Newsletter 34

A BANNER SEASON: Lodging occupancy in Sarasota County, which includes condo rentals, vacation home rentals and hotels, reached a record 94.7% in February, said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota, the county’s tourism agency. The average room rate rose by 7.2% to $208.50 per night. The number of visitors who flocked to Sarasota County in February grew by 7.5% to 77,500, according to data collected by Visit Sarasota. The volume of visitors so far this fiscal year has grown by 9.8%. Click here to read more, courtesy of our own Sarasota Herald Tribune: More High Marks For Tourism

LEGACY TRAIL ADDITION: Legacy Trail, the popular biking and jogging path built on a former railroad corridor in central and south Sarasota County, will be connected to downtown Sarasota under tentative plans approved by county commissioners. The additional segment would extend from the current cutoff in Palmer Ranch North to Payne Park, creating nearly 20 miles of paved path on the deserted railroad line from Venice north to Sarasota. But despite clear support from the County Commission and community for the project, finding a way to cover the estimated price of nearly $30 million remains uncertain. Click here for more: Legacy Trail Getting Longer

CHUNK OF STATE PUT ON MARKET: The largest contiguous parcel of undeveloped private land east of the Mississippi River, a vast swath of forest in northern Florida, is going on the market and is expected to bring $1 billion or more when it is sold this year. The tract, owned by the Foley Timber and Land Co., is about 560,000 acres, or nearly the size of Rhode Island. The land is almost empty except for the cedar, oak and other hardwood trees that cover close to 900 square miles between Tallahassee and Gainesville along the Gulf Coast just south of the Florida Panhandle. Foley has modest timber operations on the land that generate about $50 million a year. There’s more here: 560,000 Acres For Sale

HOME PRICE RISE HALF WHAT IT WAS: Sales price gains of Southwest Florida residences have been cut in half over the past year, according to a new study. The median selling price of a residential property in the Sarasota-Manatee County region was $162,000 in February, a 6% annual increase, reports RealtyTrac. That compares to a 13% jump in median sales prices in the previous 12 month period. Follow the jump for more on this story: Median-Price Increase

A RECORD YEAR FOR KAYAKING ON LIDO KEY: Rush hour starts at 10:00 am, the most popular time for nature tours, when more than 100 kayaks and paddle boards leave Ted Sperling Park at South Lido Key. Before paddlers spread out on Sarasota Bay, they must pass through a single gap in the mangroves that is 9 feet, 6 inches wide. It’s a colorful traffic jam, one that takes some tourists by surprise. In March, more than 5,400 vessels – a record – were launched. There’s more here: South Lido Kayak Traffic Jams

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY: Wander among the 39 billboard-sized banners emblazoned with gorgeous artwork and heartfelt quotations celebrating the diversity of humankind, and you’ll be struck by a couple of thoughts: What creativity lies inside the human heart, and how do we recapture the kindness expressed on the banners? “Embracing Our Differences”, an annual outdoor display of supersized banners in Sarasota’s Island Park and Bradenton’s Riverwalk, is open for two months of programs, tours and opportunities for reflection. Follow the jump for the website: Embracing Our Differences