The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

Greetings! Welcome to the Sarasota County Community Connections e-newsletter. Please share this e-newsletter with family, friends and neighbors. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at communityconnections@scgov.net Holiday office closings   Most Sarasota County government offices and services, including libraries, the History Center and recreation centers, will be closed Sunday, Jan. 1, and Monday, Jan. 2, for the New Year's Day holiday. Here is a  complete list of closings. Band Bash breaks in Selby Library Teen Center Jan. 7   The new center was unveiled during an official ceremony earlier this month. Now it's time to party  with some of the area's hottest teen bands and DJs. How do you roll?    If it's by bike, the Sheriff's Office wants you to know  the rules of the road  in Sarasota County. Free, low-cost health services    Th...

Greetings! Welcome to the Sarasota County Community Connections eNewsletter. Please share this enewsletter with family, friends and neighbors. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at communityconnections@scgov.net Holiday office closings   Most Sarasota County government offices and services, including libraries, the History Center and recreation centers, will be closed Friday, Dec. 23, and Monday, Dec. 26, for the Christmas holiday. Here is a  complete list of those closings,  along with some exceptions. Free, low-cost health services    The Sarasota Health Department will provide  free and low-cost medical services at 15 sites throughout Sarasota County in January. The staff will also be present at two special events. Cut-rate fees for energy class    Learn how to achieve more energy efficiency in your home. Sarasota County is  offering reduced class ...

This message regarding voter registration has been sent to Homeowner Associations to be distributed: KATHY DENT SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS SARASOTA COUNTY, FLORIDA www.SarasotaVotes.com Dec 16, 2011 Media contact: Tel: (941) 861-8606                         Fax: (941 861-8609 Voter registration deadline nears for January 31 PPP SARASOTA, FL – Voters must be registered by January 3, 2012 to be eligible to vote in the January 31, 2012 Presidential Preference Primary, Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent announces. New voter registrations must be postmarked by January 3 or delivered in person to any supervisor of elections office not later than 5 p.m., January 3. Because Florida is a closed primary state, a person can only vote in the primary for the candidates of the party in which the person is registered. This means that voters registered without party affiliation o...

Greetings! Welcome to the Sarasota County Community Connections eNewsletter. Please share this enewsletter with family, friends and neighbors. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at communityconnections@scgov.net Holiday office closings   Most Sarasota County government offices and services, including libraries, the History Center and recreation centers, will be closed Friday, Dec. 23, and Monday, Dec. 26, for the Christmas holiday. Here is a  complete list of those closings , along with some exceptions. Annual kids' calendar    Sarasota County's  annual Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship team (NEST) calendar  has been released. For 2012, students celebrate locally grown and produced food.  Here are photos of all the winners. Cut-rate fees for energy class    Learn how to achieve more energy efficiency in your home. Sarasota County is  offering...

Sheriff's  press release : Scam Warning The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about seasonal door-to-door scams, most recently a scheme where people pose as students involved in a fundraiser. Reported incidents indicate that well-dressed college-age young men are approaching people under the guise of raising money for a school trip. They claim that they attend local universities and that their parents live nearby. The pitch differs, but on some occasions the suspects ask for $118 for a trip to an overseas sports tournament. If the homeowner seems hesitant they reduce the price and offer magazine subscriptions. The suspect will even present an official looking flyer and receipt, but they do not contain valid information. In a separate but similar scam, the perpetrator claims to be a state or county worker doing tree work or other contracting in the area. On at least one occasion, the suspect has distracted the victim, entered their home and lef...

This is a bare bones summary of changes apparent in the plans presented by the county to the community at this evening's Bee Ridge Widening workshop - more detail will be available soon. A second community workshop will take place when plans are further along, possibly Summer/Fall 2012. Because of a greater number of changes along the Lake Sarasota stretch of Bee Ridge Rd., more details will be presented to Lake Sarasota residents, possibly in January. Stay tuned. 1. Overview The road will be four lanes to Bent Tree / Laurel Oak, and two lanes on to Bee Ridge Extension. It will have streetlights, a median, bicycle lanes, bus stops and sidewalks on both the north and south sides. In places where the county succeeds in purchasing homes, there will be a deeper buffer between the roadway and the communities bordering the roadway. 2. Four new Culs de Sac Lake Sarasota roads that connect to Bee Ridge are currently planned to be closed off: Maui Allen Coleridge Chaucer...

Greetings! Welcome to the Sarasota County Community Connections eNewsletter. Please share this enewsletter with family, friends and neighbors. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at communityconnections@scgov.net TODAY Homeowners seminar   A panel of financial experts will be on hand to answer your questions about forcelosure, bankruptcy or credit during a free Hope for Homeowners seminar  Dec. 8 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Selby Library Auditorium, 1331 First St., Sarasota. Local library marks milestone    Fruitville Library is 10 years old. Come celebrate this anniversary  from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, with music, displays and a Mistletoe Market of holiday items. Crab legs skitter for beach run    America's best beach hosts the 35th annual Sandy Claws Beach Run  at 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at the  Siesta Beach pav...