Newsletter 103

NEWS FROM THE SUNCOAST

FLORIDA PRIMED FOR MORE GROWTH

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s chief economist is predicting that a net 900 people per day will move to Florida in 2020, an uptick from the 640 person-per-day rate experienced in 2019. Jerry Parrish also is predicting that, with rising consumer confidence, the state will add 200,000 jobs this year. That will have the Sunshine State outpacing national job growth, something it has traditionally done. The site listed the state’s population at 21,822,000 as of last week. To read more on this story, courtesy of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, please click here: Florida Growth

SIESTA PROMENADE CHALLENGE RENEWED

While on the topic of growth and traffic, the proposed Siesta Promenade project is sure to make a bigger mess of the traffic situation at U.S. 41 and Stickney Point Road – the southern access route to popular Siesta Key. An outspoken opponent of the hotly contested Siesta Promenade development filed an appeal in the 2nd District Court of Appeal earlier this month, challenging a court decision in favor of a residential and retail project at the busy U.S. 41 and Stickney Point intersection. The Siesta Promenade project calls for a 80-foot-tall, 130-room hotel and 414 condominium-style residential units at the northwest corner of the busiest access point to Siesta Key. Residents said it was incompatible with the neighborhood and would create a dangerous influx of traffic. For more on this story, please click here: Siesta Promenade Challenged

PENDING HOME SALES SURGE

Americans signed more contracts to purchase homes in November, a rebound from the previous month, indicating that the housing market is still strong. The National Association of Retailers said recently that its pending home sales index, which measures the numbers of purchase contracts signed, rose 1.2%, to 108.5. The trade association said that contract signings measured year over year are up a robust 7.4%. In Sarasota County, there were 765 pending single-family home sales during November, up nearly 42% from a year ago. There were 290 pending condominium sales, up about 5% from a year ago. In Manatee County, there were 540 single-family pending sales, up 20.8% from a year ago, while the 192 pending condo sales were up nearly 24%. Please follow the jump for more on this story: Pending Home Sales Surge

AREA ENDS YEAR FREE OF RED TIDE

A Florida red tide bloom that began in September has subsided, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports. For now, it’s all gone. Florida residents were concerned about a comeback of the poisonous algae that lasted from 2017 to 2019 and that stretched from Pinellas County to Monroe County. It killed generations of fish and hundreds of Florida’s beloved manatees, sea turtles and dolphins. This year’s red tide was typical of a "normal" red tide year, experts say. Historically, a red tide can develop from August to December and disappears in the cool winter months, from December to March. Recent water samples tested by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission found that bloom conditions no longer exist from Marco Island to Venice, where the red tide organism resurfaced beginning in August. It grew to bloom conditions from September to November before quickly dwindling in December. There’s more on this story here: No Red Tide

SEEING PURPLE: VAN WEZEL TURNS 50

Aside from the construction of the Ringling Museum and Ca’d’Zan, it’s likely that no building has transformed Sarasota as much as the Van Wezel Arts Hall. Beyond making purple both the most popular and the most hated color in this arts-focussed community, the Van Wezel opened up a world of entertainment such as Sarasota had never seen. The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall recently marked the 50th anniversary of its grand opening on January 5, 1970. It was the talk of the town during construction as its unique clam-shell like roof began to take shape and when its distinctive purple color covered the outer and inner walls. It was quickly dubbed the "Purple Cow" and the "Purple People-Seater". Please click here for more information: Van Wezel Turns 50

COUNTY COMMITS TO $20M FOR MOTE

County Commissioners committed last week to give the $20 million requested by Mote Marine Laboratory for its proposed $130 million aquarium on county-owned land near Interstate 75. The catch is that they’re going to use tourist development taxes, meaning it could come at the expense of local arts and cultural organizations and also leave less money to promote the county to future visitors. The precise formula remains to be worked out. The Tourist Development Council, made up of hotel owners and other representatives of the tourism industry, will further debate the details of the funding, before the issue comes back before county commissioners for a final funding plan approval. Click here for more: $20M to Mote Marine Aquarium

ORCHESTRA IS PITCHED A CITY SITE

There may be, after all, a place in the city for the Sarasota Orchestra, as a group of local landowners thinks it may have just the spot. The new proposed location is an area with several properties bordered by Fruitville Road and North School Avenue, just east of U.S. 301. It is blocks from where orchestra leaders had wanted to build a concert hall in Payne Park, an idea that was rejected by the city last year after stiff opposition from neighbors and park users. There’s more here: Orchestra Possible New Site

AMAZON MAKING MOVES IN VENICE

Amazon, the national e-commerce giant that’s changing the face of retail across the world, is opening a distribution center near Venice, Sarasota County records show. The company plans to build a 120,000 square foot warehouse on a parcel east of Commerce Drive and parallel to Jacaranda Boulevard, north of Interstate 75. According to the permit application, filed November 12, 2019, construction is expected to cost $16 million. The application is listed by the county as under review. The move has the potential to bring hundreds of jobs to south Sarasota County. Click on the link for more: Amazon Building in Venice

SARASOTA RENTS GETTING PRICIER

Apartment rents in Sarasota rose marginally over the year, but the city remains less affordable for renters than many other U.S. cities. Rental unit prices increased 0.9% annually in December in Sarasota, less than the state and U.S. averages, according to the latest survey by online rental marketplace Apartment List. But Bradenton and Englewood posted higher annual rent hikes than the state average, while rents in North Port increased at a slower rate. However, Sarasota remains pricier than most places. It’s $1,403 average rent for a two-bedroom apartment was $178 higher than the state and $211 higher more than the nation. Please click here for more on this story: Rents Getting Pricier

NIK VS. THE VOLCANO

Nobody expects the Masaya Volcano to spew Hollywood-sized dollops of lava half a mile into the sky and force the evacuation of thousands, the way the Taal Volcano is doing in The Philippines right now. Still, Nicaragua’s locally famous caldera, located some 12 miles south of Managua, its quite active. And on March 4, it will provide the backdrop for a nationally televised spectacle never before seen in the history of entertainment, when Sarasota daredevil Nik Wallenda attempts to cross the simmering pit on a high wire. If you’d like to learn more, then click here: Nik Vs. The Volcano