SEERD Update: November-December 2025-Full Text Version

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.

1. Traffic and parked cars everywhere. Growing traffic volumes in the Bee Ridge neighborhood and peak hour congestion resulted in a multi-vehicle accident with injuries on December 6th at Bee Ridge and Lorraine Roads. We have all observed growing backups at all of the intersections as traffic through the neighborhood as well as trips originating and ending in the neighborhood continue to grow. Most of the planned road improvements that are in the county's capital improvement plan or on the drawing board are literally still years away. Several well-known deficiencies have no solutions that we are aware of being contemplated, but additional growth, traffic and degradation of service is all but certain. SEERD and some of our concerned neighbors are planning to address this scourge with the county to demand answers to problems that they have created and are responsible for addressing. Contact us if you want to be involved and please write to your County Commissioners if you care about these issues as much as we do.

2. Our State-of-the-art Bee Ridge Road Wastewater Treatment Plant. The major upgrade was completed and commissioned last week, improves treated water purity and increases its wastewater processing capacity. Its only one of three such plants in the state, and cost in excess of $200m aided by some low-cost federal loans from EPA made possible because of its positive regional impact. The loans and bonds used to finance this facility will be paid back using sewer and water assessments paid by residents over the life of the revamped facility. Neighbors have complained of the noise and odors coming from the facility, something that the county is aware of and said that they would monitor and mitigate. Most of the pipeline improvements along Lorraine Road carrying wastewater for treatment as well as fresh water to consumers seems to have been completed after literally years of excavation. Work still remains to be done to return sidewalks and bicycle paths to working order and to restore the groundcover and landscaping that was upended during construction or damaged in recent storms. We will report on prospects for improving aesthetics, pedestrian and bicycle access in our next report.

3. HB 657 Homeowners' Association Dissolution and Accountability Act was filed two weeks ago in Tallahassee. For context, last year Florida House Bill 1203 was passed into law and effective July 1, 2024, provided a comprehensive overhaul of many issues affecting homeowners associations (HOAs), including director education, records maintenance, meeting requirements, and fines.

   
   

   The new bill as drafted includes the following additions:

   1. Creation of a Community Association Court Program: This will streamline dispute resolution between homeowners and associations.

   2. New Rights for Homeowners: Homeowners will have the ability to terminate or dissolve their associations under certain conditions.

   3. Stronger Transparency Rules: The bill mandates that HOAs update their governing documents to reflect current laws and practices.

   4. Elimination of Pre-Suit Mediation Requirements: This change is intended to simplify the process for homeowners seeking to resolve disputes. Overall, HB 657 aims to rebalance power between homeowners and HOA boards, providing clearer pathways for accountability and resolution.

      
      

      These changes reflect a broader effort to improve the governance of HOAs in Florida, ensuring that homeowners have a more significant say in the management of their communities while also enhancing accountability and transparency within associations. Homeowners should stay informed about these developments to understand how they may affect their rights and responsibilities.

4. Playing football with the property tax. Tax incidence-who pays, productivity-how much is raised and efficiency-the cost of administration all matter. After a great deal of discussion in Tallahassee, seven different versions of a plan and constitutional proposition are being considered to appear on the ballot in November to address a portion of our affordability crisis here in Florida. The plans under consideration appear to converge around how to provide property tax relief for one group of Floridians who have for years enjoyed Homestead status but still may struggle to pay taxes on their residence. Unless other sources of revenue are found or state and local services are cut back, the burden will shift to other residents and businesses, many who are also under cost-of-living pressures. Regardless which plan makes it on the ballot, as of now the impacts on property values, public finance, adequacy of public services and infrastructure and costs of living are all uncertain. Tune into this discussion, write to your elected representatives and be informed on election day next year to choose wisely.

5. Our virtual county at work. Where is our county operating from after moving from its HQ downtown to its almost completed home on Apex Road? Apparently, they had to vacate the administrative building downtown before the new facility was ready for occupancy. So, workers are being temporarily housed in other facilities while the County Commission and its advisory boards meet in Venice at the Administrative building down there. Hopefully the new facility at the corners of Palmer and Apex will be ready for occupancy shortly and that single lane roundabout connecting Palmer and Apex will be able to handle the surge of traffic from new development and relocation of the county headquarters. Assuming this all works, we will be able to more conveniently request information and attend meetings just north and west of our neighborhood instead of trips to downtown Sarasota through Sarasota's worsening traffic.

   
   

6. Planning Commission approves 8,999 home development. Really! The Sarasota County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a project to build nearly 9,000 homes as part of the Winchester Ranch development adjacent to North Port. The Board of County Commissioners will make the final determination sometime in early 2026 and there will be public hearings at which county residents can opine. Winchester Ranch, a project from the developers of Wellen Park, is expected to break ground in 2027 or 2028, depending on final approval. The planned development will run up against the Myakka State Forest. The application from the developer wants to allow for construction on 2,433 acres of land along the city of North Port that was previously earmarked as "rural." The total development area is 3,148 acres, and in addition to the homes would include 100,000 square feet of commercial space and 100,000 square feet of industrial space. The local political climate has changed in a notably more development-skeptical way since 2021 when initial approval was given by the County Board. Nonetheless, the Planning Commission voted 7-1 to recommend Winchester Ranch to the County Board, with John Thaxton, a former Commissioner the lone dissenter. Thaxton, a noted environmentalist, came out strongly against the development. “I don’t know where to begin with this petition,” Thaxton said at the meeting. “I have spent 40-plus years arguing against such developments.” He was also worried about the development impacting Myakka State Forest. Other planning commissioners, such as Vice Chair John LaCivita and Commissioner Mitzie Fiedler, seemed to have faith that developers would take it upon themselves to slow down building when the market slows down. We should have learned by now that hope is not necessarily an effective plan.

   
   

7. Sarasota Citizens Action Committee (SCAN) Meeting in Venice. SCAN with the support of Suncoast Searchlight organized an excellent panel of civic leaders in Venice on 12/11 to discuss land use and growth management issues in Sarasota County. Thanks to Suncoast Searchlight for making this happen - the speakers were among the most knowledgeable about planning and development in the County, and they packed a great deal of insight into an hour. One commentator said that we should have been listening to these people 15 years ago - some of the of Sarasota's giant developments might never have happened. A key takeaway is that we've been voting for a lot of very wrong people.

   
   

8. Challenges and possible fixes to SB 180 and other legislation usurping local home rule and governance. We have reported on a number of challenges, some being filed in the courts against SB 180 from cities and counties across the state. In 2026, Florida lawmakers may revise a controversial law that significantly undermines local control over development and growth. Legislators said they designed Senate Bill 180 as a hurricane recovery helper, meant to make building back easier for residents after 2024’s devastating hurricane season. The bill did this by banning cities and counties from making new zoning decisions that could be considered “more restrictive or burdensome.” But that vague wording has allowed developers to challenge virtually any local rule change that seeks to stop, slow down or even put guardrails on growth.

   
   

   Now, the Florida senator who sponsored SB 180 is proposing fixes to some of the bill’s most controversial aspects in the upcoming 2026 legislative session. State Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-St. Petersburg, recently filed SB 840, a bill that aims to clarify and narrow the scope of SB 180 while striking parts of the law entirely. The new bill would shorten a ban on local governments creating more restrictive development rules, and, for future storms, would prohibit cities and counties only from imposing tougher codes on storm-damaged properties. Local officials who have faced major roadblocks from SB 180 are praising DiCeglie’s new bill. Home rule advocates are optimistic but question whether the bill goes far enough to restore local control. Development industry representatives declined to comment on the bill but said their industry has been an unfair target of local regulations.

   
   

   DiCeglie’s new bill, SB 840, proposes the following changes to SB 180:

   •Keeps in place a temporary ban on “more restrictive and burdensome” planning and land use changes for local governments impacted by hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, until June 2026.

   
   

   • For future hurricanes, updates SB 180’s one-year block on new building codes so that it would only apply to properties being rebuilt after hurricane damage — leaving local governments free to pass tougher rules for new development.

   • Strikes several mentions of “restrictive and burdensome,” the phrase that gave developers and state agencies wide latitude to challenge local authority over planning and building. The phrase remains in one section of the bill, but with more caveats.

   • Eliminates some of the provisions that allow developers to automatically challenge and sue local governments over regulations they don’t like.

   • Narrows the geographical impacts of SB 180. Restrictions would be triggered for cities and counties within 50 miles of future hurricane disasters rather than 100 miles.

   • Provides exceptions for local government policies that address stormwater, flooding, drinking water and sewer systems.

   
   

   SB 840’s passage is far from guaranteed. Many bills do not gain enough support to survive the legislative session. Those that do often are drastically amended before a final adoption vote, and they face a potential veto by the governor. Concerned residents who value local control and self-government should write to their County Commissioners and representatives in the State Legislature and let them know your views.

   
   
   
   

9. Final build out of Palmer Ranch. Toward the end of December, the Sarasota County Commission approved a project that will create 500 homes, 300 hotel rooms, and 85,000 square feet of commercial space. It’s the last section of the Palmer Ranch Development, which was approved by the city in 1984. County commissioners approved 4 land use changes to allow the project, which is south of State Road 681, west of I-75, and east of Honore Avenue. A Project Development and Environment Study will be completed by the State in 2026 to begin work on the partial interchange for conversion into a full interchange to improve access from and to 1-75. The vote was 4-0, with County Board chair Joe Neunder recusing himself. 

   
   

   Neunder’s mother, Elizabeth Neunder and others spoke against the move during public comment, calling the project too dense with worries about traffic.  “At this time, this project is too big, too congested,” Neunder said. Lourdes Ramirez is with the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations (SCCNA) and urged the county to deny this petition and go back to the drawing board and reduce the scale of this development. In response, developers say only 28.9 of the 138 acres will have development on it. Without taking sides, it seems that a new and costly interstate highway interchange is ideal for intensive land uses such as schools, shopping, entertainment, light manufacturing etc. rather than residential development. Instead of continuing to rezone parcels in response to developer applications maybe the county as suggested earlier this year by Commissioner Knight needs to review and if necessary, update its Comprehensive Plan and related regulations to reflect the changes that have taken place since it was first approved 20 years ago?

   
   

9. Take Away from SEERDs Neighborhood Meeting in November. We held a hybrid meeting using the meeting room at Fruitville Library and streaming the presentation and discussion live to participants who could not join us in person. Our discussion focused on several current and likely future nuisances impacting the Bee Ridge neighborhood. We discussed our need to participate and maintain organizations of residents and large land holders, to aggregate and process complaints, forward them to County Code Enforcement and where appropriate law enforcement. There is also a need to monitor plans, permits, and public infrastructure, directly engage county officials and revert to the courts where needed for enforcement. This will take more volunteers and financial contributions from our neighbors and business establishments.

   
   

10. Does the County Really Care? Readers will recall our Letter to the Editor penned by the SEERD Board in November and published in the Sarasota Herald Tribune. We argued that the county really does not care about the way it manages growth and the quality of life of many of its residents and their neighborhoods as traffic and other unmitigated impacts overwhelm public infrastructure and services. Well, we noticed this past week that land survey work with the placement of small red flags is taking place along the eastern-most portion of Bee Ridge Road from St. Patricks' Church, past TCA to Lorraine Road including the traffic circle, most of the road segment that has not already been widened from 2 to 4 lanes and divided by a safety boulevard. It appears that some traffic analysis, consideration of design options hopefully to maximize the public benefits and planning has started in order to finalize the widening of this segment of road to accommodate current and future traffic. Some of this new traffic carrying capacity would service the first village of 3000 new homes in Hi Hat Ranch. The BCC approved a cost sharing agreement for local road infrastructure improvements with Hi Hat Ranch earlier last year. It's encouraging to see some progress toward implementation. It is essential, especially now, for Bee Ridge neighborhood residents to stay informed and engage with county officials during the planning and design process along with the Hi Hat Ranch developer who we believe will be constructing most of the road improvements.

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