Board Update

Dear SEERD friends and supporters,

Thank you all for your support, time, and hard work urging our elected Commissioners to protect our neighborhoods from unwanted development. Despite our efforts, yesterday the Sarasota County Commission unanimously voted to approve the special exception for The Classical Academy, which will place over 1300 students and an athletic field at the 8000 Bee Ridge Road site.

The Commission ignored critical flaws in the traffic study. They also failed to consider noise impacts and how the school’s size and layout are incompatible with the neighborhood. After the public hearing was closed, they added an ill-conceived and unstudied stipulation to add a roundabout or signal, without any study of the potential impacts, or feasibility of who will pay for it and when. The law requires the Commission to consider these neighborhood impacts in their decision-making and they did not do so.

SEERD is dedicated to protecting our safety, welfare, and comfort, and will be appealing the County’s decision to the Circuit Court within the next few weeks. If you live close to the site and are interested in being a named plaintiff, please contact us as soon as possible.

We also need your financial support to mount this legal effort. Now is the time to consider how much you really help us. We are grateful for each of you who has signed our petition, but only 10% of you who have signed have donated to our cause.

10%.

We can do better.

With gratitude and respect,

Roger Zacks