Timeline

• 1910:

  • Bertha Palmer arrived in Sarasota and began purchasing land.
  • Sarasota Board of Trade was reinvigorated after Palmer’s arrival, becoming an active voice for economic development.
  • The lack of good roads and bridges in the Sarasota District hampered progress.

• 1913:

  • As Palmer lands attracted more settlers, the demand for hardtop roads grew.
  • The Manatee Board of Commissioners created a master plan for road building, but had no plans for road and bridge maintenance. Only some of the Sarasota District road transportation needs were addressed.

• 1914:

  • Reflecting growing frustration with the Manatee Board of Commissioners, a group of businessmen in Sarasota District began to develop their own plan for roads and bridges in their area.
  • At a mass meeting in December, those attending voted to create Sarasota/Venice Special Road and Bridges Bond District that would allow District residents to design, build, and fund roads and bridges.

• 1915:

  • A.B. Edwards appointed the Good Roads Committee to organize a campaign to establish the Bond District.
  • The Good Roads Committee presented a petition for a $250,000 bond issue to the Manatee Commissioners who agreed to hold a referendum on the plan in March.  The voters in the Sarasota District supported the plan overwhelmingly.
  • The Manatee County Commissioners rejected bids for the roadwork because all exceeded $250,000.
  • Many other delays followed this, enraging the citizens of the Sarasota District.
  • The Florida State Highway Department was established with power to decide which county roads would get state and federal financing.

• 1916:

  • William Tuttle was named supervisor of road and bridge construction in Sarasota/Venice Special Road and Bridge District.

• 1917:

  • Bay Bridge to Siesta Key dedicated
  • A Meeting of the State Central Highway Division refused to reroute Tamiami Trail to Arcadia but did recommend that the Tamiami Trail be hard surfaced, a major victory for Sarasota.  However, the route of the Trail would continue to be an issue for years.

• 1918:

  • Sarasota-Venice road to be completed, but other Special Road and Bridge District projects were halted by World War I demands.
  • After WWI there were many disagreements on transportation, taxes, and schools between the Sarasota District and Manatee County.

• 1920:

  • The movement to create Sarasota County began.
  • June 16:  Plans to seek separation From Manatee County are announced at a mass meeting held at the Palmer Estate Office in Sarasota. Dr. Joseph Halton gave the keynote address. An Organizational Committee is named to plan the campaign for separation.
  • June 23:  A second mass meeting accepted the report of the Organizational Committee and named a 25-member General Committee on County Division to carry out the plan.
  • Manatee River Journal called for a state-funded system of roads to connect up county seats, a plan that would deny Sarasota access to major roads.
  • September 7: A mass meeting in Sarasota reviewed a plan for separation and unanimously voted to establish Sarasota County.
• CELEBRATION!

  1921:

  • April 7: Sarasota Chamber of Commerce board of governors (Former Board of trade) met at the Bank of Sarasota. A proposed bill creating Sarasota County and its new government was read and approved.   Augustus Wilson of Miakka was named to shepherd the bill through the Florida legislature.  However, the bill was tabled after strong opposition from Manatee County leaders.
  • April 27:  Sarasota mass meeting appointed a Committee of Ten to negotiate Sarasota’s future with the Manatee County leaders.
  • April 29:  The Committee of Ten attended a mass meeting sponsored by the Bradentown Board of Trade where there was “a frank and friendly discussion”
  • April 29-30:  An agreement was reached after lengthy talks in Bradentown between the Committee of Ten and members of the Bradentown Board of Trade. The deal permitted the Sarasota County bill to pass the legislature in return for Sarasota agreeing to cede the northeast corner of the proposed county.
  • May 11: Both houses of the State Legislature passed the Sarasota County bill unanimously.
  • May 12: Governor Hardee signed the Sarasota County bill which called for a referendum in the Sarasota District approving the bill.   A huge celebration was held in the city of Sarasota.
  • May 23: The Sarasota Women’s Club held a meeting to educate women about the issue of separation and how to exercise their newly acquired voting rights.
  • June 15: The referendum passed with 80 percent of the vote.  Editor Rose Phillips Wilson renamed the Sarasota Times to reflect the change.  The Sarasota County Times featured as its first headline:  “Hurrah for Sarasota County!”
  • June 21: Governor Hardee appointed all office holders in the new county pending the next election.
  • July 1: The first official day of the existence of Sarasota County.  However, pressing issues caused the Board of County Commissioners to meet “informally” on June 23.  County government was housed in the Hover Arcade.

• 1922:

  • June 22:  First election for local office held in Sarasota County.

• 1924:

  • November 23:  Sarasota County residents voted to make the city of Sarasota the county seat.

• 1925:

  • March 30:  New York Architect Dwight James Baum was hired to design a county courthouse.

• 1926:

  • May 12:  The still incomplete courthouse was dedicated at a large civic gathering.

• 1927:

  • February 24:  Sarasota County accepted the Courthouse and moved in government offices that had been in temporary quarters on Oak Street.  The completed structure cost an estimated one million dollars.