Pictured: Hagen Brody, Christian Ziegler

Sarasota City Commissioner Hagen Brody will challenge Sarasota County Commissioner for his spot at the county dais. The Democrat announced on Wednesday he wants a promotion to the larger government board.

“We need to return power back to our residents and move us towards a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous Sarasota.” Brody said. “Leadership on local issues most important to the residents of the City of Sarasota, it’s surrounding neighborhoods, and Siesta Key is needed now more than ever on the County Commission.”

A former prosecutor in the State Attorney’s Office, Brody won election to his current city-wide position in 2017. Ziegler won his county post in 2018. Both men said their track records would show service on behalf of their districts.

“The No. 1 issue I’ve focused on is water quality,” Ziegler said of his time on the county commission. “We’ve basically committed to spending a half a billion dollars on water quality projects to set up the No. 1 wastewater utility system in the country once it gets done.”

He also cast a lone vote against a hotel project in his district near Siesta Key, he noted.

But Brody said he has worked from the city post, including a year as mayor of Sarasota, to boost the quality of life in the city and the surrounding communities including Siesta Key.

Notably, both politicians are active in their respective political parties. Ziegler serves as vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Brody serves as a state committeeman for the Florida Democratic Party.

But whether Brody or Ziegler ends up a favorite could hinge on another election. Voters in March will weigh in on whether to keep a single-member district voting system in place since a charter amendment passed in 2018, or return to countywide voting for all commissioners. A newly approved Sarasota County district map turns District 2, Ziegler’s district, into a Democratic leaning seat. But if county-wide voting returns, a Republican would hold the edge.

Either way, Ziegler feels confidence he can win a second term, especially considering the national environment for Democrats. “I’ve done what I can to serve,” Ziegler said. “My girls are being raised here. My mom retired here. My selfish reason in being on the commission is basically helping shape this community in a positive way.”

Likewise, Brody feels his connections to the community and run deeper than political ideology.

“The county commission right now doesn’t have one member who grew up in this community,” said Brody, a Sarasota High School grad. “I think I have a lot to offer.”

Pictured: Hagen Brody, Christian Ziegler