Sarasota proposes sweeping repurposing plan to address underutilized schools, schedules Nov. 7 vote

Superintendent Conner on Nov. 4 outlined a districtwide “Future Focus” strategic initiative aimed at addressing long‑standing underutilization of Sarasota County Schools facilities and to position the district to respond to incoming Schools of Hope eligibility notices. Conner told the board that districtwide analysis identified 10 schools with roughly 5,600 available student stations on the FISH (Florida Inventory of School Houses) report and that recent changes in state law accelerated the conversation.

The initiative would reclassify or repurpose space at multiple campuses, including a recommendation to deem the Landings district office “unnecessary for educational purposes” under Florida statute to allow relocation or sale of that property. The superintendent proposed repurposing portions of Brookside Middle as an innovation and technology magnet — with STEM, cybersecurity and esports pathways and possible university partnerships — removing an estimated 559 student stations and recalculating capacity so the campus would move to roughly 73% utilization under the district’s model.

Conner described a sequence of campus modifications that emerged from a Department of Education spot survey of the sites. Fruitville Elementary’s Building 5 was identified as structurally impractical to renovate…