Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Venice hospital to reopen; timeline unknown

For full article:

https://www.newsbreak.com/venice-fl/...meline-unknown

The former ShorePoint Health Venice hospital will be reopen as a hospital.

“The wheels of health care move slowly,” Rodney Dessberg said.

Dessberg, who is involved with the new ownership, declined to specify his role in the project. He said the plan is to reopen the facility as either an acute-care hospital or a specialty hospital, though the timeline for doing so is uncertain.

The people behind the scenes are “working diligently to reopen the hospital as a hospital, as it should be,” he said.

He didn’t offer any details about the hurdles to reopening, but said the city is eager for it to happen.

[wondermint2]

Manatee County buys property for utilities complex, following approval of veteran housing

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/real...ng/ar-AA1isq0X

To make way for a planned 122-unit apartment complex to house unhoused veterans, the Manatee County Utilities Administration Building will move about a mile east on Cortez Road.

Earlier this month, the Manatee County Commission unanimously gave its approval to donate land for a project that would provide wraparound services at 4410 66th St. W. — now home base for the utilities department — to aid veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Tunnel to Towers Foundation will acquire the 8.7-acre parcel and invest $20 million there, the Bradenton Herald has reported.

This week, SVN Commercial Advisory Group announced the $3.25 million sale of a vacant 20,806-square-foot office building on 3.7 acres in Wildewood Professional Park at 3647 Cortez Road W.

The buyer: Manatee County government.

[wondermint2]

I agree with Erik. Of course some of the people posing as concerned citizens that come before the Sarasota City Commission are actually stealth paid lobbyists.

City lobbyist act proposal meets with lukewarm response

Sarasota City commissioners are skeptical of the need for Erik Arroyo's ordinance to require paid lobbyists to register with the city.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...warm-response/

Without naming names, Commissioner Erik Arroyo suspects some speakers who come before the Sarasota City Commission are paid lobbyists rather than ordinary concerned citizens.

To that end, at Monday’s commission meeting, he introduced the idea of drafting a lobbying and transparency ordinance that would require anyone being compensated to advocate in both public and private meetings to register with the city. He said a majority of jurisdictions in Florida have similar ordinances and that Sarasota should consider its own as well.

“This ordinance is, I believe, long overdue,” Arroyo said. “Imagine if we had 10 individuals come before us and five were paid consultants representing one voice. We would never know under our current system. I think it diminishes the voices and the concerns of the residents that are not being paid.”

[wondermint2]

'Money down the drain': Neighbors speak about upcoming repairs to Manasota Key Road destroyed by Idalia

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mo...f1d66d38&ei=35

As Sarasota County contractors gear up to make emergency repairs to Manasota Key Road, which was washed out by Hurricane Idalia, some neighbors there have called for a more permanent fix instead.

"Please, please do the right thing. What you want to do makes no sense. Listen to the public," homeowner Terry Philpot said.

"There is the water and there is their proposed new road and this isn't even a hurricane. This is just mother nature saying bring it," said Philpot in a video recording shared with 10 Tampa Bay.

That's why he and some of his neighbors want the county to press pause on those emergency repair plans. They said it is a Band-Aid solution and spending such funds on repairing the road amounts to pouring money down the drain.

"We have issues where the tide is coming up, it's washing out what we have there right now. You put in the new road, our thoughts are it's going to get washed out within a matter of time. We get a really good storm and it's gone," he said.

[wondermint2]

Bee Ridge Road residents sue Sarasota County over school's special zoning exception

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/be...f1d66d38&ei=44

When Brenda Stocks’ husband retired, they were ready to move out of the chilly Connecticut winters and onto sunnier skies. They sought the best of both worlds: the convenience of waterfront access without the commotion of downtown living.

They moved into Heritage Oaks in 2015, a gated golf and country club on Lorraine Road.

“It’s always been very peaceful, and we’re surrounded by nature,” she said. “We purchased our home with the expectation that it would be our forever home.”

Save for Sunday services at the nearby Grace Community Church, Stocks and her neighbors lived in quiet bliss.

A decision from Sarasota County commissioners could change that.

The board approved a special zoning exception to the private K-12 school The Classical Academy Sarasota in July. The school aims to bring more than 1,300 students across the 41-acre campus at 8000 Bee Ridge Road, and nearby residents fear excessive noise, traffic, and construction will come with them.

[wondermint2]

Lakewood Ranch Trader Joe's sets opening date

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/comp...932a2bf8&ei=23

Grocery giant Trader Joe's will welcome shoppers into their long-awaited second location in Sarasota-Manatee on Thursday, Oct. 26.

The new Lakewood Ranch Trader Joe's is located at 8111 Cooper Creek Blvd. near the University Town Center (UTC) mall and close to I-75 and University Parkway.

The grocery store with a cult-like following will feature hundreds of specialty products, store-brand foods, and its famous $7 wine selection. Construction of the 12,000 square feet store was announced earlier this year and quickly became a top of discussion in local Sarasota and Manatee social media groups and forums.

[wondermint2]

Fresh Market readying a third grocery store in Lakewood Ranch. Here's what to know

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/comp...581f3cd9&ei=28

Although Fresh Market hasn't announced that it's planning to open its third grocery in the Bradenton area, the signs are everywhere.

The new store is going into space previously occupied by Earth Fare, and more recently by Winn-Dixie, at 11525 State Road 70 E. in Lakewood Ranch.

The new store would be an anchor of The Green at Lakewood Ranch shopping center, home also to LA Fitness, Starbucks, So Fresh, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Fuego Comida and Tequila.

Manatee County Development Services issued a building permit Sept. 28 for a rebrand/remodel of the grocery space into a new Fresh Market store.

Fresh Market also has Manatee County stores at 6701 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, which opened in 2012, and 5251 University Parkway, which opened in 2008.

[wondermint2]

Why did Bradenton see a surge in home sales? How Hurricane Ian disrupted the market

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/real...b01c4f3f&ei=40

The number of existing single-family homes sold in the Bradenton area increased by 47% in September compared with a year ago, when Hurricane Ian disrupted the market.

In September, 620 existing single-family homes changed hands in Manatee County up from 422 a year ago.

The median price fell to $503,495 from $517,193 last year, the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee reported.

Sarasota single-family homes

The sale of existing single-family homes in the Sarasota area was up 39% with 638 sales closed, compared to 458 a year ago.

The median price fell slightly to $494,000 from $497,275 a year ago.

Inventory was up 67% to a 3.5-months supply, compared to 2.1 months a year ago.

[wondermint2]

Rick Piccolo named 2022 Air Carrier Airport Manager of the Year by Federal Aviation Administration

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/new...9b8b002a&ei=36

The Federal Aviation Administration’s Southern Region Airports Division has named Fredrick J. Piccolo the 2022 Air Carrier Airport Manager of the Year.

This award is given to an airport professional who exemplifies excellence in airport management, demonstrates exceptional leadership, tirelessly works to promote the aviation industry, and has achieved efficiencies and improved productivity in their organization.

Recognizing his achievements, the award emphasizes Piccolo’s aptitude for guiding the airport through unprecedented passenger growth, marked by an increase of 46% over 2021 and 155% over 2020. From 2018 through 2022, the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport grew from six airlines and 12 nonstop destinations to 11 airlines and 54 nonstop destinations.

During this time, Piccolo ensured the design and construction of multiple projects to meet the growth of the airport, including an expansion of the screening checkpoint from four to six lanes which increased efficiency by 33%; enlarging the long-term, shade,and overflow parking lots; adding a new paved cell phone lot with amenities; quadrupling the on-site fuel storage capacity; and the groundbreaking and construction of a new 5-gate terminal.

[wondermint2]

Bobby Jones Golf Club rates are set for first year of play

A variable pricing process will determine the rates by the minute. City residents will receive a 10% discount.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...nes-rates-set/

With the yearslong awaited opening of the renovated Bobby Jones Golf Course imminent but not yet scheduled, a rate schedule through Nov. 2, 2024 has been unanimously approved by the Sarasota City Commission.