Homebuilder takes $3.9M step toward 108-home community

SARASOTA — Despite still waiting on the Sarasota County Commission's approval for redevelopment, U.S. Senate candidate Carlos Beruff's firm closed on the sale of the former Gulf Gate Golf Course.

Medallion Home bought 49 acres near South Tamiami Trail and Bispham Road for $3.9 million this month, according to Sarasota County filings. The move comes after the Sarasota County Planning Commission's May 5 endorsement of the homebuilder's plans to develop a 108-home gated community on the course.

Hundreds of Gulf Gate residents had protested the plan's density and privacy features with yard signs, postings on the Gulf Gate Community Association website and a sizable presence — all wearing red — at the May 5 meeting, according to the Sarasota Observer, sister paper of the Business Observer.