SCANNING Sarasota PLANNING

Massive Tatum Ridge apartment proposal underscores Live Local concerns By: Derek Gilliam | Suncoast Searchlight and Michael Barfield | Florida Trident Dozens of residents gathered inside a quiet, gated subdivision off Tatum Road last week, many dressed in yellow golf shirts, to protest a plan they fear could transform their rural corner of east Sarasota County. They came in waves — retirees in polos, young families in T-shirts and jeans — united by frustration over a proposal to replace the Tatum Ridge Golf Links with a sprawling apartment complex that could bring thousands of new renters into a low-density area where cows and horses still graze along narrow country roads. “Our kids and our grandkids play outside,” resident Mark Salomonsky said. “You put 4,000 cars running down Racimo Drive, there’s gonna be a dead kid.” The proposed development was filed under Florida’s Live Local Act. Passed in 2023 and expanded in 2025, the Live Local Act was designed to accelerate affordable housin...

A summary review 0f the impacts 0f State Changes - and Pre-empti0ns 0f H0me Rule and L0cal Planning Auth0rity from Miles T0der 0f SEERD M arch 2026 Update-Focus on State Legislation It's been a busy month in Tallahassee where our state legislature wrapped up its session. Our lawmakers considered many changes in state law, some quite controversial, so it could not agree upon many bills, and left more than a few loose ends. There is a strong possibility that the governor will call the legislature back into session shortly because they failed to pass a budget, one of the few "must-do" tasks that our state constitution requires of our lawmakers. The governor also seems to want the legislature to pass a redistricting plan for elections even though redistricting depends on federal decennial census data that we will not have for four more years. And the governor appears eager for the legislature to finish work on a plan to reduce or eliminate real property taxes to be pl...

The   Live Local Act (SB 102/SB 328)   is a landmark Florida law enacted to boost affordable housing by providing over  $800 million million in funding, tax exemptions, and zoning preemption. It allows developers to build high-density, mixed-use projects in commercial/industrial zones without traditional local government hearings, provided 40% of units are affordable for 30-50 years. Key Components & Impacts Zoning Preemption:  Local governments must approve qualifying projects administratively (without public hearings) in commercial, industrial, or mixed-use areas, say Hillsborough County (.gov) and  this YouTube video . Tax Incentives:  Developers can receive a   to   property tax exemption for projects where units are set aside for workers earning up to   of the  Area Median Income (AMI) . Density & Parking:  Projects can match the highest density allowed in the jurisdiction and receive reduced parking requ...

  stayTRU Call to Action Please support our County Commissioners in their efforts to limit unwanted development   Send an email immediately Leave a voice message on Monday, March 23, 2026 Attend the March 24th County meeting in Venice from 1 to 4pm   Dear stayTRU Members,   Our County Commissioners are exploring ways to fight development attempts like the recent request to build 2,000+ apartments on our Open Space (the Tatum Ridge Golf land).  To show our support and appreciation for the Commissioners efforts, please:   1. Send an email immediately to   commissioners@scgov.net , tmast@scgov.net , mhsmith@scgov.net , tknight@scgov.net , jneunder@scgov.net , rcutsinger@scgov.net , info@staytru.org   Include your name and address and write:   "I support efforts to restrict Live Local Act development to urban areas close to workplaces, shopping centers and schools - as the law was originally intended.  I, along with the 1,000+ registe...