The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

From Teresa Mast, with Sarasota County: I am in the process of trying to locate Neighborhoods throughout Sarasota County who would be willing to bake cookies for National Night Out . I have attached a flyer to help explain what,when,where, how, all that good stuff. We will be serving a FREE dinner for all that attend and we like to be able to hand out either a cookie or a brownie (something individually bagged) as people come through the food line. Please post this on your website and ask people to please contact me if they would be willing to make a dozen or more cookies for the event . I am also wondering if Lake Sarasota would be interested in having a table or 1/2 of a table, we are encouraging all neighborhoods to get involved and it's a GREAT networking opportunity to promote all of the good things that you are doing and learn from others at the same time. Please let me know what your thoughts are. If anyone wants to participate - and especially if you can help coordina...

It’s time for the... NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AGAINST CRIME! Last year this special Sarasota event brought out over 1,300 residents. It's to raise awareness about crime and explore how we can work together as a community to combat it. When: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 Time: 6:00--9:00 PM Where: Payne Park/Payne Auditorium - at 2100 E. Laurel Street, located in Downtown Sarasota, south of Ringling Blvd between S Washington Blvd (US 301) & S School Ave. For more information, please call: 941-861-5000 or 941--954-2612 A FREE & FUN FAMILY EVENT DONATIONS BEING ACCEPTED: Non-Perishable Foods (All Faiths Food Bank) & Pet Food/Supplies (Sarasota County Humane Society) FREE FOOD FREE ENTERTAINMENT ACTIVITIES KIDS RAFFLE ITEMS FREE HELMETS

From Scott Montgomery of Sarasota Emergency Services: Good morning: I wanted to take some time to share with you a new program that Emergency Services has created called the "All Hazard Neighborhood Preparedness Program". The goal of the All Hazard Neighborhood Preparedness Program is to build partnerships with neighborhoods and Emergency Services, by providing opportunities for the neighborhood to take ownership of the safety of their immediate community, while the County provides information, guidance and education programs. The program provides specific criteria with step by step instructions for neighborhoods to take action on the following safety-related programs offered by Emergency Services: *Proper Use of 9-1-1 *CPR/AED training *Swimming Pool Safety *Homeowner Safety *Neighborhood Disaster Planning *Neighborhood Fire Hydrant/Road Accessibility Upon completion of the program criterion, the neighborhood will be recognized by Emergency Services as All Hazard Neighbo...

Attorneys advise clients to stay in their homes SARASOTA COUNTY - Phil Agnes and other lawyers have two words for homeowners facing foreclosure: Stay put. The flood of foreclosures has clogged the courts, allowing homeowners to stay in their homes while the paperwork goes through the system. Many homeowners are unaware that they can remain at home for months while the foreclosure is in court, attorneys say. More... HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS An expo at Venice Community Center on Aug. 1 will bring social service providers together to help homeowners facing foreclosure. The expo will offer information on consumer credit counseling and avoiding scams. Representatives of lenders will also provide information about loan modification options. The expo will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 326 S. Nokomis Ave. It is organized by the Sarasota County Human Services Department.

To report a mosquito problem, request mosquito fish, report special outdoor events or request information call 861-5000. This message and a zone map can be found at http://www.scgov.net/ MosquitoManagement/default.asp - a permanent link to Mosquito Management is on the sidebar --> Laurie Tarleton Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services Program Specialist Outreach 941-861-9741 ltarleton@scgov.net Thanks to Tisha for the info.

A tweet from Sarasota Emergency Operations: scgovEOC Sarasota County Residents: Do you know your hurricane evacuation zone? If not find out here: http://maps.scgov.net/evacinfo/evacinfo.aspx

Citizens Patrol: - Sheriff's crime report not in yet (they use snailmail - Ted will see about email) - prime crime days have been late in the week - this might change during the summer, but we won't know until we see stats. - Keep your vehicle in the garage if at all possible - thieves are breaking into parked cars to steal vin numbers and to get garage door openers to gain access to homes. - A child's electric scooter was stolen from a garage. Community Clean-Up will be Sat. July 25th, from 8 am to 3 pm - with dumpsters at the Fire House (and possibly at the dog park). LSCG may have a "presence" there - we need to get community input on how to spend the balance of our neighborhood grant, among other things. Mauna Loa Entrance : The flag pole will probably be moved this week by the developer (HealthSouth) - it will be in the second median. Another sign may be moved by residents. Business Directory : LSCG commends Sandy Allen for her fine job with the directory, w...

The community group meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the usual Sarasota Baptist location. Some likely agenda items: Mauna Loa Entrance - flagpole, plantings Upcoming events - July Clean-up, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. Lakeview Park - pump. A member of the Sheriff's Office may be present. Yard of the Month, Citizens Patrol, Treasurer's report.

This year, the 13th Annual Florida Neighborhood Conference will be held at the Bayfront in St. Pete. Some of the most innovative and dedicated community activists and organizers will be there. Here's a quick run-down of events, and you'll find more detailed info about the workshops -- they're about everything from housing to traffic calming to making neighborhoods more livable -- here . Want a ride? Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Sarasota County, Manatee County, the City of Sarasota, and SCOPE, free transportation is available with early registration. The Florida Neighborhoods Conference is designed to assist communities in building strong neighborhood foundations by offering workshops, tours, speakers and opportunities for neighborhood advocates from small towns and large cities to network and share information. Workshop tracks include: Housing Innovation, Neighborhood Quality, Livable Community, Creating an Atmosphere of Neighborhood Collaboration, Sustaining Ne...

From the Herald Trib : Public works plans on hold By DOUG SWORD Published: Monday, June 8, 2009 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 10:38 p.m. SARASOTA COUNTY - Even as the county speeds up public works spending to create local jobs, plummeting tax collections have tossed into limbo $107 million in projects once slated to happen in the next five years. Related Links: Tax gap threatens Sarasota County projects | Graphics Among the pushed-back projects are the restoration of Sarasota Bay spoil islands, a number of large drainage facilities, widening Bee Ridge Road east of I-75, a revamping of the county's fairgrounds and the purchase of new buses. more...

Dear Sarasota County Residents: The Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center has added the free social media network, Twitter, to our box of tools to communicate with the media and residents during the 2009 hurricane season. Every day the EOC Twitter page will have updates called “tweets” on news releases, as well as, other messages to help you prepare for emergency situations.   During actual emergency activations information on closings, shelter openings, hurricane track updates, changes in the solid waste collection schedules and other messages pertinent to an emergency activation will be provided. Tweets are limited to 140 characters, so the messages will be succinct, and many times will direct you to a Web page link for more detailed information. To follow the Sarasota County EOC on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/scgoveoc . 

On Monday, June 8th Sarasota County takes another step into digital communication with its first virtual Town Hall Meeting . The subject is the county budget, and the panel, including county officials and local citizens, will be televised and shared on the web. More details about the event, which begins at 6:30 p.m., are here , and a brief public service announcement is here . Besides being televised, the virtual meeting will have open channels to allow citizens to participate in the conversation. One such channel is a new blog, called  Sarasota Community Conversations , that will enable those watching to comment in real time (and later, if you wish) on the conversation.  The blog is a citizen's effort, by and for Sarasotans interested in bringing more voices into key conversations about the most important issues facing the county in this challenging time. At  Sarasota Community Conversations  you'll find links to county resources relevant to the budget, as well some introducto...

Are you ready?

The county will hold a virtual conversation about “Money Matters“ – a public discussion about Sarasota County’s revenues and budget planning for next year. It's on Monday, June 8, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be televised, and you'll be able to join in via the net. More details soon on this, but click here now for a video preview .