News Briefs

+ St. Armands recognized as ‘Top National Food Court’
St. Armands Circle stakeholders were honored — and disgraced — to receive a plaque April 1 that marks the Circle as one of the nation’s best food courts.

The Society for Better Areas of Restaurant-Related Offerings (SBARRO) released its list of the Top National Food Courts this week, with St. Armands Circle coming in at No. 3 in the U.S.

“Most food courts only offer convenient access to Claire’s or Spencer’s Gifts, but at St. Armands Circle, the beach is only a few blocks away,” the list said. “That alone makes up for the area’s shortcomings, including the glaring absence of a Panda Express.”

The St. Armands Business Improvement District has attempted to limit the number of restaurants on the Circle for fear that it would begin to lose its luster as a shopping district. Although the distinction confirmed those fears, at least one BID member decided to look on the bright side.

“Although the restaurants are out of control on St. Armands, it is an honor to be recognized as being one of the best at anything,” the BID member said. “It’s a testament to the need for more oversight — but also to the area’s undeniable appeal.”

+ Commission rebrands Sarasota 2050 as 2080
The Sarasota County Commission has expressed an interest in adjusting the Sarasota 2050 plan, which has seen a lack of progress after being approved in 2002. At a meeting Tuesday, commission members took decisive action to achieve that change.

Commissioners voted unanimously to rebrand the project, which manages future growth in the eastern part of the county, as “Sarasota 2080.” As a result, commissioners agreed, the lack of development under the plan became less of a problem.

“Honestly, all this time we’ve dedicated has been extremely premature,” one commissioner said. “We can revisit this plan around 2040 to see if there are any real issues here.”

Earlier proposed changes to the plan, designed to encourage development, were met with objection from residents who said it promoted sprawl and moved expenses associated with new projects from developers to taxpayers. Eventually, one commissioner found an aspect that all parties agreed on adjusting.

“We went through every element of this plan, and every single proposed change we could think of was controversial,” the commissioner said. “I was just staring at the title page, zoning out during the endless public comment, when it hit me — ‘Duh, it was right in front of my eyes this whole time.’”

+ Area roundabouts to feature ‘living art’
As an alternative to spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a consultant to decide what public art should be installed in the center of area roundabouts, the Sarasota County Commission launched an initiative Monday to install homeless camps in the middle of the roundabouts countywide. The camps, commissioners explained, will become “living installations” of art.

“Talk about two birds with one stone,” a county commissioner said. “Everyone wins.”

The initiative will be called ART: Assigning Roundabouts to Transients. Under the plan, homeless will have a place to camp and panhandle with ease, while simultaneously alleviating the city’s need to build a shelter. Although some residents have questioned the artistic value of the project, one area art critic called the plan “provocative” and “fierce.”

“This will put Sarasota County on the map,” the art critic said.

 Hopefully you made it to the end of the article, so we can say, Happy April Fools' Day! This story is not true.