SCANNING Sarasota PLANNING

1000 Friends will offer a free, four-part online webinar that will address Wildlife Corridors in Florida.   https://1000fof.org/upcoming-webinars/ 1000 Friends is following Sarasota issues - as this Tweet shows :

From Old Miakka residents Mike Hutchinson and Eileen Fitzgerald: An update on the efforts of Old Miakka residents to resist a 5,000-home expansion of Lakewood Ranch - redoubling the size of Waterside - to reach nearly to the County's eastern border: The Dept. of Commerce agreed with the administrative judge and ruled against us. We will be appealing. In the meantime, the developer can go ahead at their own risk. If we win at the next level, they may be required to undo all the damage that was done to the property by their construction. Our attorney has asked for a stay to prevent them from doing irreparable harm to the land while we appeal. Thanks! Mike and Eileen Click to Donate to Keep The Country, Inc Donations to Keep the Country, Inc. are not tax deductible. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDAT

Another good SCAN meeting on March 21st brought out many concerned about the Celery Fields, as well as others whose neighborhoods are under duress from developer proposals, including  Heritage Oaks  and the  North Venice Neighborhood Alliance ,   Siesta Village ,  Sylvan Lea,   Old Miakka , and more.  Rob Wright gave interested residents a quick tour of the land next to the nesting area, and  Susan Schoettle  presented an overview of the planning process -- the link will take you to her slides.   And engineer  Steve Suau  spoke of the new flood maps that will be made public March 27. Many who will hear from their banks that they must purchase flood insurance -- but the maps will in many cases be inaccurate. Homeowners will need to do a map amendment to correct the errors. Various news updates shared by Rob, Mike, Susan and Steve are all in the video of the meeting. Rob Wright speaking at the Nature Center 3.21.24 Siesta Key: Many attended an online neighborhood workshop regarding a p

The city of Sarasota is undergoing some of the same growth stresses as the county - perhaps even more intensely, as the land area is obviously much smaller than the county as a whole. In an HT guest editorial, former City Commissioner Eileen Normile offered some thoughts about Comprehensive Planning and the role of entities like the city's Planning Board - thoughts that seem entirely relevant to developer proposals to change the County's Comprehensive Plan: . . . while calling for predictability, some would like to see the comp plan bend and stretch like a rubber band at the whim of any applicant who would like relief from the strictures on the land they purchased. Evidently, predictability is for the change agent only. There are certainly times when modifications to the city’s comp plan are warranted, but more than in any other circumstance, these changes have to be considered in light of the common good. How does it impact the city as a whole? Does it create a dangerous traf

Protect Siesta Key . See also this update on Gary Kompothecras's mega-hotel to be presented March 20 at a Neighborhood Workshop .    Two Important meetings in March!   Proposed Mega-Hotel for Old Stickney Point Road Workshop A developer is reintroducing a proposal for a mega-hotel on Old Stickney Point Road. The project was originally approved in 2021 but was later rejected by the circuit court. The developer is now seeking a special exception for the hotel, which would comprise 120 units and reach a height of no more than 83 feet. The hotel proposal is contingent upon the County Commissioners approving changes to Siesta Key's protective laws, as proposed by Benderson earlier this year. Meanwhile, the developer is moving forward with the request for the mega-hotel while the County reviews the proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan. A public workshop on the mega-hotel for Old Stickney Point Road has been scheduled, and the details can be found below. Weds., March 20 starting

The Siesta Key Association of Sarasota, Inc.  is a citizen (member) driven and nonpolitical civic organization.  We (SKA) have been in  continuous existence for 75 years , incorporated in 1948. SKA developed the first Zoning Code for Siesta Key, which also was the f irst Sarasota   County Zoning Code.   We have frequently provided testimony before the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissions concerning many issues.   SKA filed legal action to protect  S arasota Big Pass from having  more than one million cubic yards of sand dredged for placement on a city beach.  As a result, we conserved our Big Pass  Shoal and  more than  2/3 of Big Pass itself from  sand dredging. We did have harm to seagrass and shoreline avulsion along the several HOA's properties on Siesta Key north Siesta Key. We saw fewer Manatee and dolphin.   We continue to monitor data kept by the FDEP for Big Pass stability and Ted Casperson Park. We're hopeful that seagrass will reestablish in the a

  A new Proposal to add 1,200 condo units to the former Sarasota Square Mall has nothing to say about affordable housing:  Ramon Lobez reports from WSLR. The News Leader reports that  Gary Kompothecras  is back with his  proposal for a seven-story hotel at the Stickney Point bridge  on the key.  Zoom in at 6 pm on March 20  to hear his plan.  Lourdes Ramirez  will talk about the new Kompo plan on  Thursday, March 21, at St. Boniface. What will this  Hurricane Season Forecast event on April 4  tell us about building mega-hotels on Siesta Key?  Does Sarasota County's Planning Methodology give a damn about affordable housing, environmental issues, or climate change? Or are we still stuck in Rick Scott's aggressive ignorance  imposed on Florida with his 2011 Community Planning Act? Find out more about our  Planning Predicament this Thursday, March 21, 7 pm at the Audubon Nature Center ,  when we'll have experts talking about how Sarasota Planning works, and a preview of the mes

The local planning process in Florida used to be subject to review by Regional Planners and the State's former Dept. of Community Affairs. Rick Scott began dismantling this regulatory structure in 2010. Now the local County (or city) Commissions are the primary deciders of developer petitions. The basic steps any development proposal must take: Neighborhood Workshops - Provide an overview of a newly proposed development to the people living near where the project would be built. Notification issues. Formerly always in person, now on Zoom.  DRC - Development Review Coordination : Various County Departments inform the developer of what the county will require for the Petition to meet minimal standards of completeness. Planning Commission (PC) - After the DRC, the vetted proposal is presented to the PC, an appointed board of Realtors, builders, marketeers, and other industry insiders. The PC can vote to recommend approval or denial of a proposal, but its decision is advisory, and