9 a.m. ceremony to be held at 3580 Fruitville Road
At 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, the Trust for Public Land will hold a community celebration of the completion of a new segment of the Florida Gulf Coast Trail along Beneva Road, the nonprofit organization has announced.
The half-mile route is part of the county’s Legacy Trail, as well.
During a Nov. 18, 2025 presentation to the Sarasota County Commission, Charles Hines, a former member of the board, discussed the project, noting that it represents a collaboration among the Trust for Public Land, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Sarasota County staff.
Hines is the program director for the Florida Gulf Coast Trail.
A document in the agenda packet for that commission meeting explained that, at the expense of $500,000 — which the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the nonprofit Friends of the Legacy Trail had provided, as Hines also reported — the route was being built from the Legacy Trail’s terminus at Beneva Road to Fruitville Road. The 10-foot-wide, paved surface will be suitable for “a variety of uses, from bicycles and scooters to wheelchairs and strollers,” the document noted.
At the time of his presentation to the commissioners, Hines talked of his anticipation that a ribbon-cutting ceremony would be held in March or April of this year. The Trust for Public Land is managing the project, he noted.
“The whole goal here is to create connectivity — safe connectivity — and create a true trail for Sarasota County” that will extend from the southern part of the county all the way to the northern section, Hines emphasized. “We’re going to work on one segment at a time.”
He further stressed of the Beneva Road project, “This is a segment that was a gap, and a very dangerous gap.”
The March 26 ribbon-cutting event will be held at 3580 Fruitville Road, the Trust for Public Land’s news release says.
“The project represents a key milestone in the development of the 420-mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail, which will eventually connect seven counties from Tampa to Naples,” the release points out.
“The Beneva Road Connector will give residents and visitors new opportunities to walk, bike, and roll safely” among four public parks “while connecting neighborhoods to nature, recreation, and community destinations,” the release continues. The trail also will support healthful lifestyles, “strengthen local economies, and expand transportation alternatives in Sarasota County,” the release adds.
Trail users will be able to travel north to Fruitville Road and connect to the City of Sarasota’s Circus Trail, the Bobby Jones Golf Club and Conservation Area, the County’s 17th Street Park and Nathan Benderson Park, the release notes.
“The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors,” the release explains. “As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places,” raised $112 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, “and connected nearly 10 million people to the outdoors, the release says. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
The release adds that the March 26 program will include remarks from Hines; Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis; Jon Thaxton, director of public policy and advocacy for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation; and Rita Miotti, president of the Friends of the Legacy Trail.
Following the conclusion of the program, the release says, guests are welcome to explore the new segment.
Persons planning to attend the ribbon-cutting are asked to RSVP by visiting https://events.tpl.org/fl-fgct-beneva-road-ribbon-cutting/.