But two high-profile projects near downtown are left in limbo.
Original Air Date: January 14, 2026
Host: On the agenda of the Sarasota County Commission meeting yesterday was a decision on how to disburse $30 million worth of federal disaster recovery funds for affordable housing projects. Applications amounted to close to $100 million, which made it a hard choice. How did two high-profile projects near downtown Sarasota—including one that would replace a controversial concrete crushing plant—fare? Ramon Lopez reports.
Ramon Lopez: The Sarasota County Commissioners yesterday reviewed and approved selected funding allocations submitted under the Resilient SRQ Multifamily Affordable Housing Program. But funding for one controversial project was snubbed entirely, and another saw the conditional allocation severely slashed, placing it in jeopardy.
The county board handled the handouts because federal money is involved, awarded to support recovery from 2024’s Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. A total of $30 million was available in grant funding. But developers of the 16 affordable housing projects submitted wanted $105 million, so some had to go…