Over the past week, we experienced a spike in the naturally occurring red tide organism Karenia brevis, with respiratory irritation and aerosols suspected to be related to red tide reported in the Sarasota region.  Some marine debris, limited to smaller fish such as mullet, catfish and blowfish, washed up on Lido Beach and along our parks and rights-of-ways. 

Working closely with the Procurement Division, our Public Works Department activated an emergency debris management contract to collect the dead fish on City maintained properties. The City’s debris management contractor, Ceres Environmental, is the same company that efficiently collected storm debris for months after Hurricane Ian.

Earlier this week, Ceres crews were dispatched to waterfront parks to pick up dead fish, and by mid-week conditions improved so much cleanup was paused. While we hope this is the end of red tide, its presence can fluctuate day-to-day and by location based on wind direction and tides. Our staff will continue to monitor the situation closely and will be prepared to respond accordingly as needed.

Lido Beach is maintained by Sarasota County and County crews are raking the beach twice a week. That service may increase based on the County’s established beach cleaning policy.

Residents who collect dead fish on private property should double-bag the debris and call the Solid Waste Division for a special pickup on a Wednesday or Saturday:  941-263-6170.

For those seeking regular reports, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission provides red tide status updates online and beach conditions are shared at www.VisitBeaches.org

We marked another mobility milestone this week as our e-scooter/bicycle sharing program hit the one year mark. And what a year it was!  

To date, almost 150,000 rides have been taken on an e-scooter or bicycle and our service provider, Veo, is reporting record rentals in Sarasota.

Residents are using them to run errands and take short trips around town and visitors are enjoying them on St. Armands Circle, Lido Key and downtown. Bottom line: these micro-mobility options are a popular, convenient and cost effective option for first-mile, last mile trips – and are helping to take cars off the roads, as envisioned when the City Commission approved the program last year.

To meet the service demand, the Veo fleet was increased from 400 to 550 with expansion around the city. We appreciate Veo being a good partner and ensuring vehicles are collected in a timely manner when necessary and continuing to provide enhanced rider education. To rent a vehicle through the Veo app, a rider must be 18 years old with a valid driver's license and acknowledge they have read Veo’s safety guidelines prior to the vehicle unlocking for use. 

Mobility options like these were included in Sarasota in Motion, our citywide transportation master plan, adopted in 2019 following broad community input. When the City’s trolley and micro-mobility programs launched last year, public interest did not wane -- it increased. We're pleased to report combined ridership for Veo and the Bay Runner for the first year was over 300,000!

Congratulations to all who are doing their part to lower the traffic volume and going green with a bicycle or e-scooter ride. We look forward to seeing what the next year brings!

For more information about Veo visit VeoRide.com

Direct from Broadway, Mean Girls is the hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including author Tina Fey (30 Rock), composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) and director Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

New York Magazine cheers, “Mean Girls delivers with immense energy, a wicked sense of humor and joyful inside-jokery.” USA Today says, “We’ll let you in on a little secret, because we’re such good friends. GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!”

Mean Girls is coming to the Van Wezel from April 11–16. Tickets are available at VanWezel.org and through the Box Office: 941-263-6799.

Want to take your chance to win a pair of tickets? Stop by The Mall at UTC and look for the Mean Girls selfie backdrop. Take a photo and post it to Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #VWMeanGirls and tagging @VanWezelPAH.

Do you have questions about the Sarasota Police Department you’d like answered by Chief Rex Troche and members of the SPD? If you have questions, the Chief has answers! 

In April, SPD will launch "Chats with the Chief: A Podcast". In the inaugural episode, Chief Troche will sit down with Sergeant Morrison, team leader of the City of Sarasota Homeless Outreach Team, and Diedre “Dede” Jones, Coordinator of Homelessness Response. They’ll discuss how the City of Sarasota Homeless Outreach Team works to educate and encourage citizens who are unsheltered in our community.

Comment on the Sarasota Police Department Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages on this topic, and your questions will go to Chief Troche.

Future "Chats with the Chief: A Podcast" topics include a sit down with the SPD Traffic Unit, Marine Patrol, Recruiters, and much more. Stay tuned for launch details!