SEERDS April Report

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:

1. Encouraging the Board of County Commissioner-led reforms.

2. Discussions with next-generation groups on public participation and engagement with local government.

3. Engagement with Sarasota County and other stakeholders concerning Hi Hat Ranch and road infrastructure in the Bee Ridge neighborhood. April 9th BCC workshop.

4. Engagement with Sarasota County and other stakeholders on use of federal HUD grant funds for affordable housing, resilience and other storm related needs. April 22 BCC meeting agenda item and public hearing. 

5. Compliance with the Unified Development Code (UDC) over Classical Academy (TCA) impacts and future site development plans.  

6. Plaintiff petition for voluntary dismissal of defamation suit against SEERD.  

7. Outreach to our large and loyal donors.

8. SEERD Annual General Meeting on April 7th at 6:15 pm at the Fruitville Library, 100 Apex Road, Sarasota.

1.  Encouraging Board of County Commissioners-led reform.  Reprioritizing critical public infrastructure, reviewing the 2050 Comprehensive Plan, and possibly returning to pre-COVID in-person Neighborhood Workshops.

Commissioner Knight, one of two new Commissioners on the County Board (BCC), has taken a refreshing approach to future development and growth in Sarasota County. He appears concerned that county residents are dissatisfied with the unmitigated impacts of our rapid pace of growth and new development.  Following the unprecedented storms we experienced last year; he questions if public infrastructure and services (current and planned) are adequate to meet growing demands. He also has demonstrated awareness of the importance of broader trends such as post-COVID migration, climate, and changes in the overall economy in Sarasota County. Commissioner Knight in a motion tabled for discussion with his fellow Commissioners has stated that it would be helpful to take a fresh look at our Comprehensive Plan, the assumptions, goals, objectives, and results achieved over the past 20 years, and the Plan’s ability to serve as a guide going forward.

Commissioner Knight is discussing with his fellow Commissioners and county staff how an independent review of the plan might be done to provide a fresh look at the county’s future growth. This might also provide valuable input for future Comprehensive Plan preparations.  He seems concerned about what dissatisfied residents have said and done in other counties, such as Manatee and St Johns, and the need for the BCC to be responding to the needs and constraints that Sarasota County must operate within. SEERD and our civic-minded partners are considering what we can do to support the notion of an independent review, an exercise done routinely across the country by planners to help achieve more responsible development in the face of rapid change and uncertainty.

Commissioner Mark Smith has taken up an idea floated last year, which involves returning to in-person Neighborhood Workshops to review rezoning or special exception applications instead of virtual online video meetings using Zoom, Google Meet, or one of the other digital platforms. We think this is an excellent suggestion, but it will require time, some costs, and effort by residents, developers, and the County to participate. SEERD would like to hear your views about these changes to better represent them to the BCC.

2.  Discussions with next-generation groups on public participation and engagement with local government. Imagining a better future based on good growth management decisions today. 

Our SCAN umbrella group, consisting of not-for-profit organizations concerned about overdevelopment and its impact on our quality of life, began meetings with a group consisting of younger Sarasota residents who are concerned about low levels of youth engagement and the prevalence of pessimistic views about the future that they have been denied an opportunity to help shape. We believe it’s necessary to invest in Sarasota County’s future leaders, taxpayers, and voters. At the same time, we do everything possible to ensure the county's sustainability as a desirable place to live for future generations. We will share more about specific actions and programs that we hope to be a part of and will be soliciting ideas and participation from our Bee Ridge neighbors over the coming year. 

3.  Engagement with Sarasota County and other stakeholders concerning Hi Hat Ranch and road infrastructure in the Bee Ridge neighborhood. April 9th BCC workshop.

Hi Hat Ranch planned for the undeveloped area east of the current Bee Ridge neighborhood between Fruitville Road to the north and Clark Road to the south, appears to be one of the largest developments in the county’s history. According to the approved plans, when fully built out it could add 13,000 new homes and 450,000 sq ft of office and retail space.  Despite years of planning and approvals by the county as a major development of regional concern, aspects of its site development are off to a shaky start. One example is the recent controversy over responsibility for access via existing roads, starting with Bee Ridge Road to connect the first “village” containing about 3000 new residences planned for occupancy by 2027 to the county road network.

To those who live in the neighborhood, there is already an obvious need to widen the two-lane segment of Bee Ridge Road from the Laurel Oak/Bent Tree roundabout to the Publix roundabout, widen the roundabout to at least two lanes, and then extend the road east through county owned property immediately north of Rothenbach park into the first village.

The question becomes how much traffic capacity will be needed for Hi Hat Ranch, what additional demands from proximate development need to be considered, who benefits, and who pays.  SEERD believes that getting stakeholders around the table is worthwhile to discuss site development, infrastructure, finances, timing, and connectivity of required improvements into existing road, sewer, drainage, and power networks. 

For roads, adding two more lanes for traffic on Bee Ridge might alleviate congestion today. However, we believe that it will be insufficient by itself to accommodate the thousands of daily trips that 3000 new homes will generate. Since Bee Ridge Road is part of a more extensive but limited road network out here east of Interstate 75, there is a need for upgrading Loraine, Palmer, and Clark Roads, along with rebuilding the relatively new but under designed roundabouts that punctuate the neighborhood.  

 A workshop on Hi Hat Ranch is scheduled by the BCC for April 9th. We want to be prepared and well represented to speak to the growing traffic in the neighborhood, its impact and our concerns as new development places a growing burden on crumbling and undersized local roadways.  SEERD is preparing resident observations that we have collected about deteriorating road conditions in the Bee Ridge neighborhood. We are also formulating other concerns about future planned growth in and around the neighborhood. These include expansion plans under review for the Classical Academy along with the additional traffic demands created by the opening of a welcomed magnet public school drawing students from across the county located in Skye Ranch, but which will not be serviced by bussing. 

At the upcoming workshop we will give voice to our expectation that county leaders, with the support of professional staff, need to take the lead and consider the timing and extent of the impacts that extensive development will bring to the Bee Ridge neighborhood. Our request will be simple; for the county to provide for neighborhood discussion an implementable and responsive plan that we can support that charts the way for more orderly development with the necessary public infrastructure.  Let us know your concerns and suggestions so that we can represent our neighbors as effectively as possible. 

4.  Engagement with Sarasota County and other stakeholders on use of federal HUD grant funds for affordable housing, resilience and other storm related needs. April 22 BCC meeting agenda item and public hearing. 

After three hurricanes hit the Sarasota area last year, stormwater management, infrastructure limitations and greater resiliency are among the most important challenges that we face. These require, in addition to federal and state assistance, timely and carefully considered action by our local officials together with individual property owners. Several meetings have taken place, and others are scheduled that Bee Ridge residents should be aware of, plan for, and contribute to if possible.

• The BCC workshop in late January explored the possible causes for the flooding. The county and an independent engineer offered somewhat different views and suggested ways to approach the problem, prioritize and implement solutions. 

• In a follow up workshop on March 12th, the county began to address priority measures to mitigate future flooding rather than the extensive relief, clean up and reconstruction that has consumed most of us since September. The meeting suggested a range of options for action and areas for priority, primarily using FEMA hurricane disaster funding plus available county resources. Several areas for consideration included dredging canals to improve stormwater flow within the Phillippi Creek Watershed, better maintenance of stormwater infrastructure, updating flood mitigation standards for new development to reflect increased rainfall events, etc. Preserving county wetlands and minimizing development on flood prone land is on everyone’s mind but there is not the necessary consensus yet to take these obvious but as some would argue more controversial actions.  

•  BCC’s next workshop on April 22nd will prioritize how to use a HUD grant intended to advance primarily affordable housing involving $100s of millions of federal dollars. We recommend that residents from all the HOAs in the Bee Ridge neighborhood be represented and submit their concerns and questions in writing in advance to our County Commissioners if possible. Some should be prepared to speak as members of our community. SEERD is willing to help formulate our concerns and suggestions as well as to coordinate the presentation on behalf of the Bee Ridge neighborhood.

  
  

• A newly signed Executive Order (EO) on Disaster Preparedness from the White House shifts responsibility for achieving efficiency through state and local government away from FEMA for preparation, planning, and resiliency.  These proposed changes supersede existing legislation governing FEMA and could well spark litigation. Nonetheless, they need to be factored into ongoing discussions as to the future role of state and local government, public spending, and plans. Again, tell us what concerns you most, what your experience was last year and what measures you and your community are taking as hurricane season approaches. 

5.  Compliance with the Uniform Development Code over TCA impacts and future site development plans.  

The BCC met on March 11th and decided, on the advice of its attorney, not to join TCA in its appeal for a rehearing nor any further judicial appeals regarding the future location and use of the modular classrooms that had been approved by the County Commission but squashed by the 12th Circuit Court. Aside from seeking a time-consuming, costly and uncertain judicial remedy, it is unclear how the County intends to address deficiencies found by Judge Walker in his court order that would enable TCA to continue to use the 30 modular trailers as classrooms permitted by the BCC but without causing considerable traffic and other impacts on the neighborhood that our residents have experienced.

 Recall that the 12th Circuit Court found the county erred by not following the plain language of the law requiring consideration of neighborhood impact based on competent, substantial evidence. Instead, the BCC justified its approval based on the policy objective of encouraging and facilitating schools for our children.   

SEERD submitted a new code violation complaint to County Code Enforcement on March 12th to preserve our rights and ensure that the court order is enforced to mitigate the impact the county failed to consider fully.  SEERD also filed a Response in Opposition to the Classical Academy’s Motion for a Rehearing of the 12th Circuit Court’s decision on the modular classrooms as its argument favoring a rehearing conflict with the record already established in this case. On April 3, the court denied TCAs appeal for a rehearing.  We are watching this situation carefully and considering our options to protect our neighborhood. 

6.  Plaintiff petition for voluntary dismissal of defamation suit against SEERD.  

The defamation suit by TCA against SEERD filed in December last year was replied to in February, and our defense lawyers agreed with the plaintiff’s attorney to give TCA an opportunity to amend its complaint in response to deficiencies that the defense identified as a basis for dismissal. TCA had until March 24th to submit its amended complaint but chose not to file an amendment. Instead, it filed a petition for voluntary dismissal of all allegations against SEERD, but without prejudice. SEERD’s Board of Directors is conferring with our legal advisors to consider options and possible next steps.

7.  Outreach to our large and loyal donors. 

SEERDs Board has sent a letter of appreciation to our most significant donors. Rather than asking for more contributions above and beyond their already generous support, we asked them for advice and help in expanding our membership and donor base. We will send a similar letter to all our donors in a continuing effort to achieve financial sustainability and have the volunteers we need and depend upon to continue our work. Many challenges remain, and we are far from done, a refrain you will hear at our upcoming Annual General Meeting next week.   

8.  SEERD Annual General Meeting April 7th at 6:15 pm at the Fruitville Library, 100 Apex Road, Sarasota.

SEERD will celebrate its Annual General Meeting on April 7th at 6:15 at the Fruitville Library to report briefly on its condition as provided for in our bylaws. We will also brief residents who are interested in hearing more about prospects for mitigating impacts from TCA as well as getting ahead of inevitable impacts on the neighborhood from Artistry’s build-out, Hi Hat, Skye Ranch and its new public magnet school, 3H Ranch still planned along Clark Road and whatever commercial use we get in the five-acre site adjacent to the Publix shopping center.  Seating at the library’s public meeting room is limited, so please RSVP to Brenda Stocks at brendastk@yahoo.com   We hope to see you there! 

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