The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

County data center move to temporarily interrupt online services A number of online services provided by Sarasota County will be temporarily unavailable beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, and lasting through Sunday, Feb. 27, while they are relocated to the county's new data center at 5875 Bahia Vista Road. ( MORE ) Beach water advisories in effect for Venice, Turtle beaches Water quality at Venice Public Beach and Turtle Beach does not meet current health standards for recreational waters, according to the Sarasota County Health Department, which monitors water quality weekly at 16 sites along Sarasota County's 34 miles of beaches. ( MORE ) Englewood community cleanup scheduled for Saturday It's time to clean out the garage and gather up yard waste, tree trimmings and discarded household items. Sarasota County will hold its annual free community cleanup in the Englewood area from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26. ( MORE ) 2011 Sarasota Invitational Regatta hosting...

County offices closed for Presidents Day holiday Most Sarasota County government offices will be closed Monday, Feb. 21, to observe the national holiday that celebrates Presidents Day. All Sarasota County libraries will be closed. ( MORE ) 2011 Sarasota Invitational Regatta to host charity event When competitive rowers take to the waters of Nathan Benderson Park, 2500 Honore Ave., Sarasota, for the 2011 Sarasota Invitational Regatta on Feb. 26-27, they will be competing for more than trophies. Rowers from the U.S. National Team, Olympians and future Olympians will participate in the charity portion of the two-day event to raise money for an adaptive rowing program designed to introduce individuals with physical and/or mental challenges to the sport. ( MORE ) Sarasota County named a Tree City USA for 20th year Known for its reputation of protecting the natural environment, Sarasota County again has earned the designation as a Tree City USA for 2010, the 20th consecutive year it qual...

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a prevalent telephone scam that has claimed another victim this week. Click here for more information on how an 85-year-old Sarasota woman was victimized by a con artist pretending to have information about an injury to her grandson.

Come out to the Spring into Outdoors Snook Haven Fest on Saturday, March 12th and you'll not only have fun, but you could win a fantastic prize: A $1,800 Hobie Pedal Kayak : Or, a $700 64 Gig iPad: Or, a $400 DJB Charters Fishing Boat Cruise . Lots more prizes will be raffled or sold at auction, plus games for kids, a Cornhole tournament, food, music by the Gumbo Boogie Band , all happening at Snook Haven on the idyllic Myakka River. These are limited raffles. There are only 300 tickets in the whole world for this kayak, and only 250 each for the iPad and the Charter Boat, so chances of winning are VERY GOOD! Tickets will be on sale at the event, if any are left. Or, you can get them NOW at any of Evie's locations. Note: This is a Friends of Sarasota County Parks ( FOSCP ) event -- that's to say, it's a fundraiser that benefits all the public parks of Sarasota County. FOSCP is a 501(c)3, and donations are fully tax-deductible. *** Click for more about fun to be had ...

According to the Sheriff's Office, there were 8 reports of vandalism in January, 4 burglaries, 3 thefts and one juvenile disturbance in Lake Sarasota. Ted Cover, who gets these numbers from the SO, noted that there were a couple of additional actions, including a brick being thrown through a bedroom window in the 4100 block of Tonga Drive, which were published in the Sarasota Observer. The paper states that the Sheriff was called to investigate, but these incidents did not appear in the monthly report. It's unclear why that would be. The most popular street for crime was Friendship; the most popular day was Sunday (4 incidents), the next was Monday (3). Anyone up for Citizen Patrol? Please contact Ted: at TCover6161@aol.com or 379-0758. Update from a regular Lakeview Park user: I see the "reported" crimes listed on the Lake Sarasota page but don't recall seeing any of the frequent vandalism in the park mentioned. There are many people that enjoy the park and hat...

Some news about the upcoming "semester" of Civics 101 -- now's a good time to let people know who might be interested, it's filling fast: Seats still open for Civics 101 Seats still open for Civics 101 Sarasota County government’s popular Civics 101 program still has a few seats open for the session beginning March 10. Civics 101 is a 10-week program that introduces people to the operations and services of Sarasota County government. Each week, staffs from different county departments guide participants through a particular area, exposing them to the inner workings of county government. The classes give students a better understanding of how county government works, and allows them to build relationships with county staff. Sessions are offered at no charge in the spring and fall each year to Sarasota County residents and anyone working in Sarasota County. Twenty-five people are selected each term on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications are available here. T...

Free emergency alert notification system available for property owners Sarasota County Utilities is encouraging all property owners and occupants to submit their contact information into the CodeRED emergency alert notification system online at this site, keyword search CodeRED. Registering your contact information with the CodeRED system is free, and Sarasota County does not share the information with any private third party vendors. CodeRED uses the Sarasota County 911 system to issue an automated phone call to alert registered property owners and occupants in the event of an incident that could impact their daily activities. “The CodeRED reverse 911 system is the fastest way to let people know about incidents such as water main breaks, boil water notifications, sudden major road detours or evacuation alerts,” said Paula Parson Grubb, Sarasota County Utilities. “By registering your contact information, you are ensuring that you and your family will be notified of events that could im...

The Sarasota County Commission has cut impact fees in half on building permits issued before Feb. 1, 2013. The vote was 4-1, with Commissioner Jon Thaxton dissenting. The effect on the Bee Ridge Corridor Improvements is yet to be determined. The work on the Low Impact Road Plan was set to begin in 2014. Full story here

The Sarasota County Commission will consider cutting impact fees collected from builders and developers in the belief that this could stimulate new development. The Commission will meet at Venice City Hall on Wed., Jan. 26 at 1:30 p.m. to hold a public hearing on the issue. The Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee is concerned that a sharp reduction in impact fees could force a significant delay in the Bee Ridge Corridor improvement plan . The county is considering nearly a 50% reduction in the fe es. Members of the Committee plan to attend the hearing to voice their concerns, and urge anyone interested in seeing Bee Ridge Road East of I-75 become a wider, safer, more beautiful artery to consider attending or writing to the commissioners . Venice City Hall is at 401 Venice Ave.: View Larger Map The Commissioners ' email addresses are below. Contact Commissioner Carolyn Mason cmason @scgov.net Contact Commissioner Joe Barbetta jbarbett@scgov.net Contact Commissioner Christine Robin...

As always, Ted obtained the monthly Sheriff's report and analyzed the data for us. Since we did not have a monthly meeting where this information would be presented, it's posted below. The next scheduled meeting is Thursday, March 10. The indication that the incidence of burglaries was up for the month (10 reported thefts) is consisted with the Sheriff's report on crime countywide. As always, volunteers are needed for Citizen's Patrol. Contact Ted at 941 379-0758. === Here is the Sheriff's Dept. report for December, 2010. We had a sharp increase in incidents over November. It may have something to do with the Christmas Holidays (school vacations, presents left in cars, etc.). Here is the data: Total number of incidents: 16 Vandalism: 4 Burglary: 2 Theft: 10 Juvenile Disturbances: 0 By times reported: Vandalism: 12 Noon -- 12 Midnight Burglaries: 11:30 a.m. -- 3:00 p.m. Thefts: 6:30 a.m. -- 2:30 p.m. ...

Regional Collaboration Initiative Announced The DEAL, a major regional collaboration initiative was announced today by three of Southwest Florida's biggest players: Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc. (SMR), developer of the award-wining master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch; State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota; Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, Florida's largest community foundation . ( MORE ) Public Notice: Neighborhood Stabilization Program 3 The city of Sarasota's and Sarasota County's Neighborhood Stabilization Program 3 (NSP3) applications have been posted for public review and comment. ( MORE ) Smile and say cheese for libraries' 'Snapshot Day' Sarasota County libraries will participate in "Snapshot: A Day in the Life of Florida Libraries" on Tuesday, Jan. 25. The statewide project will illustrate the importance of libraries for Florida's citizens through collection of statistics, stories and photographs, and also how much...

Government sets schedule for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Most Sarasota County government offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 17, in observance of the national holiday that celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ( MORE ) Sarasota County gets 'AAA' general obligation rating from Standard & Poor's Standard & Poor's Rating Services for the first time has given Sarasota County's general obligation debt a rating of "AAA." Only 66 other counties in the country have achieved S&P's highest rating. ( MORE ) Free community association leadership conference Sarasota County Neighborhood Services invites residents to attend a free community association leadership conference scheduled 8:30 a. m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota, 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. The county will have an information table at the event and is partnering with Becker & Poliakoff, which is hosting the conference. The forum...