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County says Hermitage campus restoration will take time; design, permitting may push reopening into late 2026
Summary
Parks director Nicole Rizzler told commissioners the Hermitage campus on a barrier island sustained severe saltwater damage and will require full design, engineering and permitting before restoration; staff said full reopening is unlikely before late 2026 and reported repeated unauthorized work by the Hermitage.
Nicole Rizzler, director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, told the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday that damage from the 2024 hurricanes left multiple Hermitage buildings with about four feet of saltwater intrusion and that permanent repairs require extensive design, engineering and permitting because the campus lies seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rizzler said the county received proposals from a design‑build contractor and is meeting with the firm and with grant and FEMA staff to develop contract amendments and a permitting timeline. She told the board that construction costs had not been included…
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