Sarasota County downtown administration building use limited after Hurricane Milton

(Note: The main headline of this story was updated to reflect the fact that damage from Hurricane Milton limits the use of the downtown administration building).

The Sarasota County government administration building at 1660 Ringling Blvd. in downtown Sarasota was extensively impacted by Hurricane Milton, according to a Wednesday release from Sarasota County.

“To ensure the continuity of government for our community, we’ve implemented plans to relocate personnel and equipment during the remediation process,” Sarasota County Communications Director Jamie Carson said via email. ”As for now, the building remains closed to the public, and we’ll keep the community updated as we continue to assess and complete the remediation process.”

One of the more immediate impacts for the public is that the Sarasota County Commission meetings on Oct. 22 and 23 will be hosted at the Robert L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice.

Meetings start at 9 a.m. on both days.

County spokeswoman Genevieve Judge said neither meeting can be broadcast live on Access Sarasota.

The meetings will be recorded and available – likely as soon as the next day – online at Access Sarasota and on Sarasota County’s YouTube channel.

Judge said the location and accessibility for future meetings will be determined when more information is available.

The current administration center was sold to Benderson Corp. in Dec. 2021 for $25 million, with Sarasota County leasing the space until a new administrative center is ready.

The County broke ground in September 2023 on a new $75 million administration center on Fruitville Road, east of Interstate 75.

That structure is anticipated to be ready for occupancy in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County downtown administration building use limited after Hurricane Milton