Permeable Resin-Bound Surfacing in Sarasota, FL

The county utility, the RainCheck rebate and Sarasota's LID guidance

Stormwater in the City of Sarasota and unincorporated Sarasota County is run by the county's Stormwater Environmental Utility. The city joined through an interlocal agreement in 1991, so city parcels pay the county assessment: a base charge per parcel plus an impervious charge billed in units of 500 square feet of impervious area. The county's assessment pages describe those charges, not a fee credit; the incentive it promotes for owners is a rebate.

RainCheck pays $5 per square foot, up to $5,000, to replace concrete, asphalt, brick or sealed pavers with pervious material. You apply before work starts, the NEST coordinator inspects the site and issues a notice to proceed, quotes must say "pervious," nothing may be sealed, and the work must be finished within 60 days. Resin-bound drains through its surface rather than its joints, which is how the program describes pervious material, but eligibility is the coordinator's decision. An overlay on a slab you keep isn't impervious replacement.

For site development, the county's Stormwater Manual (updated June 2024) points designers to its Low Impact Development Guidance Document for counting LID in water quality calculations, and treats LID as ancillary in 100-year design storm modeling. So a permeable section earns its keep on everyday rain and treatment more than on flood routing. Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) permits for applications deemed complete after December 28, 2025 also fall under the statewide nutrient rule.

Flatwoods sand, a shallow water table and Milton's landfall

Flatwoods soils like the Myakka series are common in this part of Florida. USDA describes the series with a water table within 18 inches of the surface for one to four months in most years and a dark, organic-stained subsoil (the spodic horizon). Sand on top drains fast; the water table, not the rain you want to store, usually limits how deep a stone reservoir can go.

Engineers here confirm the seasonal high water level with borings, check whether the spodic layer slows drainage, and add an underdrain where separation is thin. The county gets over 50 inches of rain a year, much of it in summer storms, and Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key in October 2024. Near the bayfront and barrier islands, design for tidal backwater and plan vacuum cleaning after any flood.

Where permeable resin-bound fits in Sarasota

• Bungalow neighborhoods such as Laurel Park and Gillespie Park, where a cracked driveway can come out and be rebuilt as a permeable section under RainCheck rules.
• Downtown and bayfront condominiums with pool decks and entry courts that drain toward Sarasota Bay.
• Restaurant and retail courtyards around St. Armands Circle and the Rosemary District, where small sites have no room for a pond.
• Campus walks and church parking courts that need a smooth, step-free surface.

Sites in the Phillippi Creek basin or along Hudson Bayou drain to waters the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program works to protect, one more reason to keep rain on the lot.

Getting a Sarasota project reviewed, and where Resin Rock comes in

Inside city limits, development review runs through the City of Sarasota's Development Services. In unincorporated areas, the county's Stormwater Division reviews drainage and recommends a stormwater methodology meeting before submittal. Larger sites also need a SWFWMD permit, and the statewide handbook the district applies counts porous pavement as semi-impervious area for permit thresholds. Bring the base design, infiltration results and a maintenance plan to that first meeting.

Resin Rock supplies the binder, stone blends, trims and Rock Crete permeable base, publishes technical data sheets for your engineer, and matches owners with an approved installer, usually within 24 hours. We train and approve installers but don't install.