Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Report: Sarasota-Manatee area rent costs post seventh consecutive month of decline

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/real...ne/ar-AA1jcebW

A monthly report on apartment rents across the country continues to show the cost declining in Sarasota and Manatee counties, according to Apartment List.

The North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metro area's estimated rents declined 1% in October. This marks the seventh consecutive month that rents have posted a monthly decline in prices.

Apartment List, an online rental marketplace, tracks apartment rental rates across the country, providing estimated rents in most cities and major metro areas. It's database goes back to at least 2017 for most locations.

Rents in the two-county area have decreased by 5.2% over the past 12 months. Nationally, they decreased by 0.6% in October and posted a 1.2% year-over-year decline, according to the website.

The decline in Sarasota-Manatee comes after some of the highest increases in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic influenced population migration patterns. Florida saw an influx of people, attributed to various factors including accelerated retirement schedules and work-from-home policies.

Rents, according to the Apartment List data, remain more than a third higher in Sarasota-Manatee than before the pandemic. The estimated median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the metro area came in at $1,455, and $1,746 for a two-bedroom unit.

[wondermint2]

Adult softball, funding strategy approved for 17th Street Park

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...h-street-park/

With the goal of becoming a destination for regional and national tournaments and offering more year-round facilities for local youth and adult sports, the Sarasota County Commission last week approved including three adult softball fields to the first phase of the reimagined 17th Street Regional Park.

At their Oct. 24 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved adding the $8 million spend to the now $65 million project, which will emphasize the athletic fields portion of the park that will eventually include an event lawn, renovated dog park, a destination playground, nature park and more. It will also be connected to the Legacy Trail through the adjacent Bobby Jones Golf Course and nature preserve.

Commissioners also approved the staff's proposed funding strategy for the entire first phase.

[wondermint2]

See how Sarasota-Manatee hospitals ranked on a national list of specialty services

For full article:

https://news.yahoo.com/see-sarasota-...164306220.html

Healthgrades, a leading online resource for people seeking health care options, recently released its national rankings for hospitals' specialty services.

Healthgrades ranks roughly 4,500 hospitals nationally, based on evaluation of clinical outcomes, risk-adjusted mortality and complications, based on the assessment of 35 common conditions.

Here is how hospitals currently treating people in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties fared in the new national specialty services hospital rankings.

[wondermint2]

Officials to consider expansion of Breeze on Demand service to all of Longboat Key

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...ey/ar-AA1jc6KD

Town of Longboat Key officials are lobbying Manatee County leadership to strike a deal with Sarasota County and extend the Breeze on Demand rideshare service across the county line, rather than continue to operate separate public transit systems that force riders to stop and change services.

Longboat Key leaders met with Manatee County on Tuesday during a public meeting to discuss public transit and other matters of importance to Longboat Key, which straddles both sides of the Sarasota and Manatee County line.

The plan would involve Manatee County pulling its public transit out of the northern half of Longboat Key, and instead striking an interlocal agreement with Sarasota County to pay for a share of the cost to extend the Breeze on Demand service across the county line all the way to Coquina Beach in Anna Maria Island.

There was no vote during Tuesday afternoon's joint meeting, so no agreements have officially been reached.

[wondermint2]

Country Club Shores asbestos pipe replacement begins

The multiphase project on Longboat Key will start with Country Club Shores IV and V and will wrap up by early 2025 before proceeding to the final two phases.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...cement-begins/

Country Club Shores is the only area on Longboat Key that still has asbestos concrete water lines.

But that’s going to change soon.

Country Club Shores IV and V will be the first sections to receive the upgrades. Contractors for the project were issued the official “notice to proceed” on Oct. 2.

Currently, the water pipes for Country Club shores are made of an outdated material called asbestos cement. The upgrades will replace those pipes with new polyvinyl chloride.

“PVC is a bit longer-lasting; it’s much easier to repair,” Brownman said. “It’s not as fragile, at all, as the asbestos cement.”

A lot of the necessary work for this project is underground, in the grassy areas of the right of way. As a result, Brownman said the crews will have to dig up the roads to put the water lines in the roadway.

[wondermint2]

Anna Maria mulls allowing dog walkers (and dogs) at city park

For full article:

https://www.islander.org/2023/10/ann...-at-city-park/

People soon may be allowed to walk their canine friends at City Pier Park in Anna Maria.

City commissioners Oct. 19 directed staff to draft potential code changes to allow people to walk leashed pets at City Pier Park, 101 N. Bay Blvd., as recommended by the planning and zoning board.

P&Z member Dusty Crane, wife of Commissioner Jonathan Crane, attended the meeting on behalf of the board to request the city amend Section 38-28, which prohibits dogs and other domestic animals in city parks and certain public spaces.

Dusty Crane said the code should be changed to allow dogs to be walked by leash in City Pier Park, excluding the playground, and recommended the addition of a waste station.

The amendment also would not allow owners to walk their pets on the beach, where domestic animals are prohibited.

Commissioner Robert Kingan said the city may establish a dog park to keep things simple.

Murphy said the city had a few pocket parks that could be used for that purpose.

Commissioner Charlie Salem said he was in support of establishing a dog park but also wanted to encourage people to use City Pier Park as much as possible by allowing them to bring their pets.

[wondermint2]

As Sarasota-Manatee’s first dorm applications open, are students ready to commit?

For full article:

https://www.usforacle.com/2023/10/31...ady-to-commit/

Senior healthcare major Jazlynn Marie said the addition of on-campus housing for USF Sarasota-Manatee students will bring new experiences and change the culture of the campus.

“It will bring in more students, allow for more events, and make the Sarasota campus more well-known,” she said.

The 100,000-square-foot housing and student center building is expected to open in fall 2024, according to a March Oracle article. The upper floors will house around 200 residents and the lower floors will offer a student center, bookstore, dining facilities, meeting rooms and other amenities.

As the new dorm begins to accept its first housing applications, The Oracle talked to Sarasota-Manatee students on whether they plan to commit to on-campus living.

[wondermint2]

This news pertains to all of Florida - but I came across it in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune so posting it here.

Firearm safety training dramatically drops after Florida gun law change

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fi...9d9f749c&ei=32

Floridians no longer need a permit to carry a concealed firearm, and gun owners are overwhelmingly opting out of the safety and educational training once required for a license.

Firearms instructors are seeing a dramatic drop in student sign ups for such courses, which teach safety and explain the state’s laws about where and how gun owners can lawfully carry pistols and legally use them in self defense.

As more people forgo basic safety and legal training, instructors say they’re concerned about the safety of communities — and the impacts to their businesses.

After the new state law went into effect, the number of people who applied for concealed carry permits — which are now optional and include hours-long classes on safety and legal issues — dropped by about 64% over the same three-month period a year ago. There are about 2.5 million people in Florida with concealed carry permits, according to state figures.

Florida concealed weapons permits can still be a plus

Besides the safety classes, advantages of having a permit in Florida allow gun buyers to avoid the three-day waiting period before they can pick up their new guns and carry their guns when traveling in states that recognize Florida’s permits as valid. The initial cost for a permit is about $100, including fingerprinting. Felons and anyone under 21 can’t carry a concealed weapon legally even under the new law

[wondermint2]

New Starbucks is coming to a major Bradenton intersection. Will traffic be a problem?

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ne...em/ar-AA1je6nE

A new Starbucks coffee shop is coming to West Bradenton, but city officials are worried about the traffic it may bring.

The Bradenton City Council voted Wednesday to approve the permit for a 2,500-square-foot Starbucks on the southeast corner of Manatee Avenue and 75th Street West. An opening date has not been announced.

According to city staff, Starbucks will demolish the vacant SunTrust Bank building on that corner to build the coffeehouse. The store will feature indoor seating, patio seating and a drive-thru.

Seattle-based Starbucks sells coffee, tea sandwiches and baked goods. There are 17 Starbucks locations in Manatee County.

After Albertsons and Kmart shuttered along both sides of Manatee Avenue, the two shopping centers failed to attract new tenants for several years. But recently, businesses have taken a new interest in the area.

"This area is starting to see a renaissance with development," said Greg DeLong, Bradenton's assistant director of the Planning and Community Development Department.

In addition to Starbucks, a Target store and a Manatee Memorial Hospital free-standing emergency room are under construction near the major intersection.

New Starbucks creates traffic concerns

Before voting in favor of the project, council members expressed concern about the traffic the planned Starbucks may generate. Councilwoman Jayne Kocher noted that the site plan would not allow customers to turn south onto 75th Street West, potentially causing traffic backups or forcing customers to cut through the Village Green neighborhood.

DeLong said the city's Public Works Department will review the traffic impact at a later stage in the approval process. Council members voted 4-0 to approve a special use permit for Starbucks. Councilman Josh Cramer was absent and didn't cast a vote.

[wondermint2]

County to hold meeting on DeSoto Area Sidewalk project

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/11/0...outputType=amp

Sarasota County Officials are holding a public meeting for residents on a proposed improvement project.

The meeting will cover the second phase of the Desoto Area Sidewalk Project. The project is expected to go along DeSoto Road, from Middle Avenue to Lockwood Ridge Road. It will also run along Tuttle Avenue from Martin Luther King Jr Way to 61st Street.

Officials will have displays of the proposed project on hand. The meeting is set for 5 p.m. Wednesday night at the Longwood Run Park in Sarasota.

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*Well I looked into this further and the meeting was already held on Wednesday, November 1st:

https://www.scgov.net/government/sar...ublic-meetings