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APOXSEE: THE SARASOTA COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
INTRODUCTION A quick glance at Apoxsee: The Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan, and an initial heft of this almost 1,000 page document, may lead one to wonder why such a lengthy plan was prepared.
One part of the answer rests with the Florida Legislature. The 1985 and 1986 sessions of the Legislature passed the Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development Regulation Act, which mandated that every local government prepare a comprehensive plan. This sweeping legislation was prompted by the myriad problems being experienced throughout Florida because of rapid growth. The Act imposed extensive requirements on local governments and was accompanied by sixty-seven pages of detailed regulations, which provided minimum criteria for the preparation of local government comprehensive plans, and for the determination of their compliance with the provisions and intent of the legislation. Another part of the answer is that Sarasota County has a long history of planning to deal with and anticipate the problems associated with rapid growth. In 1981 Apoxsee: Sarasota County's Comprehensive Framework for the Future was adopted as the County's response to the first Statewide comprehensive planning legislation. The "1,000 Friends of Florida Review of the Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan" characterized the 1981 Apoxsee as, "a major success in meeting the legislative intent of the Local Government Comprehensive Planning Act of 1975." In 1989 Apoxsee: The Revised and Updated Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan was adopted. This document built upon the framework of the previous plan, but included additional data to meet new legislative mandates, and described new planning initiatives that were being undertaken by the County. This 1997 update of Apoxsee includes the amendments that were made to the 1989 Apoxsee in the intervening years, provides information on the progress that has been made on planning initiatives introduced in the 1989 Apoxsee, and updates the goals, objectives and policies to be consistent with current County practices and functional plans. The update was based on the Evaluation and Appraisal Report adopted by the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners on February 20, 1996. The Evaluation and Appraisal Report and the update of Apoxsee were prepared at this time in order to comply with the requirements for periodic reviews and updates that were set forth in the Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Land Development Regulation Act and its subsequent amendments and regulations. The name of the plan, Apoxsee, which is the Seminole Indian word meaning tomorrow, suggests that the document deals with the future. Apoxsee provides the direction needed to shape Sarasota County’s future, so that existing strengths can be enhanced and the quality of life, which has attracted so many people to this paradoxical paradise, can be sustained into the 21st century. In order to adequately plan for the future, there must be a solid understanding of the past and the present. The eleven chapters that comprise Apoxsee include data and maps on existing conditions, analyses of those conditions, and based on that information, goals, objectives, and policies to guide future development and conservation activities. The Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan
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Sarasota County Yesterday The natural environment is Sarasota County's greatest legacy from the past. The geography of Sarasota County is a flat coastal plain that encompasses the entire 620 square miles. There are glistening white sand beaches that stretch along virtually the entire Gulf coast of the County. These beaches and the Barrier Islands on which they are located perform a dynamic and dramatic overture to the natural forces that have shaped Sarasota County. From Longboat Key in the northwest corner of the County, the string of Barrier Islands paralleling the coastline include Lido Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, and Manasota Key. Together, these keys effectively absorb the brunt of the forces brought by waves, winds, and occasional storms. The configurations of the keys and their beaches are in perpetual motion, periodically opening and closing the passes that separate them. Behind the Barrier Islands are a series of shallow bays and brackish estuaries that serve as the lifeblood of the Gulf ecosystem. Seagrass beds and tangled roots of mangroves provide shelter and nutrition for the teeming lifeforms that begin their existence in these waters. The foliage that lines the margins of these waterways also provide sanctuary for the rookeries of numerous avian species. The brackish state of estuarine waters, necessary to sustain the fecundity of marine nursery life, is maintained by the fresh waters of coastal creeks flowing lazily through the flat mainland terrain into the bays. It is a terrain derived from, and therefore particularly suited to the extreme fluctuations of seasonal rainfalls. Lush hardwoods and sabal palm hammocks, swamps and marshes fringe the upland waterways. Hundreds upon hundreds of wet prairie depressions dot the landscape. Broad sloughs and flood plains cover large expanses of the County, intermittently flush with sheets of flowing water. A natural focal point well inland from the Gulf is the Myakka River. From its headwaters in Hardee County, the Myakka runs north to south in a broad arc across eastern Sarasota County with eventual outfall into Charlotte Harbor. Pine flatwoods, saw palmetto prairies and dense pockets of scrub are other significant habitats of the County's natural system. The combined diversity of these environmental components strikes a necessary balance for the sustenance of the County's indigenous inhabitants, and forms the roots for what has been termed the "quality of life" for the human immigrants with whom the natural amenities are shared. Human habitation in the area now known as Sarasota County dates back to at least 10,000 B.C. The area's first inhabitants, the Paleo-Indians, were a nomadic people who lived in small groups and subsisted primarily on fish, large game, and wild plants. The period of time from about 1,000 B.C. to 700 B.C. was marked by the change from the hunting and gathering cultures of earlier years to a more sedentary, regional culture. This formative culture flourished in the region from about 700 B.C. to 1,000 A.D. Plant cultivation eventually supplanted hunting and gathering, yet the area continued to rely on its coastal and marine resources as well. Evidence of this period in Sarasota County's history is found in the massive shell middens that remain. The Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan
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Between 1513 and 1763, Spanish explorers visited the west coast of Florida and introduced the name "Sarasota," with variant spellings, into the geographical terminology of the region. When the British government occupied the area between 1763 and 1784, fishermen from Cuba, working from temporary fish camps or "ranchos," engaged in seasonal fishing activities in the Sarasota Bay area. Shortly after the United States acquired Florida in 1819, a movement aimed at removing the Seminole Indians from the Florida Territory gained momentum. Twenty-three years and two wars later, the Seminoles retreated into the swamp lands of South Florida. In 1842 the Federal Government passed the Armed Occupation Act to encourage the settlement of lands freed from Indian threat. The Act opened up the Sarasota area to settlement; township lines were drawn in 1843 and section lines drawn in 1847. During the Civil War, cattle raised in Sarasota County, particularly in the area around present-day Miakka, fed both Confederate and Union troops. Three rural inland communities, Tatum Ridge, Bee Ridge, and Fruitville, were founded in the late 1870's. Other areas of the County began to develop as well. In 1883 modern settlement began on the north end of Siesta Key, then known as Little Sarasota or Sarasota Key. A post office called Venice was established in 1888 at the site of today's Nokomis, and the community of Englewood was platted in 1896. Significant growth occurred in the area around the turn of the century. Although rail service had reached the area in 1892, it was the advent of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, connecting to Sarasota in 1903, which provided access for tourists, winter residents, hunters, and fishermen. As staunch patrons of the arts, these new residents and visitors, long accustomed to high quality in the fine arts, brought their love of culture to Sarasota. Sarasota's image changed quickly as it continued to grow in the early years of the 20th Century. The Tamiami Trail traversed the County in 1918 and the County of Sarasota, formerly a part of Manatee County, came into existence in 1921. Like the rest of Florida, Sarasota County developed rapidly during the economic boom of the 1920's. Agriculture continued to thrive as the cultivation of celery in the Fruitville area became a major local activity. While the Great Depression began in Florida three years ahead of the rest of the country, economic problems in Sarasota County were softened by the growth of tourism and an influx of winter residents and retirees. By 1930 Sarasota County's population had reached 12,000. Bee Ridge and Fruitville served as social and economic centers for citrus and vegetable farming. Miakka was the center for an area devoted essentially to stock raising. Communities such as Englewood, Osprey, and Nokomis were supported in large measure by the fishing industry. Since World War II Sarasota County has experienced phenomenal population growth. From a 1950 population of 28,827, the number of residents has increased more than ten fold to 311,043 in 1997. In addition to the residents, an estimated 60,000 more persons reside in Sarasota County during the winter tourist season for varying lengths of time that range from a few days to a few months. The Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan
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Sarasota County Today Amenities associated with the County's natural environment are still abundant, yet somewhat tarnished compared with a state of natural equilibrium. Despite the toll that human habitation has taken, these natural amenities remain prime attractions for permanent and seasonal residents and for tourists. The beaches are still white and attractive to the crowds that descend upon them. The Barrier Islands are the location of many beach cottages, stilt homes, and condominiums, even though they are the recipients of a storm's first fury. The bays and estuarine waters have retained their function as marine nurseries, yet with somewhat less abundance than in years past. Even the Myakka River is not unscathed, yet it still provides nostalgic respite with its tannic waters flowing clean, beneath unbroken hammock canopies. A fundamental reason for the development of the comprehensive plan is to ensure that the attractiveness of the area continues into the future. The scope of this comprehensive planning task is proportional to the County's population and to the demands that existing residents, as well as future residents, place on the natural environment and on the availability of public facilities and services. The programs which were adopted in 1981 as part of Apoxsee: Sarasota County's Comprehensive Framework for the Future and in 1989 in Apoxsee: The Revised and Updated Sarasota County Plan have provided the mechanisms for coping with the myriad problems associated with the rapid growth that has been experienced by Sarasota County. The County has implemented a strong set of environmental protection policies to limit the impact of development on fragile or unique habitat systems. Sarasota County has also begun the process of meeting the needs of existing residents through the provision of adequate public facilities, which will indirectly impact the environment in a positive manner. For example, a comprehensive road improvement program has been initiated to make up for years of neglect; a water improvement program has been started to provide County residents with potable water self-sufficiency; a Basin Master Planning Program is in process to determine the improvements that are needed to manage storm water; and the consolidation of sanitary sewer plants is underway throughout the County. Sarasota County Tomorrow The challenge of comprehensive planning is not to accept the inevitability of continued rapid growth, but to recognize that the potential for growth exists, if only because of this area's geographic location and natural beauty. Thus, while continuing to implement programs that are necessary to meet the needs of today's population, it is incumbent upon the County to plan to meet the needs of future residents and limit the negative impacts that such growth could bring. Apoxsee: The Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan is designed to meet that challenge. The ideals of Sarasota County's quality of life -- its natural beauty, its history, its economy -- are embraced in the eleven chapters that comprise Apoxsee. The goals, objectives, and policies portray the visions of the Sarasota County of tomorrow. With the foresight embodied in this Plan, followed by the diligent and persevering pursuit of those visions, the natural amenities of Sarasota County can be maintained, and the needs of its residents -- present and future -- can be met. The Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan
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County Comprehensive Plan 
