Is Sarasota fun?

Is Sarasota fun?

The answer depends on whom you’re asking, but it’s hard to find someone without an opinion on the subject.

It’s easy to conjure up two caricatures of Sarasota residents on either end of a spectrum. On one side, there’s the stodgy, rich, old condominium owner who wants the city to shut down at 7 p.m. and dancing banned like the town in Footloose.

On the other, there’s the party animal who spends a Tuesday bouncing from Gator Club to Smokin’ Joe’s to wherever else is serving alcohol, his drunken screams piercing a tranquil downtown night when he’s not preoccupied vomiting on the sidewalk.

The reality is, obviously, more nuanced, but there is a real divide. As the city grows, establishing a broadly acceptable level of “fun” is one of the more abstract challenges out there. And yet, it pops up on the outskirts of several issues the city has recently dealt with.

Proposals to open bars are polarizing, inspiring many downtown residents to speak out about potential issues associated with nightlife venues. Comments from a 2015 public hearing — at which the Planning Board rejected plans for a pub on Main Street — exemplify a common line of opposition.

“Bars and nightclubs bring three things to the city,” resident Barbara Campo said. “They bring crime, they bring noise and they bring drugs. It’s that simple.”

When the Thunder by the Bay motorcycle festival announced plans to relocate to Lakewood Ranch last month, it led to grumblings from people who thought complaints from merchants, residents and city leaders scared away a rare large-scale event from its home downtown.

Sarasota bills itself as a city “where urban amenities meet small-town living,” so it’s natural that some people are vocally fighting to preserve a more reserved urban core. Still, that’s not a desire shared by all residents.

On Monday, Commissioner Liz Alpert spoke to a concern that’s not as frequently voiced among regulars at City Hall.

“I think we’re getting a reputation as a really unfriendly city,” Alpert said. “I think we lost our heart and soul by allowing this event, Thunder by the Bay, to move out to Lakewood Ranch.”

So, to refine that original question: Is Sarasota a city that embraces fun? That’s all a matter of perspective. Interviews with local officials, residents and business owners underscore why this is a difficult issue to nail down.

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Jesse Biter is one of the leading voices encouraging city leaders to embrace a more vibrant downtown, but if he didn’t think Sarasota was fun, he wouldn’t be living here.

That’s not to say he doesn’t see room for improvement. As an entrepreneur, Biter has sought to foster increased activity in the heart of the city. He owns several downtown properties, including Evie’s Tavern and the future home of the cocktail bar Cask & Ale.

He was originally attracted to Sarasota because it was a “big small town” — just the right size to fit one of every type of business in a tight footprint. But Biter sees no purpose in trying to ward off growth, and thinks city leaders are creating an environment that makes investing in Sarasota less appealing.

Two businesses slated to move into Biter-owned Main Street properties, Taco Bus and Paddy Wagon Irish Pub, eventually backed out following complications with city regulations.

“It’s a tough town to start doing business in,” Biter said. “You’re an adversary from the word go.”

He understands the perspective of residents who want to keep Sarasota more low-key, and welcomes a dialog between people with differing viewpoints. That being said, he doesn’t understand the perspective of those who think the city needs to be preserved as-is.

“Anybody who thinks Sarasota is the golden goose and we shouldn’t do anything to mess it up — it’s a naïve attitude,” Biter said. “I agree we shouldn’t do anything to go backwards, but there’s a lot of room to go forward.”

Chris Brown, another Main Street property owner whose portfolio includes Smokin’ Joe’s and Fit2Run, echoed many of Biter’s concerns.

“Change is inevitable,” Brown said. “You can’t stop it. It’s like moving next to the railroad tracks and complaining about when the train comes.”

Both Biter and Brown, who advocated for a free-market approach to developing downtown, saw city officials as the leading obstacle to creating a more fun Sarasota. 

“I think we have to start with open-minded leaders,” Brown said. “If you’re thinking ‘no’ immediately, its difficult to overcome that.”

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City Commissioner Susan Chapman, often cited as a leading opponent to a more vibrant downtown, doesn’t think there’s a shortage of things to do in Sarasota.

“Yeah, I do think it’s fun,” Chapman said. “We provide a lot of entertainment options.”

The city, of course, has a vibrant arts scene that includes the opera, orchestra, ballet and multiple theaters. For those who aren’t as interested in the fine arts, the city-operated Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall hosts touring musicians and comedians.

To a certain audience, it’s easy to use “fun” as shorthand for businesses and events that serve alcohol. That might explain Chapman’s reputation: She has not hid her beliefs that there are enough bars on Main Street and that Thunder by the Bay was too big for downtown.

This isn’t part of a puritanical crusade, she said — rather, she’s fighting to maintain a quality downtown. A survey of merchants suggested Thunder by the Bay negatively impacted a majority of businesses. In a 2014 study, retail consultant Robert Gibbs projected a demand for only one or two new bars downtown by 2019.

“There’s a critical mass of how many bars you should have, and we’ve kind of reached it,” Chapman said.

She positioned herself as a defender of the interests of downtown businesses and residents, the latter of which she described as a valuable economic engine for the city.

Patrick Gannon, the president of the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association, said the group’s membership is more diverse than many people realize. The DSCA has avoided taking many hard positions on the character of downtown for that reason, but Gannon said the group has received positive feedback indicating things are trending in the right direction.

Even among the condo residents many see as an obstacle to progress, there is some desire for change. Campo, a vocal critic of proposals for new downtown bars, wants Main Street to be exciting — but right now, she thinks it falls short.

Campo wants to see more energy on Main Street. That could mean adding benches for people to congregate or encouraging the presence of certain street performers. It also means enhancing the retail experience: encouraging business to stay open later and refurbishing storefronts, signs and window displays.

“Make it exciting to go into these stores,” Campo said. “That’s the only way we’re going to keep our Main Street alive.”

It makes sense that most of the people investing their time and money in the future of Sarasota consider it a fun place to be.

“The answer is, yes, Sarasota is fun,” Haley said. “People enjoy being here. They enjoy the people who live here and the wide variety of things to do.”

The tension, then, comes when you ask: How do you keep Sarasota fun as it continues to grow? How can the city reconcile all the different visions for what a “fun” city entails?

Brian Duarte, the managing partner for Smokin’ Joe’s, thinks it’s possible to reach an equilibrium if everybody is acting in good faith. To this point, though, he hasn’t seen much effort dedicated to exploring other perspectives.

“I’ll sit down with Susan Chapman and talk,” Duarte said. “She may have a legitimate point. You just never know until you have a conversation.”

Those most critical about the city’s willingness to embrace a more active downtown say they’re not trying to completely remold Sarasota. To them, positive change means widening the spectrum of residents who consider Sarasota an exciting and vibrant place to live.

“Fun is different for everybody,” Biter said. “I don’t do the 2 a.m. things I used to when I was in my late 20s and early 30s. As long as there’s something for everybody — which is what attracted me to Sarasota in the first place — that’s what makes a town like this work, because you’ve got all walks of life coming here.”