Turtle Beach Campground the focus of a number of changes
Starting Oct. 1, new fees and policies will be going into effect for users of Sarasota County’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department (PRNR) patrons, thanks to a unanimous vote of the County Commission.
Among the changes approved are the following:
- Elimination of seasonal rates at Turtle Beach Campground on south Siesta Key because of the popularity of that park and the fact that annual occupancy averages 95%, as noted in a county staff memo in the commission’s Sept. 10 agenda packet. A summer/fall season — from May through October — and a winter/spring season — from November through April — have been in effect, the memo pointed out. Among the other updates will be an increase in the nightly camping fee, the memo added. The new year-round charge will be $75.
Staff also recommended eliminating the discounts of 10% for a stay of 14 to 27 days and 20% for a stay of 28 to 30 days, the memo continued. Staff did propose a new discount of 10% for stays of 21 to 30 days.
Further, late checkouts no longer will be permitted, and one adult — age 18 or older — will have to remain on each campsite overnight.
Yet another modification relates to the quiet time. That will run from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., instead of 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Increased daily and visit pass fees at Knight Trail Park Pistol and Rifle Range in Nokomis. Those fees last were increased in October 2019, the memo noted. The daily visit fee has been $12.25; it will rise to $14.25, pre-tax. “Comparable facility fees start at $15.00 or more,” the memo pointed out.
- Increased facility and open space fees for Phillippi Estate Park, which stands at 5550 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. The memo noted that that facility is “a historic, Tier 1 Signature Park.” The fees last were last increased in January 2018, the memo added. It has cost $4,200 to rent the Mansion for a private event on a Saturday during high season (October through May), the memo continued. That will climb to $7,000. “Comparatively, Powel Crosley Estate in Manatee County charges $8,500.00 for a similar rental,” the memo said.
The commissioners also approved the following policy changes that the PRNR staff had recommended:
- Addition of a requirement for all users to electronically acknowledge or submit a signed Facility Sales Receipt per reservation permit issued.
- Addition of language in the General Facility Use Guidelines and Procedures and General Pricing Plan Procedures saying that any material misrepresentation by the reserving party, failure to comply with rules and regulations, and/or exceeding designated time or space as detailed on the reservation permit “shall result in retention of the security deposit and may result in removal or denial of future reservations.”
- Addition of the notice that reservation requests received within five business days of the starting date “will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.”
If reservations are more than 30 days in the future, reservation permit fees must by paid according to the following schedule:
- Addition of a multi-day event/tournament permit within the Mobile Vending Permit program.
- A modification that allows space to be reserved up to one year in advance, instead of up to two years, “unless otherwise specified.”
- Enhancement of athletic facility reservation guidelines, including a statement that “staff shall develop a schedule of permitted usage that fosters diverse athletic recreation within the community and provides opportunities for participation in a variety of sports. “
- New guidelines allowing Director Nicole Rissler to approve sponsorship partnerships.
- Additional language within general park and facility use guidelines that supports “the development of a schedule of permitted usage that enriches the community through participation, connection and diverse recreational opportunities.”
- Simplified and restated payment and sales tax requirements.
- Addition of language that supports the programming at the Venice Community Center. A new reservation permit fee schedule also will be implemented.
Further, the new guidelines include numerous changes to the application process involving tournaments and other events:
Yet another section of the document that has been updated involves the “Priority Groups”:
The memo in the Sept. 10 agenda packet explained, “On June 21, 2016, the [County Commission] adopted the Parks, Preserves and Recreation Strategic Master Plan (PPRSMP), which outlined five implementation strategies, one of which was aligning the General Facility Use Guidelines and Procedures and General Pricing Plan (Pricing Plan) with the three-tiered service delivery model in the PPRSMP.
“To facilitate the alignment strategy from the PPRSMP,” the memo continued, the board adopted a resolution on Nov. 14, 2017, that included the new Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources (PRNR) General Facility Use Guidelines and Procedures and General Pricing Plan. “The new guidelines and pricing were implemented on January 1, 2018,” the memo added.
Since then, the memo continued, the General Facility Use Guidelines and Procedures and General Pricing Plan has been revised five times. Those revisions were adopted on May 8, 2018; Sept. 10, 2019; May 5, 2020; March 23, 2021; and March 21, 2023, the memo noted.
The latest changes resulted from PRNR’s recent review of the document, the memo said. Staff determined that revisions were “needed to support continued operations of a clean, safe and inclusive parks with diverse opportunities for all,” the memo added.
The item was included on the commission’s Sept. 10 Consent Agenda of routine business matters. No one offered any comments on it, which is typical with the Consent Agenda.