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Sarasota commissioners pause plan to mandate in-person neighborhood workshops; ask staff to survey churches and venues
Summary
Following divided public testimony and mixed commissioner views, county planning staff were ordered to inventory potential in-person venues (including churches and libraries) and gather more public input before changing neighborhood workshop rules that currently allow virtual or in‑person formats.
County planning staff returned to the board May 20 to discuss whether neighborhood workshops for land‑use petitions should be required to be in person rather than optional. The current county resolution (No. 2025‑582) allows applicants to hold either an in‑person or a virtual workshop; staff said the option dates to 2020 pandemic adjustments and a later 2023 discussion that left the choice optional.
Planning Director Matt Osterhout told commissioners the Unified Development Code implements Sarasota 2050 policy 1.3.0.4 and that roughly 22 of 24 neighborhood workshops held…
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