AUGUST 10 First Day of SCHOOL. REMEMBER: The usual Very Heavy traffic for student dropoff & pickup resumes. If driving, watch for kids & pay attention to reduced speeds in school zones.

August 2023 Dreamers Academy bilingual immersion charter school is MOVING. New campus in north Sarasota at 2146 Myrtle Street will open for 2023-2024 school year!

Monday JULY 31, 7pm, next monthly AVNA meeting @ CoreSRQ, 1075 S. Euclid (corner Euclid & Bahia Vista). Agenda: neighborhood issues, and (trivia night). See also AVNA page.

What's that Road Construction Mess over on Mound Street (May-July 2023)? It is associated with Selby Gardens construction. This road project falls under FDOT. Mound St & Orange Av road projects should wrap up sometime in July.

Monday JUNE 26, 7pm, monthly AVNA meeting @ CoreSRQ, 1075 S. Euclid (corner Euclid & Bahia Vista). Agenda: neighborhood issues. Guest speaker Todd Kucharski of Solid Waste Dept, City of Sarasota: All About Trash. See also AVNA page.

Sarasota Paradise:  Soccer!    The new pre-professional soccer league team, the Sarasota Paradise, with United Soccer League Two, will hold its home games at Sarasota High stadium during the 2023 season. See sarasotaparadise.us    Games at SHS every Saturday at 7:30pm from June 3 thru July 1, plus July 15.

CITY SURVEY for DESIGN STANDARDS requests your public input before June 9.  The City of Sarasota (City) is updating the Engineering Design Criteria Manual (EDCM) to improve the quality of design in the community.  The EDCM is prepared by the City of Sarasota to guide City staff, developers, and engineers on design standards for roads, trails, sidewalks, and all other infrastructure on City rights-of-way.  The EDCM is actively in the revision process through October 2023.  For more information and for link to survey, see the project website at:  https://www.sarasotafl.gov/government/edcm  Do your "homework" by viewing the prior meeting presentations, then take the survey.

Monday May 22, 7pm, AVNA meeting @ CoreSRQ, 1075 S. Euclid (corner Euclid & Bahia Vista). Agenda is discussion of future of the Van Wezel performance hall, with guest speaker Ron Kashman advocating for keeping & renovating it. See also AVNA page.

Thursday May 18, Coffee with a Cop. 8am-9.30am, at McDonalds, Washington Blvd & Wood St. Come talk to a local police officer, casually, with your questions & concerns.

April 2023 Local Alligator Alert. A small alligator was recently seen on School Ave near either Payne Park or Hatton St.

People concerned about an alligator should call FWC's Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286). Generally, an alligator is deemed a nuisance if it is at least 4 feet in length and the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property. There are situations when smaller alligators wind up in places that are not acceptable, such as swimming pools, garages, etc., and must be removed. When someone concerned about an alligator in any of these situations calls the Nuisance Alligator Hotline, FWC will dispatch a trapper to resolve the situation.

MONDAY May 26, 7 pm AVNA: Alta Vista Neighborhood Association meeting. At CORE SRQ (the former "Y" at corner of Euclid & Bahia Vista). See the AVNA MeetUp website for more

Fri Jan 20, 9am, Annual Convocation of Governments, at SCTI ( at Beneva & Proctor).    See City Website for details.

Tues Jan 17, 9am, City Commission Meeting, City Hall. Nearby proposed development : Bahia Vista Apartments at corner of Tuttle & Bahia Vista; proposed large apartment complex. Application proposes change from medium density to high density. This hearing specifically pertains to the zoning change from medium density to high density.

What's that construction equipment at corner of Shade & Hatton:  The County is just staging equipment & materials for the resurfacing project of nearby Tuttle Ave.  No construction is currently planned for that strip of land along Hatton.

Fall/Winter 2022 Sarasota High School Perimeter Security Re-Fencing Project . Nov update: the new fencing continues to be installed section by section.

December 15, 10am, at Ringling Blvd & Legacy Trail (near Five-O Donuts!)  Ribbon cutting ceremony for Ringling Trail Complete Streets project.

August 2022: Shade Avenue Complete Street project. The City is beginning planning to construct a “complete street” on Shade Avenue from Hibiscus Street to 15th Street, including the portion that runs thru the Alta Vista neighborhood. See Shade Ave Complete Street​.

Hurricane Ian yard debris & fence debris final pickup began Nov 7, will continue thru at least Nov 21. There are no specific scheduled days, they get to your block when they get to it. Place Yard waste debris piles & construction/fencing piles separately at curb. Be sure you put your stuff out by Nov 7, cuz once they hit your block, that was your last chance! City Ian-Debris Hotline 941.584.9533.

Nov 18, 9am, Planning Board Meeting, City Hall. Nearby development : Bahia Vista Apartments at corner of Tuttle & Bahia Vista; proposed large apartment complex. Application proposes change from medium density to high density. See link above for details. This meeting is opportunity to have your public comments heard.

Vote: Nov 8 Election.
​Early Voting Oct 24 - Nov 6
Regular voting day Nov 8.
Sarasotavotes.gov for more info.

Nov 5, 9-2, Concordia Lutheran Church fall craft fair & sale. Food truck, treats, etc. See concordiasarasota.org

HALLOWEEN ON S.LIME AVE! October 30 & 31, 6-10pm. An amazingly cool (& free) installation -- you Gotta SEE this! -- brought to you once again by the good folks at EnlightenedMonkeyArts.com .

October 27, 6-8.15pm, SHS pep rally & fireworks, free & community invited! and THRILLER !

Free trolley-bus to St. Armands and Lido Key:  Begun March 2022 by the City, the first stop, at School Av & Main St, is very close to our neighborhood5:  just walk up School Ave by Payne Park to Ringling Blvd, then cross [depending on time of day, you might stop in next door to get a delicious Five-O donut, i'm just sayin'] & continue north on that little cut-thru sidewalk, just one Very Short block to the Main St. stop.  It's a pilot program at this point. See their website for details Sarasotabayrunner.com

Keeping Up Appearances: Code Compliance Responsibilities of all residents, owners AND renters; a list of frequent code violations/ requirements aimed at keeping the neighborhoods somewhat nice. I.E., you can't keep unregistered junk cars in your front yard; you must take your trash barrels back into side/back yard after trash day. Simple stuff like that. Stuff your naughty neighbor is doing that brings down the niceness of the neighborhood, plus how to report it to the City, in the unlikely event that speaking kindly to your neighbor fails to get results.

Traffic Alert June 2022 thru November 2022, construction work on TUTTLE between 17th St & Siesta Circle. Nighttime-only lane closures for resurfacing of street.

Duplicate Power Poles on School Ave: July update:  all poles removed!   March 2022  update.  8 poles gone, and only 1 old pole still remains to be removed...FPL, the City, and Comcast are working on getting wires moved so that they can take down the old poles that were forgotten back when new poles were installed 3 years ago...  FPL gives me regular updates: they are waiting for Comcast to move their wires from old to new pole.  (Might be a loooonnng wait!)

July 25 Monday  AVNA: Alta Vista Neighborhood Association meeting.  At CORE SRQ (the "Y" at corner of Euclid & Bahia Vista).  See the AVNA MeetUp website for more details .

THURSDAY May 26, 7 pm  AVNA: Alta Vista Neighborhood Association meeting.  At CORE SRQ (the "Y" at corner of Euclid & Bahia Vista).  See the AVNA MeetUp website for more details .  
May Meeting Agenda:  Public Schools discussion, also Hatton Street Traffic Calming. See also Traffic Calming
City rep will present Hatton Street traffic calming options (Striping and signage, chicane, speed table) to be decided by meeting participants, after which resident signatures will be required to move forward.

Monday May 23, 3 - 7pm, City Hall Annex Media Studio:  public educational open house about Complete Streets.  Specific to two upcoming Complete Street projects in planning for Boulevard of the Arts.  3pm - 4:30pm section west of US41, 5:30pm Boulevard of the Arts and 10th Street east of US41.   Also, see our  Ringling Trail page for more details about our neighborhood's local Complete Street project, or go to this open house for general info about Complete Streets (other than details specific to  Ringling Blvd project).

2022 ongoing:  Save Pink Floyd  "Pink Floyd" is a great old live oak, one of several, in neighboring area Arlington Park, on Floyd Street just east of Shade Avenue.  It's on a private lot that has recently been sold and is slated for several new houses. Including destruction of these trees.  Neighbors are investigating ways of that not happening, of saving these beautiful grand trees. The City has lately been working on revising the tree protection ordinance, yet even that, & County & State rules, will not protect this grand tree.  We in Alta Vista neighborhood have lost much of our large, old trees, but it's not too late to save some nearby.  Latest:  community action has resulted in the developer saying they will save (expect for pruning one major limb) this tree.  For more info see the  Arlington Park neighborhood website.

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Extension of the  Legacy Trail  is now open in our neighborhood (March 2022)!!!  Ride or stroll down to Pinecraft, or even to Venice!  New road crossings with signage and flashers have been installed on Shade Ave plus two places on School Ave, one south of Payne Park Village and one north of PPV (where the old "blinking light" used to be).
Drivers:  watch for the new pedestrian/bicycle crossings!  Please be careful not to kill pedestrians and cyclists. And needless to say, bikers and peds, watch out for cars, they can hurt you.

March 3, 2022, 9am, celebration of opening of trail at Payne Park

Feb 28 AVNA meeting, where candidacies for AVNA Board were to be accepted, was cancelled at the last moment, because no-one had RSVPed to AVNA via their MeetUp page.  Consequently, incumbents remain on Board by default.

Feb 22 (Tuesday) City Commission meeting, City Hall, starting 9am.  Tree Protection Ordinance on the agenda. (This was to be scheduled for a Special meeting, but I was told -- by the City Clerk's office on Feb 15 -- that it was the Commission's call to include it in (another) regular Commission meeting).  For a bit of background on this issue see Tree Protection Ordinance page .

Feb 17 (Thurs), 5pm, City Hall Media Studio, Public Meeting on Recreational Trails Program. Presentation & Q&A about Legacy Trail, Payne Park connections, Alderman MURT...  For a bit more info & links, see Legacy Trail Extension .

Fri & Sat Feb 4 & 5, Concordia's legendary RUMMAGE SALE, Concordia Lutheran Church on Wood Street at School Ave. This is always One Good Rummage Sale!!!

Sarasota Orchestra in Payne Park 3.1:  NOT!   Sept 9 Observer article reports that Sarasota Orchestra definitively will not be looking to build in Payne Park.  (Read about the history of this issue.)

Summer - 2021 Sewer Mains/Laterals Lining   You may see trucks about, and fresh green marking paint on manhole covers. The City is continuing its project of relining (instead of digging/replacing) a lot of the old sewer lines, many dating to the 1950s, now in our neighborhood.  The process, sequentially:  first they jet the lines (like power washing), then run a camera through them to see what they need to see, then they re-line the old pipes.  (No, they don't do the pipes that run between the street and each house.)  See www.sarasotafl.gov/government/utilities/utility-construction-projects

2021 Sarasota High School construction.  They've totally redone the football field: new drainage and artificial turf, and a big new state-of-the-art video scoreboard.  Also, they plan to be replacing the asphalt track with improved, rubberized surface.   (A little editorial footnote: Once upon a time the School District offered to let local residents use these athletic facilities during summer break; however, with modern security concerns plus alleged constant, year-round school activities, this offer of sharing with the taxpayers has fallen by the wayside.)  Also, six new portable classrooms have been put in to accommodate increased number of students. 

Summer 2021  Big Drone Sightings!  No, not alien spaceships.  Rather, FPL is having a contractor survey their overhead electric lines, using drone camera technology, in our neighborhood to see where they need to do tree trimming again.