Sessions planned in Venice and Sarasota
Sarasota County staff has scheduled three open house events to gather public comments on the 10-year Transit Development Plan (TDP) the county must submit to the state, staff has announced.
“The county is required to produce a TDP every five years to qualify for transit funding from the state of Florida,” a news release explains.
All the meetings are open to the public, the release adds. Further, people may stop in at any time during the following hours:
- 4:30 to 6 p.m., Thursday, July 18 — Venice Community Center, located at 326 S. Nokomis Ave. in Venice.
- 4 to 6 p.m., Tuesday, July 23 — Bayfront Community Center, located at 803 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota
“The TDP identifies transit improvements designed to address the mobility needs of all of our residents for the next 10 years,” Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) Interim Director Rob Lewis said in the release. “It includes a review of background demographic data and analysis of the county’s transit productivity trends over the last five years. We are looking for public input on transit improvements that we can make over the next decade,” he added.
The plan also compares operating statistics for Sarasota County to those of peer transit agencies, the release explains, and it “identifies outside influences on transit ridership, such as Uber and Lyft.”
The TDP contains a 10-year implementation plan for transit improvements, plus information about equipment needs, operating costs and revenues.
The Sarasota County Commission must approve the TDP, which will then be submitted to the Florida Department of Transportation for its review, the release notes. The draft plan is expected to come before the commission in August.
For more information, call the county Contact Center at 861-5000 or visit scgov.net (keywords Sarasota County Area Transit).