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CHAPTER 3 RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.......... 3-3 DEFINITIONS.......... 3-4 COUNTY PARK INVENTORY .......... 3-5 ANALYSIS.......... 3-9 ADDITIONAL RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES .......... 3-19 RECREATIONAL CONCERNS.......... 3-22 SUMMARY.......... 3-24 RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE PLAN .......... 3-25 ENDNOTES.......... 3-32 Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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CHAPTER 3 RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE Introduction In the recent decades Sarasota County has experienced phenomenal growth. The population of the unincorporated area has increased from approximately 69,831 residents in 1970, to an estimated population of 212,746 in 1995. By 2010 the population is expected to be approximately 263,756. This growth creates a continuing need for the development of new recreational facilities. (1) At the same time, however, opportunities for providing these facilities and services become increasingly limited as the fixed supply of land, water, shoreline areas, and cultural resources, which support outdoor recreation, are committed to non-recreation purposes necessary for the support of the expanding population. To date an impressive number of parks and beaches have been developed for both active, user-oriented, and passive, resource-based, recreation. Sarasota County owns land devoted to public parks and recreational uses ranging in size from less than one acre, such as many of the beach accesses, to the 267 acres which comprise Knight Trail Park. With effective planning, the provision of recreational facilities can continue to meet the needs of the growing number of Sarasota County residents. This Chapter sets forth a classification system for park facilities; presents an inventory of County owned park land; recommends both a regulatory level of service for present use and a desired level of service as an objective; and discusses actions needed to meet the higher service standard. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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Definitions Numerous publications have been prepared by state and national park associations which contain recreational guidelines for park and community planning. These publications were designed to be utilized by communities as information sources to be used in the development of park plans. The Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Department used these resources to establish the definitions in this chapter. The resources included the following publications: "Criteria for Leisure Facilities", prepared by the Florida Recreation and Parks Association, and the Florida Planning and Zoning Association in 1975, sets forth recreation facility standards, including minimum acreage and service area requirements. "Outdoor Recreation in Florida" was prepared by the State of Florida in 1987 and most recently revised in 1994. The document is the State of Florida's policy plan for outdoor recreation. The publication contains nationally accepted guidelines and standards for parks and recreation planning and development. "Recreation, Park and Open Space Standards and Guidelines", was prepared by the National Recreation and Park Association in 1983. The report provides standards and guidelines which can be used by communities to plan their operations. Using the above publications as guidelines, the following definitions were developed to provide a common vocabulary for recreation planning in Sarasota County: Community Park: a park located near major roadways and designed to serve the needs of more than one neighborhood. Typical facilities include a large group picnic shelter, swimming pool, lighted or unlighted softball/baseball field(s), lighted tennis court(s), recreation building, gymnasium, rest room, passive recreation area and parking. The customary service area is a 3 mile radius. Highly Specialized Park: a park primarily used for athletics or specialized recreation activities. Typical facilities include baseball field(s), softball field(s), football field(s), soccer field(s), gun range, rest rooms, passive recreation area, and parking. The customary service area is a 20 mile radius. Metropolitan Park: a park developed to serve several communities, population centers, or large portions of the County. Typical facilities include nature, hiking, riding or exercise trails, nature center, amphitheater, or other specialized building, area for boating or swimming, rest room, passive recreation area, and parking. The customary service area is a 20 mile radius. Neighborhood Park: a park which serves the population of a neighborhood and is generally accessible by bicycle or on foot. Typical facilities include an equipped play area, multipurpose court(s), multi-purpose field(s), picnic area, and passive recreation area. The customary service area is a 1 mile radius. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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Open Spaces: undeveloped lands suitable for passive recreation or conservation uses. Playground: a recreation area with play apparatus. Private Recreation Sites: sites owned by private, commercial, or non-profit entities available to the public for purposes of recreational uses. Public Access: the ability of the public to physically reach, enter or use recreation sites including beaches and shores. Public Recreation Sites: sites owned or leased on a long-term basis by a federal, state, regional or local government agency for purposes of recreational use. Public Conservation Lands: major land holdings in public ownership including the Pinelands Reserve and the T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve, and the two regional parks, the Myakka River State Park and the Oscar Scherer State Park. Recreation: the pursuit of leisure time activities occurring in an outdoor or indoor setting. Recreation Facility: a component of a recreation site used by the public such as a trail, court, athletic field or swimming pool. Regional Park: a park which is designed to serve two or more communities. County Park Inventory Prior to 1992 County owned recreational lands were categorized by evaluating each site and classifying its entire acreage as either neighborhood, community, metropolitan or highly specialized park. The acreage of parks in each category was summed to determine the amount of acreage in that park category. These acreage counts were then compared to service needs to determine if a deficiency or surplus existed. If a deficiency existed, it was an indicator that more land should be obtained to develop another park. The problem with this type of inventory and analysis was that it did not recognize, that in many instances, a wide variety of park facilities were present on a single site. For example, Longwood Park contains facilities typically found within neighborhood and community parks as well as conservation land. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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In 1992, to improve the identification of facility improvement needs, a classification system was developed based upon recreational facilities. The new park classification system groups and categorizes recreational facilities as typical of neighborhood, community, metropolitan or highly specialized parks. Some parks contain more than one category of facilities, as is the case with the Longwood Park example above. An "other park" classification was also established for acreage that is undeveloped or does not contain facilities typical of one of the four categories. The undeveloped acreage may or may not be appropriate for future recreational development depending on environmental characteristics. The classification criteria are shown below: Recreation Guiding Principles
Park Classification System Neighborhood Park To meet the minimum required criteria for the neighborhood park classification, a park must provide three (3) of the five (5) facilities shown below: - Equipped play area for children
- Multi-purpose court
- Multi-purpose field
- Picnic area
- Passive recreation area
In neighborhood park planning play areas for children and picnic areas should be provided where ever feasible. Community Park To meet the minimum required criteria for the community park classification, a park must provide five (5) of the nine (9) facilities shown below: - Large group picnic shelter
- Swimming pool
- Softball/baseball practice field
- Tennis court
- Recreation building
- Gymnasium
- Rest room
- Passive recreation area
- Parking area
Note: A Community Park may also include those recreational facilities commonly provided for in a neighborhood park. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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Metropolitan Park To meet the minimum required criteria for the metropolitan park classification, a park must provide four (4) of the six (6) facilities shown below: - Nature, hiking, riding or exercise trails
- Nature center, amphitheater or other specialized building
- Area for boating or swimming
- Rest room
- Passive recreation area
- Parking area
Note: A Metropolitan Park may also include those recreational facilities commonly provided for in a neighborhood park. Highly Specialized Park To meet the minimum required criteria for the highly specialized park classification, a park must provide four (4) of the eight (8) facilities shown below: - Baseball field
- Softball field
- Football field
- Soccer field
- Gun range
- Rest room
- Passive recreation area
- Parking area
Note: A Highly Specialized Park may also include those recreational facilities commonly provided for in a neighborhood park. Passive Recreation Areas These areas are an integral part of park design. They include the undeveloped spaces between developed park facilities and the environmentally sensitive areas that require minimal development. Other Parks "Other" parks are those parks that do not meet the criteria of one of the four (4) developed park types. "Other" parks include future capacity, conservation land, water access parks, and any other parks, as described below: Future Capacity - these lands provide acreage intended to be developed for recreational purposes, as part of the County's five and twenty year Capital Improvements Element. Once these Future Capacity acreage are developed, the developed acreage will be evaluated according to the Park Classification Criteria, assigned the appropriate park classification, and calculated as such for Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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concurrency purposes, to meet the County's adopted Recreation LOS. Conservation Lands - these lands provide for the conservation and maintenance of the functions and values of native habitats. Natural Area Park - a park administered by the County’s Parks and Recreation Department on lands that are of high ecological value and are limited primarily to activities that are ecologically benign, non-consumptive and resource based. Facilities can include a nature center, rest room, and parking area. Water Access - these lands provide shoreline access to the County's Bays, Creeks, Rivers, Lakes, Ponds, and the Gulf of Mexico. Any Other - these lands shall be evaluated on a case by case basis. Table 3-1 provides the updated acreage of recreational development by facility classification for all County owned parks. The Recreation Guiding Principles were used to systematically characterize the improvements at each site in the County Park Inventory as of October 1, 1995. The inventory, which is provided as Table 3-2, is divided into listings for north and south county. Within each geographic area, the listings are in the following functional groupings: beach and beach access, islands, parks, and recreation areas. The location of each of the sites in the County Park Inventory is shown on Figure 3-1. Information is provided on the specific facilities at those sites in Appendix C. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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Analysis Existing Recreational Facilities An analysis of the supply of existing recreational facilities in County owned parks was done by adding up the acreage in each park classification in the County Park Inventory. The acreage per 1,000 residents was calculated based on the estimated 1995 unincorporated area population of 212,746 residents. (2) The results were as follows: TABLE 3-1: Acreage of Recreational Development by
Facility Classification
All County Owned Parks | Park Type | Acreage | Acres Per 1000 Persons | | Neighborhood | 77.0 | 0.36 | | Community | 102.7 | 0.48 | | Metropolitan | 217.6 | 1.02 | | Highly Specialized | 416.1 | 1.96 | | Future Capacity | 364.8 | 1.71 | | Conservation Land | 939.5 | 4.42 | | Water Access | 40.2 | 0.19 | | Other | 6.0 | 0.03 | | Total | 2163.9 | 10.17 |
The table above indicates that 38 percent of County owned park acreage has been developed with recreational facilities. Seventeen percent of the acreage is classified as future capacity and could be developed. The remainder of the acreage is designated as conservation land to preserve existing native habitat areas. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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TABLE: 3-2 INVENTORY OF EXISTING COUNTY OWNED AND OPERATED PARKS Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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| | | | | | | | Other Park | | | | | Neighborhood | Community | Metropolitan | Specialized | Future | Conservation | Water | Any | | | | | Park | Park | Park | Park | Capacity | Land | Access | Other | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Map #
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Parks | | | | | | | | | | 7 | Ackerman Park | 26.00 | 6.00 | | | | | | 20.00 | | 13 | Bay Island | 3.00 | | | | | | | 3.00 | | 18 | Boyd Park | 1.00 | | | | | | | | 1.00 | 33 | Christopher Wheeler Park | 1.00 | | | | | | | 1.00 | | 29 | Phillippi Estate Park | 60.00 | | | 15.00 | | 11.00 | 34.00 | | | 28 | Phillippi Shores Park | 6.00 | 2.00 | | | | | | 4.00 | | 9 | Pinecraft Park | 15.00 | 5.00 | | | | | 10.00 | | | 12 | Red Rock Park | 1.00 | 1.00 | | | | | | | | 10 | South Gate Circle | 1.00 | | | | | | | | 1.00 | | | Recreation Areas | | | | | | | | | | 11 | Bee Ridge Park | 10.00 | 2.00 | 8.00 | | | | | | | 30 | Colonial Oaks Park | 20.00 | 2.00 | 9.00 | | | 2.00 | 7.00 | | | 8 | Fairgrounds Park | 40.00 | 5.00 | 10.00 | | 25.00 | | | | | 6 | Fruitville Park | 25.00 | 5.00 | | | 20.00 | | | | | 22 | Glebe Park | 10.00 | | | | 10.00 | | | | | 69 | Lakeview Park | 15.66 | | | | | 15.66 | | | | 1 | Longwood Park | 20.00 | 2.00 | 7.00 | | | | 11.00 | | | 5 | Miss Sarasota Softball | 15.00 | | | | 15.00 | | | | | 2 | Newtown Estates | 10.00 | 2.00 | 8.00 | | | | | | | 32 | Potter Park | 37.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 | 2.00 | | 27.00 | | | | 4 | 17th Street Park | 96.00 | | | | 66.00 | 30.00 | | | | 31 | Twin Lakes Park | 123.00 | 3.00 | 20.00 | | 90.00 | 10.00 | | | | 3 | Youth Athletic Complex | 40.00 | 5.00 | | | 35.00 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | TOTAL NORTH ACREAGE | 916.91 | 55.00 | 68.00 | 93.00 | 261.00 | 95.66 | 311.00 | 31.25 | 2.00 | | | | | | | | OTHER PARK | 439.91 | | |
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| | | | | | | | Other Park | | | | | Neighborhood | Community | Metropolitan | Specialized | Future | Conservation | Water | Any | | | | | Park | Park | Park | Park | Capacity | Land | Access | Other | | | SOUTH COUNTY | | | | | | | | | |
Map #
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Beach & Beach Access | | | | | | | | | | 63 | Blind Pass Beach | 66.00 | | | 6.00 | | 60.00 | | | | 57 | Caspersen Beach | 113.00 | | | 13.00 | | | 100.00 | | | 60 | Manasota Beach | 14.00 | | | 14.00 | | | | | | 46 | Nokomis Beach | 23.00 | | | 23.00 | | | | | | 48 | North Jetty Park | 18.00 | | | 18.00 | | | | | | 39 | South Palmer Point | 24.00 | | | | | | 24.00 | | | | | Islands | | | | | | | | | | 47 | Rattlesnake Island | 11.00 | | | | | | 11.00 | | | | | Parks | | | | | | | | | | 49 | Bay Point | 1.00 | | | | | | | 1.00 | | 42 | Blackburn Point Park | 5.00 | 2.00 | | | | | | 3.00 | | 50 | Curry Creek | 2.00 | | | | | | | 2.00 | | 61 | Kiwanis/Buchan Park | 29.00 | 5.00 | | | | 24.00 | | | | 45 | Laurel Park | 14.00 | 3.00 | 9.00 | | | 2.00 | | | | 64 | Lemon Bay Park | 161.00 | | | 13.60 | | 9.40 | 138.00 | | | 53 | Nightingale Park | 1.00 | | | | | | | | 1.00 | 40 | Osprey Pier | 1.00 | | | | | | | 1.00 | | 52 | Plantation Park | 20.00 | | | | | 20.00 | | | | 43 | Shoreland Park | 2.00 | | | | | | | 2.00 | |
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| | | | | | | | Other Park | | | | | Neighborhood | Community | Metropolitan | Specialized | Future | Conservation | Water | Any | | | | | Park | Park | Park | Park | Capacity | Land | Access | Other | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Map #
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Recreation Areas | | | | | | | | | | 41 | Bay Street Park | 20.00 | | | | | 8.00 | 12.00 | | | 51 | By-Pass Park | 38.00 | 2.00 | 2.50 | | 19.20 | 8.30 | 6.00 | | | 56 | Caspersen Intracoastal | 110.00 | | | | | 64.00 | 46.00 | | | 59 | Challenger Park | 4.00 | 4.00 | | | | | | | | 66 | Englewood Park | 10.00 | 3.00 | 7.00 | | | | | | | 62 | Englewood Spts. Complex | 136.00 | | | | 60.90 | 35.10 | 40.00 | | | 65 | Indian Mound Park | 10.00 | | | 10.00 | | | | | | 44 | Knight Trail Park | 267.00 | | | | 75.00 | | 192.00 | | | 68 | Nokomis Community Park | 17.00 | 1.00 | | | | 16.00 | | | | 58 | Shamrock Park | 82.00 | | 3.50 | 27.00 | | | 51.50 | | | 55 | Woodmere Park East | 11.00 | | | | | | 8.00 | | 3.00 | 54 | Woodmere Park West | 37.00 | 2.00 | 12.70 | | | 22.30 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | TOTAL SOUTH ACREAGE | 1247.00 | 22.00 | 34.70 | 124.60 | 155.10 | 269.10 | 628.50 | 9.00 | 4.00 | | | | | | | | OTHER PARK | 910.60 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | TOTAL COUNTY ACREAGE | 2163.91 | 77.00 | 102.70 | 217.60 | 416.10 | 364.76 | 939.50 | 40.25 | 6.00 | | | | | | | | OTHER PARK | 1342.91 | | |
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Figure 3-1: Municipal, County & State Park Sites 
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Summaries were also made of the supply of park facilities in North and South County. For the purpose of the evaluation the dividing line between North and South County was defined as Preymore Street, extended west to the Gulf of Mexico and east to the DeSoto County line. County owned properties within the City of Sarasota were included in the acreage count for North County. County owned parks within the Cities of Venice and North Port were included with the data for South County. The summaries are shown below: TABLE 3-3: Acreage of Recreation Development | by Facility Classification | North County | Park Type | Acreage | Acres Per 1,000 Persons* | | Neighborhood | 55.0 | 0.39 | | Community | 68.0 | 0.49 | | Metropolitan | 93.0 | 0.66 | | Highly Specialized | 261.0 | 1.86 | | Future Capacity | 95.7 | 0.68 | | Conservation | 311.0 | 2.22 | | Water Access | 31.2 | 0.22 | | Other | 2.0 | 0.01 | | Total | 916.9 | 6.53 | | * Estimated 1995 resident population = 140,145 (3) |
TABLE 3-4: Acreage of Recreational Development | By Facility Classification | South County | Park Type | Acreage | Acres per 1,000 Persons** | | Neighborhood | 22.0 | 0.30 | | Community | 34.7 | 0.48 | | Metropolitan | 124.6 | 1.72 | | Highly Specialized | 155.1 | 2.14 | | Future Capacity | 269.1 | 3.71 | | Conservation | 628.5 | 8.66 | | Water Access | 9.0 | 0.12 | | Other | 4.0 | 0.06 | | Total | 1247.0 | 17.19 | | ** Estimated 1995 population = 72,601 |
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A comparison of the two areas indicates that in 1995 there were more neighborhood recreational facilities relative to the number of residents in North County than there were in South County. There were more metropolitan park facilities in South County while community park facilities are approximately the same countywide. Recommended Service Levels The differences in recreational facility availability between North and South County suggest that the County should consider a two tiered approach to level of service standards. The first tier would be a level of service based on the current County-wide supply of recreational facilities relative to population. The second tier would set a desired level of service which would have as an objective the equalization of the supply of recreational facilities relative to the residents of North and South County within a specific time period. The recreation level of service (LOS), adopted in 1989, which is 7 acres/1,000 residents, represents the foundation for the development of the two tiered approach. It could be modified by adding standards for each facility type in order to create the first tier level of service. Such a level of service would be as follows considering the park acreage inventory through FY 1995 as a means of updating the LOS calculations: 0.3 | acres of Neighborhood park facilities; | 0.4 | acres of Community park facilities; | 0.9 | acres of Metropolitan park facilities; | 1.8 | acres of Highly Specialized park facilities; and | 3.6 | acres of "Other" park acreage, including, but not limited to parks designated as Future Capacity, Conservation Lands and Water Access. | 7.0 | total acres or more of park land. |
A desired level of service (DLOS) could be established by selecting the highest level of existing park facilities per 1,000 population for each facility type, based on the results of the separate summaries of park facilities in North and South County. The results of such a selection would be a DLOS as follows: 0.4 | acres of Neighborhood park facilities; | 0.4 | acres of Community park facilities; | 1.2 | acres of Metropolitan park facilities; | 1.9 | acres of Highly Specialized park facilities; and | 3.1 | acres of "Other" park acreage, including, but not limited to parks designated as Future Capacity, Conservation Lands and Water Access. | 7.0 | total acres or more of park land. |
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If the above DLOS were to be gauged against the 1995 population, additional recreational facilities would have to be developed as follows: 8 acres of neighborhood park facilities, and 37 acres of metropolitan park facilities. This additional acreage would bring the amount of recreational acreage in each facility category to the desired service level. The 1995 acreage levels for community park facilities and highly specialized park facilities are meeting the DLOS. In actuality, it would take several years to plan and develop the additional acreage necessary to achieve the desired service level, and during that time the number of residents would also increase, so that additional acreage would also have to be developed to maintain existing service levels. Based on a five year growth projection of an unincorporated area population of 233,856 in 2001, developed acreage would have to increase as follows: 16 acres of neighborhood park facilities, 62 acres of metropolitan park facilities, and 28 acres of highly specialized park facilities. The additional acreage to be developed could be divided between North and South County in such a manner as to raise existing facility levels in each area to the desired level of service. Because there are greater gaps between existing and desired service level in South County than in North County, more recreational facilities would have to be developed in South County, if this approach were to be taken. Park Planning Once overall recreational development needs are determined, based on adopted service levels, the next step is the search for appropriate sites. Schools, existing and proposed, are evaluated for their potential along with sites already owned by state, county and municipal agencies. As of 1995 there were 269 acres of potentially developable park acreage in South County and 96 acres in North County at County owned park sites. Given the availability of so much undeveloped acreage relative to the amount needed for facility development, it is likely that appropriate sites can be found on park land already owned by the County. Service radii maps are prepared and reviewed to determine which areas are most in need of certain park facilities. Site selection and recreational facility selection are also influenced by public input at Board of County Commissioners and Recreational Advisory Board meetings, direct contact with parks staff, and formal surveys sent to citizens. After a potential development site is selected, an inventory and analysis is completed to identify potential opportunities or constraints inherent to the site. If the property can accommodate the proposed recreation facilities, conceptual plans are prepared showing alternative locations for the proposed park facilities. Usually a minimum of three conceptual plans are prepared and evaluated to determine which of the three or which components of the three comprise the best overall solution. From this evaluation comes the final master plan. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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The master plan is presented to the public for review. This provides an opportunity for citizens to comment on proposed facilities. Approval by the Natural Resources and Recreational Advisory Board and Board of County Commissioners is the next step in the planning process. Subsequent to the approval by the Board of County Commissioners, construction plans are completed and the facilities are built. Shared Use Facilities The recreational facilities at public schools have the potential to serve a portion of the recreational needs of the County. These areas could be included at the concurrency management level of service analysis for recreation if the County and the School Board had formal agreements regarding the joint use of recreational facilities at schools. Interlocal operating agreements are already in effect between the County and the School Board for the use of facilities at Riverview High School, Englewood Elementary School and at the new Pine View School. In addition, agreements have been recently signed for the use of facilities at four middle schools including Booker, Sarasota, McIntosh, and Venice. The potential for shared use of such facilities is substantial. Figures 5-4 in Chapter 5, Public Buildings and Related Facilities, shows public school sites and planned and future public school sites as of 1995. An inventory of the recreational facilities available at the public schools is provided in Appendix C. Facilities owned by the municipalities, the Sarasota County School Board and private entities could be counted toward meeting concurrency requirements provided that the following provisions are met: the County has an intergovernmental, interlocal, or contractual agreement with the entity establishing the conditions under which recreation facilities will be available to the public; the park meets the County's "Recreation Guiding Principles" for the appropriate park classification; the park used to meet Recreation LOS is open to the public without admission fee; and the park is open to the public during some or all of the same primary operating hours as County parks. Primary operating hours are those hours during which County park facilities are normally available for public use.
If non-County owned facilities are not available to the public for all primary operating hours, the facilities could be counted toward meeting recreation LOS requirements on a proportionate hour for hour basis equivalent to the ratio of the total annual hours the non-County owned park will be available to the public compared to the total annual primary operating hours for County owned parks of the same park classification. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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Primary operating hours, consistent with current practice, could be defined for each park classification as follows. Neighborhood Park (unlighted facility) 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; Community Park (lighted facility) 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; Metropolitan Park (unlighted facility) 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; Highly Specialized Park (lighted facility) 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
In the event that municipal parks are counted toward meeting recreation LOS, the County will ensure that municipal population is considered and that double counting (i.e. counting the same recreation facility toward both the County and municipal recreation LOS) does not occur. Additional Recreational Opportunities Boat Ramps and Marinas Boating and related activities comprise a major portion of the County's recreation. Figure 2-8 in the Water-Dependant/Water- Related Section of the Environment Chapter shows the location of public boat ramps that serve as recreational outlets to the Gulf of Mexico, to the County's more than 32 square miles of inland waters, and to the Intracoastal Waterway. It also shows the marinas that provide docking facilities, fuel, and other services and supplies to boaters. Golf Courses Golf and golf courses have a special historical significance in Sarasota County. John Hamilton Gillespie, project manager for the Scottish land development company that founded the City of Sarasota, built a golf course in town in 1886. Though golf had been played on the continent as early as 1779, Gillespie's was one of the earliest, if not the first, golf course in North America. Golf courses in Sarasota County are major land uses that provide both recreation and open space. All but two of the 36 courses are privately owned, with the exceptions being Bobby Jones Golf Course (owned by the City of Sarasota), and Red Lake Venice Golf Course (owned by the City of Venice). Locations of golf courses are shown on Figure 3-2. Municipal Parks The municipalities provide parks and recreation facilities to meet the needs of their residents. The City of Sarasota has 30 parks and recreational facilities which include neighborhood and community parks, two public beaches, a golf course, a civic center and a sports complex. The City of Venice has 18 parks including two public beaches, neighborhood and community park facilities, a community center, and a golf course. The Town of Longboat Key has 6 beach accesses, 3 parks, 2 recreation areas and a ten mile multi purpose pathway. The City of North Port has 11 parks and recreation areas. The location of the municipal recreation sites can be seen on Figure 3-1 which shows all the municipal, County and State recreational land holdings in Sarasota County. Additional information on their locations, size and facilities can be found in Appendix C. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
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Figure 3-2: Golf Courses 
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Public Conservation Lands The major land holdings in public ownership in the County are the T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve, the Pinelands Reserve (formerly the Walton Tract), the Myakka River State Park, the Oscar Scherer State Park, and property purchased through the State and Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Save Our Rivers (SOR)/Preservation 2000 acquisition programs. With the exception of 3179.4 acres of the Pinelands Reserve which has been designated as the "Central County Solid Waste Disposal Complex Site and Government Use" (see Figure 4-7, Public Facilities Chapter), these lands have been designated as Public Conservation Lands on the "Future Land Use Map" and are shown on Figure 3-1. The Carlton and Pinelands Reserves, Myakka River State Park including Manatee County portion, and SWFWMD purchase are adjacent to each other and cover an approximately 68,500 acre area which functions as a valuable wildlife refuge and a major wildlife corridor within the region. The Carlton Reserve contains 24,312 acres with an additional 8,447 acres located between the Reserve and Myakka River State Park purchased by the SWFWMD. The Public Use Plan, adopted by the County Commission on July 28, 1992, provides a scheme for recreational use which emphasizes activities which are passive and ecologically benign. The plan includes recreation, education, and research facilities in the south-west portion of the Reserve and includes a system of nature trails, a visitor reception building, classroom, retreat center, research support facility, campground, picnic tables, and possible canoe access to the Myakka River. The Land Management Plan for the 6,151 acre Pinelands Reserve was adopted on November 3, 1992 by the County Commission. While recognizing the need for development of the Central County Solid Waste Disposal Complex, the plan promotes the proper stewardship of the native habitats and species on the Reserve, addresses the protection and restoration of native habitats and recognizes the importance of natural cycles such as fire and flooding. The Reserve includes 2,971.6 acres designated Public Resource Lands. The development and management of the Oscar Scherer and Myakka River State Parks is handled by the Florida Department of Natural Resources, Division of Recreation and Parks. An additional 921 acres was added to the Oscar Scherer Recreation Area in January 1992 by means of the Conservation and Recreational Lands (CARL) acquisition program, thus bringing the total size to 1,383 acres and resulting in the redesignation of the site as a State Park. The addition has been classified as a protection zone while plans for its management are being developed. Consistent with similar State parks, the resource-based recreational activities found at Oscar Scherer include canoeing and fishing opportunities, swimming, picnicking, camping, hiking and nature study. The Myakka River State Park totals 28,875 acres, 18,929 acres of which is contained in the Sarasota County portion. The park is the largest in the State Park system and includes a segment of the Myakka River which has been designated by the State as a "Wild and Scenic" River. Some of the resource-based activities found at the park include hiking, fishing, canoeing, off-road cycling, camping, picnicking, and nature study. Recreation and Open Space Chapter
The Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan
Page 3-21
In 1995, the State established a new forest of approximately 9,000 acres in North Port south of U.S. 41 along the Myakka River. Hiking and horseback riding are among the activities likely to be permitted on these lands managed by the Department of Forestry. Recreational Concerns Bicycle Facilities The use of bicycles for recreation, sport, fitness, competition and transportation has increased in the United States and is popular in Sarasota County, as the County's terrain and climate create a favorable environment. However, bicycling in the developed area is hazardous because of the high volume/high speed roads. Rural areas of the County generally lack a network of low volume country roads. This type of rural road forms the basis for much recreational bicycling throughout north Florida and the U.S. Thus, the majority of bicyclists, whether child or adult, find few safe and comfortable places to ride. Nati |
County Comprehensive Plan 
