If you've seen a barge and excavator working Phillippi Creek near the Trail this fall, you've probably wondered what it's doing there, and when it will be done.
You're looking at the last and smallest stage of a dredging effort that started miles upstream. It's working its way south toward Roberts Bay, the bay along the western edge of Oyster Bay Estates. The work runs beside Phillippi Estate Park, the 5500 S. Tamiami Trail property where the Phillippi Farmhouse Market opens its 16th season on Wednesday, Oct. 7. You can look at the market as the land side of the County's work on this park and the dredge as the water side. Both reach the same point this season, and the water side ends just north of Oyster Bay Estates.
The Barge Is the Last, Smallest Piece
Phillippi Creek is a 7.2-mile tidal creek that carries stormwater to Roberts Bay. Over the past several years, sediment has built up in parts of it. Sarasota County's Stormwater Department and the West Coast Inland Navigation District have split the cleanup into three parts. Each one is sized for a different job.
| Segment | Reach | Cut | Sediment | Status as of the County's 9/30/26 update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1, high-spot dredge | South Tuttle Avenue to South Beneva Road | 50 feet wide, 4 feet deep at mean low water | Over 64,000 cubic yards | Complete |
| Lower tidal creek | Creek mouth to about a quarter-mile east of U.S. 41 | 30 feet wide, 4 feet deep at mean low water | About 8,000 cubic yards | Underway, working just north of U.S. 41 |
| Phase 2, maximum allowable dredge | U.S. 41 to South Beneva Road, including the Mineola Drive and River Ridge Drive oxbows | 4 feet deep, kept at least 10 feet off shorelines and structures | Not yet stated | Permits under review |
The stretch closest to the park and to Roberts Bay is getting the smallest cut of the three. It's about one-eighth the volume of the upstream phase and 20 feet narrower. The County describes it as a cut along the centerline of the navigation channel. Upstream, the work was about moving stormwater. Here, it's about keeping a boat channel open to the bay.
Cummins-Cederberg Coastal and Marine Engineering designed the lower-creek job for WCIND, and Sully's Marine is doing the dredging. Work started in May 2026 and is scheduled for weekdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., through the end of the year. Sully's will keep working south toward the mouth. The money for this segment comes from County Navigation Improvement Funds. Phases 1 and 2 are paid for separately, from stormwater and Resilient SRQ funds.
Why the Creek Needed This at All
WUSF reported in October 2025 that the sediment came from storms plus years without maintenance. Debby, Helene and Milton each brought flooding along the creek in 2024. Your Observer described how it happens: runoff from the watershed carries sediment into the creek and drops it along the channel.
Everything that settles upstream eventually heads toward the bay, so the upstream phase matters to anyone on Roberts Bay too. By the County's estimate, the 64,000-plus cubic yards removed in Phase 1 held about 40,149 pounds of nitrogen and 206,480 pounds of phosphorus. When that phase was wrapping up in May, County Stormwater Director Ben Quartermaine called its added water-quality benefit for the bay "a big win."
There's still more to do. The County filed its Phase 2 permit applications with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on June 30, 2026. Its bid documents are being drafted. Staff are also asking regulators whether some shoals that have formed in the creek can be added to that permit. The County puts the combined cost of Phases 1 and 2 at an estimated $42 million.
The County lists a canoe and kayak launch at Phillippi Estate Park, with park hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The September project update doesn't mention any boat-channel closures or paddling restrictions. If you plan to launch on a weekday, check with the park first, since the work crew is on the water from 7 to 5.
The Market Changed Hands Too
The creek is only half of what the County has taken on at this park. The Phillippi Farmhouse Market began as a community effort under Fred and Grace Whitehouse and the Friends of Sarasota County Parks. Over 13 years it grew from 19 vendors to more than 50. The Whitehouses retired in 2024, and Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources took over the market.
The County has finished a restoration of the Keith Farmhouse. Built in 1916, it was the first structure on the Keith estate. The work included refinished floors, new electrical and plumbing, fire protection, security systems and accessibility improvements. The farmhouse is one of the two buildings on the free docent tours offered on market days.
Both parts reach a milestone this season. The market opens a new season under County management, with a restored farmhouse on the grounds. On the water, the final stretch of the channel is due to be finished by the end of the year.
A Wednesday Morning, Hour by Hour
The market runs every Wednesday from October through April, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Expect fresh produce, flowers, prepared foods, baked goods, artisanal products, live music and food trucks. Here's how a market morning lines up with the park and the creek:
- 7 a.m. The dredge crew's weekday shift starts on the lower creek.
- 9 a.m. Vendors open on the park grounds.
- 10 a.m. Free docent-led tour of the Edson Keith Mansion.
- 11 a.m. Free docent-led tour of the Keith Farmhouse.
- 1 p.m. The market closes. Work on the creek continues until 5.
From the opening on Oct. 7 through the end of December, both run on the same weekday mornings. In May, while Phase 1 was finishing, WWSB reported construction fencing at the park. The park stayed open, and visitors were asked to keep clear of construction areas and the extra traffic near the Constitution Boulevard entrance. That report describes conditions in May, so check the entrance when you arrive.
Two Stops on the Way Home
If you're heading back toward Bee Ridge Road after the market, two recent openings are nearby. On June 8, Happy Clams & Hams opened at 4110 Bee Ridge Road. It's a seafood market and deli run by co-owner Scott Dolan with Carlyle Veale and Brian Paetsch. A little farther south, A's Giant Sandwiches moved from its old 6300 S. Tamiami Trail location to 2230 Gulf Gate Drive, next to Moondoggy's.
Under the current schedule, the barge should be gone by the time the market reaches its holiday Wednesdays. The County expects the lower-creek channel to be finished by year's end, with Phase 2 still waiting on its permits.
Waterfront living in Oyster Bay Estates depends on the creek and Roberts Bay, and we follow projects like this one closely. If you'd like to talk through what the Phillippi Creek work means for your dock, your view, or your plans for the property, Kim Ogilvie is glad to share what we're seeing on the water. Let's Connect.
