- March 22, 2025
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Demolition is underway at Sarasota Square Mall, where developers plan to create a mixed-use project that includes commercial, residential and event space.
Sarasota County issued a demolition permit in December for the property at 8201 S. Tamiami Trail, and multiple sections of the building are being demolished as of Feb. 18. Heaps of rock and metal are piled in front of gaping holes where the mall structure used to be.
Demolition of Sarasota Square Mall is an estimated $1 million job, according to county records, which say the building is made of concrete, steel, metal studs, drywall, tiles, stone, glass and many other specialty finishes throughout the interior.
The entire mall is set to be demolished, except for Costco and JCPenney, which will stay open, and the AMC Theater, which closed last Halloween and will remain vacant, according to county records.
The demolition permit came with two conditions: One was installation of a temporary wall around the Sarasota Square Mall property, which is in place and was estimated to be a $70,000 job, according to county records. The other is that no trees or palms may be removed during the commercial demolition. The permit is good through June 18.
Developer Torburn Partners of Illinois and Fort Lauderdale plans to create a mixed-use project on the more than 93-acre property. Once built, the new development will include up to 1,200 apartments; more than 690,000 square feet of commercial/office space; and a central area for events, according to sister site YourObserver.com. The developer's plans that were approved last April call for a mix of retailers, restaurants, offices and apartments. A representative for Torburn Partners was not immediately available to provide comment for this article.
In the past several years, Torburn Partners has spent tens of millions of dollars buying up Sarasota Square properties, including the mall structure itself for $19 million in 2021. More recently, county records show Torburn Partners purchased the JCPenney property for $18 million in August 2024.
