Police Department asking for information from the public
The Sarasota Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday, July 24, at a vacation rental home near the intersection of Jackson Drive and South Washington Drive in Sarasota, the agency reported.
“Two adult victims were taken to the hospital with minor injuries,” a news release says.
“The public is not believed to be in any danger,” the release adds.
“This is an active and ongoing investigation,” it points out.
Jackson Drive intersects with South Washington Drive south of St. Armands Circle and east of Lido Key Beach, a map shows.
Numerous “hotel houses,” as neighbors refer to them, have been built on St. Armands and Lido keys in recent years. The City of Sarasota implemented a registration program in an effort to mitigate complaints that residents had aired about late-night parties, with loud noise, and overflow parking. In May 2021, the city commissioners agreed on rules limiting the number of guests and requiring the owners of the properties to identify “responsible parties” who can be contacted to respond to complaints.
In the most recent city staff update on applications for that program, Lucia Panica, director of Development Services, sent information on July 15 to City Manager Marlon Brown. She noted that staff had 135 active vacation rental home registrations at that time, with another three expected to be added to the list following city inspections.
This week, during their budget workshop, the majority of the city commissioners agreed on the need to expand the registration program citywide, based on concerns in other neighborhoods.
Anyone with information related to the St. Armands case is asked to call the Sarasota Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 941-263-6070, leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS, or going online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com