If you missed reading our last post, please take a moment to read this:

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 substantial evidence”. 

In a nutshell, this means that the court decided that the County Board of Commissioners allowed the classroom trailers to be installed without following its own rules and regulations. In case you missed it, below is the link to Judge Walkers ruling again.

Click To View Judicial Order

What happened next? Since the court order quashing the County Commission's approval, TCA filed a rehearing motion on March 10, 2025. The next day the County Commission voted not to join TCA's rehearing motion and to not pursue a Second District Court appeal of the Order. The case has not been stayed so the Order remains valid. In light of the Order, SEERD filed a complaint on March 12, 2025 pursuant to Section 124-290(b)(1)(2)(3), UDC for development without a permit, development inconsistent with a binding development concept plan, and failure to comply with approved stipulations. The code enforcement complaint requested County staff to immediately issue a notice of violation to enforce its code in light of the court order issued in February, which would prohibit the use of those trailers.

We understand that Code Enforcement has investigated The Classical Academy of Sarasota several times before and TCA has been found in violation and fined.  It is critical that Code Enforcement takes immediate action to investigate and require compliance with the County Code to protect the safety of the students and surrounding neighborhood.

Where do we go from here? Although this is a huge victory for SEERD, taking months of deliberation by the court, it is just one battle in the much larger effort necessary to maintain the protections afforded to us under State and County law, protect our quality of life and ensure safety in our neighborhood.   

We are keenly aware of the trust that you have placed in us to safeguard our community from those who seek to turn it into a parking lot filled with commercial buildings and strip malls, inconsistent with our local protections.  This decision of the court should bring you hope.

18 months ago, in a post asking for your donations, we wrote that although our supporters have donated generously and often, only a small portion of our active readers had provided the resources necessary to bring our cause to the attention of County Code Enforcement and the courts. The same is true today. If ever there was a time for first-time donations, the time would be now. If ever there was a time for previous donors to consider donating again, the time would be now.

What does this mean for our neighbors? We are striving to keep the community safe. The dangerous traffic situation that confronts us each day as we leave and return to our homes was predicted by SEERD long ago and was the basis for our organization. This legal victory validates our continued efforts. We would not be here without your continued generosity. Do not let it be the last. You should know that SEERD is far from finished with this issue to mitigate land use impacts and other issues in Sarasota County which require responsible development to balance economic, social and environmental considerations. In fact, this ruling is a first but important step, which, now makes other actions to protect adjacent properties and the neighborhood as a whole possible. While we are not able to discuss our further actions at this point, know that we will keep you informed as soon as possible. For now, please save the date and plan to join us for SEERDs Annual General Meeting on Monday, April 7 at 6:15 pm at the Fruitville Library, 100 Apex Road, Sarasota.  

What do we need from our neighbors? Please think about the costs involved in further litigation. Attorney’s fees, expert witnesses, and court costs have to be financed by our organization. What we will be able to achieve in the next months will depend wholly on your financial support. We need that support now more than ever. From each and every one of you.

The wheels of justice move slowly, but they are now moving with us in the same direction. We are counting on you to see us through the challenges that we will face together in the near future.

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Thanks for your continuing interest and support to protect our neighborhood.