Newsletter 99

NEWS FROM THE SUNCOAST

HARDENING FOR STORMS GETS HARDER

After Hurricane Andrew devastated Miami-Dade county in 1992, builders and lawmakers responded with new codes that girded South Florida homes and buildings for Category 5 winds. In their day, those precautions seemed nearly foolproof. Now, though, Mother Nature has moved the goalposts. Hurricane Dorian pounded the Bahamas with sustained winds of 185 mph and cartoonishly extreme gusts of 220 mph. "It was almost us," said Jared Moskowitz, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. "Whatever the building code is in the state of Florida – and we have the best building code in the country – it was not built for Hurricane Dorian." To read more on this story, courtesy of the Palm Beach Post, please click here: Hardening for Storms

REBIRTH FOR THE YMCA

Who says Friday the 13th is an unlucky day? September 13 was the date the Sarasota Family YMCA board announced in late July would be the final day of operations for its two remaining fitness centers in Sarasota, precipitating an outcry from longtime members and community supporters. But instead of a funeral, the date now represents a new birth. On the morning of Friday the 13th, it was announced that members of the board had reached an agreement to allow the Save Our Y committee, a member-driven group formed to prevent the closures, to take over operations of the Frank Berlin and Evelyn Sadler Jones gymnasiums beginning Monday. For more on this story, courtesy of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, please click here: Sarasota Y Saved

BIG ART

The most popular symbol for the arts in Sarasota remains a replica of Michelangelo’s "David", standing in the Ringling Museum of Art courtyard. The 16-foot-tall statue towers over the yard, which makes it easy to forget he’s the little guy in the famous story of David versus Goliath. In Sarasota, cultural organizations form one of the wealthiest and most powerful lobbies on the Gulf Coast. A Goliath, to be sure. Nearly $1 billion worth of private art projects are planned for the next decade. Sarasota proposals include a new performing arts center at The Bay and a new Mote Science Education Aquarium in Benderson Park, along with a new master plan for Selby Botanical Gardens and a new home for the Sarasota Orchestra. In recent months, though, some cultural organizations have stumbled over grass-roots opposition from neighborhood groups. These are the David’s of the Sarasota story. Please follow the jump for more on this story: Big Art

DEBT-FREE ON DAY ONE?

The Sarasota County Commission recently directed County Administrator Jonathan Lewis to identify where money to contribute toward Mote Marine Laboratory’s proposed $130 million aquarium would come from, as well as a timetable for when that potential contribution may happen. So far, Mote has $35 million firmly committed to building the Mote Science Education Aquarium. And that sum is expected to grow to more than $50 million by the end of the calendar year, according to Kevin Cooper, Mote’s vice-president of communications and strategic initiatives. Those sums are independent from any government contributions. Mote is seeking a combined $60 million in public money – $20 million from Sarasota County, $15 million from Manatee County and $25 million from the state legislature. There’s more on this story here: Mote Aquarium Funding

LOCAL HOMES RESALES RISE

Tracking with their year-long trend, home sales rose but condo deals slowed down in July in southwest Florida. Buyers closed on 1,413 existing single-family homes throughout the Sarasota-Manatee region, a 6.6% increase over the year and the sixth straight month of higher sales, according to data recently released by the Florida Realtors trade group. But condo sales totaled 542, off by 3.0% from 2018. Local home sales are now 3.4% ahead of last year, after starting with a 13% annual decline in January. In several months, however, the sales increase was less than 1%. Home prices gained 5.2% to a median $304,990 in Sarasota-Manatee. Condos traded for $210,000, down 4.5%. Please click here for more: Homes Sales Rise

PLAN FOR ROSEMARY GETS A NOD

Sarasota city commissioners were unanimous recently in endorsing a revamped plan for the city’s Rosemary District that reflects a commitment to both housing affordability and a more welcoming streetscape desired by the 3,000-plus residents who already live there. If developers take full advantage of incentives designed to enhance diversity and character in the transformed sector just north of downtown, the result could be buildings that rise above the current-five-story limit to a height of seven floors, or a maximum of 105 feet, And if the rezoning process goes as expected, the new code could be established by December 2019. Click here for more: Rosemary District

RED TIDE HANGOVER?

Summer season in Sarasota County is experiencing what the head of the local tourist bureau calls a "red tide hangover." Hotel occupancy fell by 7.1% in June, down to 63% from 70.1% in June of last year. May occupancy was basically flat at 64.5%, following several months of steady occupancy and average room rate prices during the winter tourist season. The average room rate for June was $157.19, 3.8% less than June of 2018. In May, the average room rate fell by 3.7% to $165.74. Collections of the tourist development tax, a 5% levy generated on short-term vacation rentals, increased by $74,602.69 to $1,572,352.81 in May but fell by $78,109.79 to $1,802,707.69 in June. There’s more here: Red Tide Hangover?

BOBBY JONES REDO MOVES AHEAD

After a year of debating the scope and cost of a modernized Bobby Jones Golf Club, the Sarasota City Commission recently settled on a decision to downsize the 45-hole course – but not by much. After looking at five options from golf course architect Richard Mandell, commissioners chose a 27-hole regulation course with a nine-hole short course and enlarged driving range. Slimming down by nine holes would, according to Mandell’s scheme, allow two carve-outs for parkland. One would be a 24-acre green space west of Circus Boulevard; the other would be a 22.4-acre triangle of land east of the golf course. Walking and biking trails would connect both parks to Fruitville Road and 17th Street, and also to the Bobby Jones clubhouse. Click on the link for more: Bobby Jones Moves Ahead

UNANIMOUS CONCERN: WATER QUALITY

Improving water quality was among the top priorities for local officials who came before the Sarasota County Legislative Delegation recently. City and county leaders asked for help from the state as they seek to reduce water pollution after last year’s devastating red tide bloom. Sarasota County is moving ahead with major wastewater treatment improvements to fix problems with the system. Upgrading the region’s wastewater and stormwater systems to keep water laden with algae-feeding nutrients out of the natural environment is hugely expensive, though. Please click here for more on this story: Water Quality

LOCAL DRAGON BOAT COMPETITION TO BE A US FIRST

The International dragon boat competition scheduled to come to Nathan Benderson Park in 2022 will be a little different than the rowing races the park has hosted in the past. Typically, professional rowers will race, maybe watch a friend compete and then head back to their hotels to eat and rest. That was what happened when Benderson Park hosted the 2017 World Rowing Championship held in July. But dragon boat racing is a little different. Athletes complete multiple times a day – which means they tend to linger around the venue longer. If you’d like to learn more, then click here: Dragon Boat Competition