Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources has seven divisions.
Sports Tourism, Facilities and Programs Supports the strategic development of sports tourism and community sports opportunities; manages relationships with local sports organizations, event organizers, and other facility users to facilitate optimal use of PRNR sports facilities; oversees contractual partnerships with operators of premier PRNR venues including MLB stadiums, Nathan Benderson Park and Selby Aquatic Center; collaborates with Visit Sarasota County to attract and host sports tourism events to generate economic impact for Sarasota County; provides enhanced event support to ensure positive and memorable experiences for event organizers and attendees.
Recreation and Neighborhood Parks Provides exceptional programs, seasonal camps and special events; manages multiple recreation centers and park amenities; provides and maintains venues for community meetings, programming and events; and provides excellent customer service offering both residents and visitors ways to optimize their leisure time, health and wellness and experiences. Manages the maintenance and operations of neighborhood parks.
Beaches and Water Access Manages and protects Sarasota County's beaches and water access parks, provides daily facility maintenance at public beaches, beach accesses, water access parks and boat ramps; provides safe and clean park spaces, lands, and amenities, including parking lots, boat ramps, picnic areas, playgrounds, green spaces, water and land trails. Additionally, this division manages the development and placement of artificial reefs; maintains buoys, channel markers, and marine signage; oversees removal of derelict vessels and marine structures; and manages reservations and special events at the beaches.
Parks Internal Operations Supports all PRNR divisions through preventive and corrective maintenance and projects. Manages repair and replacement of amenities within parks; manages mowing, landscape, and irrigation contracts; and performs various equipment operations within parks. Maintains and manages over 100 athletic fields and oversees multiple athletic parks. Completes standards inspections in parks including playground safety inspections and is responsible for GIS asset data collection and management and lifecycle tracking and planning.
Natural Areas and Trails Provides access to over 50,000 acres of natural areas and creates opportunities for outdoor exploration, fitness and wellness; provides safe and clean parks and amenities; provides environmental and cultural resource stewardship, habitat management, protection, and education; manages reservations and special events at natural areas; manages paved and natural trails.
Park Planning and Development Oversees the design and construction of new park facilities; develops park design concepts that meet the needs of the community, are compatible with the zoning and land development regulations, and are sustainable / functional facilities; reviews proposed projects to ensure compliance with the County’s park design and construction requirements; facilitates the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP) and Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program (NPP).
Business Operations Works in conjunction with all divisions of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources supporting the delivery of services by providing management of central processing including the system administration of software systems for facility reservations, program registrations, electronic access and lighting controls, and point of sale transactions; leads department procurement and operating budget activities; manages revenue producing campground, concessions, leases, agreements, and permit programs; oversees department wide contract governance; develops and coordinates department-wide volunteer program; supports the financial contractual requirements associated with Major League Baseball agreements; and manages the contracts of Visit Sarasota County and Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County supporting the attraction of visitors resulting in favorable tourism impacts within Sarasota County.