But gentrification fears accompany the talks.
By Clinton Engelberger/Suncoast Searchlight
Original Air Date: September 24 2026
Host: How to go about investing in a community that has been underinvested for decades? Clinton Engelberger with Suncoast Searchlight asked long-time boosters of Newtown, the minority-majority district covering the north of Sarasota.
Clinton Engelberger: For Jetson Grimes, Newtown’s future is personal.
He’s owned Jetson’s Creative Trends hair salon along Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Way since 1982.
Born and raised in Newtown, Grimes says the neighborhood has endured decades of underinvestment. He worries that without new resources and investment, businesses like his could eventually disappear.
Jetson Grimes, owner of Jetson’s Creative Trends hair salon in Newtown, supports efforts to revitalize the neighborhood but wants redevelopment to preserve its history and character. Grimes opposes early concepts that would give the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way corridor a French Quarter-style look | Photo: Emily Le Coz, Suncoast Searchlight
As new development brings the prospect of revitalization, longtime residents and business owners fear gentrification could push them out of the neighborhood.
Community leaders are now proposing a series of changes they hope will bring new life to Newtown while preserving its existing community.
Early plans envision transforming Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Way into a more walkable, transit-friendly commercial corridor with new shops, restaurants and residential buildings.
Other ideas include cultural hubs, outdoor performances, food festivals and events celebrating Newtown’s history.
More than 100 people gathered at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex in August to discuss the plans and share their priorities.
But residents say revitalization must mean more than new buildings.
They want investment that benefits the people who already live and work in Newtown.
More than 100 people gathered at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex on August 25 for the Newtown Thriving Community Conversation, where residents heard updates on redevelopment plans and discussed priorities for the neighborhood’s future | Photo: Emily Le Coz, Suncoast Searchlight
Former Sarasota Mayor Willie Shaw says residents should be the ones guiding Newtown’s revitalization and should serve as the consultant in shaping its future.
The stakes are particularly high in a neighborhood that has historically received fewer resources than surrounding areas.
Newtown’s median household income has hovered around $20,000 in recent years, compared with Sarasota’s citywide median of $72,000 in 2024.
Residents have also called for expanded health care access, additional parking and improved security.
Sarasota City Commissioner Kyle Battie speaks during the Newtown Thriving Community Conversation on Aug. 25 at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex. The event brought residents together to hear updates on revitalization efforts and discuss priorities for Newtown’s future | Photo: Emily Le Coz, Suncoast Searchlight
Sarasota City Commissioner Kyle Battie says preserving Newtown’s historic district is essential to protecting the neighborhood’s history and keeping its existing community intact.
For Grimes, preventing displacement means making sure residents and business owners can build wealth through property ownership.
He says revitalization should create opportunities for people who have invested in Newtown for decades, rather than allow outside buyers to acquire properties and force longtime residents out.
Some residents remain skeptical that this latest effort will deliver on its promises.
Ed James III, a fourth-generation Sarasota resident, remembers similar revitalization discussions dating back to 2002.
He says residents need to help shape decisions throughout the process, not simply be consulted at the beginning.
James is calling for greater transparency around redevelopment spending, a resident oversight body with real authority and dedicated funding for Black-owned businesses along the MLK corridor.
He also warns that revitalization could end up displacing the very residents it is supposed to benefit if they aren’t included in planning and decision-making.
The plans for Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Way remain in their early stages, and officials have not set a completion timeline.
For residents, the challenge now is turning years of conversations into improvements they can see—while ensuring Newtown’s history, businesses and community remain part of its future.
Grimes says the community needs to move beyond discussions and begin implementing changes that will allow Newtown to remain sustainable for generations to come.
This has been Clinton Engelberger reporting from Suncoast Searchlight. For the full story, go to suncoastsearchlight.org/newtown-revitalization-sarasota.
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