Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

I'm able to view this photo-gallery from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune with my free registration. I'm not sure if there is a paywall for those that aren't registered. If you get a paywall you can register for free and view it.

Sneak peek inside the new Lakewood Ranch Trader Joes (Photo Gallery)

https://www.heraldtribune.com/pictur...s/71309271007/

Trader Joe's will welcome customers to their long-awaited second location in Sarasota-Manatee on Thursday, Oct. 26, when they open the Lakewood Ranch Trader Joe's at 8111 Cooper Creek Blvd. near the University Town Center mall.

[wondermint2]

The asking price was too high plus there would be additional cost for clean up.

Sarasota County Commissioners hold off on buying old golf course

For full article:

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/10/2...outputType=amp

Sarasota County Commissioners saw a presentation on Tuesday about purchasing the Gulf Gate Golf Course. The property is located at 2550 Bispham Road and opened back in 1965. Since it closed in 2016, it has sat empty and gone through multiple owners who looked to develop the land.

According to the presentation, the Gulf Gate Community Association submitted a letter to have the county buy the property to protect it. Back in September of this year, commissioners requested the presentation to see what that would look like if they chose to purchase the land.

“I really do think that it would be an unbelievable acquisition for our county government here in Sarasota,” said Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Neunder.

The presentation explained after the course closed in 2016 it was rezoned to residential and entitled to 106 single family lots. GGCA hoped the county would purchase it before it was developed. Kathleen Goff, a resident in the area, previously said with the county’s ownership it could help stormwater drainage issues.

[wondermint2]

Sarasota County Commission bumps cost of 17th Street Park to $65 million

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/real...9db6fc81&ei=34

The 17th Street Regional Park in Sarasota will be the first in the county to include artificial turf fields for football, soccer and lacrosse and will also feature a championship softball field designed to boost the economy by enticing out-of-area tournaments to play in Sarasota.

All that would be part of a Phase 1 of the park, which now carries a $65 million price tag – up $8 million from the last time the Sarasota County Commission reviewed it − to ensure the adult softball facilities are improved, along with the youth baseball, softball and soccer fields.

Half of the added cost will come from money generated through extension of the local option sales tax that voters approved last November. The other $4 million will come from Tourist Development Tax revenue.

Phase 1 deals with the entire athletic complex, which includes eight multipurpose ball fields.

The fields will be built with new 220-foot outfield fences now used by college women's softball and pro softball.

[wondermint2]

New hotel approved for downtown Sarasota bayfront district

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/new...9db6fc81&ei=40

A new hotel is slated for construction downtown with the go-ahead from the city.

The unnamed project, on more than one-third of an acre at 1225, 1233 and 1243 Second St., will consist of 173 rooms and a parking lot. It will sit right next to the Embassy Suites and add to hotels like The Westin and The Ritz-Carlton just across North Tamiami Trail.

M2RE Partners LLC — a real estate investment firm with projects in Tampa, Osprey, Northport, and other Southwest Florida cities — proposed the project as a mixed-use property in September 2022. The company resubmitted to development services twice before receiving approval Oct. 16.

The hotel’s zoning is split between the Downtown Bayfront district and the Downtown Core district, allowing for buildings up to 10 stories at 18 feet per story. A name for the project has yet to be announced, and a completion date is unknown.

[wondermint2]

Will Premier Park tennis courts in Lakewood Ranch be hard on the body?

Lakewood Ranch-area tennis players say Manatee County shouldn't build hard-surface tennis courts.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...-hard-on-body/

Gene O'Keefe, 76, lives in Greenbrook. He said he used to play quite a bit of tennis on hard courts.

"When you are done — I used to play singles on hard courts — you need the ibuprofen for your hips ... and your ankles ... and your knees. There is just not as much give," he said.

O'Keefe said a contingent of Lakewood Ranch players went to Manatee County to speak with Molly White, the county's director of sports and leisure.

"She was very kind and gave us the perspective that the hard courts are cheaper from a cost perspective," O'Keefe said. "But she said the plan was to put the hard courts in. She was polite, but I don't believe she was going to entertain the option of soft courts."

[wondermint2]

Public invited to discuss key issues with Manatee commissioner

Commissioner Jason Bearden says he is willing to talk about issues including the reduction of wetland protections over coffee in Lakewood Ranch.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...-commissioner/

Manatee County At-Large Commissioner Jason Bearden said he is willing to discuss the lowering of wetland protections with those interested at his next Coffee with a Commissioner 9:30 a.m. Nov. 8 at Station 400 in Lakewood Ranch.

Bearden said he understands it is a contentious issue.

“People usually ask specific questions in regards to their neighborhoods and HOAs,” Bearden said of the Coffee with a Commissioner events. “So we talk to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

If You Go
Coffee with the Commissioner. 9:30-10:30 a.m. Nov. 8. Station 400, 8215 Lakewood Ranch Main St. Visit:
https://www.mymanatee.org/cms/one.as...LJ0Nv2T%2B4%3D

[wondermint2]

Town to unveil Town Center Green pavilion, looking ahead at new library

The $800,000 Karon Family Pavilion stands at the center of the "park-like atmosphere" envisioned for Phase 2 of Longboat Key's Town Center Green project.

For full article:

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

Longboat Key has never had a true public event and park space, but that's about to change.

The Karon Family Pavilion — the second phase of the Town Center Green project — is getting finishing touches to be officially unveiled on Nov. 11.

A short walk away from Publix and town hall, the white pavilion commands a presence.

But it’s more than just a pavilion; it’s a space that embodies a “park-like atmosphere” for the town.

Around the center are benches, greenery and an oval-shaped walking path, paved with recycled rubber. In his latest “Tip Talk” video, Town Manager Howard Tipton said the rubberized pavement makes you feel “like you’ve got that spring in your step.”

[macyny]

Thank you, Wondermint2.
I always look forward to reading your posts.

[wondermint2]

Sarasota County area lawmakers hear of scientific progress in quest to treat red tide

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sa...46feeb43&ei=60

Requests for help in obtaining state funding for transportation, infrastructure and water quality projects and clarification of a new affordable housing law highlighted presentations to the area's state lawmakers Thursday. But the most intriguing request made to the members of the area's state legislative delegation came from Michael Crosby, president & CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, involving the ability to eradicate Red Tide.

Crosby told the lawmakers that now, in the fifth year of the “Red Tide Mitigation Technology Development Initiative,” more than a dozen compounds have been identified “that we know can decrease the impacts of red tide here in this environment.”

[wondermint2]

What you need to know to vote in Venice

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/wh...3f0c990f&ei=26

In-person voting for the City of Venice General Election begins this coming Monday, Oct. 30 and runs through Nov. 7.

Voters will be able to cast their ballot at the Venice elections office, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Rm 114. Voters will need to provide valid photo and signature identifications to cast any kind of ballot, online, by mail or in-person.

Two seats on the city council are up for grabs, but a reminder: only registered City of Venice voters are eligible to vote in the Nov. 7 election.

Voters can review their sample ballot by visiting SarasotaVotes.gov and clicking on the Sample Ballot icon.

For those interested in voting by mail (absentee), the deadline to request a ballot be mailed to you was yesterday, Thursday, Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. If you plan to vote on election day, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and you must vote at your assigned polling location.