The project will modernize mechanical and electrical equipment at the city's 12th Street facility, including consolidating three electrical buildings into a single structure with a backup generator, rebuilding three clarifiers and adding a fourth, and replacing aging pumps and piping that have contributed to past wastewater overflows.

The investment follows several years of wastewater infrastructure challenges, including Hurricane Debby in 2024, when the treatment plant was overwhelmed and released at least 17 million gallons of wastewater into Sarasota Bay. City officials said the rehabilitation is part of a broader long-term strategy to improve system resilience and environmental protection through 2055.

The project will be financed through a 20-year, low-interest loan from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2027 and conclude by the end of 2030, with TLC Diversified Inc. serving as the contractor.

Local environmental leaders said continued investments by the city and Sarasota County in wastewater infrastructure have helped improve water quality in Sarasota Bay compared with a decade ago, when the region experienced more frequent sewage spills.