Sarasota County official who led troubled stormwater division during Debby resigns

After floods from Tropical Storm Debby overwhelmed public infrastructure in 2024, residents packed meetings to demand answers to what went wrong.

Those questions often fell to Spencer Anderson, the Sarasota County official in charge of stormwater personnel at the time.

Following the devastation, Sarasota County created a separate stormwater department — and reassigned Anderson from those duties. Now, he is stepping down from his role with the county altogether.

Anderson, who is the director of the Transportation Department, notified Deputy County Administrator Steve Botelho on Sept. 29 that he was submitting his resignation, which will take effect Nov. 6.

The letter to Botelho said Anderson had accepted a job as public works division director for Monroe County in the Florida Keys.

“This decision represents both an exciting professional opportunity and the pursuit of a long-standing personal goal,” Anderson wrote in his resignation letter. “The Florida Keys have been a desired long-term destination for my wife and me for many years.”

The Florida Keys also happened to be where Anderson was vacationing in August 2024 when Tropical Storm Debby dumped more than 11 inches of rain in a single day.

Anderson returned to Sarasota as the extent of the flooding became clear. The storm had inundated neighborhoods, flooded homes and left residents struggling to understand why the county’s drainage systems had failed them.

Two more hurricanes battered the region that fall, compounding residents’ frustrations and intensifying scrutiny of Sarasota County’s stormwater operations.

By early 2025, residents formed groups and demanded action.

The task of explaining the county’s actions fell to Anderson, who often faced hostile crowds. Frustration continued to mount later that summer after the Florida Trident and Suncoast Searchlight published an investigation into the Sarasota County stormwater department. The reporting found a department under Anderson in disarray, filled with vacant positions and strained to its breaking point.

An independent review by a Sarasota County consultant also found a lack of maintenance and operational lapses contributed to flooding during Tropical Storm Debby.

Sarasota County commissioners responded by splitting Public Works into two departments — Transportation and Stormwater. Anderson would continue to be in charge of Transportation.

In its first year, the new stormwater department hired director Ben Quartermaine, who has been leading a turnaround, though certain problems have persisted, as Suncoast Searchlight reported last week.

But the shakeup left a strain on employee morale, according to exit interviews. 

“Was disappointed how the organization handled the flooding issues after the hurricane,” one employee told Human Resources in June. “Very political and unsupportive of staff.”

Another reported in May that department leaders were “crucified for things out of their control.”

Anderson had climbed the ranks at the county for more than two decades and appeared well liked among staff and other directors.

For the past year, Anderson has supervised more than 100 employees at the Transportation department, with a $40 million budget. He’s been in charge of managing an initiative that will see 66 miles of new roads built at a cost of $400 million.

County Administrator Jonathan Lewis called Anderson an asset to the community that will be missed.

“Many of the board’s priorities are focused on transportation issues, and we will work to make sure none of those lose momentum,” Lewis wrote in an email to county commissioners about Anderson’s departure.

Anderson sent an email to other county department directors expressing his appreciation for the time he spent building his career.

“I leave Sarasota County with a tremendous amount of respect for this organization and for all of you who continue to serve it,” he said in the email. “I am proud of the work we have accomplished together and grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of this leadership team for so many years.”

Derek Gilliam is a watchdog/investigative reporter for Suncoast Searchlight. Email him at derek@suncoastsearchlight.org.