SCANNING Sarasota PLANNING

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—...

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...

  Protecting our Comprehensive Plan Sarasota's first Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1972, and since then, it has included policies to protect the barrier islands, including Siesta Key. It was an award-winning plan about fifteen years ago, but since then, it has suffered a slow "death by a thousand cuts." Over the years, developers have stripped the Comprehensive Plan of many of its protections including wetland and open space requirements. We believe that the causes of flooding , unbearable traffic, and the loss of green space in our county can be attributed to the numerous amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. Among the few goals, objectives, and policies that have remained intact over the years are those protecting the barrier islands. The main reason these protections have persisted is the  safeguarding of human life . As stated clearly in the county’s 1981 Comprehensive Plan, “Any increase in population on barrier islands increases the threat to human life from hur...

The Jan. 21, 2025 workshop with public input on the stormwater and flooding issues impacting Sarasota County from Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton: Link to the video. Debby carried an exceptional amount of rain - 84 homes in Laurel Meadows were flooded along with homes on Phillippi Creek in the summer of 2024. Water engineer Steve Suau presented his recommendations: His talk begins about the 50-minute mark, after Public Works Director Spencer Anderson outlined the history and development of the county's stormwater protection systems. Suau's talk offered slide detailing 10 specific recommendations - here's one: You'll find all his recommendations both in this video and a text version can be found here.

  Dear Commissioners, May I suggest that each commissioner send out a notice (such as below) about upcoming meetings and decisions that affect people living in their district?  Initially, email addresses can be obtained from voter rolls per district/zip code (asking permission to send) or there could be a place to sign up for such emails.  In the example below, Nicole Wilson lets her citizens know there will be an upcoming meeting and she mentions portions of the agenda and explains land use applications clearly with links.  This is very helpful and makes it easy for citizens to participate in their government.   Thanks for listening! Glenna Blomquist ------ Forwarded Message -------- From: Commissioner Nicole Wilson < district1@ocfl.net > Date: 4/29/2023 8:45:19 AM Subject: May 2 BCC Meeting Preview May 2, 2023 BCC Meeting Preview Celebrating at the Florida Puerto Rican Day Parade & Festival on April 22nd Board of County Commissioners Update Happ...

On Tuesday Jan. 21, 9 am, the BCC will hold a workshop / discussion about the flooding after Hurricane Debby in the main Admin building, Why did Debby flood? There's a multitude of questions. Hydrologist  Steve Suau  has been given 20 minutes to present his findings after doing an independent study of the flooding. He has said that he'll focus on his stormwater  recommendations to the Board .  Suau's recommendations are at this link: https://scansarasota.blogspot. com/2024/11/recommendations- from-hydrologist-steven.html While all the recommendations are important, we think these in particular need to be emphasized after the experience of Debby, followed by Helene and Milton: 3.  inventory all dikes (or levees) 6. Rebuild internal technical expertise 7.  proactively prioritize floodplains for planning and protection through acquisition of public easements. Perhaps the most important of Steve's recs is: 8. Minimize Density Increases in Designated Floodplain...