On the mid-west coast of Florida in between the counties of Manatee and Charlotte lies Sarasota County. The county consists of the town of Longboat Key and the cities: Sarasota, Venice, and Northport; with Sarasota being the county seat. Interstate 75 and highways 301 and 41 are the county’s major connectors running north and south, with I-75 reaching as far south as Miami. The city of Sarasota, which boasts an average temperature of 73°, displays miles of sandy beaches with pristine water, promotes thriving cultural and performing arts centers and offers advanced educational opportunities through various colleges and universities which make the city an ideal location for tourists to come for vacation or for persons considering retirement.
Nestled within this haven of fun and adventure are the contrasting communities which lie in the north corridor of the city. The pocket of land extending from zip codes 34234, 34236, 34237and 34239, although within arm’s reach of the amenities which are advertised to draw tourists into the city for exploration and relaxation, is riddled with poverty, substance abuse, low employment rates, and low academic performance.
Newtown, a historically black community resting in the zip code 34234, dating back to 1914 is a prideful and culturally rich neighborhood but has been resource poor in most of its over100 year existence. This area has been devastated by its lack of employment opportunities, drugs, poverty and high crime rates. According to City-Data.com, Newtown has a population of over 5,000 residents covering an area of 1.052 square miles, with a majority female population of 51%. With 39.6% of the households being below the poverty level, a median income of $33, 000, and an average household size of 6.9 people compared to the households of other families in the city of Sarasota which average 2.2 people with a median income of $45,000, compounds the stressors and difficulties to propel the families towards upward mobility. Of the households in Newtown, 24% are married couples, and of those married couples, 114% are both working. The primary industries of employment for persons in this community are 60% of service and sales for women and 40% of males having occupation in service. Despite over 18% of persons 3 years of age or older being enrolled in K-12 schools compared to a 10.8% enrollment rate for the same population in Sarasota City, over 38% of the residents in Newtown have less than a high school diploma. The median age for this community is 42.5 years of age. The area of land extending from zip codes 34234, 34236, 34237 and 34239 which house both Booker and Sarasota senior high schools, has the highest child-removal rate in the county. The primary indicators for child-removal for this area is substance abuse with zip codes ranking number one and two in the county respectively. North Sarasota County, which is bordered on the north by Manatee County, who had the highest opioid overdose rate in the state in 2016 (Florida’s Medical Examiners Report), encompasses the historically disadvantaged African American community of Newtown which experiences the reality of devastat
ion while the city-at large paints a picturesque ideal of respite and prosperity that these year-round residents seldom have the opportunity to realize. The Drug Free North Sarasota County Project intends to partner with parents and community members to promote the evidence-based prevention practices of providing incentivized alternative activities, increase social norming, and reinforcing prosocial behavior to reduce the youth substance use in this area.