February 9, ,2017 SARASOTA, Fla. – The Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association, led by President Patrick Gannon, has succeeded in urging the City of Sarasota to send email notifications about development applications submitted to the city for review. The policy change makes the development process more accessible to community members who can now subscribe to receive [...]
The City is going to do a test notification on Tuesday, February 14th . It is only a test and you do not need to evacuate when you get the message!!!!!! Emergency Notification System The City of Sarasota uses Rapid Notify as its Emergency Notification System provider. These systems are often referred to as "Reverse 911" [...]
The city is investing nearly $150,000 to restore the mermaid fountain at Pineapple Park — and that’s just the beginning of its plans to improve the downtown space. Officials held a dedication ceremony to celebrate the improvements to the public park at Lemon and Pineapple avenues, dubbed “Good Heart Plaza.” That was 2005. Twelve years [...]
DSCA Monthly Board Meeting Wednesday, May 4, 2016 4:00pm Ritz-Carlton Residences, 1st Floor Founders Room Special Guest: City Public Utilities: Gerald Boyce, General Manager Utilities Dept. The DSCA Board Meeting is open for DSCA Board Directors, Member Representatives and invited guests. DSCA BoardAgenda-20160504v1 Send questions & comments to: Downtown.Sarasota.Condo.Assoc@gmail.com
Since our Annual Member Meeting in March 2015, the DSCA Board has been quite active. We have had strong attendance and participation by the 13 Directors at our monthly Board meetings, including several condo member representatives and liaison partners attending each Board meeting. This has enabled us to accomplish the following: The DSCA website has [...]
The DSCA’s Operation Plan for 2015 establishes ad hoc committees to advance specific annual goals including community safety. To that end, the Safety Committee was established to work in concert with the Sarasota Police Department (SPD) to foster programs that enhance the safety of downtown residents. As this is the first of an ongoing series on citizen [...]
DSCA helped to promote two meetings that were held by the Save Our Sarasota Trees (SOS-Trees) organization. The first public meeting was held on June 17 at the Art Center Sarasota. This meeting was initiated in response to reports of trees being removed from Links Park and other downtown locations. This was an informative meeting open to [...]
On Apr. 20, 2015, DSCA President spoke before the City Commission in support of the City Manager Barwin 8-Point Plan on Chronic Homelessness. We stated our support using excerpts from the Barwin report, “The report on Chronic Homelessness presented by City Manager Barwin at the Sarasota City Commission meeting on April 6, provided an extremely helpful survey of [...]
On May 22, DSCA held a transportation Focus Group at the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce with representatives of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The group reviewed and provided feedback on the MPO Long Range Transportation Plans, as well as prioritization of future projects. On Aug 3, several members of the DSCA Board attended [...]
The DSCA Annual Meeting, followed by the DSCA Forum - The Homeless in Sarasota occurred on March 25, 2015 at the Herald tribune Building. The people in attendance heard that the DSCA is in a sound and stable position, and operating in maintaining and assuring that the interests of Downtown Condominium Associations are well represented. The Members in [...]
DSCA sponsored a forum on Homelessness as part of the 2015 DSCA Annual Members Meeting on March 25, 2015 with an overflow audience at the Herald Tribune community room. This forum, titled: The Homeless in Sarasota – Positive Happenings and Obstacles to Navigate included the following panelsists, along with Peter Fanning as moderator: Tom Barwin, City Manager, [...]
Intersections Map Treat yourself to a walking tour at your on leisure. Click on the full size map link, print, go to Selby Five Points Park or any other location on the map and begin walking. Also, if you haven’t seen Selby Five Points Park all lit up, you might want to time your walk [...]
Peter Fanning with Board support is working to extend the influence of DSCA by working with other Downtown Groups, Associations and Resident Members to improve the quality of life for Downtown Residents. With the help of the Downtown Sarasota Alliance (DSA) and especially the Plaza at Five Points and 100 Central Condominium Associations and their [...]
Maybe you have forgotten by now, but soon, well in “government” time a Bayfront Mooring Field will be established. Geotechnical Analysis of the bottom of the bay where the moorings are to be place is continuing as of this posting. Once this has been completed, Requests for Proposals for anchor design and installation will be [...]
The DSCA Board is supporting and providing public input at the City Commission Meetings in support of several new ordinances and policies including a ban on smoking. Elsie Souza of 100 Central and Parks Advisory Board Member appeared at the April 4 City Commission Meeting to support the Parks Advisory Board’s recommendation for a NO [...]
The seats for City Commissioners for Districts 1, 2, and 3 will be up for election on Tuesday, March 8, 2011. The incumbents in District 1, Fredd Atkins and in District 3, Kelly Kirschner have announced their retirement from the Commission. Richard Clapp, District 2, has announced his intention to seek a second four-year term [...]
SCOPE (see Info Links Page on the DSCA Website’s Home Page for information about SCOPE) is planning an Aging with Dignity Initiative. This initiative is a partnership of SCOPE, USF Sarasota-Manatee and The Patterson Foundation. The broad goal of this multi-year effort is to develop innovative and technological ways for older adults to age with [...]
The City Commission at its January 3rd meeting agreed to authorize the Mayor (Kelly Kirschner), City Auditor and Clerk to enter into an agreement with Duncan Technologies to implement an on street paid parking plan. This plan anticipates that approximately 620 on street spaces will become "pay-to-use" parking spaces. It continues to be the intent of [...]
Sixty-six residents attended the DSCA all members meeting on December 6, 2010 to hear a series of speakers give an update on several very “hot” topics. Former City Commissioner Ken Shelin gave a presentation on the idea of realigning the management of Selby Five Points Park by having the City of Sarasota contract with a [...]
If one of your New Year’s resolutions includes reducing the clutter by cleaning out the garage or storage area and you come across bicycles that are no longer used, consider a donation to Bicycles for the Homeless Inc. This organization seeks bicycles in any condition to be reconditioned and upgraded for safety, if necessary. The [...]
The City of Sarasota has informed Phil Pagano, Operations Manager of the Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market, that his request to move the date of the Farmers Market for one day only from Saturday, December 25 to Thursday, December 23 has been approved. In addition, Mr. Pagano announced that the Farmers Market will not be open on the [...]
The Board of Directors of the DSCA met on November 18, 2010 and took the following action: The Board received another update on the recently initiated website for DSCA and its evolution toward being a major vehicle of communication for DSCA members. Once again, the Board expressed its gratitude for all the effort and time [...]
In its continuing efforts to make the downtown area more attractive and vibrant, the Downtown Improvement District (DID) and the Downtown Sarasota Alliance (DSA) have moved forward with a plan to have lights installed on the electric poles along Main Street from 301/Washington Blvd. to the Bayfront and along several adjoining streets. There are 280 [...]
After the City Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection Board asked the City Commission to consider creating tobacco-free zones in children’s areas of city parks, DSCA asked the question why limit it to just the children’s areas. Residents and merchants downtown have been complaining for sometime about the litter being created downtown by people who inappropriately [...]
It’s highly unlikely that we as downtown residents, our visiting friends and tourists will have to put up with unsightly parking meters. However, based on discussions by the City Commission and City Staff, it is highly likely that we will be paying for parking in some of the prime areas that are free today. With [...]
How about brick streets, arcades mid-block along Main Street, wider sidewalks, refurbished store fronts that follow the historic underlay, a pedestrian friendly connecting portal from Main Street to the Bayfront, a circulating “people mover” to not only get people connected throughout the downtown and adjacent areas, but also to other public transportation including maybe a [...]
You probably noticed the blue safety fence that has gone up around the Five Points Park. According to the City Public Works Department the schedule calls for • Removing existing wall surrounding the park • Grading of the Park • Installation of a new irrigation system • Brick walkway installation • Landscaping Hopefully, we will [...]
The DSCA is providing support to the residents of our member association, Dolphin Tower. Reality struck home when residents like Carol Reynolds (also an active member of a number of the subcommittees to the DSCA Board) was told to evacuate her home and bring along only a few possessions that she could carry. Through the assistance [...]
The DSCA Board of Directors establishes communication with its members and improving member input to other associations as the number one priority for the upcoming year. If you have already visited the About Us Page you know that the DSCA is very much interested in improving communication among its members and the Board of Directors. This new [...]
The DSCA has heard you, its members, and has taken the initiative to address the accommodation of those persons who are homeless in the downtown area. Harry Chororos, President of the Sarabande Condominium Association, has agreed to Chair the DSCA’s Sub-Committee on Persons Who Are Homeless. Soon after, realizing how pervasive and complex this [...]
The DSCA leading the way in collaborating with other stakeholders with an interest in improving the vibrancy and quality of life downtown appeared several times before the City Commission to encourage a compromise that works for everyone. The DSCA, based on the advice from many of our association members, has appeared many times before the [...]
The Beautification and Redesign of Five Points Park is Underway with The City Commission’s Acceptance of the Plans Brought Forth By the Downtown Improvement District (DID). The improvements to beautify Five Points Park and make it functionally a much more useable and comfortable resource for residents and visitors will be taking place at the same [...]
It seems as though when the traffic around town lessens, the activities of our City Commission and of the various City Departments increases. Watching Downtown Improve right before our eyes! So much of downtown is undergoing renovation and upgrades that if you blink you might just miss something. Of course, as all of you know [...]
Peter Fanning, DSCA President, appeared before the City Commission on August 16 to again push for completion of the Bayfront Mooring Field. This much discussed, off again-on again effort, has been going on for nearly a decade, and was identified by the Board of Directors with member support as a priority for this year. Peter [...]
