Newsletter 123

NEWS FROM THE SUNCOAST …..

RED TIDE DISSIPATES

The red tide that’s lingered off Sarasota and Manatee beaches has dissipated, and Hurricane Ida may have played a part. Sarasota and Manatee counties had seen red tide since early July after Tropical Storm Elsa helped push Karenia Brevis, the organism responsible for the algae, toward local shores, where it killed fish and closed beaches. Samples in recent weeks have shown a decrease in red tide cells, and recently, the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota found no traces at all.
Sarasota County officials this week changed all beach signs from “Red Tide Present” to now say “Enjoy the Beach.” To read more on this story, courtesy of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, please click here: Red Tide Is Gone

IS STORM SEASON DONE WITH US?

Since May 2020, forty-five tropical cyclones, twenty hurricanes, and ten major hurricanes have developed in the Atlantic. Twelve tropical storms, five Category 1 or 2 hurricanes, and three major hurricanes have made landfall in the continental United States. This is, in scientific terms, a lot. In fact, the last 480 days have seen almost as much U.S. hurricane activity as the entire decade between 2006 and 2015. And despite this unrelenting meteorological enfilade, there are still miles to go before the Atlantic sleeps. As measured by historical landfalls, the final third of the 2021 hurricane season remains ahead. Heading into the last 10 days of September, Atlantic hurricane season shifts gears like an abandoned K-Mart transforming into a Spirit Halloween superstore. At this time, the frequency of “Cape Verde”-type storms that develop in the eastern Atlantic and sometimes threaten the U.S. East Coast declines, and the location of hurricane development shifts into the Caribbean and western Atlantic — closer to land. For more on this story, please click here: Storm Season Update

SRQ BREAKS YEARLY RECORD

Just nine months into the year, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport has shattered its annual passenger record. So far this year, the airport has seen 2.03 million passengers, more than the busiest year on record in 1990, when it had 2.01 million passengers. Airport President and CEO Rick Piccolo said in a press release the growth means more revenues and lower costs for airlines. “As one of only a few debt-free airports in the U.S., the increased revenue collected will allow us to continue lowering our rates and charges for the airlines serving our airport,” Piccolo said. The average cost per enplaned passenger, a measure used by airlines to determine the cost of operating, is expected to drop by 53% in the budget for next year, he said. If you’re interested to read more, please click here: SRQ Breaks Annual Record

ARE SNOWBIRDS SKIPPING THIS YEAR?

Prior to COVID-19, every October, Jay and Mary Anne Parry of London, Ontario, headed south to their property at the Great Outdoors RV park in Titusville.
They’d stay until the end of April, save a quick Christmas break in Canada. While in Brevard, they’d shop. Eat out. Take in shows at the Titusville Playhouse. After the coronavirus pandemic kept them in Ontario in 2020, they were looking forward to their return this year and, and as early as July 1, were optimistic about motoring to Florida this fall. That’s not going to happen soon, the Parrys say. Canadians Al and Lennie Locken of Toronto also are taking a pass on Florida this coming snowbird season. They’ve spent six to eight weeks on the Space Coast every winter since 2008 but haven’t been back since returning to Canada from Cape Canaveral in March 2019. Right now, they’re not planning to return this year either. “We are very hesitant about putting ourselves into an environment where masks aren’t worn by everyone, where public spaces like restaurants and malls are wide open with no occupancy limits, and where so many people refuse to get vaccinated.” There’s more on this story here: Are Snowbirds Returning?

BOARD APPROVES HI HAT PLAN

Sarasota County commissioners approved a change recently to the county’s long-range growth plan that puts the Hi Hat Ranch one step closer to being able to develop thousands of acres east of Interstate 75 over several decades. The Hi Hat Ranch owners have a long-term plan to create a cluster of villages, retail shops and new schools in the rural landscape east of I-75. The County Commission approved the ranch’s plan despite some county residents’ opposition to one key aspect, predicting that it will change the rural character of eastern Sarasota County.
Nearly 20 years ago, the County Commission adopted the Sarasota 2050 Plan, which allowed for communities to be master planned, but also set aside green space for protection and conservation. The idea was to allow more development while preserving the area’s rural feel. Please follow the jump for more on this story: Hi Hat Plan Advances

PLANS MOVE FORWARD FOR 7,200 HOMES OUT EAST

Manatee County commissioners approved a proposal to build 7,200 new homes east of the urban boundary line last week, despite complaints from residents and warnings from their staff. Known as Gamble Creek Village, developer L3 Partnership LLC proposed the master-planned community that has been compared to Lakewood Ranch on more than 5,000 acres in rural eastern Manatee County now used for agriculture. An attorney representing the developer said it would be the largest single project Manatee County has ever seen. Many residents have opposed any development east of the urban boundary, citing concerns over population growth and the strain on local infrastructure. There’s more on this story here: 7,200 Home Community Moves Forward

SECOND SIESTA KEY HOTEL ADVANCES

A second Siesta Key hotel project received approval from a Sarasota County advisory board, moving that development a step closer to eventually being built.
The project is being pursued by Siesta Key resident Gary Kompothecras, commonly known as Dr. Gary. The locally famous chiropractor owns other businesses on the key and is proposing a seven-story, 120-room hotel at Old Stickney Point and Peacock Road. The Planning Commission recommended approval for the project that would allow the hotel to go as high as 83 feet and be more than four times as dense as current regulations would allow. His hotel, as well as three others proposed on the popular barrier island, are strongly opposed by many Siesta Key residents, including those in a group seeking to incorporate the key into a municipality to handle land-use issues. Please click on the link for more: Second SK Hotel Advances

TOP AGENT FACES SUIT

Prominent Sarasota real estate agent Roger Pettingell and Coldwell Banker Realty have been sued over a $4.8 million transaction on Bird Key by both a potential buyer and the property’s seller, according to lawsuits filed in Broward County.
Barry Cohen, the buyer who lost out on the property, accuses Pettingell of manipulating the sellers into choosing a buyer Pettingell also represented so that he received both sides of a commission involving a $4.6 million property, plus $200,000 for the furniture. For years Pettingell has been the top real estate agent in the Sarasota region. Last year, he eclipsed $175 million in closed transactions. He and Coldwell Banker Realty, a named party in the lawsuit, deny the accusations.
There’s more on this story: Agent Faces Suit

PARK IN MOTION

When Jon Thaxton closes his eyes and thinks about the 53 acres along Sarasota Bay being transformed into a landmark green space for the region, he doesn’t see 10 or 15 years down the road when The Bay Park should be nearly complete.
He envisions 100 years into the future, with families enjoying a bayfront breeze in one of the last natural sanctuaries left in the area. “It’s hard for me to imagine what the rest of Sarasota will look like,” said Thaxton, senior vice president at Gulf Coast Community Foundation. “But I can see The Bay.” The more than $100 million dollar project to take city-owned property – mostly a concrete parking lot – and turn it into a “blue-green oasis” in downtown has been a long time in the making. When completed, The Bay Park, as its advocates see it, will be a permanent fixture on Sarasota Bay for everyone to use and enjoy, and a key reason for Sarasota joining the upper echelon of mid-sized cities in the country. Click here for more: Park In Motion

NEW SITE BY SPRING?

Despite calls by city officials to renew talks with the Sarasota Orchestra to build a proposed music center at Payne Park, leaders of the symphony say they are looking elsewhere and could have plans to announce by spring. City leaders are now wishing the orchestra “the best of luck in its relocation search” even as they offer to assist with finding another location within Sarasota city limits. Two years ago, the Sarasota City Commission rejected the orchestra’s proposal to use seven acres of land in Payne Park for a new music center and education building, which would have required moving of public tennis courts and reconfigured parking. Click here for more on this story: New Site By Spring?

SARASOTA ORCHESTRA NAMES NEW DIRECTOR

Branwell Tovey, a veteran conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, and Calgary Opera company among others, was named recently as the new music director of the Sarasota Orchestra. Tovey, 68, will become only the sixth music director in the 72-year history of the orchestra, succeeding Anu Tali, who left after six years in 2019. Tovey was one of a number of guest conductors who led the orchestra last season before the coronavirus pandemic forced performances to be canceled. Even though Sarasota Orchestra announced in April that it would continue the search with another season of guest conductors, including a return by Tovey, the search committee was beginning to focus on the British conductor.
“Bramwell is a great fit for the Sarasota Orchestra,” orchestra president and CEO Joseph McKenna said, which was evident through “his extraordinary and immediate rapport with the musicians. That was an important element that guided everything during the search.” There’s more to read here: New Director Of Sarasota Orchestra

NATIONAL EXPOSURE FOR ARTS FESTIVAL?

In his career as a developer, Mark Kauffman has seen possibilities where others saw vacant lots. With partners or on his own, he transformed a former Maas Brothers department store into Sarasota Main Plaza and the Hollywood 11 movie theater, created the Ritz-Carlton resort, the still-new Rosemary Square complex, and others. Now he wants to bring greater awareness to the Sarasota area arts and culture scene by creating a festival that could draw national and international attention, and help local businesses. He envisions something that could develop into an event like the Spoleto Festival, in Charleston, S.C. “If we can get the major arts organizations to join this, and the smaller organizations would also join in, the concept is to bring people to Sarasota in the offseason and let them spend a week or two weeks here, and every night could be a different entertainment venue for them,” he said in a recent interview. There’s more on this story here: Proposed Arts Festival

LANDMARK IN THE MAKING

The city of Sarasota is looking for artists to design a landmark sculpture in the center of the roundabout at U.S. 41 and Fruitville Road. Proposals were submitted online at no cost, and they were due on Sept. 16. Professional artists who reside in the U.S. and who have successfully completed projects of similar scale and budget are eligible for the project. The proposed sculptures must complement the roundabout’s location, require minimal maintenance, not exceed 20 feet in height and meet other design criteria, according to a news release. The sculpture’s budget is $175,000, the city said. It will be funded by developer contributions to the city’s public art fund, and the piece will become part of the city’s permanent public art collection. If you’re interested in reading more, then click here: Artists Wanted For Roundabout Design

MOTE EXPANDS RED TIDE RESEARCH

Clams and shrimp have found new homes at Mote Marine’s Aquaculture Research Park. In large tanks, they are the test subjects for the lab’s latest red tide research.
The experiment aims to use technology to eliminate excess nutrients while preserving the surrounding environment. Water goes through the entire system, located on a large trailer, and is virtually cleaned of excess nutrients within minutes. Researchers with the initiative are now testing patented technology from Prescott Clean Water called Ozonix, first used in oil and gas fields to treat contaminated fracking water. Ozonix works by saturating contaminated water with ozone, a natural and man-made product that occurs in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. It then converts the ozone into a component with oxidation potential, which has the ability to oxidize a wide range of pollutants, including the algae that produce red tide. Click here to read more on this story: Mote Expands Red Tide Research