Sarasota 7th in new home construction - without accountability

Developers Pat Neal, Rex Jensen and others claim they're just getting started here, when home builders have already clear-cut tens of thousands of acres of habitat, agricultural lands and open space in the last few years alone. 

Skye Ranch townhomes under construction, Clark Road

This Board of County Commissioners serves as a rubber stamp for their efforts, which has released without accountability, many thousands of tons of CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, replaced the function and value of the land, the carbon sink and storm water attenuation properties of the land with impervious surface. 

Research shows the short and long term effects of such irresponsible actions to be: 

• Dramatic increases in the heat island effect. 
• Dramatic increases in toxic pollution in storm water runoff into impacted water bodies and the Gulf of Mexico. 
• Increased destruction of wildlife habitats and wetlands, exacerbating the extinction crisis. 
• Extreme increases in releases of methane and CO2, contributing to the climate change crisis. 

More than 25,000 homes approved in one area of NE Sarasota Cty

 

North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton

• New per 1,000 existing 2021: 36.2
• New per 1,000 existing 2019: 23.6
• Total new units authorized 2021: 15,924
• Total new units authorized 2019: 10,009
• Percentage change in housing units authorized 2019–2021: 59.1%
• Median home price: $471,267

2022 cost to build a house

United States

• New per 1,000 existing 2021: 12.
• Recent FDH: No swim advisory issued for Palma Sola South. 

Sarasota metro ranks seventh in the nation for new home construction

Gayle Reynolds,

Conservation Chair,

M/S Sierra Club

Ed's note: The text of Reynold's message is verbatim. Images were added by the editor.

UPDATE: 9.11: Commission to unveil new district voting maps - SEE MAPS BELOW

Surprise! Surprise!

With slow and no response to public records requests and with minimal public notice, Sarasota County will unveil its proposed new District-level maps next week. All this stems from the Board's decision in April to explore reconsideration of the boundaries of the five county districts, in light of the new Single Member Voting.

Please attend the County Commission meeting Wednesday morning 9 AM:

County Administration Building

County Commission Chambers, 1^st Floor

1660 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota

Why this matters: Cathy Antunes

Show your opposition to this “plan”. An Open to the Public session will 

precede the Redistricting discussion. See you on Wednesday!

 <<<<BREAKING NEWS: Here are the maps Spitzer will present Wednesday:>>>>

Note: Above maps courtesy of Rachel Hackney of the Sarasota News Leader

Wednesday 9.11: 9 a.m. at the County Commission 1660 Ringling Blvd:
Open to the Public

Kurt Spitzer

Kurt Spitzer, redistricting consultant hired by Sarasota County with a no-bid
contract, will review the “alternative” District maps created with private 

input from individual County Commissioners.
How’s that FL Sunshine Law workin’ for ya? 

Board of County Commissioners Agenda: Page 1
1. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – (Three-minute time limit per person.)

How open is it?  From The Sarasota News Leader:

Additionally, county Media Relations Officer Drew Winchester
confirmed with staff that, as of late afternoon on Sept. 4, three of the
commissioners — Charles Hines, Nancy Detert and Christian Ziegler —
have scheduled one-on-one telephone conversations with the consultant
who is handling the redistricting initiative for the county,
Kurt Spitzer of Tallahassee. The Sarasota News Leader

Will this telephone conversations be recorded? Will it be known how long
they lasted, what was discussed?

While the consultant and commissioners huddle over the phone preparing their own maps, the information needed by and promised to the public is being withheld.

Is it ignorance or incompetence?

It isn't ignorance. The commissioners were told during the final open to the public comments on August 27 that the deliverables from Spitzer and Associates (block-level GIS data) were not publicly available.

It might be incompetence. 

County staff says, "The [block level] data was in an Aug. 2 memorandum from Spitzer to the County Commission." 

The memo, however, does not contain the county-wide block needed by the public to produce their own redistricting maps. Instead, it provides info for "key growth blocks by district."  

Despite repeated public records requests from several citizens, as of September 5, the County and Spitzer had provided block-level population data for only:

1. 6% of the population (23,153 out of an estimated 417,000 Sarasota County residents)
2. 1% of the blocks (92 out of about about 7,500 Sarasota County census blocks) 

Finally on Sept. 6, a public records request for block data from The Sarasota News Leader was responded to. According to the county,  the entire block data spreadsheet is now here.

By the deadline [contract deadline July 31] , just one of the deliverables below -- Part (c) -- was delivered -- two days late, on August 2.

Part (b) was provided to the public late on September 6

Spitzer & Associates has not fulfilled their Task 1 contractual obligations, and the county has been laggard in providing the data necessary for the public to prepare alternate maps. (see below)

If it's not incompetence, they know exactly what they're doing -- withholding information to prevent an informed public response to the maps being presented on September 11.

Image of districts formerly used on BCC web page

===

By the deadline, just one of the deliverables below -- (c) -- was provided:

Copies of Task 1 Deliverables from SC PO #193092.. Vendor: KURT SPITZER AND ASSOCIATES INC...Including:  

(a.) GIS - The 2010 and 2018 population estimates in file geodatabase or shapefile format at the 2010 Census Block level of geography. 

(b.) Spreadsheet - Block-level results will be summarized by commission district and exported to Excel format. 

(c.) Report – A narrative report describing the methodology used to update the 2010 Census data. THIS WAS PROVIDED 

(d.) Map - A “heat map” in PDF format showing 2010-2018 growth by block. It will be shaded semi-transparent with imagery as a base. Commission district boundaries will be shown. A table summarizing the population estimates by BCC District will be included on the map showing the following 2018 information:  

 BCC District number Average (mean) population  Actual population Deviation from the mean Percent deviation White population and Percent white population Black population and Percent black population Hispanic population and Percent Hispanic population Other population and Percent other population.

The Celery Fields and Rational Planning

It can take time for the key import of an event to sink in. I can attest to that with regard to last Wednesday's Celery Fields hearing, when, after nearly 10 hours, the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners voted to DENY a plan to build a 16-acre waste processing facility at a central intersection near a bird sanctuary, Preserve, recreation area, school, homes, commerce and business parks.

The vote, 3-2, was close, and the deliberations of the five commissioners were not always easy to hear or follow. But a review of the 8.23.17 meeting (video here) clarified some of the twists and bends in the discussion, and revealed some larger implications.

Clearly the Board did the right thing. It's helpful to look at the reasoning shared by the Board during their deliberations.

Commissioner Charles Hines wrestled with concerns that a giant waste facility would negatively impact both the Celery Fields and the planned Fruitville Initiative, an approved Gateway mixed-use development to border on the northern waters of the Celery Fields. Plans for it show residential apartments with balconies, cafes and restaurants looking out over the bird sanctuary. Would a concrete and yard waste crunching plant go with that pristine, serene landscape?

Commissioner Nancy Detert looked at the potential impact upon property values. The area, with rapid development over the past 20 years, is radically different from what it was in 1992, when the land use map was last updated.

"What I think happened here is that Mr. Gabbert missed the market," Detert said.

Commission Chair Paul Caragiulo spoke of the "19th century" way the county informs people in the community about plans. The county's use of postal mailings to notify neighbors doesn't work when it only reaches 500-750 feet, for one thing. (For another, the Celery Fields are a regional amenity. For another, this involved public lands.)

But Caragiulo acknowledged a more complex, and more tangled, truth about this proposal. The County itself owned this land, and had put it out to bid, and had entered into contract with the waste developer, TST Ventures. The previous Board had voted to surplus the property and post it for sale, then contractually agreed to sell it contingent upon Mr. Gabbert receiving the changes (rezoning, special exception, and critical area plan amendment) he needed to operate his facility.

To deny him these changes meant confronting a troubling question: Why hadn't the County considered this broad spectrum of planning concerns -- proximity of Celery Fields and Fruitville Initiative, damage to property values, road issues in a tight area that seemed unable to be adequately dealt with, potential air pollution, noise, and health and safety concerns -- BEFORE offering the public parcels at Apex and Palmer for sale? All of this, Caragiulo noted, went to the question of public trust:

"We can all do a better job of having people trust what goes on in this building," Caragiulo said.

Both Detert and Caragiulo asked whether the County did Mr. Gabbert a disservice by not addressing all this in advance. The question was raised by both Commissioners Detert and Caragiulo.

As the Sarasota News Leader reported:

At one point, Detert asked Lin Kurant, manager of the county’s Real Estate Services Division, whether it ever occurred to Kurant that, given the growth in popularity of the Celery Fields, that the property should be taken off the surplus list. 

“No,” Kurant replied, because a previous County Commission directed her to put it out for bid.

Now with the benefit of hindsight one might ask: Did Sarasota County practice rational planning in its handling of the public parcels at Apex and Palmer? When County Administrator Thomas Harmer declared their surplus status and the Board agreed to their sale, was there public discussion, were all relevant factors and impacts taken into consideration by Staff, and was the decision to sell justified upon the best information, testimony, research, and understanding available at the time that decision was made?

Clearly, the answer is "No."

But just as clearly, to admit all this, and to vote to deny the proposal at this late moment in a process that began years before, took significant courage. For example, the Board could simply have berated the residents and users of the Celery Fields, and Benderson, the developer behind the Fruitville Initiative, for failing to know that a Land Use of MEC could be contorted totally out of its definition to accommodate a harsh industrial facility.

That was precisely the tactic employed by formerly simultaneous Argus CEO and Commissioner Christine Robinson to beat down the public's commonsense opposition to Mr. Gabbert's prior plan for a Waste Transfer station at Porter and Palmer. That plan, approved by the prior commission with Robinson, could still go forward if Mr. Gabbert so wishes.

This Board didn't go that way. They stepped up, choosing to face the not entirely harmonious music of years of insensitive, arbitrary and illogical planning decisions made in Sarasota County, especially since 2008 when the market collapsed and developers went into panic mode. But that's another story.

This could be a hopeful sign. A signal that the Board is ready to return to the processes and ethos of rational planning. More certainly need to be done -- starting with removing all the public lands at Apex and Palmer from the County's Surplus Lands list, as Commissioner Detert suggested.

For the record, at the 8.23.17 hearing the two votes FOR the waste facility at this location came from Commissioners Michael Moran and Alan Maio:

Commissioner Moran accused the public of not being "fact-based" in emails and phone calls prior to the hearing. He felt the developer's presentation was "fact-based," while upwards of 70 presentations from attorneys, land use experts, a Sarasota City Planner, a Pulmonologist, an Epidemeologist, real estate agents, environmental experts and others who had researched waste facilities and contradicted the developer's unsubstantiated claims apparently did not meet his undisclosed criterion for factuality.

Commissioner Maio seized upon one or perhaps two public accusations of "collusion" to suggest that the public had demonstrated poor manners.





Thanks to courage and uncommon common sense - which is one definition of wisdom - the art and science of rational planning has made the start of a comeback in Sarasota County.

A huge and sincere thanks to all who helped move us in that direction.

The Quad Parcels - courtesy of the Sarasota News Leader

~ Tom Matrullo

Fogartyville Invite from Adrien Lucas - Tues April 18th

Hi Florida Friends,

If you are free this Tuesday, I am co-hosting a potluck at Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, to share information and update everyone about Our Celery Fields and the county battle regarding the sales of surplus lands surrounding the Celery Field.

I'm bringing a giant vat of a white bean salad and a mound of surgar'ree sweet something for dessert. Beverages are available for purchase at Fogartyville. A beverage purchase helps WSLR, so come thirsty!

There will be a short presentation by Luigi Verace, and Tom Matrullo and I will be giving a brief update in relation to the timeline and battle that we are preparing for. Yes, I'm calling it a civic battle, The People vs. The County. We'll end with a Q&A session where hopefully we will be able to answer any questions thrown our way and audience members can share any insight, suggestions or strategies.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1321339744594454

APR18

Going

Preserve The Celery Fields

Tue 6 PM · Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center · Sarasota, FL

Adrien, Vicki and 7 friends

Free Admission - bring a plate

Sarasota County: Listen to the people you allegedly represent

Between 200-250 citizens of no one particular organization came out Saturday Feb. 25 to protest the industrialization of public lands adjacent to clean businesses, new neighborhoods, an elementary school, and a nationally known bird sanctuary.

The Sarasota County Commission is set to approve Restaurant Depot Big Box equipment supply store at a public hearing Wed. March 1 at 9 am. Will they hear us?

Bring your signs to 1660 Ringling Blvd. on Wednesday. Bring some water, and a brief statement or question, such as,

"How many bids on this public property did you receive before accepting this bid from this big box developer?"

More here (Lucas) and here (Matrullo) and here (Antunes).

Letter to the County re: industrializing public property near Celery Fields

Feb. 21, 2017

To: The Sarasota County Board of Commissioners

RE: Rezone petition 16-33, CAP 83-10-SP, Restaurant Depot, Palmer Blvd. & Apex Rd.
Public Hearing, March 1, 2017
From: Thomas Matrullo

I write as a concerned citizen about a matter of significant public interest:

Two proposed industrial rezonings of public properties at the edge of the Celery Fields threaten to degrade valuable public assets. You’ll be hearing from many concerned residents about the negative impacts a big box Restaurant Depot store and a 16-acre recycling plant will have on traffic, air, water, schools, and a valued bird sanctuary. Let me invite you to step back and consider this from another perspective.You have the opportunity to shape and revitalize a gateway area of Sarasota County. With the wrong decision, a potentially wonderful public outcome will be lost forever.

A bit of background is necessary.

Developers have asked you to approve industrializing a total of about 23 acres at the intersection of Apex and Palmer Boulevard. Two promising, sensitive areas lie near these lots -- The Celery Fields just east of Apex, and the adopted Fruitville Initiative Plan north of Palmer:

Map #1: Apex / Palmer intersection lower left quarter

The Celery Fields began as a regional stormwater project -- it cleanses water, protects against major floods, and manages our stormwater runoff before releasing it to Phillippi Creek and  Roberts Bay. Over time, this public property has evolved into a much loved and used park and recreational facility, and a bird sanctuary listed on the Great Florida Birding Trail, in national and international eco-tourism brochures and tours.

The public properties proposed for industrial use at Apex and Palmer are at the edge of the Celery Fields (Map #2). They should be held to a much higher level of public input and vision. And right nearby, you have a regionally significant example of this higher level of vision in the Plan for the public lands that contain the Fruitville Library. Years of effort on the part of the County, property owners and homeowners resulted in the Fruitville Initiative.

Map #2 Palmer and Apex Intersection adjacent to Celery Fields

That plan, adopted by this Board in 2014, represents a community consensus. It provides a successful and proven model for planning publicly owned lands -- one that can be used here. The intersection of Apex and Palmer could meet high-level goals including features that would

• provide high-tech, high-paying jobs in attractive offices
• promote walkable, mixed use features - cafes, a public garden, art studios, galleries
• reduce vehicle trips
• make desirable and truly affordable housing (allowed under MEC) possible.

Such a plan would enhance the potential of the Celery Fields, and the vested Fruitville Plan -- not degrade them.

Now, look at an even bigger picture: You have an opportunity to integrate the Fruitville Initiative, the Celery Fields and the established small business district with Detwiler's, the Packinghouse Cafe, and other commerce just to the west of I-75. Thanks to the Palmer Boulevard underpass (a rare East-West connector), the potential for an attractive, unified community -- varied, viable and walkable -- is already there.

Map #3: Overview from Fruitville Init. (Coburn Rd.) to Packinghouse District

As you see: the central connecting link between the three legs of this prospective community is precisely the public acreage at Apex and Palmer Boulevard. County planners and the Duany planning firm noted this in a study more than ten years ago. They called the intersection “The Quad” (see Item #4). Putting a big box store and recycling plant there would create an obstructive barrier at the center, generating truck traffic and dividing the three key assets: the Fruitville Initiative, Celery Fields and Packinghouse District. Did you bother to ask the people who live and work there before putting the public properties out to bid?

To neglect this chance to shape a well-planned community of substantial historical, natural and economic value would be a new low for Sarasota planning. You’ll devalue the unique adjacent ecosystem, and miss the obvious opportunity to bring together a vibrant community stretching from north of Fruitville Road down to the Packinghouse District. To discard it in favor of accommodating a low-leverage recycling operation and a big box wholesale store would border on an abdication of public policy.

A matter of serious public concern is at stake in your decision. You can help create a vibrant new locale by integrating significant assets in a comprehensive way. You could make Sarasota again renowned for careful yet creative planning. Should you choose to ignore this opportunity, the loss to us all will be incalculable.

One final thought: As the letter from the Sarasota Audubon Society (see item #6 ) makes clear, development in Sarasota is marching eastward. The Celery Fields will become an ever more valued green space as it is surrounded by homes, commerce and industry. Audubon likens it to Central Park in New York City. Think big -- the future will thank you.

Respectfully,

Thomas Matrullo

Lake Sarasota

Citizens for Sarasota County

cc: Media, HOA's, Civic, Business, Political, Environmental organizations

Notes and Images

Item #4: Fruitville Initiative planned at cost of $499,000, adopted 2014
Has the County helped it succeed? See this editorial.

Item #5: Early envisioning of “The Quad”at Apex & Palmer

Duany Plater-Zyberk Co.

=====

Item #6:  Herald-Tribune, Sarasota Audubon Society LTE 2.16.17

Fight Celery Fields project

Sarasota Audubon's mission is public education and conservation of wildlife habitat. We are aware of Sarasota County's plans to sell two parcels on Palmer Boulevard near the Celery Fields. The proposed uses entail a restaurant-supply facility and a construction material/yard waste storage/recycling facility.

The Celery Fields storm-water facility is a major attraction for citizens, outdoor enthusiasts and schools and is a worldwide destination for eco-tourism.

Sarasota Audubon opposes the sale for these reasons:

1. The lots contain enough acreage for a permanent fire station and additional park/recreation/wildlife habitat.

2. Proposed businesses are not compatible with recreation and eco-tourism and will add hundreds of daily auto/truck trips through strained and inadequate neighborhood roads. This increase will have a detrimental impact on the health and safety of wildlife and humans in the area. Also, thousands of tourists coming yearly to explore the Celery Fields stimulate the local economy.

3. As development surrounds the Celery Fields, available green space will become increasingly necessary to preserving this jewel. The Celery Fields is considered by many to be the "Central Park" of Sarasota County and a major economic driver. Jeopardizing this funding would not be a wise use of county resources.

The public should make its voice heard by contacting county commissioners at 941-861-5000 or scgov.net.

Jeanne Dubi, President, and Robert Wright, Conservation Chair, Sarasota Audubon Society

=====

Item #7: Portion of Celery Fields Hill

Grace and the Machine: Sarasota's Candidates

We greatly appreciate the cooperation of the candidates for the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Public Board, and for the Charter Review Board, who took time out of their busy schedules to answer questions from the Citizens for Sarasota County.

Nine of the 11 candidates running for Hospital Board shared thoughtful and detailed responses to six questions that touched on the costs of healthcare, a push for privatizing SMH, the whys and wherefores of hospital expansion, mental health services (and their lack), Medicaid, and more.

Eight of the 11 candidates for the Sarasota County Charter Review Board were equally willing to take time to answer six questions concerning the structure, purpose, and issues facing the Board. 

Before you fill out your November ballot, take a few minutes to hear what these candidates are saying. Their civic efforts, and the Boards whose important missions they wish to be part of, deserve more than lockstep party-line votes.

The Sarasota County Commission race is a different kettle of fish.

Just one seat on the County Commission was not decided by a minority of Republic voters in August -- thanks to the local Sarasota Machine. 

There has not been a non-Republican on the Commission since 1970 - thanks to the Machine. 

Michael Moran didn't show up at a forum held by Cona Sarasota a few months ago. And he likely feels he doesn't have to show up to debate Fredd Atkins for County Commission at CONA Sarasota on Monday evening, because of the Machine.

Mike@VoteForMoran.com

Tell Michael  Moran to either step up and debate his opponent like a real candidate, or step down and concede he doesn't have what it takes to represent all of the people.

On Monday, Oct. 10, the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations will hold a forum for the two candidates campaigning to represent district one on the Sarasota County Commission. Both Fredd Atkins and Mike Moran have been invited to participate. All county voters will be able to vote in the race this November. William Zoller will moderate the forum. The event begins with social time at 6:30 p.m.; the forum will begin at 7. The Council’s meetings take place at the Sarasota Garden Club, 1131 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota.