Water, Gas Main Breaks Cause School, Home Evacuations

Updated, 7:46 p.m.:

City officials said they expect Osprey Avenue to reopen Saturday morning after a gas line was inadvertently broke Friday.

Repairs were still under way Friday evening after a water main was broken, damaging the gas line, according to a city spokesperson.

Earlier:

Broken water and gas mains on South Osprey Avenue caused an evacuation of Southside Elementary School and some homes Friday morning, as well as a possible traffic backup on South Tamiami Trail, according to Sarasota Police.

A construction company installing a new natural gas main at Osprey and Grove Street hit a 16-inch city water main around 10:45 a.m. Friday, causing a major break in the line, a police spokesperson said. Pressure from that break then damaged a gas main.

Some homes closest to the break were evacuated as a precaution, Officer Linda DeNiro, police spokesperson, said in a media release.

Power was also cut within a 1-mile radius for safety concerns, an area that included Southside Elementary. The school was evacuated, and students were bussed to Brookside School on South Shade Avenue for parent pick-up, DeNiro said.

The broken water line will not impact City of Sarasota water customers, city spokesperson Jan Thornburg said in an announcement posted on Sarasota Patch.

South Osprey Avenue was partially flooded and will remain closed until it is safe for traffic, officials said. Meanwhile, traffic is being diverted around the area, which could cause delays on Tamiami Trail.

No homes were damaged by the flooding, DeNiro said.

The Sarasota County Fire Department was called to the scene and was capping the water main and gas main Friday afternoon.

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