Welcome back, Sarasota!

As we do this time every year, here are 10 stories you might have missed while you were still basking in low humidity of your summertime homes. 

1. Fore . . . walkers and cyclists

The only birdies you’ll find on the Bobby Jones Golf Course these days have feathers.

After an extended closure that began in March, the city opened up all 36 holes of the complex’s British and American sides to walking, jogging, cycling and other non-golf pursuits.

Until the renovation of the golf course and creation of a park is complete, there will be no more golf on the city owned facility.

In July, the city received an offer to lease the facility as is and return it to playability, but the city rejected that notion. In February 2019, city commissioners approved a contract with golf architect Richard Mandell for $1.05 million to redesign Bobby Jones. In May, the commission approved an amendment to that contract to reflect the new 27-hole course layout the board selected in February.

2. Beaches reopened slowly, but surely

Following  the lead of Gov. Ron DeSantis in early May, county leaders began reopening beaches, parks and recreation facilities that had been either closed or restricted because of COVID-19 concerns.

As the state’s third phase of reopening took hold, tennis courts, pickleball courts, public bathrooms and beach parking opened back up, though with standing rules to maintain social distancing. Leaders said with other beaches opening up around the state, the risk was low that crowds would flock to local beaches.

Still, city leaders didn’t reopen Lido Beach until May 19. Nearby, Longboat Key didn’t reopen beach parking until June, then closed it again by early July.

3. On the move

One thing we know: Unconditional Surrender will move.

Construction is taking place next spring to begin on a traffic circle at U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue, and the iconic statue depicting the end of World War II is in the way.

The city spent considerable time and effort in figuring out where it might land, either temporarily or permanently, though the notion of moving it twice wasn’t well received.

An unscientific survey indicated support for a bayfront site, though not necessarily the same on which it sits today. City Island was mentioned. Sites farther south along the bayfront were too, as were sites north of Fruitville Road.

There was also talk of moving Unconditional Surrender to the Sahib Shriners building on Beneva Road.

But, it’s probably safe to say the statue is here to stay. In July, the Public Art Committee of the city rejected a motion to return the statue  to Seward Johnson Atelier, the source of the artwork.

4. Two-wheeled alternatives

Gyms were closed.

Exercise classes, sports leagues, running clubs and more were all sidelined.

So what did you do? You hit the road on bikes.

Bike shops around the area said it was hard to fit in all the requests for service on years-old bikes that were dusted off, fixed up and pressed into fitness service.

We found lots of folks riding on streets, in parks, pretty much everywhere.

With all that came a word of caution, though, from experienced two-wheelers to watch out for the other guy.

“You have to be more careful,” rider Rich Carman told us. “Some of the hardcore bikers come out and are speeding but you have people pushing strollers, people out for casual walks, and you’re out on a bike trying to get around them.”

5. Mask up

City leaders adopted mandatory mask regulations in early July, broadly applying to anyone who can’t be outside of a six-foot radius of others.  The city’s rules included private businesses. The requirements extended to common areas within a multifamily housing complex, including lobbies and elevators. The requirement didn’t apply to hotel rooms or other rental accommodations not accessible to the public.

Sarasota County Schools also adopted a broad mask policy for students and staff on campus, in district offices and on school buses.

The original emergency rule was renewed in October to run through the school year. A group of parents have sued the district aiming to have the rule rescinded.

The county never enacted a mask policy, instead strongly urging residents and visitors to where them.

6. Protests prompt police talk

As nationwide protests drew attention to local agencies, Sarasota law enforcement leaders said building community trust is a priority. The Sarasota Police Department and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office have said they’re proud of their efforts to foster strong relationships with stakeholder groups, but they also want to respond to concerns the public is raising. They’ve said they’re willing to consider potential opportunities for improvement, but they’ve also expressed opposition to some calls for change.

City leaders moved forward in October with a plan to outfit patrol officers with body cameras, a project they hope to implement by July 2021.  

SPD Chief Bernadette DiPino endorsed the proposed body camera program, stating it represented a modern asset for law enforcement despite outlining what she saw as some potential shortcomings of the technology.  

7. Lido work begins, lawsuits continue

The Army Corps of Engineers began dredging Big Pass and renourishing the Lido Key shoreline in July. After starting near Ted Sperling Park at South Lido Key, crews have progressed north and the latest project calendar calls for the sand fill work to be complete by the end of November. Afterward, the Army Corps will begin construction of two sand-retaining groins.

Even so, the legal challenges to the work continued.

In September, a federal judge rejected an attempti to challenge the joint project between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Sarasota.

The federal court case joined a series of failed procedural and legal efforts from Siesta Key residents hoping to block the first-ever dredging of Big Pass. The group Save our Siesta Sand 2, formed specifically in opposition to the Big Pass dredge, filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps in 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

The Siesta Key Association still has an outstanding case in Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal, an appeal of the case the 12th Judicial Circuit Court rejected in September 2019. Oral arguments in that case are scheduled to begin in November.

8. We’re No. 1! Again.

Siesta Beach was once again named the top beach in the United States (and 11th in the world) by TripAdvisor users.

Weeks later, we learned that U.S. News and World Report picked the Sarasota area as the top place to retire in the United States and the 16th best place to live overall.

Naples was 14th in the rankings of best places to live and the Melbourne area on the east coast was 28th.

9. A new normal at school

Students returned to school later than planned and in two different ways: at school buildings and learning from home. 

Concern over the spread of the COVID-19 virus was on the minds of parents who sought ways of keeping their kids at home to learn, while other parents leaned the other way. 

Out of more than 17,000 parents surveyed, 74% said they would prefer their child return to brick-and-mortar schools. However, of the approximate 4,000 teachers surveyed, only 28% said they’d like to return to campus.

A wide range fo new safety protocols greeted children riding the bus and coming to school. Barriers, new ways of taking recess and eating lunch all had to be learned.

Students at home watched through their computers as teachers learned to balance the needs of their in-person classrooms with their remote students.  

10. Meet the new boss

Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Brennan Asplen was hired  over 31 other candidates for the job. He was unanimously chosen by the school board from a  finalist field of five.

Asplen has last been deputy superintendent in charge of academic and student services in the St. Johns County School District.

He was previously president of the Florida Association of School Administrators and served as a principal at both the middle and high school levels. Asplen also was a finalist for Sarasota County superintendent in 2016.

(From stories reported by David Conway, Brynn Mechem and Harry Sayer)