Sarasota County Receives Award for Turning Landfill into Rothenbach Park

Sarasota County has received an award for converting the county's former landfill into Rothenbach Park. The award was presented by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.

Sarasota County's Bee Ridge Landfill was transformed from a closed landfill into an environmentally conscious, 450-acre passive outdoor recreation park. The community park opened in 2009 and offers more than 5 miles of multi-use recreational trails, a children's play area, circuit training equipment, two shelters with picnic tables, trail-side benches, an open air pavilion, grill, fireplace and restrooms. It's also the site of one of the state's largest solar arrays.

"Rothenbach Park has become a jewel in Sarasota County's countywide parks and trails system," said John McCarthy, general manager, Sarasota County Parks and Recreation. "The park is a trash-to-treasure story that has become one of our most popular parks."