The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

The Home Builders Association (HBA) will conduct a 1-hour FREE seminar for homeowners on  Hurricane Mitigation at the HBA office at 8131 Lakewood Main St., Ste. 207, on June 5th from 4 to 5 PM. This is in conjunction with the Florida grant obtained by FHBA. If you know of a neighbor, friend or  relative that would like to participate, please have them contact the office to register as seating is limited. Russell LeGrande will help me in conducting this class on behalf of the HBA. If you have any questions, please let me know. Alan Anderson Executive Vice President 8131 Lakewood Main Street, Suite 207 Lakewood Ranch, Fl 34202 (941) 907-4133 (941) 907-4134 Fax www.hbamanatee-sarasota.org

Greetings! Welcome to Sarasota County Community Connections. Please share this with family, friends and neighbors. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at communityconnections@scgov.net Gulf Gate Library update TODAY:  Attend an open house meeting about the design, permitting and construction of the  new Gulf Gate Library  this evening, 5-7 p.m. Ask questions about the status of the project and the estimated completion schedule. Deadline nears to name the new south county park FRIDAY:  Sarasota County has extended the deadline for submitting prospective names for a new south county park to Friday, May 25. The Myakka River / U.S. 41 site is located at 9083 S. Tamiami Trail in Venice. Here are criteria and instructions on how to submit a name .   Memorial Day closings Most Sarasota County government offices, libraries, recreation centers and transit services  w...

The usual advice on hurricane preparedness from Sarasota Patch : List of Sarasota Shelters Sarasota County’s Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane describes this weather season as being in neutral having going in between a La Nina and El Nino, which will start about October. When forecasts are given this year, the National Weather Service will talk about hurricanes in terms of category and storm surge to help flood planning. “The category of the storm is determined by the winds associated with that hurricane,” McCrane said. “The storm tide or storm surge is going to be a totally different matter. You may hear that it’s only a Category 2 hurricane but carrying 20 feet of storm surge. That’s a big indicator of what we use of what evacuation zones we need to evacuate.” McCrane stressed having a good disaster kit ready along with some other pre-storm preparations.  “We want them to have enough provisions for at least three days preferably a week,” McCrane said, “but they...

Greetings! Welcome to Sarasota County Community Connections. Please share this with family, friends and neighbors. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at  communityconnections@scgov.net Paddle Palooza repeats SATURDAY:  The  popular boating celebration  is back from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, May 19, with dragon boat, canoe and kayak races. Learn to paddle board, and enjoy great barbecue and music. It all takes place at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.   Time for the kids to go fish!  SATURDAY:  Children 14 and under are invited to the annual Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Spring Fishing Tournament . The event will be held from 8-10 a.m. Saturday, May 19, at Nokomis Beach. Snook Haven concession closes temporarily The  Snook Haven Restaurant in Venice  will close for the summer while Sarasota County performs maintenance and seeks a new co...

Lake Sarasota is at the lowest water level it's been in quite some time.  (Note: the water pumped into the canals has nothing to do with the depletion -- we just need rain.) Rougly 56 years ago, when it was Sunshine Springs and Gardens, the lake looked like this: And here's a view of the canal and resort that was built to attract buyers here in the mid 1950's: The video moves back and forth between Cypress Gardens and Sunshine Springs and Gardens . About 4:01 minutes in, you see our lake, and at about 4:15, the concrete grandstand that still can be seen at the lake, but here it's bright white, as is the sand that rings the lake: If you know anyone with more footage or photos or other recollections of the early days of Lake Sarasota, please get in touch with us at LakeSarasota@gmail.com . Thanks to Winter resident Beany for pointing us to the canal photo and the video.

Gizmodo has some advice about how to post effectively on Craigslist - caution - the language pulls few punches: DO NOT WRITE HEADLINES IN ALL CAPS.  Or I will punch you in the soul. Seriously, do you want to annoy people before you've even had a chance to negotiate? Even if you do want to annoy the world, you should still avoid the caps. Capped headlines are the Internet version of compensating for a small penis with a loud motorcycle; everyone knows what's inside is a disappointment. More here...

The Sarasota County Commission on Tuesday, May 8, awarded contracts totaling nearly $1.8 million for construction of the Bee Ridge Road Force Main Replacement Project and the Pump Station No. 3 Improvement Project.  The Bee Ridge force main will be replaced from Bent Tree Boulevard to Iona Road under terms of the $966,709 contract awarded to General Consulting Services Inc. of Port Charlotte.  The current 18-inch force main along the Bee Ridge corridor has failed three times in six years. An independent laboratory analysis concluded the failures were a result of a manufacturing defect in the pipe. After the last failure in August 2011, the commission authorized staff to expedite the design and construction of this portion of the force main.  The new, 20-inch force main will be located so it does not interfere with the upcoming widening and road improvements of Bee Ridge Road from Mauna Loa Boulevard to Iona Road. Construction is expected to begin in May. Funding...

Greetings! Welcome to Sarasota County Community Connections. Please share this with family, friends and neighbors. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at  communityconnections@scgov.net Memorial for firefighter   FRIDAY:  A memorial service will be held Friday, May 11,  for Firefighter and Paramedic Deborah Schuster,  who served as a member of the Sarasota County Fire Department for 10 years. Got overdue books?   Relax. Sarasota County libraries forgives you. From May 14-19, patrons with overdue items may  return them without penalty  to any Sarasota County library. Items must be returned in person. Fines will not be waived for items returned in book drops or by mail. County awards contracts Sarasota County has awarded  contracts totaling nearly $1.8 million  for construction of the Bee Ridge Road Force Main Replacement Project and  the P...

Greetings! Welcome to Sarasota County Community Connections. Please share this with family, friends and neighbors. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at  communityconnections@scgov.net See how these gardens grow SUNDAY:  Take a self-guided tour through some of the area's most successful and beautiful Florida-friendly gardens.  The Spring Garden Tour  runs from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, May 6, and starts at the Venice Beach pavilion, 101 The Esplanade, Venice.    Cut fire risk from cigarettes Carelessly discarded cigarettes both inside and outside the home can cause a fire that spreads fast. Sarasota County Chief Mike Tobias has some  safety tips to reduce the risk to your family, home and property . Celebrate National Historic Preservation Month SATURDAY:  Join commissioners and your community at Indian Mound Park in Englewood May 5, to...