The Sarasota Quay

Finally! The Sarasota Quay project is moving forward. We all have lots of memories of this property and the "hole" on the Bayfront lasted too long! The definition of the word 'quay' is:  a landing place, especially one of solid masonry, constructed along the edge of a body of water. I have a vague memory of learning that way back in Sarasota's history, this area was indeed a port of sorts. I will do some research on that!

Per the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the massive mixed-use Quay Sarasota development received final city approval on 12/5/16 after years of planning. The potential $1 billion project will combine commercial, residential and office buildings on the long-vacant property and transform the downtown waterfront over the next decade. The project is located on 14-acres located on US 41 in downtown Sarasota, Florida and is considered by many to be the most significant redevelopment project in the history of Sarasota. The Quay, Hyatt, 888, G.WIZ and Van Wezel were built on fill added in the 1960's.

My memories of the Quay relate back to the famous Lido Casino sea horses…In the 1980’s the developer of the Quay project on Sarasota’s Bayfront brought the delightful iconic figure back to the community. The majestic sea horses were again cast in concrete, from the original design and attached to the Sarasota Quay. The Quay opened in 1987 with eleven sea horses adorning its entryway and main plaza and once again these magical statues became the backdrop for photographic portraits. Visitors and residents, young and old came to the Quay and posed for a picture with them. History has a way of repeating itself. The sea horses again lost their home after 20 years. This time the horses were rescued by citizens interested in seeing the icons returned to the community.

The Quay was demolished in 2007 and the valuable property where the Quay stood is now a non-accessible grass field, with the Belle Haven remaining, tucked away in the back corner on 4th Street, next to the Hyatt Hotel. I am delighted to know that the Bell Haven will be restored as part of this project.

If you are looking for a real estate in Sarasota, Florida, give me a call at 941-315-1185 and I will be glad to show you around my Home Town and find you a great home!

Read the Sarasota Herald Tribune article here:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/…/quay-sarasota-project-wins-c…

A Hometown Sarasota Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us again! Thanksgiving is more than just a day of parades, fond memories, football games and those special dinners our families cook. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the seemingly everyday things we are fortunate enough to have in our lives, such as a turkey dinner on the table, a warm place to sleep, and a roof over our heads. Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude - a day where we are reminded of the bounty of treasures that is a large part of our lives.

It gives us the opportunity to be surrounded by family and friends, and appreciate the numerous things we are blessed with. Sarasota is my hometown and I am fortunate enough to have an amazing group of people in my life that I am truly thankful for. 

My business as a Realtor in Sarasota, Florida relies on the recommendations and support of those close to me, and I want to take a moment and say a heartfelt thank you to my wife, Liz, who is the wind beneath my wings, to Re/Max Alliance Group and to all of the loyal people who continuously support me. 

Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours!

The "Scary Bridge" to Siesta Key

Bridges in and around Sarasota and it’s world class beaches have played an important role in the development of Sarasota. My wife is a fourth generation Sarasotan and remembers her grandmother telling her stories about her great-great grandfather, who was one of the first physicians in the area. It was routine for him to row a boat or take a ferry (like the one in the photo below, top left) to reach Siesta Key and other barrier islands to tend to his patients. The trip by ferry from downtown Sarasota to Siesta (formerly known as Sarasota Key) took 20 minutes. It was not until 1917, that the first bridge was built between Siesta Key and the mainland. By 1927, the original Siesta Key Bridge was replaced with a more substantial structure, and the current drawbridge (on the infamous list of Ugliest Bridges) was built in 1972.


I remember the second Siesta Key bridge well…I called it the ‘pipe bridge’ because of the metal railings. It tended to be scary to drive across – it was very narrow with a sidewalk only on one side, and it was very close to the water. My wife’s father who lived on Siesta Key remembers staying on a bit too long as a hurricane was spinning in the gulf. When he finally decided to evacuate the family, waves were literally crashing over the bridge as he drove across Sarasota Bay to the mainland.

Many times, when approaching the north bridge, you’ll have to put your car in park while the bridge lifts for boats to pass.  It used to be annoying to me, but now I find that it is a relaxing event to watch the sailboats pass by. If you are looking for a home on Siesta Key or the mainland in Sarasota, give me a call and I will show you around and tell you some stories about growing up here in my beautiful hometown of Sarasota, Florida.



Credits: Sarasota History Alive, Florida DOT, Sarasota: A History, by Jeff LaHurd, uglybridges.com

Reeling 'Em in on The John Ringling Causeway

There are so many fun things to do in Sarasota, Florida and not surprisingly, one of the most popular is fishing. When I was a kid, that’s exactly where you would find me…on the John Ringling Causeway Bridge, fishing with my uncle. And I am talking about the FIRST bridge – the old, wooden one. When I moved to Florida at age two with my family, it didn’t take long for all our ‘long lost’ relatives to come visit us in sunny Sarasota and head out to the Ringling Causeway bridge to fish. It was as much a bridge for people as for cars. When word spread that the fish were running, both sides of the bridge quickly filled with anglers ready to reel ‘em in.


The John Ringling Causeway Bridge was opened for the first time in 1925 by John Ringling himself. The purpose was to get buyers from the mainland to the barrier islands, especially Bird Key, to buy land he had for sale. The John Ringling Causeway Bridge has been a unique part of Sarasota's history for more than 80 years.


There have been three Ringling Causeway bridges. Construction on the first Ringling Causeway began in 1925. Ringling opened this first new bridge by driving his famous green Rolls-Royce over the Ringling Causeway on January 1, 1926.


By 1950, it was becoming clear that the original Causeway was not up to the task of handling the increasing traffic. Bird Key was booming along with the rest of the nation, and thousands of ex-GI's who had trained in southwest Florida moved there after attending college on the GI Bill. In early 1951, the State Road Board decided that a new bridge was needed to replace the original Ringling Causeway. The first bridge was torn down. It had cost $1,000,000. The new Ringling Causeway, a draw-bridge, opened in 1959 at a cost of $20,000,000.


Bird Key and the other barrier islands became hugely-popular boating communities in the last half of the 20th century and by the year 2000, the Ringling drawbridge was opening as many as 18 times a day. Traffic was snarling, and the situation grew increasingly aggravating and even dangerous. A plan was developed for a high-span, segmented, precast concrete Ringling Causeway. Work on the third John Ringling Causeway in 2001 and completed the work in 2003. The $68,000,000 bridge is a visually stunning masterpiece of architectural design and is now known around the world as a symbol of the greater Sarasota area. The City of Sarasota and private donors tossed in $1,500,000 for landscaping. The landscaping and bridge are both magnificent and appropriate, as the John Ringling Causeway remains the only way to get “by land” to beautiful Bird Key.



If you are looking for a home in Sarasota, on Bird Key, Lido or Longboat Key, Florida, give me a call and I will share some beautiful properties in paradise and tell you some fun facts and stories about my home town.

Credits: St. Armand’s Circle Association, CNN iReport, Chelsey Lucas , Sarasota County Department of Historical Resources, Jeff LaHurd, SarasotaHistoryAlive.com, 4Sarasota.com

Memories of Siesta Key

My wife and I both grew up in Sarasota. We are Baby Boomers, so we have seen a lot of changes over the years. One of my wife’s favorite stories is about a condo I sold on Siesta Key at Beach Villas. When I mentioned the listing to Liz, she asked me the address and when I told her it was 221 Beach Road, she got teary-eyed.

She and her family lived at that EXACT address in the mid-50’s through the early 60’s. Her aunt and uncle owned 13 little cottages just around the curve of Beach Road, coming south from Siesta Village. There were two little cottages right on the beach and the rest were just across on Beach Road. They were simple little places – pecky cyprus walls, no air conditioning (but a wonderful gulf breeze blowing through the Australian pines), and  sulfur water (no water treatment plants then) but she didn’t mind any of it. She remembers when there were no buildings taller than two stories and nothing blocking access to the beautiful sugar sand beaches along Siesta Key…and few people on the beach back then, especially in the summer. Her days were filled with building sand castles, picking up shells (she still has a huge shell collection) and the feel of tiny sand crabs and live coquinas wriggling between her toes as she walked the wide, white sand along the shoreline. She describes walking barefoot to Siesta Sundries in The Village and buying Supergirl comic books and cherry cokes at the soda fountain. Those were the days!

Even though we miss those days gone by, Siesta Key is still incredibly beautiful and a fabulous place to live and play. It’s the number one beach in the world, and Siesta Village is filled with great places to eat and buy beach treasures. I have sold several properties on Siesta Key and have a listing now at 1156 W PEPPERTREE DRIVE Unit# 114C in Peppertree Bay. Call me at 941-315-1185 to find your dream home on Siesta Key – and my wife can tell you some great stories!

Times Gone By

I have lived in Sarasota all my life and have been with Re/Max Alliance Group for more than 15 years. My hometown of Sarasota has seen many changes over the decades. For a very long time, my wife and I used to shop at the Publix and eat lunch at the restaurants at the Ringling Shopping Center. For now, at least we can still park under a tree and ‘brown bag it’ in the parking lot. It’s a little sad for those of us who remember the good ‘ol days.

In 1955, the excitement around town was the opening of Sarasota's first shopping center on Ringling Boulevard.  The Ringling Shopping Center with Publix Supermarket as its anchor, opened for business on what had been a golf driving range. The first stores in the center were Beauteria Beauty Shop, Belk-Lindsey, Coach Butterfield Toys, Center Shoe Repair, Jimmy Crews Barber Shop, Crowders Bros. Hardware, Darby Cleaners, Diana Shops, Grants Sweet Shop, the S&H Stamp Reception Center, Touchton Rexall Drug Store and F.W. Woolworth.

By the end of the 1950’s, Sarasota shoppers had two major shopping centers to take their business to. The second shopping center, South Gate, opened in 1957, commerce shifted away from downtown, and the once lively downtown area went into a downward spiral.  Except for some cosmetic upgrades and changes in the stores though, the Ringling Shopping Center remained as is had always been until 2010. At that point Publix moved to it’s Tamiami Trail location in the former Sarasota Herald Tribune Building and tentative plans were made to open a neighborhood Walmart at the old Ringling Shopping Center location. Those plans were rejected in 2013 and our little shopping center is now mostly vacant. But the good news is that the Sarasota Downtown has revived into a very vibrant destination to live, work and play.

As for the Ringling Shopping Center, we still enjoy our bag lunches and our happy memories of days gone by. Maybe someday that little former gem of a shopping center will be revived. In the meantime, I am going strong, serving the real estate needs of  Sarasota...my home town. If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Sarasota, call me at 941-315-1185.

Credits: Jeff LaHurd, Sarasota Patch, The Observer

The Rosemary District

Living in Sarasota all my life and being a Realtor who sells in downtown Sarasota, I am very excited to hear all the news blurbs about the makeover of the up-and-coming Rosemary District. The unique Rosemary District, once known as Overtown, was part of the original plat of the Town of Sarasota in 1885.  If you're somewhat old-fashioned and maybe a bit romantic, you’re likely to fall in love with the Rosemary District in downtown Sarasota.

The Rosemary District holds deep roots in Sarasota. In fact, the area’s historical significance dates back the area’s founding in the 19th Century. The Rosemary District thrived throughout Sarasota’s earliest years, but as shopping malls and new housing developments tore people away from downtown in the 1970's and 80's, the District suffered along with other downtown communities. By the 1980's, many of its buildings were vacant and its businesses dead. Yet downtown Sarasota's redevelopment has spun into Rosemary.

In 1995, residents and local businesses formed a group to raise funds for restoring and modernizing the Rosemary District. As you walk the streets of this charming neighborhood, you can’t help but feel the cultural journey the area is taking. With its dynamic architecture, mom and pop shops, cafes, boutiques, art studios and galleries, the Rosemary District is not just seen as a center for urban development but also one of the roots of the cultural heart of Sarasota.

 Today the Rosemary District is a diverse and thriving community, the setting for a variety of locally-owned small businesses – cafés, boutiques, galleries, and art studios – as well as attractive residential properties ranging from charming bungalows to spacious high-rise condos. The Rosemary District is filled with places to go and things to do.

I, and Re/Max Alliance Group in Sarasota, remain excited and poised to serve you and help you to enjoy the wonderful future that downtown Sarasota is embracing. If you are looking for a great place to live in downtown Sarasota, call me at 941-315-1185.