure that may be vulnerable to changing climate conditions. More information about these vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies can be found in the City of Sarasota Climate Adaptation Plan, which was approved in 2018. 

The city continues to monitor sea levels in collaboration with Mote Marine Laboratory, UF IFAS, Sarasota County Air & Water Quality Department, Climate Council Sarasota-Manatee, and Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. Data collected will be used to inform decisions on future infrastructure projects. 

Red Tide Mitigation

The City of Sarasota recognizes the local impacts of Florida red tide, which is why we have partnered with Mote Marine Laboratory. Mote is currently on the third year of a six-year partnership with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission aimed at developing mitigation technologies that will decrease the impacts of Florida red tide on the environment, economy, and coastal quality of life. As codified under 379.2273 in the Florida Statutes, public and private research entities are combining their efforts under this initiative to prevent, control, and reduce red tide. The Initiative has researched and tested hundreds of mitigation tools and technologies over the past three years. The City will provide Mote access to city waterways for mitigation testing once all federal and state regulatory processes have been completed.

Sarasota residents see firsthand how maintaining our coastal water promotes a high quality of life. There is an opportunity to participate in our red tide mitigation efforts through Mote’s Beach Conditions Reporting System (BCRS). This website (www.visitbeaches.org) was developed as a means for collecting and sharing beach conditions. Volunteers—known as Beach Ambassadors---report beach conditions, such as beach flag color, surf type, wind speed, and algae conditions, several times a week. These reports are accessible by the public so locals and tourists can make informed decisions when visiting our beaches. This BCRS data also allows the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to monitor red tide and provide accurate forecasting. If you are interested in training to become a Beach Ambassador, please head to www.visitbeaches.org/contact and fill out the contact form. 

Fiber Connectivity Infrastructure

The City of Sarasota is committed to improving fiber connectivity throughout the City. Benefits of fiber connectivity include durability, higher bandwidth, and and increased security.

Most recently, the City installed fiber optic cable along Bahia Vista Street from Tuttle Avenue to Cattleman Road. This Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) project established continuous communication along the corridor. 

Connected Automated Vehicle (CAV) and Electric Vehicle (EV) Technologies

The City of Sarasota has adopted a Memorandum of Agreement (Resolution No. 22R-3092) with the Florida Department of Transportation supporting the Connected and Automated Vehicle Project FM #449791-1-93-01. 

The Memorandum of Agreement is for the Florida Department of Transportation to provide the City of Sarasota with connected and automated vehicle equipment for fifteen (15) intersections located in the City of Sarasota.

The equipment, software, and support hardware provided to the City of Sarasota monitors traffic conditions and provides messages to the traveling public through the equipment. The messaging is wirelessly transmitted to connected and automated vehicles through the vehicles display. The type of information sent includes:

• Roadside alerts/traveler information messages
• Intersection movement assistance
• Work zone/school zone warnings
• Collision avoidance
• Pedestrian warnings

You can find information about Florida's Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Initiative at the link below:
https://www.fdot.gov/traffic/teo-divisions.shtm/cav-ml-stamp/connected-vehicles