8,000 Lose Power During Hurricane Elsa, Many Areas Face Flooding

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Sarasota County government offices and services, including garbage pickup, have resumed normal schedules after inclement weather from Hurricane Elsa affected the region Tuesday night into Wednesday, the county shared on Facebook.

All Sarasota County Area Transit bus routes and the Siesta Key Breeze were in service by 8 a.m. Wednesday, the county said. The county’s OnDemand transit service is slightly impacted by flooding in North Port and SCAT Plus is working to resolve some ride scheduling but is available for same-day reservations Wednesday.

There were some strong winds and significant periods of rain overnight throughout the county causing some flooding and more than 8,000 Florida Power & Light customers to lose power, according to FPL’s Power Tracker. Only 350 FPL customers remain without power as of Wednesday at 11 a.m.

While the storm seemingly had minimal impact on our community, Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane said this does not mean you should start taking these weather events lightly, according to a news release from the county.

"We are fortunate we did not receive a direct impact, especially as a higher category hurricane," McCrane said. "However, it was also a good time to test your emergency preparedness plans, see them in action, and find ways to improve."

County crews and staff from area cities — including Venice, North Port and Sarasota — are checking neighborhoods and roadways Wednesday for possible damage from the storm.

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The city of Sarasota warned drivers to use caution when on the road and not to drive through standing water.

“Streets in low-lying drainage areas may be flooded, as the inland storm water flow moves toward Sarasota Bay,” the city said on Facebook.

Elsa dropped up to 11 inches of rain within a few hours in North Port, the city said in a news release. Because of this, some areas of the city saw significant flooding, including following areas:

• Sumter/Cazes – underwater
• Multiple areas on Tropicaire
• Dorothy Avenue
• Sumter/Appomattox – underwater
• Hillsborough/Miracle
• Parts of Reistertown – minor flooding but passable
• North Salford/Horseshoe/Abcor
• Henrietta/Hennessy – underwater
• Southbound River Road at East River Road – partially flooded but passable
• Several parks are closed, including Warm Mineral Springs Park, Oaks Park, Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. All city of North Port athletic fields are closed as well.

Despite the flooding, there hasn’t been any reported damage to homes or vehicles as of Wednesday morning, the city said.

Admission to the North Port Aquatic Center for public recreational swim will be delayed because the computer system and internet are down.

In Venice, Public Works crews are picking up palm fronds and other light debris in the downtown area, the city said on Facebook.

The South Jetty remains closed because of wind and high tides, while the Venice Fishing Pier is also still closed “until the waters calm,” the city added.

And Venice Fire Rescue reported roof damage to an unoccupied manufactured home in the 800 block of S. Green Circle in the Country Club Estates area, the city said.