Sarasota Letters to the Editor week of September 11, 2026

To: Sarasota City Mayor Debbie Trice

My name is Mikita Liohki, and I am a student at New College of Florida studying data science. I am interested in learning more about how data is used in local government, and I found your contact information through the Sarasota County website.

For one of my classes, I am learning about how data and information are used in real-world jobs. I was wondering if you would be willing to answer a few questions about how you use data in your work.

In particular, I would be interested in hearing:

What types of data or information do you use most often?

How does data help you make decisions in your job?

What tools or software do you use to work with data?

What is one thing you think a student studying data science should know about working with data in the real world? Even a brief response would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!

Mikita Liohki

Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Manager Karie Friling

Karie, I don’t feel that I have the knowledge to answer this student’s questions, but I believe that she would benefit from your input. I suspect that she’s an undergraduate — not in the Master’s Program — but I’m sure an email offering your guidance on what would be useful to local government would be valuable.

Debbie Trice

Mayor

City of Sarasota

To: Annarita Scott

I have shared your information with our Public Works Department and they will be addressing your concerns. Thank you for reaching out to the City.

Karie Friling

City Manager

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Manager Karie Friling

I am attaching a couple of photos of the paving problem area on S Palm Avenue. I checked my files and can not find my original Click It To Fix It from a year or two ago, so I can not provide the old report number or correspondence. I tried opening the website earlier today thinking it might have a record, but to no avail. As a result, I’ve lodged a new complaint.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide in having the paving corrected. If more photos are needed, or if you have a contact name I should follow up with, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I realize you all have many important issues to deal with, and I very much appreciate you taking time with this.

Annarita Scott

Sarasota

To: Annarita Scott

Thank you Annarita for your kind words and for reaching out about this pothole needing attention. I have copied the City Manager on this email so she can direct this to the correct department to follow up on what “a facilities problem” means and why this can’t be addressed, seems strange to me too. I am sure she will be able to get us a response. I thank you for your patience but also for your persistence in bringing this forward again. If you can find the original Click-2-Fix work order that might be helpful too. If not, I can start a new one. Just let me know!

Jen Ahearn-Koch

City Commissioner

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch

First, I am very much in support of you, and since I don’t know anyone who isn’t, I’m confident that you will prevail in November! Thank you for all you do and for always being kind, knowledgeable, diligent, and “the voice of reason.”

A quick question about a problem I would like to know how to resolve:

I live at S Palm Avenue. The paving along the east edge of the street is badly in need of repair. Specifically, there is a long trench several inches deep where the asphalt paving is missing from beside the curb. The situation exists in the single block between Oak Street and Selby Lane. This depth makes it tricky to park, tricky to get into and out of parked cars, water pools up in the trench, and even when dry the depth of the trench a tripping hazard. Over a year ago I contacted “Click it to Fix it.” A work order was opened. But eventually I was told that this is “a facilities problem”, and that “Click it to Fix it”, couldn’t do anything. Would you be able to just advise me, (email or text), whom in the city I should contact, call or visit to try to have the situation resolved? May you enjoy the Labor Day holiday. Thank you so much.

Annarita Scott

Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Mayor Debbie Trice

I have shared this with our staff, to add to our to-do list.

Karie Friling

City Manager

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Manager Karie Friling

Karie, Please see this information from Jim Ludwig. You might wish to follow up with him at CCNA meeting on Saturday.

Debbie Trice

Mayor

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Mayor Debbie Trice

I saw in public comments your note about park mobile app. CCNA, through me has been asking parking to do exactly what you suggest for over two years. Braxton when he last addressed us promised to have it in place by July of 2024. Check out the video of that meeting if you need proof. Attached is a log of my emails to the Parking Committee, Braxton and Pat Robinson over a two year period and my frustration with not even getting a response from them as to why they are not following through with this, user friendly benefit. Literally 100’s of other communities of all sizes all over the country provide this to their residents. There are links to them in the attached.

Jim Ludwig

Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Commission

As Sarasota, Florida taxpayers, community volunteers, city and state supporters, and deeded property owners, we are writing to request your urgent executive intervention regarding active Case File: 2026-CC-047292 at 990 Boulevard of the Arts, Beau Ciel Condominium Association.

The infrastructure in question is a 23-year-old, vertical single-stack Sovent iron drainage network. This is a highly specialized, engineered pneumatic waste core. Any modifications to it directly impact hydraulic pressures, gas containment seals, and critical fire barriers across multiple floors in our two-tower community, 18 stories and 15 stories each.

Unfortunately, local building department staff have chosen to rely entirely on un-certified, localized field notes to allow the condominium management to execute unpermitted vertical cutting and PVC splicing within this high-rise core.

Shockingly, municipal city inspections completely omitted recent unpermitted structural core modifications on the 10th floor (Unit 1001), and where severe downstream backup had already flooded into its residential space. We reported that in our August board meeting it was said that the plumbing issue had spread to the “10th floor,” which would mean 1001, which the staff confirmed. The unpermitted pipe cutting and PVC replacement was done right under the eyes of city inspectors. Another, flood occurred at 604C in the East Tower, hopefully no unpermitted iron pipe cutting and PVC replacement with no inspection were done.

A formal review of the active Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) License Portal confirms that Deputy Building Official Michael Taylor is NOT a registered Professional Engineer or Plumbing Engineer (P.E.) in the State of Florida. Lacking specialized high-rise mechanical, structural engineering licensing, or SOVENT plumbing expertise field staff lack the technical credentials to overrule mandatory Florida Building Code blueprint submissions. Note: There are more than a few luxury high-rise condominiums with the Sovent plumbing system, mostly built around the late 1990s and early 2000s in Sarasota.

Furthermore, we must formally report a severe administrative failure regarding public safety reporting. Our anonymous group repeatedly warned and requested Deputy Official Taylor of the critical need for confidentiality due to the documented history of hostile management practices within the Beau Ciel condo association. Despite these explicit, repeated warnings, Deputy Taylor actively revealed our confidential communications and email address to the board and building management. The fact that a government official, Deputy Michael Taylor, shared our anonymous email and private email address with the parties we are reporting in an open case file is a massive breach of trust, and potentially a violation of public records privacy laws.

This direct disclosure by city staff completely stripped away our defensive shield, instantly triggering an aggressive environment of targeted corporate bullying, active retaliation, legal threats of criminal prosecution, and intense intimidation against deeded owners simply seeking proper guidance to protect their homes, families, and investments in the long term. We want to live in a secure high-rise structure and in a city where citizens are treated humanely, respectfully, and with dignity by corporate entities and public servants alike.

A number of owners have historically endured total wreckage to their homes, flooded with waste water, waste materials, and toxic mold; were displaced for months to a year, all their plans and schedules destroyed, and had to start from scratch with everything–most are elderly. Most recently another owner in the lower floor unit of the East Tower, 604C had a whole unit damage due to a flood. Hopefully, no unpermitted Sovent iron pipe cutting and PVC replacement was done. Asking the condo manager, Connie Isacksen, and the board is a waste of time.

Our Direct Appeal to the Commission:

In the interest of public safety, building and structural integrity, and preventing catastrophic property wreckage, we respectfully request that the City Commission direct the Development Services Department to immediately consult with an independent, Florida-licensed Professional Plumbing Engineer (P.E.) who specializes in SOVENT configurations to perform a certified comprehensive, building-wide safety audit and share the written report with the association, management, deeded owners, that would us and make sure all the deeded owners read it.

To prevent further targeted legal harassment, bullying, and intimidation, we urgently request that our anonymous correspondence and electronic terminal and email address remain strictly confidential under Florida public records exemptions. Please note that we have repeatedly attempted to engage with the board and management. These were consistently ignored and rebuffed with bullying tones.

We are deeply grateful for your leadership, dedication, commitment, and service to the city and residents of Sarasota. Thank you very much for your urgent attention to this life-safety matter.

Beau Ciel Deeded Owners Group

Sarasota

Thank you so much for your comprehensive written breakdown, for introducing Acting Fire Marshal Jason Smith to this multi-agency record thread, and for explicitly requesting the physical evidence showing contradictions on the project site. To maintain the absolute structural objectivity of this file and shield the deeded owners from documented management retaliation, all correspondence must remain strictly in this written electronic public format.

Pursuant to your direct request for evidence to your initial field observations, please find attached the official City of Sarasota tracking ledger for active Permit Number: 2026-011565. We request that the Building Department and Fire Compliance Division formally address the following line-by-line engineering contradictions in writing before any stop-work orders are modified or lifted:

• Breach of 1-Hour Fire-Barrier Ratings: High-rise vertical utility shafts function as strict, mandated common fire containment boundaries. Splicing bare, un-insulated Schedule 40 PVC plastic lines directly into these shafts without an explicitly engineered, UL-listed intumescent firestop wrap or structural fire collar violates Chapter 7 high-rise life-safety mandates.

‣ Your field observation: “The repair’s I looked at did not penetrate shafts and the existing cast iron rated penetrations were left in place.”

Our evidence reply: The attached official city ledger explicitly logs the Work Description as: “Replace 10ft of 4″ cast iron with PVC in kitchen stack.” In high-rise mechanical engineering, a “stack” is the primary vertical drainage core line running straight through the building’s common-area rated shafts—it is not a minor horizontal fixture branch.

Splicing plastic into this run violates Chapter 7 high-rise containment rules, which is why your own department hard-coded this active permit with the critical fire safety alert: “1 Hour Protected: no.”

• Destruction of Sovent Hydraulic Equilibrium: A high-rise Sovent single-stack system relies on strict internal aerodynamic and hydraulic pressure balance to operate safely. Cutting out sections of structural cast iron and inserting un-engineered plastic pipe disrupts this kinetic balance, causing rapid systemic failure and blockages throughout the entire vertical drainage core.

‣ Your field observation: “Sovent systems can be repaired with PVC.”

Our evidence reply: While localized plumbing components can utilize PVC under standard residential codes, a high-rise single-stack Sovent system operates as a pressurized hydraulic and aerodynamic loop. Splicing bare PVC into this vertical and horizontal core breaks the acoustic and hydraulic equilibrium of the 23-year-old cast iron system. [Addendum: Every single licensed Sovent plumbing engineer informed us that cutting an iron pipe in a Sovent stack and patching it with PVC is “flat out dangerous and destructive” to the Sovent system.]

Crucially, the original licensed Plumbing Engineer (PE) who designed Beau Ciel’s master Sovent infrastructure has reviewed this situation. This structural PE explicitly refuses to be involved with the board’s current un-permitted activities, stating directly that cutting the iron stacks and inserting bare PVC patches are highly dangerous ‘band-aids’ that will breed innumerable structural failures throughout the high-rise loop and we are beginning to see them now on the West Tower’s 10th floor and recently a whole unit damage due to a backup flood in the East Tower’s 604 unit.

• Empirical Proof of Systemic Failure: The 10-foot intitially unpermitted pipe cutting and bare PVC patch executed in West Tower Unit 1101 has completely failed to remediate the underlying issue. It has directly triggered subsequent, cascading system blockages down on the 10th floor of the West Tower, as formally acknowledged during recent board proceedings.

‣ Your field observation: “The existing Sovent system may have additional blockage which is why they are jetting the sanitary pipes from the garage . If any walls are disturbed or pipe is being replaced they will require a permit and if shafts or rated penetrations are affected we will permit and inspect that as well .”

Our evidence reply: The unpermitted “core cuts” represent the physical masonry and rated drywall breaches that crews carved into the common infrastructure on units 1101 and 1401 to access the vertical stack pipes before your department intervened to post the active Stop-Work Orders. Empirical proof of this systemic failure is already visible: the un-engineered 10-foot PVC patch in West Tower Unit 1101 has completely failed to solve the problem, directly triggering subsequent cascading backups down on the 10th floor, unit 1001, which they failed to inspect.

• Compressive Loading Risk at the East Tower Base: The 20-foot bare PVC section installed under Permit #2026-011622 sits directly at the structural base of the East Tower. It was executed blindly without prior comprehensive diagnostic camera field surveys. This soft plastic splice is now forced to carry the unmitigated, immense downward vertical weight of the existing cast iron infrastructure from all residential units above, disrupting the mechanical balance of the Sovent system.

‣ Your field observation: “Only the horizontal pipe was replaced and hangers and penetration were left in their original state carrying the existing loads.”

Our evidence reply: You are correct and we accept that horizontal runs do not bear vertical dead-loads due to independent riser clamps, substituting 20 feet of bare PVC into the base turn of a high-rise cast iron Sovent system introduces severe dynamic risks.

*Under Florida Building Code (Plumbing) Section 308, horizontal transitions at the base of high-velocity stacks must withstand intense kinetic thrust and thermal expansion forces. Splicing soft plastic into this high-impact zone without engineered thrust anchors and expansion calculations creates a long-term risk of joint fatigue, structural sagging, and coupling separation under peak systemic loads.

• West Tower Kitchen ‘A’ Stack Burnout: The West Tower carries a significantly heavier unit load density than the East Tower. The Kitchen ‘A’ Stack has been severely burdened under continuous chemical use and physical wear for over 23 years. At this advanced structural stage, spot-patching with plastic sections is highly not advisable and unsafe. The only permanent engineering solution is a total vertical replacement of the ‘A’ Stack core.

‣ Your field observation: “We do not regulate maintenance on existing buildings or their plumbing systems. If full replacement is needed for this stack, the system would need to be engineered and permitted.”

Our evidence reply: We agree that a full replacement mandates engineered designs. However, the Kitchen ‘A’ Stack in the West Tower carries a significantly heavier unit load density and has suffered intense chemical wear for over 23 years. The original design PE strongly confirmed that a total vertical replacement of the ‘A’ Stack core is the only viable structural solution. Instead of seeking in-depth feedback from high-rise structural engineers, in our observation, Board Member Mark Nedoroski unilaterally dictates infrastructure decisions based purely on the lowest dollar amount, it seems. As a matter of permanent record, this is the first time Mr. Nedoroski has ever lived in or oversee a high-occupancy structural high-rise; sadly, he is willfully misapplying low-density residential habits to a complex Class I mechanical infrastructure in open defiance of Case File 2026-CC-047292. [Addendum: Mr. Nedoroski is nice, and please, this is not personal, vindictive, or retaliatory. His volunteer service is appreciated. The board repeatedly highlights his ’35 years and years of property management experience.’ Factually, the properties he owned and managed in St. Paul, MN were all three-story walk-ups–please Google it. He also had run-ins with city regulators.]

• Unexecuted CIPP Trenchless Frameworks: The board and management have previously been made aware of the non-invasive Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) epoxy lining stabilization strategy backed by structural camera inspections for the building’s highest-use stacks. However, they have failed to execute this work, choosing instead to authorize destructive, unpermitted, and un-engineered core cuts.

‣ Your field observation: “I am not aware of ‘core cuts’. If you have an example to provide it would be helpful to understand your concerns.”

Our evidence reply: The core cuts are the illegal holes chopped directly through our vertical fire walls to get to the pipes. Under Florida Building Code Section 714, cutting holes into a high-rise utility shaft without an approved permit and a certified UL-listed firestop design is a major code violation. Management completely skipped diagnostic camera scoping and non-destructive alternatives. By choosing instead to let workers chop into the building’s rated fire barriers to do work for the lowest dollar amount, they directly triggered the active Stop-Work Orders you had to post on floors 11 and 14. [Addendum: Core cuts were performed in unit 1001, which Deputy Taylor failed to inspect and inquire about. With the recent backup and flood in 604C in the East Tower, we do not know if the same unpermitted work was done. A lead member of the Beau Ciel building recommended stack replacement for the worn out kitchen stacks of both towers. He does not want to be involved with the board and management so his name is withheld. ]

The board and management have previously been made aware of non-invasive, trenchless Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) epoxy lining stabilization strategies backed by structural camera inspections for high-use stacks, yet they completely failed to execute diagnostic camera scoping. By choosing instead to allow contractors to blindly cut the building’s physical core infrastructure and find the lowest dollar amount, they have directly triggered the current life-safety and structural violations.

We respectfully present these official municipal records and engineering contradictions to ensure the City of Sarasota enforces strict, signed, and sealed engineering plans before any unprotected plastic pipe patches inside our vertical walls are allowed to threaten our high-rise infrastructure.

We look forward to your continued written monitoring of this file as a matter of permanent public record and the safety of everyone at Beau Ciel. We genuinely appreciate your dedicated work and service along with the Building and Fire Compliance leadership teams. We wish Fire Marshal Smith all the best in his new role. Again, many thanks for your responsiveness. The Concerned Deeded Owners Group of Beau Ciel

Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Clerk Shayla Griggs

Would you send me a list of which commissioners are appointed as liaison and to which outside agencies/organizations?

I’m not sure if I’m using the right terminology. To clarify, I’m liaison to the EDC and the Coastal Advisory Committee. Other commissioners have other appointments. I’d like to have the entire list of who is appointed to what.

Kathy Kelley Ohlrich

Vice Mayor

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Manager Karie Friling

Are we Adding heat to Lido Pool?

Debbie Trice

Mayor

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Mayor Debbie Trice

No, we are not.

Karie Friling

City Manager

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Manager Karie Friling

Thanks so much for your prompt response. This makes sense! Are they considering heating it as that would be a great plus in the winter months!

Nina Fleiss

Sarasota

 

To: Nina Fleiss

Ms. Fleiss, there is no plan to permanently close the Lido Pool. It is closed for the health and safety of the community until needed repairs can be completed.

Debbie Trice

Mayor

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Commission

Please do not close this great pool. While I don’t reside full-time in Sarasota, I am frequently there and this would be a great loss to me and the many visitors to Lido Key.

Nina Fleiss

Sarasota

To: Nina Fleiss

I have shared your information with our Public Works Department and they will be addressing your concerns. Thank you for reaching out to the City.

Karie Friling

City Manager

City of Sarasota

To: Sarsota City Manager Karie Friling

I am attaching a couple of photos of the paving problem area on S Palm Avenue. I checked my files and can not find my original Click It To Fix It from a year or two ago, so I can not provide the old report number or correspondence. I tried opening the website earlier today thinking it might have a record, but to no avail. As a result, I’ve lodged a new complaint.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide in having the paving corrected. If more photos are needed, or if you have a contact name I should follow up with, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I realize you all have many important issues to deal with, and I very much appreciate you taking time with this.

Annarita Scott

Sarasota

To: Annarita Scott

Thank you Annarita for your kind words and for reaching out about this pothole needing attention. I have copied the City Manager on this email so she can direct this to the correct department to follow up on what “a facilities problem” means and why this can’t be addressed, seems strange to me too. I am sure she will be able to get us a response. I thank you for your patience but also for your persistence in bringing this forward again.

If you can find the original Click-2-Fix work order that might be helpful too. If not, I can start a new one. Just let me know!

Jen Ahearn-Koch

City Commissioner At-Large

City of Sarasota

 

To: Sarasota City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch

First, I am very much in support of you, and since I don’t know anyone who isn’t, I’m confident that you will prevail in November! Thank you for all you do and for always being kind, knowledgeable, diligent, and “the voice of reason.”

A quick question about a problem I would like to know how to resolve:

I live at S Palm Avenue. The paving along the east edge of the street is badly in need of repair. Specifically, there is a long trench several inches deep where the asphalt paving is missing from beside the curb. The situation exists in the single block between Oak Street and Selby Lane. This depth makes it tricky to park, tricky to get into and out of parked cars, water pools up in the trench, and even when dry the depth of the trench a tripping hazard. Over a year ago I contacted “Click it to Fix it.” A work order was opened. But eventually I was told that this is “a facilities problem”, and that “Click it to Fix it”, couldn’t do anything. Would you be able to just advise me, (email or text), whom in the city I should contact, call or visit to try to have the situation resolved? May you enjoy the Labor Day holiday. Thank you so much.

Annarita Scott

Sarasota

To: Ellen Dizio

Please find project summary sheets for Bird Key and Werlin Park. The City must follow FEMA rules when completing projects that will receive FEMA funding. While we agree it can be frustrating experiencing delays, we cannot risk losing critical dollars needed, so we must work within their timelines and process.

Karie Friling

City Manager

City of Sarasota

To: Ellen DiZio

I’m sorry you have not gotten a reply yet. Again, I am copying the city manager and deputy city manager so that your request can be routed to the appropriate staff for response.

Liz Alpert

Commissioner

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Commissioner Liz Alpert

I have yet to get a reply to my questions above.

Additionally I am currently concerned about the work (or lack thereof) taking place in front of Bird Key at the moment.

There has been a lot of digging and dirt moved and it’s now got grass growing on the dirt piles and old parts and equipment lying around in front of our community. Instead of addressing what’s there, new work has been started outside of the Ritz (which prevents people from

Using that crosswalk by the way). We are patient but it is hard to imagine what is happening here and there is very little activity at all that we can see.

Ellen and Mark DiZio

Sarasota

 

To: Ellen DiZio

I am copying the city manager and deputy city manager with this response so that the appropriate staff can respond to your questions regarding the parks.

Liz Alpert

Commissioner

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Commission

I am a Sarasota resident who lives on Bird Key and am writing to ask for an update on the status of Bird Key Park and the park on the opposite side of the John Ringling Causeway.

These parks have remained closed since the 2024 hurricanes. During that time, there has been extensive activity throughout the surrounding area involving traffic signals, bike lanes, road work, and other projects. However, I have not seen any visible work taking place in either park, and I have been unable to find any information explaining the delay or providing a timeline for reopening.

Could you please let residents know:

To: Sarasota Deputy City Manager Jennifer Jorgensen

Thanks for the heads up. Here is the millage calculation:

Calculation of Ad Valorem Taxes based on Assessed Valuations – FY27 Budget Projections

Fiscal 2026-27

City Millage

Taxable Value (July 1st)

$20,162,667,299

Less Newtown TIF

-224,701,922

Less BAY TIF

-1,189,070,746

Adjusted Taxable Value

18,748,894,631

Reduction for Collection

0.9650

Taxable Value @ 96.5%

18,092,683,319

Proposed Millage

3.2730

Estimated Ad Valorem Taxes – General Fund

$59,217,353

Kelly Strickland

Finance Director

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota Deputy City Manager Jennifer Jorgensen

Thank you for the heads-up.

For VII.2, yes, the remaining $131,500 will come from Tourist Development Tax (TDT) funds. We will clarify that funding source for the record tomorrow.

For VII.4, the $3.5 million in state appropriations will help cover the City’s local match for FEMA repair projects at Bayfront Park, Whitaker Park, and Saprito Pier, supporting hurricane recovery and restoration of these community amenities.

I will work with Kelly to be prepared to provide a brief verbal update on project status, next steps, and anticipated timelines, and answer questions. Let me know if you have any questions.

Nikesh Patel

Director of Public Works

City of Sarasota

To: Lori Sykora

I am not familiar with what’s going on at Renaissance Manor. I am copying the city manager and deputy city manager with this response to it may be routed to the appropriate staff for follow up.

Liz Alpert

Commissioner

City of Sarasota

To: Sarasota City Commission

Renaissance Manor changed something on their industrial kitchen’s infrastructure approximately 5 weeks ago which resulted in their rooftop industrial kitchen exhaust fans being louder! They run 24/7.

This was a huge issue for me when they initially opened their newly built industrial kitchen approx. 14 years ago or so. It really upset me because of the noise etc. which turned our residential street into the likeness of an alley behind a restaurant with all the noises and smells associated with it. Back then i reached out to the city about my issues by calling and emailing. RM planted a hedge of areca palms and put bafflers or something in the rooftop exhaust fans to lower the noise. The terrible situation was less horrible but i still was not happy about it and have had to live with it for all this time.

Five weeks ago, or so, something changed and the rooftop industrial exhaust fans are louder again. It sounds like the back side of St. Armands circle over here on 17th St. where I reside. When I open my front door the first thing I hear is the loud industrial kitchen rooftop turbine exhaust fans which run 24/7. It’s not HVAC noise nor pool pump noise. It’s rooftop industrial kitchen exhaust fans like those found on restaurants.

RM’s expansion has had a negative impact on the quality of my life, also imo my health and most likely my property value. I would have to include in full disclosure all the industrial activity associated with their industrial kitchen in any contract on my property whether to sell or rent. This includes the constant noise and smells from their industrial rooftop exhaust fan/vents, the weekly (will this increase as they expand?) food deliveries by huge diesel trucks with engine running the entire time parked in front of my house, the septic truck quarterly pump out of their grease pit, the weekly running of their huge generator and other non-residential noises and activities created by RM’s operations. All of this industrial kitchen related activity has been placed on my street, 17th. It’s like the back of a restaurant over here. Why am I paying a cost – the decrease of enjoyment of my property and negative effect on my property value- for Renaissance Manor’s expanded operations?

I said all this and more in my communications with the city when RM opened their kitchen addition. That kitchen was not there when I bought my house. In fact I planned on putting a second story addition on my house until that industrial kitchen “happened”. I asked a city official, < “how can you drop an industrial kitchen in the middle of a residential area and not vet it with the neighbors?”> and I was told that it was not necessary! I called it “rude design” and I stand by that. I recall telling a city official that they’d “ruined my life”! I recall them saying, “just don’t think about it”.

I was constantly calling around for a property rights attorney- re: the city allowing this- and crying a lot! But then I was diagnosed with cancer so my priorities changed. P.S. – disrupted sleep and stress cause cancer to grow. Diesel fumes cause cancer. They were doing their kitchen deliveries at 4:30-5a.m.! It took me over a year to get that changed to after 7 per city code and it was not easy! I lost a lot of sleep over it and was very stressed out because of it. I could go on and on and on but I won’t today anyway.

I am writing today because of the recent change and uptick in noise level due to something changing in those industrial kitchen rooftop exhaust fans. Is the noise above a certain decibel level? probably not. Is it non-residential noise? Yes! -seems industrial to me. Is it a constant irritant to me as soon as I open my front door? Yes! It’s an irritant when i spend time in my front yard. It’s an irritant when I walk the block which I do regularly at least twice a day! This irritation/annoyance is physiological and easily tracked on a health device. It’s sickening to me and so upsetting that it took me 5 weeks to get the gumption to sit down and write this.

Today, I’m not going into all of the aspects of this serious problem. I will follow up some other time with more details about this unhealthy and non-residential situation created by RM’s industrial kitchen and their expansion. Please let me know of any remedies available. Thank you for your time and service!

Lori Sykora

Sarasota

 

To: Sarasota City Manager Karie Friling

I hope you had a great birthday, and are continuing the celebration this weekend.

I just googled ParkMobile app and discovered that they offer provides payment collection options. Parkers could maintain a stored balance (as we discussed with SunPass and the toll transponder service you use). It seems to be an option that the parking provider would have to establish, so the details (and pros and cons) aren’t readily available to the public.

I believe it’s an option the City should investigate. If it could be an option for frequent users, the savings on transaction fees might enable the City to pass along some of the savings to users who chose that option (e.g., each $10 wallet addition buys $11-worth of parking).

On the different topic of resident parking passes, one resident said that she’d buy an annual one for $100. (I doubt that’s the price point you had in mind.) She’s an infrequent parker; she likes the idea of a parking pass to avoid the hassle of pausing to pay when you park.

Debbie Trice

Mayor

City of Sarasota