Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Sarasota County Commission moves toward reopening Midnight Pass

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...dd39377c&ei=22

The Sarasota County Commission plans to authorize a fresh study on the feasibility of reopening Midnight Pass, in part to try to gain more favor with state and federal regulators on a project that is projected to cost from $25 million to $40 million for construction and environmental mitigation – not counting design and permitting.

The commission unanimously voted Tuesday to direct county staff to start internal engineering studies, following a presentation by Public Works Director Spencer Anderson on the master plan for water quality improvements in Little Sarasota Bay, which includes evaluation of the potential impact of reopening Midnight Pass.

Most recently, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a $1 million allocation in this year’s state budget that would have helped pay for design and permitting efforts needed to reopen the pass.

Here’s a brief history of Midnight Pass and what’s next in the effort to reopen the channel that was closed by two homeowners in 1983.

[wondermint2]

Town provides updated on extended bus service, new library

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...rvice-library/

A joint meeting between Longboat Key and Sarasota County officials also included details on the St. Armands pump system failure during Hurricane Idalia.

Projects, public transit and pumps. Key topics relevant to both Longboat Key and Sarasota County and discussed at an Oct. 18 joint meeting between Longboat Key commissioners and Sarasota County officials.

Sarasota County's OnDemand service could cover all of Longboat Key under an agreement with Manatee County.

Longboat Key began the joint meeting with an update on the Town Center.

[wondermint2]

Longboat Key residents express concerns over sheriff’s office dispatch services

For full article:

https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-c...-services/amp/

In response to concerns from citizens, Longboat Key leaders are considering making changes to who picks up the phone when someone on the island calls for help.

“What we are going to try to do is implement something that will be an after-hours number that our citizens can call and they will get to a town employee relatively quickly and try to get dispatched the right resources to whatever that issue is,” Town Manager Howard Tipton said.

About seven years ago, the town turned over its dispatch system to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Communications Center. The center is the primary Public Safety Answering Point for 11 agencies across the county.

Former Commissioner Lynn Larson voted in support of the move, but now, she says she regrets that decision.

“People have complained to me about the dispatch system, saying one of the first things they ask for are cross streets and there are barely any cross streets out here. Many of the places out here are known by the condominium name or the subdivision name,” Larson said. “Recently when I called for help, the dispatcher argued with me and told me that I needed to hang up the phone and call another county because I didn’t live in Sarasota County. I told them, I don’t live in Charlotte County. I finally told them, I am across the street from the Longboat Key Club, but I didn’t seem to make any difference to them,” she continued.

[wondermint2]

Siesta Beach gets six new pickleball courts

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/10/1...outputType=amp

Six new dedicated pickleball courts are now open at Siesta Beach, on 948 Beach Road. Work began on the courts on September 18th.

The courts have been resurfaced, with new signs and fencing installed. After previously only holding two dual-purpose tennis/pickleball courts, the park will now have the six pickleball courts as well as the two dedicated tennis courts.

[wondermint2]

Homeowners band together against HOA after absurd neighborhood renovation proposal: ‘I wouldn’t want to live here anymore’

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/...1b8d97af&ei=22

Homeowners in Sarasota, Florida, were outraged in February when they discovered their HOA planned to remove 37 mature oak trees from their backyards in a misguided attempt to protect a wall.

“They called it a wall repair, then all of a sudden it was, ‘37 trees have to come out,’” Roger Metz told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Metz and his partner Desiree Moulton own two of the targeted trees. “Everybody seemed pretty surprised that, in this day and age, anyone would even think about doing something like that.”

The HOA in question governs Greenfield, a community of 103 households established over 30 years ago, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. According to the Greenfield HOA, the roots of the oak trees damaged the wall.

But homeowners Moulton and Metz said otherwise. Apparently, the crack in their section of wall came from a car that crashed into it years ago. Photos from two years ago confirmed that the crack hadn’t changed in at least that long.

[wondermint2]

North Port residents sue to force change in how development-dominated board is chosen

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/no...adf4df8c&ei=31

A Gran Paradiso resident challenged the West Villages Improvement District in circuit court over the method the special government district uses to shift the makeup of its board of supervisors from one picked by developers to one elected by residents.

That suit comes on the heels of a another filed in late September that claims a proposed special assessment to charge property owners for an irrigation fee lawsuit was improperly noticed.

The method of transitioning to an elected board from one by the developer was one of several things discussed at the Sept. 14 meeting of the West Villages Improvement District Board of Supervisors meeting. That's when the board voted 4-1 to ask the state Legislature to update its process to the current system laid out in Florida law called the Uniform Special District Accountability Act.

[wondermint2]

FBI and Sarasota Police Department warn of potential copycat attacks amid war in the Middle East

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/10/1...outputType=amp

The FBI is warning of the potential for copycat attacks amid conflict in the Middle East.

Sarasota Police Department says the agency remains vigilant and in a high state of readiness to rapidly respond to any potential threats or critical incidents in the community.

SPD is encouraging anyone witnessing suspicious activity to alert law enforcement. Call 941-316-1199 or report anonymously at 941-366-TIPS or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com

[wondermint2]

Manatee studies cost of moving county boundary on future development

Commissioners vary whether to hold the Future Area Development Boundary, get rid of it or move it east.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...e-development/

Questions have arisen whether a boundary is effective anyway since Manatee County commissioners have approved two large residential communities east of the boundary that don't meet county regulations in terms of density.

[wondermint2]

New program aims to protect rural Florida land from heavy development in Manatee County

For full article:

https://news.yahoo.com/program-aims-...095000167.html

A new conservation effort proposed by the federal government seeks to protect some of Florida’s remaining undeveloped lands, and it could include parts of Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Dubbed the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area, the project maps out a 4-million-acre region spanning 12 Southwest Florida counties. If the plan is approved, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will try to purchase conservation land from willing sellers within that boundary.

[wondermint2]

After delays, water taxi between Anna Maria Island and Bradenton has new launch date

For full article:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/delays-wa...191500622.html

Talked about for decades, water taxi service between the Bradenton waterfront and Anna Maria Island, could start in time for Thanksgiving.

Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, on Monday briefed members of the Manatee County Tourist Development Council on water taxi plans.

The water taxi’s start date has slipped several times due to a number of challenges, including finding a vendor, the time needed to build the boats, negotiating agreements with local governmental entities and more.