Newsletter 83

NEWS FROM THE SUNCOAST:

AN OASIS IN THE MAKING?

The 53 acres of city-owned land lining Sarasota Bay in downtown Sarasota is rare real estate, scarcely found anywhere in the U.S., as condominium and commercial developers clamor for what’s left of the short supply of available prime waterfront property across the country, experts say. Early conceptual plans for The Bay, as it’s called, consider a transformation of the site from a largely vacant development – making the site another rarity after it’s fully built. Most major waterfront developments in the state are a mix of commercial space and parks with residential buildings peppered throughout, real estate experts say, adding they’re usually heavy on the concrete. The bay fronts in Miami and Tampa are examples. Architects and real estate agents are amazed at the city’s ability to resist temptation to sell the high-value, prime real estate to private developers in exchange for a lucrative stream of property taxes. The sheer size of the largely vacant tract is just one of the many attributes that makes the site unique. To read more on this story and to see the three proposed plans, courtesy of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, please click here: The Bay Oasis

JUDGE APPROVES LIDO BEACH RENOURISHMENT

A state judge recently rejected a challenge by Siesta Key residents attempting to block state permission for the dredging of Big Pass needed for the city to conduct a long-term beach renourishment project on severely eroded Lido Key. Administrative Law Judge Bram D.E. Canter ruled that the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should be issued the necessary permits by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to dredge up to 1.3 million cubic yards of sand from Big Pass to build parts of Lido Beach, diminishing claims by Siesta Key Association that the project would negatively affect navigation and cause harmful erosion to Siesta Key. Canter imposed restrictions on dredging in some parts of the pass during spotted sea trout spawning season, which runs from April to September. The Siesta Key group argued the shoals in Big Pass have never been dredged and it could trigger negative effects for south-drifting sand that lands on Siesta and has turned it into a world-famous destination. Please click here to read more: Lido Key Renourishment

WORKING TO BOOST INTERNATIONAL TOURISM

International travel continued its uninterrupted global growth with annual increases since the 2009 recession. But in the United States, foreign visitor spending dipped by single digits during the past two years after surging 48% from 2010 to 2015, the U.S. Commerce Department recently reported. Brand USA is one of many organizations working as a part of a Visit U.S. Coalition to reverse that decline because international travel is a key economic driver. Chris Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Brand USA and a former president and CEO of Visit Florida, talked about the value of international tourism recently in Sarasota. To put international tourism into perspective, Thompson said that last year alone, 1.3 billion travelers crossed the borders of their home country to visit others. In the U.S., foreign tourists spent $246 billion, he said, which is 2.7% of the country’s Gross National Product. There’s more on this story here: International Tourism

IT’S CLAMTASTIC!

Sarasota Bay Watch Inc., the area nonprofit that already introduced millions of scallop larvae into Sarasota Bay, is starting an ambitious program to release more than 175,000 southern hard shell clams into the estuary. About 3,000 clams were placed in the New Pass area on April 20, as a test case. The hope is to bring the species, one of which can filter almost 50 gallons of water per day, back to Sarasota Bay. Rusty Chinnis, chairman emeritus and one of the founding members of Sarasota Bay Watch, noted that clams have a lifespan of almost 30 years. That, in one way, makes clams a more cost-efficient species than scallops for the 11-year-old non profit will concentrate on in its all-volunteer effort to both maintain and improve the quality of Sarasota Bay. The hope is that eventually southern hard shell clams will reproduce and thrive in Sarasota Bay – helping to clean the water, as well as contribute to the food chain. Please follow the jump for more on this story: Clamtastic

CRAB CONUNDRUM

Red tide toxins can threaten and possibly kill stone crabs, according to preliminary research conducted by scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory in conduction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish & Wildlife Research Institute. The tests were conducted on adult stone crabs with claws too small to harvest. The study was inspired by stone crab fishermen at a state advisory panel meeting who wanted to know why their traps were relatively empty during six months of red tide. Phil Gravinese, a postdoctoral research fellow at Mote Marine, noted that the fishermen also reported catching crabs that looked lethargic. At the least, stone crabs affected by the toxic red tide algae become more vulnerable to predators. There’s more on this story here: Conundrum