Hurricane Milton damages Sarasota County Administration Center

Due to wind and water damage from Hurricane Milton, the Sarasota County Administration Center has been closed to the public, and employees have been relocated.

Numerous catastrophe response units and damage restoration vehicles are on site at 1660 Ringling Blvd. on Oct. 17 working on the building. A dumpster is filled with debris outside near a fallen tree, and hoses are being fed into the side of the structure.

The building was “extensively impacted by Hurricane Milton,” Sarasota County Director of Communications Jamie Carson says in a statement. “We’re working to remediate the building and assessing its future use.” 

As crews are in the “early stages of the remediation process," officials say a damage estimate is not yet available.

Services will continue to be offered while work is ongoing at the building. “To ensure the continuity of government for our community, we’ve implemented plans to relocate personnel and equipment during the remediation process,” Carson says. Staff will be deployed to areas throughout the community, officials say.

In the meantime, the services provided at the Sarasota County Administration Building are available online, and community members can call 311 or 941-861-5000 for assistance.

The county no longer owns the property at 1660 Ringling Blvd. In 2021, Sarasota County sold the administration building to Benderson Development for $25 million and has since been leasing it.

In fall 2025, the administration is moving its headquarters to Fruitville Commons east of Interstate 75 at a property that is under construction. A groundbreaking for the new administration complex near the Celery Fields was held in September 2023.