News Briefs

+ Monthly property sales surpass 1,000
More than 1,000 properties were sold in Sarasota County in April, the first time the tally crossed that mark since June 2005.

There were 714 single-family home sales and 303 condo sales in the county last month, according to the Sarasota Association of Realtors, for a total of 1,017 closings. That beat the April 2012 total of 886 closings by 14%, the association says in a statement. In April 2012 there were 589 single-family home sales and 297 condo sales.

The 1,000 sales mark, further, has historical significance. The association says there have been 10 months in its entire history, dating back 90 years, when total sales topped 1,000. The other nine months occurred in 2004 and 2005, including an all-time high of 1,233 sales in April 2004.

“This historic number of sales is a testimony to the hard working, professional Realtors who belong to this association,” Sarasota Association of Realtors President Roger Piro said in the May 22 release.

In addition to the increase in total sales volume, the association, in its monthly statistical report released this morning, talks up the mostly good news on prices and the good news on inventory. On the median sales price, the figure for a single-family home was $217,000 in April, the highest since 2008 and a 24% increase over April 2012, when it was $175,000. The median sales price for condos dropped slightly, from $191,000 in April 2012 to $185,000 last month.

+ City of Sarasota ranks high for walkability
The city of Sarasota was featured in the May/June issue of Where to Retire magazine as a walkable city.
Sarasota was highlighted as one of eight cities for walkable living. Other cities on the list include: Decatur, Ga.; Charlottesville, Va.; Providence, R.I.; Tuscon, Ariz.; Boulder, Colo.; Ashland, Ore.; and Bellingham, Wash.

“Although the citywide walk score is a ‘somewhat walkable’ 56, Sarasota is well above Florida’s average score of 37 (‘car dependent’), and its downtown is especially navigable by foot,” states the magazine.

+ City of Sarasota offices will be closed Memorial Day
City of Sarasota administrative offices will be closed Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.

Most Sarasota County government offices, libraries, recreation centers and transit services will be also be closed to observe the national holiday.

However, Payne Park Tennis Center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the Arlington Park Recreation Center will be open from noon to 5 p.m.

Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) will not operate on Memorial Day.

Sarasota County collection schedule for solid waste, yard waste and recyclables will remain on the regular pickup schedule.

The landfill at 4000 Knights Trail Road in Nokomis will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also closed are Sarasota County’s chemical collection centers at 8750 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, and at 250 S. Jackson Road, Venice.

The chemical collection center at 4010 Knights Trail Road, Nokomis, will be open on May 27.

Meetings & Agendas
• Regular City Commission Meeting — 2:30 and 6 p.m. Monday, June 3, City Hall, Commission Chambers, 1565 First St., Sarasota.
• Sarasota City Development Review Committee (DRC) — 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 5, Room 112, City Hall, 1565 First St., Sarasota.
• Sarasota County Development Review Committee (DRC) — 9 a.m. Thursday, June 6, Conference Room 2, 1001 Sarasota Center Blvd., Sarasota