Sarasota County is continuing upgrading water meters throughout unincorporated Sarasota County to enhance the utilities system and improve response times during weather events and year-round.
This project started in 2023 on Siesta Key and is expected to take five years to complete the remaining meter replacements throughout unincorporated Sarasota County.
The updated meters feature advanced satellite-based technology, enabling water usage data to be collected remotely. This eliminates the need for staff to drive by meters for readings.
The new technology allows the County’s Public Utilities Department to identify and address issues within the system, such as leaks or breaks, more quickly, especially after weather events or other service interruptions and allows staff to restore service faster.
“This new technology is extremely helpful for our team and the community,” said Brooke Bailey, Director of Public Utilities. “Following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we were able to read the new meters on Siesta Key by satellite from the Emergency Operations Center, which allowed us to quickly restore water services by identifying areas with breaks.”
With the Siesta Key installations completed in 2023, Sarasota County Public Utilities has contracted Vanguard Utility Services to handle the remaining replacements throughout unincorporated Sarasota County.
Here’s what residents in unincorporated Sarasota County need to know:
- Residents will receive a postcard between 30 and 7 days before their scheduled service.
- Residents do not need to be home during the replacement.
- After the replacement, a door hanger will be left to confirm the work has been completed.
- Replacements take around 15 minutes, during which the water service will be briefly turned off.
- No boil water advisory is required after service is restored.
- Vanguard Utility Services staff will be wearing bright yellow branded with the Vanguard Utility Services logo and vehicles will display their logo.
For additional information about the water meter replacement project, please visit scgov.net or call 311 or 941-861-5000.
Sarasota County Water Facts
- Sarasota County’s Public Utilities Department maintains and operates approximately 104,530 water connections, 91,989 waste water connections and 142,000 reuse connections. The department is also responsible for providing drinking water to 268,026 customers in the Unincorporated County.
- Sarasota County water customers use approximately 80 gallons of drinking water per person per day. The county gets its drinking water from several sources, including seven wells along University Parkway, 10 wells at the Jacaranda site in Venice, and 16 wells on the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve where the Carlton Water Treatment plant is located.
- The Carlton Water Treatment plant alone provides six million gallons of treated drinking water a day to county residents and businesses. Sarasota County also purchases drinking water from Manatee County and the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority.
- Public Utilities workers maintain and service 1,420 miles of drinking water pipes, 540 miles of force mains, 800 miles of gravity mains and 98 miles of reclaimed water pipes.
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