Celery Fields Volunteers – Page 4

February 25, 2017March 9, 2017

The Local Community Protests the Sale of County Lands

Save the Celery Fields: Protesters on Palmer 2/25/2017 — Protesters lined both sides of Palmer Boulevard

The “Restaurant Depot” project goes to the County Commission for approval in a Public Hearing Wednesday, March 1st at 9am

In addition to protesting the Restaurant Depot project, many attendees today expressed outrage at the proposed “Recycling Center” being planned for the Southwest corner of Apex & Palmer Boulevard.

Rob Wright, Conservation Chair for Sarasota Audubon Society, spoke to many protesters and the reporters present about proposed development projects.

Most just want the Celery Fields to remain the beautiful habitat and park that it has come to known worldwide to be.

Protesters along the median and the south side (facing eastbound traffic) of Palmer Boulevard

Protesters focused on keeping birds & other wildlife safe, and keeping the construction & demolition debris from being processed on land adjacent to this beautiful habitat.

Adrien Lucas was one of the leading volunteers who helped make the protest a success!

Gary Walsh, President of the Meadow Walk Homeowners Association, has been fighting the sale of these lands for some time now. Thanks, Gary!

Standing in front of the parcel that is the subject of the March 1 hearing, protesters showed their feelings about the Rezone Petitions for both the Restaurant Depot project and the TST Ventures project.

At issue: County-owned lands being auctioned off to industry, jeopardizing the the investment of more than $23M in the Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility and the Celery Fields Park.

Erika Jackson from ABC 7 and MySuncoast.com captured footage and interviewed protesters and organizers.

A few remaining protesters gathered for a photo as the rally wound down this afternoon.

Luigi Verace, a volunteer from Stand Up, Fight Back SRQ, captures some of the moments for posting online.

Joe Stewart, Past President of Meadow Walk Homeowners Association, and Gary Walsh, President. Meadow Walk is the first residential community to the east of the subject land.

In the true spirit of the Celery Fields, the protest was a family affair! — This protest was a family affair, attracting Celery Fields enthusiasts of all ages!

February 25, 2017March 18, 2017

[SRQ Magazine] Guest Column: Celery Fields Sell Out

This is how bad planning happens: one decision at a time. Uninspired at best and damaging at worst, approving industrial land use near a premier ecotourism wildlife habitat would be a spectacular betrayal of community planning, interest and investment. The Sarasota Board of County Commissioners can embrace our community vision and chart a different course.

From Celery Fields Sell Out, a guest column published in the SRQ Daily “Saturday Perspectives” edition on February 25, 2017. The column, penned by Cathy Antunes, originally ran on The Detail.

February 23, 2017February 26, 2017

Protest This Saturday!

Save The Celery Fields: Protest Rally Saturday February 25, 2017

Saturday, February 25th, 2017 at 11am, Celery Fields lovers, bird watchers, members of Neighborhood Associations, local residents, and nature enthusiasts will gather at Apex Road & Palmer Boulevard to protest the approval of Rezone Petition 16-33, the “Restaurant Depot” project.

Bring signs, some sunscreen, and your love of the Celery Fields and help us protest!

Here’s what you can do now:

Download a flyer
Join the Facebook Event
Spread the word! (Share this post, the flyer, and the Facebook event!)

Why Protest?

Next Wednesday, the Sarasota County Commission will hold a Public Hearing to consider this Rezone Petition, which has already been approved by the Planning Commission.

If approved, this petition would allow developers to proceed with the construction of a 60,000 square-foot wholesale restaurant supply store which will clog the already-overburdened roads near the Celery Fields with hundreds of vehicles per day¹.

The Sarasota Audubon Society says the rezoning is, “…not compatible with recreation and eco-tourism and will add hundreds of daily auto/truck trips through strained and inadequate neighborhood roads. This increase will have a detrimental impact on the health and safety of wildlife and humans in the area.”

A Dangerous Precedent

Since the proposed Restaurant Depot is on County-owned land that was originally part of the Celery Fields, it is all the more egregious that Sarasota County would sell this land to developers with plans like these.

But even more alarming, other plans being proposed on nearby parcels threaten the Celery Fields with 35-foot high piles of debris from construction & demolition as well as yard waste, 25-80 loads per day coming via large trucks, the noise of concrete crushers and wood chippers, and water runoff containing unknown quantities of harmful chemicals from washing down demolition debris to control dust.

If Sarasota’s County Commissioners approve the “Restaurant Depot” project, then threats like the dump being proposed across the street seem even more likely.

¹In their rezoning petition, the developers of the “Restaurant Depot” project estimate the number of hourly “trips” generated by their business to be nearly 100 at peak times (between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays). You can view their original rezone petition and additional information about it on our wiki: Restaurant Depot Rezone Petition 16-33.

February 16, 2017

Save the Celery Fields!

Save The Celery Fields Like so many, we have come to love the Celery Fields in Sarasota.

Whether you come for the exercise, the birding, or just to enjoy the natural beauty of the area, the Celery Fields will leave an indelible impression on you and you’ll want to return again and again.

But now, due to a series of circumstances that have been brewing for decades, the beauty and tranquility of this area is threatened. And that’s why we created this project, to provide a resource for people just like you to help Save The Celery Fields.

What Can I Do To Help?

We’re so glad you asked!

First: sign up for email updates.
Second: Spread the word. You can email your friends, join the Facebook Page, and post links to this website in online forums, discussion groups, on social media, and anywhere else you see a conversation about Sarasota, the environment, birding, or any other relevant topic. (You can also follow our new Twitter account).
Third: Help us add relevant information to the Celery Fields Wiki. The goal of the Wiki is to develop the definitive collection of information that might be useful to anyone who is working to put a stop to the threats that face the Celery Fields. Note: contributing to the wiki requires a user account, which you can request by contacting us here or sending an email to: volunteers@celeryfields.org.

Have a suggestion? A question? Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below! (Please note that comments are moderated and may not appear immediately.)

We look forward to working with you to save the Celery Fields!