Sarasota's primary drinking water source is depleted 2,000 feet underground, the region's largest reservoir is nearly empty, and the water authority that includes a Sarasota County commissioner has formally declared the supply "stressed."
The nine months beginning in September 2025 mark the driest stretch Sarasota has recorded since weather records began in 1911, according to the National Weather Service. At the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport rain gauge, only about 19 inches of rain have fallen since January 1 — roughly 10 inches below the 29-inch norm for this point in the year, the Observer reported Wednesday.
The deficit reaches the Floridan Aquifer, the vast underground formation that supplies much of the region's drinking water. Ground-based studies and NASA satellite data confirm the aquifer is depleted. Because the aquifer is more deeply confined south of Interstate 4 than in counties to the north, it recharges more slowly here, meaning Sarasota faces a longer road to recovery than places like Pasco or Hernando counties.
The C.W. "Bill" Young Reservoir, a 15.5-billion-gallon facility that opened in 2005 as drought protection for the Tampa Bay region, held just 15% of capacity at the end of June.
Regional authority calls supply 'stressed'
The Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority classified the region's water supply as "stressed" in June. Sarasota County Commissioner Ron Cutsinger chairs the authority's board, according to its June 5 meeting agenda. Manatee County Commissioner Jason Bearden also serves on the board.
Restrictions run through October
The Southwest Florida Water Management District's governing board voted Tuesday, June 23, to extend its Modified Phase III "Extreme" Water Shortage order through October 1. The district's order requires all residents, including those on private wells, to water lawns only one day per week, between 12:01 a.m. and 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. Properties under one acre may use only one of those windows.
The district has issued four water shortage advisories since November 2025, each more severe than the last. Sarasota County has handed out several dozen citations for violations; fines can reach $500.
A persistent high-pressure dome over Florida has suppressed the afternoon thunderstorms that normally deliver up to 70% of the region's annual rainfall during summer months.
"The 3 to 5 o'clock in the afternoon thundershowers, those really sustain us," said Tamera McBride, a hydrologic data manager with the district. "We haven't had that. So, what we're going to need to get beyond this deficit that we're in now, we need average rainfall plus rainfall on top of average to get us out of that deficit."
Recovery months away
Isolated storms won't fix it. McBride said El Niño conditions expected to persist into fall and winter 2026 could bring above-average rainfall, but meaningful recovery may not arrive until late in the year. As we reported Monday, July 27, a July 23 storm flooded St. Armands Circle, but downpours like that do little to reverse a deficit this deep.
A July 24 National Weather Service report noted some improvement in northern parts of the region but "degradation over parts of inland central and southwest Florida." The western halves of Manatee and Sarasota counties remain classified in "extreme" drought.
The Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority's next board meeting and FY 2027 budget public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5, at 9:30 a.m. at the Charlotte County Administration Center, 18500 Murdock Circle, Port Charlotte. Residents can find current watering rules at WaterMatters.org/Restrictions.
