Judge deals death blow to Sarasota County’s fight against Live Local Act

A judge rejected the county's effort to restrict Live Local developments in rural areas, a decision that could affect several other pending lawsuits. br/ ( Suncoast Searchlight illustration using photos by Lily Fox for Suncoast Searchlight and GTD Aquitaine via Wikimedia Commons)A judge’s ruling this week could clear the way for more than 7,600 apartments in rural Sarasota County, dealing a major blow to local officials and residents who have fought to keep large-scale developments out of neighborhoods traditionally reserved for homes on sprawling lots.In a decision issued Tuesday, Circuit Judge Hunter W. Carroll rejected Sarasota County’s argument that Florida’s controversial Live Local Act does not apply in certain rural areas with limited commercial use. He instead ruled that the county must allow a proposed development of more than 600 apartments near Celery Fields, a popular bird sanctuary and major stormwater facility, to move forward in the review process.Although the ruling ap