VOTE: Primary election TUES AUG 20. Polls open 7am - 7pm. See SarasotaVotes.gov for information. Also, see League of Women Voters website (vote411.org) for info on YOUR ballot choices, and lwvsrq.org for info on Sarasota candidate positions.. On Election Day you can only vote in your precinct (check your voter registration card). For Alta Vista residents who usually vote at St.Paul's Lutheran, vote this time at First Presbyterian, on Oak St at west edge of Payne Park.
​THEN LATER, General Election is Nov 5.

Moved to Thurs Aug 8 DUE TO STORM Monday August 5, 9am, City Commission Meeting, City Hall. Agenda Item X.5 SCHOOL SAFETY ZONES. New ordinance being considered to install speeding detection systems (video, photo) in select school "slow" zones throughout the City, to automatically ticket ($100?) speeders in those areas during "slow" morning & evening hours (which are already posted on road signs). Zones being considered include, for Alta Vista Elementary, Tuttle near Browning, also 900-1100 S. Shade, possibly Euclid; and for Sarasota High, 2000-2200 Bahia Vista. See City Commission meeting Aug 5, click on backup for details. That backup document includes actual traffic counts including speed counts from March 2024, which shows ALARMING numbers of speeding cars in these areas; for Alta Vista Elementary analysis see pp55-56, 59-60 and 63-64; for Sarasota High on Bahia Vista St see pp 63-64.

Monday July 29, 7pm, monthly AVNA meeting @ YMCA, 1075 S. Euclid (corner Euclid & Bahia Vista). Guest will be Diane Kennedy, head of City Code Compliance, and Melissa Furman, candidate for City Commission. See AVNA meetup page for details.

New Post Office on US 301/Washington Blvd by Payne Park?:  NOPE!  Noted in the Observer May 30th (yourobserver.com), in early stages of planning/discussion, building new post office on that vacant parcel of City-owned land between Washington Blvd and Payne Park.  Would allow new Convention Center to be built on valuable downtown parcel that has been the main Sarasota post office for many years.  HOWEVER, the Post Office officially stated, on June 6th, that "The Postal Service is not willing to relocate nor entertain discussions about a land swap."   So, nope.  Wonder what might eventually go on this vacant, City-owned site?

June 2024, Sarasota Paradise preprofessional soccer at Sarasota High School Stadium. Sarasota Paradise, a new team in 2023, played there last year and, as far as I know, chaos did not beset the neighborhood: no crazy traffic, no wacko soccer fan gangs, no ear-shattering vuvuzelas.  Home games scheduled for 2024: June 1, 12, 16, 23, 29, and July 3, and tickets start at just $10.  See sarasotaparadise.us

June 14  Payne Park Tennis Center Open House.    The community is invited to a free all-day open house with music and drinks to celebrate the latest amenities at the City-owned and operated facility, including the grand opening of Court Thirteen, a pro shop, cafe, bar, and social gathering place for tennis enthusiasts (& the rest of us, too).  Complimentary coffee!  See details at City web page.  New fencing work for the Center is just about done.

Monika's Bakery Boutique: new bakery/coffee/desserts shop on Ringling Blvd, next to FiveO Donuts. Opening soon in May 2024.

Payne Park Tennis Center Fence Replacement Project April-June.  No, that fenced-off area is just for project materials, they're not building anything new on that site right now.

FREE WI-FI in Payne Park !   as of April 2024

April 2024 Local Construction / Traffic Alert . Continuing into April FPL contractors continue replacing/upgrading power poles & wires (on School Av, Wood, Shade, etc.). Temporary street closures and traffic detours occur as work progresses; watch for big orange signs.

March-April: Frontier Fiberoptic Cable Installation on Bay St between School and East. Frontier is running underground fiber optic lines in right-of-way along this block.

April 7 - 14, Sarasota Open Tennis Tournament at Payne Park Tennis Center  .  See sarasotaopen.com

March 29 Friday, 5pm  Good Friday in Payne Park. First Baptist Church is holding Good Friday sermon, including sponsoring a free, family-fun event including a helicopter Easter Egg drop, plus a Nik Wallenda wire walk!  See firstsarasota.org for details.

Mature Tree incentive program:  Spring 2024 (and also Fall 2024).  Apparently the 2023 pilot program proved successful!  Now called Neighborhood Canopy Program, this initiative encourages residents to plant and maintain large canopy trees. The City’s Tree Mitigation Fund pays up to $500 toward an approved canopy tree when the required $100 deposit is received. Reservations are now (Feb 3) being taken for plantings in Spring 2024  Interested in participating? Click this link Neighborhood Canopy Program for details.  Then call Mast Landscape Management at 941-480-6387 or email the City at [email protected].

Fri Feb 2 & Sat Feb 3  Concordia Lutheran Church Rummage Sale!  Always a fun time and a great rummage sale.  Corner of Wood St and School Av.  8am-2pm both days.

Shade Ave Complete Streets update:  New SURVEY!  City is requesting more community input for Shade Ave improvement project.  Specifically, based on prior feedback, they are considering removing that weird little "raised bump" traffic circle at Shade and Novus (a.k.a. "Kelly's Bane").  Take a look at 3 options:  Take the survey.  The survey closes 5pm Mon Jan 22, 2024. See more info, plus City website link, at Shade Ave Complete Streets page.

New Sarasota High Master Plan summary was presented at School Board Workshop 8/15/23.  Future Improvements:  Tennis Courts, and a Performing Arts Center.  Just a tad more initial intel, so far, at Schools Update page.

SOLAR COOP!  Thinking of going solar at your home?  A new solar coop formed July 2023; a solar coop is a group of people (in a set area and timeframe) who negotiate a good deal on installing solar panels for their homes.  You must sign up by Nov 30th to participate; but there is no obligation. See Solar United Neighbors