SARASOTA, FLORIDA, August 11th, 2016 – Energizing recreational outdoor activities are now accessible again at Jiggs Landing, an old-school fish camp by the 12-mile long Braden River in East Bradenton which definitely counts as one of the charms of living in Sarasota and Manatee.
A designated preserve, this property was closed to the public during the 2016 first quarter to make way for some major upgrades. It reopened sometime in April 2016 and has already hosted some exciting summer events.
One of these activities was the first annual freshwater fishing camp organized by the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department. For two weeks starting around mid-July 2016, the participating kids learned not only about catching fish in inland waters but also got valuable lessons on boater safety, thanks to the support provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Two.
Jiggs Landings traces its roots way back in 1944 when Alphonse “Jiggs” Metcalf and his wife Agnes set up a fish camp in this seven-acre riverside site just off one of the best fishing holes in Manatee. The facilities of the fish camp had been in disrepair for years, but its recent makeover not only restored its original Old Florida charm but also gave it some contemporary touches.
Opened early in 2016 were concessions and several rental cabins which are rustic replicas of the original fish camp accommodations. Also available for rent are boats, kayaks and paddleboards, but fishing remains free at the Jiggs Landings’ expanded dock. Likewise built were boardwalks, a shower house, restrooms, picnic pavilions, and a wildlife viewing area.
Jiggs Landing is one of the historical sites that the nonprofit Old Braden River Historical Society is protecting and preserving along the banks of the waterway which is the main tributary of the Manatee River. Linger Lodge, a campground with a funky restaurant upriver past Interstate 75, is another site in the historical society’s conservation list.
Significantly, local residents are likewise actively guarding the pristine environs of the Braden River. For instance, many homeowners of Tara Golf & Country Club, just east of Jiggs Landings and a choice destination for prime Bradenton homes for sale, are opposing construction of a span across Braden River. This bridge is planned as a connector between Tara Boulevard and Honore Avenue in Sarasota to help ease traffic around this locality, but those who oppose it fear the damage it may cause to their area’s pristine setting.
Neal Communities is encountering similar opposition on its plan to develop a new neighborhood in a 32-acre heavily wooded site along the Braden River just east of Linger Lodge. Residents of the adjoining River Club and Braden Woods communities, both known for their attractive Bradenton homes for sale, are vehemently opposing this project and instead want the county to buy its site and turn it into a preserve.
Not even Neal’s plan to leave roughly 70 percent of the property as open space and seven acres of wetlands left undisturbed could appease the residents. As per initial documents filed, the developer plans to cluster 32 lots for single family residences on some 12 acres of the parcel.
The concerned residents, who have organized an online campaign against this project, contend that the planned neighborhood will be destructive to the area’s natural habitats and heighten the risk of damage to the water supply and nearby residential properties. It was also stressed that the project’s is adjacent to Braden River, a city water supply, and that this riverside site is home to many indigenous flora and fauna which are vital in preserving Florida’s sensitive wetlands.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA, October 7, 2019 – Property values of communities in the Sarasota-Manatee region now face lesser threat from neighborhood eyesores brought about by abandoned, foreclosed homes. Known in the real estate trade as zombie foreclosures, these properties have shrunk significantly in the region. According to an August report of ATTOM Data Solutions, abandoned […] more>>