Longboat Key's Town Center Green Has a Library on the Way. Here's What Has to Happen First.

"At this point, the county is still moving forward full steam, full blast with design, with permitting and with the land use amendment," Assistant Town Manager Isaac Brownman told town commissioners at their Sept. 14 meeting. "The county continues to move forward as if nothing is changing."

A commissioner had asked him what would happen to the library if voters approve Amendment 3 on Nov. 3. Earlier in that same exchange, Brownman gave the other half of the answer. "The county has made it very clear because of the magnitude of the impacts of Amendment 3 they will not be constructing a library on Longboat Key at this time if Amendment 3 passes." Both statements are true at once. The library at 600 Bay Isles Road is as close to construction as it has ever been, and it also depends on a ballot question decided by voters statewide.

Phase III of a Green That Was Planned in Stages

The library is the next phase of a site the town has been building out for years. When the Karon Family Pavilion was unveiled on Nov. 11, 2023, local coverage described it as the second phase of the Town Center Green project. The town's own hearing notice now calls the library site plan "Town Center Green, Phase III."

The Green already has the pavilion, a performance stage of roughly 1,500 square feet, benches, landscaping, and an oval walking path surfaced with recycled rubber. Sarasota County hired Orlando firm Borelli + Partners as architect and Jon F. Swift Inc. as construction manager. Brad Gaubatz, the county's Facilities, Parks and Recreation manager, described the plans, which include:

• An enlarged community room that can seat 200
• Large "sitting steps" where visitors can read
• A covered outdoor terrace fronting the Town Green

The plans are detailed enough that they were still being adjusted the morning of the Planning and Zoning Board review. Gaubatz described a three-foot change to the side-yard setback that came in an email from the architect that day.

Two Sources of Money, Paying for Different Rooms

The funding explains why a vote on property taxes reaches this particular building. The project totals $13.5 million. Sarasota County is putting in $11 million, with $1 million for design and $10 million for construction.

The county's money pays for the core library. The extras came from the island. The town and the Longboat Key Foundation ran a fundraising campaign to pay for enhancements beyond the county's plan, chiefly the enlarged meeting hall and the terrace. The stated goal was $3.5 million. The campaign went past it. The September 2026 funding agreement between the town and county puts the total at $3.8 million, and the county had already received $1.6 million of that. An Observer report from January 2026 said more than $4 million had been raised. Neither source says whether the difference comes from pledges, cash received, or how the agreement counts the money.

The best-known gift is a $1 million commitment from the Vernon G. and Sandra J.C. Buchanan Foundation. Sarasota County formally accepted it in December 2025, and the library is to be named in honor of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan and his wife.

Because of this split, the community room most likely to host island gatherings depends on two things. Islanders have already funded it, and the county still has to build the library it is attached to.

The Calendar Between Now and a Shovel

Here are the steps, in order, as of Oct. 4, 2026:

1. Oct. 5, 1 p.m. The Town Commission holds first reading of Ordinance 2026-13 and a quasi-judicial hearing on Site Development Plan Order 2026-02 in the Commission Chamber at Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road. Both items authorize the library at the Town Center Green. The Planning and Zoning Board has already approved the county's requested amendments, on the condition that a revised site plan is submitted for the record. The Town Commission still has to approve the plans before permits can be issued.
2. October. The county expects to apply for building permits.
3. Nov. 3. Florida's 2026 General Election, with Amendment 3 on the ballot.
4. Jan. 1, 2027. The date Amendment 3 would take effect if approved.
5. March. Groundbreaking, according to Howard Tipton, speaking as town manager before his tenure ended in September. In January 2026, the Observer projected construction would start in early 2027, which points to March 2027.

The Longboat Key Foundation's homepage still says groundbreaking is planned "later this year." The page is undated, and the more recent reporting points to March.

The Ballot Question in Plain Terms

Amendment 3's official title is "Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments." According to the Florida Division of Elections summary, it would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. It would also lower the annual cap on non-homestead assessment increases from 10% to 5% and limit how local governments may use property-tax revenue. Like every Florida constitutional amendment, it needs at least 60% of the vote to pass.

Sarasota County's Amendment 3 information page estimates the measure could reduce county service revenue by about $87 million in fiscal year 2029. It says local governments would need to cut services or find other revenue, and it states that the county neither supports nor opposes the amendment. The page lists Longboat Key among the affected municipalities but gives no estimate specific to the town.

The donations would not be lost either way. A county spokesperson said earlier that donations would be returned if the project does not go forward. In September, Tipton put it less precisely:

"Then we'll have to figure out how to refund the money that's been raised."

No one has published a refund process or timeline.

What the Green Has Already Put on Hold

The library has shaped the Green even before any construction. The seasonal farmers market, organized by Nancy Ambrose since it began in 2022, was set to run from Dec. 1 through April. It was canceled for the 2025–26 season.

The construction schedule played a direct part. "We thought there would not be a market this coming year because of the library being built, but I found out this summer that we could do it," Ambrose said. By then, permits and liability insurance for the full season were due on Nov. 1, and many vendors had already signed on with markets elsewhere that meet more often. She said a market needs about 60 vendors to work.

The town has linked any return to the building. Brownman said "the event may revive after the library and community hall project comes to fruition in the future," and the Observer reported that a new market would have to wait until construction is finished. No 2026–27 market schedule has been announced.

That leaves the Green's future programming tied to the same Nov. 3 vote. The market is waiting for construction to end, and construction depends on the ballot result.

The Green still has events on the calendar this fall. The town lists a Veterans Day Celebration on the Green on Nov. 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. The Longboat Key Chamber lists Light Up Longboat on the Green on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 5 to 8 p.m., with holiday music, food vendors, a tree lighting and prizes. Both events fall after the Nov. 3 vote, so the Green will host them knowing whether the library is going ahead.

At Thompson Group Sarasota, we follow Town Center Green decisions like the Oct. 5 hearing and the March groundbreaking date as closely as any sale on the Key. If you want to talk through how the island's civic projects are taking shape, Schedule a Private Consultation with our family-led team.