MLK Day 2021: Here’s What’s Open, Closed In Sarasota

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Monday, Jan. 18 this year, and a variety of services will be closed in Sarasota County on the day.

King’s birthday is Jan. 15, but the federal holiday celebrating the civil rights leader is observed on the third Monday of January each year.

Here’s a breakdown of how the holiday could impact your routine.

• City of Sarasota Government Offices: Administrative offices will be closed.

• Sarasota County Government Offices: Most county government offices, including the Florida Department of Health, will be closed.

• Sarasota County Public Schools: All schools and administrative offices will be closed.

• Sarasota County Libraries: Closed Monday.

• Arlington Park and Aquatic Complex: Closed Monday.

• Bobby Jones Golf Club: Nature trails will be closed.

• Payne Park Tennis Center: Closed Monday.

• Robert L. Taylor Community Complex: Closed Monday.

• Sarasota County recreation centers: All county recreation centers are closed Monday.

• Knight Trail Park pistol and rifle range: Closed Monday.

• Van Wezel Performing Arts Center: The box office will be closed Monday.

• Post Offices: Closed Monday.

• State Courts: Closed Monday.

Transportation:

• Sarasota County Area Transit’s customer service and administrative offices are closed Monday, but buses will operate on their normal schedules.

Trash and recycling:

• There will be no changes to trash collection in the city of Sarasota or Sarasota County.
• Sarasota County’s and the Citizens Convenience Center at 4010 Knights Trail Road in Nokomis will be open regular hours.
• Sarasota County’s chemical collection center will be closed.
• The administrative office at Central County Landfill will be closed.

The history of the MLK holiday in America is a complicated one.

Almost immediately after King’s assassination in 1968, activists began pushing for a holiday celebrating his Jan. 15 birthday. However, the official national holiday wasn’t signed into law until 1983 by President Ronald Reagan.

The first federal MLK Day was observed on the third Monday of January in 1986, but many states held out. Arizona didn’t recognize the day until 1992, when the state lost its rights to host the Super Bowl after voters in Arizona failed to make the day a paid holiday.

The last state to adopt the holiday? New Hampshire, in 1999.