Sarasota County officials gathered on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, to share details about the Manasota Beach Road extension. The meeting, held at the Robert L. Anderson Administration Center in Venice, aimed to explain the plans and answer questions about the project, which stretches Manasota Beach Road half a mile east of SR 776 all the way to the North Port city limits. The extension links Wellen Park and Englewood, promising less congestion and faster trips to the beach.
Not everyone is on board. Approximately 2,000 residents have spoken out and stand firm against the extension.
The project has now reached the 90% design phase. County and project staff set up in the lobby at 6 p.m., speaking with residents and showing project boards before the main presentation kicked off at 6:30 in the chambers. The meeting wrapped up at 8 p.m. after a long round of questions. Because this wasn’t an official Sarasota County Board meeting, no votes or decisions happened that night; it was strictly for information.
In August 2025, the County Commission had already approved the deal for the project. Commissioners unanimously supported spending $15 million to hire local developer Pat Neal to build the half-mile extension.
The county’s also looking at widening River Road and Winchester Boulevard, all hoping to ease the region’s notorious traffic. With new schools in Wellen Park, K-8 and High School, and growing neighborhoods, leaders argue the project is overdue. The new road will link Englewood Road and River Road. This will help reduce traffic on Tamiami Trail and compensate for the problems with the Keyway Road project. Once the work wraps up, Manasota Beach Road will open to the public.
Who is Pat Neal?
Pat Neal isn’t just any developer. He served as a state senator and representative, and he’s been running Neal Communities since 1970. Forbes pegged the combined net worth of Neal and his sons at $1.2 billion in 2025. He’s the driving force behind Wellen Park, Esplanade, and Windward at Lakewood Ranch.
He’s also a heavyweight in Republican politics. Since 2019, Neal has poured over $3.6 million into GOP committees, including $180,000 to the Republican Party of Florida and $126,500 to the Sarasota GOP. One of Neal Communities’ lobbyists, Evan Power, even chairs the Florida GOP.
When will construction start?
Planners expect work to kick off in spring 2026. The River Road widening is already underway, and they’ll start widening Winchester Boulevard later this year.
Why are people against the road?
Many residents aren’t happy about the project. They see Pat Neal building a road right through their front yards just to connect his Wellen Park community to the beach. Folks living on the section east of Englewood Road especially don’t want a brand-new two-lane connector running off their driveways. They’re worried this extension will open the door to more development in their quiet, rural spot, which already feels boxed in by new subdivisions.
They’ve also seen more flooding as development speeds up, and now they fear adding thousands of cars racing past their homes every day will make things worse and more dangerous.
People in the community aren’t staying quiet about this. They’ve started petitions like “STOP PAT NEAL: Saving the Wetland, Wildlife, and Preserving Land – STOP MBR Expansion” to push back against the Manasota Beach Road expansion.
Residents from Englewood and nearby areas have come together, determined to stop the project. They believe property rights are being ignored, and the threat to wildlife is real. The campaign says Pat Neal, his company Neal Communities, and other developers keep chipping away at what makes Florida unique. Every new development means more wetlands and open land disappear. Their petition is just one part of a much bigger fight.
Their main reasons for opposing the Manasota Beach Road (MBR) expansion in Venice and Englewood are:
1. Public safety and risk to the environment
2. Shady decision-making and outside influence
3. Not enough notice or transparency, and potential legal violations
4. Concerns about the public – private partnership
Their focus is on four items:
– Pat Neal must follow all county rules and regulations.
– All work on MBR needs to stop until the county follows the right procedures.
– Sarasota County should provide certified documentation showing communication with residents about the road and proof of the eastern segment’s approval.
– The project must fully comply with Florida’s stormwater management standards and federal environmental protections.
The organization states that if the county doesn’t do a thorough review and stick to these requirements, people, wildlife, and public trust all get put at risk. The group wants Sarasota County to reject or at least suspend the MBR project for now.
There’s a call to action. On February 10th at 9 a.m., there is a commissioners’ meeting. If you want to speak, you’ll get three minutes. Bring up delaying or canceling MBR and support building Keyway Road instead.
The group also wants answers about the $15 million in federal funds that were meant for River Road but ended up going toward planning for MBR.
For more information thepetitionsite.com.
