Construction of the Adagio would require demolition of the century-old building.
By Ifhmalee Caceuis
Original Air Date: July 24, 2026
Host: A last-ditch effort to save the historic United States Garage building near downtown Sarasota is winding its way through the courts. WSLR News reporter Ifhmalee Caceuis brings us an update.
Ifhmalee Caceuis: A last-minute legal battle over Sarasota’s historic U.S. Garage is continuing, even after a circuit court judge granted a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation.
The renovated U.S. Garage, a 100-year old landmark in the Burns Court neighborhood, is now used as a retail and office building. | Photos: Werner
The preservation group filed the lawsuit in June, asking the court to review an April 29 decision made by the Sarasota Board of Adjustment. The panel that hears appeals to city board and staff decisions determined the Alliance did not have standing to challenge the city’s permit to the developers of the proposed Adagio luxury condo development to demolish the U.S. Garage.
After the lawsuit was dismissed, the Alliance filed a 34-page motion for relief, asking the judge to reconsider. That is keeping the legal challenge alive while the court decides.
The lawsuit is the latest development in a debate over the future of the U.S. Garage. The preservation advocates argue that their group does have standing, that they were not notified about the demolition permit and that the U.S. Garage is listed in the Florida Master Site file of historically significant buildings that should be preserved. Last year, the Alliance included the U.S. Garage building in its “Six to Save” list and worked with Architecture Sarasota to host a program highlighting the building’s 1982 renovation by renowned Sarasota architect Frank Folsom Smith.
Visualization of the Adagio condo complex
WSLR reached out to the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation and their attorney Corinna Coser for comment on the latest court filings. Calls were not returned before deadline.
The judge has yet to rule on the Alliance’s motion for relief. That decision will determine whether the preservation group’s effort will be heard by the city or whether the case comes to an end in circuit court.
For WSLR News, this is Ifhmalee Caceuis.
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