- December 13, 2025
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The Sarasota County Commission on Tuesday approved a request to the state legislature to designate a section of Fruitville Road as the Charlie Kirk Memorial Road.
Without planned public discussion on Tuesday, the Sarasota County Commission plans to vote on a measure seeking state designation of a 2.5-mile stretch of Fruitville Road as “Charlie Kirk Memorial Road.’’
Only the Florida Department of Transportation has the power to make such a designation on a state-maintained road, so the County Commission’s action serves as notice it supports such a move. The name Fruitville Road would not change.
The stretch from McIntosh Road, at the eastern edge of Sarasota’s city limits, to Coburn Road, just east of the Interstate 75 interchange, would receive rectangular brown signs noting the highway’s state memorial designation. A further 930-foot segment from Coburn Road to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, which is controlled by Sarasota County, would receive similar signs with “In Memoriam” signs added.
In either case, according to county documents, “Such designations do not require any action by local governments or private parties to change street signs, mailing addresses, or 911 emergency system listings.’’
Consideration of the road designation is in the commission’s 20-item consent agenda, typically approved as a batch and not open for public or commission discussion. As part of the request to state transportation officials, the county seeks sign-off from the region’s legislative delegation to file and support enabling legislation in the next session.
Companion bills seeking state designation of “Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue” for a segment of 107th Avenue in Miami-Dade are already on file in the House and Senate. Bills seeking a state “Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance” annually on Oct. 14, are also on file.
A political commentator and podcaster, Kirk, 31, was shot to death Sept. 10 during an appearance at Utah Valley College in Orem. Since then, dozens of communities and organizations have taken action to name roads or other facilities in his honor. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Kirk and his family have owned a condominium on the south end of Longboat Key since 2019. He was instrumental in social media video site Rumble moving its headquarters to the beach town in 2023. Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA and was an early investor in Rumble.
