Friends of The Legacy Trail
2023 Membership Meeting
You are invited to the Friends of The Legacy Trail (FLT) 2023 membership meeting on Tuesday, April 4, at the Nokomis Community Park building, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. FLT merchandise will be available for sale in addition to lite refreshments and a raffle for prizes.
Presentations will be made by Charles Hines and Megan Eidel.
Charles Hines (left) is a former Sarasota County commissioner, currently working with the Trust for Public Land as a Gulf Coast Trail program director. He will speak about the plans for the Florida Gulf Coast Trail linking Tampa and Naples through Manatee and Sarasota counties. Megan Eidel (right) is a manager in the Natural Areas and Trails division of Sarasota County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources. She will talk about the Legacy Trail bridge construction at Clark Road and Bee Ridge Road and plans for the bifurcated trail.
Advance registration is not required, but if you plan to attend, please let us know via our contact page so that we can plan accordingly. See you soon!
Bus + Bike + The Legacy Trail
Consider the Possibilities
Like the European train system, Sarasota County’s bus system (SCAT) can provide a natural extension and complement to traveling by bicycle. The bus system provides a number of connections to The Legacy Trail, and the buses can carry up to two bikes per bus. The chart below shows locations where bus routes connect directly to points on the trail.
Some interesting possibilities are:
- Use the bus to get to and from the trail without having to cycle on roads, or having to load your bicycle into your car, or
- Use the bus system to plan a one-way trip on the trail. For example, with Bus Route 17 one could start at the Venice Train Depot, cycle to downtown Sarasota for lunch, and return on the bus to the Train Depot. or
- Suppose you have a flat tire. You could use the bus to get home or to a bike shop.
The following video shows how simple it is to load your bike onto the bus bike racks:
Click here for more information on how to use the Sarasota County bus system.
New Deer Prairie Creek Bridge and Parking Area
Now Open!
The ribbon cutting ceremony was held Tuesday, March 28 at the Deer Prairie Creek south parking area. The new facility provides a southern access point to Deer Prairie Creek Preserve that is easily reached from Tamiami Trail. In addition to the new bridge, the site includes improved parking, a new kayak launch, a new fishing/observation pier, and a new picnic shelter. The bridge provides access to the natural-surface Alphabet Trail, which connects to the paved Legacy Trail North Port Connector, as shown in the map below. Click here for more information, pictures and a drone video of the bridge placement.
Trail Survey:
Walkers, Runners, and Skaters Needed!
Last month we initiated a survey to measure how people use The Legacy Trail. Thank you very much to the many people who have responded. We have gotten many responses from cyclists; however, we’re still short on data from our walkers, runners, and skaters.
If you use the trail by one of these modes of locomotion, please tell us by taking our (very short) online survey. Your information helps us determine how the trail is being used, which helps secure future trail funding.
Total To Date: $123,355 from 884 Donations.
Help Us Fund Amenities on the Trail and its connectors. Donate square feet of The Trail and know the GPS location of your square feet!
Click Here to Get Your Part of The Trail!
Current Donor List
Here are the locations of the next available square feet:
In Sarasota
In Palmer Ranch
