Strong Legal Position

As we reported earlier, StayTRU hired Johnson Pope, a respected Florida land use law firm, and on February 16, 2026, Johnson Pope sent a formal letter to Sarasota County laying out why the proposed 2,250-unit development at Tatum Ridge Golf Links should be denied.

The key points: the golf course property has no remaining residential development potential; replacing the golf course with apartments would require modifying the 1998 Special Exception that governs the entire Tatum Ridge property; that modification would violate county regulations; and the Live Local Act does not override those regulations in this case.

Sarasota County staff has independently flagged serious problems for the applicant as well. Staff noted that the 1998 Special Exception designates the golf course as required open space for The Legends subdivision – meaning the applicant likely cannot proceed without including The Legends parcels in the application and obtaining an affidavit from Legends lot owners and the HOA authorizing the project. Staff also made clear that Live Local does not exempt the applicant from demonstrating consistency with the county's Comprehensive Plan, which includes policies protecting established residential neighborhoods.

Under current county rules, the applicant's Live Local eligibility will only be determined after a full Site Development submission – a major undertaking requiring the applicant to submit detailed plans and engineering. We expect it will be months, not weeks, before that submission occurs – unless the county changes its review process.

We will keep you informed as this develops.