SCANNING Sarasota PLANNING

 From Lourdes Ramirez, good news:   November 10, 2025 Newsletter Update Amazing Week for Siesta Key! Benderson Hotel Project withdrawn!  We were notified late yesterday by Sarasota County staff that Benderson Development’s petition to amend the Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Code — a proposal that would have allowed mega-size hotels on Siesta Key — was officially closed as of November 18, 2025. Under County rules, once an application is filed to change the Comp Plan or UDC, the applicant must continue to take action to keep the petition active. Back in April, staff informed Benderson’s representatives that the application had been inactive for six months. The developer then requested — and received — a one-time extension. That extension expired on November 16, 2025. Because no further activity occurred by that deadline, the application is now officially considered withdrawn. We do not yet know whether Benderson will choose to file a brand-new application in the futur...

The letter below from a resident of Manasota Key presents the argument as to why people there are persuaeded that Pat Neal's desire to open their area to 50,000 Wellen Park residents is not allowed under the current private status of the road. Opening the road would, they fear, destroy wildlife and the area's entire quality of life. Dear Mr. Moye, Mr. Anderson, and Commissioners I am requesting clarification regarding Sarasota County’s current representation that the corridor along East Manasota Beach Road constitutes a public right-of-way. The recorded title documents and associated surveys for my property at  1687 East Manasota Beach Road , together with those for the adjoining parcel at  1611 East Manasota Beach Road , do not support that conclusion.  Recorded Title and Easement References According to the  First American Title Insurance Policy  issued for my property at  1687 East Manasota Beach Road , and the  Stewart Title Guaranty Company Owner...

  The Florida Legislature may reconsider next year a very bad law that prohibits approval of any measure by a local government that developers deem “burdensome or restrictive”.   Your help is needed to make it happen.   The law is known by its 2025 Senate bill number, SB 180 .  It was slipped by developer lobbyists into a bill for hurricane damage relief. Legislators were falsely told that it only protects the right to rebuild property damaged by a hurricane.    Instead, the new law , s. 252.422(2), Florida Statutes,  prohibits any county or city for one year after being within 100 miles of a hurricane path, from adopting   “a more restrictive or burdensome amendment to its comprehensive plan or land development regulations” or development approval procedure.   Restore good wetland protections?  Nope.  Rein in urban sprawl?  Nope.  Increase building setbacks or limit heights?  Nope.  Not even a little.  Our ...