Hurricane damage to Sand Branch Creek stretches its neighbors thin

To an outside eye with no history of the property, the seven acres off of Waterline Road that used to serve as the Heartwood Yoga Institute & Retreat Center are sublime. 

The property is thick with trees. Gazebos and gardens are scattered about. Stalks of bamboo sway in the distance. 

But walking the property with owner David Shaddock, those visiting can see not only what’s in front of him, but also what is gone. 

Shaddock points out the bare spots where over a dozen oak and pine trees used to stand, along with the missing ground that was washed away from underneath a wooden walkway. He notices the patch of ferns that are starting to brown from too much sun. 

After 15 years in business, with over 11 of them on Waterline Road, Shaddock and his wife, Ginny East Shaddock, closed the yoga institute in December.

The couple incurred $85,000 in expenses from Hurricane Ian in 2022 and have spent another $50,000 since the 2024 hurricane season. 

Shaddock was given a bid of $35,000 to remove trees that fell into Sand Branch Creek, but it’s beyond what the couple can afford at this point. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

He said the impacts from storms have worsened as development has moved further east. The couple are converting the property back to a residence and plan to put it up for sale within a month. 

“Through all these years, we've had heavy storms, but no real issues,” Shaddock said. “Everything absorbed so nicely, and we’re at a high point. We’re 52 feet above sea level and everything runs down into (Sand Branch Creek).” 

Sand Branch Creek was severely damaged from the heavy rains during Hurricane Debby last August. 

Commissioner Mike Rahn said moving forward, the county is changing the way it handles the creek. It will be considered and treated as a “conveyance” because it feeds into the Manatee River.

The county is currently taking steps to repair the creek where Hurricane Debby caused the most damage.

Sand Branch restoration

The Manatee Water Atlas reports Sand Branch Creek as a 1.7-mile stream that starts on the south side of State Road 64, east of Uihlein Road, and flows into the Manatee River. 

As the creek flows north, it flows through Neal Communities’ Palm Grove development and several private properties. 

The creek runs underneath Waterline Road from Jason and Summer Thurber's property on the southside to the Heartwood retreat on the northside. While only a two-lane road divides them, the properties look completely different. 

On the northside, Heartwood is heavily wooded, even if less so since the hurricanes. The creek lies at the bottom of a small gorge, which Shaddock said drops 18 feet from the street to the back end of his property. 

Vegetation has grown thick along the banks and a couple of trees toppled into the creek during Hurricane Milton. Here and there, the water peeks through the brush. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

Across Waterline Road to the south, the Thurbers keep goats and retired race horses. The property, with the exception of some scattered trees and structures, is an open field. 

Prior to Hurricane Debby, Sand Branch Creek was a trickling stream of water that divided the Thurbers’ property almost straight down the middle. 

The banks sloped, but not nearly to the degree as across the street, and the creek bed was much narrower before Hurricane Debby hit. 

During and after the storm, water flowed like a raging river. It split the creek bed open, collapsed its banks and left massive sink holes. What was a 3-foot slope down into the creek became a 6-foot drop.

The damage was so extensive that the Thurbers granted Manatee County a Right of Entry agreement, so county workers can access the property and restore the creek’s banks. 

Commissioners approved the agreement Feb. 18 and work has begun. Truckloads of dirt were delivered and are currently piled up along the banks. 

“Our plan is to bring the banks back to prevent future erosion,” said Tom Gerstenberger, Stormwater Engineering Division Manager at Manatee County Public Works, in an email. “This will be done by backfilling the eroded areas with dirt, packing, grading and sodding the banks.”

The work is anticipated to be completed in about a month. 

Looking ahead

While the creek on one side of Waterline Road is being handled, across the street, there are fallen trees blocking the creek that require a crane to remove. 

The Shaddocks are tapped out, but Rahn said the county will take care of that side, too. 

When Rahn saw the creek for himself, he called County Administrator Charlie Bishop to request cleanup be done, so the creek doesn’t back up.

He said the project has been placed on the list of requests for the over $252 million community block grant Manatee County received from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

“That’s getting cleaned out,” Rahn said. “Charlie Bishop said they (sent a drone over the area), and they’re going to hire a vendor to get in there.”

Mark Van De Ree, neighbor to the north of the yoga institute and the spokesperson for the Waterline Road Preservation group, is glad to hear the blockages will be removed, but he wants to make sure Sand Branch Creek doesn’t turn into a “dredged out drainage ditch.” 

On the north end of his property, he often sees otters and alligators in the creek. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

Van De Ree keeps a close eye on Sand Branch Creek.

He said dewatering from construction sites, not only Palm Grove, took their toll on the creek. However, he’s seen improvements over the past couple months in the water quality. 

Gerstenberger said county staff monitors and coordinates with Palm Grove on an ongoing basis to address dewatering activities. Water from the site gets pumped into Sand Branch Creek. 

Ryan Fowler, land development manager for Neal, said the pumps are turned on and off at the county’s direction. They retained water in ponds on the Palm Grove site for weeks after Hurricane Debby, waiting for the county’s approval to pump again.

The county also directed Palm Grove to clean its portion of Sand Branch Creek following hurricane season. 

John Lydon, vice president of land development for Neal, said the sides of the creek were cleaned and what washed in from the hurricanes has been removed.

Founder Pat Neal said water in the creek is leaving his site cleaner than it enters.