Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program is a cooperative partnership among communities, researchers, and governments that strives to improve the health of Sarasota Bay and enhance the area's natural resources for public benefit.
Bettering Your Bay, Your Way: Sarasota Bay Partners Grant Program
Do you have a project idea that could enhance our local environment, inspire community stewardship, or educate others about bay-related topics? Apply for a Bay Partners grant! These grants provide up to $10,000 to support your good work in our unique watershed.
2025 Annual Report: Key Topics, Major Accomplishments
Our Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2025 is hot off the press! This report highlights key programs and accomplishments from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. Also featured are deep dives into current events and reflections from our incoming and outgoing Executive Directors. We hope you enjoy the read!
Featured News & Notes
As we put the finishing touches on 2025 and head into the holidays, I would like to take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments and the favorable conditions we experienced this year. We’ve grown so accustomed to major events causing large-scale problems in our region that it can be easy to overlook just how…
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Saturday, January 17, 2026, 9:30AM – 12:30PM Join us in celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service! There are several opportunities to give back to your community and environment. 9:30AM – 11:30AM – paddle cleanup of Whitaker Bayou (bring your own kayak or help with topside trash sorting), gravel lot south of 2430…
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If you have been around Florida for any length of time, you may associate drought with watering restrictions and crispy lawns. But drought reaches far beyond landscaping, it reshapes our estuaries, water supply, and infrastructure needs. Florida’s climate has always shifted between wet and dry, yet today those swings are sharper with longer dry seasons punctuated by intense, sometimes record-setting wet seasons. The change can be gradual or other times it feels like someone just turned the tap (on or…
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Background The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park (2523 Cocoanut Ave, Sarasota, FL 34234) shoreline restoration will increase access to Whitaker Bayou, which runs along the park, and add natural features to improve water quality. Funding for this project is provided by a Clean Water Act lawsuit and the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act (IIJA). The…
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A limited pilot study was recently conducted to better understand potential sources contributing to fecal bacteria levels in Palma Sola Bay. The study used a testing method called Microbial Source Tracking (MST), which identifies genetic material from fecal bacteria associated with humans, birds, horses, and a general category of fecal bacteria. These were the focus of this…
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This will be my last Director’s Note, as the eminently qualified Ryan Gandy, supported by our fantastic staff, will be in charge as of next week. But I wanted to spend just a bit of time to summarize what we’ve done the past few years, and why we did it. The signs that Sarasota Bay…
Read MoreOur Programs
We work with our partners to improve the science of bay management, restore wildlife habitats, and increase community engagement in bay restoration efforts.
