From the Quay to Today: A Sarasota Bayfront Transformation A bayfront transformation By Rebecca Vargas | April 29, 2021 at 6:50 PM EDT - Updated April 30 at 12:20 PM SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - A breath of new life is being breathed back into property along Sarasotaâs Bayfront that has been vacant for more than a decade. High-rises are being constructed and crews are hard at work. There is a buzz in the air. The site was once home to the Quay, the social center of downtown Sarasota, outdoor nightlife. Todayâs progress has been nearly 15 years in the making. Back in 2007, a wrecking ball took down that deteriorating and vacant building and left nothing but a grassy lot, the most valuable waterfront real estate in southwest Florida.