The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

It's official: Sarasota County staff has learned that the Bee Ridge Improvement Project has been selected for the Florida Association of County Engineers and Road Superintendents (FACERS) Award for  2017 Team Project of the Year . Projects from all over the State were considered. Bee Ridge won first place in the competition. The criteria used to evaluate the project were Engineering design, Environmental safeguards, Landscaping, Overall appearance, and Community involvement. The Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee worked with County for more than a decade to bring this project to fruition. Led by Joe O'Hara of Laurel Oaks, the Committee formed a working relationship with a terrific set of road engineers and project managers led by Robert Fakhri.  A hearty congratulations to all. Bee Ridge Groundbreaking July 2014 More images from the groundbreaking here.

Landscaping Bee Ridge proceed from West to East trees overhanging right of way will be trimmed back. Roundabout pattern in effect at Bent Tree, but still under construction. Iona reduced to one lane.

New traffic patterns at Mauna Loa and Gary Player - crews work to complete south lanes both east and west of Mauna Loa. Take special note of signs guiding to proper lanes.

Bee Ridge roadwork update for Thanksgiving week:

Full Tent Joe O'Hara and Commissioner Charles Hines (seated) Dignitaries and Citizens Dig In Laughter, speeches and cookies made today's groundbreaking for the widening of Bee Ridge Road an enjoyable moment. The road project, which is expected to take two years to complete, will transform Bee Ridge Road East of I-75 into a gateway to the East.  The road will be widened to four lanes up to Laurel Oaks/Bent Tree. It will have a planted median, bio-swales, sidewalks, bike paths, four roundabouts and buffering -- some 12,000 trees, bushes and plants will be put in with drip irrigation. The project began with a proposal that came from the communities of Bee Ridge Road. Joe O'Hara initially approached Sarasota county officials in 2002, and formed the Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee to work with the County to work on every aspect of the project to make sure that in the end -- after the dust settles -- it will add beauty, value to the communities alon...

The Groundbreaking Ceremony is set for Friday, July 11, at 10 a.m. at the Firehouse grounds on Bee Ridge and Tora. Look for the large tent - there will be refreshments, and brief remarks from County Commissioners. The hope is that residents of Bee Ridge neighborhoods will come out and show their support for the project. If the County understands that the road is important to residents, it might be more likely to consider modifications. For an update on the timing, costs, and design of Bee Ridge Road, and details of the four roundabouts,  click here. While the full time line for the project is 600 days (Summer 2016), the expectation is for most of the work to be substantially completed within 300 days of commencement. Note that the work schedule is approved for roadwork from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 6 days a week. One lane of Bee Ridge will always be open for cars to get through. More details here .

Come out to the Fire Station #8 to celebrate the start of the widening of Bee Ridge Road,  the single most significant transformation of the area in decades. The Groundbreaking is at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 11.  Learn about how the roadwork will proceed, and find out how it will look when done. Plenty of parking available around the Firehouse. Free refreshments!

Status report on Bee Ridge Road project An update on several aspects of the Bee Ridge Road Project from the Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee: This article is being written on 1/11/2014 and only reflects information available at that time. Current work Projects Recently, “Start work 1/8/2014” signs went up on Bee Ridge. Those signs have nothing to do with the Bee Ridge widening project. They are related to the FDOT work that has now begun at the I-75 interchange. That project calls for repaving under I-75 and the addition of a sidewalk on the South side of Bee Ridge from the beginning of the State responsibility to Cattleman road. The side walk will connect to side walk being placed by the County under the Bee Ridge project. The FDOT project is scheduled for 120 days, dependent on weather. The sidewalk was not on the FDOT schedule until after 2108, but due to the efforts of the Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee, the work is being done now. Verizon is placing conduit on the S...

One of Sarasota County's project managers for the Bee Ridge Road widening provided some updates on that project at Friday's meeting of the Bee Ridge Neighborhood Committee. State to put in Sidewalk  In a surprise move, the state plans to build a sidewalk on the South side of Bee Ridge from Cattlemen to where the state's portion of Bee Ridge ends -- near the exit ramp from I-75. This project was moved up -- originally it was not expected to happen before 2018, but with this funding, it might be completed before the end of this year. This is great news for those who have had to walk along the roadway, or in the weeds, to get to businesses West of the highway. State's portion of Bee Ridge begins at the dark area marked with the yellow pointer. When the County completes its widening of Bee Ridge, a sidewalk will run along the south side, connecting with the state's sidewalk and providing a continuous walkway from Cattlemen out to the Bee Ridge extension. Ther...

A video of the recent Neighborhood Workshop for TerraCap's proposed rezoning of 7.7 acres of the Bee Ridge Park of Commerce, directly across from Lake Sarasota's front entrance.   The video is posted to Youtube . Here are a few brief highlights from the meeting.

Several Lake Sarasota residents met with county road managers and zoning and real estate specialists Tuesday to discuss the design, placement, costs, and maintenance of new Mauna Loa entrance signs. The meeting was preliminary. In outline, Lake Sarasota folks indicated that the community would be agreeable to the removal of old walls and signage at Westminster and possibly at Wake (the wall there is apparently on a private easement), if some signage can be placed either at the Aberdeen Roundabout, or at the eastern end of Lake Sarasota to inform drivers coming from the East that they within the precincts of the Lake Sarasota community. Those present from the County agreed in principal to pay for a monument-style sign at Mauna Loa and Bee Ridge Road, so long as Lake Sarasota assumes responsibility for maintenance of it, and to explore what kind of signage might be suitable, and where, for those approaching from the East. Details all remain to be worked out as the planning for the ...