A broken sensor knocked out one of five drainage pumps at St. Armands Circle during a July 23 thunderstorm, leaving businesses wading through floodwater as 2.2 inches of rain fell in two hours.

Sarasota County officials said the failed sensor prevented the pump from starting, slowing drainage while high tide compounded the problem.

The sensor has since been repaired.

Businesses recount the flooding

Floodwater reached about halfway up the outdoor patio at Cha Cha Coconuts, according to Mackenzie Taflinger, sous chef at the neighboring Café on St. Armands. Water pooled on the sidewalk in front of Cha Cha Coconuts' outdoor seating area, General Manager Emily Ranney said.

"It definitely poses a threat if it's flooding," Ranney said. "After two years ago, we're kind of over the whole water situation with the hurricanes. PTSD."

The flooding hit unevenly across the Circle. Le Macaron French Pastries Manager Alfredo Pareds said the Columbia, Cha Cha Coconuts and Venezia side has historically flooded far worse than his side of the street. On July 23, he said, his side had puddles you could walk through. Across the way, "it was water everywhere."

Café on St. Armands Assistant Manager Jason Simpson called flooding a recurring problem that predates the 2024 hurricanes. In a prior rainy summer, he said, water came through the restaurant's front window into the dining room and also entered through the back door from a flooding alley.

A recurring problem since 2024

Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 inundated St. Armands Circle with storm surge and heavy rains, forcing days of business closures.

Some shops never reopened.

The county's response

Sarasota County commissioners dedicated $13.7 million late in 2025 to fund the most critical elements of a flood-resiliency plan for the Circle. Stormwater Department Director Ben Quartermaine guided the allocation, which targets retrofitting pump stations and generators, installing tide check valves to block seawater from entering the drainage system during storm surge and potentially adding permeable pavement if funding allows.

The University of South Florida's real-time rainfall tracker recorded the 2.2-inch total on July 23. Sarasota Police said through a spokeswoman that no roads were closed and no flood-related calls were responded to that night.

The county expects to have a design team under contract by late 2026, with permitting and construction-ready plans targeted for early to mid-2027.