Latest Updates

In addition to the regularly scheduled Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioner (BCC) meetings, there are several other meetings in Sarasota this month that our Bee Ridge neighbors should be aware of and might consider attending. Two are being organized by likeminded groups concerned about various aspects of overdevelopment taking place on the same day and at almost the same time. Another meeting which takes place a week later, largely in response to resident conc

Getting ready for a new year. Things seem to slow down on the development and local governance front at end of most years, but 2026 with local, state and national elections, an uncertain economy, no job or wage growth and weak consumer confidence suggests many surprises in store requiring continued citizen vigilance and involvement. Traffic and parked cars everywhere. Growing traffic volumes in the Bee Ridge neighborhood and peak hour congestion resulted in a multi-vehicle a

This is our year-end/new-year update focused on growth, governance, infrastructure, and civic engagement in Sarasota County, with a particular emphasis on the Bee Ridge neighborhood. It warns that 2026 will bring heightened challenges due to elections, economic uncertainty, rapid development, and strained public infrastructure, and it repeatedly calls for increased citizen vigilance and involvement. The outline format below may be sufficient for many of our readers. Those in

Bee Ridge Neighbors, we plan to meet on Monday evening at the Fruitville Branch Library Meeting Room to discuss recent developments in and around the Bee Ridge Neighborhood. We will take stock of the impacts we have experienced and consider how best to work with the various stakeholders in order to mitigate the traffic, noise and visual disruptions and protect our properties and lifestyles. We would like to hear from as many of you as possible in person. For those unable to

Greetings SEERD members, Bee Ridge neighbors, and other interested followers. The following message is to announce the start of a minimum annual membership contribution effective January 2026, explain why we are requesting this support from our neighbors, and to invite you to a meeting later this month for all of our SEERD followers. First, allow us to reiterate a few points which may be helpful in understanding where we are, what we have learned and the challenges ahead. 1.

Here is the full text of our SEERD Update for September/October 2025. We apologize for the delay in sending the email notice and hope that you enjoy the update. We have a message coming out next week via email with a preview of some of our plans for the new year and an in-person meeting being scheduled as soon as we can find a convenient venue to share details with our neighbors and answer your questions about what comes next. 1. Noise Complaints Continue. Residents in Be

Here is our update, again in outline form. If you wish to read the entire text, please see the hyperlink button below. We welcome back our part year residents to Sarasota and look forward to reconnecting with those planning to return in the next few months. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to write to us as we continue our efforts to protect and improve our neighborhood and the surrounding county. Traffic, Visual Blight, and Noise from The Classica

We have had some positive feedback from our neighbors since we started using an outline format below for our monthly update. So, we are continuing with the abbreviated version with a link to the full text near the bottom. We value hearing from our contributors as well as others following our website. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact us via the SEERD.org website and we will be glad to respond. The Classical Academy (TCA) Modular Classroom Dispute Sarasot

This month we are going to start using a new format by featuring our monthly update in an outline format below with just the highlights. For those looking for a more traditional read, please click on the full text of our report at the end of the outline. Please let us know if this format is easier to digest since most of our neighbors did not spend years in graduate school mastering the art/science of urban planning and development and have more enjoyable things to do with t

Happy June and welcome to the heat, humidity and early rains that signal the onset of hurricane season. Here are highlights of development related issues impacting the Bee Ridge neighborhood and beyond. Notice of Violation and Order to Correct . Friday June 13th was the deadline provided by Sarasota County Code Enforcement for The Classical Academy (TCA) to comply with its Notice of Violation and Order to Correct requiring that its 30 modular classrooms that had been install

Some promising developments have taken place over the past few weeks, hopefully things that will lead to positive results for the Bee Ridge neighborhood and help us survive the upcoming storm season. Ongoing County Code Compliance Challenge . We have been in direct contact with County Commissioners and key staff about chronic code violations at 8000 Bee Ridge Road (TCA Bee Ridge campus) and the impact on our neighborhood. We reminded the County not only about the Court Order

Just a reminder that the Board of County Commissioners will be holding another in a series of workshops this Wednesday starting at 1:00 at the Commission Chambers in the SARASOTA COUNTY ADMINISTRATION CENTER, 1660 RINGLING BOULEVARD to discuss stormwater preparations for this upcoming Hurricane Season. The workshop is intended for county staff to update and brief the commissioners on preparations, along with further recommended actions for them to consider. There will be an

An atmospheric river will slam Florida and the Southeast with torrential rain. Are we ready for Hurricane Season? Bee Ridge neighbors, if you looked outside yesterday and today you saw the results of an atmospheric river that formed in the Gulf this weekend before slamming into Florida, the Southeast and southern Appalachia. Forecasters warned that severe thunderstorms were possible in the area, and as the storm could fuel more than a half-foot of rain through early next we

March has been a busy month in Sarasota County, made hectic by the many visitors who are enjoying the nice weather, outdoor recreation, and arts that the area is so well-known for. SEERD’s volunteers and our legal advisors have been looking after our interests in the Bee Ridge neighborhood and contributing, where we can, to development and growth management challenges elsewhere across the County. This month's blog includes the following topics: Encouraging the Board of County

One week from today on Monday April 7th from 6:15-7:30 pm we will be holding our Annual General Meeting at the Fruitville Library on Apex Road here in Sarasota. We hope you can join us to share what we accomplished and learned during the past year and what we hope to do to protect our neighborhood and work with the County to better manage growth in the future. Please RSVP to Brenda Stocks at brendastk@yahoo.com so we know how many of our neighbors will be able to join us.

On February 21, 2025, Judge Stephen Walker of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court in Sarasota County ruled in SEERD’s favor and quashed the Sarasota County Commission’s approval of The Classical Academy’s (TCA) modification to its special exception to allow the 30 modular classrooms at its new site at 8000 Bee Ridge Road. The 29-page order found that the County Commission “departed from the essential requirements of law”, and “failed to support its decision with competent subs

Victory in the Courts!   Sarasota East Enders for Responsible Development (SEERD) proudly announces a significant victory in the courts! On February 21, 2025, Judge Stephen Walker of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court in Sarasota County ruled in SEERD’s favor and quashed the Sarasota County Commission’s approval of The Classical Academy’s modification to its special exception to allow the 30 modular classrooms at The Classical Academy site at 8000 Bee Ridge Road. The 29-page

The Sarasota County Board of Supervisors (BCC) held a well attended workshop on January 21st to explore the causes of the Hurricane Debby flooding that impacted the Philippe Creek watershed. Recall that the storm did much damage to to the Bee Ridge neighborhood, specifically to our friends in the Laurel Meadows community. Our colleague Alexandra Coe who has experienced more than her fair share of flooding and ran in the primary for a seat on the County Commission last year to

Bee Ridge Neighbors, as we start a New Year and the end of a tumultuous 2024, here is where we stand, some of what we have accomplished and what we want to prioritize for 2025. We have some reasons to celebrate and hope for the future, but considerable headwinds prevail here in Sarasota. This will require vigilance and more strategic participation on the part of concerned county residents. First, on the 17th of December 2024, in what we believe is an attempt to stop us from e