SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — For 70 years, the 30 acres between South Tamiami Trail and the Intercoastal Waterway near Sarasota Square Mall have remained relatively untouched.
Oliver Mitchell bought the land in 1935 at a great depression discount, and in 2006, grandson Elling Eide sold part of it for 30 million dollars.
When asked how much the area around the lonely church on the south border has changed in Pastor Michael Mansperger’s 25 years, he simply replied, “almost not at all.”