Seen as one of the simplest­ yet most important indicators for the residential real estate market, closed sales are the number of sales transactions wthat closed during the month. Florida Realtors provides information on closed sales for the past year. As seen on the chart above, closed sales for this past month on June were 792. Closed sales are affected by seasonal cycles, so actual trends are more accurately represented by year-over-year changes rather than changes from one month to the next.  

Efforts to redevelop the old Whitaker Bayou Yacht Club for years caused tensions between nearby homeowners and developers, but a project on the North Tamiami Trail site a week ago won the support of Sarasota City Commissioners and the endorsement of neighborhood leaders living nearby. JebCo Ventures is now moving forward on plans to build 156 multi-family units contained in three buildings, each standing four stories. The plan also calls for about 50 boat slips. “We had the support of the neighborhood,” says JebCo president Jim Bridges. “I would not have gone forward with the project without that.”

Jennifer Ahern-Koch, president of the Tahiti Park Neighborhood Association, lauds the project and praises Bridges' efforts to address neighborhood concerns. She anticipates the project will blend seamlessly into the North Trail community. “This is a good example of what happens when a conversation is had,” she says. In a series of meetings with neighbors, Bridges worked on sound fences, to keep tree removal at a minimum and to make sure commercial elements on US 41 didn’t disrupt the lives of residents. The cooperative effort made neighbors more receptive, even if they started the process skeptical. “I really commend him for that,” Ahern-Koch says of Bridges. “It’s an incredibly progressive view to take in this situation. You don’t expect it.”

Neighbors have been involved in legal fights regarding the future of the property before when high-rise condominiums and larger boathouses were included in plans. Bridges said he ultimately decided not to even look at past proposals and just figured out what he wanted on the site and what neighbors would back. Despite the project’s difficult history, Bridges was attracted to the site’s potential. A total of nearly 9.5 acres of land located minutes from Downtown Sarasota proved more attractive considering the waterfront nature of the property. 

Approval of the project still needs approval on second reading from city commissioners. From there, Bridges hopes to begin marketing efforts within the next 45 days. While no final prices are set, he expects most units to run roughly $400,000 and a few larger units to be priced around $800,000. 

Ringling College of Art and Design announced that Terry Marks has joined the college as assistant vice president of strategic philanthropy for the office of advancement. Marks has a long history of fundraising in locations including Sarasota, New York and Los Angeles. She was recently vice president of philanthropy at the Jewish Housing Council Foundation.  

Ringling College

Adams and Reese law firm continues their support for the work of Goodwill Manasota with a contribution to the organization's Job Connection program. The donation will support Goodwill Manasota’s mission of changing lives through the power of work by enabling one client of Goodwill’s Job Connection program, which provides free career services, to attend General Education Development (GED) classes for two semesters.  

Goodwill Manasota

The Jerome and Mildred Paddock Foundation awarded Easter Seals Southwest Florida with a grant of $5,000. The grant will be used to purchase new equipment to help better service children and adults with varying levels of autism spectrum disorder. Easter Seals Southwest Florida will also receive an additional $5,000 from the Cordelia Lee Beattie Foundation to help develop and strengthen the arts program for the Lily School.  

Easter Seals Southwest Florida