Fairgrounds operator seeks appreciation, less 'poking fun' from officials

The Sarasota County Fairgrounds operator calls the open space and civic buildings a community asset that runs "on its own dime."

By Andrew Warfield
| 5:00 a.m. August 13, 2024
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10-year-old Kylie Ung, 12-year-old Isaiah Edwards, 11-year-old Isariah Edwards and 13-year-old Isaialyah Edwards at the 2023 Sarasota County Fair.

Manatee-Sarasota

Neatly stacked around a conference table in a windowless room at the offices of the Sarasota County Agricultural Fair Association are redevelopment and improvement plans of years gone by for the Sarasota County Fairgrounds.

The nondescript office building overshadowed by the adjacent Robarts Arena is home to the equally modest SCAFA, the organization that puts on the annual county fair and manages the aging facilities on the 54-acre site on Fruitville Road, the eastern gateway to downtown Sarasota.