More Hotel Rooms Planned for Downtown Sarasota

September 1, 2016 by

Developers aren’t losing their interest in building hotels in downtown Sarasota, for a Maryland woman has filed preliminary plans for a 118-room hotel on Fruitville Road.

On Aug. 16, Nancy Vu submitted an application for a meeting with the city’s Development Review Committee regarding a hotel project on a 0.67-acre site between Central and Cocoanut Avenues. Vu, who is listed as the contract purchaser for the properties at 1351 and 1365 Fruitville Road, declined multiple requests for comment.

A LinkedIn profile lists Nancy Vu as the senior director of asset management for Choice Hotels International. The company owns several hotel brands, including Comfort Inn & Suites, Quality Inn and Econo Lodge. The plans do not list a specific hotel flag.

Downtown Sarasota New Construction Choice Hotels

The proposal is the latest in a series of hotels planned for downtown. The site is across the street from where Jebco Ventures intends to build a 163-room Hampton Inn & Suites. Starting with the 138-room Aloft hotel on Ringling Boulevard, nearly 1,300 new hotel rooms have been proposed for the heart of the city.

That’s not to say all of those rooms will come to fruition. Already, plans for a 120-room Kimpton hotel at U.S. 301 and Main Street have fallen through. Other projects, such as the redevelopment of the former Quay site, are awaiting city approval.

Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, said financing for hotel projects is starting to tighten nationally — though that doesn’t necessarily reflect the market conditions in Sarasota.

It’s impossible to know how full those new hotel rooms will be once they’re all built. Right now, Haley said, Sarasota has a 78% occupancy rate through June — an all-time high, putting the county in a position to improve on 2015’s 73% occupancy rate.

Still, the visitors’ bureau is already working to ensure the hotel market doesn’t take a dip once the new rooms come on line.

“We’re really expanding our meeting and group sales efforts,” Haley said. “What we really need to do is focus on that business during the week.”

Sarasota Observer August 26, 2016

Filed Under: Downtown Sarasota Construction, Downtown Sarasota Real Estate, Sarasota Tourism Tagged With: , ,

Introducing THE GRANDE Sarasota

August 25, 2016 by

Introducing THE GRANDE
New Luxury Residences – DowntownSarasota

The GrandeThe Ritz-Carlton is synonymous with a lifestyle of singular style and grace. Now, the latest evolution of that lifestyle is making its debut on the glistening shores of Sarasota Bay.

A masterful blend of waterfront vistas, elegant architecture and unparalleled personal services, life at The Grande comes complete with private rooftop amenities, a dedicated staff, and the legendary resort pleasures of The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, including its celebrated beach and golf clubs, waterfront dining, and full-service spa and salon.

The Grande at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota fulfills a vision for the next generation of contemporary condominium living. An exclusive collection of 86 modern, ultra-luxury residences. Where open floor plans showcase the finest appointments and expansive great rooms feature gourmet kitchens that flow into gracious living and dining areas. Where intimate owners’ suites, spacious terraces and endless waterfront views set the stage for life without limitation.  View the Brochure

A PRIVATE WORLD. Ready to revolve around you.

Elegant new waterfront residences fulfill a vision for the ultimate in contemporary condominium living. Designed to engage all the senses, open floor plans and floor-to-ceiling windows frame dramatic city and water views. Expansive great room’s feature gourmet kitchens that flow into gracious living and dining areas. Intimate master suites, spacious terraces and endless vistas set the stage for life without limits.

Each day dawns with infinite possibilities at your fingertips and the impeccable services of a dedicated staff close at hand. Start with a morning workout or yoga in state-of-the-art fitness facilities. Take an invigorating swim in The Grande’s own stunning rooftop pool. Reserve an early tee time at the award-winning Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Or schedule a rejuvenating massage at the hotel’s exquisite Spa & Salon, followed by breakfast with friends at the elegant Terrace Café.

The Grande’s unrivaled services are provided with a knowing personal touch that makes each moment unique and every day a celebration of the best that life has to offer. Your cabana at the Gulf front Beach Club awaits. Your favorite table overlooking the water at Jack Dusty is reserved for dinner. And when you’re ready to step into in Sarasota’s world-renowned nightlife, arts and culture, your car is valeted to your doorstep.

As the sun sets over the bay, the nightlife awakens. The Grande at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota is mere steps away from cultivating entertainment and fine dining in historic Sarasota, FL. Enjoy exquisite dining at Zagat rated restaurants, take in the performing arts at the historic Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall or enjoy a glass of wine at one of Sarasota’s many lounges.

Life. Served to Perfection.

SB Architects commissioned to create The Grande’s striking new waterfront design. Based in Miami and San Francisco, the award-winning international firm is known for its dedication to site-sensitive, contextually appropriate architectural design. SB Architects has designed other Ritz-Carlton properties, including a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and has been responsible for design renovations at several Ritz-Carlton locations.

Filed Under: Downtown Sarasota Condos, Downtown Sarasota Real Estate, Sarasota New Construction Tagged With: , , ,

Getting Around – Proposed Sarasota Transportation Alternatives

August 24, 2016 by

Sarasota Traffic Plan Includes Adding 16 Roundabouts

getting aroundOptions for getting around Sarasota could soon evolve from car or bus rides to trips on commuter rails, water taxis and new bike and pedestrian paths.

City planners and engineers presented ideas for alternative transportation at a City Commission workshop Monday afternoon as residents have grown increasingly frustrated with increasing traffic congestion.

In addition to transportation alternatives, city officials also proposed lots of roundabouts as a way to reduce accidents and smooth traffic flow.

City officials want to add 16 roundabouts to Sarasota roads by 2023, including nine in the downtown core. Six would dot U.S. 41 north of Fruitville Road, while one would be on Siesta Drive just east of U.S. 41.

Engineers cited National Cooperative Highway Research Program statistics showing that roundabouts result in a 35 percent reduction of all intersection crashes and a 76 percent reduction in serious injury and fatal crashes.

They also said the traffic circles are safer for pedestrians and reduce rush-hour delays.

The first of the new traffic circles would be built along U.S. 41 at the intersection of 10th Street near the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and at 14th Street near Whitaker Gateway Park by 2017. It could cost more than $42 million to complete all 16.

But the roundabouts are only a piece of the proposed transportation picture. Additional options include:

  • A pilot water taxi service would have stops at Centennial Park, Mote Marine, Siesta Key’s north bridge and Marina Jack. Eventually, if Manatee County agrees, the ferries could take people from Siesta Key’s North Bridge to Holmes Beach, Palmetto and downtown Bradenton.
  • A commuter rail could revive a long dormant north-south railroad track between U.S. 41 and U.S. 301, making stops at the airport and at a future downtown transportation hub near Lime Avenue and Fruitville Road.
  • Fixed-rail street cars — which could cost between $1.3 and $1.9 million — would circulate downtown on one of four routes.
  • Rapid bus transit lines would run along Bee Ridge Road, Fruitville Road, south U.S. 41, north U.S. 41 and along University Parkway and U.S. 301.
  • Trolley routes to the beaches and downtown would also be expanded.

While many of these ideas sound far-off, city officials have been working on a zoning overhaul since 2013.

City Engineer Alex DavisShaw, the city’s engineer, said it could be 2031 before all of the initiatives are completed, if the city approves them.

“Looking at the big picture, the downtown circular and roundabouts on U.S. 41 will be huge game-changers,” DavisShaw said. “Not just the multi-modal forms of transportation, but it will change the way traffic feels in Sarasota.”

But Commissioner Susan Chapman questioned the effectiveness of the measures when compared to the cost.

“I think that’s the whole issue — you have to really plan and actually find out who is going to stop driving to take transit,” Chapman said.

Chapman said she has visited other tourist destinations where visitors often use transportation alternatives. But she added she was unimpressed by how few people used the Lido Key circular trolley on the Fourth of July weekend. The free service shuttled boat race revelers from downtown to Lido Key.

“From what I heard, it was free and people still didn’t use it,” she said.

Herald Tribune July 16, 2016

Filed Under: Downtown Sarasota Condos, Sarasota Lifestyle Tagged With: , ,

Progress Overview Sarasota Bayfront Development

July 22, 2016 by

Bayfront DevelopmentOverview of the progress on the Sarasota Bayfront – July 2016

An expansive piece of waterfront property on the Sarasota Bayfront is the focus of committed community and city leaders. With the extensive interest in any downtown Sarasota property, the watchful eye of Bayfront 20:20 and their ability to create an inclusive discussion, has resulted in a comprehensive strategy to protect the community arts and cultural integrity.  Their initiative to re-imagine 42-acres on the city’s bayfront around the Van Wezel as a premier arts and cultural district has made tremendous progress toward reality.

Protect and Preserve

The project has made great strides toward a thoughtfully crafted and executed strategy for turning community-grounded principles into a firm plan for enhancing open space, constructing arts-and-education venues and identifying the finances necessary for creating a spectacular, sustainable public space on 42 waterfront acres. That city-owned property includes the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, the Sarasota Orchestra headquarters and an array of civic buildings and spaces.

Bayfront 20:20, a community-based organization formed in 2014, deserves immense credit for engaging citizens and a wide range of groups in a public process that has moved the initiative forward and to this point.

Project Oversight

That planned nine-member board will include a city representative and representatives of area arts and cultural groups to oversee the detailed process of master planning the ambitious project.

The unprecedented “once-in-a-generation” planning process is expected to take about 18 to 24 months to complete, said Jon Thaxton, an early leader of the initiative and an executive for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

The planning organization and the firm it hires will have two specific tasks as it develops the formal master plan: Detail financing options for the project — whose total cost hasn’t even been contemplated yet — and recommend a structure to operate and manage the area once it’s built, Klauber said. This planning and designing phase has an anticipated budget of up to about $2.5 million and will operate per open-government laws, Thaxton added.

Bringing Together Foundations

This spring, Klauber and Bayfront 20:20 leaders held a meeting with six major foundations and received widespread support and recommendations for the planning process.

The groups included the Gulf Goast Community Foundation, Sarasota Community Foundation, Patterson Foundation, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, William G. and Marie Selby Foundation and Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

Sarasota City Commission

The City Commission will remain in the loop throughout the two-year process with regular updates and will ultimately have to approve whatever plans come forward, but commissioners’ comments Monday suggested that excitement about the plans already is brewing.

“At the end of the day, we could take all this to the City Commission when it’s done, and they could say no — that’s the gamble,” Klauber said after the meeting. “But we’ve seen great support from this, and what they’ve said today I think puts this on the fast track.”

A delegation of about a dozen city and Bayfront 20:20 leaders, including city manager Tom Barwin and commissioner Susan Chapman, visited Carmel, Indiana, for inspiration last week. The city’s 88-acre arts and cultural district was built using tax-increment financing and public-private partnerships, which could serve the bayfront project well, they said.

Patterson Foundation

The Patterson Foundation is the first group to publicly announce its commitment to the Bayfront 20:20 initiative.

The foundation will give up to $300,000 to the expected 2-year, $2.5 million master planning effort to reimagine 42 acres on the city’s bayfront around the Van Wezel as a premier arts and cultural district.

The commitment includes an initial $100,000 toward the formation and work of the Sarasota Bayfront Planning organization, a new nonprofit board that will work directly with a professional project manager and planning firm to design the site.

GWIZ

The Sarasota City Commission has directed staff to estimate the cost of removing asbestos and demolishing the structure, for which the city has been paying roughly $40,000 annually to maintain. The price tag for demolition will range from $130,000 to $225,000, according to city Asset Manager Rob Schanley.

Sarasota Herald Tribune, Sarasota Observer – July 2016

Filed Under: Downtown Sarasota Condos, Downtown Sarasota Construction, Downtown Sarasota Real Estate Tagged With: ,

The Grande – Downtown Sarasota Condos

April 27, 2016 by

the grandeThe Kolter Group will continue its sweeping changes along Sarasota’s bayfront with The Grande, an 18-story luxury condominium next to the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

The development company plans to break ground in spring 2017, with 86 residences that will offer services managed by the Ritz-Carlton.

Prices for three- and four-bedroom units, including penthouses, will run from $2 million to more than $5 million.

The tower will be built over the Ritz’s support facility, just east of the hotel. Kolter acquired air rights from Ritz-Carlton developer Slab LLC in February, court records show.

The building will run north and south, and residents will have views facing east and west, Kolter said.

“Our market research and recent experience have confirmed that there is strong demand for contemporary luxury residences, and we believe The Grande’s combination of unique architecture, unparalleled amenities and exceptional service standards will satisfy the needs of the discriminating Sarasota buyer,” Kolter Group president/CEO Bobby Julien said in a statement.

Kolter expects to complete the building in about 26 months.

Along the bayfront, the West Palm Beach-based company is building Vue Sarasota Bay, an 18-story, 141-unit condo, and a 255-room Westin Hotel at Tamiami Trail and Gulfstream Avenue.

It will also begin construction this summer on The Mark, a mixed-use 12-story tower with 157 residences, on State Street between Pineapple and Lemon avenues.

The Grande joins a number of new condominiums that are going up in the city after years of recession-era slumber. But most are smaller than the Kolter projects, ranging from six to 40 units each.

Amenities at The Grande will include a rooftop pool, fitness center and “The News Room,” a casual lounge.

Residents will have access to Ritz in-home dining and use of the restaurants, salon and spa at the hotel.

The 17-story hotel, which opened in November 2001, already includes more than 200 Ritz residences that utilize those services.

Herald Tribune April 15, 2016

Filed Under: Downtown Sarasota Condos, Downtown Sarasota Real Estate, Sarasota New Construction Tagged With: , ,

Home Prices Continue to Rise During Seasonal Sales Dip

March 29, 2016 by

Sarasota Real EstateThe beginning of 2016 has seen some fluctuations in total sales and home prices as the housing market steadies itself after a record-breaking 2015. Even with a dip in sales, median home prices remain strong and the market appears solid.

For the month of February, total sales in Sarasota County were down 6.4 percent with a 13.2 percent dip in single family sales offset by a 9.6 percent increase in condo sales. Similarly, in Manatee County, total sales were down a mere 2.4 percent, with a 10.7 percent decrease in single family sales offset by an impressive 19.5 percent increase in condo sales. More buyers may be considering condos because there are not as many single family listings under $200,000 as there are condo listings.

Contracts for sales closed in February were likely written in December, a typically slower month because of holidays, and January, when we were experiencing stock market fluctuations and oil industry uncertainty. Mid-December, the Federal Reserve raised the target funds rate for the first time since June 2006. The area is also seeing fewer Canadian buyers this year, because of the exchange rate with the US Dollar.

“With record sales last year and extremely low inventory, it only makes sense that we would slow down a bit,” said Linda Formella, RASM President. “However, we are seeing an increase in inventory, as owners appear to be entering the market to take advantage of the price recovery we have experienced.”

Inventory of available properties is on the rise in both counties.

  • For single family homes in Sarasota County, inventory is up 3.7 percent from February last year, and up 7.1 percent in Manatee County.
  • Condo inventory is likewise up in both counties, with Sarasota County up 17.0 percent, while Manatee County saw an increase of 18.2 percent.

“Our inventory has been down over the past few months, so seeing this bump is great news for our market,” said Formella. “New construction has aided in this increase, and provided more opportunities overall.”

The median sale price across both counties has seen fluctuations as well. Single family median prices rose 28.7 percent in Sarasota County to $252,250, while decreasing only slightly in Manatee County, down -0.7 percent to $255,000 from last year. Sarasota County remained stable with no change in condo prices year over year, remaining at $190,000. Manatee County on the other hand, experienced a 9.3 percent increase in condo sales price over last year, to $165,000.

The months’ supply of inventory in the two-county area remains in the range from 4.6 to 5.4 months’ inventory this year, compared to 4.6 to 5.1 months last year. This statistic reflects the time it would take to sell all the active listings on the market at the current month’s rate of sales. A six-month supply is considered a balanced market, so it is still a seller’s market, though buyers seem to be taking more time and showing less urgency with the increased inventory.

The drop in the percentage of distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) signals another sign of health in the market. Both the number of distressed sales and the share of the market have continued to decline, signaling our continued recovery. Distressed sales for single family homes in the two-county area represented only 11.49 percent of all closed sales for the month, compared to 23.94 percent last year. Similarly, distressed condo sales came in at 6.12 percent of those closed sales, compared to 12.05 percent last year. At their peak a few years ago, 48 percent of all sales were distressed.

“The fluctuations we see in today’s market are normal, healthy even,” added Formella. “We are experiencing smart and sustainable growth. I am encouraged by the hard work of our Realtor® members and the positive attitudes I witness every day. There is no doubt: our future is bright.”
Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee March 21, 2016

Filed Under: Downtown Sarasota Condos, Downtown Sarasota Real Estate Tagged With: , ,

Florida Breaks Tourism Record for Fifth Consecutive Year

February 24, 2016 by

105 million people travel to Sunshine State in 2015, governor says

florida tourismFlorida welcomed 105 million visitors last year, making 2015 the fifth consecutive year where tourism records were broken.

The new record exceeded the previous high of 98.5 million in 2014 by 6.6 percent, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion arm.

The total number of visitors to the Sunshine State last year exceeded the populations of most of the world’s countries. It was about 3 million more people, for example, than inhabit the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the average number of direct travel-related jobs in 2015 also was a record high, with 1,199,200 Floridians employed in the tourism industry, up 4.7 percent compared with the same period last year.

“Tourism plays an important role in supporting our economy, and we will continue to make strategic investments in the tourism industry to keep Florida on track to becoming first for jobs,” said Gov. Rick Scott, who revealed the preliminary tourist count Thursday at Walt Disney World in Orlando. “With five consecutive record years for tourism, it is time to set our goal even higher, and I look forward to welcoming 115 million visitors to the Sunshine State this year.”

Visit Florida estimates that a record 89.8 million domestic visitors traveled to Florida in 2015, reflecting an 8 percent increase from 2014. Estimates also show that 11.2 million overseas visitors and 4 million Canadians came to the Sunshine State last year. The number of people boarding planes at 18 Florida airports during 2015 increased 8.2 percent when compared with the previous year, representing a record 6.1 million more passengers than in 2014.

Sarasota

The state’s success wasn’t a surprise to Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County and a board member for Visit Florida. Once Sarasota County saw that it had reached its own goal of welcoming more than a million visitors in 2015, she suspected the state as a whole would topple its goal.

“It’s nice to know that Sarasota played its part in that goal,” Haley said. “We know that first and foremost for us, a visitor has to be interested in Florida. Then we can make our case that the best place to be is Sarasota.” The state continues to draw more tourists, but Florida promoters and local agencies have shifted their goals for the future, Haley said. Lately, there’s been a greater emphasis on attracting visitors with a higher spending power and bringing in more tourists during the off season. Visit Sarasota County, specifically, has focused on attracting sporting events in the late spring, summer and early fall to boost tourism in the slower seasons.

“We as a state have shifted our focus,” Haley said. “I think it’s a very important shift.”

Locally, the Baltimore Orioles released an economic impact analysis by Sarasota County government this week suggesting that the team’s activities and presence at the Ed Smith Stadium and Buck O’Neil Baseball Complex generated about $81 million in Southwest Florida in the past year. That figure exceeds the $40 million to $50 million estimate reported by the state of Florida in a 2009 analysis of communities that host Major League Baseball Spring Training. The Orioles’ year-round presence, job creation, economic activity, commerce and direct club spending also contributed substantially to the results.

State Collaboration

Five years of record-setting visitation does not happen by accident, said Visit Florida CEO Will Seccombe, who credited the success to the agency’s global marketing strategy that focused on maximizing the economic impact of Florida tourism.

The collaboration with destination marketing organizations and the money the state has continued to pump into Visit Florida has made all the difference, said Elliott Falcione, executive director for Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“You’ve got to thank the Legislature and the governor for believing in Visit Florida,” Falcione said. “It’s now proven four years in a row that as the budget increases that visitation increase.”

In pushing to continue the increases, Scott has asked lawmakers to set aside $79.3 million for Visit Florida in the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The funding would be an increase of $6 million from the current year. The House and Senate have each budgeted $80 million for Visit Florida. Of that money, the House has proposed that $1.8 million go to a contract with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association to craft an in-state tourism campaign. The Senate has pitched $2 million for the marketing contract with the Tallahassee-based hospitality trade association. Tourism and recreation taxable sales for Florida as a whole increased every month year-over-year from January through November 2015, representing an 8.6 percent increase over the same period in 2014.

The state is aiming to bring in $100 billion in total tourism related spending by 2020.

2015 FLORIDA TOURISM BY THE NUMBERS

Total 2015 Visitors: 105 million, up 6.6%

Total Floridians employed in tourism: 1,199,200, up 4.7%

Domestic visitors: 89.8 million, up 8%

Overseas visitors: 11.2 million

Canadian visitors: 4 million

Number of people boarding planes at 18 Florida airports: 74.3 million, up 8.2%

Taxable sales increase January to November 2015: 8.6%

Average daily room rate increase: 5.9%

Number of rooms sold increase: 4.5%

Average room occupancy rate: 72 percent, up 3.2 percentage points

Source: Visit Florida

Herald Tribune February 18, 2016

Filed Under: Florida Economic News, Sarasota Tourism Tagged With: , ,

Ringing in the New Year with Record-Breaking Sales

January 26, 2016 by

Sarasota Real Estate Market NewsAll-time Record

The year 2015 was one for the record books in real estate sales for both Sarasota and Manatee counties, closing out the year with an all-time record of 20,691 in combined closed transactions, 1,302 sales above last year’s numbers.

“These truly are exciting times for the real estate community, and reflects the hard work and dedication of our Realtor® members,” said Linda Formella, 2016 RASM President. “Our industry has been steadily and soundly rebuilding and I am so proud of our professional Realtors® and all the industries that support the real estate community.”

Record-Breaking Sales

  • There were 1,671 combined sales in both counties in December 2015, 28 percent higher than November, but down slightly from December 2014.
  • Median sale prices increased across the board. Single family prices rose 22 percent in Sarasota County to $239,900 and nearly 12 percent to $262,963 in Manatee County.
  • Condo prices were also up 22 percent in Sarasota County, at $217,000, compared to $178,249 for Manatee County, an increase of 6 percent.

Inventory of available properties continued to decline in both counties. For single family homes in Sarasota County, inventory is down 2.8 percent from December last year, and down 3.2 percent in Manatee County. Condo inventory for Sarasota County is down a mere 1 percent, while Manatee County increased 4 percent.

New Pending sales, which reflect new contracts written in the two-county area, were down 11.3 percent for single family homes, and remained unchanged for condo sales year over year. This may be a reflection of the declining inventory of properties for sale, as buyers face the challenge of finding the right property and even then may face a multiple-offer situation, competing against other buyers for the same property.

  • The two-county area saw the month’s supply of inventory remain well below the 6-month level, that typically defines a market in equilibrium between buyers and sellers, with a 3.8 month’s supply, in Sarasota County compared to 3.9 in Manatee.
  • The month’s supply of condos in Sarasota County is 4.1, and 4.3 months in Manatee.

The drop in the percentage of distressed sales signals another sign of health in the market. Both the number of distressed sales and the share of the market have continued to decline, signaling our continued recovery. Distressed sales for single family homes were down 49 percent from last year in Sarasota County and 46 percent in Manatee. Condo distressed sales were down 25 percent in Sarasota County and 47 percent in Manatee County. In December, there were only 195 distressed sales in the two counties reported in the MLS. That represented just under 12 percent of all sales, compared to the peak of 48 percent a few years ago.

“2015 has been such an exciting and historic year for our two-county area,” noted Formella. “We live and work in paradise and more and more people want to be a part of it. I am looking forward to a healthy year of steady growth in 2016.”

Realtor® Association of Sarasota and Manatee, January 22, 2016

Filed Under: Downtown Sarasota Real Estate, Sarasota Real Estate Market News Tagged With: , ,

Sarasota – Top 100 Best Places to Live

September 23, 2015 by

Downtown Sarasota - Downtown Sarasota LifestylesTropical island ambiance with the comforts of craft beer and fine art helped land the City of Sarasota on the “2016 Top 100 Best Places to Live.”

Sarasota showed up as No. 31 on the list along with places like Boulder, Colorado; Santa Rosa, California; and Madison, Wisconsin. The other Florida entries on the list, published this week by www.Livability.com, were Boca Raton, at No. 59, and Miami Beach, at No. 79.

“Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, just south of Tampa Bay, Sarasota includes a string of eight islands that draw thousands of tourists,” Livability. com said. The report cites the fact that locals enjoy year-round access to beautiful beaches, a multitude of golf courses and a thriving downtown.

“The Sarasota Opera and Florida Studio Theater anchor the city’s arts and culture scene, while craft breweries, restaurants, shops and galleries provide many entertainment options,” the Livability study states.

Locals tend to roll their eyes at lists like this, because Sarasota shows up on so many of them. Siesta Beach shows up with regularity as the best or one of the best beaches in the country, thanks to Dr. Beach. Earlier this summer, both Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and NerdWallet placed Sarasota at or near the top of their own lists of great places to retire.

But for those in the business of winning new converts to the Southwest Florida, lists like this are manna from heaven. “We love the list, especially at this time of the year, because we are getting ready for the season, which comes earlier and earlier every year,” said Pauline Bennett, who manages the Coldwell Banker real estate downtown Sarasota office, which has 90 agents. “Lists like these helps keep us top of mind.”

Realtors will use the list as a reason to call or email a client who is on the fence, particularly if the client’s northern city also is on the list, Bennett added.

“Excelling as a livable city is what will help us attract and retain the quality workforce we need to support innovative, high-growth companies,” said Mark Huey, president of the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County. “This is a recognition that we are on the right track in being that kind of magnet for talent.”

The top communities on Livability.com’s list were, in order: Rochester, Minnesota; Bellevue, Washington; Madison, Wisconsin; Santa Barbara, California; Boulder, Colorado; Palo Alto, California; Bismarck, North Dakota; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Iowa City, Iowa; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The Study

The site said that more than 2,100 cities (with populations from 20,000 to 350,000) were evaluated in the study. Researchers analyzed more than 40 data points that were then grouped into eight categories: economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and health care, Livability. com said.

The eight scores were weighted based on an exclusive survey conducted for Livability.com by Ipsos Public Affairs, a global market research firm. Respondents were asked about factors that make their communities better places to live, as well as the factors they would consider in selecting another city.

“Sources included the best public and private data available from organizations like the U.S. Census Bureau, Walk Score, GreatSchools.com and Esri,” Livability.com said.

Beer Factor

Sarasota’s emerging craft beer brewing scene also made it into the Livability. com recipe for success. Two craft brewers now operate in Sarasota, another two in Bradenton and more are in the works.

“A lot of people are coming from areas where they are used to having craft breweries around, like Michigan and Ohio,” said Jeremy Jorger, owner of JDub’s Brewing Co., situated near the recently renovated Ed Smith Stadium, where visitors and locals show up for Baltimore Orioles spring training.

The Orioles tout Sarasota with roughly $1 million worth of free advertising per year, including spots on their Mid-Atlantic Sports Network game broadcasts. “You could be watching a game and all of a sudden, Main Street Sarasota is on,” said David Rovine, the Orioles Sarasota vice president.

“What makes an area interesting and dynamic is the mixture of activities that it offers to you,” Rovine said. “If you have a little bit of everything — and I think Sarasota has a more than a little of everything, it makes it a great city to live in.”

Art Destination

Starting with the creation of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in the 1920s, Sarasota has long offered visitors and locals a deeper-than-usual dive into the arts scene.

“Now that the economy is better, people are buying art, so the galleries are flourishing again and new galleries are popping up all the time,” said Lisa Berger, executive director of the Art Center Sarasota, which will celebrate its 90th anniversary next year. Her organization maintains four galleries, including one for juried exhibitions. “You can come once a month and see all new work,” Berger said.

Herald Tribune Sept 14, 2015

Filed Under: Downtown Sarasota Condos, Downtown Sarasota Real Estate, Sarasota Lifestyle Tagged With: , ,

FLORIDA TOURISM HITS RECORD HIGH FOR 2015

August 27, 2015 by

greetings-from-floridaFlorida tourism is on pace to pass the highly anticipated 100-million visitor mark for 2015, with more than 54.1 million visitors coming to the Sunshine State in the first half of 2015.

New quarterly numbers released Wednesday from Visit Florida, the state’s tourism arm, show a 5.8 increase from last year and the highest amount of visitors of any six months in the state’s history.

In just the second quarter of 2015 ending June 30, 25.8 million visitors came to Florida, an increase of 5.5 percent from the same point in 2014.

With the fifth record-breaking year, the higher about of tourism is also bringing a record average number of direct travel-related jobs.

In a prepared statement from Gov. Rick Scott, Florida’s tourism industry now employs 1,213,500 people – a number up 4.9 percent from the previous year.

Encouraging tourism helps Florida become the “best place in the world for jobs,” Scott said. “We look forward to exceeding our goal of 100 million visitors to Florida this year.”

Visit Florida also estimates more than 2.7 million overseas visitors, 1.2 million Canadians, and 21.9 million domestic visitors traveled to Florida in the second quarter of 2015, a 6.8 percent increase.

Totals for the first half of 2015 show 45.7 million domestic visitors, 5.5 million overseas visitors and 2.9 million Canadians have come to the Sunshine State, an increase of 6.7 percent, 1.7 percent and 1.1 percent respectively. Top U.S. states for Florida tourism are New York (10 percent), Georgia (8 percent), Texas (6 percent) and Illinois (5 percent).

Most international visitors in 2014 came from Canada (4.2 million), followed by the United Kingdom (1.6 million) and Brazil (1.6 million).

Continued growth of tourism, as well as tourism-related jobs, is putting Florida on track for a fifth consecutive record-breaking year, said Visit Florida Board of Directors Chairman John Tomlin. He emphasized the power of tourism as an economic job creator, crediting the vision of Scott, the Legislature and his staff for “world-class strategies and execution.”

As the number of people visiting Florida increases, so does the amount collected in taxes on sales from recreation and related activities. From January through May 2015, the state enjoyed a 9.0 percent increase in tax revenue.

Visit Florida also estimates the average daily room rate (ADR) for the second quarter of 2015 rose 4.7 percent, with occupancy rates for Florida hotels increasing 2.9 percent and the demand for rooms sold grew 4.4 percent compared to the same period last year.

“This continued growth does not happen by accident,” said Visit Florida CEO Will Seccombe, who thanked Scott and the Legislature for their “unparalleled support.”

Tampa Tribune August 19, 2015

Filed Under: Florida Economic News, Sarasota Lifestyle, Sarasota Tourism Tagged With: , , ,
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