06/11/2026
If you care about the future of the historic Blackburn Point swing bridge in Osprey, there will be a third public meeting about it hosted by Sarasota County Government TOMORROW, June 11, from 4:30–6:00 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 129 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey. Pre-registration is not required.
If this is important to you, I encourage you to learn all you can. Like most things this is not a cut-and-dried situation and there are different perspectives. You can learn more on the county webpage, https://www.blackburnbridgeproject.com/, and via your own information channels.
At the meeting county staff will provide an update on the alternatives being considered for the Replacement Preliminary Design and Environment (PD&E) Study. Note that keeping the bridge and spending the money to maintain it IS one option--nothing has been decided. The presentation will begin promptly at 5:15 p.m. A question-and-answer session will immediately follow the presentation, along with an opportunity to provide feedback. If you can't make the meeting you can still provide input by emailing [email protected], or mailing a letter to Sarasota County, Attn: Timothy Farrell, Project Manager, 1001 Sarasota Center Boulevard, Sarasota, FL 34240.
A formal public hearing is tentatively scheduled to occur in fall 2026 at an upcoming Sarasota County Commission meeting.
