Comments on: Reasons to avoid downtown Sarasota! http://www.mccoolidge.com/2011/06/10/reasonstoavoiddowntownsarasota/ MC Coolidge - Author of Sideways in Sarasota Wed, 09 May 2012 23:17:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: MC http://www.mccoolidge.com/2011/06/10/reasonstoavoiddowntownsarasota/#comment-2753 MC Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:50:59 +0000 http://www.mccoolidge.com/?p=7630#comment-2753 JP -- you make excellent points (and I'm not talking about your kind words about loving my writing! :) ). You are correct that it isn't the businesses themselves who installed the meters. Let me think on this. But in the meantime, thank you very much for reading the blog and for sharing your thoughts ... and for encouraging me to revisit the issue. I will. Stay tuned. MC JP — you make excellent points (and I’m not talking about your kind words about loving my writing! :) ).

You are correct that it isn’t the businesses themselves who installed the meters. Let me think on this. But in the meantime, thank you very much for reading the blog and for sharing your thoughts … and for encouraging me to revisit the issue. I will. Stay tuned. MC

]]> By: JP Knaggs http://www.mccoolidge.com/2011/06/10/reasonstoavoiddowntownsarasota/#comment-2752 JP Knaggs Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:37:32 +0000 http://www.mccoolidge.com/?p=7630#comment-2752 MC, I love your writing and even tho we've never met I feel I know you. So I must ask you please to reconsider your position of never coming downtown again. We are suffering enough with the economy and now this very poorly thought out parking plan is really taking a toll on some small business's. Boycotting the business owners is not making your point. Trust me they are hurting enough and don't need to be punished any more. Support local business, even if you have to shell out an extra buck or two and consider running for office on the city commission. Or lend support to someone young and forward thinking who would like to run. We've come too far from a really run down, sleepy, boarded up downtown of the seventies to what we have now. Young people need to get involved with running this city and it will get really hip! MC, I love your writing and even tho we’ve never met I feel I know you. So I must ask you please to reconsider your position of never coming downtown again. We are suffering enough with the economy and now this very poorly thought out parking plan is really taking a toll on some small business’s. Boycotting the business owners is not making your point. Trust me they are hurting enough and don’t need to be punished any more.
Support local business, even if you have to shell out an extra buck or two and consider running for office on the city commission. Or lend support to someone young and forward thinking who would like to run. We’ve come too far from a really run down, sleepy, boarded up downtown of the seventies to what we have now.
Young people need to get involved with running this city and it will get really hip!

]]> By: SJW http://www.mccoolidge.com/2011/06/10/reasonstoavoiddowntownsarasota/#comment-2751 SJW Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:38:29 +0000 http://www.mccoolidge.com/?p=7630#comment-2751 I don't know what all the fuss is about the parking meters. I think in time it won't be an issue. I have traveled around the country and other big cities have these parking meters and I will say they have made me finding a parking spot easier. I would be a little more upset if all they accepted was coins, but seeing as they take debit/credit, I have no problem with it. If you wanted to go out to a nice restaurant, why would paying $2 for parking keep you from going there? It makes no sense. There is still plenty of free parking downtown if you are so opposed to paying. As far as the removal of the park benches at Five Points go, I think that was a stupid move. If people choose to move downtown, then they need to get used to the homeless people who congregate there. The homeless people were there first. Its like if you by a house next to a kennel and then you complain about the barking. People need to do a little research before they buy. They need to put the park benches back. I don’t know what all the fuss is about the parking meters. I think in time it won’t be an issue. I have traveled around the country and other big cities have these parking meters and I will say they have made me finding a parking spot easier. I would be a little more upset if all they accepted was coins, but seeing as they take debit/credit, I have no problem with it. If you wanted to go out to a nice restaurant, why would paying $2 for parking keep you from going there? It makes no sense. There is still plenty of free parking downtown if you are so opposed to paying.

As far as the removal of the park benches at Five Points go, I think that was a stupid move. If people choose to move downtown, then they need to get used to the homeless people who congregate there. The homeless people were there first. Its like if you by a house next to a kennel and then you complain about the barking. People need to do a little research before they buy. They need to put the park benches back.

]]> By: Steve Stevenson http://www.mccoolidge.com/2011/06/10/reasonstoavoiddowntownsarasota/#comment-2750 Steve Stevenson Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:24:49 +0000 http://www.mccoolidge.com/?p=7630#comment-2750 It is clear who is really in charge of the decisions in Sarasota. My grandpappy always told me if nothing don't make sense follow the money and then it will all come clear. The tourism board has the money and therefore control what goes on. The money for meters is to push out the poor and the uneducated and keep the rich shopping . I mean to them parking is no expense that even matters. The benches has to do with eradicating the homeless from the streets. While you the have the rich visiting your downtown the last thing you want is the poor who can barely afford to park there and the homeless around begging for the rich peoples money. Follow the money trail then all things make sense. $teve It is clear who is really in charge of the decisions in Sarasota. My grandpappy always told me if nothing don’t make sense follow the money and then it will all come clear.

The tourism board has the money and therefore control what goes on. The money for meters is to push out the poor and the uneducated and keep the rich shopping . I mean to them parking is no expense that even matters.

The benches has to do with eradicating the homeless from the streets. While you the have the rich visiting your downtown the last thing you want is the poor who can barely afford to park there and the homeless around begging for the rich peoples money.

Follow the money trail then all things make sense.

$teve

]]> By: NeuroMan42 http://www.mccoolidge.com/2011/06/10/reasonstoavoiddowntownsarasota/#comment-2749 NeuroMan42 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:06:00 +0000 http://www.mccoolidge.com/?p=7630#comment-2749 Two years ago, just before I moved back to Daytona for a bit everything was rocking. I move back two months ago, and it has all fallen into take this away, and simple greed. WTF is going on with Sarasota?!? Two years ago, just before I moved back to Daytona for a bit everything was rocking. I move back two months ago, and it has all fallen into take this away, and simple greed. WTF is going on with Sarasota?!?

]]> By: Michael Miller http://www.mccoolidge.com/2011/06/10/reasonstoavoiddowntownsarasota/#comment-2748 Michael Miller Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:56:22 +0000 http://www.mccoolidge.com/?p=7630#comment-2748 You are correct in your assessment. Taxing the citizens for parking is unwise, as is the removal of benches from public parks. Downtown powers-that-be are making all sorts of unwise decisions, prompting me to wonder--where are the wise decision makers? Are there any? Is there anyone in charge who actually wants to do good for downtown? I haven't met them. And I believe that the DSA should be made up of folks who want to improve downtown as a whole, not just store owners who want a quick parking turnover. Downtown Sarasota is turning into an embarrassing little place that is laughable to other downtown environments. I wish downtown the best (I live, work and play here), but I will never park there again, and paying a meter in order to shop is for the weak and uneducated. You are correct in your assessment. Taxing the citizens for parking is unwise, as is the removal of benches from public parks. Downtown powers-that-be are making all sorts of unwise decisions, prompting me to wonder–where are the wise decision makers? Are there any? Is there anyone in charge who actually wants to do good for downtown? I haven’t met them. And I believe that the DSA should be made up of folks who want to improve downtown as a whole, not just store owners who want a quick parking turnover. Downtown Sarasota is turning into an embarrassing little place that is laughable to other downtown environments. I wish downtown the best (I live, work and play here), but I will never park there again, and paying a meter in order to shop is for the weak and uneducated.

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