Year in Review 2022
Initiatives
What We’ve Done
WATER QUALITY
Sarasota County takes a multi-disciplinary approach to managing the quality of our water, from regulatory policies and ordinances intended to reduce the level of nutrients entering local waterbodies, to investments in large-scale upgrades to the Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility, which will increase the facility’s daily treatment capacity and further protect bays and estuaries. Over the past year, our Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) management program helped food establishments safely dispose of cooking oil, grease and food waste that creates harmful sewer overflows, while innovative devices called WaterGoats removed 738 pounds of floating garbage from local waters. MORE >
Myakka River State Park
THE LEGACY TRAIL EXTENSION
In 2022, the county completed an extension of The Legacy Trail — 851 days ahead of schedule — that stretches from North Port to Payne Park in downtown Sarasota. The extension includes new trailheads and amenities for the nearly 300,000 people who use the trail annually, and could eventually become a regional connection between Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto and Charlotte counties. MORE >
Laurel Road Pedestrian Overpass
EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE
Sarasota County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, supports eligible renters unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Dec. 31, the program had made nearly 11,000 payments totaling more than $18.4 million to assist over 1,100 households. The county has received an additional $5 million, which is expected to allow the program to continue into 2023. MORE >
LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY
By March 2022, the county had committed its entire allocation of $84.25 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds for eligible projects and priority initiatives within four broad categories. In April, the county commission allocated $25 million to support affordable housing acquisition and development. It remains the second-highest allocation by a local government in the state for affordable housing, and the single-largest allocation of funds toward these efforts in Sarasota County’s history – creating support for nearly 700 housing units. MORE >
Cypress Square, Phase 1 (artist rendering)
THE PENNY SALES TAX
In November, Sarasota County citizens voted to continue the penny sales tax. This 1% sales tax, which applies to the first $5,000 of any purchase that is subject to the state sales tax, has been approved by voters in three successive referendums. Proceeds may only be used to invest in public infrastructure projects such as public safety, the environment, water quality, libraries, parks, schools and roads. The vote capped a nearly two-year educational effort that focused on developing materials for public workshops, collecting citizen input, engaging with the community and promoting past successes. MORE >
Just one of multiple upcoming projects that will be funded by revenue from the penny sales tax.
