We are Tatum Ridge United
Advocating for Tatum Ridge
Tatum Ridge United seeks to represent the residents of Tatum Ridge in Sarasota
Our Mission is simple: protect our Open Space, advocate for responsible land use and bring neighbors together
 
​Protect our Open Space
We are blessed with dedicated Open Space (like the golf course land) and large residential lots. Those blessings, like Freedom, require constant protection. The golf course owner has already started a SECOND attempt to develop the land - this time he's proposing Industrial / Office Space. That's not happening. Not on our watch.
Advocate for responsible land use
Our homes are directly affected by land use throughout Sarasota County and beyond. Our most immediate concern with land use is storm water / surface water management. At least two factors - rampant / extensive land development and increasingly severe storm activity - are directly threatening our largest investments: our homes. Sarasota (and Florida) has a spotty record at best in planning and maintaining the intricate, integrated and essential storm water systems that protect us. Florida is FLAT. Just because you've never had a flood problem before does NOT mean you won't have one soon. DEVELOPMENT and CLIMATE are changing the fundamentals of water management but we do not see Sarasota County responding to these fundamental changes. Development east and west, north and south of our homes directly impacts our safety. We've seen first-hand local flooding in areas that never had such before. We must change the dialogue and make storm water management the central point for all future development plans.
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Bring neighbors together
TRU can help foster neighborly connections through local communication, servant leadership, and heck...even have some fun!
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Our initial Board of five Directors will be: Matt Procaccini, Duane Henderson, John Davis, Christina MacIndoe and Tom Widen. We'd like to see TRU represent all of Tatum Ridge someday but right now: the golf course development is Ground Zero around which we've gotten excellent involvement from residents living up and down Richardson Rd. It's a great start! While the golf course land is "linked" in a special way to The Legends, that land is an integral feature of our quality of life and is the nearest and important component of the surface water management system that protects all of us in the area.
Protecting and preserving the land as-is will be our first order of business. We already have done some thinking and acting but we have more to do to accomplish this goal.
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Can we count on you to stayTRU?
About
Tatum Ridge
Laura Fredonia Redd, born July 10, 1859, grew up on the expanding American frontier in Florida. She was the daughter of Elizabeth Redd, nee Elizabeth Brown and Isaac Alderman Redd, the first Baptist minister who settled in the area in 1867 and gave Bee Ridge its name.
Laura married Sebern C. Rawls and become the mother of five children. By her early twenties, she was a widow.
In 1889, Laura moved into her new home built by her two children, Hilton and Charlie Rawls and her second husband, William Harvey Tatum, and the family enlarged the house in 1892.
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The Tatum family had migrated to the area from Tatum, S.C. after the Civil War, some settling in what became Tatum Ridge.
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Our Focus on Community
At Tatum Ridge, we believe in building a strong and vibrant community. Our community development programs are designed to bring people together and create a sense of belonging. We organize events and activities that promote community engagement and encourage residents to get involved in local initiatives.