Second Annual Halloween Drive-Thru to be hosted by Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 30 at its Cattleridge Boulevard headquarters in Sarasota

2020 event drew more than 1,100 attendees, Community Affairs staff says

A member of the Sheriff’s Office Mounted Patrol is ‘in costume’ for the 2020 Halloween event. Image courtesy Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office will host its Second Annual Halloween Drive-Thru event on Saturday, Oct. 30, at the agency’s Sarasota headquarters on Cattleridge Boulevard, the department has announced.

“The program was created last year as a safe alternative to trick-or-treating in response to concerns surrounding COVID-19,” a news release explains. “Personnel staged static displays in the agency’s headquarters parking lot” and distributed an estimated 80,000 pieces of candy to more than 1,100 attendees, the release adds. The “overwhelming success” of the event, the release says, led to the decision to host it again this year.

The Halloween Drive-Thru will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at 6010 Cattleridge Blvd., the release notes. “Attendees will be directed to enter Cattleridge Boulevard between the Arby’s restaurant and BP convenience store,” before heading north toward the site of the festivities. “To streamline traffic flow,” the release explains, “drivers will enter the north parking lot in two lanes and follow instructions from Traffic Unit deputies.”

Because this is a drive-through program, the release points out, no on-site parking will be allowed, and all attendees will be asked to remain in their vehicles.

“For the comfort of attendees, all candy that will be disturbed was individually bagged by personnel wearing both masks and gloves,” the release also notes.

“We received great feedback from our community following last year’s event,” said Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman in the release, “which is why we decided to open this event up again to the residents we serve. Not only are we getting kids out of the house,” he added, “but we are doing so in a safe way while building relationships and showcasing the great work of our personnel and specialty units.”

For more information, contact the agency’s Community Affairs Office at 941-861-4005.