TOURISM FACILITIES
Both Charlotte and Sarasota Counties are known for their “snowbirds,” retirees from cooler
northern climates making Florida their home during winter months. Populations in these
counties can increase up to 30 percent during the snowbird season. Based on best available information supplied by each county, using their own varied statistical methodology, in 2007,
Charlotte County hosted nearly 300,000 tourists and Sarasota County hosted about 5 million tourists.
In 2006, visitors spent an estimated $193 million in Charlotte County and an estimated $1.3 billion in
Sarasota County on accommodations and other tourist services and amenities. Tourism-related businesses employed about 6,500 residents in Charlotte County
and over 13,000 area residents in Sarasota County.
Lodging options range from hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rental homes and condominiums. Many of these accommodations are located on, or accessed by, the
Lemon Bay/Myakka Trail. As a whole, Charlotte County has hotel/motel, resort, bed and
breakfast, and vacation rental accommodations totaling about 3,100 rooms and/or units,
with an additional 500 coming this year. As a whole, Sarasota County has hotel/motel,
resort, bed and breakfast, and vacation rentals totaling approximately 15,000 rooms and/or
units.
The Lemon Bay/Myakka Trail is filled with lots of traveler amenities and attractions. The
Englewood Area Chamber of Commerce operates a Visitors Center on SR 776. Gas
stations and convenience stores situated along the Trail offer automotive services,
restrooms and snacks for users. Several dozen restaurants serve a range of cuisines in a
variety of settings, from fast-food to formal, and entice eaters with excellent local foods –
produce, beef and seafood. The Trail has plenty of retail and specialty shops that are sure
to have something for everyone, from necessities to unique gifts and souvenirs. To keep
the traveler fit, the area offers fitness centers and gyms, along with at least six golf courses,
while the Trail’s libraries, art galleries, art centers and theater playhouses maintain the mind.
Among the Trail’s ample intrinsic resources are two state parks – Don Pedro Island and
Stump Pass Beach State Parks – and the Myakka State Forest. The Trail also has
numerous spectacular regional and county parks and water bodies. Several dozen places
of worship with your choice of denomination are located along, or adjacent to the Trail. The
Trail also possesses several health facilities – hospitals, clinics, doctor offices, etc – for any
ill feeling traveler. And as mentioned, the area has hotel rooms and rentals (condos, villas)
for those travelers seeking a restful night’s sleep.
The Florida Historical Marker Program recognizes historic resources, persons and events
that are significant in the areas of architecture, archaeology, Florida history, and traditional
culture by placing historic markers and plaques at sites of historical and visual interest to
visitors. The purpose of the program is to increase public awareness of the cultural heritage
of the state and to enhance the enjoyment of historic sites in Florida by its citizens and
tourists. The CME plans to partner with the Florida Historical Marker Program and the counties in installing markers for resources.
Florida Blueways is a marine resource management project involving the Fish and Wildlife
Research Institute. The program, funded by the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection's (FDEP) Florida Coastal Management Program, assesses current management
practices and programs within Florida to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, fill in
gaps, and ultimately join existing management programs together under a single, unified
management network. The intent of the program is to balance human use and ecological
issues to provide ecological protection to the marine ecosystem. The Florida Blueways
project is being tested in Charlotte Harbor.
The Charlotte County Blueway Trails system was announced in February 2003, and
encompasses 53 trails totaling 212 miles of coastline and waterways for paddlers to explore.
The Charlotte County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department provides
information about locations and classification in its Blueway Trails guide.
The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program is a partnership that protects the estuaries and watersheds from Venice to Estero Bay to Winter Haven. This partnership gives citizens, elected officials, resource managers, and commercial and recreational resource users in the 4,400-square-mile program area a voice to address diverse resource management concerns including fish and wildlife habitat loss, water quality and water flow. The watershed in the program area includes all or parts of Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Polk, Hardee, and DeSoto Counties. More than 175,000 acres of submerged resources are designated as six Florida Aquatic Preserves to be “preserved in essentially natural conditions for future generations to enjoy.” They are Lemon Bay, Gasparilla Sound/Charlotte Harbor, Cape Haze, Pine Island Sound, Matlatcha Pass, and Estero Bay. The goals of the Program are: assess trends in the estuary; identify causes of environmental problems; assess pollutant loadings in the estuary; and develop a comprehensiveof environmental problems; assess pollutant loadings in the estuary; and develop a comprehensive conservation and management plan.
