Newsletter 108

NEWS FROM THE SUNCOAST

WORKERS HIT THE ROAD

Partial vehicular access was restored Wednesday afternoon for people who live on North Casey Key Road. A Spider Extractor picked up pieces of limerock and placed them along the shoreline to help harden the shoreline in front of 712 N Casey Key Road, which had collapsed Sunday because of wave activity caused by Tropical Storm Cristobal. While the southbound lane was washed out because of wave action, the northbound lane is still technically intact but has a deep open cavern underneath it, spokeswoman Brianne Grant said. To read more on this story, courtesy of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, please click here: North Casey Key Road

REAL ESTATE ON THE MEND

While home sales have cratered in the Sarasota-Manatee region during the coronavirus pandemic, agents say there are already some glimmers of hope. Buyers closed on 1,131 existing single-family homes in Sarasota-Manatee during a virus-infected April, down a painful 21% from last year. With that plunge, local home sales through the first four months of 2020 are up a scant 0.2%, according to the Florida Realtors group. Condo sales were harder hit in the two-county area. The 498 units closed marked a 30% drop over the year, with year-to-date sales still 11% ahead of last year. Home prices in the two counties rose 8.3% over the year to a median $325,000. Through April, home prices have gained 6.8%. Condos traded for $225,000 in April, up just 1.6%, but they have climbed 7.2% for the year. For more on this story, please click here: Real Estate Recovery

STREETS TO CLOSE TO BOOST COMMERCE

In an effort to help small businesses suffering under the weight of COVID-19, the city of Sarasota will again test the viability of closing area streets – at least until the end of June. The closures will begin at 3:30 pm until midnight every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening through the end of June. The city will try closures on different streets during the period. The plan is for the city to review and approve the closings on a week-by-week basis, said spokesman Jason Bartolone. Please follow the jump for more on this story: Downtown Closures

STATE TOURISM NUMBERS PLUNGE

Tourism in Florida fell by 10.7% in the first quarter of 2020 from the same period a year earlier, and the estimate may be optimistic. The final month of the quarter, March, was impacted heavily by the COVID-19 pandemic, which essentially shut down the hospitality industry statewide. A report posted by Visit Florida, the state’s tourism-marketing arm, said “data previously used to estimate Florida visitation may not paint the full picture during COVID-19.” The report estimates that 31.95 million people visited the state during the first three months of the year. That compares to 35.79 million visitors during the first quarter in 2019. There’s more on this story here: Tourism Numbers Plunge

SUMMER VISITORS WILL BE FROM NEARBY

Tourists come from all over the world to visit Siesta Key, the Sarasota County barrier island that’s home to one of the top beaches in the U.S. But for the next few months, most of the people walking on the quartz crystal shores or swimming in the Gulf of Mexico will be from less than four hours away. Research by Visit Sarasota and The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel shows that right now, consumers who are willing to travel are looking for beaches and other uncrowded areas within driving distance. The key is short, quick getaways, said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County. “A lot of what we’re seeing right now, tends to be very close to home,” Haley said. Please click here for more: Visitors Will Be From Nearby

CONDITIONAL RELOCATION

The Sarasota Public Arts Committee will help city leaders decide what to do with the massive “Unconditional Surrender” sculpture on the Sarasota bayfront ahead of a planned roundabout construction project at Gulfstream Avenue and U.S. 41. The committee will return with potential removal costs and prospective temporary locations, including the possibility of loaning the kissing statue to another city. What happens a year from now, however, when the roundabout construction is complete, is still up in the air. City commissioners still have to consider what to do after they temporarily remove the “Unconditional Surrender” statue and the nearby 70-foot-tall red geometric sculpture ahead of the planned roundabout project. Click here for more: Unconditional Surrender

THEATER CHAIN’S FUTURE UNCLEAR

The parent company of CineBistro, the luxury Sarasota movie theatre with comfy seats, a full bar and a dinner menu, has filed for bankruptcy. In a Chapter 11 court filing from late April, Cinemex Holdings USA of Miami, said its voluntary petition was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of it’s filing date in late April, all 41 of the company’s properties in 12 states have been closed for seven weeks. Even before the pandemic, however, Cinemex was in a tough position. High fixed-costs to landlords and film studios meant revenues were limited. Cinemex didn’t say anything specific about its theater closings in its bankruptcy, just that it would seek to “streamline” its operations around core profitable theaters. There’s more here: CineBistro

MOTE PARTNERSHIP TO EXPAND CORAL RESTORATION

To celebrate World Oceans Day in Islamorada, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium has unveiled a partnership with Bud N’ Mary’s Marina to help expand coral restoration in the Florida Reef Tract. Specifically, the partnership will help outplant coral at Cheeca Rocks, one of the seven iconic reefs highlighted in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-led-initiative to restore coral on seven reefs off of the Florida Keys. The Florida Reef Tract is worth at least $6 billion annually to Florida’s economy; it provides more than 70,000 jobs and is home to 25% of marine life. Click on the link for more: Mote Marine Coral Restoration

SEA TURTLE PATROLS FACE SHORTAGE

Sea turtles are nesting in near-record numbers from Sarasota to Charlotte County, but there are fewer turtle patrollers to check for them. A number of the dedicated walkers who traipsed over dead fish during a red tide outbreak from 2017 to 2019 are among the individuals – over 65 years old – who are at risk for COVID-19 and have chosen not to participate in beach patrols this year. Carol Leonard, a Coastal Wildlife Club Board member, says they are working with a limited number of volunteers to cover their territory in Charlotte County and Engelwood. She said those who are on the beach are practicing social distancing. While Coastal Wildlife Club has closed the volunteer list for 2020, Leonard said interested individuals should contact the group if they are interested in participating. They could incorporate others at a later time. Please click here for more on this story: Sea Turtle Patrols Shortage