County vies for stimulus

Sarasota County is making a play for more than $45 million in federal stimulus-package funds for a variety of projects.

The federal government has already announced that the county will receive $8.4 million for six housing-related projects, including Laurel Park drainage improvements; public transit projects, including new bus shelters and onboard security cameras; and energy-related projects, which include auditing the energy use at community and county facilities and energy education and marketing.

Another $20 million is expected to be approved mainly for road-widening and road-resurfacing projects.

It’s not yet known if the federal government will approve $16 million the county requested for environmental, public-safety and community-service projects.