History seems to be sneaking its way into our neighborhood conversations lately... and it's an important piece of community that deserves the attention of Neighborhood Services!

           In January we were honored to witness the Board of County Commissioners approve a Neighborhood Initiative Grant for a website promoting the history of Newtown and its immediate areas, as part of a broader Newtown Alive history project.  We'll be sure to let you know when the website is launched.  Since that time we've had discussions with a couple neighborhoods about ways they might use the grant program to preserve their own unique histories.

At a recent neighborhood celebration, and then again at a site visit elsewhere, we were treated to taking a look at the real estate brochures that promoted these residential developments when they were brand new and ripe for the buying.  What a blast from the past!   We would love to create a historic display of neighborhood real estate brochures for the Florida Neighborhoods Conference.  If you can get your hands on a brochure from your neighborhood's heyday, please share it with us (send to [email protected]) !

And speaking of the Florida Neighborhoods Conference, we're pleased to announce our keynote speaker has been supremely influential in writing Sarasota County's recent history.  Michael Saunders, Founder and CEO of Michael Saunders & Company, is responsible for a business employing over 800 Southwest Floridians, achieiving $2.7 billion in sales last year, and contributing support to over 120 non-profit community organizations.  

We've also confirmed that Venice Heritiage, Inc. will provide narrated historic walking tours of downtown Venice.  Have we mentioned how excited we are for this conference??

Sarasota County currently performs periodic mowing in Right of Ways (ROWs) along residential roadways.  They are considering a change that would transfer the mowing responsibility to the adjacent home/property owners.  Residents are encouraged to attend one of this week's  informational meetings to learn more about the proposal and ask questions of county staff.

Each year, the National Association of Town Watch celebrates efforts to improve safety through law enforcement and community partnerships.  The annual celebration is called National Night Out - and it's not too late to plan a NNO party for your neighborhood on October 4th!

My neighborhood was developed so long ago - how can I find my neighborhood plat and other information regarding lot lines, easements, or conservation areas?

Plat records for subdivisions and condominiums are available online through the Clerk's website, under the " ONLINE RECORDS: Public Records Search" tab.  Select "Subdivisions and Condominiums" from the menu.  Indicate whether you are searching for a Condominium or Subdivision in the drop-down box, then enter the title of the neighborhood you are looking for (example:  Amaryllis Park).  Click the image link to view available PDF documents, and you're on your way to these little pieces of neighborhood history!