Sarasota government leaders consider how to use infrastructure bill funding

County Commissioner Christian Ziegler suggested that some of the money could support the county’s transition to advanced wastewater treatment.
The county is upgrading its Bee Ridge facility, which is the county’s largest wastewater plant. The upgrades will allow the plant to conform with advanced wastewater treatment standards.

Government officials in the Sarasota area are pondering how to use the millions of dollars they expect to receive from the bipartisan infrastructure?package recently passed by Congress.

On Nov. 15, President Joe Biden signed into law a $1.2 trillion bill meant to improve the country’s infrastructure.

Funding from the bill will be used to fix many roads and bridges, expand broadband internet access and build a network of electric vehicle charging stations, among other uses.

Some money will go to Sarasota area local governments, but government officials don’t yet know how much they’ll receive.

Nevertheless, they have several ideas for to how to use the funding, including extending the Legacy Trail into the city of Sarasota’s northern neighborhoods and improving wastewater management.