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The proposal for private development at Sarasota's Ken Thompson Park has been shelved.
Deputy City Manager Patrick Robinson emailed the City Commission and local stakeholders Wednesday saying the proposal to overhaul Ken Thompson Park had been removed from the meeting agenda for an advisory board that was set to review the idea.
The proposal for private development at Sarasota's Ken Thompson Park has been shelved.
"Ride Entertainment has made the decision to remove their item/presentation scheduled for April 18" Parks, Recreation & Environmental Protection Advisory Board meeting, Robinson wrote, according to the email obtained by the Herald-Tribune.
Jeffrey Koffman, the owner of Ride Entertainment, presented the idea to city leaders in February. The commission voted 3-2 − with Mayor Alpert, Commissioner Arroyo, and Commissioner in favor − to send the item to the advisory board.
The controversial development's centerpiece was a park golf course, for which visitors would be charged. Opponents of the plan criticized any paid amenities at a public park. They said the city could make necessary improvements to the park, which Koffman said would pay for through the profits from his proposed park.
Some of the thrills and amenities Koffman pitched to the City Commission for the new park included a zip line, water taxi, refurbished beach, potentially a restaurant and “aerobar,” and a park golf course as the centerpiece greenspace.
Homeowners have started to feel the impact of the newly issued Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood maps.
Some Sarasota County property owners who didn't need flood insurance have gotten notifications from their mortgage lenders -- about 6,000 homes were impacted after they were moved into FEMA's new flood zone mapping. Up to 1,000 along the Honore Avenue axis in Palmer Ranch are also included.
In one development cluster alone, there were nearly 400 homes affected and homeowners with mortgage payments will now have to cough up money they didn't budget to put toward flood insurance.
However, some homeowners said their homes should not be a part of the reclassification because they're above the 16-foot base elevation.
"I'm by the interstate. I'm so far away. I thought that I would be away from having to worry about any floods," homeowner Casey Stengel said.
Casey is also the community treasurer of the Home Owners Association of the Hammock Preserve.
While his home is not on a mortgage plan, he and his neighbors are unhappy about the reclassification into the special flood hazard areas.
"We got notices through the mail -- some of our residents from their mortgage lender -- that they have to have flood insurance within 45 days and this is coming as a surprise to some of them because when they bought these residences, we were all in what was considered X zone, that was non-flood," Stengel said.
"FEMA has now placed all of these residents in a new zone called AE, which is a special flood hazard zone mandating that if you have a mortgage, you have to have flood insurance," he said.
It is the same predicament for some neighbors across Honore Avenue at the Promenade, leaving some to re-assess their new risks.
"My home loan did not make me take it because I wasn't in the flood zone but because I'm so close now, instead of rolling the dice, I went ahead and took it out," homeowner James Weisenbacher said.
Around 10,000 homes were taken out of the previous flood zone map while new homes were added. County officials said some homes along the Myakka River vicinity which were previously omitted from the map incorrectly have now been properly designated.
"The number of people that have gone in is about 5,000, so there's a net positive on people coming out of the special flood hazard area," Sarasota County certified flood plain manager Noah Taylor said. "These maps are better than the maps we were using before so it's not all doom and gloom."
But new elevations of up to 20 feet for some developments built in the last 10 years in the Palmer Ranch area -- formerly cow pastures -- were not taken into account.
Homeowner Dennis Hudson has already started the evaluation process for his property; he said it is cumbersome and costly for households to undertake individually.
He had to hire a surveyor to evaluate the elevation of his property. From there, getting a certificate, filing an exemption and sending the information to FEMA, which he says takes 60 to 90 days to process, cost him close to $500 total to complete himself.
Hudson says the process also raises concerns for neighbors on fixed and limited income.
"It's one thing if you bought in knowing this but it's another thing to get a surprise. All of a sudden you get a surprise and you have banks calling you and everything else. I just don't think it's the right way to handle this," Hudson said.
Officials advise having flood insurance with the possibility of hurricanes is about security and peace of mind. For Weisenbacher, it's the reason he has to make room in his budget plan for the $1,400 it costs him.
"It's a national crisis with weather issues everywhere so better safe than sorry," Weisenbacher said.
Community leaders from the Palmer Ranch area said they have contacted county officials and at least one county commissioner to see how they can collectively get help with the process and have FEMA officials account for the accurate elevation of the homes in that area.
The yearslong effort to sell 31 acres of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport land to New College of Florida has been blocked by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Observer has learned.
On Friday, SRQ President and CEO Rick Piccolo told the Observer that he has been notified that the land — granted to the airport by the federal government in the 1940s — cannot be conveyed to the college.
A 100-year lease between the airport and New College expires in 2056.
After that, the fate of the college remains uncertain as, barring a reversal of its decision, the FAA will require a new lease at fair-market rate. That could run into the tens of millions of dollars per year, according to Piccolo.
The current annual rent is $108,072, based on the rent of $1,300 per year established in a 1966 lease amendment compounded annually by the consumer price index.
Piccolo, who is traveling out of the country, said the official document is being sent to the airport via U.S Mail and should arrive sometime next week when he will return and have time to review the notification prior to responding to the FAA.
“The FAA has notified the airport that the FAA has declined to approve the request to release the land for sale to New College,” Piccolo told the Observer. "The airport does not agree with this initial determination and will pursue further discussions on this matter.”
Land deal between SRQ, New College hits turbulence
New College also does not appear to be giving up on the deal, a spokesperson said in a statement, “Resolving the land exchange now will remove barriers to immediate and future growth for both the Airport and the College, and we look forward to continuing discussions that will move the deal forward.”
The FAA responded to ABC7′s request for details around the rejection of the denial, saying, “The FAA’s policy is to strengthen the national airports system. A final determination on the sale of Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport to the New College of Florida has not been made at this time.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis chose Commissioner James Satcher to lead Manatee County’s Supervisor of Elections office, which has been vacant since the beginning of March.
Satcher, a first-term Republican official, fills the position that former Supervisor of Elections Michael Bennett held for over a decade, the governor’s office announced in a news release. DeSantis announced the appointment in a news release Friday afternoon.
Satcher, 45, did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment Friday afternoon.
First elected to the Manatee Board of County Commissioners in 2020, Satcher had already filed to seek reelection to the District 1 seat, which represents parts of Parrish, Palmetto and Myakka City. His four-year term as a commissioner is set to expire in November.
During his time on the board, Satcher has touted himself as a conservative Republican and strong supporter of DeSantis and former President Donald Trump.
Satcher has also sparked local controversy by urging Manatee County to ban abortion clinics , allow county government employees to carry guns at work and deny funding for a pregnancy prevention program .
DeSantis’ news release cites Satcher’s background as an active community member and a minister, but the county commissioner does not appear to have election oversight experience.
According to the Supervisor of Elections website, Satcher was set to face two opponents in his reelection bid. Jennifer Hamey and Carol Ann Felts filed to run against Satcher.
Campaign finance records show that Satcher built a sizable fundraising lead against his challengers. As of Friday, he had raised over $70,000.
Last edited by wondermint2; 04-13-2024 at 06:33 AM..
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill curtailing citizen oversight of police misconduct by requiring civilian oversight boards to be made up of members appointed by a sheriff or police chief.
The bill was signed at a news conference on Friday morning. DeSantis framed the bill as protecting law enforcement officers, but the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has criticized the bill as a waste of tax dollars and said it undermines democracy.
HB 601 mandates that “Civilian Oversight Boards” must be made up of three to seven members who are all appointed by a sheriff or police chief. One of the members must be a retired law enforcement officer.
“HB 601 invalidates the work local communities have put into attempting to increase trust between residents and law enforcement,” NR Hines, policy strategist at ACLU of Florida, said in a statement in February after the bill passed a house committee. “Having a community that feels empowered to hold law enforcement in their area accountable is better for all Floridians.”
“[Civilian review boards] pose no threat to law-abiding officers and are designed to have a specific scope of work,” Hines continued.
A news release from the governor’s office said the purpose of the bill is to “prohibit localities from using political entities like Civilian Oversight Boards to drive an anti-police agenda.”
Venice has the proud distinction of being the Sharks Tooth Capital of the World. The Sharks Tooth Festival kicks off this weekend and will attract crowds of enthusiasts.
This weekend will showcase Venice’s legacy amongst collectors and will be full of events, food, fun, live entertainment and attractions that are all apart of the two day event which kicks off tomorrow and continues through Sunday at Centennial Park in the Heart of Venice.
Admission is free. City officials say this is an event you won’t want to miss. The festivities begin April 13 at 10 a.m. with the day wrapping up at 8 p.m. Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At least 25,000 visitors are expected to converge in Venice and it’s expected to bring millions of dollars to the local economy.
When you first think of Sarasota, do you picture its vibrant art scene? Or maybe its wildlife and outdoor activities come to mind?
Sarasota leaders will look to answer that question when they consider seven potential logo designs to represent the city.
The city first began its rebranding efforts back in 2022 when it launched a public survey to "inform the creative direction" of a new city logo and seal.
The current logo features a gold silhouette of Michelangelo's David, inspired by the replica of the statue that stands over the central courtyard of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
The original seal dates all the way back to 1902 and featured the outline of a large fish in the water with palm trees in the distance, surrounded by the words "May Sarasota Prosper."
While those images encompassed Sarasota's history, Mayor Erik Arroyo argued the branding should symbolize a more modern representation of the city's vibrant community.
A new city seal (to replace the fish) was approved by Sarasota city commissioners in November 2022 and has slowly been making its way onto places like city officers and police department sleeve patches.
Now, commissioners have their sights set on selecting a new logo to replace the old Statue of David one. Here are the seven potential options:
All but one logo option features the Statue of David silhouette, and two of them have an abstract, geometric "COS," which stands for "City of Sarasota."
City commissioners will meet on Monday to discuss the logo options.
Dust storms have swept through a Parrish neighborhood over the last few months, blanketing homes and roads and sickening some residents.
On windy days, the dust blows from Rye Ranch, a 1,369-acre housing development under construction on Rye Road, residents say. The new large-scale community built by Lennar Homes sits across the street from existing homes in the Foxbrook neighborhood.
"When the wind picks up, there's a cloud of dust that comes through this whole community," said Rob Nilsson, 51, who moved to Foxbrook two years ago. "It's so thick that you can't even see through it. It looks like a dust storm in a movie. A big black cloud of dust."
In a Feb. 23 letter to at least one resident, Scott Edwards, vice president of land development for Lennar Homes, acknowledged that the dust conditions could be caused by construction activities and said the company has "rules and regulations" in place to manage the impact to neighbors.
"Lennar takes great pride in our communities and always strives to do our best to be good neighbors to the surrounding areas," Edwards wrote.
Residents say they have asked for Lennar to cover the cost of cleanup and damage to their homes. Speaking with the Bradenton Herald, residents said they have been forced to remove dirt from their pools and power wash their homes.
According to Edwards, the company uses water trucks to keep dust levels down. He said seed and mulch will also be installed as construction is completed.
The company official, however, stopped short of meeting residents' demands to pay for any damage caused to their property.
"Lennar will continue to take the necessary steps in order to maintain our site and follow the regulations that are in place, but will take no further action on any of the requests for compensation or maintenance on your home," Edwards said in his letter to a resident.
Some more details & photos:
‘We’re devastated’: Parrish residents plead for help as dust, dirt blanket their properties (Photo Gallery)
Neighbors in a Parrish community are pleading for help, saying the view from their backyard looks like a sandstorm.
“Everything is just covered in dust and dirt and it just does not stop,” John Schultz explained. “You work your whole life to have a nice place and you come home and you go through radiation treatment for cancer and you’re stuck with trying to clean this crap up all the time and no one will help us.”
These photos were sent to 8 On Your Side showcasing just how bad the dust and dirt get.
The home construction company, Lennar, was not immediately available for comment.
One resident, however, showed us a letter the company sent him, saying they appreciate his concerns over the dust that “may have an effect on your home.”
The letter goes on to say the company will take what they call “necessary steps” moving forward, but will not comply with residents’ requests for compensation or maintenance on their homes.
According to police, one impaired driver caused two separate crashes in Sarasota on Thursday, and if the perpetrator had it his way, he would never have been caught at all.
It began around 9 a.m. on April 11.
Officers arrived at the scene of a crash and heard from witnesses that the white van whose driver started the incident had sped away westward, where they caused yet another crash. One officer went after them, while the rest tended to the victim and the scene.
Soon enough, however, the officer in pursuit radioed back. He’d caught the white van, now missing a headlight and license plate, in a parking lot not too far away.
Police sprang into action, boxing in the suspect’s car so he couldn’t flee again. The man that the Sarasota Police Department believes is responsible is Todd Devoe.
Devoe failed all the field sobriety tests that police gave him, then failed a breathalyzer 20 minutes later. Police also found a water bottle full of liquor in the car.
Police escorted him to Sarasota County Jail. Devoe had three prior DUIs in Ohio from 1992 to 2011, but his record had been clean since--until Thursday.
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