A traffic engineering study commissioned by the City of Sarasota recommended that all roundabouts along U.S. 41 be removed, starting in January 2027. At a March Planning Board meeting, Full Circle Consulting Group presented findings from its 2025 traffic flow and congestion study on the 14 roundabouts within city limits and concluded they were a flawed solution to traffic congestion. According to the report, removal efforts should begin with the roundabout at Gulfstream Avenue and U.S. 41.
The city’s Public Art Committee raised concerns about the status of sculptures at the roundabouts. A number of options were put forward, including installing them in the middle of St. Armands Circle and auctioning them off to the highest bidder. “Perhaps businesses, like restaurants, would be interested,” a PAC committee member said.
Even though the number of serious accidents is down, Full Circle reported that a random survey of Sarasotans showed that “people would much rather sit at a traffic light for 10 minutes than navigate these killer circles. Many people loop around five times before they figure out how to exit. And even though they are democracy in action—meaning everyone should take turns—they make us look like Europeans.”…