Commission advances Manasota Beach Road public–private proposal and directs staff to remove Keyway from thoroughfare plan

Sarasota County commissioners on April 23 authorized staff to pursue an unsolicited public‑private partnership proposal for roughly two miles of Manasota Beach Road and unanimously directed staff to begin the process of removing Keyway Road from the county’s thoroughfare plan after residents and technical witnesses raised engineering, environmental and cost concerns.

Spencer Anderson, county public works director, introduced the item under statute (state statute cited during remarks). Pat Neal of the Economic Stimulus Working Group presented the unsolicited proposal, describing prior public‑private projects his group has delivered and asserting potential cost savings and construction schedule advantages. Neal urged the board to consider Minnesota/Manasota Beach Road as a substitute for Keyway Road and conditioned his offer on the board directing staff to review and delete Keyway from the thoroughfare plan.

Public comment was extensive and overwhelmingly in opposition to Keyway. More than a dozen residents and professionals (including Elaine McMahon, George Custer, Daniel McMahon, Frank Domingo of Stantec, Lori Ryan, Robert Madoon and others) described the corridor’s constraints—existing homes, water‑wells and pipelines, a Florida Power & Light transmission corridor and wetlands—and challenged the feasibility and fiscal prudence of building Keyway as a four‑lane road. Witnesses cited specific study limitations in the Benesch report, argued right‑of‑way takings could be required, and warned of property‑value and flooding consequences. Several speakers supported completing Manasota Beach Road to provide east‑west connectivity and to serve the new high school opening in August.

Board members asked staff about right‑of‑way, connectivity to the city and the timing for the high school opening; West Villages representatives said they would commence their adjacent engineering work and aimed to have road connections aligned with the new Welland Park High School opening on Aug. 26. After staff confirmed the unsolicited proposal meets statutory procedural steps, Commissioner Cuttsinger moved and Commissioner Smith seconded a motion to accept the unsolicited proposal and direct staff to develop an agreement and funding plan; the motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Cuttsinger then moved (seconded by Commissioner Knight) to initiate the process to remove Keyway from the major thoroughfare plan. Commissioners cited heavy resident testimony and technical concerns that Keyway is unlikely to be feasible or funded in the foreseeable future; the board voted unanimously to direct staff to prepare a comprehensive plan amendment package to delete the Keyway alignment and return the package to the board for review.

Staff indicated the comp plan amendment will follow the county’s process and return to the board before formal submittal. No construction contracts were executed at the meeting; commissioners authorized further work with the private proponent and asked staff to manage the plan‑amendment timeline and high‑school connectivity issues.