City Suspends Development Permit Expirations; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Closure Extended

The City of Sarasota on Monday announced that all time periods regarding the expiration of any valid and outstanding development permits previously issued by the City or applications currently under review are tolled for the duration of the State of the Emergency in Florida.

The new emergency order applies to all building and zoning permits, rezonings, special exceptions and other official actions of the City permitting the development of land.

The City also extended the closure of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall through at least April 26 due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. All performances and events scheduled to take place before April 26 have been canceled. An updated list of cancellations, postponements and rescheduled shows can be viewed at www.VanWezel.org.

The City Auditor and Clerk’s Office is accepting only a limited scope of development applications – for zoning code confirmation letters and boundary adjustments – via mail at this time. Applicants should mail two copies of their completed application forms and additional required material, along with a check for payment made payable to the City of Sarasota, to:

Office of the City Auditor and Clerk

Attn: Development Applications Coordinator

P.O. Box 1058

Sarasota, FL 34230

Applicants may also send a PDF copy of the same application materials to the Development Applications Coordinator at Sean.Wilkins@SarasotaFL.gov so that the application may be processed sooner. Copies of the application material and payment will still need to be mailed to the address above, and a response or decision will not be issued until the hard copies and payment are received.

For more information, call 941-263-6451 or email Sean.Wilkins@SarasotaFL.Gov.

Although City buildings are closed to the public, most City operations and services are still available.

The public is advised to conduct business with the City either online via www.SarasotaFL.Gov or by phone at 941-263-6000.

Additional resources

Information and resources for businesses and employees, including Small Business Emergency Bridge Loans and other assistance programs, can be found on the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County’s webpage at www.edcsarasotacounty.com/business-assistance/covid-19/

A Sarasota-specific call center for questions and concerns about COVID-19 is now available through the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County: 941-861-2883. Subject matter experts are available Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The most current, official information on COVID-19 in Florida can be found at www.FloridaHealth.gov/COVID-19. A 24/7 hotline is also available: 1-866-779-6121.

For more information, contact Jason Bartolone, Communications Specialist: 941-928-3988.