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

yoursun.com offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced. A judge rejected the county’s effort to restrict Live Local developments in rural areas, a decision that could affect several other pending lawsuits. 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.

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