County government offices close for July 4 holiday

Sarasota County Government offices, including libraries and recreation centers, will be closed Friday, July 4, for Independence Day. 

• Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) bus service will not operate Friday, July 4.

• The Longboat Key Trolley, a joint operation of SCAT and Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT), will operate its normal schedule on July 4.

Residential customers of Waste Management who normally have garbage collection on Friday will have items picked  up on Saturday, July 5.

The landfill and landfill administration office at 4000 Knights Trail Road in Nokomis will be closed July 4. The chemical collection centers at 8750 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, 250 S. Jackson Road, Venice and 4010 Knights Trail Road, Nokomis, also will be closed July 4. They will be open regular hours Saturday, July 5.

• Arlington Park Pool, Lido Beach Pool and North Port Pool will be open noon-5 p.m.

July 4th Fireworks
 

The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind everyone that there will be fireworks displays at several locations throughout the county

The fireworks display at Blind Pass Beach in Englewood is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. on Friday. There will be limited parking at the beach and the no-parking laws on Manasota Key Road will be enforced.

The fireworks display in the Nokomis Beach area is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. on Friday. The fireworks will be visible from the Casey Key North Jetty. Vehicles will be allowed into the Nokomis Beach and North Jetty area via the Albee Road Bridge until all parking lots are full.

• Casey Key residents (with proper identification) and pedestrian traffic will be allowed over the bridge.

• After the fireworks are completed, Casey Key Road from the North Jetty to Albee Road Bridge will be converted to a one-way road to allow for the expeditious exit of vehicle traffic

The fireworks display at Siesta Key Beach is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:15 p.m.

• Neither the Stickney Point Drawbridge nor the north drawbridge will open for boat traffic from 9 p.m. until midnight.

• Smaller vessels will still be able to pass under both bridges.

• The Siesta Key Beach parking lot will be closed at 9 p.m.

• There will be designated traffic routes to expedite traffic off the island.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office also wants to remind everyone that certain types of fireworks are illegal. As defined in F.S.S. 791, illegal fireworks means (and includes) any combustible or explosive composition or substance, or combination of substances, or any article prepared for the purpose of producing a visible or audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration, or detonation.

• The term includes blank cartridges and toy cannons in which explosives are used, the type of balloons which require fire underneath to propel them, firecrackers, torpedoes, skyrockets, roman candles, and any fireworks containing any explosives or flammable compound or any tablets or other device containing an explosive substance.

Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office will strictly enforce these laws to help ensure that everyone has a safe 4th of July.

City of North Port Solid Waste and City Office schedules

The city of North Port Public Works Solid Waste Division wants residential and commercial customers to be aware of changes in their collection date for the Fourth of July holiday.

• There will be no garbage, recycling or yard waste collection on Friday, July 4.

• Those residential and commercial customers that have Friday collection will have their material picked up on Saturday, July 5.

• All other days of collection remain the same.

  • Remember to place all garbage, yard waste, recyclables and scheduled bulk curbside before 7 a.m.

 In addition, the city of North Port’s administration offices will be closed on Friday, July 4.

Visit the city of North Port Public Works link on the city of North Port Web site: http://www.cityofnorthport.com/solid_waste_div/default.asp for more information, or contact their Customer Service section at 941-240-8050 if you have any questions.