The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

On Thurs. April 3, a request to rezone a portion of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce from PCD to CN will be heard by the Planning Commission. See here for details . Below are descriptions of what is permitted under each designation. Are there any uses we as nearby residents would prefer not to see across from our front entrance? Have a look, let us know . =========== PCD vs. CN by level of permission (Sarasota Cty Code Appendix 5) Info taken from the Municode for Sarasota County 4.7. - Commercial and Industrial District Intent Statements. 4.7.1. Commercial Neighborhood District (CN). a. The CN District permits small-scale, neighborhood-oriented commercial facilities. Their proper development and use shall be facilitated through design techniques and sufficient buffering (as set out in Article 7 ), which provide for walkable, pedestrian-friendly uses compatible with nearby residential uses. The district is not intended for use by major or large-scale commercial...

The map of participating homes (now close to 50) is here .

Here's a list of places to enjoy around our area and farther afield, but all in Florida. If you have any to add that aren't here, or discover something needing updating, drop us a note or leave a comment - thanks. MANATEE Anna Maria Island Historical Museum: 402 Pine Ave., Anna Maria Learn about its rich history, complete with settlers, characters, the original city jail and tour the cottage that sat on the CIty Pier and fell into the Bay. Summer hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday May 1-October 31. Admission is free. Information: 941-778-0492. earn about its rich history; complete with settlers, characters, the original city jail and tour the cottage that sat on the City Pier and fell into the Bay Open Tuesday- Saturday 10-4:00 pm November-May 10-1:00 pm June-October Braden Castle Village: One Office Drive, 27th Street East and Manatee Avenue, Bradenton The castle was once the heart of a rambling sugar plantation built by Joseph Addison Braden and h...

The Planning Commission will review TerraCap and Peter Dailey's request to rezone the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce from PCD to CN, and to create a right-in/right-out turn on Bee Ridge so cars heading West can enter 460 feet East of the Mauna Loa intersection.

The Lake Sarasota Community Group meeting of 3.13.14 took place at Sarasota Alliance Church. Here's a brief summary: 1. Tax Attorney Mary King presented some tips on what to do if you're audited by the IRS, and gave out a copy of each of her books: Resolve IRS Problems , and Protect and Defend . 2. The Board will ask the Treasurer to renew the LSCG's 501(c)3 status and its CONA membership. The Group also noted that the Treasury is running low and some means of replenishing it need to be found. This will be an agenda item for the next meeting, set for June 12th. 3. The Garage Sale is set for March 29th . So far some 35 homes are on the Neighborhood Garage Sale Map . Sandy has asked for volunteer to help distribute the maps on the day of the sale. To get on the map, or to help hand them out anytime between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., contact her at Sarasotadreams@gmail.com. 4.  A letter to the County Commission expressing a desire that the County proceed cautiously wit...

The Lake Sarasota Community Group holds its quarterly meeting Thursday March 13, at 7 p.m. at Sarasota Alliance Church. The meeting rooms are in the office space behind the Church. The agenda: 1. Speaker: Tax Attorney Mary King 2. Treasury (Ellie) 3. a - Update: Bee Ridge Rd.     b - Update: Entrance Sign     c -  Spine Road  Action Item: Letter to County Commission (Tom) 4.  Garage Sale . (Sandy) 5. Sheriff's Report (Ted) 6. Other business Spine Road and N/S Corridor

Welcome to Sarasota County's community e-newsletter. If you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, contact us at  communityconnections@scgov. net.     Sarasota County Domestic Partnership Registry becomes effective TODAY:   Sarasota County's Domestic Partnership Registry  will begin accepting registrations Thursday, March 13. Spring Arts and Crafts Show returns SATURDAY :  Sarasota County Parks and Recreation will host the annual Spring Arts and Crafts Show  Saturday, March 15, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. , at the Englewood Sports Complex. Standard and Poor's upgrades Sarasota County bond rating Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has raised its long-term rating on Sarasota County's limited ad valorem tax bonds from "BBB+" to "A-."   The Great American Cleanup needs you Join forces with friends and neighbors for the 2014 Great American Cleanup,  8 a.m.-noon, Saturday, March 22 , at sit...

Welcome to Sarasota County's community e-newsletter. If you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, contact us at  communityconnections@scgov. net.     Finally! It's time to spring forward, change smoke alarm and weather batteries SUNDAY :  Daylight Saving Time begins  Sunday, March 9 , which is a great time to check batteries in smoke alarms and weather radios. Construction underway at Health Department crosswalk downtown To enhance the safety of clients, employees  and others who visit the William L. Little Health and Human Services Center, (Sarasota County Health Department), construction has begun on a pedestrian crosswalk and ADA access ramp at the School Avenue entrance to the building. 'Tooth Fairy' dental assistants recognized  A dental assistant who dresses up as "The Tooth Fairy" can make a child's first experience of going to the dentist a positive one - even for parents. In rec...

A future road alignment plan coming up before the County Commission on March 18th could have major repercussions on Lake Sarasota. Basically, county planners wish to justify the eventual creation of a north/south artery that would connect Mauna Loa Blvd. with Fruitville Rd. via a road that right now only exists on future maps, called Spine Rd. The planners' reasoning and details are in a Board Memo available via this link.   Spine Rd. will be the subject of discussion at the Board of County Commissioners sometime during the afternoon session on March 18th. The session begins at 1:30, but will have other items. Public input will be possible. Here is the basic scenario as we understand it: The developers of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce (TerraCap BR and agent Peter M. Dailey and Richard Fischer) wish to remove Spine Rd. from the future plans, presumably because it will save them money to do so.  The planners wish to retain Spine Rd . because they s...

This recent letter to the editor of the local paper is circulating widely. It states a position with regard to development East of I-75 clearly. Not all might agree with Mr. Kaercher (not a person known to us by any personal or other relation), but his words at least serve as a starting point for a serious discussion of the 2050 plan. The plan is complex and not easily decidable in any absolute way. It raises a host of issues. What do you think? Growth mismanagement After three years as a permanent Venice resident I finally get it. I was naive enough to believe I'd actually found a small-town, old-Florida, relatively crime-free place to live out my golden years. I've come to understand that I was horribly wrong.It is now obvious to me that the "movers and shakers" (politicians and those who pay for their elections) who control Sarasota County and, to a degree, Venice, equate more houses, more strip malls, more traffic congestion, and more people with "progre...