News Briefs

+ Roundabout construction questioned
Commissioner Paul Caragiulo told city staff at the Sarasota City Commission regular meeting Monday he thinks changes need to be made to the city’s construction contract process after more than $250,000 in construction increases were approved for two roundabouts on Ringling Boulevard. Staff will be looking into the roundabout contracts.

“It seems to me if there’re problems within our process and contract, we need to fix that,” said Caragiulo, who noted the contracts state the scope of the project and can’t be increased without approval from commissioners.

Roundabout Manager Neil Gaines told commissioners that if the price increases needed to be reviewed by commissioners every time there was a change in the contract, it would have delayed the project by weeks.

Downtown motorists and pedestrians, meanwhile, now have access to the Burns Square shopping district off Ringling Boulevard after a roundabout on the thoroughfare at Pineapple Avenue opened Friday, May 18. The roundabout opened about a month sooner than its anticipated June 15 opening. However, a roundabout on Ringling Boulevard at Palm Avenue is still under construction, and Ringling Boulevard is now closed to thru traffic at Pineapple Avenue, instead of Orange Avenue. 

The Palm Avenue roundabout is in the final stages of construction and could still open sooner than its anticipated June 15 opening.

+ Sarasota to observe Memorial Day
City of Sarasota administration offices will be closed Monday, May 28, in observance of Memorial Day. The closing affects City Hall, the Federal Building and Public Works. Solid-waste, yard-waste and recycling collection will not be impacted. The city of Sarasota, in conjunction with the Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee, will host the annual Memorial Day parade in downtown Sarasota starting at 10 a.m. Monday, May 28. The parade will begin at Main Street and Osprey Avenue and will continue Sarasota’s longstanding history of honoring military personnel. At the conclusion of the parade, a ceremony will be held at Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park at Main Street and Gulfstream Avenue. The ceremony is expected to begin at approximately 11 a.m. The public is encouraged to attend.

Meetings & Agendas
• Florida Public Service Commission Hearing Regarding FP&L Proposed Rate Increases — 9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 31, City Hall, Commission Chamber, 1565 First St., Sarasota.
• Alta Vista Neighborhood Association Meeting — 7 p.m. Thursday, May 31, Concordia Lutheran Church, 2185 Wood St., Sarasota.
• Sarasota City Commission Regular Meeting — 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday, June 4, City Hall, Commission Chamber, 1565 First St., Sarasota.
• Downtown Sarasota Alliance Regular Meeting — 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 6, Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota.