Venice anticipates $17.7 million cleanup bill from Hurricane Ian

VENICE – The city of Venice anticipates spending about $17.7 million to clean up after the impact of Hurricane Ian, including as much as $8.55 million in debris removal.

City Finance Director Linda Senne broke the news to the City Council as part of a post- storm update Tuesday.

In a separate presentation, Assistant City Manager James Clinch told the board that the most severe impact to city infrastructure was the erosion of Alhambra Road, just north of Venice Sands condominium, where the road had been washed away and sand eroded on the beach around a stormwater drainage outlet.

“The Venice Sands washout is probably the single largest infrastructure issue we had from the storm,” Clinch said. “It’s pretty massive.”

Earlier: How beaches fared after Hurricane Ian

Related: Ian deaths: Former Sarasota High School administrator remembered as always on the move

Paul Forte, a member of the Venice Sands Condominium homeowners association, said the road damage – which included what he described as a sinkhole – created an unsafe situation for beachgoers who are still using the end of road to access Venice Beach.

“My condo is directly above that and as a civil engineer, I get a bird's eye view of the erosion creep as the sinkhole gets bigger for the last 10 days I’ve been back,” Forte said. “We’re concerned about the structural integrity of the building and the retaining wall at the driveway if this erosion continues.”

Workers also cannot access a damaged propane tank that the condo association uses to fuel its emergency generator, he added. If another storm comes before that’s repaired, it could leave residents of the 78-unit, 11-story condominium without emergency power for elevators.

The eroded area, he said, is about 20 feet wide and 10 feet deep.

Surfers, swimmers and scuba divers are still using the area for beach access.

“They’re walking within feet of this sinkhole and within feet of this ditch that goes all the way down to the Gulf,” Forte said.

Related: Sarasota and Manatee counties spared storm surge

Clinch later said the exposed stormwater pipes had been buried anywhere between six and eight feet below the beach.

Senne’s estimates allotted roughly $1.5 million to repair the city's stormwater infrastructure.

Clinch said the majority of that sum would likely be attributed to Alhambra Road.

The city hopes the Army Corps of Engineers will handle beach repairs, Clinch said. For the upland issues, the city would likely have to hire its own contractors and apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for reimbursement.

A significant portion of the Venetian Waterway Park washed away near the Venice Municipal Airport as well, Clinch said, but since it is on and owned by the West Coast Inland Navigation District, the thought is that it would handle repairs.

Clinch said that most of the buildings had some damage, much of which will fall within the deductibles for the city’s insurance policies.

Bent signs and other items not critical to public safety are being documented for potential FEMA reimbursement prior to repair.

The largest structural damage occurred at the Venice Municipal Airport, where the current estimate is about $1.3 million in damage to the city’s airport building and T-hangers that are rented out to pilots to store their planes.

The city's general fund may be used to front the cost for debris removal, with FEMA reimbursement replenishing the money once it's received, though that could take three to four years.

Some assistance could also come from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Debris cleanup progressing

The city and its contractors – CrowderGulf for hauling and O’Brien’s to monitor the debris for FEMA reimbursement and the city – is in its 20th day of operation for debris management, Assistant Public Works Director Ashlee Castle noted.

A majority of the construction and demolition debris has come from Country Club Estates, Colonial Manor and Capri Isles Boulevard. The goal is to have the first pass completed in the next 12 to 15 days.

Castle noted that the haulers are concentrating on areas where they can get full loads for disposal.

The construction and demolition debris is being carted to a site near Palmetto, while the vegetative debris is taken to north Sarasota County for disposal, Clinch said. None of it is headed to the Sarasota County landfill on Knights Trail Road.

Related: Venice debris removal bypasses condos and mobile homes

So far, 75,000 cubic yards of debris has been collected within city limits.

The report projects that 200,000 cubic yards of storm debris will be generated by Hurricane Ian.

In contrast, 25,000 cubic yards of debris was collected following Hurricane Irma in 2017.

“It turns out it's a much larger, much more comprehensive damage event than Irma,” Clinch said.

The city submitted its application to FEMA for authorization to collect debris from gated communities on Oct. 11.

Reimbursement for collection from mobile home parks is complicated, Clinch told the Herald-Tribune.

The city could collect debris at Country Club Estates because the homeowners own their own lots.

In contrast Bay Indies – a 1,300-plus unit, 55-and-older mobile home community owned by Chicago-based Bay Indies, LLC – is considered a commercial entity and FEMA expects commercial entities to handle their own debris removal.

Since the storm, the property owner has brought Servepro in to do some cleanup, Clinch said, but the city is still exploring its options with FEMA, with respect to clearing debris there, Clinch said.

“We’ve got to research that a little bit further,” he added.

The city’s primary duty has been to clear debris piled up along public right of way and from city parks.

“We’ve got an obligation to the public to make safe the public roadways and the parks first from a public safety standpoint,” Clinch said.

Ultimately, should the city venture into Bay Indies and other areas not deemed eligible for reimbursement by FEMA, Venice would have to absorb the cost.

In other action

Also on Tuesday, the City Council:

• Agreed on a 5-1 vote, with Council Member Mitzie Fielder in dissent, to direct staff to remove a Feb. 28, 2023 sunset provision on a trial ordinance that allowed alcohol consumption on Venice beaches. The decision came after both Police Capt. Andy Leisenring and Assistant City Manager James Clinch told the board that there had been no incidents or increased trash related to the decision. Chris Johnson, the owner of Jetty Jack’s at Humphris Park, and Justin Bloomquist, one of the proprietors of the Venice Pilot House on Venice Beach, told the board that they had been checking the beach near their establishments. Neither said they found an increase in trash related to alcohol. Fielder also voted against the one-year trial in February. City staff will draft an ordinance removing the sunset clause. That ordinance will require two public hearings to pass.

• Authorized Mayor Ron Feinsod to sign an agreement using $2.75 million in park impact fees to design and build a five-acre public park off of Laurel Road in northeast Venice.

• Approved an agreement with Local1718 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees on a three-year contract covering Oct. 1, 2022 to Sep. 30, 2025 for a 5.5% increase to all pay grades and resumption of a 3.5% step increase for employees not at the stop step.

• Approved an agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police for sergeants and lieutenants on a three-year contract covering Oct. 1, 2022 to Sep. 30, 2025. The agreement calls for new step tables for both ranks. In year one the base sergeant pay is $90,000, with top step at $103,961. The base year lieutenant pay is $105,000, while the top step is $117,812.

Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County for the Herald-Tribune and can be reached at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Hurricane Ian repairs and cleanup could cost $17.7 million in Venice