20151009-9 Oct 2015

 

ACLU lawsuit over city homelessness issues moving to federal court

Homeless at Selby Library evening of April 20 2013City attorney says the issues, including an allegation that the city has violated the plaintiffs’ Eighth Amendment rights, should be heard in U.S. District Court

A lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation of Florida filed Sept. 30 against the City of Sarasota alleging the city’s “persistent efforts to criminalize the status of those who are homeless despite the lack of an available shelter and a deepening housing crisis” is headed to federal court, City Attorney Robert Fournier notified the city commissioners by email this week. Writing in the morning of Oct. 7, Fournier advised the city board members that a Notice of Removal from the 12th Judicial Circuit Court to federal court was filed the previous afternoon. (Click here to continue reading)

State environmental staff calls for detailed seagrass mitigation plan and more specific data on water quality control for the Big Pass dredging project

DIGITAL CAMERAA second request for information was issued this week to the City of Sarasota and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers relative to their plans to renourish Lido Key Beach

In its second request for information regarding the City of Sarasota and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ permit application to dredge Big Sarasota Pass to renourish Lido Key Beach, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) this week called for a seagrass mitigation plan and said the applicants thus far have not provided the necessary data for their water quality control plans as specified by state rules. (Click here to continue reading)

Agenda for Nov. 6 joint city/county meeting on homelessness a work in progress, City Commission learns

Doug Logan SCC meeting Oct. 5 2015 TVCity staff says this week that more details should be available after the county board meets next week

Sarasota city staff is looking to Sarasota County administrative staff to clarify options for the Nov. 6 agenda when the two boards will meet the first time since June 2014 to discuss homelessness in the community. That was the report City Manager Tom Barwin and Doug Logan, director of the city’s Special Initiative on the Chronic Homeless, told the city commissioners during their regular meeting on Oct. 5. (Click here to continue reading)

A mediator has strongly recommended the County Commission approve the third petition for construction of a dwelling on Siesta Key’s Beach Road

162 Beach Road lot and houses next to it May 13 2014 RBHFacing further legal action, the board on Oct. 14 will consider a smaller house plan for property that has been underwater in past decades

For the third time in three years, a Siesta Key couple is petitioning the Sarasota County Commission to allow them to build a home on Beach Road property that has been documented as having been underwater on numerous occasions in years past. (Click here to continue reading)

Siesta Seen

Three wheel vehicle and beer truck on Ocean Blvd. April 1 2014 RBHVillage Association members debate the handling of repetitive damage to structures, including light poles; the Key gets a new sergeant; interviews ahead for a new Chamber executive; and Siesta volunteers found a cleaner beach than usual during the International Coastal Cleanup

The decision ultimately will be left to the Siesta Key Village Maintenance Corp. (SKVMC). However, some consensus emerged this week among members of the Siesta Key Village Association (SKVA) that when damage to features of the Village landscape necessitates removal, those structures should be replaced. (Click here to continue reading)

Sarasota and Manatee counties’ new emergency services radio system expected to go live in August 2017

Proposed 2-county 800 MHz coverage for BCC Oct. 5 2015Sarasota County and Longboat commissioners get an update this week on the project that began in 2012

Sarasota and Manatee counties should see their new 800-MHz public safety communications system go live in August 2017, Sarasota County Emergency Services Director Rich Collins told the Sarasota County Commission and the Longboat Key Town Commission during the boards’ joint meeting on Oct. 5 in Sarasota. (Click here to continue reading)

City marks what it calls ‘historic year’ for issuance of building permits

City Building Division staff Oct. 2015 SCCCity of Sarasota surpasses the 8,000 level for the first time

For the first time ever, the City of Sarasota Building Division has processed more than 8,000 building permits in one year, “shattering last year’s record,” the city has announced. At the conclusion of the 2014-15 fiscal year, Sept. 30, the tally for building permit applications processed was 8,402, with a construction valuation of more than $299 million, “signaling a stronger local economy and continued interest in Sarasota,” a city news release points out. (Click here to continue reading)