SCANNING Sarasota PLANNING

  On the popular bird tracking app eBird, Celery Fields is ranked as the third most popular birding hotspot in Florida. Photo provided by Sarasota County. Sarasota County voted against a development next to a bird sanctuary. The builder won’t quit. Published On: April 24, 2026 4:45 am Last Updated: April 23, 2026 10:10 pm By:  Christian Casale | Suncoast Searchlight Three times now, environmental advocates hoping to stave off a housing community proposed next to the Celery Fields bird sanctuary have seen huge victories in the Sarasota County Commission chambers. But a developer that calls itself “America’s largest homebuilder” is still carrying on with its plans. D.R. Horton has continued a relentless effort to bring a new housing community to the edge of Celery Fields, now turning to a 1990s state law to challenge the commission’s prior decisions and steer the development forward through court mediation. Dozens of residents and environmentalists are still fighting the proposa...

Information on Smith Farms Hearing Smith Farms Hearing on Oct. 21 at 9 a.m. Sarasota County Commission Chambers  1660 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota On Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Sarasota County Commission will be asked to consider a new proposal from developer D.R. Horton for a residential community on the Smith Farms property on Raymond Road. The company revised its plans and is now asking for an  85-unit subdivision, after an initial request for 170 units. Additionally, the design reduces the number of entrances from two along Raymond Road to a single subdivision entrance in the southwest corner of the property. T his new proposal resulted from a state-authorized arbitration process that the company pursued  after the County Commission voted unanimously on Feb. 12 to deny a rezoning petition that D.R. Horton had submitted to county staff .  The discussion is No. 36 on the board’s Oct. 21 agenda. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the Commission Chambers of the County Administration...

     Sarasota Audubon Society       Protect Siesta Key Keep the Country Country "In the run up to an election where the results could produce radically different scenarios for our area’s future, grassroots groups have been popping up to play whack-a-mole with every emerging threat. But this year, there’s a new phenomenon: These groups aren’t just multiplying, they’re uniting."  Forget clever slogans and bright T-shirts: We need teamwork to create a better Sarasota - Carrie Seidman The urgency of the issues facing Sarasota County requires organizations to think outside of their usual comfort zones - they need to CONNECT Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast 1000 Friends of Florida Control Growth Now Suncoast Waterkeeper Right to Clean Water Sarasota Bay Estuary Program ECOSWF Healthy Gulf Manasota 88 Sierra Club Manatee-Sarasota Group Venice Audubon Florida Birding and Nature Festival Friends of the Pelicans North Venice Neighborhood Alliance Inc ....

Letter sent 4.15.24 to Sarasota County planners examining the DR Horton proposal to build 170 single family homes adjacent to the nesting area of the Celery Fields: Celery Fields, Quads to the west, Horton proposed site marked by yellow RE: 23‐136008 PA Planners, I know you're all busy people - real quick:  The Formal Review of the DR Horton project on Raymond Road faces one overriding issue: Will the still young, successful Celery Fields Trifecta - storm water management, bird sanctuary, and human/tourist recreational area - be compromised in any way by the intense construction of 170 single family homes on an adjacent former farm?  The amenity that already exists is a magnet for residents and visitors, a gift loved by all. The Celery Fields has also become a magnet for development along Axis Road, Palmer Boulevard and Fruitville Road. Had an open-air "recycling" facility been allowed on the southwest Quad, the real estate market could very well have lost its appetite fo...

                           What, Why, and Who are SCAN? SCAN -- the Sarasota Citizen Action Network -- arose from a growing concern that public planning in Sarasota has lost perspective, proportion, and a public vision. Many areas and neighborhoods in Sarasota County are threatened by the impacts of incompatible development. Voices of residents are not reflected in repeated approvals of development and comprehensive plan amendments. SCAN's mission is to amplify residents' voices across a network connecting citizen groups and residents across the county, because w e -- residents of Sarasota County -- don't have a hundred planning issues -  we all share one .  To stay informed, please join SCAN's email:  SarasotaCitizenActionNetwork@gmail.com . At this moment, three beloved iconic places are facing proposals from powerful developers -- plans that would drastically transform what makes them uniq...