SCANNING Sarasota PLANNING

The information below was shared by Connie Neeley, president of the Forest Lakes HOA, after the Resilient Workshop of April 22. Three line item discussions hit at the crux of the issues and are set up for future discussion at the  third Stormwater workshop to be held May 21: This link is to the video from the hearing held April 22: https://sarasotacounty. granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php? view_id=51&clip_id=6602 Items 31 and 33 are important to their concerns regarding creek dredging and staffing.  Item 31  presented by Commissioner Tom Knight which discusses hydrologist Steve Suau's stormwater flooding report and requires this topic to be discussed at the 5/21 workshop. Knight is also requesting Commissioner Neunder's email and his motion today to be discussed at the 5/21 workshop.  Review  Item 33 from  Commissioner Joe Neunder, which requested a review of existing and future road county thoroughfare plans.  Neunder also ask...

Sen Joe Gruters has filed an amendment to state parks bill that would remove hotels from the prohibited list in state parks (= would allow hotels in state parks). His district is Sarasota.  We are hoping that you can  call his office tonight  to tell him how deeply disappointed in him they are for filing his amendment to SB80? You can express concern for local state parks like Myakka River.  T he bill (and amendment) are up in committee tomorrow (Tues) 11 am, so timing is of utmost importance.  Please leave a message if nobody answers.   Gruters' Tallahassee office: (850) 487-5022 Give me a call if you have questions.   Kristen Kosik (she/her) Chapters Conservation Manager Audubon Florida 407-900-4441 fl.audubon.org/CLI More about Myakka River State Park

A SCAN ZOOM meeting about the floods of 2024, the maintenance or lack thereof of 2025, and the concerns for the coming storm season. Links to video and audio recording: Video link                                       Audio only link Passcode:  Jy2.LWpw ========== Below is the email from Commissioner Neunder to county administrator Jonathan Lewis from April 3, 2025. The clear message: In advance of this year's hurricane season (17 named storms expected) the county needs to look at where things stand with damage assessments, operations, maintenance and more.  See also hydrologist Steve Suau's 10 Recommendations to the county which he submitted following his independent assessment of the causes of the flooding. Jonathan, With our storm season rapidly approaching, recent public articles/local TV stations pieces and my site visits throughout our community, I believe (and what I’m hearin...

From Mike Hutchinson and Eileen Fitzgerald, who have been tireless in their resistance to the expansion of Lakewood Ranch to the South and East. Further below is a message from Becky Ayech of Old Miakka. The County Commission will be reviewing a future entrance location for Hi Hat at their meeting on Wednesday. Hi Hat planned to extend Bee Ridge past the county Animal Shelter to their development. A controversy popped up after this  article  was published. Staff suggested putting the traffic on Fruitville rather than Bee Ridge as one solution. Below is an email I sent to the Commissioners with our thoughts. Please email the commissioners with your thoughts. Note I removed the attachment I sent the Commissioners from this email since it was a very large file. If you want to speak to the Commissioners on this, your only option is to go to the beginning of the meeting and speak during the Open to the Public session. Thanks, Mike ______ ________________________ __________________...

 A MEMO from Commissioner Tom Knight that will be on Tuesday's  Agenda under Item 29:  County Commissioner Tom Knight MEMO To: Commissioner Ron Cutsinger Commissioner Teresa Mast Commissioner Joe Neunder Commissioner Mark Smith  Cc:  County Administrator Jonathan Lewis County Attorney Joshua Moye  From: Commissioner Tom Knight  Date: March 3, 2025  Subject: Outside evaluation of Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan and Sarasota 2050     As you may remember, at our December 13 strategic planning retreat I requested a review of our comprehensive plan and Sarasota 2050. I was told at the time that it was not something typically included in an annual strategic plan and instead could be a simple staff assignment.   At our next regularly scheduled commission meeting, I plan to raise this topic again but will request that instead of it being a staff project we invest in a qualified and unbiased outside consultant (possibly with he...

 From the Herald Tribune: The Sarasota County Commission scheduled a workshop for April 9 to discuss whether  $14 million in public funds  would be used to widen a small portion of Bee Ridge Road, a move that many think would only benefit a planned super development east of Interstate 75.  The commission last month initially approved splitting the  $28 million cost of widening  a portion Bee Ridge Road − from Bent Tree Boulevard to Lorraine Road – with the developers of Hi-Hat Ranch.  However, the deal faced immediate backlash on social media. Matt Osterhoudt, the county’s Director of Planning and Development Services, estimated in a memo last October that the road widening would cost $14 million.  Months later, that projected cost had doubled with a new estimate by the engineering firm Kimley-Horn. The entire road deal was negotiated by Alan Maio – a principal at Kimley-Horn and former Sarasota County Commissioner, according to a report from the...