Barrier islands reopened; county assessing beach damage

Updated at 2:45 with damage discovered on Little Ringling Bridge.

City and county officials will be getting their first look at damage to area beaches, the county announced Friday.

Meanwhile, access to the barrier islands was reopened Friday morning with one westbound and one eastbound lane on the southern span Little Ringling Bridge, between Bird Key and St. Armands.

An inspection of the northern span of the Little Ringling Bridge by the City of Sarasota and FDOT revealed damage from Hurricane Milton., the city said on social media.  

The use of that bridge has been suspended. A lane shift is now in effect at Bird Key Drive with one lane available for eastbound and westbound traffic on the southern bridge span.

As recovery from the storm continues, road conditions remain hazardous. Half of Sarasota County is still without power, the county said on social media Friday morning.

Many traffic signals are still out, the county said. Uncontrolled intersections should be treated as four-way stops.

Courtesy image

Beach impact assessments begin today

Sarasota County’s preliminary assessment of the beaches for possible accretion or erosion will begin Friday. Facility assessments will also begin on buildings and other amenities at beach parks. Initial observations of public beach parks including, Siesta Beach, appear to have not been substantially impacted.

Public beach parks that were substantially impacted by Hurricane Helene including North Jetty Park, Turtle Beach Park and Caspersen Park.

Currently there is no access to Lido Key, Casey and Manasota Key. Siesta Key is accessible only to island residents and business owners. Venice Island is open.

City resumes regular waste collection

City of Sarasota garbage collection will resume Friday with service on a a one-day delay. Thursday’s pickup will take place Friday and Friday’s pickup will take place Saturday.

Recycling collection is suspended, the result of power outages impacting the recycling processing center.

Updates will be provided via the city's social media pages and at Sarasotafl.gov/Alerts.

Regular yard waste collection is postponed until storm debris collection begins. At that time, yard waste can be included in vegetative storm debris piles. To ensure timely pickup, the following guidelines should be followed:

Do not use plastic bags.

Storm debris should be separated into four piles:

• Construction debris – fencing, carpeting, dry wall and other flood-impacted construction materials.
• White goods — appliances including refrigerators, ranges, washing machines, dryers, air conditioning units and water heaters.
• Bulk items — furniture and accessories, mattresses and other items affected by flood water within a home or structure.
• Vegetative debris — tree branches, limbs and vegetative material.

    Following these guidelines is critical as it allows the city to be reimbursed by FEMA for the cost of debris collection.

    For more information, contact the Solid Waste Division at 941-263-6170.

County developing debris collection plan

Sarasota County is working with debris hauling vendors on a plan to collect debris left over from Hurricane Helene and new debris left behind by Hurricane Milton. The plan will include both construction debris and vegetative debris.

Once the vendors begin to arrive in county they will be deployed and collection details will be announced as access to the entire county becomes possible.

In the interim, the county is resuming regularly scheduled pickups and reopening the Central County Landfill. Garbage and yard waste collections for residents in unincorporated Sarasota County will resume regularly scheduled pickups on Friday for roadways that are accessible to collection vehicles. Recycling collection has been suspended until further notice.

Residents are asked to double-bag spoiled food place regular garbage away from storm debris so that it is easily identifiable and accessible. Place large vegetative storm debris such as branches and palm fronds separately from yard waste for collection. 

Small branches and leaves may be placed in containers, in bags or bundled and placed at the curb for pickup. Items that are bundled or in containers should not exceed 4 feet in length and items that are in bags, containers or bundles should not exceed 40 pounds. This applies to both garbage and yard waste.

Residents may experience delays in collection services due to an increase in the amount of garbage and yard waste placed curbside during the coming weeks.

The Central County Landfill will reopen with regular business hours on Friday. Hand unloads must arrive at least 30 minutes prior to closing. Standard disposal fees will apply and customers may experience increased wait times.

The Bee Ridge Chemical Collection Center will be closed through Sunday, Oct. 13. Conditions are being assessed to determine when the facility will reopen to the public.