Sarasota Scoop - Dec. 15, 2024
Leaping loopholes. Red yuletide. Colorful prose. Purple palace. Holey roads.
Too Tall Tower? On February 12th, the city planning board will hear from the bigly aggrieved neighbors of the pencil tower proposed for 1260 Palm Avenue. Last year the same board rejected a 15 foot taller version of the luxury tower. Sarasota School architect Tim Seibert designed the adjacent Bay Plaza and the Siesta Key home of Condominium author John D. MacDonald, who warned of a “dreadful lemon skyline” on the horizon.
Are we living in a crime scene? “In the colorful world of John D. MacDonald, nature is an assault victim, and Florida is one big crime scene”. The coalition of city neighborhood associations plans to ask the city and county to start posting warning signs when water conditions are unsafe for exposure. Although elevated bacterial counts from storm runoff have returned to normal, red tide is back. If there is any silver-lining to Sarasota’s three-hurricane season, it’s Mother Nature’s decision to help improve Bay water quality by re-opening Midnight Pass.
Residents ask municipalities to post signs when water quality is unsafe.
Holly-days. Lights are abloom at Selby Gardens, and Santa made the scene on Main Street at the 28th annual holiday parade, near the old Plaza Restaurant where MacDonald and other members of Sarasota’s storied “Liars Club” met weekly for poker. The annual pineapple drop tradition initiated by “Mr. Downtown”—Paul Thorpe—will occur in the park named after him on New Years Eve.
There is a season. If you ring out the yuletide downtown, stop by to appreciate the historic clock that now sits in Selby Five Points Park. The heirloom timepiece was rescued from storage, polished, and given a place of honor in public sphere. Is that a good harbinger for Sarasota’s most iconic structure—the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall? Repairs are well underway from damage sustained during Hurricane Milton, and the city’s placemaking purple presenting hall is scheduled to re-open January 4.
The Karins Engineering report on what it will cost and take to floodproof the award-winning Broadway touring theater is expected in January.
Pothole problems? Residents active on the Facebook group “Citizens for Sarasota County” note an uptick in potholes and protruding manhole covers. Commenters attribute the sorry state of the streets to recent storms and heavy loads from construction and debris removal trucks. A former city employee noted that repairs used to be done on a routine basis, but are now reactive. So if you want to avoid broken axels, be a squeaky wheel and use the city’s Click-2-Fix app to report trouble spots.
Backstory - Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
As the purple ribbon committee winds down, take a deep dive into why Sarasota School architect Carl Abbott calls the award-winning purple presenting hall "Sarasota's icon".