Newsletter 140

NEWS FROM THE SUNCOAST …..

EMBRACING OUR DIFFERENCES PUSHES FORWARD

Organizers of the annual Embracing Our Differences public art exhibition are pushing forward with their mission to create an inclusive and diverse community through art education despite recent backlash and vandalism aimed at this year’s public art display. Approximately 600 attendees, advocates, and community leaders gathered Friday in Sarasota for the organization’s annual luncheon to celebrate the non profit’s 20th anniversary and support for the organization’s mission following its decision this week to pull the public art exhibition from the planned display at State College of Florida this spring. The organization’s Sarasota Bayfront display was also vandalized after it went up last month. Embracing Our Differences exhibit director and juror Shelia McKay said the recent negativity has given the group a deeper desire to continue promoting the mission of diversity and inclusion to the community through the exhibition’s works. “This is needed more now than ever; there are teachable moments here and this is all reminding us of why we do what we are doing,” said McKay. The organization’s board chairman, Circuit Judge Charles Williams, echoed McKay’s statement, adding that the group’s focus continues to be on uniting people through art. “We hope we can continue to deliver our message but there are always people who are going to agree or disagree, but we are staying true to our core mission,” Williams said. “Our core mission is the celebration of differences, not just racial, but all differences.” The 20th anniversary of the exhibit drew a record 13,000 entrants from around the world. McKay and other exhibit jurors selected 50 works that display common themes of cultural inclusion, social issues and messages of empowerment that are meant to inspire change. For more on this story, courtesy of Sarasota Herald-Tribune, please click here: Embracing Our Differences

ST ARMANDS FESTIVAL DEBATE GOES ON

St. Armands residents and business owners are at odds over whether a holiday festival should continue on the key. A new festival took place on St. Armands Circle from mid-November to early January that featured Christmas lights, a carousel, musical performances and other activities. The festival’s creators say the event brought more families to the key and provided Sarasota residents with a holiday celebration closer to their homes than the festivities at University Town Center and Lakewood Ranch. Residents of the barrier islands, on the other hand, have traffic concerns and say that the festival allows for private use of a public space.

Recently, the Sarasota City Commission considered whether to allow the festival again in 2023. After discussion, the commissioners postponed a decision so that city staff can gather information about the event’s impacts. Some area residents told commissioners they opposed the event. Chris Goglia, the president of the St. Armands Residents Association, told the Herald-Tribune that the festival is “too intense” for a city park. He noted that after the festival ended, the grass in the park was “dead” and there were depressions where the carousel and ice rink had been.

He also said that the festival lasted “too long.” St. Armands hosts art festivals and car shows, but those take place over one day or a weekend. Goglia said that while there weren’t traffic issues due to the festival this past holiday season, he anticipates traffic problems in the future, since the festival is expected to grow.

Representatives of several businesses expressed support of the winter festival at the commission meeting. Lisa James, who was representing Hatley Boutique, said that the festival increased the store’s foot traffic in December, which can sometimes be a slow month for local merchants. To read more on this story, please click here: St Armands Festival Debate

HOUSING PRICES REMAIN HIGH

The North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metro area ranks as one of the 10 most over-valued housing markets in the country, while Cape Coral-Fort Myers is at the top of the list. The monthly study was conducted by researchers at Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University. According to the latest report, home buyers in the Sarasota-Manatee market are paying nearly 50% more than they should based on historical trends in the market. In December, buyers paid an average of $494,732 for a home. They should have paid $333,365. In Cape Coral-Fort Myers, home buyers paid 62.3% more. The newest housing report shows six of the nation’s 10 most overvalued markets are in Florida. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton ranked No. 10. “In particular, Southwest Florida, with its significant shortage in housing units and its growth in population, heading this group is not surprising,” said Ken Johnson, an economist at Florida Atlantic University, in an email.

He produces the report, along with Eli Beracha at Florida International University’s school of real estate. “Given rising rents, which drive property values, around Florida, I am not surprised to see Florida metros dominating our premium metric,” or the degree to which property is overpriced, Johnson said. Please click here to read more: Housing Prices Remain High

NORTH PORT GROWING FAST

The city of North Port, which now boasts a population of 80,000 was ranked as the second-fastest growing city in the U.S. by Quicken Loans, behind Cape Coral/Fort Myers. North Port posted a 5.5% year-over-year population growth while Cape Coral/Fort Myers, with a population of 92,245, grew by 6.8%. Four other Florida municipalities also made the top 10: No. 3 Winter Haven, No. 5 Port St. Lucie, No 6 Daytona Beach, and No. 9 Palm Bay. North Port can claim this crown for itself, instead of sharing it with Sarasota and Bradenton. While many lists typically tout the combined North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metro area for various rankings, a spokeswoman for the company that touts the Quicken Loans survey said North Port was evaluated on its own. Fort Myers and Cape Coral, on the other hand, were combined because they were ranked very closely with similar metrics. That means growth in surrounding Sarasota and Manatee counties – including fast-growing master planned community Lakewood Ranch – wasn’t part of the equation for North Port. None of this surprises City Manager Jerome Fletcher, who watched the city grow from 77,000 to 80,000 in the 15 months he’s been there. “That growth spurt is indicative of the growth that this area is having,” Fletcher said. For North Port’s own fast-growing section of town, Wellen Park, the next big thing will be a grand opening celebration for Downtown Wellen – the mixed-use downtown core area centered around an 80-acre man-made lake. For the rest of the city the next big thing will depend on how successful it is in finding private partners to develop three separate tracts of parkland. Fletcher acknowledges that growth brings challenges. Officials have been working on communicating their view growth can’t be stopped, so the focus should be on handling it. At a recent meeting of area government officials, hosted Jan. 20 by the Sarasota County School Board, planners discussed the fact that as many as 39,000 lots could be built on in North Port today. If you are interested in reading more, then click here: North Port Growing Fast

4 SW REAL ESTATE EXECS ON MOST POWERFUL LIST

Four Southwest Florida real estate executives have been included in a nationwide list of the “200 most powerful” people in residential real estate, according to a news release from the Real Estate Almanac. The Swanepoel Power 200 is the first section of the annual Real Estate Almanac complied by real estate consultants T3 Sixty.

Joining the likes of Rich Barton, co-founder of Zillow Group, and Bob Goldberg, the chief executive of the National Association of Realtors, was Budge Huskey, president and chief executive at Naples-based Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Michael and Drayton Saunders, with Sarasota’s Michael Saunders & Co. and Merri Jo Cowen, chief executive at Stellar MLS. Huskey landed on the list at 77 after leading 1,200 sales associates in 40 locations across Florida and North Carolina with annual sales of $10 billion, according to the Real Estate Almanac. Michael Saunders and Drayton Saunders came in at 95. Michael Saunders founded her company in 1976 in Sarasota. Her son, Drayton, joined the company in 2003, helping the firm grow to more than 20 offices with about 600 real estate agents. The firm has annual sales volume of $4.6 billion, according to a short biography on the Real Estate Almanac. Cowen leads the third-largest multiple listing service in the nation. Stellar MLS serves 76,000 subscribers in central and southwest Florida and added more than 8,000 new subscribers over the last year. Cowen ranked as the 84th most influential real estate professional. There’s more on this story here: Most Powerful Real Estate Execs

FLORIDA IS SEEING A NEW INFLUX

A second notable swell of newcomers traded out-of-state driver’s licenses last year for ones with a Sunshine State address following temptations of tropical succor, an income tax desert or a particular political ethos. More than 583,200 people were freshly entered into the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles database in 2022 after surrendering non-Florida licenses. That’s 28% higher than the average of the previous six years and 36,200 more than the pandemic-triggered migration of 2021. Their fast-pass was to a peninsula ripe with natural paradise, man-made tumult, a manic-turned-murky housing market and a knockout punch from devastating Hurricane Ian. And whether their stay is enduring or a dalliance, demographers said getting a driver’s license signifies at least some resolve for a permanent Florida sojourn. U.S. Census Bureau data released in December echoes the driver’s license information, showing a weighty population increase last year in Florida, which led the nation for the first time since 1957 with growth of 1.9%.

“It’s still really coming from the Northeast and then some of the other larger states like Illinois and California, where the numbers are up a lot from pre-pandemic,” said Stefan Rayer, population program director at the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, about who is moving to Florida. “It’s a little bit of a different dynamic.” People from foreign countries getting Florida licenses made up the largest category statewide last year with 115,465, a 42% increase from the six-year average. That jump, however, followed a steep decline during the height of the pandemic when countries worldwide were at a standstill, Rayer said.

The data does not list the nations from where those individuals moved. But it does list the U.S. states people were moving from. Among the states, people from New York led the way for the most people surrendering licenses at 61,205 — a 35% increase from the six-year average of 2016 through 2021. New Jersey was runner-up with 30,837, which was 28% higher than the average of the previous six years. California ranked third. While the Golden State’s number was lower comparatively at 28,957, it was a steep 57% higher than the average. Please follow the jump for more on this story: New Influx To Florida

WINTER TOURISM HOLDS STEADY

Following two years of record-breaking travel to the community, winter tourism has flattened off. Visitor numbers and local hotel rates remained steady as the busy season began in early winter, but occupancy rates tracked lower in the Sarasota-Manatee region, local tourism bureaus say. Tourism in both Sarasota and Manatee counties boomed during the pandemic thanks to relaxed COVID restrictions, recreational amenities, and other outdoor draws. Local hotel occupancy rates were lower in the fall and into early winter in comparison to the previous year, said Visit Sarasota County CEO Virginia Haley. She noted many visitors to the Suncoast are now laying heads in beds with family members over hotels when compared to the two previous years. “The biggest generator of visitation was family visiting family members,” Haley said. Overall, Sarasota County saw over $1.7 billion in visitor spending in the fiscal year 2022, according to the VSC annual report. That included a small increase in international visitors in 2022. In Manatee County, visitors frequented the cities of Bradenton, Longboat Key and Anna Maria for multiple days in a row, said Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We are starting to see strong bookings from Europe, from Great Britain and German especially,” Falcione said. “They’ll come in mid-summer through the holidays in late 2023. We expect just under 100,000 visitors from the European markets; they spend more money per day and stay longer.” The expansion of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport will also factor into the traffic of visitors in both counties. A steady increase in demand for flights and routes into the region has led to a $165 million expansion already underway. “That’s great for us,” Falcione said. “SRQ airport has helped to increase and rebuild the Midwest market through the airport.” There’s more on this story here: Winter Tourism

WARM MINERAL SPRINGS PRIVATE PARTNER SOUGHT

The city of North Port is accepting proposals from private partners interested in developing Warm Mineral Springs. Financial records show the attraction earned a net profit of almost $2 million over the past three fiscal years. The popular attraction has been closed since the day before Hurricane Ian made landfall. The city plans to reopen later this spring, then transition the operation to the eventual private partner. Warm Mineral Springs – an hourglass-shaped sinkhole that is fed by an underground stream that pumps in 20 million gallons of 85 to 86 degree water per day – is significant on its merits as an archaeological site, which serves as a window to roughly 10,000 years of history. It was developed as a spa shortly after World War II and from December 1959 to March 1960 was one of the sites for the Florida Quadricentennial Celebration. North Port took over sole ownership of both the 21.6-acre springs site and the 61.4 acres of surrounding parkland in September 2014 and reopened the springs for swimming under a management agreement with National and State Parks Concessions, Warm Mineral Springs Inc. For several years, as the city commission debated how to restore the three Jack West buildings, it received a net profit between $300,000 and $400,000 per year. That cratered to a low of $107,075 in 2020 – when the park was closed for April and May because of the COVID-19 pandemic and only 84,159 people used it. Attendance had boomed in 2021 and 2022, with 136,626 people using the springs in 2021, when the city pocketed $874,200 in net profit; and 152,806 people in 2022, when the city pocketed more than $1.014 million in net profit. Please click here for more: Warm Mineral Springs Partner Sought

RENT A HOMESTEAD PROPERTY, FACE A FINE?

When Dan Graue read a letter from the Sarasota County Property Appraiser that notified him he had been dodging taxes on his homesteaded property and now owed more than $64,000 in fines and back taxes, he thought there must have been an error. He and his wife Jennifer had owned the house off Bahia Vista Avenue since 1995, after purchasing the home from Jennifer’s family, which had owned the property since the 1950s.They quickly learned the property appraiser meant business. Florida’s homestead tax breaks are some of the most generous in the nation, shielding homeowners from hundreds, thousands or even far more annually in taxes, depending on the value of their primary residence. The exemption also carries the benefit of a cap on how much their taxable property value can rise each year, a coveted perk in an era of skyrocketing real estate prices. However, partially because of those advantages, the penalties for claiming the homestead exemption but not qualifying for it can be steep. A lawsuit over Sarasota County Property Appraiser Bill Furst’s handling of a similar homestead case was argued before the Florida Supreme Court late last year. The court’s ruling in that case could have far-reaching implications for homeowners who rent out portions of their property or who have home-based businesses and may face similarly steep bills for back taxes and penalties if they find themselves in local property appraisers’ sights — not to mention local governments’ tax coffers. At issue is the Graues’ decision to rent out a small garage apartment behind the property’s main house for years. The county property appraiser says as a result, they forfeited nearly half of their property’s homestead exemption and owe 10 years of back taxes, plus 15% interest and a whopping 50% penalty. They say their only option will be to turn the apartment into a short-term rental, since that would generate more revenue to pay off the debt sooner. Please click on the link, courtesy of WUFT, for more: Rent A Homestead Property

SARASOTA COUNTY TREE CODE CHANGES

Sarasota County commissioners unanimously approved new criteria about when property owners can remove grand trees and how much they must pay when they do so. These revisions are among several changes to the county’s Trees Code, which are reflected in a new ordinance. At a recent commission meeting, local tree advocates worried the ordinance would loosen protections for grand trees, but county leaders contended that it will not. Rachel Herman, manager of the county’s environmental protection division, told the Herald-Tribune the changes provide “a more robust system for replanting and clearer guidance on the protection or removal of a grand tree.” Some of the new language differentiates between new lots, which are lots with lines are drawn after Jan. 31, and existing lots, which are lots that were created on or before Jan. 31. The amendments give existing lots and new lots different criteria for the removal of grand trees. Until now, they were the same. Under the ordinance approved recently, grand trees can be removed from existing lots for safety reasons or if the property owner can clearly show that “setting aside the space necessary to protect a Grand Tree would unreasonably prevent the development of a lot.” Grand trees can be removed from new lots for safety reasons or if the tree is in a required access point to a lot. The amendments also make owners of existing lots and owners of new lots pay different mitigation rates. Sarasota County’s Trees Code makes property owners replace grand trees that are removed, but if a county staff member determines that the trees can’t be replaced on site, the owner must then pay a fee, which is used to plant trees in different areas of the county. Sarasota County also made other changes to its Tree Code, such as clarifying the appeals process for grand tree removal authorization and providing flexibility in the replanting requirements for redevelopment parcels.

There’s more on this story here: Sarasota County Tree Changes

COMPLEX PLANNED NEAR SRQ

A developer is planning to build a 280-unit apartment complex called Progress at University next to the site of the former Sarasota Kennel Club. A multifamily housing project is also planned for the Kennel Club property, but the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority has filed three lawsuits against the city of Sarasota to try to stop that project from moving forward. The airport is unable to contest the Progress at University development, though. Orlando-based MMI Development is planning to build 280 market-rate apartments on the 16.5-acre property at 1400 Desoto Road. The Sarasota City Commission gave initial approval to the site plan and a rezoning ordinance amendment on Jan. 17. Those items will need to be approved a second time, at a future city meeting, for the apartment complex to be built. The property is a short distance from SRQ airport. But the airport can’t contest the apartment plan as it is challenging the other project because the property is already zoned residential. The Sarasota Kennel Club property, on the other hand, was rezoned last fall from a commercial classification to a residential one. The airport authority is able to contest that kind of change, so it has filed a few lawsuits against the city. Airport leaders predict that apartment residents would complain about the airplane noise, and they say that a stormwater retention pond at the development could attract birds, posing a risk to aircraft. Although the airport authority can’t legally challenge the city’s decision regarding Progress at University, it did secure commitments from the developer about the project, said the authority’s attorney, Dan Bailey. MMI Development plans to, for example, put at least one fountain in the property’s pond as a way to deter migratory birds. “I could wish that it wouldn’t be residential at all, but I’m afraid we don’t have that privilege at this point,” Bailey said. On the dog track property, North Carolina-based Aventon Companies is planning to build 372 apartment homes. The three lawsuits over that property are ongoing. In one of the suits, an administrative law judge will determine whether an amendment to the city’s growth plan complies with state law. That administrative hearing is slated for April 12-14. Click here for more: Complex Near SRQ

SPAC GAINS SECOND $10M GIFT

The proposed Sarasota Performing Arts Center has received a major new gift that matches its biggest donation to date: $10 million to support the architecture and design phase of the project. The Sarasota Performing Arts Center Foundation, the new name for what had been the Van Wezel Foundation, has announced a $10 million gift from the Paul Seed Fund at KBF Canada. Seed, who purchased a seasonal home on Longboat Key nearly two years ago, founded StarTech.com, a company that specializes in connectivity accessories for information technology professionals, in London, Ontario, Canada in 1985. He serves as the company’s CEO. He is described as an amateur guitarist and lover of live music, and has become friendly with some local musicians who have played at his backyard parties in Sarasota. The Foundation said he regularly attends Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall programs and “has sought out opportunities to engage with the city’s performing arts community.” “The arts inspire the human spirit in ways that are hard to articulate,” Seed said in a statement from the Foundation. “This project will be transformational for our community and live long past this contribution. I’m honored to have the opportunity to make this early leadership investment to catapult the project forward.” The gift matches a $10 million estate gift from Herta Cuneo, who died in 2017. The Foundation board committed the first $20 million a year ago (including the Cuneo gift), and it has received $1.2 million in state appropriation for a total of $31.2 million. The project, which will include a 2,250-seat main theater, a smaller black-box theater and administrative and education space, is expected to cost $250 million to $300 million. The City of Sarasota is providing the land and half the costs of the new structure, with the rest raised by the Foundation. The gift comes as a five-member panel of Sarasota community members is in the process of selecting an architectural firm to design the project. The committee has invited 18 firms from around the world to submit proposals for the building and demonstrate they can handle a project of its scope. Please click here for more: SPAC Gains Second $10M Gift

ASOLO REP HIRES NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

A director who has already won over Asolo Repertory Theatre audiences with reimagined productions of classic musicals and has been running his own theater for 25 years has been hired as the Sarasota company’s new producing artistic director. Peter Rothstein, the founding artistic director of Theatre Latté Da in Minneapolis, which opened in 1998 with a focus on musical theater, will succeed Michael Donald Edwards, who announced last year that he will step down in June when his contract expires after 18 years. Edwards led the company through a major expansion on stage and off. Randell Johnson, president of the Asolo Rep board of directors, said Rothstein will be consulting with Edwards and the theater and helping to plan the 2023-24 season (which is expected to be unveiled in March) before he begins his five-year contract on July 1. He also will be involved in the selection of a new managing director to succeed Linda DiGabriele, who also is stepping down in June after 50 years with Asolo Rep. Johnson said the board hopes the new managing director will be identified by the end of January. “At Asolo Rep, the producing artistic director is the CEO and the managing director is that person’s responsibility,” Johnson said. “It’s an unusual situation for us to lose them both at the same time, but we timed it so Peter will have an opportunity to sit in and interview all the candidates.” Rothstein was introduced to Sarasota audiences through his productions of the musicals “Ragtime” in 2018 and “Sweeney Todd” in 2019, both of which featured reduced casts. He had previously staged musicals at Theatre Latté Da, which has a focus on producing original and re-imagined musical theater. He also is slated to direct Asolo Rep’s production of “Man of La Mancha” which opens May 10. Johnson said Rothstein, 56, was chosen from more than 50 applicants from across the United States and Europe. The board’s search committee worked with Management Consultants for the Arts, which Rothstein said contacted him about the job. There’s more to read here: Asolo Rep New Artistic Director

UNDERWATER MEMORIAL FOR BELOVED PETS

Cindy TenHagen and her son Dylan, 9, drove more than four hours from Jacksonville recently so they could say farewell to Bella, a beloved Chow-Hound mix who loved fireworks. Cindy’s husband, Richard TenHagen, would have been there, too, had he not been overseas, serving in the Navy. The TenHagens were the first customers who signed up to have a pet’s ashes incorporated into a reef ball and placed offshore as part of what Memorial Reef International said is the first memorial reef for pets, at the M2 artificial reef site off of Sarasota’s New Pass in the Gulf of Mexico. “We chose this because this brings more life and she can live on this way and be part of an ocean reef, and I think that’s beautiful,” TenHagen said at a dedication ceremony hosted Jan. 17 at Reef Innovations on Central Avenue in Sarasota. She loved the fact that someday Dylan could return to visit Bella and either fish the reef or perhaps scuba dive and view the memorial, under about 40 feet of water. “I feel it’s an honor to have this whole experience,” TenHagen said. She learned about the Pet Reefs from Paw Prints Crematory, which works in partnership with Gateway Services, a national company that offers cremation and memorial services for pets, as well as grief support for their owners. The memorial reef ball for Bella was one of 25 deployed at the M2 reef site recently as part of a day of remembrance and celebration of the departed pets. Todd Barber, chairman of the Reef Ball Foundation, said that by the time loved ones – both people and pets – are placed in an undersea memorial garden, the grieving process has usually passed. “This is usually when people are ready to celebrate,” said Barber, who recently deployed a reef ball for Timmy, his departed teacup poodle. “You don’t have to do it at time of death,” Barber continued, admitting that Timmy’s funeral was a sad affair. “You can do it after you’ve had time to grieve and you’re ready to celebrate life – whether it be a person or a pet. “Now this is the time to say, ‘Remember the cool pictures we had of him and when he used to travel with us.’” There’s more on this story here: Underwater Memorial