Four historic buildings at the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key remain unrepaired more than two years after Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged the beachfront property in 2024. Sarasota County has rejected two proposals from the nonprofit to take responsibility for restoration, and no completion date has been announced.

The dispute, reported by Sun Newspapers, centers on who should pay for and manage repairs to the county-owned campus. The Hermitage offered to fund the work itself or purchase the approximately nine-acre property for $2.6 million, with a provision returning ownership to the county if the organization ceased operations.

Sarasota County Commissioner Mark Smith was the only commissioner to support the proposals.

"Whatever it would have cost to repair them has quadrupled from what it would have cost originally because it's been that much longer," Smith told Sun Newspapers. "I know government is slow and FEMA is ridiculous, but that doesn't excuse the county and the contractor."

Historic buildings face mounting delays

The Whitney House, Dignam Studios, Pumphouse and 3-D building sustained damage during the September and October 2024 hurricanes. Although the county has completed debris removal and some utility work, restoration of the structures has not begun.

The second floor of the Whitney House has not been accessed since the building was boarded up in fall 2024, according to Sun Newspapers.

The campus is part of the Hermitage-Whitney Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its buildings date to the early 1940s and are associated with naval architect Alfred Whitney.

Andy Sandberg, the Hermitage's artistic director and CEO, accused the county of "gross negligence," saying the delays threaten the historic structures.

Shortly after the storms, the nonprofit cleared sand and debris, secured board authorization for up to $1 million in expenses and identified a contractor who estimated the work could be completed in 45 to 60 days, subject to permitting.

The county subsequently issued a cease-and-desist order.

Scott Moranda, division manager for beaches and water access in Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, said the order was intended to limit legal liability and preserve eligibility for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA has inspected the property multiple times, but the county is still negotiating a financial settlement with the agency.

Permitting has also slowed progress because the beachfront campus lies in an environmentally sensitive coastal area and contains protected historic structures.

Moranda said the Hermitage was the furthest along among nine South County coastal restoration projects assigned to Miami-based contractor A2.

Commissioners reject $2.6 million purchase offer

In August 2025, the Hermitage formally proposed buying the property. Smith supported the offer, but the remaining commissioners opposed selling county-owned beachfront land.

The county subsequently offered approximately $175,000 for the nonprofit to assume responsibility for repairs and maintenance indefinitely, including damage from future storms.

Hermitage board Chair Carole Crosby rejected the proposal in an email to commissioners. She said the organization could not obtain hazard insurance as a tenant and that asking donors to assume unlimited future repair liability was unreasonable.

The Hermitage has leased the property for a nominal fee since 2002 in exchange for maintaining the campus. Its agreement includes options to extend the lease through 2055.

$12 million donation supports expansion

The unresolved dispute has not stopped the Hermitage from expanding elsewhere on Manasota Key.

In late 2025, the Morrison and Steans family donated land and five homes valued at approximately $12 million, Your Observer reported in January.

Sandberg described the donation as an expansion rather than a replacement for the historic campus.

The organization continues to offer arts programming, although its website says 2026 events are being announced on shorter notice than usual because of hurricane recovery efforts.