Sarasota County Offering ‘Share-shop’ Neighborhood Resource

SARASOTA, FL – Sarasota County is getting the word out about neighborhood grants available to its residents by showing off how others have successfully used the money.

The Sarasota County Neighborhood Services team will host a “Share-shop” on Tuesday, March 28 at 4 p.m. at Nokomis Community Park, 234 Nippino Trail. The event is new project designed to allow neighborhoods to learn more about the county’s neighborhood grant program.

The Share-shop will feature a landscaping project from the Venice Avenue Condominiums, a $3,000 project completed in 2016 through the grant program. The neighborhood worked with an agent from Sarasota county UF/IFAS Extension Service to ensure their plan met with Florida-Friendly landscaping principles.

The residents of Venice Avenue Condominiums also had to demonstrate their community’s support to the Neighborhood Initiative Grant Advisory Committee, a group that scores applications and recommends them for approval to the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners.

“We see this Share-shop as an opportunity not only to get the word out about the Neighborhood Initiative Grant Program, but also to highlight successful neighborhood projects and get residents involved in sharing their own stories and experiences,” said Jane Grogg, the Neighborhood Services manager.

The Share-shop will include a panel presentation of neighborhood representatives, a UF/IFAS Extension Services agent and a member of the NIGAC. The panel will be moderated by Miranda Lansdale, who coordinates the county’s neighborhood grant program.

Potential grant applicants are required to attend a two-hour grant workshop before they can apply for a grant, Lansdale said. During the workshop, staff reviews the application and discusses details of the process.

“I’m hoping the Share-shop will benefit any county resident who is thinking about tackling a neighborhood project,” Lansdale said. “It should be a unique opportunity to hear firsthand, from various perspectives, what it takes to make a project successful.”

Registration is required for the Share-shop, and can be done by sending an e-mail to neighbor@scgov.net.

For more information about the Share-shop initiative or the neighborhood grant program, call the Sarasota County Contact Center at (941) 861-5000.

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