The Sarasota City Commission held a Town Hall Public Meeting on February 14, 2025, from 9:00 AM (called to order at 9:05 AM) at the SRQ Media Studio in City Hall Annex, 1565 First Street, Sarasota, Florida. The purpose was to receive public comments on the City of Sarasota Strategic Plan. The Commission allotted three minutes per speaker.
2025. And um the purpose of the town hall is to allow for comments um regarding the strategic plan by the public. So we have about um we only have about five five or six uh cards up here. So commissioners, uh let me run it by you. How much uh time do we want to do like three minutes, five minutes, uh three minutes? Three is the typical, I think let's stick with it. All right, and um I I don't have a beat buzzer, so I'm gonna have to say stop. Right. So and the uh um would you read the pledge of public conduct because that applies to this meeting as well. We may disagree, but we will be respectful to one another. We would write all comments to issues, we will not engage in personal attacks. All right. So um I guess I guess um the speakers would come up to this table here and two at a time. We got Donna Cubit Slawyer and John Mercer. Tell me when you start the clock. We don't we don't have the clock here up here like we do too. Oh, I'm Donna Cubit Shoyer. I have a compliment for the city for you people, which is a segue into my comment. Um the other day I was on First Street and a middle-aged Latino woman looked very bewildered, so I asked if I could help her. She was looking for where she could get some information on her parking citation. She had been sent from this building across the street and she couldn't find it. Um the place. And I called the phone number, and uh a very nice young man, well, everybody's young to me, but um, answered the phone, and he said we're at fifteen fifty-eight or whatever, and he said, I'll come out to the door and meet you. And sure enough, we turned around, walked ten feet, and there was this charming young man who evidently was gonna not make her pay her ticket, um, to meet us. And I thought that was just wonderful, that an employee would go out of his or her way to help a citizen, no matter who it was. And I find that that is true whenever I deal with the city. And somebody sitting around this table probably encourages it and makes that happen. So thank you very much. Um my issue is I hope this stays the diverse and inclusive community that it currently is. I live in the Rosemary District. Um what I would like to see happen at one of the five many five corners we have in this city. It's the one at first, second, and pineapple, where the pride colors are are painted in the crosswalks. They're looking a little dingy. I believe that we need to support the LBGTQ plus community and freshen those up. I'd be glad to donate money for the paint. You don't want me to paint it. Um, but I think we need to show that community who is very present in our community that we care about them. It uh sends a message to the community and to our tourists and to everybody. Thank you. Thank you so much. Um if it looks like I'm not paying attention, I'm taking notes on what you are saying. So John Mercer. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um, I'm John Mercer. I live in Sarasota, uh, downtown. My issue is probably unique to me. It's really a pet peeve that I have about your so-called strategic plan. Um, and I apologize if it comes off as being a bit pendantic. But what bothers me is that for many years the city has called the document that you are about to develop, its strategic plan. It most certainly is not a strategic plan.