Closures announced for holiday weekend

Fireworks, cookouts and municipal closures — all signals of the arrival of the Fourth of July weekend.

Beginning Thursday, street and office closures will begin to take effect in observance of the holiday and associated events.

City offices — including the Sarasota Police Department — will be closed on July 4. The Steigerwaldt-Jockey Children’s Fountain will be closed, and the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex will be open from 6-10 a.m. Bobby Jones Golf Club and Lido Pool will be open during regular hours.

County offices, including the Florida Department of Health, will also be closed. Libraries and recreation centers will be closed, though the Payne Park Tennis Center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sarasota County Area Transit will not operate on July 4.

In both the city and county, waste collection regularly scheduled for Friday will take place one day later, on July 5.

The Sarasota Police Department made several announcements in advance of the holiday weekend and the Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix. During the July 3 Festival Parade of Boats, the public consumption of alcohol is located to the 1400 and 1500 blocks of Main Street during the Power Boats by the Bay block party hours of 5 p.m. to midnight.

The following street closures will be in place for the parade and its staging:

+ 1 p.m to midnight — Lemon Avenue, from First Street to State Street
+ 2-9 p.m. — East Avenue, from Main Street to Fruitville Road, and Wallace Avenue, from Main Street to Fruitville Road.
+ 4-9 p.m. — Main Street, from U.S. 301 to School Avenue
+ 6-9 p.m. — Main Street, from Pineapple Avenue to Gulfstream Avenue, and from Orange Avenue to U.S. 301
+ 6 p.m. to midnight — Main Street, from Orange Avenue to Central Avenue.

The Van Wezel parking lot will be closed from 7 a.m. July 3 until 12:30 a.m. July 7. On July 4, the following closures are scheduled during the fireworks display:

+ U.S. 41, from Gulfstream Avenue to Orange Avenue, will be closed from 7 p.m. until approximately 10 p.m.
+ The parking lot at Bayfront Park will be closed when it reaches capacity. No parking will be permitted on the grass at the south end of the bayfront.
+ Centennial Park and the Tenth Street Boat Ramp will be closed at 11 p.m. on July 4 through 6 p.m. on July 6. An alternate boat ramp for use during this period is located in Ken Thompson Park on City Island.

700 parking spaces are available at the Palm Avenue garage, located between Main Street and Cocoanut Avenue. Heavy delays are expected following the fireworks display.

On July 5, the U.S. 41 and Tenth Street entry to the Van Wezel and Centennial Park is closed to all non-pedestrian traffic from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The South Lido Beach parking lot will be closed from 10 p.m. on July 5 until 6 p.m. on July 6. Limited parking will be available on Lido Key on July 6 during the Offshore Grand Prix race. Exit times are expected to be in excess of one hour when leaving the area.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].