Saturday, January 27, 2018

Construction of Braves complex highlights boom times for North Port

VENICE — While much of the economic development buzz in North Port has centered around the Atlanta Braves’ decision to build a $100 million spring training complex in the West Villages, three speakers at the South County Tiger Bay Club Friday drove home the point that North Port is bustling for a variety of reasons.
First, Ruth Buchanan, economic development program manager for the city of North Port, offered an overview of the region’s general robustness, highlighting growth in manufacturing.
“We’re doing very well in manufacturing, and we hope to do even better,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan pointed to King Plastic Corp. adding 110,000 square feet to its current 150,000-square-foot facility and MTI Equipment moving its global headquarters from Englewood to a 40,000-square-foot facility off of Toledo Blade Boulevard, as well as the opening of Suncoast Technical College in North Port, as a means to provide a trained workforce.
She also touted North Port’s growing profile on a variety of national ratings, such as being a Best Place to Raise a Family in Florida, according to Smart Asset, being recognized by Playful City USA for seven straight years and ranking in the top 10 for its population in the Center for Digital Government’s national 2017 Digital Cities Survey.
Then, Paul Erhardt, president of the West Villages, followed up with the continued bright prospects of the country’s fifth-fastest growing master-planned development. While securing the Braves complex is a major piece and significant lifestyle amenity, Erhardt noted that 992 homes were sold in 2017. With more developers marketing on their portion of the 9,600-acre district, he anticipated that sales in 2018 will easily eclipse that.
Sarasota Herald Tribune Article 

Monday, January 22, 2018

Downtown Venice Craft Festival

 11th Annual Downtown Venice Craft Festival

When:    January 27th, 2018 -- 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Where:  Miami Avenue, Venice, FL

For the 11th year, they are returning to Miami Avenue for another great community Craft Festival. Visit Downtown Venice to browse and purchase a wide variety of ceramics, jewelry, stained glass, metal works and much more. The Green Market offers live flora, freshly popped kettle corn, gourmet spices, and sauces. Come meet and visit with some of the nation’s best crafters as you stroll along Downtown Venice.












Tuesday, January 16, 2018

26th Annual Rotary Art Fest


26th Annual Art Fest at the 
Venice Airport Festival Grounds
January 19th, 20th & 21st

Friday  | Bandana Bash: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Friday Night Bandana Bash: Bandanas $10.00 (incl.Fest & Concert Admission)
Saturday & Sunday Admission ONLY $3.00


Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Moved WVID Supervisory Board Meeting for Tomorrow

WVID Supervisory Board Meeting tomorrow is at a different location, because City of North Port was unavailable for this occurrence.

If planning to attend, please go to:

Morgan Family Community Center
6207 West Price Boulevard
North Port, Florida 34291
January 11, 2018
11:00 a.m.



Thanks!
Ali

Coyote Forum Set for January 18th

coyotepic

The Scoop Radio Show website reports that Golden Beach resident Janice Stevenson has organized another free Coyote Forum, "Living in Harmony with Our Island Coyotes," to be held Thursday, Jan. 18 at 6:30 p.m. in Venice City Hall Council Chambers (enter from the automatic sliding doors at the west entrance). The public is invited to attend.
Speakers will be Angeline Scotten, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Kevin Barton, director of the Wildlife Center of Venice. After their presentation, they will be available to answer questions from the audience.
Many local residents are concerned when walking their pets because of a possible confrontation with these animals. Organizers are hoping that this forum will educate the public and dispel some of the myths that go along with spotting island coyotes during the day and night. 

Saturday, January 6, 2018

West Villages Ranks in the top 5 in 2017

The sprawling community of Lakewood Ranch rose two places in the 2017 rankings of new home sales among the country’s top 50 master-planned developments.
Lakewood Ranch reached third place on new home sales, totaling 1,206, up from 775 in 2016 — a 56 percent increase year-over-year. The annual sales rankings are compiled by independent real estate consulting firms RCLCO and John Burns Real Estate Consulting.
The West Villages in south Sarasota County fell one spot to fifth on 2017 sales of 992 new homes, an increase from 848 in 2016 — a 17 percent upturn.
“These results validate our adherence to the fundamentals of quality, cleanliness and patience,” said Rex Jensen, CEO of Lakewood Ranch’s owner, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc. “We’ve established a community with an unparalleled lifestyle and mix of living, work and recreational opportunities.”
The Villages of Villages, Florida, hopped over last year’s top seller to reach first place as Irvine Ranch fell to second. Six other master-planned communities in Florida remained in the top 50.
For Sarasota’s West Villages, Lesley Deutch, a principal for John Burns Real Estate Consulting and the company’s top authority on Southwest Florida, credited the continuing sales growth on “rapidly rowing” Sarasota County.
“Its relative value to other master-plans along Florida’s southwest coast continues to attract buyers.” Deutch said. “West Villages location in Venice also offers access to some of the country’s top beaches, and retail and entertainment options of downtown Sarasota.”
The strong growth in Lakewood Ranch over the years has played a vital role in the rise of the region. Jensen cites the key factors: “We’ve become the leading economic development engine in Sarasota and Manatee counties, having added more than $5 billion to the local tax base, not to mention more than 13,000 value added jobs.”
The 31,000-acre community has more than 1,350 businesses in diverse sectors such as biomedical, technology, insurance, and education and more than 4 million square feet of commercial real estate already in place.

Friday, January 5, 2018

From MySuncoastNews.com: Major Road Renovations in Venice

From http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/major-road-renovations-in-venice/article_662e21bc-f0d6-11e7-b82d-2314489d92de.html

Major road renovations in Venice


Contact Christopher at cbrantley@mysuncoast.com  Published: Jan 3, 2018


In 2016, Venice voters approved a 30-million dollar project to resurface aging roadways in the city. This includes most of the roads in the downtown area and the one heading out to the jetty.
The construction company has been dividing the work into multiple sections. Drivers of these roadways will see major changes over the next two weeks. The contractor will be removing the old asphalt pavement and installing new asphalt pavement over the next two weeks on the following roadways:

  • Madrid Avenue
  • The Esplanade
  • Maggiore Road
  • Valencia Road
  • Avenue des Parques
  • Pensacola Road
  • Milan Avenue
  • Turin Street
  • Venezia Parkway
  • Verona Street
  • Nassau Street
  • Sorrento Street
  • Palermo Place
  • Serata Street
  • Sovrano Road
  • Alley between Tampa Avenue and Nokomis Avenue
  • Alley between Fiesole Street and San Marco Drive
  • Piazza Di Luna

In total, 70-lane miles are being resurfaced and that means roads with lanes going in both directions. Once this latest round of roadways is done, it will mark the halfway point for the project. The crews will make their way off the island towards the east end of the city of Venice.





Monday, January 1, 2018

2017′s robust home market in Sarasota-Manatee holds promise for a strong 2018

Southwest Florida’s residential real estate world is riding a winning streak, and current market conditions indicate continuing prosperity and growth. That’s the consensus evaluation of the robust home market in 2017 and the strong forecast for 2018 among industry insiders in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Our informal survey panel represents the home-building and selling sides of the business. Their letter grades for this year’s residential market mostly fit into a tight and bright range — from B++ to A+.
“Residential real estate in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties, in all price points, all home types, continued its consistent momentum through 2017,” reports Michael Saunders, founder and CEO of Michael Saunders & Company, and Drayton Saunders, president. “Buyer demand has been consistently high and rising, inventory was strong and is expected to rise, and prices are seeing an appropriately steady increase.
“In general, it is a neutral market — neither favoring buyers or sellers in any significant capacity, therefore garnering an A-grade.”