Longboat Key News and Sarasota City News encourages Letters to the Editor on timely issues. Please email to: letters@lbknews.com or mail to PO Box 8001, Longboat Key, FL 34228. We also print letters sent to Town Hall that address Longboat Key issues. We reserve the right to edit.
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier
Please see the pictures regarding the corroded communication box which is hidden behind the pitch apple tree at the south entrance of Sabal Cove.
We are unable to obtain any answers from landscapers and electricians regarding it; what is it for? Is it active or abandoned?
Is there anyone at the town level that might be able to offer some insight into what it is and if it’s active, how we can get a new cover for it? The landscape committee would like to remove the pitch apple, but before we do this, we want to understand what this is.
Barbara Teller
Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Public Works Director Isaac Brownman
Whose box?
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Construction & Facility System Manager Guy Matricciani
Guy, checked it out this weekend and found that it was an old communications box (Telephone). It is still in use and he will reach out to see if it can be replaced or abandoned.
Charles “Charlie” Mopps
Public Works Program Manager
Town of Longboat Key Public Works
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
I am meeting with the communication provider this morning and will follow up with answers to your questions.
Guy Matricciani
Construction & Facility System Manager Public Works
Town of Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier
Guy met with Frontier this morning and was advised that the box is not Frontier’s equipment, it is a Comcast cable box. After speaking with Comcast, he was advised that if the HOA removes the tree/shrubs from around it, Comcast will come out and replace the cover, but they can’t remove the equipment.
Trish Shinkle
Town Clerk
Town of Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Public Works Program Manager Charlie Mopps
The HOA would like to remove the pitch apple, have the box cover replaced and then they will conceal the box with a smaller planting. Can you make the Comcast connection and request once the current shrub is removed?
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier
Guy came by this afternoon and advised that the pitch apple plantings have been removed. He has contacted Comcast and they will schedule the replacement of the box cover.
Trish Shinkle
Town Clerk
Town of Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Public Works Construction & Facility Manager Guy Matricciani
Guy, checked it out this weekend and found that it was an old communications box (Telephone). It is still in use and he will reach out to see if it can be replaced or abandoned.
Charles Mopps
Program Manager Public Works
Town of Longboat Key Public Works
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
I am meeting with the communication provider this morning and will follow up with answers to your questions.
Guy Matricciani
Construction & Facility System Manager Public Works
Town of Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier
Guy met with Frontier this morning and was advised that the box is not Frontier’s equipment, it is a Comcast cable box. After speaking with Comcast, he was advised that if the HOA removes the tree/shrubs from around it, Comcast will come out and replace the cover, but they can’t remove the equipment.
Trish Shinkle
Town Clerk
Town of Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Public Works Project Manager Charlie Mopps
The HOA would like to remove the pitch apple, have the box cover replaced and then they will conceal the box with a smaller planting. Can you make the Comcast connection and request once the current shrub is removed?
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Barbara Teller
Guy came by this afternoon and advised that the pitch apple plantings have been removed. He has contacted Comcast and they will schedule the replacement of the box cover.
Trish Shinkle
Town Clerk
Town of Longboat Key
Communication box
To: Longboat Key Town Clerk Trish Shinkle
Awesome, thank you all very much for taking care of that! We appreciate it!
Barbara Teller
Longboat Key
Bridge update from FDOT
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
Know you worked on the LBK North recommendation, so wanted to get you this info from FDOT (this was a follow-up item from our last LBK North meeting). Sounds like FDOT has assigned a community responsive Project Manager (David Turley) to this initiative. Will defer to your expertise in looking at the numbers, but it seems like the difference between the low and mid level bascule is one less opening.
FYI, the initial note that David Turley responded to (at the bottom of this thread) was my personal resident note to FDOT, not our formal letter from LBK North.
Isaac & Ken – Wasn’t sure you had this info so am passing along. Thank you both for keeping FDOT connected to community.
Maureen Merrigan
Longboat Key
Bridge update from FDOT
To: Maureen Merrigan
I apologize for getting back to you a little late, but I had to do some digging on the information you requested. The individual information is as follows:
Low Level Bascule – 26’ clearance – 61.8% of boat traffic can go under – slope of bridge is 3% – Cost: $147 – $158 million
Mid Level Bascule – 36’ clearance – 69% of boat traffic can go under – slope of bridge is 4% – Cost: $153 – $165 million
High Level Fixed – 78’ clearance – 100% of boat traffic can go under – slope of bridge is 4.5% – Cost $116 million
As far as the bridge openings per day, we looked at data from 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022:
2019 – average number of openings per year – 2459, per month – 205 and per day 7
2020 – average number of openings per year – 2298, per month – 192 and per day 6
2021 – average number of openings per year – 2589, per month – 216 and per day 7
2022 – average number of openings per year – (did not have full data), per month – 222 and per day 7
David C. Turley
Project Development Engineer II
FDOT District 1
Bridge update from FDOT
To: Florida Department of Transportation Project Development Engineer David Turley
Thank you for your response.
I co-chair a large community group with 24 homeowner and condo associations on the north end of Longboat Key (LBK North). Thank you for leading a project that will improve our infrastructure, transportation and safety, especially pedestrian and bike safety going over the Longboat Pass bridge. The community also appreciates the considerations you and your leadership are giving to reduce proposed bridge width and height.
One question that has come up from our group of 24 representatives, is concerning the number of bridge openings. Do you have data to share that indicates the number of openings, including times of day and months, that occur for the Longboat Pass Bridge currently? This data would help us better understand the potential impact on travel times. If the numbers are not broken down – even averages would help. In other words, does the bridge open 2 times a day or 22 times (we assume somewhere in between) and do these numbers change significantly throughout the day or by month?
Another question we get is the difference in height, slope, cost and bridge openings between the current bridge and the two other bascule bridges. Do you have a graphic that I can share with the group? (I think you had a summary graphic at the last Town Commission meeting).
Lastly, can your remind us of the next step in the design /decision process. Feel free to call if easier to discuss. Thank you for any assistance with this information.
Maureen Merrigan
Longboat Key
Bridge update from FDOT
To: Maureen Merrigan
My name is David Turley and I have taken over as the Project Manager for the SR 789 (Longboat Key) PD&E Study. The reason for the email is to respond to your comment made during the workshop:
“Dear Mr Bateman
Thank you for soliciting input regarding the Longboat Pass Bridge. Our first priority should be to repair and extend the life of the current bridge as long as feasible. It serves us well and has no significant impact on traffic. The relationship between LBK north end traffic and bridge openings is minimal at best.
If the bridge is to be replaced, only the lower bridge would fit the scale of the community and surrounding areas. A lower bridge would still allow for recreational fishing.
The proposed width of the bridge in each of the new build options is excessive. The expansive width will increase the cost of the project unnecessarily and impact the vegetation, noise barriers and adjacent residential property (Northgate condo units and the N Shore Rd entrance.) The proposed width in no fashion aligns with the adjoining Gulf of Mexico Drive roadways.
Please consider shoulders 1/2 lane width (vs the proposed full 12 ft length lane).
While the outer pedestrian, bike and fishing lanes would benefit from being wider than the current 5 ft lane, 8 ft lanes are more than sufficient. The proposed 12 ft lanes on each side would only waste tax payer dollars on excessive cement and construction and encroach on current vegetation and nearby housing.
I am completely opposed to the taller bridges, as someone who bikes and walks over the bridge frequently. FDOT must already be aware of the year-on-year increase in e-bike and scooter traffic going over the LB Pass bridge by residents and workers who are trying to avoid the traffic backups. The taller bridges are much more dangerous due to the natural acceleration of bikes (electric and manual) and scooters going over the bridge.
Any opportunity for passengers to appreciate the beauty of the pass is lost on the taller bridges – all one typically sees in steeper, taller bridges is the cement and sky in front as one climbs up a bridge, and the road and tops of houses and trees as one descends.
Finally, FDOT should do all it can to maintain the current bridge landing footprint (LBK side) to minimize impact to the surrounding neighborhood, existing housing and vegetation.
I hope FDOT can explore methods to extend the life of the current bridge. If FDOT must construct a new bridge, please construct one that is low (Alternative 1) and much thinner than the proposed options presented.” Thank you for your input on this study. We are exploring options to reduce the width of the replacement options, including reducing shoulder or travel lane widths.
David C. Turley
Project Development Engineer II
FDOT District 1
Bridge update from FDOT
To: Longboat Key Town Clerk Trish Shinkle
We send a note to the Mayor sharing our comments from LBK North (excerpt from the minutes) – but it didn’t seem to come through clearly in the circulated public email (type appeared superimposed in parts).
This is a long process with FDOT and realize the Commission may be taking a multi step strategy to get it just right long term.
Would you mind resending to Commission as I committed to the LBK North Reps that the Commissioners would see their comments.
From LBK North minutes:
LBK Pass Bridge
We spent 20 frustrating minutes of our meeting trying to understand why our Town Commission recommended the higher bascule bridge to FDOT, versus the lower bridge for which LBK North advocated. Paul Hylbert, LBK North co-chair, and Eddie Abrams, MPO Citizen’s Representative, both attended the Commission Workshop. As you may recall, FDOT proposed 3 options: tall fixed span bridge and two bascule (opening) bridges, one lower than the other.
We asked for the Town to recommend the lower bascule bridge because it is only 35% higher than the current bridge (the higher bascule option, which they chose, is twice as high as the current bridge), the lower bridge only increases the slope for pedestrians and bicyclists by 33% (versus a slope increase of 50% with the higher bascule), the lower option had a slightly lower cost, and still allowed you to feel like you were closer to the water and nature as you crossed over one of the most beautiful passes on the coast of Florida.
So what happened? It appears the pedestrians, bicyclists, (and drivers who don’t mind a pause to enjoy the beauty) and the LBK North Community all lost out because the Town Commission believed the “35% less openings” seemed to be more important – despite not having hard data on how often the bridge opens, when it typically opens, how fast it opens and closes, and exactly what impact it has on travel times to/from LBK. We have now asked FDOT and Commissioner Karon to uncover a more information regarding traffic and actual number of openings.
On a positive note, the Commission did recommend to FDOT that the width be reduced to minimize encroachment on the 9-unit, 360 N Condo complex. The Commission also made a case to FDOT against the tall fixed span bridge (which would make the LBK Pass bridge the 5th highest bridge in the State).
Maureen Merrigan
Longboat Key
Bridge update from FDOT
To: Maureen Merrigan
Regarding height, our main objective was to try to avoid the high fixed bridge, despite its much lower cost. We felt that showing some flexibility ( to reduce openings) would enhance the likelihood we could avoid the worst case. By the way, Bradenton Beach has just notified us that they are endorsing our approach. If the opportunity arises to argue for the lower bascule, we will certainly do so. Hope you are enjoying your Summer somewhere cool, if such a place exists.
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
Bridge update from FDOT
To: Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier
Thank you for bringing back to the Commission the question of the new LBK Pass bridge height, in response to our (LBK North) concerns at the last Town Workshop. One of the primary reasons LBK North exists is to present a more unified community perspective to our local government on issues that are important to us across 26 neighborhood and condo associations. We were surprised by the outcome of the Commission discussion but realize the discussions with FDOT will continue.
Below are the minutes from our meeting on the topic which highlight, again, our rationale.
Excerpt LBK North Minutes 7/18/24
We spent 20 frustrating minutes of our meeting trying to understand why our Town Commission recommended the higher bascule bridge to FDOT, versus the lower bridge for which LBK North advocated. Paul Hylbert, LBK North co-chair, and Eddie Abrams, MPO Citizen’s Representative, both attended the Commission workshop. As you may recall, FDOT proposed 3 options: tall fixed span bridge and two bascule (opening) bridges, one lower than the other.
We asked for the Town to recommend the lower bascule bridge because it is only 35% higher than the current bridge (the higher bascule option is twice as high as the current bridge), the lower bridge only increases the slope for pedestrians and bicyclists by 33% (versus a slope increase of 50% with the higher bascule), the lower option had a slightly lower cost, and still allowed you to feel like you were closer to the water and nature as you crossed over one of the most beautiful passes on the coast of Florida.
So what happened? It appears the pedestrians, bicyclists, (and drivers who don’t mind a pause to enjoy the beauty) and the LBK North Community all lost out because the Town Commission believed the “35% less openings” seemed to be more important – despite not having hard data on how often the bridge opens, when it typically opens, how fast it opens and closes, and exactly what impact it has on travel times to/from LBK. We have now asked FDOT and Commissioner Karon to uncover a bit more information regarding traffic and actual number of openings.
On a positive note, the Commission did recommend to FDOT that the width be reduced to minimize encroachment on the 9 unit, 360 N Condo complex. The Commission also made a case to FDOT against the tall fixed span bridge (which would make the LBK Pass bridge the 5th highest bridge in the State).
Maureen Merrigan
Longboat Key
Water Main replacement
To: Judy Boice
This is my favorite kind of letter and I appreciate your taking the time to write it. Guy is one of our special staff members and deserves your recognition. It’s never fun to have your neighborhood torn up, but it helps to have people who care on hand to minimize the disruptions and fix any problems as they arise. Thanks.
Ken Schneier
Mayor
Town of Longboat Key
Motorboat Zone Fix
To: Longboat Key Commission
On behalf of the Lands End HOA Board, representing the community just south of the Bergstrom/Saunders/Mayer properties, we wholly support Joan Bergstrom’s recommendations regarding the Greer Island Swim/Kayak zone. Due to the vague dividing line, motorboats regularly encroach into the swim/kayak area, creating all the problems noted by Joan.
In addition, many boats play excessively loud music, disturbing not only beachgoers, but the residents at the north end of LBK. Loud boat music also continues to be a problem on the Jewfish Key Sandbar. Signage should also include prohibition on loud music in violation of LBK’s noise ordinance, both on Greer Island and the sandbar. For all these reasons, the entire Greer beach east of the bridge should be reserved for swimmers/kayaks. There is more than ample room for motorboats west of the bridge.
James G. Haft
Longboat Key
Motorboat zone fix
To: Longboat Key Commission
My name is Joan Bergstrom and I am a 70 year resident of the Land’s End/Longboat Pass area located at the North end of Longboat Key. Also, I am a part of the Bergstrom – Mayers – Saunders Family who have lived at Land’s End on the Pass located at the extreme North End of Longboat Key for over 75 years.
We at Land’s End appreciate the Commissioners’ addressing, creating and enforcement of a Swim-Kayak Zone and Motorboat Zone. However, by placing a section of the motorboat west side zone in proximity of the east side swim kayak zone has caused a conflict.
There is a 4 -fold problem that we are witness to daily as this area has great allure for boater and beachgoers alike. There is a problem which needs a clarification of the delineation between the East Swim and Kayak Zone and the West Motorboat Zone. The problems as I see them are below as follows:
1) The motorboats are intruding by removing the swim floats and using the swim kayak zone beach to moor their boats. This intrusion causes constant enforcement by the LBK Police and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Dept.
2) The intrusion of the motorboats creates danger for swimmers and kayakers for having large motor props to interfere in their passive recreation area.
3) The Manatees and sea life are constantly endangered by this motorboat activity next to their Channel to the sanctuary of the Greer Inlet.
4) The motorboat activity of this small Greer Channel area blocks the over one million-dollar channel which was built in a joint effort by Manatee County and Longboat Key for access into the Greer Inlet by Homeowners who need access to their homes and docks and the passive use by kayakers, wildlife and the Manatees.
Through the efforts of the Commissioners to create a clear channel opening into the Greer Channel and to create two separate zones was well done. However, now a little further tweaking in the design and signage is necessary to make this nice enhancement function smoothly. If signage could be added stating public beach rules regarding pets in an effort to protect the nesting birds in the area there, it would be a very good thing.
I would respectfully like to support the letter of suggestions recently made to the Town of Longboat Key and the Manatee County Commissioners by Tom Mayers to more clearly separate and delineate the East swim kayak zone area from the West motorboat zone area using the bridge as the dividing line. Kindly refer to the photo diagram of the Greer Channel with an outline design solution for dividing the two zones by Tom Mayers included with his letter. It is confusing and difficult to enforce how it is presently laid out. Thank you for addressing this issue in a timely manner.
I kindly suggest making the Longboat Key Bridge the dividing line between the motorboat area and the passive swim/kayak area so that the problem is resolved with more clarity. Please see Tom Mayers’ photo solution already submitted with his letter in early June, 2024.
Thank you for your prompt consideration and your actions for solving this ongoing matter permanently.
Joan Bergstrom
Longboat Key
Red tide
To: Longboat Key Commissioner Penny Gold
Thanks so much! As we say, humans don’t cause red tide, but we can cause it to be worse. What this study shows is that there is a link between nitrogen loads from the Caloosahatchee River and the duration of red tides that can be used to plug in different scenarios.
For example, we believe that humans have increased nitrogen loads by something between two to four-fold, compared to pre-development conditions. That suggests that we are adding on perhaps two months to the average red tide duration. If we could reduce nitrogen loads by the target that FDEP developed 15 years ago, we could cut a couple of weeks off of the typical red tide event.
But we don’t, unfortunately, have anything on the horizon big enough to reach that goal. There are big projects – very big and very expensive – that are being developed. But even a project as big as the C-43 Reservoir project – at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars – that only gets us to a small fraction of the goal. Which is fine, if everyone knows that, and there are projects behind the C-43 that will get us that pollutant load reduction goal. But there’s not enough in the pipeline to get us to that target.
It won’t be easy – at all – but if we understand the magnitude of the benefit that could arise, perhaps we’d be willing to come up with projects that could implement that 15-year-old pollutant load reduction target.
Dave Tomasko
Executive Director
Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
Red tide duration and nitrogen loads
To: Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Director Dave Tomasko
Thank you Dave, This is an excellent report about how and why red tide events in the region have been worsening. Knowledge is power, so I am hopeful this information will stimulate some needed environmental solutions.
Penny Gold
Commissioner
Town of Longboat Key
Red tide duration and nitrogen loads
To: Longboat Key Commission, Sarasota City Commission
For a few years now, we’ve been saying that while it’s true that humans don’t “cause” red tide, we can cause them to be worse. The attached article went through an extensive peer-review process prior to being accepted for publication in the scientific journal “Florida Scientist”. It examined the relationship between the duration of red tides and the nitrogen loads delivered to the nearshore waters of Southwest Florida from five river systems. This is not the first paper to link human activities and the exacerbation of red tides, but it reinforces the conclusions from other studies, such as this one – Medina-et-al-2022
Why did we think that humans could be making red tide worse? Because some really neat research from researchers at Mote has shown that the red tide organism can use both “natural” nitrogen sources, and human-related nitrogen loads. And guess what? Loading models and other techniques from Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Lemon Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and the Caloosahatchee River suggest that nitrogen loads to our coastal waters are two to four times higher now than in pre-development years, as shown in multiple references in this paper – Tomasko-et-al_2018
For this study, our first step was to use an extensive data set on the abundance of the organism that causes red tide, Karenia brevis. We only looked at the last 15 years, since there has been a much more robust and sustained sampling effort recently than existed several decades ago. We had over 40,000 data points in the region between Estero Bay and Sarasota Bay, and at least 1,500 cell counts for each year, and usually many more. We defined a red tide “event” as a period when cell counts for K. brevis exceeded two thresholds: 10,000/L and 100,000/L for at least a month. We built in a buffer to account for weekends, lack of sampling due to weather, etc.
Using this approach, we found 11 events when maximum daily cell counts exceeded 100,000/L for at least 30 days, and 12 events when maximum daily cell counts exceeded 10,000/L. Those events ranged from a month to over a year in duration. We then did a retrospective analysis, looking at the nitrogen loads delivered by five gaged river basins: Myakka River, Peace River, Joshua Creek, Horse Creek, and the Caloosahatchee River. We looked at the nitrogen load delivered the month before and then the first month of the event, to see if there was a relationship between nitrogen loads and red tide durations. Regardless of whether the event lasted a month or over a year, we always kept the nitrogen load estimate to the 30 days just before and then just after the red tide initiation. We found that 77 percent of the variation in red tide durations could be explained by the nitrogen load delivered by the Caloosahatchee River during those 60 days, and the probability of this relationship occurring by chance alone was less than one in a thousand.
Humans don’t initiate red tides in offshore waters. And humans don’t play a role in the transport of red tides to our coastal waters. But IF a red tide is initiated in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and IF that red tide happens to be transported to our shores, THEN the duration of that red tide event is strongly influenced by the amount of nitrogen coming out of the Caloosahatchee River.
Back in 2009, FDEP developed a 23% nitrogen load reduction goal for the Caloosahatchee River. That target has not been reached. And it will be VERY difficult to implement the projects needed to achieve it – mainly because the primary problem is not that the water in the Caloosahatchee is so filthy (it’s not clean, but it’s not terrible) – it’s because there’s SO MUCH water coming out of the river. Why? Because we’ve ditched and drained Central Florida for over a century. And we’ve created more and more impervious surfaces for rain to land on (roofs, driveways, parking lots, roads, etc.). Then that stormwater gets transported down to Lake Okeechobee. We can’t store that much water in the Lake, because it’s been lowered by 5 to 7 feet from its elevation in the early 1800s. And we can’t just “send the water south” because it has too much phosphorus, and it would turn the Everglades into a giant cattail marsh. Big reservoirs downstream from the lake are being planned, but they’re not constructed yet, and there is quite a bit of uncertainty about whether the filter marshes will be able to clean the massive amounts of water that would have to be run through them.
So, for the foreseeable future, these over-drained Central Florida landscapes load stormwater into Lake O, and despite our best intentions, much of that water will get diverted out to the east and into the St. Lucie River Estuary, or out to the west and into the Caloosahatchee River. Which means, human activities will continue to make “natural” red tide events larger, more intense, and (as shown here) longer lasting.
But think of what could happen, if we got our act together, devoted resources commensurate with the extent of the problem, and met that 23% load reduction target for the Caloosahatchee River. It not only would make the Caloosahatchee River Estuary, San Carlos Bay and Pine Island Sound healthier and more productive during non-red tide events, it would also help to reduce the size, severity, and duration of red tide events as well.
Dave Tomasko
Executive Director
Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
Taxes
To: Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier
Thanks Mayor Ken for your response to my suggestion. As you know, increasing property market values on Longboat, along with many new high end homes now in construction and the new St Regis Hotel and Condos, generating additional property tax revenue, make it possible to maintain the millage rate, not just running a “tight ship” in Town finance management.
“Some” would argue this should help you to decrease the millage rate.
Your constituents may be tuned out this Summer but they are not stupid.
The County “returning” some of the major County taxes residents of the Sarasota end of LBK pay in taxes via a low demand, bricks and mortar County Library, along with the $1 million a year in ongoing Library operating cost contribution, is obviously not a tax payer priority given our priority new water and sewer infrastructure replacement needs.
Suggest that you talk with Congressman Buchanan and Steube on how to get some of the $1.5 trillion dollars in federal money already approved by Congress for help with our water sewer infrastructure needs and help keep our water and sewer bills from significant increases to pay off Town debt.
Bob Gault
Longboat Key
New Phone System – Go Live Information
To: Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton
If you’d like I can e-mail the commission or if you wish to pass on the information below.
The Town will be migrating to an upgraded phone solution on Monday at noon. We don’t anticipate any issues while the phone provider migrates the phone numbers, however there could be a slight interruption during this event. We plan to have both systems receiving calls till the cut over. If you experience any difficulties reaching Town staff, please reach out through e-mail/cellular..
Jason Keen
Chief Information Officer
Town of Longboat Key
McAlpin House
To: Sarasota City Vice Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch
My name is John Vermeren. You may remember when I approached the city about vacating the right of way for Seeds Av.
I reached out again, a few weeks ago regarding moving the McAlpin house to that vacant lot on Margaret Street. My dream all along had been to move/build a home for myself on that land, and the McAlpin House would my perfect final project.
I think I’ve been an asset to the city since I’ve moved to Sarasota, I’ve rescued homes that were slated to be torn down because of the magnitude of needed repairs at 2358 Margaret and 4037 Walnut. Id love to add McAlpin house to my resume.
Can you give me an update on the current status of the McAlpin House?
Can you give me an email address for Patrick Seidenstricker.
Who should I be contacting for updates? Zachary Ross at Steele Harbor or Patrick Seidenstricker?
Is it headed my way? Thanks for all you help.
John Vermeren
Sarasota
McAlpin House
To: John Vermeren
Thank you Mr Vermeren for the follow-up email. I thought I had forwarded this a while ago so that you could be directed to the appropriate contact person(s), but perhaps not.
In any case, I have copied Mr Seidensticker, Mr Brown, and Mr Robinson on this email to follow-up and get you any information you may need on potentially pursuing the McAlpin House move/reuse (and copy me as well please).
Jen Ahearn-Koch
Vice Mayor
City of Sarasota
McAlpin House
To: Sarasota City Commission
I will pass along to my client who is spearheading the relocation effort and follow up with them on their progress. I will pass along any pertinent information I receive.
Patrick Seidensticker
Sarasota
