Spring Training in Full Swing

{photo source} Anyone who follows baseball knows that the American League East is arguably the most competitive division in the majors. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, with their long histories and deep pockets, garner most of the headlines, but the Tampa Bay...

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Don’t Forget to Vote Tomorrow!!

{photo source} Tomorrow is election day here in Sarasota, with three out five commission seats up for grabs. That means if you live in districts 1, 2, or 3 (that means everyone in the city of Sarasota) your vote counts!! In 2009, when two at-large commission seats...

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Sustainable Sarasota: Harnessing Demographic Assets

You don't have to be a marketing guru to know that youth sells. Everything it seems, including cities, are sold to the youth. Picture crowded sidewalks in the vaunted Creative City—a bunch of stylish 20 and 30 somethings, right? But as important as the energy and...

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New Year’s Eve in Downtown Sarasota

Looking for options for ringing in the New Year? Come celebrate in downtown Sarasota as the city of Sarasota begins its 98th year! Presented by the Downtown Sarasota Alliance, the Downtown New Year's Eve Block Party is a great place to meet your neighbors, bring the...

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Sarasota Chalk Art Festival—The City as Canvas

(photo source) Where were you on Halloween weekend? We certainly hope that Laurel Park residents made the short stroll to Burns Square to check out the incredible chalk art created by artists from all over the world. The renowned 3D chalk artist Edgar Mueller even...

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Owen Burns Week!!

photo source It's hard to live in Sarasota and not have heard of Owen Burns, the man for whom Burns Court (and by extension Burns Court Cinema) is named, and the honoree of the week-long Owen Burns Week fete November 8-14, 2010. But how much do you know about one of...

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New Police HQ Honors Environment, Local Architecture, and Heroes of 9/11

If you live in Laurel Park, chances are good you’ve seen downtown Sarasota’s new police headquarters being built between Ringling Boulevard and the north end of Payne Park. What could have been another monstrosity inspired by strip malls has fortunately turned into something quite special. The architectural firm in charge of the project incorporated both elements of the celebrated Sarasota School of Architecture and enough green features to seek LEED certification. To top it off, final negotiations are underway to install a 40-foot remnant from floors 90-92 of the World Trade Center—a fitting tribute to and stark reminder of the dangers policemen and women can encounter.

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Gillespie Park: Downtown Sarasota’s Other Great Neighborhood

This blog focuses on the Laurel Park neighborhood—we are Laurel Park Management, after all—but more than a little attention should also be paid to our neighbor to the north, Gillespie Park. Gillespie is a funky, diverse, and affordable historic neighborhood featuring many beautiful old Florida homes. LPM has several rental properties in this often overlooked area.

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What Gloom and Doom?

The Bradenton-Sarasota housing market showed no ill effects from the expiration of federal homebuyer tax credits, with sales of previously occupied homes hitting their highest point since the building boom, according to figures released Thursday.

A total of 1,068 existing single-family homes changed hands in June, the most since August 2005, the Florida Realtors trade association said. It also was the fourth consecutive month of 1,000-plus sales, something that also hasn’t happened in five years.

“That’s just absolutely phenomenal,” said Cindy Greco, the Manatee Association of Realtors’ president and an agent with Wagner Realty.

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