All entries tagged with “Sarasota County Commission”

Sarasota County, City leaders to explore integrated plans that include housing, 'triage' center

Posted by Jacob Ogles on Friday Nov 6, 2015 12:46 pm

At the end of a sometimes tense and sometimes concillatory meeting of Sarasota city and county commissioners, officials committed to exploring ways to help the chronically homeless both through options like permanent housing (often called Housing First) and a short-term triage center (often labeled a come-as-you-are shelter.)

"Everybody is frustrated. All want a solution," said Sarasota County Commissioner Christine Robinson. "We're closer now to a solution that we were a year and a half ago."

City officials for the first time in more than a year said they could support the opening of a triage shelter for the chornically homeless to be taken to before being sent to other appropriate services, but stressed there are still srong points of disagreement on location. Still, city commissioners unanimously supported moving ahead with combined efforts with the county to look at all options. "We all know where we are," said Sarasota CIty Commissioner Shelli Freeland Eddie. "We also know as a body we can't do this ourselves."

The city a year ago took on a posture of exploring housing options but not opening a new shelter, and Mayor Willie Shaw reiterated he is deeply concerned about opening a shelter in north Sarasota County. Several speakers who live in the Newtown area also voiced strong opposition to a shelter being put there, because while many social services are based there, adding a shelter could contirbute to blight.

County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo, who served on the city commission until his election to his current post in November, said that the city and county need not to focus in ways to integrate a city-backed housing program and a county-supported triage.

But while both boards ultimately voted unaimously to move ahead with county and city staff jointly exloring solutions, there concerns expressed from both governments. County Commissioner Charles Hines said he worries further delays will broadcast the boards are still incapable of solving the problem together, and suggested that the county may want to simply move forward with plans for a shelter. City Commissioner Susan Chapman reiterated that a majority of city commissioners remain opposed to seeing a shelter open within the city limits, and wants that kept in mind by staff as plans for a triage center are explored.

Detert Files For Sarasota County Commission

Posted by Jacob Ogles on Sunday Sep 27, 2015 9:59 am

State Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, formally filed on Friday as a candidate for Sarasota County Commission in District 3. The office is currently held by Christine Robinson, whose term expires in November 2016 and who cannot seek re-election because of term limits. Detert's announcement, long rumoured, formally sets into motion what will be one of the most anticipated state Senate races in Florida as high-profile leaders line up to replace her.

Detert's Senate term doesn'e end until 2018, but Florida's resign-to-run law requires her to give up her seat in order to run for county commission, regardless of her political successes next year. Detert is expected to resign her seat effective November 2016, allowing a special election to succeed her to take place in the normal election cycle next year. Already, there are three Republicans raising money for the race: former state Rep. Doug Holder, R-Venice; former Sarasota County Commissioner Nora Patterson; and state Rep. Greg Steube, R-Bradenton. (Until Detert officially resigns and a special election is held, the candidates are registered as state candidates for other seats and cycles for the moment, but are allowed to transfer campaign accounts at the appropriate time).

For the moment, Detert is running unopposed. North Post City Commissioner Jim Blucher filed but wthdrew earlier this year, citing fundraising troubles as everyone anticipated Detert's entry into the race.

Sarasota County votes against extension of Downtown Sarasota CRA

Posted by Jacob Ogles on Thursday Sep 24, 2015 4:32 pm

A special taxing district credited with turning Downtown Sarasota from blighted ghost town to thriving cultural center will sunset next year.  

A long-running debate between city and county leaders came to a quiet close at a Tuesday budget hearing as Sarasota County Commissioners voted unanimously to let the community redevelopment area downtown expire in November 2016, 30 years after the district was created. “We need to cease one effort before we start another,” said County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo.

The decision stunned city officials, who were still hopeful for a joint effort to explore what an extension of the CRA would specifically entail. “We were taken totally by surprise,” said Mayor Willie Shaw. “Our last correspondence with the county was that the city had selected a two-member team to talk to the county… I would hope we could go further with the conversation.” And potentially, the matter could be raised anew. The county commission could reconsider its decision and extend the CRA any time until the point when the district expires. 

But right now, the county seems divided on the use of CRAs at all. CRAs under Florida law designate a blighted area and fund redevelopment using tax increment funding, meaning that as property within the area boundaries increases in value the tax revenue from that boost is earmarked for improvements to that area. In Fiscal Year 2013-14, almost $14.5 million in revenue was raised from the Downtown Sarasota CRA and a younger Newtown CRA; the Newtown CRA doesn’t expire until 2047.

Caragiulo does want to look at the use of an improved CRA in Newtown. The city has explored resetting the property values there to current values; the Newtown values are judged from the height of the real estate market in 2005, preventing that district from raising revenue in its decade of existence. “The city should have to come up with literal alternative plans,” said Caragiulo, who would like city officials to explore new CRA boundaries. “Stop talking about it and present something.” However, other county officials seem uninterested in new CRAs. County Commissioner Christine Robinson noted at a Tuesday hearing that neighboring counties have seen high portions of revenue set aside for CRAs at the expense of other areas. “We need to be very careful if we ever continue with another CRA,” she said.

County Commissioner Charles Hines shared Robinson’s concern. He said there are options worth exploring with a CRA, and suggested the city might explore including the Bayfront and other potential redevelopment areas in such a district, but did fear that if too many CRAs were established in the county, it could eventually hurt funding for day-to-day obligations. Letting the Downtown CRA expire, meanwhile, will free up funding in the county general fund for general uses. “We can talk about redoing the Bayfront and building a new aquarium. That’s the fun stuff,” he said. “But sometimes we have got to say that today we need to replace a chiller. And that costs how many millions? But that’s your main job, and you have to that before you go to the other stuff.”

The decision to let the CRA expire goes against recommendations from an ad hoc committee formed to look at the issue two years ago, and Andy Dorr, chairman of that committee, was disappointed by the county action this week. “I’m not aware of other major tools sanctioned by the state of Florida and used widely in practice that allow you to raise the kind of tax increment revenue and give the sanctioned ability and the control that a CRA has,” he said. It won’t be until the 2030s that the Newtown CRA independent raises decent redevelopment revenue, he said, and to start a new CRA means losing 30 years of increased property values and related tax funding. He also noted extension of the CRA was supported by such diverse groups as The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and City Coalition of Neighborhood Associations.

Sarasota County Approves Fiscal Neutrality Change

Posted by Jacob Ogles on Wednesday Oct 22, 2014 8:00 pm

Sarasota County Commissioners just approved a change in fiscal neutrality that loosens requirements on developers. The board voted 4-1 in favor of the change. The change is the most prominent of amendments... More »

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