Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by Greenhound

Upset is not even close to the reaction from some people as the comments suggest. Our properties are fairly far apart in Old Miakka. All properties out here are measured in acres or even sections. They, bylaw only have to notice people 1500 feet from the property. The first homeowner that received the mailing put it on blast in a local facebook forum. We had 3 days notice of what was coming.
To find out 100- 2.5 million dollar homes on 1 acre lots were proposed on our quiet country lanes was as shocking as 2 feet of snow falling in August. Fruitville Road, a 2 lane road going east is already a nightmare. Having a possibility of 500-plus cars twice a day exiting our small community is heartbreaking. 85 % of the proposed development is Zone A according to FEMA. They will have to raise the level of the home sites about 4 feet. This has the possibility of flooding out the adjoining properties and displacing wildlife. We have no streetlights out here on purpose. It is why the Deep Space Observers Club can view the night sky.
We have a neighborhood plan registered with Sarasota County and the developers had no knowledge of it. There has been no survey on the native wildlife that will be affected including gopher tortoises. No traffic survey has been done yet either.

Hi. I think your post is in regard to my post here:

East County residents protest plans for 100-home John Cannon development near Old Miakka community

https://www.city-data.com/forum/66701578-post4143.html

(I posted that link in case readers want some more background information.)

[wondermint2]

44th Avenue East is closer to heading over the interstate

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/real...acbd60a8&ei=29

The 44th Avenue East Extension project wrapped up project five and has moved on to project six. Project six includes the overpass on Interstate 75 which will connect Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch.

According to a project update released on May 3, pile driving operations are completed, and the installation of pier footings is taking place in the median of I-75.

West of I-75, the updated said excavation activities and cleaning are underway just north of The Ridge at Crossing Creek Community. The update said that work will be followed by “construction of an embankment and retaining wall in preparation for the western end of the bridge over I-75.”

East of I-75, the update said “the contractor is continuing pile driving operations in the county’s reclaimed water storage lake, directly south of the Manatee County Wastewater Plant.” Pile driving and construction of an embarkment and retaining wall will also take place for the eastern side of the bridge over the interstate.

The project is expected to be completed sometime in 2026. Chad Butzow, the Public Works Director, previously spoke to ABC7 about the project.

“Six lane 70 and a six lane 64. Those roads probably aren’t getting any bigger anytime soon, yet the community is still growing. So, this is the county skinning the game that we are moving for, on with full construction and the connection of 44th out to Lakewood Ranch,” said Butzow. “You can get all the way from eventually out to borne side boulevard all the way back to Cortez Road without using a state road.”

Not everyone is impressed with the project including Glynn Westberry who has lived west of the interstate for decades. Westberry said earlier parts of the project called his backyard home.

“Quite a few car washes and window washer, and house washes. It was really nasty and dirty and sandy,” said Westberry.

Westberry said the project will help him see family in Lakewood Ranch faster. He said Bradenton used to be a secret but now everyone is moving to the area. Westberry said Bradenton is becoming over developed.

“The only place you can go is east. You know, and there, on the other coast, they’re heading west. So, what’s going to happen? Going to meet in the middle at some point, I guess,” said Westberry.

For more information on the county’s extension project, head to their website here:

https://44thaveeast.com/

[wondermint2]

Sarasota employers and workers both hurt by childcare crisis, survey shows

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/comp...acbd60a8&ei=30

A majority of local employers recently surveyed report significant challenges for employees in finding available and affordable childcare – a problem that impacts their business.

The survey was conducted in March by a new Childcare Business Task Force launched late last year by the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County.

Working with area chambers and economic development corporations, the ELC task force surveyed 157 employers across multiple sectors, from nonprofit and healthcare to construction, hospitality, manufacturing, government, education, and finance.

Nearly 90% of the employers surveyed have workers with young children. Of those, 82% reported that their employees are struggling with childcare costs, while two-thirds said their employees are having trouble finding available childcare.

The childcare crisis hitting employees ultimately affects employers, too. The biggest impacts they listed were increased employee absenteeism and turnover; decreased productivity; the inability to recruit new employees; and a hit to revenues and profits.

“When employees don’t have appropriate childcare, they are not productive,” said Janet Kahn, CEO of the Early Learning Coalition.

[wondermint2]

Judge declines to hear more arguments in residents' challenge to Venice shopping center

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...acbd60a8&ei=40

Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Danielle Brewer denied a request by a developer to present additional arguments as she considers a challenge filed by residents opposing the Venice City Council’s decision last July in favor of a proposed shopping center in the Milano development.

That favorable land-use decision allowed Border and Jacaranda Holdings, LLC, the company controlled by developer Pat Neal that owns 10.4 acres at the intersection of Jacaranda Boulevard and Laurel Road, to develop a commercial center potentially anchored by a Publix at that site.

The North Venice Neighborhood Alliance, Gary Scott Kenneth Baron and Seth Thompson, represented by attorney Ralf Brooks, filed a petition asking Brewer to direct the City Council to review its decision.
Brookes argued that the council ruling failed to meet the requirements of the city’s Land Development Code.

The City Council vote was 5-2 in favor, with Mayor Nick Pachota and Council Member Rachel Frank in dissent.

In November 2023, two council members who voted in the majority were replaced by Council members Joan Farrell and Ron Smith – both of who used opposition to that decision as a central theme of their campaigns.

Brewer’s denial of the request for oral argument in the case – filed April 22 – simply stated that the court would render its decision based on the pleadings and record currently on file with the court.

[wondermint2]

Arts Editor: A week for experiencing something new and different

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news...acbd60a8&ei=45

This is a week to experience some new and unusual projects that are expanding the reach of some arts groups and the understanding of audiences.

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

Newtown given historic designation by National Register of Historic Places

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tri...c74cd6a6&ei=40

After years of work from local historians and city officials, the Newtown Historic District is officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The City of Sarasota was notified last month of the news.

The work toward the designation began in 2009. The Newtown Historic District is now the single largest historic district within Sarasota and the largest Black historic district in the state of Florida, based on the number of contributing resources.

The designation will provide protection for the area. While the building permit process for structural modifications in the historic district will not change, demolition applications now must be reviewed and approved by the Historic Preservation Board.

The Newtown Historic District includes 731 contributing resources, meaning the integrity, location and design have been retained for at least 50 years, including Galilee Cemetery, churches and other structures.

The district boundaries roughly are Myrtle Street to the north, 19th Street to the south, Seminole Gulf Railway tracks to the west and U.S. 301 to the east.

The City of Sarasota began pursuing the historic designation in April 2009 after Newtown community members expressed a strong interest in preserving the unique history of their prominently Black neighborhood. A strategic, multi-prong plan was set forth to document Newtown’s history in order to meet federal requirements to be placed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The process included:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXX6bS3coVw

A bright vibrant sign welcomes visitors to Newtown, now the newest and single largest historic district within Sarasota and the largest Black historic district in Florida.

"Yay! It's the largest designation of an African-American community and so we're just so excited, you know, to know that we are being valued," Mary Butler, a Newtown community leader and president of the Amaryllis Park Residents Association said.

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/we...acbd60a8&ei=49

[wondermint2]

Photos: 2024 Ringling College of Art and Design graduation in Sarasota

For photo gallery:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/...48221b51&ei=45

Ringling College of Art and Design graduated almost 400 students at Robarts Arena on Thursday afternoon, sending hundreds of new artists into the industry.

With majors such as visual development, illustration, computer animation, game art and creative writing among others, Ringling College consistently ranks among the top art schools in the world.

[wondermint2]

Twelve Singing Jurors: Asolo Rep presents a musical twist on classic drama

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/new...48221b51&ei=60

You wouldn’t be the first to ask composer Michael Holland and writer David Simpatico what they were thinking when they created a musical version of the classic Reginald Rose drama “Twelve Angry Men.”

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the debut of the television drama about a New York jury of 12 men deliberating the fate of a young man accused of killing his father. For 90 minutes they debate, reveal their biases and racial hatred as minds slowly begin to shift about the young man’s guilt or innocence.

Rose adapted the TV drama into a play and then into the Oscar-nominated 1957 film version that starred Henry Fonda in the pivotal role of Juror #8.

For all these years, the jurors talked, yelled, threatened and cajoled. But they never sang, until now in “Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical,” which closes the Asolo Repertory Theatre season.

----------------------------------------

*‘Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical’

Music and lyrics by David Holland, book by David Simpatico. Directed by Peter Rothstein. Runs May 8-June 9, Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets are $35-$98. 941-351-8000; https://asolorep.org

[wondermint2]

Sarasota County a national leader in mosquito management, officials say

From lab testing to fish breeding, Sarasota County leads the way in keeping mosquito-borne illnesses at bay.

https://www.businessobserverfl.com/n...to-management/

Four months after the groundbreaking for its new facility, Sarasota County Mosquito Management recently hosted its annual media day to showcase the operations that will be moving.

Those operations — and the investment, personnel and knowhow behind it — are a significant part of what local officials, starting at the top with Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis, say make the county a national leader in mosquito control.

The county "really has invested in the future of mosquito management,” Lewis said during the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s April 16 State of the County update. “We are one of the leaders in the country, not just in the state of Florida, when it comes to how we deal with it."

[wondermint2]

Letters to the Editor - 'How disgusting!': Sarasota's sidewalks and streets are being ruined by gum-spitting slobs

For the full column:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ho...bs/ar-AA1o8feV

Shame on you, gum spitters

As a walker, I am always disappointed to see so many “black spots” all over our sidewalks, parking lots, entrances to restaurants, etc.

Many of you are probably unaware that these round, sometimes big, black spots are gum! Yes, gum that people spit out instead of throwing in garbage cans.

Now that you know what these spots are, many of you may be disgusted, as am I.

Many of these black spots have stretch marks. This occurs when the sun is so intense the gum actually melts.

Sharing this information with friends can only help improve our environment.

Lynne Croshier, Siesta Key