Recently, the Sarasota County Commission passed an ordinance allowing some tax relief for improvements to historically designated properties. The new law allows owners of historically designated properties to avoid an increase in property taxes that resulted from renovation or improvement of their properties. The property tax abatement lasts for 10 years and can be a big savings for the owner.

The basic steps in the process are:

Have you noticed the cooler breezes filling the streets and lanes over the past few weeks? Here we go... all together now… let’s give a long sigh of relief… for Summer seems to be almost over and Autumn’s here.

Those breezes have brought with them the opening of windows at night here in Laurel Park. And with that come the sounds of the Blue Jays and the Mockingbirds in the mornings, the calls of the evening screech owls, and the all-too- frequent reminders that it’s really a jungle out there! Now at night we can hear the sounds of marauding raccoons and the occasional possum foraging through our back gardens and compost heaps. In my own yard, I see the evidence in the mornings o ...

Within the borders of Laurel Park reside many talented artists. Numerous sculptors, painters, musicians, architects and textile designers have moved into the area over the last few years, and the neighborhood is becoming more attractive to new artists all the time.

Actually, Laurel Park has always been home to people in the arts. One Laurel Park artist who long-time Sarasota residents will surely remember is Arlie Gray. Arlie, his wife Gladys, and their two children moved to &l ...

Jim and Helen Miller are the proud new owners of the historic landmark Spanish Oaks apartments on Oak Street.  Looking to leave the bustle of Washington. DC and settle into “semi-retirement” in Sarasota, Jim and Helen were struck by the beauty of these charming, two-story townhouses which were used as a resident hotel in the 1920’s, and which today house a variety of working singles and couples, artists, and Ringling students.

My wife, Terry, and I bought our 1948 concrete block home at 1919 Morrill Street in April of last year, and spent the following four months remodeling it and coming to know it intimately. Being in the business of remodeling houses, I often find myself wondering about the people who were responsible for the original project. Naturally, during the remodeling and repair of our own home, my curiosity was piqued.

Just as we were about to move in last July, Vince DeMays, the former occupant of fifteen years, presen ...

If you find it hard to contain your frustration with trying to grow healthy plants in Florida’s sandy soil, try containing your plants instead. In our neighborhood many homes have small patios where container or “potted” gardens can provide a simple and rewarding alternative.

You’ll find that weeds are easier to control, and small plantings are more accessible to tend and enjoy. Here are a few more of the many benefits:

The primary goals of the Laurel Park Neighborhood Association shall be to preserve existing housing, protect the character of the neighborhood, and promote neighborhood revitalization through increased owner occupancy.

Laurel Park News, Volume 7, Summer 1997.

The time has come to speak up for an often unappreciated and maligned minority in our neighborhood: the concrete block structure.

This humble Laurel Park denizen has become a topic of jokes, an object of scorn, often perpetuated by the biased viewpoints of some of this neighborhood’s own residents.

The concrete block home, or Florida Ranch, is represented in small numbers in Laurel Park, where the wood frame bungalow is the predominant style. Mixed in are a few Spanish or Mediterranean Revival homes. ...

With the long, hot days of summer still on our minds, let’s take some time to think about water conservation.

The best place to start is by developing a landscape/irrigation/drainage plan. This will serve as a map or schedule which may be referred to before, during and after construction or planting, and will guide future decisions.

A plan, either professionally done or with simple sketches and notes, should show locations of all permanent structures and utilities above and below ground. Existing pla ...

Now that a rather cold winter has passed, and we’re still seeing its effects on our tropical foliage, it’s a good time to take a second look at the choices we make when selecting and planting our trees, plants and flowers.

We live in an “urban forest,” and with few exceptions, the properties within Laurel Park are abundant with trees. Since it’s generally accepted that trees are the largest and, usually, the longest form of plant life, it makes sense to choose them carefully, and design and build around them. Good choices made now could last for years, if not centuries.

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Imagine an urban neighborhood where cows roam in open field, school children dash barefoot through grass taller than themselves, and the sweet smell of guava jelly floats in the air.  You would be creating a picture of our neighborhood in the early 1920’s, a picture that is vivid in Charles Early’s memory.

Early, now a Sarasota taxation and estate planning attorney, lived first in a house on

Drive through Sarasota and you’re likely to so be struck by the romantic Mediterranean designs of the 1920s or the grandiose mansions of today’s suburban enclaves.  But scattered throughout the city are hundreds of examples of another kind of residence, often underappreciated and even ignored.  And that’s unfortunate, because the humble bungalow, infrequently as we notice it, has a history, and a harmony, all its own.

Ambulance, Emergency and Fire 911

Animals, Stray (Animal Control) 316-1081

Cars, Improperly Parked (Police) 955-7171

Building Permits (Zoning) 954-4156

Cable TV (Comcast) 371-6700

Dogs, Barking (Police) 955-7171

Drainage Problems (Public Works) 365-7651

Electricity (FPL) 379-1424

Fence Permits (Zoning) 954-4156

There are many reasons why we invest time and money in our yards. For some, it may be to increase real estate value or enhance “curb appeal,” for others, changes are needed because of remodeling or building. There are even those who do it for personal satisfaction. In any event, because of the usually hard work or substantial costs involved and because what we do should last years, I feel there are a few key factors to consider.

OBSERVE the area. Your home and nearby properties—everything natural or man-made— can have an effect on or will be affected by the changes we make to this

area. When we build thing ...

Seniors strolled along the winding walkway, young adults and teens played ball, and tots busied themselves on the jungle gym. Who would have thought that a dry, dusty patch of land could become a source of joy for toddlers and nonagenarians alike? The little park on Laurel Street had finally come alive.

Laurel Park, 1725 Laurel Street, was dedicated on < ...