Letter to Sarasota Commission - with stylish celebratory hat

Dear County Commissioners,

You will be relieved to know I am unable to make it today's county commission meeting to participate in public comments relating to Randy Benderson's proposed truck stop / distribution center. However, it is with great disdain to even take the time to write you, as I know this is falling on ears stuffed with Benderson dollar bills.

Your rapid destruction of the 2050 plan the people of Sarasota worked so hard on is admirable; I mean, talk about fast ambitious execution! It is apparent there isn't a single one of you in the bunch when it comes to understanding the damage you five (and past commissioners) have navigated for Mr. Benderson.  

And so now you give us this. Another farce of a community public comments commission meeting when we all know this deal was done a long time ago. It will be amusing to watch you all ask questions as if you "don't know" the answers and perhaps you will even shelf this Benderson request for a few months and bring it back renamed "Project Asphalt" to confuse the public like you did with a past agenda item titled "Project Mango." You are all really, really awful actors. It is difficult to watch you fumble and fudge your questions steering the subject so it lands pat where Randy wants it to.  

The fact that you all seem hell bent on screwing up any small increments of land, especially within proximity of the world famous birding Celery Fields goes to show you all think that the nature around here is infinite and will never run out or be soured by all the asphalt and rearranging approved by you.  People come here not just for the big box Benderson mall, people actually come here for the nature too.  

Whatever, the deal is done. I'm certain of it.

I can only hope that when this truck stop gets the green light that the wee people of Sarasota will all receive stylish trucker caps with Bendersonville embroidered on it. It's the least you can do for us plebes.

With the utmost respect,

Adrien Lucas

"This petition disrespects and disregards the original vision" - John Krotec

Is Sarasota County Hallucinating?

How did Sarasota County's plan for Fruitville go from this . . . 

to this?

The Bendersonville Initiative

The Detail
Cathy Antunes

The Fruitville Initiative began when Sarasota County approached five landowners about working together to plan high value, walkable development at the Fruitiville-Interstate-75 interchange. Rather than standard big box retail, gas stations, fast food or strip malls, the County wanted to coordinate development of the 42 acres of public land next to Fruitville Library with 300 adjacent acres owned by private landowners. The private landowners agreed. Public workshops attracted hundreds of residents. The collaboration produced a beautiful, walkable residential and commercial mixed-use development plan that harmonizes with Audubon’s Celery Fields bird sanctuary. The County paid a national expert $500,000 to put the plan on paper, and passed the Fruitville Initiative in 2010. Today, the County has reneged on the plan, selling the public’s 42 acres to Benderson Development for a bargain-basement price. On October 28th, this Wednesday afternoon, Benderson’s plan to build a trucking distribution center will be presented for a vote to the Sarasota County Commission (to attend and give public input, see details below). The Browardization of Sarasota County (aka Bendersonville) continues. MORE . . .

County Commission will decide whether to adopt the new Bendersonville Trucking Center on Wednesday afternoon:

Sarasota County Commission meeting, Wednesday October 28th, 1660 Ringling Blvd.  Commission Chamber, Sarasota, FL.  

Here's the Agenda

The site plan presentation, public input, Commission discussion and vote will occur in the afternoon (item 10), sometime after 1:30pm (exact time depends on how quickly the Commission will move through other agenda items – see agenda link below).  Because it is a public hearing, citizens who sign up to give input at the meeting will each have 5 minutes to speak.