Commissioners sought report in wake of residents’ complaints about violence and other illegal activities, especially on South Lido and in Nokomis
It took about two months, but, on July 26, Sarasota County’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources (PRNR) staff completed a May 22 assignment from the County Commission, releasing “a report providing an overview of County parks regarding public safety.”
The report does offer a number of recommendations for consideration of the County Commission, including the installation of gates at all county-managed beaches and potential action that would enable county staff to issue citations for violations of county ordinances.
The board members had asked that County Administrator Jonathan Lewis direct the PRNR staff members to “specifically focus on hot spots identified by staff and include “ideas regarding enforcement of County park rules and certain other reported concerns,” as the report notes.
Among the common violations of county park rules and the County Code of Ordinances, which occurred more often at the “hot spots,” were criminal activity, such as use of drugs, and thefts; vandalism and destruction of property; littering, open fires and allowing dogs off-leash; illegal use of off-road vehicles and dirt bikes; camping by homeless individuals; amplified sound; illegal dumping; speeding on trails and park roadways; unpermitted commercial activity; illegal parking and the blocking of ingress/egress; and after-hours activities in the parks, the report points out.
Although the report originally was to have been completed on July 12, The Sarasota News Leader learned through a public records request that its release was delayed until July 26, with the indication that more time had been needed for the staff to finish its work.
Aug. 27 is the date of the first regular County Commission meeting since the report was finished. Although the agenda does not include any mention of the it, a board member that day could bring up the report’s findings.
The assignment for PRNR followed remarks by numerous speakers during the Open to the Public comment period of the May 22 County Commission meeting. People who live on Casey Key — including the president of the residents association — and Lido Key homeowners had complained about all sorts of activities that violate county regulations.
Even more alarming, speakers stressed, had been a recent shooting at the North Jetty Park in Nokomis, just south of Casey Key, that left one person dead while a second individual had escaped injury.
The three Lido Key residents offered details about the situations with which they said they have been contending for years, including — as Celine O’Connor characterized them — “unruly, unwanted and dangerous activities happening at all hours [in the county’s Ted Sperling Park on the southern tip of Lido].”
She told the commissioners that Lido residents believe that most of the culprits are from out of town — especially groups from Orlando and Tampa. O’Connor added that they “are blatantly breaking every code in the book.”
The ‘hot spots’
The Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources report names 30 of the county’s 150 parks as the “hot spots,” including North Jetty Park and Ted Sperling Park. It explains that those locations “were identified through a combination of law enforcement heat maps, staff observations, repeated citizen inquiries or complaints, and reported risk-related incidents or claims.”
Among the hot spots are Turtle Beach Park on Siesta Key; Urfer Family Park, located at the intersection of Bee Ridge Road and Honore Avenue in Sarasota; Nora Patterson Bay Island Park on Siesta Drive, just west of the north drawbridge to Siesta Key; Patriots Park in Venice; and the Celery Fields, which is an internationally known bird-watching destination in the eastern part of the county.
The report notes, “Many of the areas of concern identified by County staff and citizens are outside of the control and/or jurisdiction of County staff. This includes the regulation of watercraft vessels within the waterways, illegal speeding and parking along the roadways particularly on barrier islands in close proximity to beach locations, issuance of citations for park and facility rule violations, and enforcement of zoning and ordinance violations (both County and Municipal).”
The report adds that the PRNR staff members “work very closely with law enforcement in all jurisdictions to enforce park rules and County Code in our County parks.”
Among options for future action, the report points to the following:
- Gate installation at all beach locations.
The report points out that the county has 21 park locations with gates. Of those, a contractor closes the gates at 14, “while the remaining seven parks have automatic, electric gates which open and close at designated times.”
The report does explain, “The use of access gates within parks has both advantages and disadvantages …” Residential neighbors of parks regularly request the installation of gates; however, because of the expense of maintaining the gates and opening and closing them, “this is not a level of service that is provided at most parks,” the report notes. In addition to the costs associated with installing and maintaining gates, having to deal with the gates results in “significant staff resources after hours,” the report says.
Moreover, the report also says, “The effectiveness of park entrance gates in deterring park rule violations within parks is questionable as the majority of criminal or unauthorized activities occur during the day. The biggest impact of installation of entrance gates is reduction in after-hour activity by reducing access to the parks. If additional gate installation is desired at our beach parks,” the report says, then a more in-depth cost analysis, undertaken by an outside contractor, will be necessary.
- “Evaluate options for paid parking at County-owned beaches.”
- Evaluate civil versus criminal penalties for park rule violations, and providing the authority to county staff to issue citations.
- Evaluate possible ordinance amendments associated with restrictions on amplified sound within the parks.
The report does point out, “All of these potential options would require more research and work before presenting changes in service levels to [county] administration and subsequently the [ County Commission].
Other recommendations in the report are as follows:
- Periodically review and update relevant sections of the Sarasota County Code, applicable standard operating procedures, and Park/Facility rules signage.
- Continue to collaborate with law enforcement partners to provide park rule enforcement within PRNR-managed park sites.
- Work with park planning staff and consultants to implement the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) standard.
Findings at other facilities
PRNR staff had contacted various agencies and conducted other research to learn how those jurisdictions handled certain matters, the report continues. Those findings are as follows:
Public beach hours of operation
- 32% reported that their beaches are open 24-hours
- 58% reported that their beaches close at sunset and open at sunrise or by 8 a.m.
- 10% open and close at various times.
Gates at beaches
- 54% reported they do not have gates at beach parks
- 83% of beach parks with gates require a person to lock them manually.
Paid parking at beaches
- 45% reported that they have an ordinance that allows for paid parking.
- 58% of the agencies that responded do charge for parking.
- A range of fee options includes annual parking passes, hourly rates and daily rates.
- 18% of the respondents offer free parking passes to their residents.
Regulation of amplified sound within parks
- 78% reported having noise ordinances. Most of the organizations have their staff members try first to educate patrons about the rules; then, if the noise continues, park rangers or law enforcement officers intervene, giving violators written warnings or citations.
The PRNR staff offered these points about operations in Sarasota County, for reference:
- Public beach park hours of operation — 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The report points out that, in June 2021, County Administrator Jonathan Lewis authorized Nicole Rissler, director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, to set hours for the county parks. Prior to that, the hours for the beach parks were 6 a.m. to midnight.
- Park gates are utilized only at Ted Sperling Park at South Lido Beach.
- Sarasota County does not have any paid parking areas at beaches or parks.
- The county does not regulate amplified sound in parks or beaches beyond the provisions in the Sarasota County Code.
Related initiatives
The report does explain two initiatives that it notes are relative to the concerns raised at the May 22 County Commission meeting.
First, in 2022, the report says, “PRNR staff was tasked with evaluating the department’s current policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and enforcement. Staff reached out to many different agencies and customers to identify strengths, weaknesses, and trends in PRNR’s current policies and enforcement efforts. PRNR staff evaluated these trends and identified potential gaps associated with park rules enforcement,” including staff training on how to de-escalate incidents, active and passive communication of park and facility rules to the public, and interagency communications.
“From this evaluation,” the report continues, staff developed recommendations, including the need for “enhancement of communication and collaboration with law enforcement partners and additional signage to help clarify park rules.”
Then, in 2023, the report notes, Rissler, the PRNR director, directed her staff to undertake research and develop a report regarding a possiblepark ranger program, for her review. “The report was intended to determine the feasibility and impact a program of this type could have on increased education and enforcement of park and facility rules and related County Ordinances,” the report points out. “To better understand the potential benefits and challenges associated with a park ranger program, staff reached out to a variety of organizations including agencies within comparable counties as well as local and State law enforcement entities including Collier, Lee, Pinellas, Volusia and Charlotte Counties; Sarasota County Human Resources/Risk, Planning and Development Services/Code Enforcement, the City of Sarasota, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).”
The report adds, While many agencies have park ranger programs, the duties and responsibilities of the rangers’ positions “can vary from county to county. After completion of the report, staff determined that the park ranger program would have limited effectiveness other than increased educational opportunity and possible voluntary compliance.”
Collaboration with law enforcement agencies
Another section of the report focuses on PRNR’s collaboration “with local law enforcement agencies” over the past few years.
The report summarizes those as follows:
- New interlocal agreements for rule enforcement and trespass authority “have been executed between the County and the City of North Port and the City of Sarasota,” with an agreement being drafted for approval with the City of Venice. “The agreements provide law enforcement the authority to enforce park rules [and] county ordinances, and issue trespass warnings in county-owned property within the municipality
- “Annual law enforcement agency collaboration meetings,” which began in 2022. Among the participants are representatives of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and municipal police departments.
- “SCSO and PRNR liaison meetings are held every other week.
- “Collaboration with state agencies,” including FWC and FDEP, regarding enforcement within natural areas, at beaches and along the Myakka River.
- “Increased patrols and special details within County parks,” including identified hot spots.
- PRNR also has hired private duty security personnel to assist with the opening and closing of park gates and to serve as on-site security “during busy holiday weekends and special events.”
Other efforts
The report does note that PRNR staff members “have worked to better convey park rules, regulations and prohibitions through updated park rules signage and kiosks, parking lot closure signage, website and email notifications, and social media.
Additionally, the report says, staff recently has developed parking lot designs that focus on better organization and enhanced safety in regard to park entrances, parking, and access to amenities at multiple parks including the following:
- Culverhouse Nature Park on Palmer Ranch.
- Indian Mound Park in Englewood.
- Manasota Beach Park.
- North Jetty Park.
- Twin Lakes Park on Clark Road in Sarasota, near Interstate 75.
- Ted Sperling Park at South Lido Beach
“This is in addition to recent capital improvement and in-house maintenance projects that have delineated amenity areas, ingress and egress and parking,” the report points out.