UPDATE: DID seeks public input on flower baskets

The Downtown Improvement District has its long-awaited flower baskets in place. Now, it's waiting for resident feedback to bloom.

On Thursday, a DID-funded exhibition of three different flower basket options were mounted on light poles at Main Street and Palm Avenue. The first option places the flower basket off the side of the light pole, hung from an arm seven feet off the ground. The other two flower baskets are wrapped around the light poles, mounted two and seven feet above the sidewalk, respectively.

Residents interested in weighing in on the basket placement are interested in contacting Moran via email by messaging [email protected]. In an informal poll conducted by the Sarasota Observer, 83% of respondents supported the DID project. Twenty of the 35 respondents indicated a preference for option three, and 15 said they preferred option opne. 

Once it has locked in the ideal placement of the flower baskets, the board will determine the scale and scope of the project, called Downtown in Bloom. Moran has estimated that hanging baskets on the more than 130 light poles within the DID’s boundaries could cost as much as $100,000, though some board members have advocated for a smaller project.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].