After two years of uncertainty about the future of Hart’s Landing, Sarasota residents finally have a clearer picture of what could replace the beloved waterfront landmark destroyed by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
The City of Sarasota has submitted plans to rebuild the popular bait shop and docks at the eastern end of the John Ringling Causeway with a redesigned layout intended to better withstand future storms.
Rather than reconstructing Hart’s Landing exactly where it once stood, the city proposes moving the enclosed building north, onto higher ground just south of the Ringling Causeway. The original structure occupied a particularly vulnerable location over the water, within a FEMA-designated coastal high-hazard flood zone. The replacement building would be constructed outside that most hazardous zone, reducing its exposure to storm surge and wave action…