Benderson Development wants more flexibility to redevelop the former Sarasota County Administration Center, a vacant downtown office building on 2.88 acres at 1660 Ringling Blvd.
GTE Florida built the six-story office building in 1973, and Sarasota County later turned it into its headquarters. Benderson bought the property from the county in December 2021 and leased it back until the county moved out in October 2025. The building is empty now, and a development boundary still cuts through it. Benderson wants to move that boundary by extending Downtown Core across another acre of the property.
Moving that acre into Downtown Core would double the number of homes allowed there, from 25 to 50, and raise the height limit from five to 10 stories. It would also roughly double the amount of nonresidential space allowed, from 217,800 to 435,600 square feet, opening the door to office, retail, hotel and entertainment uses…