The Palmer East Group is made up of a group of concerned citizens who have collectively volunteered hundreds of hours in the fight to Save the Celery Fields.
Who Is the Palmer East Group?
The individuals in the Palmer East Group live (for the most part) very near the Celery Fields. Most of us live in communities like The Enclave, Meadow Walk, Mockingbird Parish, Sylvan Lea, and other neighborhoods along Palmer Boulevard, east of I-75.
Legally speaking, the Palmer East Group has no formal structure. We are an informal group of passionate people who wish to preserve the Celery Fields as the beautiful “Central Park of Sarasota” that it has become.
Because we do not have a legal entity of our own, the Board of Directors of Meadow Walk Homeowners Association, Inc. (two of whom are actively involved with Palmer East Group) has graciously agreed to allow Palmer East Group to exist as a separate project of their not-for-profit corporation, with additional oversight for the Palmer East Group coming from The Enclave Homeowners Association.
Who Will Receive My Donation?
Online donations to the Palmer East Group via the CeleryFields.org website are collected via PayPal into a separate account that is exclusively designated for the Save the Celery Fields initiative.
Checks sent to the Palmer East Group are deposited into a separate bank account exclusively designated for the Palmer East Group / Save the Celery Fields project. Legally speaking, these contributions flow to the Palmer East Group fund within the Meadow Walk Homeowners Association, Inc. organization.
How Will Funds Be Used?
Money collected by the Palmer East Group, whether donated online or via check, will be designated exclusively for the purposes of the Save the Celery Fields campaign. Members of the Palmer East Group have already retained the services of a land use attorney and one or two other individuals who have expertise in very specific areas important to the effort to protect the Celery Fields from the threats we’ve encountered so far.
In the lead-up to the August 23, 2017 hearing before the Sarasota County Commission, significant additional legal measures are required in order to maximize the effectiveness of this effort.
The Palmer East Group has identified several important (and expensive) efforts which we believe will have a positive impact on the outcome of the upcoming hearing. Funds collected will be used for these purposes, and the specific plans which will be executed will depend upon the resources we collect.
Where Will Excess Funds Go?
We consider it unlikely that we will raise enough funds for every use that we’ve identified. In fact, our publicly stated funding goals do not represent a sum sufficient to implement everything we have planned.
However, in the event that the fundraising campaign produces money that is ultimately not spent in fighting this particular effort, the Palmer East Group will disburse the funds toward the further enhancement of the Celery Fields. This includes, for example, donating funds to the Sarasota Audubon Society, in furtherance of their magnificent efforts to make the Celery Fields the true treasure to the area that it has become.
I Have More Questions. Who Should I Contact?
You may email us at volunteers [at] celeryfields [dot] org or fill out our contact form.
Members of the media are invited to visit our press room.