Sarasota CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Bottom 20% least reliable nationally — frequent and/or long outages. This county ranks in the least reliable fifth of all US counties in our dataset: some combination of frequent outages, long restoration times, or customers affected puts it near the bottom nationally. Backup power is worth prioritizing here rather than treating it as optional.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2017 | 65 hrs | 340,240 (98%) | Hurricane Irma |
| Sep 11, 2017 | 4 hrs | 319,900 (92%) | Hurricane Irma |
| Sep 11, 2017 | <1 hr | 319,003 (92%) | Hurricane Irma |
| Sep 28, 2022 | 29 hrs | 257,410 (74%) | Hurricane Ian |
| Oct 9, 2024 | 23 hrs | 255,131 (73%) | Hurricane Milton |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Sarasota County, Florida that day.
Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, Sarasota County recorded 2,883 distinct power outage events, averaging 1.8 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Sarasota County started September 11, 2017 (Hurricane Irma), lasting 65 hours and leaving up to 340,240 customers without power (98% of the county) at its peak.
August has historically been the worst month for outages in Sarasota County, with 367 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Sarasota County earns a Reliability Grade of F, placing it in the 8th percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Florida
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Sarasota County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Bay County | F | 7th |
| Lee County | F | 7th |
| Manatee County | F | 9th |
| Volusia County | F | 9th |
| Wakulla County | F | 6th |
Most reliable counties nationally
The top 3 counties nationally by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | State | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | South Dakota | A | 100th |
| Clearwater County | Minnesota | A | 99th |
| Limestone County | Alabama | A | 99th |
Least reliable counties nationally
The bottom 3 counties nationally by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | State | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | West Virginia | F | 0th |
| Lincoln County | West Virginia | F | 0th |
| Cameron Parish | Louisiana | F | 0th |
FAQ
How often does power go out in Sarasota County?
Between 2014 and 2025, Sarasota County recorded 2,883 outage events, averaging 1.8 hours each.
What is Sarasota County's reliability grade?
Sarasota County has a Reliability Grade of F, in the 8th national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Sarasota County?
The worst outage on record started September 11, 2017 (Hurricane Irma), lasting 65 hours and affecting up to 340,240 customers.