Newsletter 118

NEWS FROM THE SUNCOAST …..

PINEY POINT DISCHARGE ENDS

The environmental disaster at Piney Point in Manatee County appears to finally be contained, with state regulators announcing last week that they have ceased dumping untreated wastewater from the old fertilizer plant property into Tampa Bay at Port Manatee. "All discharges of untreated water to Port Manatee are currently ceased," the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said in a press release. The crisis began after a breach developed in a wastewater containment pond wall and DEP began pumping water out of the pond and dumping it into the bay to relieve pressure on the wall and avert a total collapse. DEP reiterated that the agency had deployed technologies to the Piney Point site that can clean up the wastewater so that "any future required discharges to the port are treated to reduce nutrients entering surrounding waterways and minimize possible ecological impacts such as algal blooms." To read more on this story, courtesy of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, please click here: Piney Point Discharge Ends

USF TRACKING WASTEWATER MOVEMENT

A computer model shows that a plume of wastewater from Piney Point has spread as far north as the Little Manatee River and St. Petersburg, and as far south as the Manatee River, as it slowly heads out toward the Gulf of Mexico. Research teams from the University of South Florida are using a computer model that forecasts the path of nutrient-rich wastewater discharged into Tampa Bay from the former Piney Point fertilizer plant this month as they study how the polluted water is affecting marine ecosystems. The forecast shows that a plume of the wastewater will shift back and forth along the eastern shores of middle and lower Tampa Bay, from as far north as the Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve and the Little Manatee River south to the northern shores of Robinson Preserve and the Manatee River. The forecast shows varying concentrations of the wastewater have entered important habitats such as Bishop Harbor and the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve. For more on this story, please click here: USF Tracking Wastewater

HAS RED TIDE RETURNED?

Red tide has reemerged in Sarasota County, but at very low levels, according to the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County. Water samples collected on Monday and reports of respiratory irritation prompted health officials to place signs at some area beaches from North Jetty to Longboat Key late last week. Experts believe that current conditions were not prompted by polluted water discharged from Piney Point in Manatee County earlier this month. Rather, the bloom appears to have emerged from Charlotte and Lee County starting in December. Winds from the south have pushed the bloom northward to Sarasota County. "It’s not a total surprise to us at the moment," said Cindy Heil, the director of Mote Marine Laboratory’s Red Tide Institute. Over the past week, Karenia brevis, a naturally occurring toxic algae known as red tide, was detected in 54 samples in Southwest Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
There’s more on this story here: Red Tide Returns?

HOUSING MARKET RED HOT

Rising prices, a higher percentage of cash sales and limited inventory kept the real estate market in Sarasota-Manatee red hot during February. According to data from the Florida Realtors compiled by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee, 831 single-family homes sold in Sarasota County in February, an increase of 34.5% over February 2020. Condo sales were up by 37.8% in Sarasota last month, and by 23.2% in Manatee County, where single-family home sales also increased by 12.8% to 536 sales. "As long as there are more buyers than sellers in our market – and right now, that imbalance is as high as it’s ever been – prices will continue to rise," Alex Krumm, president of Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee, said. Please follow the jump for more on this story: Housing Market Hot

UNIQUE CASEY KEY SALE

The recent record-breaking auction price tag of $6.49 million for a beachfront Casey Key home sale reflects today’s booming Sarasota luxury market as well as a unique approach to selling real estate. Heritage Auctions partnered with local real estate broker Stephen Smith for the March 23 sale. With an assessed value of $3,277,400, the two-story, newly built mansion at 2905 Casey Key Road was on the market for only 29 days. The sale also commanded the highest price per heated square footage for a Gulf-front, private beach home – $1,215. "It was a truly global event and the ensuing bidding war garnered incredible results," said Nate Schar, director of luxury real estate for Heritage Auctions. "We were able to sell the home 1,100 times faster than average, and for nearly double the price." There’s more on this story: Casey Key Auction Sale

MARCH BREAKS RECORD FOR SRQ

At a time when the travel industry is still recovering from devastating costs of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport set a new passenger traffic record for the first time in more than 30 years. The airport welcomed 277,590 passengers in March, breaking its previous single-month record of 255,247 passengers set in March 1990. Traffic was 74% higher than it was in February 2021, when 159,772 passengers passed through the airport. The worst month for Sarasota-Bradenton after COVID hit was April 2020, when the airport had 9,742 passengers, 95% fewer people than April 2019. "Now that a vaccine is readily available in the United States, domestic passenger travel has quickly returned to SRQ, and we expect to see a record number of passengers through the remainder of the year," Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of the airport, said. Please click here for more: Airport Sets Record

REBOUND REACHES HOTELS

COVID-19 crushed the usually busy spring season at Siesta Sunset Royale Hotel in 2020. But not this year. Business is back and swinging, owner Paul Parr said. He was completely booked in February and March, and people are making reservations now for June, July and August. The first three months of 2022 are, as Parr puts it, already "booked like crazy." There may be no international visitors to speak of – guests are instead coming from the surrounding area and colder domestic destinations – but business is strong, and looking ahead, people seem to want to book their future trips for even longer periods. "That gives me a little heartburn, is a good way to put it," Parr said. "We’ve always tried to let people re-rent their unit the following year, but when someone says, ‘I want to rent two months next time,’ I’m not going to turn that away." After a terrible year for tourism, hotels in the Sarasota area are starting to see strong business again. Click here for more: Hotels Rebounding

CITY SETS RULES FOR ‘HOTEL HOUSES’

Sarasota has formally endorsed new rules to regulate vacation rentals in an effort to help residents who say the proliferation of hotel houses are ruining neighborhoods and their quality of life. A unanimous City Commission vote recently moved to require owners of vacation rentals on barrier islands to register with the city, pay an annual fee and designate two "reasonable parties" or a property management company available by phone 24 hours a day to respond to complaints. Residents on Lido Key and around St. Armands have raised the alarm over new high-occupancy houses built, operated and marketed for short-term tourist rentals in residential neighborhoods. "It is the outcome that we desired and that we have worked so hard on for so long," said Chris Goglia, the president of the St. Armands Residents Association, of the ordinance. There’s more here: Hotel Houses

FREE TROLLEY LINK TO LIDO

Beginning this summer, residents and visitors alike will be able to hop on a free open-air trolley that will cruise from east downtown Sarasota to the Lido Pavilion. The trolley will likely begin service in August and run every 20 to 25 minutes from East Main Street to south Lido Beach. Three trolleys are expected to run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. The goal is to help connect people to downtown and the beaches. Sarasota also has the optimistic goal of alleviating traffic congestion on one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city – especially during the construction of the U.S. 41/Gulfstream Avenue roundabout. The three-year pilot project is being funded in part through a $1.5 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. Sarasota would contract the service to a private vendor. It may cost city taxpayers between $210,000 and $515,000. It is possible more funding could be found elsewhere. There’s more on this story here: Lido Free Trolley

LWR WANTS TO EXPAND EAST

In a highly contested vote on Thursday night, Manatee County commissioners advanced a proposal to modify the county’s growth plan, potentially opening the door for the developer of Lakewood Ranch to build 7,000 homes directly east of the master-planned community, across a county boundary meant to constrain urban sprawl. The commission voted 4-3 to allow the development proposal to proceed by transmitting the growth plan change to the state. The vote is not a final approval of the project but allows it to keep advancing in the face of community opposition. Commission Chair Vanessa Baugh and Commissioners George Kruse and James Satcher voted against the motion to send the proposal to the state. They cited concerns about letting the development gather momentum before the commission has a chance to fully evaluate the larger question at play – whether they should honor the existing urban service boundary line, known as the Future Development Area Boundary, or modify it – and solicit more public input. "This is probably one of the most important aspects of land use that comes before us, because any time you speak about that urban service boundary, it’s important," Baugh said. If you’re interested in reading more, then click here: LWR To Expand East?

WHO IS PAYING FOR SARASOTA’S PUBLIC ART?

Real estate developers often agree to finance neighborhood improvements, like a sidewalk or a park or a bus stop, to help secure approval for their projects. In Sarasota, they also bolster the city’s public art. In the coming years, one of those developers will finance what will likely be the most widely seen public art piece in all of Sarasota. Earlier this year, city commissioners agreed to begin searching for artists to design the piece that will go inside the roundabout on Gulfstream Avenue and U.S. 41 after construction is completed. Seaward Development will finance the venture. They have offered to contribute $212,650 for the piece, which will be within view from the top floor of its ultra-luxury condo tower down the road on 605 Gulfstream Ave. Dubbed "Epoch," the 18-story development offers 180-degree unobstructed views of the Sarasota Bay. Click here to read more on this story: Who Is Paying For Public Art?

FWC GIVES REPORT ON MANATEE DEATHS

As manatee deaths spike to over 500 across Florida this year, a top wildlife official recently outlined to state senators the scope of the ongoing die-off, including the rescue efforts of more than 50 at-risk manatees since Jan. 1. At least 539 manatees have died in Florida waters from January 1 through March 19, compared to 637 in all of 2020 and a near-record 804 in all of 2018, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data show. The majority of deaths this year occurred in the 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon on Florida’s Atlantic coast, according to FWC. A decline in seagrass habitat is leaving manatees starved and without adequate food supply, biologists say. A colder-than-normal December, followed by moderate cold snaps this year, had the warm-blooded animals gathering around artificial warm-water sites, like power plants, without enough food for all of them. Click here for more on this sad story: Report On Manatee Deaths