Congratulations to Sarasota County, winner of the FCCMA 2024 Photo Contest. This photo will be featured on the cover of the 2024-2025 Membership Directory.
In 1999, Sarasota County established the Englewood Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) to help improve conditions in the area known as Olde Englewood Village. In 2024, the CRA celebrates 25 years of making improvements and eliminating blight through community building, including organized neighborhood workshops to collaborate on projects. Businesses and community members have taken great pride in the Englewood redevelopment activities and have actively participated in the improvement project’s input and guidance.
One of these improvements was the West Dearborn Street Improvement Project, which included the installation of the iconic gateway signage shown in this photo. This project was completed in January 2023 and included improvements such as angled parking, widened sidewalks, comfort stations with outdoor furniture and stained-glass pervious pavers incorporated into the street intersections. In 2024, this project was submitted for the 2024 APWA Public Works Project of the Year for Small Cities/Rural Communities Transportation Category.
Serving as the entranceway into Englewood’s main commercial district, the photograph was taken at the end of a full-day photoshoot that our county photographer, Steve Dawson, was completing in Englewood to highlight all of the recent improvements in the area. Dawson knew he wanted to capture the archway just after sunset to be able to execute his vision of car lights streaking through the lit arch, which would call for a long exposure. When taking the photo, he needed to maintain total stillness, capturing a streak of passing car lights and retaining photo sharpness of the sign and distant street silhouette.
Englewood is an unincorporated area known for its relaxed living, quality of life and beautiful water bodies in southern Sarasota County. To learn more about this historic area and other recent improvements, visit scgov.net/EnglewoodCRA.
