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Did you know that more than 40% of adults in the United States suffer from obesity? Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for this condition. Perhaps worse is that more and more adults and children are gaining weight across the country, choosing the convenience of fast and nutrition-deficient foods over healthy eating, exercise, and positive life choices. From an aesthetic standpoint, being overweight is a struggle - clothes don't fit right, people make uncomfortable comments about how you look, and everyday activities are less appealing.
From a health and wellness standpoint, however, being obese is much worse. Your life is literally on the line. The people who love you and depend on you to be in their lives could lose you sooner than you expect. With time, you have a higher chance of suffering from significant, life-changing issues such as:
While obesity is a serious problem, a new medication on the market is giving hope to millions of men and women across the U.S. This game-changing treatment is called Semaglutide in Bee Ridge, FL. This anti-obesity medication is unique because it treats obesity as a chronic metabolic disease, rather than a problem that can be solved through sheer willpower. The best part? Semaglutide and other medical weight-loss peptides are now available at Global Life Rejuvenation.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we understand that losing weight is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Our medical weight loss clinic offers custom medical weight loss plans tailored to your body, rather than plans based solely on your age or weight. In fact, our team of doctors and practitioners provides personalized guidance to help you achieve real results and live a healthier life.
Because the truth is maintaining good health and fitness are crucial in the modern world. Research has shown that viruses and diseases are more likely to affect those who are overweight and unhealthy. At Global Life Rejuvenation, we take a comprehensive, custom approach to medical weight loss that includes peptide therapy and more. We then work with you to make positive lifestyle changes, so you can lose weight, get healthy, and boost your wellbeing permanently - not for a few weeks or months.
If you're ready to get back to loving your life with more energy, confidence, and positivity, medical weight loss with peptide therapy may be for you. But to truly understand the benefits of peptides like Semaglutide, it's important you grasp what peptide therapy is and how it benefits your body.
Many individuals turn to peptide therapy to enhance their overall wellbeing by boosting hormones. Different types of peptides can target different areas of health, such as collagen peptides that can help improve skin, hair, and gut health.
Other peptides, such as AOD 9604, CJC 1295, and Semaglutide in Bee Ridge, FL, are incredibly beneficial for losing weight. Compared to vitamin supplements, peptide therapy works differently as peptides are already part of the proteins in our bodies, making them easier to absorb and benefit from. Conversely, our bodies can sometimes fail to absorb all the nutrients present in multivitamins, leading to their excretion through urine.
However, it's important to note that weight loss is a complex process that involves various factors like age, genetics, lifestyle, exercise, and diet. While peptides like Semaglutide can provide much-needed assistance in achieving your weight loss goals, they are most effective when combined with healthy dietary choices, regular exercise routines, and overall healthier lifestyle choices.
If you've already tried different weight loss plans and diets but haven't had any success, medical weight loss with peptide therapy may provide that extra boost you need to realize your goals.
If you're looking to lose weight and keep it off, diet and exercise are important, but it can be difficult to stick to a routine. For busy adults and parents, Semaglutide can be a helpful tool for weight loss. This injection, approved by the FDA for diabetes and obesity, works by stimulating GLP-1 receptors in the brain to aid in weight loss and improve long-term health.
You may be wondering to yourself, "That sounds great, but how does this type of peptide work?" Semaglutide acts like glucagon in your body, which signals to your brain that you're full and don't need to eat anymore. When you take Semaglutide, and you try to overeat, your body waves a proverbial red flag as if to say, "That's enough."
Semaglutide also slows down digestion, reducing unnecessary snacking throughout the day. By reducing glucose spikes after meals, it reduces inflammation, which is important for overall health. Additionally, Semaglutide helps your pancreas secrete insulin, regulates the glucose levels in your body, and even has anti-aging and longevity properties. If you're struggling to lose weight, peptide therapies for weight loss like Semaglutide can be an invaluable addition to your weight loss plan from Global Life Rejuvenation.
When combined with healthy lifestyle choices like diet and exercise, Semaglutide can help provide:
There are multiple medications available to combat obesity by suppressing appetite and promoting weight loss. However, Semaglutide stands out as an exceptional option.
A recent study of 2,000 obese adults examined the effects of Semaglutide when combined with a diet and exercise program. The results were compared to those who only made lifestyle changes without taking Semaglutide. After 68 weeks, it was found that half of the participants using Semaglutide lost 15% of their body weight, with nearly a third losing 20%. In contrast, those who only made lifestyle changes lost an average of 2.4% of their weight.
It's obvious, then, that Semaglutide is a safe and effective supplement for your weight loss journey with Global Life Rejuvenation. But who is the ideal patient who should be taking it?
If you have a body mass index (BMI) of 27kg/m2 or higher and at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol, or if your BMI is 30kg/m2 or higher, the FDA recommends Semaglutide for weight loss.
As medical weight loss experts, one thing our doctors and practitioners know at Global Life Rejuvenation is that true weight loss isn't dictated by medicines. It's achieved by sticking to a combo of exercise, healthy life choices, and healthy eating habits. From there, peptides like Semaglutide in Bee Ridge, FL are great for taking your weight loss efforts to the next level of success.
One area where many patients fail in this process is with their diet. If you're considering Semaglutide treatment, keep these diet tips in mind.
To enhance your dietary habits, a practical approach is to concentrate on consuming whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. These food items are rich in nutrients and can provide a feeling of fullness and satisfaction while also promoting your overall wellbeing.
Eating mindfully involves being fully present and engaged during meals. This entails taking the time to enjoy the flavor of your food, being aware of your body's hunger and fullness signals, and avoiding distractions like electronics or television.
To maintain good health and support weight loss, it's crucial to drink plenty of water. It's recommended to drink at least 8-10 cups of water daily. You may also try adding low-calorie drinks like herbal tea or infused water to keep things interesting.
Planning your meals in advance is an effective approach to maintaining a healthy diet. Set aside some time each week to plan your meals and snacks, keeping in mind to incorporate a balance of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. This will prevent impulsive food choices and guarantee that you have nutritious options available when hunger strikes.
Unlike many medical weight loss clinics, which only offer cookie-cutter weight loss plans and one or two additional fat-busting solutions, Global Life Rejuvenation provides access to new, innovative supplements and medicines. If you're used to fad diets and "quick" weight loss plans, peptides like AOD 9604 and others may be new to you. To help build your foundation of healthy living knowledge, let's take a look at a few of the most popular weight-loss peptides and medicines available at Global Life Rejuvenation.
Often combined with Semaglutide regimens, AOD 9604 is known to promote fat breakdown, inhibit lipogenesis, and support tendons and cartilage. However, most recently, it has gained popularity due to its ability to boost metabolism and aid in burning fat.
What sets AOD 9604 apart is that it stimulates the pituitary gland without affecting tissue growth or blood sugar levels. Additionally, it can burn fat without causing overeating, making it a viable option for obese men and women who are trying to implement better eating habits.
Interestingly, AOD 9604 activates your body's fat-burning processes without requiring an HGH receptor. It also releases obese fat cells and reduces the accumulation of new fat cells. By helping to regulate blood sugar and manage insulin levels, AOD 9604 is excellent for weight loss but also for other maladies like inflammation.
Some conditions that this powerful peptide can help address include the following:
This medical weight loss supplement Is technically a combo of two peptides. These substances work by stimulating your pituitary gland to produce more of your body's natural human growth hormone, which is secreted during both waking and sleeping periods.
This results in increased protein synthesis and levels of insulin-like growth factors. As hormone secretagogues, they help release hormones into circulation while mimicking the pituitary gland's production. Extensive research has been conducted on the effects of CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin. As a tool for medical weight loss, it has shown very promising results.
That's because when growth hormone levels increase, nutrients are transported through the body faster, more fat is burned, and weight management becomes simpler. Additionally, because CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin increase the amount of growth hormone in your body, it stimulates the breakdown of triglycerides in adipocytes, leading to improved fat metabolism and reduced abdominal fat.
Benefits of CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin for weight loss include:
A Methionine Inositol Choline (MIC) injection is a mixture of lipotropics that aid in fat breakdown. The key components - methionine, inositol, and choline - work together to metabolize fat cells and eliminate stored fat deposits in the liver and body. Methionine is an important amino acid, inositol contributes to proper cell formation, and choline is a water-soluble nutrient that promotes healthy liver function. When combined, these compounds may help reduce body fat.
When used in conjunction with a medical weight loss plan from Global Life Rejuvenation, MIC injections can be a powerful addition to reclaiming your health and wellbeing.
Request AppointmentLike other weight loss peptides and medicines on this page, Phentermine can help you lose weight when you stick to a medical weight loss plan that includes dieting, exercise, and smart life choices. It does so by reducing your appetite, which limits the number of calories you eat every day.
As is the case with Semaglutide, Phentermine has been approved by the FDA and is supported by clinical studies that show it can support weight loss. With time, patience, and healthy living, this supplement may help you reach your wellness goals sooner than you thought possible.
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In the body, 7-keto-DHEA is produced from dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is a hormone made by glands near your kidneys. However, unlike DHEA, 7-keto-DHEA is not converted into androgen and estrogen in your body. Instead, 7-keto-DHEA is used orally or topically to boost your body's metabolism. It also helps convert more of your energy into heat, instead of storing it in your body as fat, which can accumulate with time and lifestyle choices.
Much like Semaglutide treatment in Bee Ridge, FL, 7-keto-DHEA has been shown to be very effective for weight loss as well as a host of other issues. Additional benefits of taking 7-keto-DHEA may include the following:
Have you tried everything under the sun to try and eliminate the cellulite on your legs, arms, and other areas of your body? If you're like most people, getting rid of cellulite isn't just difficult - it's nearly impossible. Fortunately, those days are over. Lipo Sculpt Cream from Global Life Rejuvenation can help reduce the unsightly appearance of cellulite while also refining your figure and firming up your skin.
The active ingredients in this product have the ability to reduce and prevent the growth of fatty tissue while also improving microcirculation. They work together to treat both adipose and aqueous cellulite, and aid in the elimination of fatty deposits and excess water stored in the tissues. This results in a reduction of dimples and an overall improvement in the appearance of your skin.
If you have experienced success with a medical weight loss plan and reached your target weight but still suffer from cellulite, Lipo Sculpt Cream is a fantastic choice to consider. A few of the most common benefits include:
Are you craving a productive life at a healthy weight? Are you ready to make a meaningful difference in your life and the lives of your loved ones? The pathway to wellbeing starts by contacting our office for an in-depth consultation, where we'll learn more about your weight-loss goals and needs.
From there, we'll create a custom weight-loss plan tailored to your body. This plan will map out the steps of your weight-loss journey, including peptide therapies like Semaglutide in Bee Ridge, FL. Though every person's weight management goals are different, when you're a patient at Global Life Rejuvenation, you benefit from dedicated doctors and practitioners committed to improving your weight and, in turn, your health.
Whether your health is on the line, or you don't like how being overweight makes you look and feel, our team is ready to guide you toward long-term health and happiness. This way, you can get healthy, stay in shape, and fall in love with your newfound body.
Call Us 866.793.9933
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Achieva Credit Union has partnered with The Salvation Army for their annual Angel Tree donation drive to provide a meaningful and impactful way to support local families in need. This program will take place from Nov. 7 through Dec. 3 and will provide many children with gifts this holiday season.“Thanks to the help of our members and community, many children will wake up with gifts who would have likely otherwise gone without,” said Achieva Chief Operations Officer Jennifer Galley.“We a...
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Achieva Credit Union has partnered with The Salvation Army for their annual Angel Tree donation drive to provide a meaningful and impactful way to support local families in need. This program will take place from Nov. 7 through Dec. 3 and will provide many children with gifts this holiday season.
“Thanks to the help of our members and community, many children will wake up with gifts who would have likely otherwise gone without,” said Achieva Chief Operations Officer Jennifer Galley.
“We are honored to partner with the Salvation Army to lift the financial burden of the holidays for families in need. Donations collected will help children receive toys, bikes, and clothing to brighten their holiday spirit.”
The process to help create unforgettable memories for area children is simple. Visit a participating Achieva branch and look for the Christmas tree. The tree will have paper angel tags and each tag will provide the first name, age, and gender of a child in the program. For families with multiple children, the details will show for each child. Select a tag from the tree, purchase the gifts and be sure to have them returned (with the tag) to the Achieva branch by December 3, 2022.
The following Achieva Credit Union branches are participating:
Sarasota County
· Bee Ridge Rd. - 3000 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34239
· E. Venice Ave. - 1485 East Venice Avenue, Venice, FL 34292
· Fruitville Rd. - 5881 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34232
· North Port - 2467 Sycamore Street, North Port, FL 34289
Manatee County
· Lockwood Commons - 4254 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton, FL 34203
Pinellas County
· St. Pete - 3629 11th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33713
· Largo - 12580 Seminole Blvd, Largo, FL 33778
· Palm Harbor - 33715 US Highway 19 North, Palm Harbor, FL 34684
· East Lake Rd. - 3446 East Lake Road, Palm Harbor, FL 34685
· Park Blvd. - 7105 Park Blvd., Pinellas Park, FL 33781
· Drew St. - 2201 Drew Street, Clearwater, FL 33765
· Dunedin - 1150 Achieva Way, Dunedin, FL 34698
· NE St. Pete - 413 62nd Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Pasco County
· Land O Lakes - 2115 Collier Parkway, Land O Lakes, FL 34639
· Trinity - 12006 State Road 54, Odessa, FL 33556
· New Port Richey - 5920 State Road 54, New Port Richey, FL 34652
Lee County
· Colonial Blvd- 4379 Colonial Blvd. Suite 100, Fort Myers, FL 33966
· Estero- 21301 South Tamiami Trail Unit 360, Estero, FL 33928
· Lehigh Acres- 2499 Lee Blvd., Lehigh Acres, FL 33971
· Del Prado Blvd S- 2127 Del Prado Blvd. South, Cape Coral, FL 33990
Charlotte County
· Punta Gorda- 3105 Tamiami Trail, Punta Gorda, FL 33950
· Murdock- 1850 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte, FL 33948
Families in need who would like to benefit from the Angel Tree program can apply online at https://saangeltree.org.
“Families should not have to decide between buying groceries, paying bills, or purchasing holiday gifts for their children,” said Galley. She continued, “We encourage everyone in the community to participate in this important initiative.”
When the donation drive ends, The Salvation Army will collect all donations from the above participating Achieva Credit Union branches and distribute the gifts to families in need before Christmas morning.
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SARASOTA, Fla — A long-awaited water reclamation project has started taking shape in Sarasota County that would improve water quality.County leaders broke ground Tuesday on the conversion of the Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility into an Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant."This project has come from concept to breaking ground in less than three years," said Mike Mylett, director of public Utilities Sarasota.Once the conversion to an advanced wastewater treatment plant is completed the plant would not o...
SARASOTA, Fla — A long-awaited water reclamation project has started taking shape in Sarasota County that would improve water quality.
County leaders broke ground Tuesday on the conversion of the Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility into an Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant.
"This project has come from concept to breaking ground in less than three years," said Mike Mylett, director of public Utilities Sarasota.
Once the conversion to an advanced wastewater treatment plant is completed the plant would not only increase its treatment capacity, it would also help reduce the level of phosphorus and nitrogen in reclaimed water and improve water quality especially downstream.
"This is a big deal, this is the biggest single project to help Sarasota Bay improve our pollutants reduction goals in our watershed. There's a lot of other things we need to do, but this is the biggest single thing that needs to be done," said Dr. Dave Tomasko, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.
The upgrade would increase daily wastewater treatment capacity from 12-million gallons to 18-million gallons to meet growing demand.
Experts said the reduction in pollutants and nutrient loads by anywhere from 50-percent to 90-percent over time is very critical when it comes to spills and overflows like the ones that happened between 2013 and 2019.
"A typical wastewater treatment plant like this might have had a nitrogen concentration of maybe 10 to 20-milligrams per liter, this will have no more than 3-milligrams per liter, and it's probably going to have something more like 2-milligrams per liter," said Tomasko.
County leaders approved $210 million for the project in June 2019 and it's become the single largest capital improvement funding effort in the county's history. They believe the investment would play a huge part in making Sarasota Bay not only cleaner now but in the next couple of decades.
"All the water that comes here from your homes and your toilets and everything else that gets treated, it's going to be purified to a point where we can put it in our waterways, and it does not impact our streams, rivers, our bay and in our gulf," said Christian Zeigler, Sarasota County Board of Commissioners.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also awarded a $105 million loan through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act to help finance the upgrade.
"When you think of flooding, when you think of infrastructure and how the city is growing, this is an investment that we don't just see you as a conversation for today," said Daniel Blackman, EPA Region 4 administrator.
Experts also say the key is the impact for marine life with helping to mitigate red tide. The project is expected to be completed by 2025.
A Sarasota couple has been arrested after their 8-month-old girl was found dead and tested positive for “lethal amounts of fentanyl,” the ...
A Sarasota couple has been arrested after their 8-month-old girl was found dead and tested positive for “lethal amounts of fentanyl,” the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
Deputies responded to the home near Interstate 75 and Bee Ridge Road at 5:12 p.m. on May 31 after a report of the death of an infant at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital.
The girl was “ice cold” and face down on a couch cushion when she was found by a family friend, the arrest report says.
“In my 17 years of experience, I’ve never seen anything like that,” the hospital nurse told a deputy. “I’ve seen many deceased babies, but that’s the worst I’ve seen.”
The girl was last seen alive around midnight, the report says, when Nicholas Alexander put the girl in a playpen to sleep.
At the house were the couple, their 2-year-old and 3-year-old, and four other adults.
Between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., Carissa Alexander said she was up with the baby who was “fussy and not willing to sleep.” She was also watching the 2-year-old and “cleaning the residence.”
She said Nicholas took over child care of the three children around 7 a.m. and she went to sleep.
At 10:30 a.m., two of the other adults woke up and had breakfast, and one of them helped feed the older children. The 8-month-old was seen “in a prone position on a couch cushion in the living room.”
Everyone in the house thought the baby was asleep, the report said, and it’s unknown who put the girl on the cushion.
At 1:30 p.m., Nicholas woke Carissa to take care of the kids while he went to work. When he left before 2 p.m., he said the girl was in the same position on the cushion.
Around 4:30 p.m., Nicholas and one of the men stopped for diapers on their way home, and met a third man waiting for them outside the home.
As they all entered around 4:45 p.m., the third man went to check on the baby and found her “ice cold.” He called 911 and Nicholas started CPR.
The man drove Nicholas and the baby to a nearby hospital, and Nicholas administered Narcan to the girl, “believing she may have got into his stash.” Narcan is a medicine used to treat overdoses in emergency situations.
By the time the infant got to the ER, she had been dead for several hours, an autopsy showed.
Both Carissa and Nicholas were impaired by drugs when deputies interviewed them, and they had slurred speech and were unable to stay awake, the report said.
Nicholas admitted he had injected cocaine around 1 a.m. and smoked crack around 10 a.m., and that Carissa “took a hit” of crack at the same time.
The other adults told deputies the couple struggled with addiction and drug abuse, particularly opiates.
After being taken to the sheriff’s office, both tested positive for cocaine and Nicholas tested positive for THC. Carissa had a straw with white residue that tested positive for fentanyl, cocaine, oxycodone and xylaxine, a powerful animal sedative known as “tranq.”
In April, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman held a news conference to warn Floridians about the dangers of the “zombie drug.” Sarasota County had the third-highest growth in xylazine deaths in the state from 2021-22.
An autopsy report showed the 8-month-old tested positive for fentanyl and benzoylecgonine, which indicates the presence of cocaine.
Deputies also talked to a woman who was the baby’s nanny until May 26. She said the baby fed every 3-4 hours and never slept more than six hours.
Before her death, the adults in the home said they thought she was sleeping from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“She went unchecked and uncared for for approximately 10+ hours over the course of the day, while (her parents) were impaired by narcotics, by their own admissions,” the report said.”
Nicholas and Carissa Alexander are each charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and are being held without bond at the Sarasota County Correctional Facility.
This story was originally published June 23, 2023, 7:04 PM.
At a facility in eastern Sarasota County,wastewater swirls around in 180-foot-long tanks perched on top of a plain, white building.Desirable bacteria consume the waste and organic materials, cleaning the water.This is one of the first steps in the wastewater treatment process at Sarasota County’s Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility – a plant that’s about to undergo a major expansion.The facility, which produces reclaimed water for northern unincorporated Sarasota County, is going to be c...
At a facility in eastern Sarasota County,wastewater swirls around in 180-foot-long tanks perched on top of a plain, white building.
Desirable bacteria consume the waste and organic materials, cleaning the water.
This is one of the first steps in the wastewater treatment process at Sarasota County’s Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility – a plant that’s about to undergo a major expansion.
The facility, which produces reclaimed water for northern unincorporated Sarasota County, is going to be converted into an advanced wastewater treatment facility. This will make it more effective at removing harmful nutrients – including nitrogen and phosphorus – from wastewater.
Background:Over $500M in utility improvements are coming to Sarasota County
More:Higher utility bills coming for Sarasota County
County officials broke ground in late March.
“The project is for everyone in our community and for future generations,” Commissioner Maio told those gathered for the groundbreaking.
The enhancements to the Bee Ridge facility are expected to cost $210 million, about half of which will be paid for by a low-interest loan that the federal Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the county.
AWT refers to any process that reduces the level of impurities in wastewater below the level attainable through conventional treatment, according to the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
The conventional treatment, which Sarasota County uses, leaves nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in the water, said Mike Mylett, the county’s public utilities director.
When residents use reclaimed water in their sprinkler systems, nutrients in the water can make their way into Sarasota Bay. A variety of other sources – such as fertilizer and power plant emissions – also contribute to nutrient pollution in the bay, according to the Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Community Playbook for Healthy Waterways.
Blue-green algae and Karenia Brevis – the algae responsible for red tide – feed on excess nutrients in the bay.
The conversion to AWT is one way to try to lighten nutrient pollution in Sarasota County. The Bee Ridge plant currently produces 16 to 18 mg of nitrogen per liter of reclaimed water, but the new facility will produce less than 3 mg per liter, according to Mylett.
At advanced wastewater treatment facilities, there is an additional step in the biological treatment process, which reduces the nutrient levels in the water, Mylett said.
Sarasota County is planning to expand and upgrade the current Bee Ridge facility, according to the EPA. Mylett said construction will start in the next couple of weeks, and he expects the project to be finished by mid-2025.
In September 2019, Sarasota County entered into a consent order with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection after persistent pollution problems that had prompted environmental groups to sue the county.
Reclaimed water not sold for reuse is stored at a pond at the Bee Ridge facility, and the pond kept experiencing spills for several years. The pond has not overflowed in the past two years, though, Mylett said.
Under the consent order, Sarasota County has to implement advanced wastewater treatment at the Bee Ridge plant by Dec. 31, 2025.
Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asn[email protected] or (941) 228-3321 and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the name of the road that has a continuous left-turn lane.What sets the areas around Bee Ridge Road, where it intersects with Beneva Road, and Clark Road, from Catamaran Drive to Interstate 75, apart from many other heavily traveled roads in Sarasota County?Bee Ridge/Beneva and Clark near I-75 rated as the ...
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the name of the road that has a continuous left-turn lane.
What sets the areas around Bee Ridge Road, where it intersects with Beneva Road, and Clark Road, from Catamaran Drive to Interstate 75, apart from many other heavily traveled roads in Sarasota County?
Bee Ridge/Beneva and Clark near I-75 rated as the most crash-prone intersection and road segment, respectively, in 2020, according to county traffic data.
Sgt. Darrell Seckendorf, who runs the Sarasota County Sherriff's Office's traffic unit, blames congestion and several factors. Bee Ridge Road, for example, has a continuous left-turn lane that can contribute to accidents.
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The intersection of Bee Ridge and Beneva had a crash rate of 3.27 per million entering vehicles in 2020, according to the county's annual Crash Summary Report. It had a total of 67 crashes that year.
Seckendorf said congestion is why the intersection has a higher crash rate than other areas. He noted that there are multiple apartment complexes in that area, as well as shopping locations and a Starbucks, which "doesn't have a parking lot big enough" to handle the amount of business volume it draws.
He also said that older drivers come to the Bee Ridge/Beneva area, as do younger drivers attending Suncoast Technical College.
Bee Ridge also has what Seckendorf calls a "suicide lane," which is a continuous left-turn lane in the center of the road.
“Sometimes people don’t know how to navigate that,” he said, “so we’ll have those head-on collisions or side-swipes on those type of roadways.”
Clark Road from Catamaran Drive to I-75 had a crash rate of 8.15 per million vehicle miles in 2020, according to the county's Crash Summary Report. Fifteen crashes occurred on that stretch of Clark Road in 2020.
Seckendorf said the stretch is congested. Drivers there are also "jockeying" for the left-turn lane when they're trying to get on I-75.
"They don't plan properly to get into that left lane," Seckendorf said. Drivers will often be in the right or middle lane and will "jet over" into the turn lane, which can cause them to cut off other drivers or sideswipe them, he said.
The Florida Department of Transportation is building a diverging diamond interchange at Clark Road.
"That should help out on Clark," Seckendorf said.
Diverging diamond interchanges have free-flowing left-turn lanes onto the interstate, similar to right-turn lanes onto the interstate. Seckendorf noted that traffic flows very well at the diverging diamond on University Parkway.
He said that fender-benders do occur on that type of interchange, but "when it comes to the more serious crashes, I think you'd see a decline in that."
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Each morning, Seckendorf looks at an online dashboard that shows traffic data from the previous day, including where crashes occurred. He then communicates that information with other Sheriff's Office personnel, so they can then concentrate more on those intersections.
Seckendorf said the office also receives a grant that allows it to increase the amount of traffic enforcement in certain "hotspots" in the county, one of which is the intersection of Beneva and Bee Ridge.
Enforcement measures include having deputies sit in their vehicles in certain locations and having the motorcycle unit patrol areas.
The Sarasota County Public Works department also plays a role in making county roadways safe. The department determines countermeasures to correct safety issues on roads and intersections, according to county staff. Some examples of countermeasures are pavement markings, signal timing modifications and the addition of turn lanes.
Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.
