Posts

Simpson on the elevations of Smith Farm, needing staggering amounts of fill

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Nancy Simpson spoke at the DR Horton hearing on February 12, 2025. As a floodplain manager, she focused on the amount of fill that would be needed on the Smith Farm to make it viable for houses. The amount of fill she calculated is staggering, and would have needed dump trucks on Raymond Road for months: My name is Nancy Simpson, and I have signed a speakers card. I am a Certified Floodplain Manager and Urban and Regional Planner with nearly 10 years of experience. As a floodplain manager, I specialize in riverine and inland flooding. The applicant has mentioned they over designed SWM and compliance with Floodplain compensation. In my experience, human intervention is NOT sufficient to keep property reasonably safe from flooding. Water is the most destructive natural force on the planet. Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey are perfect examples of how flood structures should not be relied upon for flood protection. More recently and locally, the dike breech during Debby shows us that properti...

Allegations of Backroom Dealing Roil Hi Hat Ranch, Former Commissioner, and high-level County Staff

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This article encompasses collusion, a secret planning session, lies to the County Commission and much more. In brief, here's great deal of what has gone wrong with Sarasota County's relationship to developers over the past 13 years or so: Behind Closed Doors: Sarasota County’s contentious negotiations with a developer Hi Hat Ranch, Sarasota County’s largest development project that will add over 13,000 homes east of I-75, recently moved forward with a controversial plan allowing developers to build a road across 24 acres of county land. Despite a 2021 ordinance requiring the developer to cover the full cost, taxpayers are now responsible for half of the Bee Ridge Road extension to the private development’s entrance. The Hi Hat deal could become one of Sarasota County’s most contentious land-use decisions because it is also the largest development project in the county’s history. Adding to the controversy, former County Commissioner Al Maio played a key role in  drafting  the ...

A builder's view of DR Horton's plan: Bad Architecture, No Privacy, Bad Traffic

An email from Jacob Broadway, a builder who opposed DR Horton's plan to put 126 homes adjacent to the prime nesting and feeding area of the Celery Fields.  Note: When sending an email, you can reach all the Commissioners, the Administrator, and the Planner of the Day by using these addresses: Commissioners@scgov.net Countyadministrator@scgov.net Planner@scgov.net Mr. Broadway's email: I am vehemently against the proposed rezoning by the celery Fields. I am a resident of the Paddocks neighborhood. The celery fields are a wonderful oasis for surrounding residents. A new development would permanently damage the natural aesthetic of the area. Especially a DR Horton style neighborhood. Replacing pastoral farmland with a neighborhood of giant cubes crammed together is bad for neighbors, residents and is also the type of development where the people who eventually inhabit do so reluctantly succumbing to overpriced, bad architecture, with little to no privacy, and bad traffic. As someo...

A Test of Sarasota’s Commitment to Flood Prevention

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Smith Farm here shown as "The Farm" On February 12, Sarasota County Commissioners will reveal whether they take flooding concerns seriously when they vote on a 50-acre rezoning request. Their decision on the Smith Properties project will indicate whether they are committed to preventing future flood disasters or continuing a troubling pattern of approving developments without fully assessing the risks. Expert Warnings About Flood Risks Recent storms have made it clear that Sarasota County has a flooding problem. In response, the commission asked stormwater expert Stephen M. Suau to conduct an independent review of the county’s stormwater regulations and operations. His recommendations are clear: the county should stop approving rezonings that increase housing density in 100-year floodplains unless developers first conduct a complete flood model analysis proving that the project will not cause off-site flooding. This recommendation should not be controversial. The county’s own...

February Meetings to Speak Out about the Gulf Gate Golf Course

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  Request to Attend The Gulf Gate Golf Course Acquisition has been listed as a 2025 Policy Agenda item for the Sarasota County Board of Commissioners.  A key to purchasing the 49-acre parcel is funding.  Your prior participation in emails and attendance in 2023 was effective and thank you.    Sarasota County will receive $210 million in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to support long-term recovery efforts from the 2024 storms Debby, Helene and Milton.   The Gulf Gate Golf Course acquisition qualifies and will be submitted by the Gulf Gate Community Association.    We are reaching out to request that you attend and speak for one minute at the County’s Resilient SRQ public meetings.  Numbers of attendees is important. The County Commissioners will get a tally of how many people showed up for the public meeting about the Gulf Gate Golf Course acquisition  and the number of s...

An exemplary letter on DR Horton's potentially deleterious impact upon the Celery Fields

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This citizen's letter to the Board captures the key economic factors in play with DR Horton's proposed housing development next to the prime birding area of the Celery Fields: Dear Commissioners,  My name is Jay Marhoefer , and I am a Sarasota resident who supports thoughtful, economically reasonable development in our county. I write today regarding Rezone Petition RZ 23-30 (Smith Properties) . Let me preface  my remarks by saying that a landowner should have the right to sell his property, but that sale does not come with  a guarantee of rezoning. Were the Commission to approve this petition, the developer and property owner stand to  profit considerably from converting this parcel into residential lots – but Sarasota County will lose. The  commissioners must not be short-sighted by failing to consider the broader economic implications for our county  as a whole should you approve this measure.   Celery Fields is not just any open tract of land—...

Protect the Celery Fields: Write to the Sarasota County Commission

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Horton proposes 126 homes on The Smith Farm Dear Friend of the Celery Fields,   Your letters and emails to the Planning Commission made all the difference.  We won that hurdle in protecting the Celery Fields from the Smith Farm development.   Now we must repeat our efforts and send statements to the County Commissioners right away so the new letters and emails will go the the Commissioners as early as possible.  Please don't delay because we only have days to make sure our letters are included in the board packet.   Below is some text you can copy, add to, or  write your own comments, then sign it. Be sure to put  Deny  RZ 23-30  in the email subject line.  More here  and here.   Commissioner emails:   commissioners@scgov. net   with  copy to  planner@scgov.net   We at Sarasota Audubon thank you for your efforts and hope to see you at the public hearing on Feb. 12th!  Here is a basic brief opt...