News You Can Use: Utilities, services, and government resources available in Sarasota-Manatee

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, local agencies are working to restore numerous services and resources to the Sarasota-Manatee region.

Here is a round-up of news you can use as agencies in Sarasota and Manatee County begin to clean up and restore efforts for residents.

Florida Power & Light

Sarasota County: FPL currently reports 161,110 without power in Sarasota County. So far, 103,200 customers have been restored and 264,310 have been affected by Hurricane Ian. FPL serves a total of 287,120 customers in the county. 

Customers can report power outages and check for updates from FPL by calling 1-800--468-8243.

Manatee County: FPL restoration is continuing in Manatee County Sept. 30 for the county's 198,710 total customers. Hurricane Ian left 85,580 without power in Manatee County of which 55,340 already being restored. The storm affected 140,920 FPL customers across Manatee County.

Customers are advised to call 911 or 1-800--468-8243 to report downed power lines or areas with standing water that could have energized structures. 

To find out when your power is scheduled to be restored or to report damage visit fplmaps.com to check on the status of outages in their area. The map updates every hour. 

Local food bank distributions 

All Faiths Food Bank will host food and water distribution sites at three locations in Sarasota County Friday, Sep. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 1.

The Church of the Palms (3224 Bee Ridge Rd, Sarasota) site will be operating on September 30 from 12-5 p.m.

The site at All Faiths Food Bank (8171 Blaikie Ct, Sarasota) will begin distributing food Friday, September 30 from 4-6 p.m.

St. Paul Lutheran Church (2256 Bahia Vista St, Sarasota) will open and distribute food on Saturday, Oct. from 9 -10:30 a.m.

All Faiths Food Bank Food & Resource Center Aracida will be open Friday, Sep. 30 from 4 - 6 p.m. for people needing food and water. If any supplies are left, the center will reopen Saturday, Oct. 1.

All Faiths Food Bank operations team members are currently scouting locations in North Port where distributions might be possible.

Trash, debris collection, and waste management 

Manatee County: The Manatee County landfill will reopen Monday, Oct. 3. Garbage and recycling collections will resume the same day.

Residents are being asked to separate debris to ensure collection and removal. County officials are asking residents to separate or group debris as follows: normal household trash; vegetative debris or yard waste (leaves, branches, logs, plants); construction & demolition (building materials, wood fencing, mattresses, carpet, drywall, furniture, and lumber); appliances and white goods (air conditioners, washers, dryers, water heaters, refrigerators, dishwashers, freezers, and stoves). White goods and appliances must be emptied in order to be picked up and hauled away.

The City of Venice: Public Works Department is making arrangements to have a contractor pick up residential debris from Hurricane Ian as early as Wednesday, Oct. 5. 

Officials are asking residents to separate vegetation from all other material groups. Vegetation should not be bagged and piles should be placed five feet from resident mailboxes.

City trash pick-up and recycling carts are set to resume normal collection on Monday, Oct. 3. Carts can be placed at the curb separated from debris piles. Public Works crews are currently assessing pickup zones to ensure trucks and staff can navigate Venice neighborhoods safely.

City of Sarasota: Trash, recycling, and yard waste pickups will be collected Friday, Sept. 30. The city of Sarasota will resume regularly scheduled pickups on Saturday; Friday's collections will be deferred to Saturday.

Water & Utilities

Manatee County Government reported Friday morning that 205 of 738 lift stations remain offline or without power.

The lift stations are used to move sewage from low level to higher elevation facilities and into treatment plants to treat water. Residents in Manatee County are being asked to "conserve what they put down the drain" by county officials. Manatee County customers who are experiencing sewage issues should call 3-1-1 and report issues to utilities services.

Residents without power are asked to limit toilet flushing, showers, dishwashing, and doing laundry until lift stations are fully restored.

Clean-up and damage assesments 

Manatee County: First In Teams (FIT) assessment crews and inspections teams are on the ground working in Manatee County. According to Bill Logan, Information Outreach Manager for Manatee County Government, all major roads in Manatee have been cleared. The team began work on secondary roads Friday, Sep. 30.

Damage assessments to all residential property in the county were deferred Friday but will resume on Monday, Oct. 3. The cost of damages is expected to rise above the current $4.4 million estimated in damages by Manatee County officials. 

The City of Sarasota: Tactical First Teams began initial assessments Thursday evening and have determined there are over 200 locations with some level of damage. Teams were dispatched Friday morning to begin cutting downed trees and clearing road hazards to ensure safe travel lanes.

"By all accounts, we were fortunate. Damage appears to be limited to numerous large trees and some utility lines," a city press revealed stated Friday morning.  

To report a downed tree or other storm damage with the City of Sarasota, residents need to submit a service request online via Click-2-Fix or call the following numbers and a crew will be dispatched to assess issues.

Contact Public Works for debris or downed trees at 941-263-6793 (after hours at 941-263-6450) Contact the Utilities Department for water main breaks at 941-263-6884. Residents are being advised that the City of Sarasota will not remove trees on private property.

City and county operations

City of Sarasota: Administrative offices will remain closed through Friday, Sept. 30. City plans to reopen for regular business on Monday, Oct. 3. A regular City Commission meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. at City Hall.

City of Venice:

City of Bradenton:

City North Port:

Manatee County:

Sarasota County:

Internet and wifi services

Samantha Gholar covers social justice news for the Herald-Tribune and USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at sgholar@gannett.com or on Twitter: @samanthagholar