The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

Aerial of Bee Ridge Rd from Cattlemen Rd to Mauna Loa Blvd. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, District One staff of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will hold a public workshop regarding design improvements to Interstate 75 from south of Bee Ridge Road to south of Fruitville Road in Sarasota County, the department has announced. The session has been scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. at the offices of the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee, located at 2320 Cattlemen Road in Sarasota, a news release says. FDOT will give interested persons the opportunity to view the proposed design, review displays, talk one-on-one with staff and make comments about the project, the release adds. The 3.8-mile project will include reconstruction of the I-75 interchange at Bee Ridge Road from the existing diamond configuration to a hybrid diverging diamond interchange and southbound diversion ramp, the release says. The department also will transform the intersection of Bee Ridge Road ...

The 2050 Plan provides a vision of how, when, where, and who will pay for the development of East Sarasota County. Large tracts of land will be developed according to the rules set by the 2050 Plan. If you wish to have some understanding of 2050 (that is the date to which the County is attempting to plan for), or if you wish to provide your input to County staff and officials, some upcoming events offer an opportunity. The following public meetings have been scheduled in the ongoing effort to review Sarasota 2050 RMA Policy and implementation regulations. All interested parties are encouraged to attend in order to learn more about proposed changes and provide input. June 18, 2014  – 2050 Phase 3 Information 6 p.m. Public Meeting Robert L. Anderson Administration Center Commission Chamber 4000 South Tamiami Trail, Venice, FL 34293 June 26, 2014  – 2050 Phase 3 Information 6 p.m. Public Meeting Sarasota County Administration Center Commission Ch...

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...