Mayor, good morning.

I'd like to call this regular meeting of the city uh March second, twenty twenty-six city commission meeting to order.

Uh first we will have the invocation, and I'm gonna ask uh City Auditor and Clerk Greeks.

And Vice Mayor, would you lead the pledge?

Yes.

Yes, thank you, Mayor.

Please move unfinished agenda item number nine point four to agenda item nine point one discussion rate.

City commission discussion and direction regarding whether the city attorney's office should investigate evaluate potential legal administrative remedies, including civil public nuisance action relating to alleged ongoing conditions and impacts associated with U.S.

recycling operations within the city of Sarasota per the request of Commissioner A.

Okay.

So move.

Second.

Okay, move with Vice Mayor seconded by Commissioner Ahern Koch.

May I have your votes, please.

And that passed unanimously.

Thank you very much.

Now, if you will join me out front, we have a proclamation.

Okay, we have a little bit of a uh mix up that the proclamation isn't physically here right now.

Um so I'm going to oh okay.

Um well I was going to kill a little bit of time for those of you who were not aware on Friday, we unanimously voted to um uh ask Carrie Fryling to be our next city manager and authorized uh city attorney Polzak to negotiate a contract with her.

So we are really excited that not only will we have a new city manager after 17 months, it will be the first female city manager in the history of the City of Sarasota.

And with that now.

And with that, I also have the pleasure of recognizing women on this second day of women's history month.

Um I would like to call down representatives of the National Association of Women in Construction, Gulf Coast Florida chapter to join me up here.

Thank you.

And this is a proclamation, whereas the National Association of Women in Construction, NAWIC, Gulf Coast Florida chapter, has distinguished itself as the voice of women in construction in the City of Sarasota, and whereas the work done by the Gulf Coast Florida chapter has benefited Sarasota through community development and educational programs, whereas the Gulf Coast Florida chapter has unceasingly promoted the employment and advancement of women in the construction industry, whereas the construction community, represented by the Gulf Coast Florida chapter, has been a driving force in fostering community development through renovation and beautification projects, promoting skilled trade trades careers, and advancing a positive vision of the future.

And whereas the Gulf Coast Florida chapter has sought to achieve successful results for the City of Sarasota and surrounding areas in a cooperative spirit with other organizations, now therefore the City Commission of the City of Sarasota, Florida, and on behalf of the citizens of our community, takes great pride in recognizing the week of March 1st through 7th, 2026 as women in construction week, a week of special importance and worthy of the recognition of the residents of the City of Sarasota.

And thank you all very much.

And would you like to introduce yourselves and say a few words?

Thank you.

My name is Leslie Marie Velasquezoto.

I am a former architectural drafter and um now low voltage assistant project manager, and I am uh just glad to kind of open the window to other women in our industry.

I'm Jesse Wilson.

I am a project manager with Wharton Smith.

I'm just really uh happy to be a woman in construction and just helping to lead the way of other women in the industry.

I'm Christy Alvaro, and I went to school for civil engineering.

I am vice president of estimating for Ajax Paving Industries of Florida, and very happy to be recognized.

I mean, it's it's great.

We've come a long way in the industry.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Rebecca McConnell.

I'm an account executive with Rose Paving.

Uh I've also done project management for large multinational accounts, and this is my first time focusing on local, but I love it, and thanks for having us.

And this is my first time focusing on local, but I love it, and thanks for having us.

Thank you, Commissioners.

Would you like to come up?

Thank you.

Well they're getting to remark that this is now a changed face of the construction industry, and it's good to see it.

And you are proclamation in the We will squeeze in.

All right.

Thank you very much.

Thank you again.

Thank you.

Moving right along, we've reached the point where we take citizens' input concerning city topics.

And we have three requests to speak cards.

Robert Firth, Dwight Cherry, and Christine Robinson.

If you will join us up here.

Oh, sorry, before we started, I forgot to ask the auditor and clerk.

Reach the pledge.

Thank you.

We may disagree, but we will be respectful to one another.

We will direct all comments to each issues.

We will not engage in personal attacks.

Thank you.

Mr.

Firth.

Yes.

My name's Bob Firth.

I'm a resident of Broadway Promenade.

I'm also on the downtown Sarasota Condo Association board.

But I'm speaking on behalf of myself.

The um you guys our unit is directly across the street from uh 10th Street uh boat ramp and right next to Pioneer Park.

We're in the dust plume of the um U.S.

uh fallout from U.S.

uh recycling.

We are across from the proposed uh uh uh arts uh or performing arts center.

Uh needless to say, we're right in the middle of everything you guys are talking about today and and talk about most of the time, actually, it seems like um something that uh I think you guys don't get enough credit for is listening to us citizens.

Um we uh we really appreciate um uh all of you coming out to our meetings to uh interact with the community and hopefully looking out for our best interest.

Um that that's something I don't think gets said enough to you guys.

And so I hopefully starting the meeting out that you guys hear that loud and clear.

Um you've got a lot on your plate.

Uh there's an elephant in the room that we all are talking that we can't talk about, but we have to, and that's uh how we're going to fund local government with what's going on in the uh legislature right now, and that's um obviously you guys are looking at how we are going to uh disperse funds and so forth, and hopefully we have some funds to disperse.

Um anyway, um obviously uh your input and your actions today and going forward affect the uh citizens of Sarasota a great deal.

And from on my own behalf, I just want to thank you for all the effort that all of you put into uh looking out for our best interests.

And that's it.

Thank you very much.

We appreciate it.

Uh Mr.

Cherry.

Good morning, how are you doing?

I'm an owner, operator of Stroke.

Well, first give you your name and if you're a city resident.

How are you doing?

My name is Dwight Chair, I'm a city resident of Sarasota, born and raised, been here for 40 years.

I just turned 40, February 11th.

Um I'm the owner and operator of Stroke Seafood, and we're in the heart of Newtown, which is off of MLK and Osborne, 2745 North Osborne Avenue.

We've been having a lot of issues with the city of Sarasota far as the zoning.

Um meaning requirements and things of that nature.

And I've been in business in that area for seven years.

I've been in business all together for 13 years in Sarasota.

And we still have issues, and I'm just trying to figure out how do I get my issues solved and when I go to the magistry, which is I believe uh next month.

I have problems with them, so I'm just trying to get everything solved, and they keep telling me to the best way to solve them is to come to the city commission.

So I'm here.

And one of the main issues is the noise ordinance situation that we have in Newtown.

And um just trying to figure out how can we get it solved, how can we work together, how can we make everything right.

Another issue I have with the Sarasota is the policing that they do in Newtown also is running my customers away, is making my customers uncomfortable, is making me very uncomfortable.

Umcomfortable.

And we like I said, I've been in this building for uh eight years, and I've never had trouble with the size of the last two years far as the complaints that's been coming in that I have no idea where they're coming from.

I came to you guys before for the anonymous complaints and anonymous phone calls through the city of Sarasota, and it hasn't been solved yet.

And we're just trying to get the issue solved because I'm trying to run the business.

Um bringing um a lot of attractions to Sarasota.

We're trying to give it the best seafood spot you got in the area, and we're doing a great job doing it because you can actually Google Stroke C Food, and you can see that we're 4.6 stars in the heart of uh Sarasota.

You can see that we we get in 1.6 million views.

You can see that we bring an attraction and we bring in the customers, and we have great customer service and hospitality.

So we're just trying to keep it going.

We're just trying to get the city of Sarasota to stand behind us and make new town great again.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Uh Ms.

Robinson.

Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners, good morning.

Christine Robinson on behalf of the Argus Foundation.

I'm here today to express my gratitude to Mr.

Bullock.

Mr.

Bullock arrived at a time when there was unease within and outside of city government.

You had made a bold and good decision to completely reset the city manager search.

Budget planning was coming, and the lack of FEMA and state reimbursements were creating instability in the j in the budget.

And the county was aggressively threatening to dump stormwater and the mess they created with lack of maintenance on the city.

Mr.

Bullock stepped in and immediately began work on the budget and aggressive outreach to make sure his recommendations and the reasons behind them were understood.

He quickly became an asset and got control of city government, allowing you to focus on the city manager search.

He listened to both residents and businesses.

He quickly settled items that would have been distractions to you in the dais, and he forced opposing groups to talk.

He stopped the county in its aggressive and harmful track to dump stormwater on you.

His history and knowledge on this issue is unmatched.

I hope he downloads some of that to Ms.

Reeling, as I believe the county is probably waiting for him to leave before beginning their work on this again.

Mr.

Bullock, you got this county through a recession.

You led the town of Longboat Keith through complex infrastructure accomplishments.

You breathe life into a failing EDC that is flourishing today, and you put your time, you had put in your time and had left a legacy here.

You are enjoying retirement and didn't have to do this, but you did it, and the city of Sarasota is better for it.

The Argus Foundation thanks thanks you.

We thank you and your amazing wife Ray Dowling for your time, talent, and leadership.

We have all learned so much from you.

Like with every stop you have had, the city of Sarasota is in a better position with your leadership than when you found it.

Thank you, sir.

We hope you and Ray enjoy your well-deserved retirement.

Thank you.

And that's the rare exception to the no applause rule.

Okay, move moving along to approval of the minutes of the regular city commission meeting of February 2nd.

So moved.

Second.

One second.

I just wanted to state for the record that I did have a non one non-substantive change.

Okay, thank you.

So it moved approval by Commissioner Batti and seconded by the Vice Mayor.

May we have your votes, please.

Unanimous approval.

Thank you very much.

And we have minutes of the special uh I have two identical things.

I'm sorry.

Special City Commission meeting of uh February 10th.

I had one non-substantive correction to that.

Um and with that I'd move approval.

Second.

Okay.

Uh moved approval by Commissioner A.

Hearn Kotch, seconded by Commissioner Batti.

May we have your votes, please.

Passed unanimously.

Thank you very much.

We are now at board actions item uh 5.1 and I'm gonna okay, and it's about the it's a presentation on the citizen tax oversight committee, and I'm going to call upon Finance Director Strickland to make a presentation.

Good morning, Commission.

I am very happy to talk to you today about the Citizens Tax Oversight Committee.

And with me I have our committee chair, Miss Christina Chance, and she is going to get this presentation.

Good morning, Mayor Trice, Vice Mayor Oliver, City Commissioners and Officials.

As I'm the chair of the Citizens Tax Oversight Committee, and with me, Kelly is our longtime director of financial administration who does all the hard work.

The purpose of the committee is sure.

Could you speak in the mic a little bit more?

Thank you.

The purpose of the committee is to ensure the transparency and accountability of the procedural requirements as set forth and approved in the City of Sarasota Code.

Today, as required, I'm submitting the committee's annual review of any changes or reallocations as adopted by the city commission to the project list, which is funded by this one cent local option sales tax, otherwise known as the penny tax.

In so doing, we make sure that the proper procedures have been followed according to city code as it applies to the project list.

And this report will confirm that any changes made met with the established requirements for modification.

So what does the Citizens Tax Oversight Committee actually do?

By reviewing any changes in the amounts or the time utilized, we ensure the transparency and accountability for the projects funded by the penny tax as they relate to the county and city codes.

We then make an annual report to the commission as to our findings.

How do we do this?

After reviewing these modifications or allocations and changes made to the project list, we confirm that the procedural requirements of the codes are met and that it is further documented in hearings and resolutions.

Why is that important?

The liaison that we have builds trust between the city and its residents.

And lastly, and probably most importantly, if you have ever wondered what one little penny can do, you might review the hundreds, if not thousands of long-term infrastructure improvements and betterments funded by this initiative.

It's truly amazing.

It's not just a little make work project.

It's absolutely vital to the maintenance, growth, and beautification of Sarasota.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Are there any questions from the commissioners?

And Commissioner A.

Hern Koch.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your presentation and thank you for being here today.

I appreciate it.

And I appreciate you all serving on the board.

So thank you for that.

Typically, one question that's asked in this kind of a presentation is is there anything your board sees or that if maybe you all had discussed or not?

Any improvements in the procedure or the process or the direction of the board that you could see that would help the city.

There are an amazing number of them.

If you if you take the time to look at all the the project list, it's many, many, many, many pages, as you may or may not be able to see, that are funded by this one little penny.

And what we do is make sure that it follows the rules, the codes as set forth.

And if there's any any changes, which invariably there are changes, because some projects need to take priority over others as a result of whatever.

So that's what we review to make sure that it's all done according to the code and according to appropriate uh designation designations from the city.

But uh I believe that in our review we did not see anything that's out of form.

Thank you for that.

And your process, the process that you all, as a board, do you see how we could improve the board's function at all?

Is there anything that's missing from the process of the board's review?

Um I think that in my opinion, it's all done very um it's it's everything's highlighted highlighted, the changes that we need to look at are obvious and and there's nothing that I have seen that that causes me to have concern in the way it's being managed.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

That was my question.

Thank you.

Uh uh any other so thank you very much for your report.

And uh do we need to uh have a motion to accept the report or move to accept the report.

Second.

Okay.

Move by the vice mayor, seconded by Commissioner A.

Hern Koch, and it is accepted unanimously.

Thank you for your service to the city, and thank you for being as well.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um the next item on the agenda.

At this time, the City Commission will recess as a city commission and convene into a special session of the community redevelopment agency.

We're not going anywhere though.

So I then will open the, I believe, special session of the community redevelopment agency.

And the first item on the agenda is to approve the minutes of the special uh Sarasota Community Redevelopment Agency meeting of January 5th.

And may I have a motion?

Move approval of the minutes for for the CRA for January 5th, 2026.

Second.

Move by Commissioner A.

Hearn Koch, seconded by Commissioner Batti to approve the minutes of the January 5th special CRA.

And may we have your votes, please.

And that passed unanimously.

So now we move into uh item number two that the uh report that the Newtown Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board is seeking a grant agreement approval for a redevelopment project located at Dr.

Martin Luther King Junior Way and Leon Avenue for Margot Ventures LLC in the amount of 250,000.

And I will call upon uh Newtown CRA Advisory Board, Vice Chair Yancey, Member Preston, and Economic Development Manager Appleby to make a presentation.

Welcome, gentlemen.

Okay.

Good morning.

Wayne Appleby economic development manager and staff liaison to the uh Newtown's CRA advisory board.

Uh we're here today.

If I could have the day to provide a board report, which I'm primarily going to let uh Mr.

Yancey talk about uh in regards to our initiative uh titled the Dr.

MLK redevelopment initiatives.

Last year the CRA created uh this initiative and placed $900,000 into a fund for redevelopment opportunities to support redevelopment opportunities along the corridor.

And the CRA at every meeting monitors what's happening with with developments and development opportunities along the corridor so that they can position themselves to be supportive when they see projects that meet some of their goals, you know, such as increasing the tax revenue, their primary purpose uh for the Newtown CRA, increasing job opportunities, uh revitalizing the corridor, trying to identify catalyst projects that will lead to reinvestments uh along the corridor, and when projects also meet a community service or need.

And so over the last uh uh several meetings uh they have been discussing a project called uh 2700 Margos.

It's a banquet hall uh renovation project at the corner of MLK and Leon Avenue.

Uh and it is uh of all of the developments that or renovations that we're talking about along the corridor, it's the one that's uh kind of shovel ready and further furthest down the path.

And so I'm gonna turn it over to Mr.

Yancey to talk about the project and the board's vote.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Right on coup.

Good morning.

I'm here today to present um, like Mr.

Appleby explained um the Marco venue project.

Um I'm here to present the project.

The uh the actual owners will uh promote the project, and you'll have um ample opportunity to participate in the project.

So let's get started.

Um as Mr.

Appleby mentioned the project is at the corner of MLK and Leon Avenue.

It's it's um the project type is a renovation.

It will be a banquet hall.

The project owner is a netown CRA resident.

The project contractor is also a Newtown CRA resident, and the project cost is $513,000.

Newtown CRA recommendations, how we arrived at the decision.

Recommendations to award additional $250,000.

It was uh a three to O vote before um required conditions before the money is before our money is spent.

We have a few required conditions placed upon the owners.

Proof of non-CRA matching funds, of course, they have to make sure we they have their additional funds, which my math comes up to 263,000.

Uh proof of proof of actual costs.

We've been presented with some estimates, so we need proof of actual cost.

Proof of non CRA expansion.

Um proof of payment reimbursement expenses, and those are the recommendations that we will hold Marco Veneure um liable for before our 250 dollars, 250,000 is spent.

Basis for the recommendation.

MLK is a long MLK is long overdue for a CRA project.

Um I've been on the board um a little over two years, and this will be our first uh project.

Uh we've uh given money to the project is permitted and shovel ready.

Which means um the city has already approved it.

The project will increase the tax base by hiring one full-time employee and one part-time employee.

The project will bring we're bringing substantial funding, and the owner, owner of the project owns the project outright, no mortgage.

The property will provide a needed resource to the community.

The project aligns with Newtown CRA development plans and funding is available.

You want to pass it back to just in summary, just to clarify a couple of points that Mr.

Yancey mentioned.

Uh it was a 3-0 vote at the January meeting, and I just wanted to explain that.

So we have a one vacancy.

We still have one vacancy today.

Uh, and we look to bring that to you at the first meeting in April for some appointment.

Uh and we also had a member that had a medical issue and was unable to attend.

So there were three members that voted in affirmative for this recommendation to you.

And lastly, in one of the required conditions, just wanted to be clear that one of the required conditions were the awardees own personal funds must be spent first prior to the CRA funds being.

So we should see the project substantially on its way before our dollars would be put in.

So with that, the recommendation of the advisory board is to approve the grant agreement that's uh within your packet.

Okay.

Thank you.

Commissioner questions, uh Commissioner Batti.

Thank you, Mayor.

And uh thank you all for your presentation.

Um the the CRA is a a very, very uh sensitive you know funding source, you know, um in Newtown.

Um I know that one of the the key things uh upon my running was um to bring attention to it, and that is uh transparency and accountability.

Because when I came in in the office, uh there was hardly any funding going into the CRA because the tax base in in Newtown was so low.

So the incremental uh Avalor and taxes weren't necessarily you know um replenishing what was going out.

Can you give me uh Mr.

Appleby if you if you have on you um you know where we were, where we have been and where we are right now?

Sure.

So in in 2018, um the the revenue uh provided to the CRA through advalorum taxes was approximately $50,000.

Um what is anticipated uh in in this upcoming year would be $476,000.

So uh the fund has seen, you know, as a result of property values uh and advalorum uh assessments going up.

Um it has seen quite a bit of growth.

But you know, trying to implement all of the goals of the CRA plan on a reoccurring fund of $470,000, uh you have to make some priorities and choices in what you do.

Okay, and uh uh thank you for that.

Um and that's you know one of the essential components of uh of the CRA in way of you know it being able to fund projects you know on the corridor in in Newtown period, as we all know.

Um I'm constantly uh striving to get out in in Newtown and outside of New Dale, the greater Sarasota or whatever is uh how Sarasota is better when all of its neighborhoods are better.

You know, me being the representative of District One, you know, Sarasota is great when uh Gillespie Park is doing better when Arlington is doing better, when Bayu Oaks is doing better, or Newtown is doing better.

But uh Newtown has a ways to go and which to to catch up to the rest of the city, you know, in the rest of the neighborhoods.

Um of the things that that I myself um you know I'm working on uh is a total and complete uh revamping and revitalization and redevelopment of Newtown and uh put in together a consortium of of stakeholders in in the in the community, Mr.

Yancey, Mr.

Rail Sale, and Mr.

Keefe DeBoes such as uh people such as Mary Mary Butler and the alike to help you know push this initiative forward, and that is so that everyone has some sort of idea because we will be bringing it to you.

Um that is urban mixed use of commercial space on the bottom and attainable affordable housing up top.

And that will go from the east side of 301 down to Leon Avenue, correct?

So teaming up with uh developer Mr.

Scott Eller with a French quarter type of face and or facade along the corridor to give it uh in ethnic uh historic and Newtown have it on its own character and identity to set it aside from say downtown or Rosemary or any other you know place in the city.

Now that being said, you know, I'm trying to figure out how this you know project works within uh you know what we have coming down the pike.

along the corridor to give it uh in ethnic uh historic um and new town have it on its own character and identity to set it aside from say downtown or roads marry or any other you know place in the city now that being said you know I'm trying to figure out how this you know project works within uh you know what we have coming down the pike we just did a three day rendering or whatever that we'll be presenting sometime rolling out sometime soon in the near future uh just making some tweaks here and there um and especially like with a three member board with three people on the board which is a five member board and especially when we're talking about 250 thousand dollars and if I'm not mistaken you just said that it was 900,000 that you all earmarked for uh redevelopment or what have you that that's that's correct uh nine hundred thousand dollars is in that line item for redevelopment projects along the corridor so it meets the definition um because it's on the corridor of MLK yeah Commissioner Batty you're referring to the the 3D modeling and visioning uh project for the corridor uh which we hope to engage in community conversation in the near future to to have the community's voice and what they want to see on the corridor so this project's a little bit ahead of that uh visioning project it's also uh a block uh west uh from the area we were primarily focusing on initially okay so just to just just to be clear so we also have the uh African American culture center you know going going on essentially across the street or caddy corner if you will um that's gonna have banquet space as well so I'm trying to make sure that there's not some sort of redundance of of of service you know right there in the same area and two and especially with a five member board you know with three not having the opportunity to to s to speak to to um you know to this initiative of 2500 or whatever um because that's a third of uh of of that allotted money and uh um that's pretty much the the the the budget uh of that you know and uh I don't know I'm uh I I'm um um kind of having a hard time when it's like I said they're supposed to be five members or on this and when I know it's a quorum with three but the other two not even have an opportunity to weigh in on it you know so um Mr Salem you have a question yeah uh thanks uh Terrell Salem I'm the um prime contractor on this project and the uh representative for the owner Margot Venture so basically um just to give you some background on this project this project has been in the making for over three years um it was a process when we initially bought this project um to the city it was denied because the zoning did not identify banquet halls so the owner had to wait for um amendments to be made to zoning which repres uh recognize banquet halls as a standalone entity it was before previously it was um an accessory to an an uh an another business so um the owner has already out of her own funds put eighty thousand dollars of funding which we've submitted all of that documentation to the city for a project of this size it has had to undergo major major um engineering we had to have a civil engineer had to have a structural engineer had to have MEP ME uh mechanical electrical plumbing engineer and an architect so um all of those monies have already been pre-spent and receipts have been turned over uh at the same time we finally got the zoning to recognize banquet halls we came back to the board again and um asked for 2500 because of the outlay that had to be made initially of the $80,000 of the funds.

So that's why uh the ask was for $250,000.

But I think that the city needs to realize that this is a unique project.

One, the CRA hasn't done anything in a long time and except giving money to nonprofits and that's all well and good.

But nonprofits don't generate tax revenue right so this project is going to have a value increase once I'm once I'm done we have uh about a $500,000 um improvement cost.

Trust and believe the tax assessor is going to reassess this building.

And we do expect the average portion of the taxes to get up around probably about six six thousand dollars by themselves for just that alone that will be coming into the callers every year.

Um I know they said that there was uh two employees, but it's actually seven employees that will be working their part-time jobs as the bank will hall will operate from an hour of about um as early as 7 a.m.

as late as 1.30.

Um you mentioned the other projects.

This project was already identified before the thought came into who's ever mine about revitalizing the corridor.

The bank will hall across the street, that is not shovel ready.

Shovel ready means that it's ready to go.

Um as soon as I get approval from you all, go to the and then we take the letter that we will get from you, go to the bank, get the uh remaining funds, we'll put the project in action.

We don't have to wait for anything.

That and Mayor, I have a point of order.

Mr.

Salem was not one of the three presenters that were indicated to us.

He came down without invitation.

I respect what he has to say, but do we need to officially receive him at the table and allow him to speak?

Absolutely.

Um because he is part of the board, so I mean that's why.

Well, I just I didn't speak out of order.

I was I I was recognized.

I was recognized.

Um all respect, Ms.

Haldrich.

I was recognized.

I was raised, I was raised right.

And uh I don't speak until spoken to the We sat on the planning board together, sir.

I know you you do it right, but I just wanted to confirm that this is in order.

Okay.

And and and he is able to answer the questions that Commissioner Batte asked.

Thank you.

And let it be known that you know the commitment vice mayor Ulrich is a stickler for procedure and rules or whatever, so by no means disrespect.

But I I think at this point we need to uh give time to other time.

Thank you very much.

So Commissioner Ahern Kotch.

Thank you.

Um I have a couple of questions, Mr.

Appleby, and you the rest of you can feel free to weigh in.

Should that be the m most appropriate person to respond?

Um I will officially recognize Mr.

Salem.

Um a couple of questions about the details in the documentation that we have been given.

Uh there are several references to hiring locally and from the community.

So in our blue sheet in the backup material from not the backup material that I pulled the minutes from the meeting.

Um, and it's on page three of the minutes, the sixth paragraph, item number three.

The board discussed the funding level request uh at length and offered the following points in support of the $250,000 request.

The third one is hiring new and part-time employees from the community.

Do we have a definition of local hiring and or from the community?

It weighed heavily in the board's decision, and I would like to know what that means.

Yeah, I I don't believe there is anything legally that would hold the awardee to that particular type of hire.

Um I think it was a good faith effort by the applicant who was you know is from the community, has an interest in serving the community, that that is what they would do.

But but to answer your question, Commissioner, I am not aware of any specific definition, and there's nothing in the grant agreement that requires them to hire a specific individual from the community.

Right.

I suspect like all employers, they want to hire the best employee they can get.

Sure.

I mean, from the community could be somebody from Arcadia.

Right.

I mean, you know, I don't know what that definition is, and it was one of the four reasons why they approved it.

And I would assume from the community means the city and or taking it smaller from the new town community.

But without that in there, it's it's a it was a main point of the reason why they supported it.

I just would like some clarity clarity.

If if I can remember the conversation correctly, the board members speak to, their community was new town community, hiring people from the newtown community.

But all I'm saying is I don't think that there's a legal nexus to actually require that.

Okay.

Well, I just want to make the point clear that should this pass that the owner of the project um know that that was one of the four reasons that was stated by the board for approval is to hire from the community.

Um and what that actually means.

Um then uh the name, because I'm a stripler for details.

We have it several times in here flipped around.

It's 2700 Margot or Margot 2700, or which what is the name?

So the LLC is Margoventures LLC.

I know, right?

Our understanding is that it's 2700 Margos would be the doing business as.

Mr.

Salem, do you know the No, it's uh Margot's at 2700.

It's a sign up right now.

Okay, with an at symbol.

Yes.

Okay.

So let's just make sure it's a um like that in the documents because in exhibit A, I think that's what it says is it with the at symbol.

Um but in the rest of the documentation, it doesn't say that.

Um then we were given in the the sort of concept plan.

We were given page S1 twice.

At the beginning and at the end of our documents, and I know Mr.

Salem, I'm looking at you.

Um I believe this this is your mock-up.

I didn't know.

I know you didn't probably weren't required to provide the information, but we have it in the beginning and at the end.

And I didn't know if the last page was an update of the first page or if it's in there twice for some other reason.

Okay.

First of all, it's not concept.

This is permitted.

This is ready to go.

Okay.

Scope of work.

Yeah.

So this is this is an actual project.

Got it.

Um I supplied the the full set of plans to staff.

Um I'm not sure how they compiled it for your uh viewing.

Okay.

Mr.

Appleby.

Yeah, could you uh I I'm trying to understand that.

So on page 23 is there are no numbers on my backup material, I just counted myself.

So page 23 and page let's see what would it be.

It would be page 16.

Read the label on the page.

Yeah, S1.

It says.

It's the scope of work S1.

And then uh it's supposed to be page 16 and then S1 is and it's teeny tiny, and I you can zoom in on the you know the the laptop, but uh you know you have to go all over, and I just didn't know if you could point out if there was a difference between those two pages.

And while you are looking, Mr.

Salem, if I could ask you quickly.

In our introductory information here, um it talks about uh no, I'm sorry, it's in the minutes of the discussion at the planning board.

Um one of the reasons um that the it says staff asked Mr.

Salem whether awarding the full 250 from the previous request of I believe 160 or something like that.

Um would exceed the project's funding needs based on the information submitted.

Mr.

Salem responded that the funding at this level would eliminate the need for value engineering.

Is that a good thing?

Isn't value engineering a good thing, or is it redundant in all the other permits that you received already?

Well, value engineering is not a good or bad thing.

Okay.

It's just based on your project, right?

So in the case of this project, the owner has already expensed $80,000 on those services.

If they value in near anything, they would have to go back and spend more money on those same services.

So it's already been done as redundant.

It in this case it would be redundant.

And the but let me also clear something.

You stated that the original ask was 160.

The original ask was always 250.

Oh, yeah.

But here let me explain this too, please.

The this application process was we were the pilot program for this application process.

So when initial application was given, it was not uh designed to capture some critical information, most notably that the building is owned free and clear.

There was nothing that asked what's the status of the building, are there any encumbrances or anything like that?

So that was crucial.

So many of the five board members at the time that approved the 160, they were hung up on the fact that they didn't know where the rest of the money was going to come from.

So when we came back to the board, unfortunately, one member time had ended and another member had suffered a medical emergency, couldn't be there.

But government must go on.

So we had three, we had a quorum, so that's why we ended up with a vote of three, and that's we came back and we said, hey, let's look at the 250 now that you have all of the pieces to the puzzle.

Okay, thank you.

So the answer is that the value engineering is redundant.

That's correct.

Got it.

Thank you.

Um and then uh on our blue sheet, Mr.

Appleby, it talks about in the last paragraph, it says that um the grant agreement is structured to ensure no uh no Newtown CRA dollars are expended until the renovation project has been substantially started.

What does that mean, substantially started?

It means they have to spend their 263 before one petty of our dollars go in.

Got it.

Um got that one.

Okay.

Those are my questions.

Okay.

Thank you.

Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor.

I was quite concerned about a 3-0 vote.

You addressed it.

I encourage you to get up to five, you know, five as quickly as possible on your board.

You have four now.

We have four now.

Uh and uh we'll be back uh on the first meeting of April for our annual report.

And it my understanding is the clerk will present applicants at that time.

So appreciate that.

Thank you.

Um I think this is a good idea.

Uh I wonder, however, if any market analysis has been done to determine if an event venue can make it at the site in this area.

So as part of the application, they did provide a business plan and a pro forma that um again uh indicated if you uh if you can assume their assumptions are correctly that they will have the revenue to meet expenses.

Um but there is some honestly some subjectivity, I believe, to that.

You know, you do have to own those assessment uh assumptions.

Okay.

Thank you.

Mr.

Salon, please.

Thank you.

So basically, um this area is actively suffering from a lack of venue space right now.

Um of course there is the nice, beautiful Robert Taylor, but that venue space come with a lot of limitations.

Um a lot of people that would like to rent that space because it's a government building, uh, to have certain events that they would like to have cannot utilize that space.

And currently uh these uh residents of Newtown are forced to travel outside of Newtown for that space, which if you're having certain things would increase the cost to attend because now you might need to take an Uber a little bit longer to get back home, assuming you've enjoyed your night.

So we currently have things such as repasses for funeral services, or we have um you know birthdays and things of that nature.

This is the ideal space for that.

And we have already, even though the space is not ready, have been asked on numerous occasions if we could uh rent the place out for those events, and we've um had to decline that at this time.

Thank you.

Appreciate that.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

Um Commissioner Alpert, you no longer wish to ask questions.

I'm not Commissioner Albert asked my question.

Okay.

Thank you.

I I did just have a couple, and I'm glad Mr.

Salem is here.

But first I'll I'll ask Mr.

Appleby, what is the current use of that building?

So that may be a better question for Mr.

Salem as well, I believe.

I believe it's it's not substantially in use now.

Uh currently the building is being used by the owner to support a nonprofit that she has, which will also continue to utilize space in there.

Uh J5 organization is a uh uh girl organization.

So they are using it for their meeting space right now.

But it's not being outlet to the general public right now for insurance reasons.

Okay, because the reason I was asking is I was wondering if it was um generating any revenue for the owner right now, and would the owner then have to suspend that use while is it renovation or is it total construction that you addition and renovation.

So will she have to suspend well, I guess she's not doing business really right now, so won't have to suspend revenue generation while you are at work, right?

Right.

So basically what prior to um deciding to change use, um it was a daycare facility.

And that lease uh ended, and the owner knew that she was going in this direction, which she had started all the preliminary work prior to, and we hit that hurdle with zoning when we made application.

And um so no viable business is in there at this point.

So this this has been ready for about three years now to kick off.

Okay, so so she is already sacrificing any revenue that could be generated.

So I'm assuming she is eager to get moving.

So I'm wondering what kind of time frame do you envision if the approval comes through today.

You're saying the work is already permitted?

Absolutely.

So when do you estimate uh you know being able for her being able to get into business?

Okay.

So basically the loan process is about 60 days.

So once the loan process is over, so this is March, April, May, I expect to start construction in May.

I'm a pretty uh pretty fast contractor.

So I move things expeditiously, so um I'm incentivized as well to do so.

So I expect that I'll have this ready to go by end of year to um hopefully host something within the new year in the first year.

So we're looking at it generating income by January of 2027 if we move forward today.

Absolutely.

Which is positive for the CRA and is positive for the community.

Um yeah, that that is those are my questions.

And this I see Commissioner Aher and Kaj has one more, and we're sort of like deviating a little bit from the usual because we do have a request to speak that just came through.

So should we take the request?

Okay, we'll take Commissioner Ahern Kotch's question first.

Thank you.

Um Mr.

Appleby, on page 13 of the agreement, um it talks about um project publicity.

It says any news releases are other type of publicity pertaining to the project as stated here and must recognize the CRA.

Um do we um did we ask our communications department if the city should be recognized expressly in that as well?

Uh I have not had that specific conversation.

Uh we typically um do actually ask applicants to do both on a normal uh on our normal nonprofit funding.

Uh we we could incorporate that language in here if that was the will of the commission.

Okay.

I think it would be a good idea.

As you recall, we're the new town CR created a new branding last year, right?

So we've been trying to promote that brand image of Newtown.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um thank you for your presentation.

And I'm going to assume that we don't have any more questions after we hear from the speaker, but that becomes but that may be an option.

We'll stay by.

Right.

I'll leave the room.

Thank you.

So and I will call up Martin Hyde.

Mayor.

Um Mark.

I don't know, Miles or Laurie.

I don't know who is somebody on Zoom because you muted them.

Okay, thank you.

They're talking, they were talking on Zoom and I was just trying to tell them you.

Oh, okay.

It wasn't that they wanted to make a no request to speak.

Thank you, Mr.

Hyde.

Well, uh Martin Hyde.

I I was listening and so forgive the tongue thing.

You know, there's some let me just say first of all, I'm absolutely strongly in favor of investing in Newtown.

I'm not against this project or any other project.

But if I have just heard what I've just heard, you had three people of whom was it one was an interested party voting to get 250 grand from the city.

Also appear to be hearing that the contractor member of the board appointed given the job.

Isn't that the same contractor that left Miss Susie's in a pot of rubble?

Wasn't that a project just a few years ago that was going to regenerate and renovate the city that ended in disaster?

Is there no oversight here whatsoever?

Are we not going to ask the obvious question?

$250,000.

Let's spend it appropriately.

Let's not give it to who happens to be on the board.

Let's not give it to somebody that recently left a pile of rubble on Martin Luther King.

Come on.

That doesn't pass the sniff test.

That's all I need to say.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

Hyde.

Um Commissioners.

Commissioner Batti.

Uh yes.

Um can I bring the Mrs.

Hands?

Thank you.

Um I want to make you know a point of clarification.

Uh are you on the board of the CRA?

No.

No, this is that.

Yeah, all right.

So first of all, um my um planning board uh position from the city, because you don't sit on one board at a time, unfortunately.

Um my term ended.

So I'm currently searching for a good board if y'all want to recommend one.

I'll take that one.

Um second, um Ms.

Susie's, I was the contractor, but unqu unfortunately I wasn't the purse like Congress.

So I didn't control the money uh to to complete the project.

I um fulfilled my contractual obligation by doing what I was paid to do on that job, and I was paid to complete up to the uh concrete uh walls which were there, and I actually installed the uh roof system, and that was the end of funding.

Unfortunately, um Mr.

Sidensticker passed away, and that threw everything into limbo uh when you have heirs who don't have a directive as to complete something, it's their choice what they want to do with their money.

And if you disagree with them or not, I mean um the three or four kids, they decided to do different things with the money they inherited, and that was their right.

I respect that, and most reasonable people would understand that.

So hopefully that gives you clarification.

I would have loved to finish Ms.

Susan, because I like to make money.

And that would have paid uh a lot of money to me, and my family would have done well as a result.

So you know, but that's uh it's important to give the opportunity to to speak and uh give clarification, um even if in defense or whatever.

Um, you know, and we all know how sensitive a topic, you know, Ms.

Susie's is and whatnot, you know.

One of the things now that I do, you know, agree with, and that is, you know, like oversight, particularly like when it comes to to the CRA.

It's not a bank.

Okay.

That that that you know, the the community redevelopment agency, I mean, that's not what it was it was intended by Obama to take care of blight and uh you know, underserved communities in this CRA sunset is the CRA that sunset downtown and whatnot.

And that's how the CRA handed B and those surplus dollars came into this CRA, you know, so they weren't necessarily like generated where where it resides presently or what have you.

Um I'm just trying to make sure that we're a good steward of the money that's there, you know, or what have you and whatnot.

So if I may.

Mr.

Appleby with his infinite wisdom made a great decision.

And I don't know if you missed it, but you don't put any money out until Margot has already put out an additional, I believe 263, yeah.

On top of the 80 that they have already spent.

So you you're you have a lot of safeguards in place.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

So this is not anything like you're gonna do.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

No, I no, I appreciate that because it is a matter of our money being the last money in.

Okay.

And you know, to that point.

Um, so and we know how vital the revitalization of Newtown is, you know, not only to the community of Newtown, but to Sarasota overall, period.

Um and the project that we're working on to make sure that it's a destination and that uh is you know self-reliant and self-sufficient, you know, going forward.

Um that's all that um I'm making sure that that we are being good stewards and and to actually, and that's and I spoke about this before.

We need to define to whomever, what the CRA is and and and what is regulations are and and so on and so forth going forward.

You know, and that and that's important because you know we we we have given out money.

I mean, we had someone come to us not you know long ago asking for $250,000.

$250,000 in every single dollar of that $250,000 was going towards salaries, not one project.

Okay.

That's the kind of stuff that I'm talking about.

You know?

And and it and it was at the you know, the the guidance of yourself, Mr.

Appleby, and you know, Mr.

Salem and Mr.

Yancey, that that didn't happen.

But that would have been $250,000 out of the pot and out of those coffers and whatnot that we actually need.

So, you know, I'm uh support this this this uh this initiative or what have you, but I just want to make sure that those that we have those safeguards you know in place where the CRA is concerned, it behooves us.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioner Mr.

Apple to be please clarify for us whether or not any members of the advisory board have any vested interest in this project.

Thank you, Mayor.

I did want to clarify that record.

So the three members that uh voted, the 3-0 was Vice Chair Nancy, Member Danny Preston, and Member Janine Johnson.

Uh the one absent was Dr.

Rachel Shelley.

None of the four members of the Newtown Sierra Board have any meriterial interest or declared any marital interest in Margot's Ventures, LLC.

So that that was not an issue for this board.

Um to address uh Commissioner's questions about uh I I take to heart what he says about making sure we communicate what the CRA is and isn't.

And so there are a couple of things that help us with that.

One is there's an adopted plan.

So nothing can be funded unless it's within that plan.

So we have a a plan that the community can see and that we promote uh through our new branding opportunities.

Secondly, it has to be in the budget.

And so we're about ready to start our budget cycle again.

You'll hear from the CRA what their recommendations are.

You did last year, you agreed with the CRA and actually establish this $900, $900,000 line as a new program.

Uh and so there are ways to communicate that out, but we also hope with our new branding and our new marketing consultant that that message, Commissioner, will get out to the community at a higher rate than it has in the past.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Uh I see Commissioner Ahern Cotch has a question.

I just wanted to state that uh to support Mr.

Appleby and what he said um for the put on the record that Article 12 conflict of interest in the agreement clearly states no employee agent consultant officer, elected official appointed elected official of the grantee or CRA who exercises blah blah blah blah.

There's a there is an article in here that addresses conflict of interest.

Um so that has been addressed uh legally in our our agreement here.

So did you have one more word?

Uh yes, in the additional round or what have you.

Now I was just uh um given you know Mr.

Yancey being that he's on the board and Mr.

Preston that they're on the board as well the opportunity to to chime in, you know, if he was particularly that that Mr.

Preston is a stakeholder in the and Mr.

Yancey as well in in the community and lives literally I mean is right across the street.

I'm sure he has uh some some some words that he likes to correct, sir.

I was gonna I was gonna just say, look, uh I mean, Mr.

Hyde.

Announce yourself.

Oh, Danny Preston.

Pastor Danny Preston, Mark Helber First Baptist Church.

Uh my um concern was about what something you said uh uh about there being another facility available for the type of activity that the law Margot venture would be.

I didn't know nothing about that.

I I don't see the Leonard Reed House as being a place where you can have more than 30 people.

Uh the building is not suitable for that type of activity.

It don't even have a kitchen.

I didn't see a kitchen in there either.

So I don't I don't think there that that particular facility is available to all members of the community.

Um I did have a problem with the umzie's thing, but that's I think we've cleared that up and we got that pretty much handled in terms of overspending, uh spending our money before the private sector spends their money.

So uh I I just think that you know this is a great venture for us.

It's uh first opportunity for us to sign and say, hey, we've accomplished something on the corridor.

I think it'll bring uh a lot of uh respect back to the city commission because of the Ms.

Susie mishandling, and I mean I ain't blaming nobody here.

I don't know if you was on the board then or not.

I don't know if um it doesn't matter.

What's done is done.

And we got to move on and move past it.

But I think this would be a shining light on everybody, including the city.

Uh excellent.

Uh thank you very much.

Did you have anything else to add, Mr.

Um Carlos Yancey.

Um I just want to add that I happen to be on SAC board.

Um we just had a retreat Saturday.

And those lots we will have a banquet hall.

But those that project is at least six years out.

And SAC is a nonprofit.

Am I right?

Yes.

SEC is currently a not-for-profit.

So thank you very much for your presentation.

And believe Commissioner Ahern Koch would like to make a motion.

Yes, thank you.

I would move to support the CRA decision to provide $250,000 to Margot at 2700 project with the caveat that the local hiring is stressed.

And the addition of the City of Sarasota to Article 8.

And and about the them uh receiving the their funding before we exactly.

So is there a second?

Okay.

Motion by Commissioner Aaron Kotch and uh seconded by Commissioner Batie uh to uh provide to approve the grant agreement with the clarification that the uh local hiring is stressed is stressed, and the addition of the city of Sarasota to Article 8, which talks about when it's promoted, um they include the CRA and the City of Sarasota.

Okay.

Um so I was I said who made the motion and seconded is there does the maker of the motion wish to speak?

Yes, just very quickly, you know, the board spoke to this and why they stressed it.

Um we're constantly looking for projects that are going to be revenue generating on the corridor.

That's that's the idea, and this looks like it's going to be a revenue generating project.

Um it is from the community.

Um they are going to hopefully hire locally.

They've done their due gel due diligence in investment and in getting the permits and the processing uh already underway, and um uh you know, this there are no guarantees, but this is an awfully good start.

So Commissioner Bowtis is secondary.

Uh yes, thank you, Mayor.

Um yeah, you know, to speak to the motion.

Um again it's it's imperative that uh that everyone understand you know the the sense of urgency and um you know almost like DEF CON 5, if you will, uh for for where we are with uh with Newtown and it being uh revitalized and and uh economically redeveloped, you know.

Um I can't stress enough, you know, we're talking about like the the United Way's Alice report, you know, assets limited income, like constrained, you know, uh unemployment or whatever, which basically means they're working poor.

And and the town is by no and by no stretch of the imagination the poor community.

Um and uh great strides have been made to to rid ourselves of the moniker of like being unsafe or or or or or what have you.

Um so you know, it's efforts like these that that need to be applauded.

And unfortunately, when we when we think about projects like Ms.

Susie's, and I don't want this getting caught up in you know in in the water's kind of muddy because you gotta understand you know where Ms.

Susie's was concerned.

Mr.

Sidensticker, you know, had and his family had the best of intentions, honestly.

He passed away, you know, and uh and that's kind of like the the long and the short of it.

You know, he passed away and and uh you know it was his project.

And uh, you know, and his his his uh heirs, you know, did did what they could to to try and bring that to fruition.

Unfortunately, it was it was wasn't able to to be accomplished.

And um, you know, and they're not at fault for that, you know.

Um and I don't want to put the you know the fault on them or whatever, it's just something that just didn't happen.

But that being said, you know, this project, you know, I hope you know, moving forward that uh it accomplishes what the intent is.

Um and you know, to Mr.

Yancey's you know, point that there won't be a redundance of services, particularly like in the immediate, because that project across the street is years out.

You know, so as a representative you know of uh uh district one, having grown up in Newtown, seeing what it what it used to be when I was a child and how vital it was and where it is now and not being as vital being a food desert, you know, for the most part, and we need things like this, you know, uh for gathering spaces and uh uh communal spaces for people to come together and hopefully you know this is profitable and uh can help change the tax base up in Newtown and provide jobs for which is uh is uh intent is um and I'm sure they those jobs will be coming out of the community.

So I would thank the Commission for supporting this and uh thank the uh CRA board for for bringing this to us and uh this uh make it happen and and uh get something positive going on the corridor.

Thank you.

Vice Mayor?

Thank you.

Um, by definition, it takes time for a CRA to accrue enough funds that can be made available to reinvest in a community.

That's exactly what it's supposed to do.

Community redevelopment agency.

So we're there now with this CRA.

I am not a market analyst, but I do know people like to have events close to home.

I do know that there are limitations on the use of Robert L.

Taylor.

And I do think this would be a very good project for the new town area with the use of funds from the CRA.

Uh and some final words from me.

I mean, I am wholeheartedly in favor of this, obviously, besides the issue of uh increasing the property value when this is an ongoing uh profitable business.

But the more important thing to me, and I believe this was something a point that Mr.

Yancey made, right now people in the community have to leave the community for to for a catering hall, place to hold an event, which means the money from the community leaves the community.

We want the community's money not only to stay in the community, but once this is an ongoing enterprise to bring others from outside the community to use this banquet hall.

And I suspect between weddings, funerals, and organizations events, this will not be the only place that's needed.

And we we probably there will be some more that come along and more people coming into the community to use the facility.

So this is going to be very positive on all accounts, and I'm really pleased that we can expect it to be in operation early next year.

So I hope that everybody else is supporting it.

And can we have your votes?

And it passes unanimously.

Thank you all.

And I'm looking at the clock.

Can we do consent one before we take a break?

Sure.

Hey.

So we are now at consent agenda.

Oh, I have to close the CRA meeting and adjourn them at that meeting and reconvene as the uh City of Sarasota Commission meeting.

And the first item on our calendar is uh consent agenda number one.

Are there any items to be polled?

Um yes, Mayor, thank you.

Um Vice Mayor has pulled item 6.2, and that is the only item that I'm aware of.

We also have one public comment.

Okay.

Um so uh we're taking the public comment on consent one.

I yes.

Yes.

Okay.

Um so we'll call up Mr.

Hyde to speak.

Okay, just really quick, because it's not terribly clear, and I'm not sure it's a question that uh that you would ask with regard to this insurance.

Insurance rates have gone down, that's good.

Um problem with using the same broker used for Eons.

But there are two items there, which it isn't terribly clear because I haven't got my calculator switched on as to whether they're included in the 2.3 or 4 million that they're asking for in premium.

One is increasing the coverage by 10 million dollars from 25 to 35 million at a cost of 127,754 a year.

That's 1.28% of the assumed risk excludes flood and storm surge.

So I'm not quite sure what you're covering anyway.

Um that's one aspect of it.

Are we ponying up this 127 grand?

In my experience running businesses, large businesses, uh insurance brokers love extra coverage.

It's the nature of their personalities.

You can never have too much insurance.

You actually can.

And uh 127 grand gone forever for something that far exceeds you already got 25 million of coverage, 35 million is just plucked out thin air.

There's a second item there which offers another 28 million of coverage for the very biggest business, uh the very biggest business, most expensive buildings you've got.

Again, excludes everything pretty much that might happen to them.

And that's another 44,000.

So taken together uh those extra premiums, you know, 170 grand and change.

I I'm not sure they would be a judicious use of what limited funds that you've got.

That's all I've got.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Hyde.

Um so may I have a motion to approve uh the items on consent agenda number one excluding item six point two.

So second.

Okay.

So let's be able to do that.

Commissioner Batti moved and I'd like to speak to the motion.

Commissioner Ahern Kotch seconded, and Commissioner Ahern Kotch is going to speak to the motion.

Yes, I just wanted to offer clarity that there are two uh a second option in this agenda item.

I spoke with staff today this morning, and um they are not recommending moving forward.

If we wanted to do entertain the second option, we um could have pulled that.

I chose not to pull the item because I do not think it's then the best interest, but did consider it.

So I wanted to offer clarity on that.

Okay.

Um so your votes.

Yeah, I'm not I I'm not gonna vote for that because I wanted to get clarity on item six one.

So pull that poll.

Okay, so we'll vote on six three.

We already had a motion in the second on the table to approve the balance.

Okay.

So I'm gonna say no.

So then you're just gonna vote no, because we gotta go ahead and move forward our vote.

Okay.

Okay.

Motion passes uh four to one.

Um we still have one more.

Oh no, okay, go ahead.

Okay.

Uh Commissioner the Vice Mayor pulled item six point two.

Um would you care to elaborate?

I would care to elaborate.

Thank you.

Um I have one question about this on the back side of our consent agenda.

It says sections 11 and 12 of the lease agreement require city commission concept approval before any new buildings or improvements may be constructed on leased property.

I get that.

It goes on to say that if the if the project is approved in concept, the sailing squadron will submit applications to development services and go through the regular process.

But then it would come back to the city commission for final consideration.

Frequently, when there is a site plan, etc., it's finalized at the planning board level.

Why does it need to come back to the city commission?

Uh good morning, Julie Ryan, business district manager.

This particular lease is an older lease, so it has some funky language of what it requires and what it doesn't require.

Um so that is why this one is coming for conceptual.

Typically, the other leases that we would have, it would go through the entire process be approved by the board, you know, plan a commission, make a decision by city commission, and then we would amend the lease to include those um those requirements.

This particular one just so happened to say before you could even apply, you have to have the conceptual approval.

Um, so that's what is happening in this case.

Um, once this board approves it in conception, they will then go to the planning commission.

Those site approvals in the project approval, which is on the land development side still would need to be approved by this board, and only after all of those are approvals were done, would the lease be amended to include that.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Um would you care to make a motion?

I will make a motion.

Move approval of consent six point two.

Second.

Okay.

Move by the Vice Mayor, seconded by Commissioner A.

Heron Koch to approve item six point two, and your votes, please.

And it passes four zero.

Thank you very much.

And shall we take a recess till ten forty?

Yes.

Okay.

I'm calling the hitting mayor.

Excuse me, everyone.

Okay.

We're trying to get this meeting started.

Please take your seats.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And the first item is uh an unfinished business will be a discussion regarding the city commission discussion and direction regarding whether the city attorney's office should investigate and evaluate potential legal and administrative remedies, including a civil public nuisance action relating to alleged ongoing conditions and impacts associated with U.S.

recycling operations within the city of Sarasota.

Commissioner Ahern Koch will start us off and we'll with a presentation and we'll call others who wish to present at this time.

And then I spoke with many members of the community throughout the couple of years.

And we had a number of meetings where there was public input.

And then eventually I put this on the agenda in 2022.

And the commission voted very strongly in 2022 to do to do something.

It was a 5-0 vote.

And since 2022, which was three and a half years ago, there was a lot more community input.

There were discussions.

There was back and forth.

The community that wanted to get involved grew and got even more involved.

And the county's been much more active in this situation.

The city's been much more active.

The community, CCNA, much, much, much more active.

And while there's been a whole lot of activity, really nothing's been accomplished.

So I'm back again to put this item to ask.

There's a specific uh request for support that the mayor just read.

And with that, I would like to play this video to remind you of where we were to where we are today, and then we will introduce the community to bring us up to date from this time until where we are today.

So thank you for the case.

I was made aware of this about two years ago.

I just want to walk us all through a little bit of the history of what we have in front of us.

We have in the backup material.

This is 20 and uh twelve, two thousand and thirteen.

Um just take here and here it's starting to really get um large.

18.

And if you can contrast those with 2012, you can see a difference.

These were submitted by a resident.

The piles over here from her house, who's contiguous to it, as does this one as well.

Um there are three authorities, uh governing authorities with this property.

So you have the city, you have the county, and you have the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The city, our authority is over zoning compliance, the road, and a wall.

Um, as you all know, we are redoing that road.

Um the city staff is working on a wall, an opaque wall, I believe, uh, and we're getting a variance for that as well.

And then um uh and the zoning compliance, which was their facilities have to be set back a hundred feet.

Some of them weren't.

Um Miss Bannica made a determination that facilities also means activity.

So any activities had to be set back a hundred feet.

That's the city's purview, and we're acting on that.

See that this was an inspection that was done in 1018-21, and you can see over here it's marked in compliance.

There's this narrative, which I'm gonna have to take away from the monitor to read.

Says um at the time of the inspection, the facilities, a rock crusher, and XTEC screening equipment were not in operation.

So they're tasked with monitoring the visible emissions, the opacity of dust in the air.

But when they did their inspection that they marked compliance, the facilities rock crusher and screening equipment were not in operation.

Then it should probably be functioning when you're measuring that.

Um 2822 of this year, and they were marked in compliance 72, and it says a visible emissions observation was conducted.

The facility screener was not in operation at the time of the test and will be tested at a later date.

Therefore, the test was not conducted when the highest representation of emissions could potentially occur.

In the appraisal, it has the facility valued appraised 1,650,000.

There are no unusual environmental limitations on development unless noted elsewhere, there are no known environmental contaminations of the subject.

And we have an environmental um study that was done.

They did find uh yielded detections of arsenic greater than the state of Florida SCTLs in the groundwater and in the soil.

And it was an article in the paper, and it says air pollution due to fine particle matter can lead to cardiovascular and respiratory disease and cancer, according to the World Health Organization.

The zip codes that make up Newtown and Central Coconut district have the highest rate of emergency room admissions and hospitalizations for asthma of any zip code in Florida.

I think that is quite telling.

We've had an appraisal done.

I think we need to collaboratively come up with a solution in some way, shape, or form to address these neighbors' needs in a lawful way that does not violate the current property owners' rights as well.

I'm not saying this is not going to be a challenge, but I think that this issue needs to rise to the occasion of where we as a body can act to help the citizens uh with this issue.

Um I know it's a horrible situation.

I wouldn't want to be living with that.

But I don't know what we can do as a commission if we're doing everything we can.

That's an excellent question.

To um do an inspection when the equipment is running, for example.

Uh I know you all are very smart creative people.

I would like the five of us to come to put our heads together and have a conversation about creative solutions that we think will um create some kind of relief or solution uh for this um in this situation.

So I'm open to your suggestions and ideas.

Uh and I believe some of the citizens may also have some suggestions as well.

I can tell you on our side, um, our staff, Lucia, Diane, and uh Nick and his crew, we have looked at this along with Mr.

Fournier's office, every which way that we can take regulatory action September of last year for them to look into the sanitary nuisance issues.

So there are actually four regulatory bodies that are working on this.

Um, but there is a confluence of authority here, and I think that's what the commissioner is talking about, some level of frustration because we're basically at the lowest level of this uh governmental hierarchy.

So I mean, we can't do anything in terms of like imminent domain or anything.

I mean a park or or or afford affordable housing.

I'm just looking at these photos, and I'm I mean, this it's kind of sick to even look at.

How do you even live like that?

I mean, we've got just concrete I mean, no pun intended, but concrete evidence like right there of an actual health hazard.

Excuse me, let's not do any more expressions that you know that that that dust.

But there are other issues aside from the dust.

There's noise, there's vibration, um, and these impacted the neighbors' quality of life as well.

Because when the crusher crushes these big rocks of concrete, it's creates this vibration.

Residents can't be on their porches or even have friends over when they are doing this business because it's loud, um, it vibrates their houses.

They have historic homes over there, and it just it vibrates the whole house.

It's it really impacts their quality of life, so hopefully evident that it's a it's uh it's a health hazard when you're talking about the health of an entire like neighborhood.

There's nothing that can be done.

And also, you know, city attorney, county attorneys, state attorneys, the attorney general.

We have the ability to enforce public and private nuisances, so there must be something we can do, and I'd like to discuss that with you.

Right now.

Yes, sir.

The floor is yours.

In the morning, you can feel and hear the Jack Herman concrete that ends up in that place, probably was painted with lead-based paint.

We have a little neighborhood, a historic neighborhood, uh, with wonderful people who for too long have actually been overlooked.

We hear them, we smell them, we feel them.

I don't do that to them.

Why should they have a right to disparately impact the quality of my life?

I live in the neighborhood since 20 years.

I'm concerned about my health and my children's health.

This is what we breathe.

Can you imagine living in that mail and I just get black.

Oh, okay.

There.

To deal with this toxic health life-threatening situation.

Jen has had far more conversations with the county commissioners than I have had, but we have been pushing.

And you've heard some very dramatic testimony.

That is what causes the cardiovascular problems.

That is what causes the pulmonary problems.

They are not.

So I'm hoping that this is definitely the beginning of a solution.

The community knows that there are carcinogenics and health hazards surrounding this facility.

The community wants to have safe, healthy, and livable conditions for everyone.

Honestly, it's right next to a park.

That there is no regard for these children going to the park and having this smog of hazardous waste going into their breathing system.

There's real health consequences and also issues of the disturbance of the peace.

You could write a little note to yourself in the dust, and I what in the world to allow somebody to test something when the equipment's not running?

We live in an area where it's a historic district.

Guess what?

There's some of your best neighbors.

Because guess what?

They're there because they love their property and they love their neighborhood and they take care of it.

I also want to thank each of you because I think you I can see that you're hearing this and trying to figure out what we can do.

And I think once they hang around long enough to go through the dust storm, nobody in their right mind is going to buy that property.

And he had the park across the street, and there were four kids over there and they were wearing masks.

She said, Oh, we'll let my kids go over there without a face mask on.

It looked like COVID, 12 years before the effect.

Commissioner Ahern Koch raised a study that found arsenic in the soil and groundwater, I believe, in 2022.

I want to add that another study in 2020 also found concerning levels of arsenic in the concrete on that road.

Commissioner Ahar and Koch also raised uh Newtown residents have accounted for a disproportionate amount of ER visits due to asthma.

There's no reason for these people, for any of us to be living in conditions like this.

Generations of people getting poisoned.

A mother of three that we raised here, and I'm also a registered nurse at Sarasota Memorial.

The crushing of concrete is known to release spine particles in the air.

These fine particles cause many medical issues such as asthma, eye throat, and respiratory irritation, and can cause serious lung issues such as silicosis, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis.

These patients, they slowly suffocate to death while their family and caregivers watch.

This is not something that residents should be thinking about when they're watching their families outside when I'm walking my dog.

There must be a resolution to ensure the health and safety of the community and my children.

Thank you.

I just want to play the sound effects of the stuff that we hear every single day, living our lives in this neighborhood.

It's not just about the fumes from all the trucks.

It's not just about the toxic dust from all the trucks.

It's this noise.

This is debilitating, but this is crazy.

And I think there's something we should be doing.

And let me tell you, we are suffering.

My life quality is suffering from this.

I heard this two weeks ago on a Sunday when I was in my front yard.

Please, please really put your legal minds in particular to work on this.

Thank you so much.

I hope you enjoyed the sound effects.

I'm monitoring daily the amount of heavy metals in my body.

Uh research shows that those heavy metals from environment can lead to body toxicity, cancer, and eventually death.

It usually takes time.

Young children and pregnant women are affected more than others.

So I feel personally like we cannot be silent.

So our lives begin to end that day we become silent about things that matters.

Because we all aware right now, and we all think you're just uh the founder of Suncast Waterkeeper and environmental attorney.

So thank you for your attention, this matter, particularly your leadership.

Um we can't even have some picnic bag in the asthma, respiratory problems, and you can't really enjoy your lot of people in this community can't leave.

That our only option is to come to you.

Our only option is to have this resolved here.

People are coming to you from this community, taking off work to have you listen to us.

This is still going on.

Five minutes down the road, it's going on.

People are breathing this into their systems right now, days.

It was tested at a cost to us of some 1700 dollars.

It was found to contain unacceptable alpha silica levels.

A well-known air quality health hazard.

John Engelhart of Florida Department of Environmental Protection visited our property personally and stated no one should have to live or work under these conditions.

We need your help.

We await and pray that you, our city commission, will become the leaders and champions that we so desperately need.

And I'm because it is a public health issue.

I think you have the data to support that.

The need for urgent action is so demonstrable.

This is one of the most compelling I've I've ever seen.

Abating a public nuisance or a source of any concern with regard to environmental pollution.

In Sarasota, it's the air we breathe, contaminated with particles containing arsenic and possibly other toxic materials.

You all sound very motivated today.

Let's not allow Sarasota to become another flint.

Thank you.

Because I have cousins that has asthma.

I have nephews and grandnefews that has asthma.

I don't know how anyone can sleep at night knowing that children are breathing this.

That's going to come back to you.

The fact that you should always put the health and safety of our residents first above anything else.

That's the role of government.

It's not ribbon-cutting, it's nothing like that.

It's about the public safety.

Not only there's a need from a health point of view, but I think give these kids a chance to grow up without breathing this toxic dust and uh if you look in some of the backup material, it looks like this property, you know, has been on and off problematic over many, many, many years.

I don't know what the opportunities are, but I think if we try to convince the county to join forces with them to do something, uh that might be a good route.

I don't know the legal details of eminent domain, Mr.

Fournier, but I would like to hear more about the ideas of the zoning.

Commissioner Brody, you had an injunction was thrown out there as well.

Asking the facility to enclose their their uh um their functions is all passing a resolution.

I don't know.

I just I really want to hear your thoughts on all of these ideas and what this commission thinks.

We just need to know exactly what we can do legally, getting a memo to us that would kind of talk about the different options that were mentioned and how viable they would be, chances of success and but do know that we're going to explore every inexhaust every avenue to bring some sort of uh healthy resolution to this, you know, through hell and high water.

No.

I mean, it is sick just to even hear that in your testimony and and uh all your comments.

Um they mean a great deal.

They hit you right in the gut.

We gotta do something.

You know, I mean uh whatever that might be.

You know, so we're gonna do our best.

You know, that that is just horrendous, and it just seems seems to me that there has to be something that says that can't be allowed.

That that, you know, it makes no sense to me.

This can't be possibly allowable.

So I think we have to do something, and we have to urge those who have the authority to do it to do something.

Are we ready to vote?

We are, thank you all very much.

Let's have a vote, Commissioners.

Five to zero.

All right, so let's wrap up.

Okay.

Okay.

Uh before Commissioner Ahern Kutch continues the presentation.

Uh I know.

You want to call upon our city commissioner Ahern Koch to make the presentation.

Okay, what do you think?

I was made aware of this about two years ago.

I just want to walk us all through a little bit of the history of what we have in front of us.

We have in the backup material.

This is 2000 and uh I'm gonna try to speak over 2000.

Uh I know this is at really emotional topic and really concerning to everybody, but let's try to restrain ourselves and not make any expressions of agreement, disagreement, uh, whatever.

I have to admit I did chuckle at one point.

But yeah, let's try to restrain ourselves.

Thank you.

Commissioner A.

Yes.

Um, thank you.

So that's uh from 2012 until 2022.

Umce the motion is to direct the city attorney to work with the city manager and staff to investigate a public health nuisance case.

Um that requires establishing evidence for something like that.

And so this came and continues to be something that comes from the public to us as a body.

We all feel helpless, but with the evidence, and hopefully, you know, we can have a positive motion to look into what evidence we would have to pursue a case.

Um that is the reason why that video was made was to offer the evidence of 2012 to today.

We will have some information from 2022 to today, because there is evidence of there's new evidence to submit of air quality meters that have been calibrated that are industry standard that monitor actually factually monitor what's in the air along with other public health nuisance items.

So the panel that will come before will introduce new evidence on top of the evidence that that was just submitted.

So if we could have the panel come forward, that would be helpful.

Okay, and they are uh Mary Butler, Laurel Quarberg, Kelly Brown, who's the C CNA president, Ron Cashton, who's the Laurel our neighborhood association member will be making a presentation.

Do I have them all?

I think David Lowe was supposed to be part of this presentation as well, but I don't see him for the first time every year.

So there he is.

He is.

Okay.

He is.

And Mr.

Cashton is here from CCNA.

Oh, they have an issues committee, and this is one of the air qualities, is one of the issues, and he's leading up that committee.

Okay.

So shall they proceed?

Yes, go ahead.

I would I would introduce um Kelly Brown to let the panelists.

Good morning, Commissioner, staff.

My name is Kelly Brown.

I am a resident in the Gillespie Park neighborhood.

I'm the president of CCNA, which represents over 22,000 households in the city of Sarasota.

I'm talking to you today on as it relates to U.S.

recycling's continued operation and its ongoing pollution of our city's air and water.

By 2020, conditions in Central Coconut had become overwhelming.

Homes and yards were coated with concrete dust, and residents felt compelled to act.

They turned to the city and then to the county, seeking enforcement to restore livable conditions in their century-old neighborhood.

The city and county tried to respond respond.

The city spent over 400,000 on road repairs, and the county sent teams of inspectors.

Yet U.S.

recycling practices continued to create serious health hazards.

In May of 25, Central Coconut joined with another affected neighborhood, Amarillus Park.

They reached out to CCNA for help.

Since then, we have invested in monitoring equipment and spent many hours working with the county, the city, FDOT, Sarasota Police Department, EPA, and Suncoast waterkeepers to accurately document the problems on this property.

Those efforts have produced results.

FDOT has fined U.S.

recycling and pulled their truck off the road for safety violations.

Sarasota County has fined the company for excessive debris in the air.

City Code Compliance has cited them for operating outside their allowable business hours, and with the new noise ordinance, we expect additional violations.

U.S.

recycling is also being sued by Suncoast waterkeepers by pollute for polluting water that flows into our bay.

We also sought a constructive long-term solution.

CCNA helped identify a potential buyer who would develop much-needed affordable workforce housing on the site, and we supported the developer McDowell's resilient SRQ grant application, as well as the city did to make that possible.

Despite all this effort by the neighborhoods, C CNA, the city, the county, and our partners, U.S.

Recycling's bad faith actions continue.

They are still polluting and harming a large swath of our city on a windy day.

Dust from this operation spreads across downtown and into the lungs of residents and visitors.

It is a citywide public health and quality of life issue.

We are asking you to act decisively.

Please move forward on a public nuisance suit to end this ongoing harm.

Further, we are asking you to ensure our zoning codes are updated citywide, so this type of concrete crushing operation cannot occur anywhere within our city limits in the future.

Thank you for your time and your commitment to protecting the health and livability of Sarasota's neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Who's next?

I'll go next.

Thank you, Mary.

Good morning, Mayor and Commissioners.

My name is Mary Butler, and I serve as president of Amarlis Park Neighborhood Association.

But today I'm here with CCNA and also my neighbor neighborhood.

It affects real families, real homes, and real quality of life.

For years, residents near U.S.

recycling have raised concerns about harmful operation, dust, debris, air quality impacts, and ongoing disturbances that undermine the health and stability of surrounding neighborhoods.

The opportunity is now.

So today, we are asking the city to do what it has, the authority and the responsibility to do.

Consider legal action to declare U.S.

recycling a public nuisance.

This is not about being anti-business.

This is about being pro-community.

Businesses must operate responsibly and in compliance with standards that protect residents when ongoing harmful operations continue despite repeated concerns.

The city must act.

Our presence here this morning demonstrates that this is not a single neighborhood issue.

This is a citywide.

It is urgent and it is important.

We respectfully urge the commission to move forward with considering a nuisance lawsuit to take decisive action to protect the health, safety, and quality of life of Sarasota residents.

Thank you.

Let me go next, if I may.

I'm David Lowe, president of Downtown Syracuda Condo Association.

And you folks will know me as the numbers guy.

I put on the map my understanding of the principal area of concern within a kilometer, about six-tenths of a mile from the facility.

In the black boxes, there are another 220 new residential units being constructed, one not residential, the first step light share facility.

This helps people who are compromised.

There are literally two blocks, two and a half blocks as a crow flies from this new facility.

That's 221 new units within ground zero, so is to speak.

In addition to that, within the immediate area, there are now a total of 900 new apartments under construction.

The Bayside North property, right near 10th, and some other properties, including Loft Sun Lemon 2, which is in this half a mile radius, shall we say.

That's 900 units.

There are two schools in the Salvation Army.

So as you decide and think about this and decide what you can do and act, it's not only for the current residents, but what it's for in the pipeline and what the future may look like.

Hi, I'm Laurel.

And I um good morning, commissioners, and I want to thank you for hearing me today.

I am Laurel Korberg, and I'm the president of the Central Coconut Neighborhood Association.

I had taken my time over the weekend to draft out this statement that I was going to read to you this morning.

It goes into once again the long history of everything that our neighborhood has done, who we've talked to, who we've called on, the meetings we've had, on and on.

And then I thought, what's the point?

They know all this.

They've heard you probably could memorize my statement.

We have met with you individually.

We've met with the county.

You heard the tape from the commission meeting 2022.

We're in 2026.

So as I called various neighbors over the weekend to encourage them to come out today to support this motion.

I heard why.

They're not going to do anything.

And actually, as I send out my email encouraging people to take their Mondays off of work to be here, I even thought, what good will it do?

We are sick of our city and county allowing a business to operate and make a profit on the backs of what should be our clean air and clean water.

Please prove us all wrong.

Show our neighbors and city.

You're done with it too.

And ready to take legal action.

And yes, there is precedence for this across the country.

You can win.

To say they are a nuisance is the understatement of the year.

But to stop this ridiculousness, if that's what we need to call it, let's do it.

This should be at I know the budget is tight every which way.

But the cost of this lawsuit needs to be at the very top of your budget.

We're talking about people's lives.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Excuse me.

No, thank you.

And good morning, Commissioners.

I'm I'm Ron Cashton, a city resident, and I'm speaking as my role of the second vice president of C CNA.

And I'm leading the C CNA team, which spent countless hours trying to address U.S.

recycling for the past year.

And we've of course worked with City Code Compliance.

You've heard County EPA, State EPA, the Sun Coast Waterkeeper, Sarasota Police Department, and even Florida Highway Patrol.

And I do have binders of documents detailing the environmental and code violations that U.S.

Recycling has performed.

But to give you a sense of the scale, in just over the past three years, the county has inspected U.S.

recycling more than 20 times.

While the normal inspection cycle is just once every two years.

So that means this site has required a decade's worth of inspection and only three years.

Now I've also brought this bag of concrete dust that I got along the side of the road right near the facility.

Now, I'm going to leave this bag closed just for everybody's health.

But think of it, these are actually little shards of concrete that's currently in the air, and it's in the water and in the ground where our residents live, work, and play.

And you heard about uh Florida Highway Patrol.

They had found that the U.S.

recycling truck was so dangerous, it was taken off the road immediately.

And the reason why was the bed of the truck was barely attached to the frame.

And that's a truck that drives concrete right by the children's playground, Mary Dean Park.

Now these authorities, all they can do is cite them for violations.

And when they cite them for violations, they just have small fines, which the owners pay.

And recently, we have learned that the same individual that was responsible for the hazardous site down in Northport is currently active in U.S.

recycling.

And the only way Northport got rid of this facility is they sued them.

Now back in 2022, the Commission took steps to begin the process of legal action, only to stop when the they learned that you learned that the owners were thinking about a sale.

Now we know, we know with the experience with McDowell that this is a fruitless plot path.

And if we continue down that path, they will just play us again.

So for the sake of health and well-being of the residents, please do what you were going to do in 22 and direct the city attorney to pursue legal action.

Thank you.

Commissioner, is there more of a presentation?

That is, I believe, all of the presentation, and I would make um just remind the commissioners to look at the backup material, which has some results of the air monitoring that shows the 14 hours of hazardous hazmat style hours in the last couple of months in the air, um, and other you know readings from the monitors.

There's a photo in here on page 20 of Windshield where somebody wrote U.S.

recycling on it to give you uh and there's a timeline in here, and there are definitions of all of the um terms that are legally used to define you know the conditions of the air, um, the monitors, and I would just say for everyone's understanding, these monitors are you can view them on C CNA's website 24-7.

They take a reading, I think every two or three minutes, and everything, all the information is there, and it's it's evidence of what's going on.

So that that was it from the presentation, and I guess we can move along.

Okay, thank you.

We have uh about a dozen people who have requested to speak, and after we have heard from them, then we'll have the opportunity for commissioners' questions.

So I'm gonna call the first five up.

Robert Firth, Arthur Lindemannis, uh, Thomas Rogers, Marissa Dawson, and Ron Cashton.

Oh well.

So skip Ron, shall I skip Kelly Brown, and Laurel Korberg, Martin Hyde.

And Mr.

Firth, you may begin.

Uh yes, I'm um I'm Robert Firth.

I'm a resident of Broadway Promenade, relocated 11th and Coconut across from Pioneer Park, and well within the dust plume of the U.S.

recycling.

Uh I previously uh thanked you guys for listening to the community community.

Um you guys obviously are all on board with this, but I think it's time for I'm I had a whole presentation, I'm changing it because you guys obviously under understand what's going on.

We need to do something, and we need to do that.

Uh I kind of propose the fact that when there is a violation that that be addressed immediately, and if they violate something, somebody needs to go over there and say, shut down until you fix it.

You know, I I think if they got more harassment, I hate to put it that way, but I think if there was more harassment from violations that they would actually give up and go away.

Um but um uh obviously the other route uh to that is a lawsuit against them, and if we can uh pursue that, um that will go a long way.

Because it'd be nice that in 2030 not we're not having the same conversation.

Uh and given that everybody is uh finished that I'll I'll leave.

I'll pass it to the thank you.

Um Mr.

Lindemanis.

Good morning, Arthur Lindemans.

I'm a resident.

I've been working this problem since 2017 as the former president of the Central Coconut Neighborhood Association, and I appreciate the support and leadership that we've had from Jen, Kyle, and the other members of the Commission.

We're facing an incredible problem, and that is that the county, the environmental protection aspect of that has been very low key in trying to enforce healthy conditions.

Currently, at this time, I hold no hope that we will have the EPA or anybody save us from toxic PM point 2.5 particles.

Uh the EPA is backed off on a lot of enforcement compliance and such.

So I think the idea of going after a nuisance lawsuit is great.

I encourage you to do that.

I also encourage you to look a little bit further abroad and look at eminent domain.

I know that the previous city attorney was saying that that was not feasible.

Florida has the strictest laws controlling.

However, I think if the Commission looked at it and the attorney looked at it, you could initiate an imminent domain lawsuit.

And we can have a discussion on that some other time.

The other thing which I would suggest is considering any company that works with U.S.

recycling or their subcontractors.

Deliver anything or work with U.S.

recycling, that they would be forbidden from having any city contracts.

I have information from neighbors that there are trucks coming in from the county with cement to be recycled by U.S.

recycling.

There are rumors that some of the work that's happening within the city that that concrete is going to U.S.

recycling.

Please consider the possibility of forbidding any city contract with any company that directly or indirectly works with U.S.

recycling to do any business with our city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr.

Rogers.

Thomas Rogers, I operate uh Robertson Billiards and Spa's on the corner of Industrial Drive and Central Avenue.

I along with Arthur got involved about three years ago.

He had been fighting it before then.

And I was one of his Laurel Korbeck said I almost didn't come today, and uh which would be a watershed moment for me to just give up.

So I would ask Pat Robinson, Liz Alpert, uh, Jen, thank you.

Debbie Trice, Kathy Kelly, all rich.

I'm not from here, but I operate a business.

Kyle, Batty, Betty, Sherla Griggs, and you, Joe Polzak.

Do something.

The time's way past reasonable.

That's all I had to say.

Okay.

Thank you.

Uh Marissa Dawson.

Good morning.

My name is Marissa Dawson.

I'm here on behalf of my son Kevin Dawson, who owns and lives at 1283 Panama Drive in Central Coconut.

Um his home is on the Whitaker Bayou Tributary and is having water quality problems.

Um as you're all aware, after years of evidence piling up, uh, Sun Coast Waterkeeper has finally filed a lawsuit, which U.S.

Recycling now has to take the time and money to defend.

Lawsuits are an excellent way to finally get them to get moving.

They have played kick the can down the road and played the city, the county, the state, the federal government, every regulatory agency, they've played them for years.

And now these lawsuits are a way to actually get them to respond and respond in a quick manner.

Um, as we all know that there's multiple, multiple factual and legal basis for legitimate lawsuits, not just by the city, but by the county, by the state, by federal regulatory agencies.

And now that Suncoast Waterkeeper has started this, we've got one pending lawsuit.

Now the city starts another lawsuit, which again is in basis in fact in law.

This is not harassment, it's not vengeful, it's enforcing our legal rights against this this harmful behaviors that they're doing.

Once they have two or three or four lawsuits against them that they have to defend, U.S.

recycling will come to the table and either become compliant, shut down, or consider McDowell's very, very fair offer.

And that would give us a big win because then we'd have more affordable housing, which the city desperately needs, as well as getting rid of a company that's committing crimes and against the neighborhood, against the state and the city, as well as pollutants and all sorts of dangerous conditions against our children and our residents.

I just I would think that these multiple lawsuits, if we have one now with Sun Coast Waterkeeper, one with the city, and if we can get other interested parties involved in filing another lawsuit or two, you have to start defending two, three, four lawsuits.

It gets expensive very, very quickly for that defendant.

In the alternative, it is not a high cost item for the city compared to many other things that we can be doing to close down a nuisance.

So it would not be costing us $10 million in in lawsuits.

Um it would be affordable considering some of the other projects that the city is looking at.

So I would beg this um commission to talk to your attorney and instruct them to go ahead and file suit.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you.

Mr.

Hyde.

Well, indeed.

Um, obviously I remain Martin Hyde.

I'm kind of surprised that these uh blue shirts aren't covered in toxic dust.

Um, you know, it's fairly obvious that the time for legal semantics and caution is over.

Citizens want this blight stopped.

Clearly, whatever it takes and whatever it costs.

You know, as to restraining ourselves contrary to our First Amendment right, um, maybe people would if 39 months later uh the city had done something uh to back the unanimous motion.

Since August of uh 22, lots has uh changed, notwithstanding that Commissioner Jen looks about the same as she ever did.

The uh the exception, though, is this light on the community.

It's time.

Nobody has the right to impact people's mental and physical health indefinitely.

One wonders whether this would have been so protracted if it was in one of our more tony neighborhoods like Harbakers or Olido Schul.

Notwithstanding that City Hall is obligated to public health and safety.

Above everything.

As to uh Commissioner Arroyo's right now comment in the uh the video, uh that was 39 months ago.

If it wasn't right now then, it most assuredly is right now.

Thank you.

Uh and additional people who have signed up.

Mr.

Lowe, did you want to come back or not?

Okay.

Uh Lori Socora, Debbie Hutchinson, and Flo Entler.

Ms.

Socora.

Yeah, you may begin.

Thank you.

Hi, I am Lori.

Umora.

I live on 17th Street.

Use the mic.

Oh, sorry.

Can you go down?

Okay.

Can you hear me now?

Thank you.

My name's Lori Socora.

I live on 17th Street.

Um, so I'm two and a half blocks directly north of this.

Um I'm gonna try to restrain my emotions.

But let me just say the first time I contacted somebody about this was in 2016.

Okay, ten years ago.

How did I find it?

Well, that is USR.

I didn't even know it was there, like many people.

I heard this obnoxious alarm going off, and it took me three outings to discover it, and when I did, I could not believe my eyes.

I couldn't believe it.

Um so I initially shot off an email to somebody with the Florida Department of Um Protection.

Yeah, let's try not to laugh about that, okay.

Um and it was just some random guy.

He happened to be local.

He wasn't even in the department that would oversee this kind of thing, but he was very informative.

He told me good luck, it's very complex, multi-levels of government, and boy, was he right.

Ten years later, was he right?

Okay.

Well, anyway, I was starting from there, but then what came calling the big C.

I got cancer.

So it took me down.

I really couldn't address much of anything except my health.

I worked through it.

So one day, while I was, you know, lying around from chemo or radiation, whatever it was on my sofa watching Access Sarasota with a county meeting addressing this exact salum type of um industry or business, trying to go in out east by the salary fields.

There was an eight-hour long meeting about that.

And all kinds of professionals spoke.

I listened because I was interested.

I'm like, okay, this is the same thing.

I have two and a half blocks from my house.

Who spoke at that meeting?

And I suggest anybody go and find it.

It's a county meeting 2018.

I'd be happy to send you a link.

Environmentalists spoke, attorneys spoke, medical doctors spoke.

All professionals, mostly professionals.

One of them was from City.

Um can't think of his name.

Tim somebody that used to be a spoke.

Anyway, it was all against it, all terrible things.

It gave me chills down my spine.

I'm like, this is much worse than I thought.

You know, this is not just about noise, this is about toxic dust.

Oh my gosh, it drifts miles away, according to a medical doctor.

Um the environmentalists, everybody had bad things to say.

One person out of that eight-hour long meeting had something decent to say about it, and it was shot down in the county because of traffic, supposedly.

Well, anyway, 32 seconds.

Just please, I would ask each of you to just Google, look up sanitary nuisance, Florida statute, public nuisance, Florida statute, and please just look up.

Is noise pollution a health hazard?

Is it?

Just Google it and see what you see.

Okay.

The noise has really affected my health.

This whole thing has been just a drain, and I'm trying to restrain myself, but listen, I feel like using F-bombs, and I don't like F bombs.

I feel like crying and screaming, and guess what?

I bet all of that.

Thank you.

Thank you all for listening.

Okay.

Debbie Hutchinson.

Hi.

Um I'm Debbie Hutchinson.

You use the mic?

Thanks.

I'm Debbie Hutchinson.

I have lived and loved Sarasota for the last 14 years.

I have a studio on Central.

I'm an artist.

And I live at 1100 Imperial Drive, but I've lived right down the street from who was the mayor Liz Albert on South Gulf Stream.

So I care about this city.

I care about the arts, but more than anything, I care about the water and the people.

I'm a member of the Suncoast Waterkeepers.

And I'm just asking you to please do whatever you can do whatever is best to get rid of this toxic what the gentleman behind me called a blight.

It's it's offensive.

It's it's killing people, probably.

We won't have the documentation of all of that, but really don't turn your backs on this.

This is a great town, and it should be healthy, and we should take care of it.

Thank you.

Flo antler?

Hello, mayor, vice mayor, commissioners.

My name is Flo Entler, 37 years city resident, and I'm representing myself.

The last time I spoke about U.S.

recycling was in January when a handful of us went down to Venice to the county commission meeting in support of the McDowell deal.

Unfortunately, that's off the table at this moment, I understand, which is very unfortunate because it gave us true workforce housing, 152 units between 80 and 30 percent AMI.

Wow.

So for over five years, the city and county have worked to address the ongoing issues from the operation of U.S.

recycling.

Over 30,000 residents live and work or work in the area impacted by this hazardous operation, including my husband.

The facilities' activities have created health risks for stormwater contamination, groundwater contamination, and air contamination from the dangerous concrete dust flying around for everyone to breathe.

Dozens of families have reported health issues symptomatic of exposure to concrete crushing.

It pollutes our air, our water, but seems to fall through the cracks of the regulatory authority.

They operate after hours and create excessive noise.

There are multiple violations for many years from this concrete crushing facility.

Several Florida jurisdictions do not allow such facilities to operate this close to residential neighborhoods.

Numerous neighborhoods have come together asking for your help for years.

Let's stop talking and let's make this happen.

Commissioners, please continue your support to protect the health and well-being of our community.

And please give direction to the city attorney to explore a public and health nuisance lawsuit.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

And we do have one more request to speak.

So as you leave, John Harshman, would you come down.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Commissioner for the record, I'm John Harshman, and I'm here representing myself.

You've heard some um really tear-jerking testimony from lots of residents in the area.

And um I'm gonna give you one from the business community.

Um one of my longtime clients owns property that's along Central Avenue and adjacent to the cement plant or the cement crushing plant.

Um we were working with a group that was going to bring two wonderful businesses into the area.

One is a young lady who is a uh veterinarian surgeon, and she was just thrilled about going into that area.

It's uh very close to where they live.

Uh her husband, who runs another very unique business in Sarasota was also gonna go there.

And um they signed a contract, we're all ready to go.

So we gave them some background information on the neighborhood, which included one of the older newspaper articles that talked about the cement price.

And they were very concerned about it, rightfully so.

They didn't want to have their young children there, they didn't want to have their clients come in there.

So that was a business that would really would have done wonderful things for the neighborhood, uh, plus her husband's business, and they're not there, all because of the nuisance.

And you've heard so many horrible things about that today.

I I'm gonna be brief and I encourage you to do what you can to alleviate this problem.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Um we have reached the point for commissioners' questions.

Um I guess the question is who are we questioning?

Um it depends on what the question is.

I would say I'm I'm happy to try to answer questions as much as I can, but I would probably lean on Kelly Brown from her group who has been doing all the hands-on work since 2022.

But I would also like to point out that the Pines of Sarasota is contiguous to this property, as is the park.

This is one that was in the Hell Tribune and it was a very big article on this.

It's included in your backup material.

The county Mr.

Polzak, I guess I can ask the question, Mr.

Polzak.

What are your thoughts, Ms.

Dawson mentioned?

Well, are you questioning or presenting?

I'm quite just asking a quick question of Mr.

Poles Act.

Okay, because we do have people who signed up.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Um just to answer the quick question about um other entities partaking in this um investigation of a case.

So other uh public entities?

Yes, please.

Yeah.

So that that would be the you know part of the analysis is what uh administrative actions have taken place at at the regulatory level.

And then who are the agencies of jurisdictions here locally?

Uh obviously what we're talking about is in the city.

It's also in the county, and it's in the state of Florida.

And do you have any indication?

Have you been working with anybody from the county on this?

I have not.

Uh if directed by this commission today, I will reach out to the county.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you.

So Commissioner Batti questions?

Uh thank you, Mayor.

And uh, you know.

Kind of like out of the loss of words looking at the uh um demonstration and the presentation by uh Commissioner Haran K in our past meetings.

Uh and the fact that we haven't really made any real headway with this whole situation is I don't know, sick in itself.

But the one uh question that I that I was asking our city attorney um, you know, just kind of going over was um how does because we went with we did this or we talked about it uh uh before and it came up on the barrier islands when we were uh discussing um hotel houses.

How how how does like Harris you know, law hairs rules work, you know, with regard something like this?

Sure, that would look especially when you're talking about property values.

Um I mean they they they don't move or they just go down.

I mean they can't do anything with with their homes should somebody want to move or whatever, or sell or whatever the situation is.

So the first part of your question as to the Harris Act application, that would be for land use regulation, like if we were to attempt to make zoning changes, et cetera, which I don't think is being proposed today.

The second part of your question is uh to the extent there is any effect on property values because of the questioned activities, does that impude into the um analysis for a public nuisance action and you know public nuisances, public health, safety, quality of life.

If directed by the commission, I'll look at I'll take an investigation into all those things.

And then when you say something regarding zoning or whatever, I mean, do we play a uh have a part in that being the fact that we we put in place a zoning to allow for you know this this type of activity or land use you know that a butts the neighborhood or what have you to I mean?

So yeah, I mean we couldn't undertake any action on the land use regulation side would be prohibited, preempted by Senate Bill 180 from from doing that.

Um obviously this is a a legal use in itself.

I think the question is more are they um is the business exch uh in a sense exceeding the scope of its use and violating other provisions of law or administrative code and that would be a key question.

Okay.

And then the other uh I mean we can look into that, you know, uh uh I really appreciate it.

Yes, sir.

Um I mean and then another uh question is what about class action?

You know, class action uh uh uh or whatever.

So that term would probably I think I think with the way you're thinking of it would apply to private uh litigation, which that is a um action in this context that could be taken.

There can be a private action for nuisance, and that could be taken by multiple plaintiffs.

Um I think what's before the commission here today, though, is uh is a public action.

Okay.

That would be undertaken by the city.

No I mean I'm just you know looking at um it from a layman's you know lens or whatever because you know I was just driving down uh 10th Street last night this is about what 10, 11 o'clock or whatever.

And uh grace of life man, those daggone lights.

And I don't know if they did do they shine into the neighborhood or whatever because those things are right when you're driving down uh um 10th street or whatever.

I mean is there anything legally that we can do you know regarding regarding that as well.

You know that's something that I would have to look into in terms of conducting an investigation I'm not aware of that but I think if the Commission's task was to look at this business and this site for all violations that we would do that.

Thank you.

And then to Mrs.

Quabber's you know um point she said that this is something something that has been addressed in cases one nationally or what have you when these types of things have have have happened in other places can we can we we look into that and find out like what we can do in that regard as well.

Absolutely if you're talking about looking at uh legal precedent that it would be definitely part of my analysis.

Yes yes yes because I mean this again you know to all of the the point and to the this may you know this is long long long long long overdue and um you know I don't think I need to belabor that point be the dead horse but um yeah so that that those are my questions may I think thank you Commissioner Alperick.

Okay just a uh a couple of things um I I noted that in the backup material which I thought was interesting that U.S.

Recycling gave up their um license to do rock crushing in December of 2025.

So now um they contracted with another entity to come in and do the rock crushing on their property.

So I'm assuming we would need to sue both of them.

Possibly depending on how the investigation turns out but it but it it's a good point that could involve multiple layers of vendors, contractors.

And and then um I'm gonna uh ask um our deputy uh city manager Mr Robinson though about the actions the city has taken because it's it's not like in four years we have done nothing.

Um we had Mr Fournier uh explore doing these same things and then there was supposedly a pending sale so everything was put on hold so then we go back to that that sale falls through um then we start you know taking some actions again and then now there was another pending sale so it stops and then at the last minute the um you know the owner I guess of U.S.

Recycling pulls out so um there are other things we've done and I'd like Mr.

Robinson to uh discuss some of the things that the city has tried to do to alleviate the situation.

Thank you Commissioner um I can tell you uh since 2022 when this was first brought up during a commission meeting uh during my tenure uh our staff has worked repeatedly with uh the community with the business owners uh around that location um and I know it was mentioned in the video we built a road because the initial complaint was that the road was the our road was too bumpy and it was creating this plume of smoke from the trucks.

So we did spend I think somewhere in the neighborhood of 470 thousand dollars to build a concrete road that I think is heavy enough to move the space shuttle on at this point.

Put in new swales to capture and retain some of the the dust that was coming out of that site.

I can tell you that uh Ms Panica's team, uh Mr.

Patel's team, um Mr.

Fogle's team has all engaged in activities trying to address these both from the zoning building and regulatory code compliance uh sides of this as well as I would say thousands of emails, hundreds of meetings over the last uh five years.

Um we've coordinated with the Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Environment Environmental Protection, the EPA and Sarasota County Government to try to bring uh a closure to this and I'm glad that you copied or whoever you had to do the video commissioner captured we are the lowest rung in this but we have been reaching up we've been uh punching above our weight class trying to get this addressed um we have uh I I can tell you I I just asked uh Ms.

Griggs' office to investigate a series of emails that I sent to the uh public health department back, I believe it was 2022 reference to a public health uh nuisance complaint to the uh the health department at that point.

Um but we've never been empowered by the uh commission to facilitate or to follow up on a civil remedy relative to a lawsuit.

So I think with all things being equal, um I'm game for any course of action.

I know that staff has been um incredibly frustrated by this over the years because the last thing that we want to do, as all the citizens that have come out and said, you know, they're frustrated.

Well, when people bring a problem to us and we can't fix it, it's frustrating for our staff because they really are in the uh in the public service uh and public just getting things taken care of.

And obviously we've hit a wall with this, and um we are not coming up with any appreciable answers that are taking any meaningful action at this point.

You know, code compliance has its limitations, and I think this would be uh an opportunity to move in a different direction and explore whether or not this could be uh something that could uh result in a positive outcome.

I know Mr.

Shamsy, Mr.

Polzak, I have faith in their team and giving us options to move forward.

And maybe it's not a lawsuit, but maybe it's something regulatory that we haven't seen yet.

So I can tell you that um I can speak on behalf of the directors that have worked on this for the last five years.

It is incredibly frustrating.

It's one of the few issues that have uh come before our team that we have not been able to move and move the needle on.

So I appreciate the Commissioner bringing this up.

I appreciate the community coming out and speaking, and hopefully we can uh investigate a different way to address this.

And just to comment on the deputy senior manager's points and Commissioner Albert's initial question and point, the this is that'll be very critical information, the regulatory actions that have occurred over these years for us to build a clear factual and technical record to look at if we to examine whether a nuisance action is is appropriate.

So the time spent before those regulatory agencies will be critical for us to examine.

Thank you.

That's all I have.

Okay.

Thanks.

Vice Mayor.

Thank you.

Um related to Commissioner Alpert's question, as well as Commissioner Bettie's question.

Commissioner Alpert asks, what have we done?

And Commissioner Betty says any action that we take is long overdue.

But everything we have done already helps to build any case if we do choose to pursue it.

So that's not a question, that's a comment.

Um the other thing is, you know, as everybody's been speaking, I've been trying to remember at what point did I learn that the purpose of government is to protect the health, welfare, and safety of its citizens.

And Kelly Brown, can you answer that question?

From the very beginning.

No, I think it was ninth grade civics class.

Um issues that the city pursues are related to health.

Some are related to welfare, some are related to safety.

This one, you can check off all three.

So I do have a question, Mr.

Polzak.

Um the recommended action is uh a motion to direct the city attorney to investigate, etc., including the feasibility of a coordinated civil public nuisance action.

Should we change the wording of that?

Because it could be some other action that you would find would be more appropriate.

Sure.

I mean, the tasking could be broader than just public nuisance.

And um I think you said earlier decipher all violations as a part of that as well, right?

Yes, I would need to, as part of the investigation, build a clear factual and technical record and gather all the uh evidence of whatever regulatory actions have taken place so far.

Um what about the wording of the coordinated civil public nuisance action?

How would you change that wording?

I mean, you know, you could task me to investigate this matter and explore all administrative and legal remedies that may apply uh to the city and to other uh governments of jurisdiction.

Okay.

Or something to that effect.

Sure.

I have a long statement I'm going to make uh in response to a motion.

Okay.

So I guess I'm unless you have quite no questions.

Okay.

Um as I was reading the backup material, it appeared to me that after a while uh U.S.

recycling was fined multiple times, and I got the impression they figured this is just a cost of doing business.

And I know there's a non-legal word scoff law, and I'm wondering from the legal perspective, does that apply at all in Florida or in this case?

That's a good word.

I uh I'm gonna have to uh research that.

I mean, I don't I don't think it directly applies here.

Well, let me say this.

I think a actually one of the doctrines that are invoked here is what's called the doctrine of primary jurisdiction, and that's that essentially the regulatory um efforts have been exhausted and not complied with, and therefore other causes of action then lie.

So I think to your point, um if there is a history of noncompliance with other regulatory authorities, that will bear directly on our analysis and and your ultimate decision in this case.

Um one of the things I think everybody has realized is that courts and lawsuits go on for a long time, and if we prevail in our lawsuit, we may not see results for a couple of years.

I mean, your correct litigation can take uh time.

It's it's hard to estimate the exact time frame for this type of action, um, which is in part in injunctive in nature.

So I I would have to after conducting the investigation and looking, if I was tasked broadly as the vice mayor um indicated, I would have to come back and brief you on where that investigation led, you know, following the facts, so to speak, rather than making conclusions.

Because some members who spoke um did suggest some administrative things that we might do in addition to the lawsuit that could have more of immediate effect.

And one of the things that hit my mind, uh if a restaurant fails inspection, they are closed down until they clean up.

So I don't know if that's something that we could have an ordinance along those lines.

The same another one that was suggested was um that we tell others that we might be contracting with that they are prohibited from using recycling in providing whatever service to us.

But I'm just saying as part of the other things, perhaps in addition to looking at a lawsuit, we could also look at things that might have an immediate effect if we passed an ordinance or whatever along those lines.

I could examine that local authority that we could create.

Um definitely I would consult with regulatory agencies of jurisdiction, both to build that factual and technical record, but also to look at what other if there are investigations currently being undertaken, et cetera, try to get a view of of what's actually occurring and what has occurred.

And and one of the concerns I had that I guess is a legal type of issue.

Is there any possibility that the city could be accused of singling out one business and not others for some sort of selective enforcement just by being in the cement business for so to speak, because uh SEMEX or however CMEX is like a block away.

So we apparently don't have a problem with them.

So I think that's really important to approach this judiciously.

Obviously, uh the communities come here today and asked for the commission to exercise its jurisdiction in conducting a review.

I think we start with that.

We follow the facts, we don't make any conclusions and see where the facts lead, if anywhere.

Okay.

Um again, this is just in general.

Does the city require mitigation or prevented prevention measures by businesses of this type?

And are they enforced?

And are they strong enough?

Yeah, that's a really good question.

Uh part of the investigation, I think I would conduct an internal review and look at that um internal regulatory picture.

Because I would also think if they're not enforced or we don't have the regulations that that might weaken our case.

And it also goes back to your point to examine the city's regulatory structure, or there are improvements that could be made.

Okay.

Thank you.

That was my questions.

I guess Commissioner Batti, do you have any more questions?

Oh I didn't know that.

But essentially you kind of took the words out of my mouth and question out of my mouth because I was going to ask the same thing.

I don't know understand how how in the well that works.

You know, coming from the hospitality background.

You know, to the to the mayor's point.

If you're a restaurant, and the the health department comes and uh inspects you.

They'll shut you down like period or whatever.

How in the world with all of these studies that have been done, you know, environmentally help-wise, and dangerous it is to the to the community.

And and children and so on.

Families and everyone.

That's I think it's probably somebody on Zoom who's not on the toss question.

No.

I don't know if that is going to be.

No, no, that's no.

I don't know, maybe a dumb question or whatever.

But you know, along along those those lines when it comes to a restaurant or something, being a public nuisance or you know, creating some sort of public hazard that that uh you know could affect you know people in any kind of way affect their health in someone die from seminal or whatever cross-contamination or whatever the deal is, and you get shut down.

Why does that like not apply here when when they're like this formant foreign debris and in particles in the air and and like you said, shards of concrete that that people are breathing in that adjacent to a neighborhood?

No, I I think that's a really good point.

What you're talking about is the doctrine of primary jurisdiction.

What regulatory agencies have primary jurisdiction here?

Um agencies like the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, uh, there are county agencies, et cetera.

So the investigation would need to be complete and look at all those sources of primary authority, what's been done to build the clear factual and technical record behind this matter.

Okay.

I don't know what you just said, but perfect that.

Commissioner Albert?

Okay.

Um just you know, to also talk about um Commissioner Batties' point.

That's why they gave up their license to do rock crushing, because they were being, you know, saying that they were violating.

So they just circumvented it by bringing somebody else in and to use their license.

But um I'm ready to make a motion unless somebody has more questions.

It's all yours.

Okay.

Um and actually the uh suggested motion, I think by staff pretty much really covers it because it's uh to ask the city attorney to investigate and evaluate potential civil and administrative remedies, including but not limited to the feasibility of a coordinated civil public nuisance action or any other action regarding U.S.

recycling and return to the City Commission with findings and recommendations.

Second Okay, motion by Commissioner Albert, and if you don't mind, I will give the seconding honor to Commissioner Ahern Codge.

Um be it.

Um and the motion is the one that was in the administration's recommendation, but I am going to be a couple little words to after administrative remedies, but not limited to including that's in your original motion, correct?

Yeah, correct.

Well, it's not in the original.

It just said including the feasibility of a coordinator, and I just said including and not limited to the feasibility.

So we'll public uses action and any other civil action.

So those are all the only words I added.

Okay.

Would the maker of the motion prefer to sp like to speak first?

Well civil or criminal action, I will add.

Do you still second it?

Yes.

Okay.

Do you want to speak to the motion?

Um just to that I think that that covers it all.

I think it's time to do one more thing if this is what it takes to get them to either shut down or comply or sell.

I think this is something that we should do and end this as soon as possible.

Um yes, thank you.

Thank you, Commissioners, for your attention to this.

I really appreciate it.

The community appreciates it, and I wanted to thank CCNA and the community for uh um bringing this again and again and again to our attention.

Um I also wanted to thank uh Mr.

Larson and Mr.

Knopper for helping me with that video.

Um I thank you for your support, and I hope we have a full support on this motion.

Thanks.

Uh Vice Mayor.

Yes.

So going back to health, welfare, and safety.

Uh U.S.

Recycling has had many opportunities to demonstrate their interest in the health, welfare, and safety of the citizens of our city.

You know, we have the data.

There's no question that it's time.

And as Commissioner Betty said, we gotta do something.

And so this is it.

Commissioner Batti.

Uh no.

Um thank you, Mayor.

Um, uh what I don't like is you know, you U.S.

recycling plan this, you know, this uh this shell game.

You know, and you're playing with people's health.

And you know that that that's sick, you're being a bad neighbor one.

And um you're harming our city and harming our our citizens, our you know, our residents.

You know, uh people that visit our city.

And again, this is it's long overdue to do something with these people.

Um I don't understand how they gave up their license and then you know how to even got it back or waiver to circumvent the process and give it to someone else to to do the same thing to to harm our residents, you know.

So um, in the words of the vice mayor, we gotta do something.

Okay.

From what we've seen so far with U.S.

recycling, I fully expect that they are going to pursue every legal avenue to slow down any lawsuit that we ultimately file.

So I would hope that the city attorney will work in parallel both for the lawsuit perspective and any administrative things that we can do that could shut them down or get them to stop polluting the way that they're doing without waiting for the legal process to continue.

Yeah, I think Commissioner Alfred's motion is sufficient to included administrative action.

Included, I was just mentioning I hope that you can focus on some immediate actions.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

And and you know, the key will here be here again, following the facts and looking at what's what's been done and what hasn't been done and going directly from there.

Thank you.

So uh shall we have a vote.

And it passes unanimously.

Thank you all very much.

Please don't wait and applaud outside.

Mayor, before we move on, during our discussion, we talked about having the planning department review our zoning code, and I can't finish the rest of that statement.

I don't know if it was to come back with recommendations to prevent concrete crushing within the city limits, or what would the recommendations?

Why don't you bring that up during um comments at the end?

Okay.

And we are going to um re recess for lunch at this point and come back at one fifteen.

Um, the button.

Good afternoon.

I am calling this uh March 2nd, 2027's uh regular City Commission meeting back in session, and Commissioner Alpert is joining us now, and I'm sure Commissioner Batti is not far behind.

Um, we are at the point where we've at unfinished business item nine point two, the second reading of proposed ordinance number twenty-six-five eight eight, repealing and replacing article six of chapter two of the city Sarasota City Code regarding city procurement, amending section two point five of the city code relating to how to read it all, mate.

Okay.

Okay, and I will call upon the city auditor and clerk to read the titles.

Um, thank you, Mayor.

Um, I'm gonna be reading two titles, ordinance number twenty-six-five five eighty eight, and resolution twenty-six are three three eight one.

Ordinance number twenty-six dash five five eight eight, and ordinance of the city of City Commission of the City of Sarasota, Florida, repealing and replacing article six of chapter two of the Sarasota City Code regarding city procurement, amending section two-five of the city code related to contract approval authority.

Making findings making related findings and providing for servability, codification in an effective date.

Resolution number twenty-six R three three eight one.

A resolution of the City Commission of the City of Sarasota, Florida, establishing a solicitation protest schedule, making a related findings, provide for serverity for an effective date.

Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Commissioners, Jennifer Jorgensen, Director of Governmental Affairs.

And I'm here today with our procurement official, our general manager of procurement, Renee Hayes, and Rob Eschenfelder, who is our outside counsel who helped us prepare the ordinance for today.

We were in front of the city commission back in February 2nd of 2026 at a public hearing and introduced for first read and ordin ordinance number 26-558.

And that ordinance was approved unanimously on first reading with a couple changes that we'll go through today.

So the ordinance that you have in front of you today for approval on second reading includes some changes in the ordinance.

Section 2-348, subsection 27.

We added that as a new section.

We removed section 2-369, which was the local preference part of the original ordinance, and after some discussion with the city commission, we did remove local ordinance from this second reading.

And also in section 2-370, we updated the title to procurement procedures.

So those are the updates that we talked about on first reading.

We do have one additional update that we did add administratively here.

We weren't asked to do that by the city commission on first reading.

And that is to section 2-348.

So that is our exemption section of the procurement code.

Under subsection 24, there is a list of exemptions there, and we did add facilitators to an exemption.

And so basically what that means, like any of our exemptions, if we choose to do a solicitation for that, we may do that.

But adding it as an exemption allows us to not have to do uh solicitation if it doesn't make sense to do that.

And there might be some reasons why a facilitator needs to be exempt from the procurement code.

One of those is is based just simply on timing.

So when we do a solicitation, sometimes it takes um a while to get the solicitation posted and responded to.

And in some instances, our facilitators are needed for very special projects that may have some time constraints, and so it made sense to add that as an exemption.

Also, facilitators, um, an example of that might be our our um FPL undergrounding.

Some of our facilitators need very specific requirements for very specific projects.

So it wouldn't make sense to go out and do a solicitation for a general facilitator for those very specific instances.

So we want to make sure we have an exemption available for those.

So we have added that um to that section two-three four eight to be included in second reading if the city commission approves that.

We also um have a resolution that has been added to the second reading.

So when we are in front of you for first reading, as part of section two-three six six, we talk about the protest.

So when a when a um proposer is able to protest a solicitation, so the requirements of that protest is is specified in that section two-three six six, but there is language in there that the protest bond would be set by a resolution.

And so that's what we're bringing in front of you today, is that resolution that basically states that um establish a request for a protest bond, security bond, which shall be lesser of five thousand dollars, or ten percent to the protester's bid, or ten percent to the published budget for the contract.

So that is also in um this request today.

Okay.

Uh that's the end of your presentation.

That is the end of my presentation.

Okay, we have one person signed up to speak, Martin Hyde.

And I uh you don't have to move on.

So although I may have to ask you to use that because we've got a little picture there just to remind everybody.

Anyway, um my name uh remains Martin Hyde for those people that no title of uh these ordinances and all these things get three minutes explaining.

Um this is about devolving authority to unelected staff as opposed to elected board and massively increasing the limits.

I spoke to this a couple of weeks ago.

You all ignored me.

That ship has already sailed.

I have one adaptation that uh that I'd like to uh to point out.

If you just forgive me, just put that on here.

Because we got uh lest we forget.

This is what procurement looks like presently in the city of Sarasota.

This is a six hundred thousand dollar bathroom, but a blind man could have done a better job.

So to the point devolving more authority to the people that let that happen doesn't make an awful lot of sense to me, but whatever.

Um what I wanted to talk about was the exceptions.

You recently commissioned a report into HR.

I say you, you didn't, the city manager or the interim city manager commissioned a report.

That report was into alleged complaints as far as HR is concerned.

The outcome of that report, which I don't know if you've seen, you should have done as soon as it cost you 40 grand, but um the outcome of that report, the main headline was that complaints made to HR when they referenced with regard to senior management weren't appropriately addressed.

And the outcome of that was that the uh HR director is uh, after nearly 20 years no longer with us.

My exception that I'd be looking for, and something because anybody can get any report or any survey to say whatever it is that you want.

You're the ones that direct policy.

Um any report should come before you first.

If they want to report into uh anything, it should be at your behest.

Um and you should know where that money is uh is is going.

It's a question of prior consent, it's a question of tails wagging dogs, um, and you've already devolved a tremendous amount of authority to your staff with these uh these new dollar limits.

Um I'm simply asking that uh when it comes to the commissioning of reports that that specific thing comes under your purview.

Thanks.

Thank you very much.

Uh Commissioner questions, uh Vice Mayor is first.

Thank you.

Um, I did have a question about section two-three four eight item sub item 24, which you already referenced.

And when I read that, I wasn't sure if facilitators were executive management facilitators, or in a more general category of facilitators.

I don't know, you people who are big on commas, do you think we should have that comma there?

Well, I have to look at that particular section and to see.

I had to look at that, yeah.

It is on page uh nine of 39.

Uh subsection 24.

I got that one, yeah.

Uh for me after executive management studies, comma.

Yeah.

Comma.

It clarifies it for me.

You don't want us to tell every comment, comma, right now, do you?

Because I don't want you to address every comment.

I should have the oxford, comma.

Thank you.

Yeah.

And I have one more question.

This I think goes to either Mr.

Pulzak or Miss Griggs.

So it appears in the administration's recommendation that there are two, one ordinance and one resolution.

Uh I was taught if it can stand alone, it should be moved alone.

And so in my mind, there would be two motions rather than one.

It is two motions.

Yeah.

Okay, thank you.

Okay.

Uh any okay.

Commissioner Hey, Her and Kotch.

Um yes, thank you.

So um the language, uh, it appears twice.

It's on page three of 39 in the very first whereas paragraph, and then it's again on page or uh similar, uh, is on page 11 of 39.

Let's start with the first one.

Um and I think I brought this up last time.

I'm not positive if I did, though.

The whereas where it says, and um I'm looking for legal uh input here.

Um whereas Article 4 section 13 of the city charter provides that the city commission must approve contracts with a term in excess of ten years, comma.

Um to me that reads the city must approve it.

A contract comes before you and you must approve it and say yes, we approve it.

I understand the intent is that's not what the intent of this language is.

The intent of the language is that it must come before the body to review and potentially approve.

But when I read that, it says that we must approve it.

Period.

Um again the same language I read on page 11 of 39.

Uh section three, subsection A says a formal solicitation must be approved by.

And again, I feel like that's putting in writing that it must be approved and not reviewed and then approved or reviewed and then ejected uh uh um rejected.

Legally, we've got s lots of lawyers here.

Uh I'm not one, so that the way I read it is you have to say yes.

And I would if I were submitting it, I go, oh yay.

It says that they have to say yes, no matter what I do.

Does it or doesn't it?

Rob will let you.

And looking at it from my angle, please.

I understand.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Uh um staff uh to brought that to my attention that you had raised that.

I I have that appearing on page 12 of 39 item.

Yeah, yes.

Um on sub B, that's where it was pointed out to me.

It were uh on uh the third line.

The commission must approve all nerd non-emergency agreements.

Is that what you're looking at?

Uh that's another one.

Uh thank you.

Minus if you go back to page 11, category 3a, first line.

And then on the very first warehouse clause.

There's actually a few of them, Rob, throughout the entire ordinance.

So first of all, it doesn't mean that you are obligated that you cannot adopt an ordinance that binds future commissions to just blindly approve something put in front of you.

No judge would ever give it that reading.

But to you know if you want it changed, then I I just wrote in the commission is authorized to approve.

And so if that is is the pleasure of the body, I can just make that change in all the areas where it is much.

You can word it so many different ways.

But I like better.

It means that you guys are the approval, not the manager.

Right.

And that's that's that's you know, I understand that's what the intent is.

Just somebody looking at from the other side who may go after us for this.

I just wanted to add clarity to it, or to the layman who reads this, right?

The general public who would read it.

I read it as that the city commission must approve it.

Um whether they like it or not, you must approve it.

So we could make that change in in all of those three places.

Something that's that still says that it must go before the commission as a body to review and approve.

Whatever you all deem.

I don't know if this commission wants more clarity on it, but I'm okay with that direction.

I'm not finding those.

Right here.

Whereas.

The first one.

Well, that one.

But then you said there was another one on the same thing.

Um there are several others, so it's on page 11 of 39.

What subcategory?

Uh uh 3A.

And please note where it states a formal solicitation must be approved, but the procurement official, you are absolutely right as far as I do review it before I approve it.

Because there are always usually changes, though.

Mine doesn't say anything about the commission having to apply.

No, no, no, it just says it must be approved.

It's the term must be approved by, must be approved by.

And then it's again on the next page on page 12.

And for the procurement official.

And for the yeah, for the one on page 11, that that she does have to approve formal solicitation of the case.

Okay, so I set that one then.

I can change that to shall instead of must.

But but what that is saying is that uh a formal solicitation doesn't go out the door until this person sitting here says I bless it.

Right.

What that means.

Right.

Right.

And then there's one on page 12 of 39 as well.

That's the one where the argument is that you're saying that it's seems like the commission is forced to approve a contract.

Okay.

So I will change it to is authorized to.

Okay, or if we have whatever the.

If you want to say our subject to approval by the city commissioner.

There you go.

Thank you.

Well, I we're we're kind of I'm trying to fit it within the sentence as it's currently.

Okay.

The current sentence says the commission must approve non-allemergency agreements exceeding 500,000.

So I would change it to the commission is authorized to approve all non-emergency agreements exceeding 500,000.

Okay.

Okay.

And that to dovetails to the preceding sentence, which says the city manager is authorized to approve contracts not exceeding 500.

Okay.

That was my only major question, and then I do have commas and other things.

Well, this is second reading.

So any change you want, we need to reflect it.

Should I go over right now?

This is a second reading.

Yeah, that now is the time.

Or forever hold your piece.

Seriously.

You want me to subject the whole audience to my commas?

In the first I don't know what they just can't be submitting.

You guys just change it.

I don't know.

As long as they're just commas is not in the substance.

There's commas, and then where we talk about dollar numbers.

Um sometimes it's spelled out, sometimes it's not, often in these kinds of contracts uh and in ordinances, it's spelled out $10, parentheses, the number 10, so on and so forth.

There's a lot of that in here as well.

Can we include in our motion that it also approves Commissioner Ahern Koch's correction of Scrivener's errors?

Yes, why not?

You don't want to listen for another 20 minutes.

So I oh Commissioner Albert has questions.

Yeah, I'm I'm looking at that um on page 12 of 39, the change under, I guess it's it's um what was the ones B.

It's three, is it three B?

Yeah, I think so.

Yeah, three.

And then B.

Okay.

Um where you're saying the city manager is authorized to approve contracts not exceeding 500,000 to be paid from available funds budgeted by the City Commission without further action of the Commission.

The Commission must approve all non-emergency agreements exceeding 500,000 or where the term exceeds 10 years and is not terminable by the city without cause.

So if you change that to the commission is authorized to approve, then anything over 500,000 or longer than 10 years, then who approves it if the city manager can't approve it for over 500,000.

So I'm I'm not clear what we're doing there.

The manager approves agreements not exceeding 500,000.

Right.

So long as there's budgeted funds.

That's the first thing.

Right.

The Commission approves non-emergency agreements exceeding 500,000, or where the term exceeds 10 years and is not terminable by the city without cause.

Right.

But you were changing that.

I thought you said you were changing that the commission is authorized to approve, sort of saying we don't have to, we could, but we don't have to.

Then if we don't have to, who would approve it?

So it seems like that should just stay the same.

Well, you'll have to have uh a debate with your colleague who who I originally worded it must.

Yeah, which I think some of the somebody who has to approve.

But there's a concern that that makes it sound like you are obligated to, no matter what, even if in your business judgment it shouldn't be approved, which is why I suggested changing it to is authorized to.

And now you're well, yeah, I'm because we can approve it or deny it.

Well, we can approve it or deny it, but in order for it to go forward, it has to be approved by the city commission, and if it's not, then it's denied.

Right.

But that's what it says.

If it changes, that's what it says is that we have the authority to approve it or to deny it.

The way it reads now, it sounds like we have to approve it.

It's there's no other option but to approve it.

We must approve it.

I that's really not the way it reads.

Well, yeah, it doesn't mean that.

It means for for an for a contract over 500,000 or over 10 years, in order for it to be approved, it's the commission's authority to approve it.

Okay.

But you don't have to, yeah, you can deny it.

Again, we're trying, you're trying not to recast the sentence in any way, and that I think is where the problem arises.

But Commissioner Alpert used the words to move forward.

So if you just inserted to move forward, the Commission must approve.

Would that work?

So leaving it, the Commission must approve, but you're adding the words to move forward.

And I'm not sure if it's helpful.

I think Rob, correct me if I'm wrong.

Commissioner Cotch, you brought up the whereas clause on the first page, where it does use the terminology City Commission must approve contracts with a term in excess of 10 years.

So that is the language in the charter.

And so that's why that language is used.

So to be consistent with the charter, the must language would align with that charter if we keep it as must instead of changing it to can authorized.

So I just want to point that out.

Because I think that's a good question.

How about this for a new sentence too?

Only the Commission.

Has the authority to approve all non-emergency agreements exceeding $500,000 or where the term exceeds 10 years?

Yada yah.

Fine.

All good?

Any other questions?

Okay, I guess thank you very much for your presentation.

And I do just want to point out before we leave.

Um on uh this is on page 31 of 39, section three.

Remember, there's that straight section of the code 2-5.

Um somebody between last time and now click accept to the edits, and so it's it all of the the 2-5 needs to be underlined.

So just pretend that it's underlined, and I will make that change.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

And I believe we will need two motions.

I have one for you, Mayor.

Move to adopt ordinance 26-558 with the changes and scribner corrections that have been discussed today.

Uh I'll second them.

Yeah.

Okay.

Move by Commission uh Vice Mayor Ulric and seconded by Commissioner Alpert.

Do I need to repeat the okay?

Um the motion was the only the ones that have been discussed, and there are lots that and your scrivener's corrections.

Right.

So could we amend the motion?

To delete the words today, the word today.

That have been discussed today that are you Mr.

Polzak.

Yeah, so I think the discussion was to include uh Commissioner Aherncotch's revisions as well, which for the record are they basically um Oxford, convention.

And um some others to Scrivener's errors.

Okay.

Nothing that's substantial.

No, okay, all right.

No, nothing substantial.

So to add that body of revisions into the motion.

Yes.

But so it's it's two things that it's Commissioner Aher and Koch's corrections to Scrivener's errors and the other wording changes that we discussed at the table.

Right.

Okay.

That's the motion.

That's the motion.

Okay, seconded it.

Still second.

Still second.

Okay, perfect.

Okay.

Um maker of the motion?

No discussion.

Okay.

Seconder.

Then I guess anybody else want to discuss?

No.

Okay.

And that motion passed unanimously.

And did you want to do a second?

I have another motion.

Move approval of resolution 26R-3381.

Second.

Okay.

Motion by the Vice Mayor, seconded by Commissioner Ahern Koch to pass resolution 26R-3381.

Uh, does the maker of the motion have any discussion?

Second, or any discussion?

None.

Anyone else?

Then we should vote.

Passed unanimously.

Thank you all very much.

And we will move on to the next item of unfinished business that deals with vacation rental expansion.

Did you want, did the auditor and clerk want to say anything?

Or this is on me.

It's on you.

Okay.

And we I'll call upon vacation rental supervisor Chabica to make a presentation.

Hello.

Hello.

All right.

Good afternoon, commissioners.

For the record, my name is Hannah Chabica, and I'm the supervisor of our vacation rental compliance program.

Today I'll be presenting a follow-up report on expansion feasibility to the downtown neighborhood or DTN zone district.

The vacation rental compliance program began under Chapter 34.5 in 2021, originally applying only to the Coastal Islands overlay district.

The program was expanded to residential zones citywide in 2024 and has been refined through four administrative amendments.

In October 2025, the City Commission adopted ordinance 25-5560, providing administrative clarifications to Chapter 34.5.

Staff was also directed to evaluate the feasibility of expanding the ordinance to additional zone districts.

Staff presented a feasibility report at the December 1st Commission meeting, and the commission directed staff to return with additional information and operational context related to potential expansion to DTN.

So the purpose of our program vacation rentals is to support residents' peaceful enjoyment of their homes, to protect the health and safety, and to promote neighborhood compatibility.

This program is not intended to function as a revenue generating program.

Today's report supplements the December feasibility report and provides operational context related to program growth, staffing capacity, and administrative considerations for potential expansion.

So Chapter 34.5 currently applies to all residential, single and residential multiple family zone districts.

And applies to single to three and four family dwellings.

There is an annual registration, inspection, and ongoing compliance with ordinance standards.

This exists separately from the registration requirements of 34.5.

So at the time of the previous feasibility report, as of October 31st, we had 574 registered vacation rentals.

And as of January twentieth, our program has grown to 612 vacation rentals.

And actually, as of note, as of this past Friday, February 27th, the number has even further increased to 626 registered vacation rentals.

This growth has occurred within the current program scope and has been driven by proactive monitoring and enforcement.

Registration administration inspections and compliance monitoring processes have continued to be refined and optimized throughout our transition to new registration software.

To provide context, the residential single family and residential multifamily zones are primarily residential use and provide for clear zoning eligibility.

DTN allows for mixed uses, including limited office, retail, and lodging uses.

So eligibility may require more parcel specific zoning review.

Vacation rental cases are primarily generated by proactive monitoring and enforcement, with most cases involving advertising and operating the property as a vacation rental without the certificate.

Compliance with ordinance standards is verified prior to issuance of any certificate.

Most of these were in RSF and RMF zones.

Five were affiliated with uh DTN pro parcels, but no violations were identified.

Since the initial report, compliance software identified approximately sixty-two vacation rentals in DTN.

We have not identified any additional units since our previous report.

After reviewing these property records for these 62 properties, it's estimated that about 50 of these vacation rentals would qualify to register under Chapter 34.5.

And here you can see just a map of the location of these 50 qualifying or potentially qualifying vacation rentals in DTN.

So program administration involves coordination across development services, including not only vacation rental staff, but also code compliance administration, zoning review, local business tax, building and permitting.

And so expansion does and and would continue to affect these shared departmental resources.

Our current staffing is aligned with existing workload, but continuous program growth is increased administrative demand and limited staffing capacity for proactive monitoring and enforcement.

Enforcement timelines are also impacted by hearing availability, which directly impacts co-compliance administration.

Vacation rental compliance program is structured to support compliance, protect public health and safety, and to promote neighborhood compatibility.

And as mentioned previously, the program is not intended to function as a revenue generating program.

The operational cost of the program currently exceeds revenue generated from registration activity.

Annual expenditures include staffing resources, compliance monitoring tools, inspections, and enforcement processes to maintain oversight and ensure compliance with city code.

This table provides a high level overview of program revenue and expenditures since implementation.

Early program years reflect startup and implementation costs.

As participation as participation increased following the 2024 expansion, revenue began to align with operational costs.

The 2026 revenue figure reflects year-to-date activity from January 1 through February 17th of this year.

And from an operational standpoint, administrative workload is not driven solely by the complaint or case volume.

Program administration includes a wide range of responsibilities, including application review and processing, inspections, enforcement actions, ongoing compliance monitoring, and coordination across multiple divisions within development services.

In mixed use zoning districts such as DTN, eligibility determinations may require additional review.

As the program continues to grow, these administrative functions will collectively continue to increase staff workload and interdepartment interdepartmental coordination.

Within this context, staffing capacity remains our primary operational constraint.

So in closing, there are three points to highlight.

First, the vacation rental compliance program continues to grow within our current regulatory scope, resulting in increased administrative and enforcement responsibilities.

Second, operational capacity, particularly staffing and administrative resources remains the primary factor influencing the program's ability to absorb additional responsibilities.

And third, any consideration of program expansion should be evaluated evaluated within the broader context of long-term operational sustainability, including leadership structure, staffing capacity, and departmental support functions.

Thank you.

This concludes my presentation and happy to answer any questions.

Thank you very much.

We have quite a few requests to speak cards, so I guess we're gonna need to the room and we'll welcome you back afterwards.

If I count it right, we have eight people who requested to speak.

The first five are Charles Morris, David Pearson, Ron Cashton, Martin Hyde, and Linda Holland.

So you're welcome to join us up here.

Okay, so Charles isn't here, so flow entler.

Okay, we can start with David Pearson.

Hello.

Thanks for having me today.

My name is David Pearson.

My wife Jane and I live on Fifth Street.

Um right at Adele at 1659.

We've been here since 2015 and love it.

Um I'm here today to ask you two things: more enforcement of the seven days rule on Airbnb, and to provide some kind of tiered structure for Airbnbs because they're not all created equal.

So our background with this is we've run Airbnbs in Vermont on basically when we live there, we rent our ADU unit or guest unit, we're not using it.

And here in Florida in the first few years we lived here, it was really great.

COVID kind of slowed things down and since then we just use it for friends and family.

What I'd love for you to do is think about uh affordability and keeping some of the historic homes.

Um I think there are some things that are affecting this in a in a bigger way.

Um Airbnb where grandma rents a room is one thing, Airbnb where you have a house and in the back you have an AD unit and you're on premise and you only rent to a couple people, that's another thing.

But if there's a house that has 4,000 square feet and six bedrooms, um this is another thing in terms of parties and problems.

And it creates problems in the neighborhood, and it creates problems with parking, and it creates uh problems with the city because who are we going to call?

Uh often these people are not they're not on site, so if you you don't even know who the owner is to call.

Um, and then that just ends up with more police calls, zoning calls, and those kinds of things.

That was a very nice report from the city group on this.

I see you need more money to run the program.

My thought would be to raise the fees on the bigger properties that are causing more of the problems and have a tiered structure, like many countries, many cities around the world are doing.

Um, and do something with seven days besides saying, oops, um, there should be some pretty good fines for that uh if that happens repeatedly.

The non-owner occupied stuff is a real problem.

I think the opportunity zone, as if Gillespie Park needed more emphasis on gentrification, uh, is a problem.

And I realize that's a federal thing and not in your jurisdiction, but what you need to understand is that just turbocharges the problem.

Because you can be in the opportunity zone, you can be a hedge fund or corporation buy one of these things, rent it for five years on Airbnb, get the tax break.

How do I know that?

Because my neighbor is doing that.

Not going to joy dealing with that.

It's this huge house.

They put the air conditioner and the water heater within five feet of my bedroom window at the same level, and that doesn't make me happy.

So again, I encourage you to really enforce the seven-day rule and do a tiered structure and raise the fees on these things.

And get serious before you there's already 70 homes, non-owner occupied in Gillespie Park on Airbnb.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Uh Ron Cashton.

Oh, thank you.

Good afternoon.

Uh, my name is Ron Cashton.

I'm a city resident and speaking solely as a resident and not on behalf of any organization.

Now you're considering expanding the vacation rental registry to include neighborhoods that were mistakenly left out when the ordinance was modified to be citywide.

Now, the core purpose of the registry is to give code compliance an effective clear tool at enforcement of our seven-day minimum rental law.

No change in the law itself, just the ability to enforce it.

And I think it'll help you to hear about the arduous and ultimately fruitless loop that Laurel Park, my neighborhood, went through prior to the registry.

In 2022, Laurel Park was dealing with several properties that were causing constant disruption.

Underage drinking, loud parties, and even intoxicated individuals walking naked down the street.

We suspected that the root cause was daily rentals operated by absentee owners.

And because there was no registry, the neighborhood had to take enforcement uh in their own hands.

Residents searched verbo and Airbnb.

Residents use their own credit card to book one-day stays so that we could gather proof for the city attorney to present before the magistrate.

And after that, residents filed code compliance complaints.

Now let me share you an example of one of those abusive rental properties.

Within a single year, this location was called violating the law four times.

And the owners would comply long enough so that the citation would be lifted.

And on the last occasion, they waited only 12 days after code compliance lifted the citation before they reviolated the code law again.

So in the end, both code compliance and the neighborhood were effectively powerless to stop this abusive owner.

It was only the expansion of the vacation rental registry that finally compelled these owners to be lawful.

Now the city should expect a reduction in complaints when the ordinance is in effect and owners follow the law.

And rather than not enforcing our laws, maybe you should focus staff to streamline the workflow, and that might be able to give you the re this savings that you could enforce the law citywide.

So please give Gillespie Park and the other missing neighborhoods the same relief that my neighborhood, Laurel Park has.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Martin Hyde.

So obviously there's a feasibility study.

I mean, uh I guess we're talking about some form of uh government expansion.

I I I did miss the slide, maybe you saw it that told you how much this is going to cost.

There's a tip, there wasn't one.

So how much does it cost?

Well, we don't know yet.

Maybe when they come back, they'll tell you.

This I can tell you what it's cost over the last four years, because that was on there.

Whipped away quickly, less than anybody could do the math, but they forgot I can actually add up.

So 600 grand is what it's cost in the last four years.

That's the net difference.

And I appreciate that it's not meant to be a revenue generator.

Um, but that's what it's actually cost.

And I said the slide was taken away very quickly, but just looking at it in the instant that it was there, it showed that its expense, which they obviously projected forward for the year is about 36 to 38,000 a month, and they prorated what's about six weeks of income.

So that looks like it's about 20,000.

So by my math, that's 200 grand that you're going to be short as it stands during the course of the rest of this uh this year.

And you know, to the point, hotel houses, absolute blight.

You know, I had a property on Siesta for many, many years when all this thing started up.

Horrible.

People absolutely reasonably enjoying their vacations and spoiling the neighborhood for everybody else.

So we need some regulation.

That one's you know, but there should be levels, there should be tiers.

There's a big difference between we know that the owners are uh if they're there, they're exempted, but you know, there's a huge difference between a house that has four people and one that can have fourteen.

Um we do have code enforcement.

You know, it it would this is a form of duplication.

We do have code enforcement.

We we don't actively need another department to come up with.

If you're a nuisance, code enforcement can do something about it.

And certainly county-wide, um, the rule about how many days you can rent something have been there since forever, way predating any of this.

Um really what it comes down to as far as I am concerned is that I'm assuming that we're going to go from a 200 grand loss to a 300 grand loss or whatever.

Um I don't see the the distinction here that makes a difference between that uh and code compliance.

And and with respect to Ron, I appreciate his sentiment about regulation and uh people following the law, but you know what?

People who don't follow the law don't follow the law, and uh it ain't gonna make any difference whether you're a vacation rental or whether it's code compliance.

So I I I I'm a kind of think that that's a dog without any teeth.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Uh Linda Holland.

Thank you.

My name is Linda Holland, and I'm a now a 46-year resident of the Gillespie Park neighborhood.

Um seen a lot of changes, been part of a lot of the changes, and it's such a wonderful neighborhood to live in now.

But we have problems, still have problems like everybody else in uh in the um the vacation rentals are certainly one of them.

So I'm here to support um remedying the uh the issue of not including like the Gillespie Park neighborhood originally in this in the citywide um expansion of the of the ordinance.

So I think it's an easy, easy enough thing to do now.

Uh one of the more simple things to help us all out.

So I quite frankly would like to see our our um district one commissioner make a motion to expand this to include the Lesbian Park, and we just move on with with uh taking care of something that we should have been included to begin with.

And so I hope that uh that we'll be able to get this one done taken care of pretty quickly.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Flo antler.

Hi, good afternoon.

Hello again, Commissioners.

Uh my name is Flo Entler, 37-year city resident.

I am representing myself, but the last time I spoke about this ordinance was in January uh 2nd, 2024.

I was representing myself, the Arlington Park neighborhood and C CNA.

And that time we were looking for it to go citywide.

We weren't looking for the DT uh neighborhoods to be carved out.

We were told it was going citywide, and somehow it just went to RSF and RF RMF neighborhoods.

So I'll now get back to speaking for myself.

I'm here today as a pro uh as a 37-year city resident and a property owner in the Arlington Park neighborhood.

I'm asking you to strengthen and actually enforce our vacation rental rules.

For at least 15 years, Sarasota has required that vacation rentals have a minimum stay of seven days.

Shorter stays are considered transient lodging and aren't allowed.

I have one on my block that is shorter than seven days.

We don't have to look beyond Anna Maria Island to see the cost have see the cost of unchecked short-term rentals, neighborhoods hollowed out, commercial activity replaces community, and year-round residents are displaced.

Sarasota was fortunate our seven-day rule was grandfathered in before the legislature stripped the local authority on vacation rentals.

But a rule only protects neighborhoods if it is enforced.

And for too long, this one hasn't been.

In 2021, the city created a registration program starting with our culture districts hit by hotel houses.

In 2024, this commission voted to expand it citywide.

Yet somehow, between that vote and the final ordinance, the intent got lost.

And neighborhoods like Gillespie Park were excluded.

It's time to fix that and make this truly citywide.

Staff estimates expanding the registry would add about 50 more units, a manage manageable 10% increase.

From the neighborhood side, problems persist.

Rentals advertise and operate for less than seven days in every part of the city.

Residents report violations, provide screenshot, yet little happens.

Part of the issue is structural.

Our code system was designed to inspect buildings, not monitor activities.

Vacation rentals are an activity.

The churn, new groups, every few days, late night noise, parking, trash, erodes residential character.

Meanwhile, permanent vacation rental signs still line yards, abusing an old exception meant for uh for sale signs.

It hurts the look and feel of our streets.

Staff knows of these problems is trying to find a way to balance the forest and the trees.

We can streamline this and make it work for everybody if we just keep it simple.

Expand the registry citywide, require full inspections maybe every three to five years, or after major structural changes.

This will free up staff to enforce rentals that don't comply with the seven-day minimum.

Close the signage loophole to estimate permanent vacation to eliminate permanent vacation rental ads.

Let's protect our neighborhoods and put everyone in the same playing field.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

And we still have a few more people.

Is Charles Morris going to return?

No.

Nope.

Okay.

Max Brandau and Kelly Brown.

Okay.

Mr.

Brandau, you're up.

All right.

Good afternoon, Mayor, Commissioners, Max Barando, resident, homeowner in District 3.

I am representing the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee Day.

You guys received our letter last week, but our position is pretty simple, and we believe it's the common sense position.

Vacation rental expansion into these districts lacks any of the nexus that the original ordinance had as it pertains to health, safety, welfare.

The staff's own record suggests that within this district that you guys are potentially going to expand into, there's been no recurring compliance concerns, no pattern of police disservances, not a single verified violation, and five total complaints over the course of the year.

And if we were just to assume that the five total complaints were legitimate complaints, and they panned out, that in itself wouldn't warrant expansion.

But of those five total complaints, none of them were violations.

So justification for regulatory expansion is unclear.

The argument for expansion uh further weekends when you look at uh what's going on within the department uh fiscally and operationally.

The staff's report uh indicated that they were running a deficit.

I believe costs are above 400,000 dollars, and their estimates uh of 250,000 uh revenue per year.

Expansion would only uh exacerbate those issues.

Uh we believe the commission has a duty to ensure that public decisions are grounded in data and are fiscally fiscally responsible and for these reasons we ask that uh the commission does not support expansion.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Kelly Brown.

Good afternoon.

I'm gonna need the Elmo.

Uh my name is Kelly Brown, I'm a city resident.

I'm the president of C CNA as well as the president of Gillespie Park Neighborhood Association.

I'm going to speak to you today on behalf of each of them.

First C CNA, I'm not going to give you all the history of the dates because you heard that.

But if you'll note on slide two from city staff, it said that the vacation ordinance was supposed to go citywide in February of 24.

That's what was approved.

There was no mention to exclude or intent to exclude any neighborhoods from the code or registration process.

There was no discussion that have happened publicly to omit any neighborhoods, yet neighborhoods were excluded with no notification.

We have been trying as an organization to correct this issue since that time.

Please use this opportunity today to provide these missed neighborhoods the same safety, tranquility, and peaceful enjoyment of their homes as has been applied to every other neighborhood.

Now, speaking for Gillespie Park.

Those are our meeting minutes.

As vacation rentals that are are not owner occupied, continue to ignore the city's rules.

Gillespie Park is very similar to Laurel Park with single family homes, duplexes, small apartment complexes, and primary full-time residents.

We are not a transient hotel lodging neighborhood.

Today, 70% of the vacation rentals in our neighborhood are non-owner occupied.

Huge houses are being built to accommodate future hotel houses.

I've heard it said that there are no complaints in the downtown zone, downtown neighborhood zone.

Well, in reality, there's nobody to complain to as the vacation rental code doesn't apply in our neighborhood.

Why wouldn't the city be willing to protect Gillespie Park like it does every other neighborhood in the city?

Some examples of what we deal with every weekend.

This is just a group of, I just looked these up yesterday.

I could have rented every single one of these for two days in the same weekend.

This year.

This particular house, we have had situations where it sleeps 16, it's two houses side by side with gunfire, with fights, with parking everywhere in the streets.

People are afraid to call.

There is a stand-your-ground law in Florida.

People are afraid to call.

We have situations where the owners have shelled in their entire front yards to put in more parking.

Well, there is a parking ordinance in Gillespie Park that says you cannot park in your front yard.

It's the only neighborhood besides Park East in the city that has that ordinance.

We have another place on a different street that sleeps 12.

They have completely blocked the sidewalk on a regular basis with VO scooters.

Worse than that, it's not even in front of that house.

It's the house next door, which isn't a vacation rental.

We have a house with a dog run that dogs bark all day long.

We have nowhere to go.

Trash cans are left out.

Parking is every which way.

Every neighborhood meeting has conversation about vacation rental problems.

We're not asking the commission to do anything more for us than they have not already done for other neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Okay.

Maybe you could turn them all into long-term rentals and solve the problem.

Okay.

Invite our vacation rental team back up because I suspect there will be questions.

I'm waiting for somebody to buzz in with the question.

Okay.

Vice Mayor.

Thank you.

I'll get the ball rolling.

How is local business tax involved in vacation rentals?

So every vacation rental that registers is required to have a local business tax with the city, which is paid one time each fiscal year to operate as a business here in our municipality.

So when we expanded citywide to all residential zones, all of those new rentals that did not currently already have the business tax had to apply for and obtain that.

So how are you involved in that?

Local business taxes part of co-compliance as a whole.

So when we review a vacation rental registration application, there's you know set quite a few requirements that have to be submitted, one of which is the local business tax receipt certificate, active, you know, for the current fiscal year.

Okay.

So if they have it and they've checked it off and included their sheet of paper, then you're done with it.

If they don't have it but should have it, then it becomes a code compliance issue when somebody in code compliance has to pursue it.

Our staff helps work with the applicants and residents, and we work closely with the local business tax staff.

We're all in the same office on the same floor, so we're a pretty tight-knit team and we've been navigating the you know the whole program together.

Gotcha.

And so could you just very briefly run through some of the program expenditures that are associated with uh vacation rentals?

Sure.

So we have uh vacation rental registration compliance software that finds the vacation rentals and helps us to identify non-compliance and new rentals.

So that is costing us approximately 40,000 every year.

We have myself and I have four staff that work with me as well, so that accounts for the majority of the yearly expenditures, and really other ongoing costs would just be equipment and uh that's about it.

Gotcha.

Thank you.

I'll come back, Mayor.

Okay.

Ummissioner Albert.

Oh, yeah.

Well, I was giving you a chance to pose okay.

Um, part of the fees come from registration, is that correct?

Uh the rental houses.

Yes.

Okay.

And do part of the fees come from the local business tax?

Local business tax.

You don't get any of that.

Okay.

That goes to that.

So that's not an issue if that goes away.

No.

Okay.

So number one, um, and maybe it's said in the material and I I missed it.

How did the DTN zone get excluded?

Because I I do remember voting to expand it citywide, so I'm trying to see what happened.

So the ordinance originally applied to residential single and residential multiple family zones on the barrier island, so it was been zone-based.

Okay.

So that's that's that's what that's what happened.

Okay.

And is all of Gillespie Park DTN?

Yes.

Okay.

And is it possible to just include Gillespie Park and leave the downtown out?

What effect would that have for the record, Alison Christie, General Manager of Development Services?

I think the attorney's office has recommended that we stick to basing it on zone districts.

And not neighborhoods.

Okay.

Um get back to my to my notes here.

And you talked about in the backup material the cost as opposed to the number of potential rental units in that area, correct?

So how many more staff would you need?

What would be the additional cost estimate?

If directed to draft an ordinance to expand, we would be able to bring back numbers to show exactly how much staff based on operational context that we would request.

Um in the backup, it mentions that each additional staff member of a total annual roll-up would be approximately 75,000.

So you need how many extra staff?

That would be yet to be determined.

It's yeah.

At least one at least.

At least.

At least.

Okay.

Um is it true there were only five complaints in that area?

Yes.

Okay.

And so isn't this something that if there it starts to become a huge problem that we could add in?

We could always add this at some point.

I I believe so, yes.

Wouldn't, you know, because we would be doing the same thing we're doing now, is expanding it to that to that area.

Um the other issues that were pointed out by Kelly Brown about the things that have been happening.

Is that something that can be I guess taken care of by code enforcement rather than by including them in the vacation rental ordinance?

Aren't those code enforcement violations whether they're a hotel house or not?

Yes.

Our team and our staff currently handle complaints for the zoning code, which is regulates the minimum stay requirement.

Okay.

And the other issues she brought up, I think like blocking the sidewalk, parking in the front yard, those are those can be done separately from the vacation rental.

Um that's all I have for now.

Commissioner Haran Kodch?

Yes, thank you.

Um on on I don't know what page it was on your presentation, but the presentation with the cost of the the program where you have the calendar year, the revenue and the expenditures.

Uh when I eyeball that cutting out 2026 because we're just second of March, um, I come up with a revenue of about $530,000 and expenditure of about $800,000, which is the difference of uh um $270,000 divided by four years would be about $57,000 a year.

Does that make sense?

Okay, so that's what it costs basically the city uh to run this program per year, $57,000.

That's about right, I think.

Yeah, maybe it's a little more.

Okay.

Uh I just wanted to give some perspective to what it uh costs for the request from the community to health, safety, welfare compatibility, so on and so forth.

Okay.

Um and then my other question has to do with uh the question that Commissioner Alper just asked about why not Gillespie Park because the city attorney doesn't recommend it, why not?

I can clarify he wasn't saying we weren't saying he didn't recommend that.

It was just the original ordinance recognize the residential zone districts.

So then when we stated we expanded citywide, we expanded citywide to the residential zone districts.

Gillespie Park is a downtown zone district.

Okay.

Uh could we just expand it if we wanted to take a toe, dip a toe into this expanding it into Gillespie Park?

That's up to you all.

That's what we're here to decide today.

Legally, could we do that?

Yeah.

Yes.

Okay.

Um are you aware of any other neighborhoods that have DTN that would also want this and say, hey, why not us?

I'm not aware of any.

Yeah, Park East is the only other neighborhood that's zone DTN.

I think we'd have to was that included in the 50s?

Or was that just Gillespie Park?

The 50 units.

That includes parkees.

Okay.

So we could expand it to DTN in Gillespie Park and Park East.

That's what is before you today is expanding to DTN, and that would include both.

Right.

But it could be just those two neighborhoods?

I think that's all that's DTN.

Okay.

There's no DTN elsewhere, it's just those two neighborhoods?

I believe so.

I think so.

Yeah.

It's just there.

Okay.

All right.

Um.

And then the idea of a tiered fee for the houses.

Somebody had suggested number of beds or square footage of houses.

Um I thought there was something that we had in there about that, but I could be wrong.

Currently we have a flat fee for registration and renewals.

We researched when before the ordinance expanded, we did re research for other municipalities throughout the state.

So if we were directed to expand again, we could reevaluate that to see if our information from you know the past has changed.

Because best case scenario that it pays for itself the program, obviously not a uh a revenue generating program, but at least pay for itself.

Maybe potentially that is a way to get there.

You know, we've heard for some from some people since we've introduced this that you know the the little guy is impacted or has to pay as much as the big guy.

Um and maybe there's some wisdom in in that input as well.

So that's an option.

If if that's what we're directed, yes.

Thank you.

Oh, but those are my questions.

Okay.

Did you have anything you wanted to ask?

Okay.

Um I have a couple of things.

Um in if we don't do registration, can we actually enforce this seven-day, seven-night minimum?

Yes, we can currently enforce that, but there are staffing constraints and you know, operational considerations for proactively enforcing that.

Okay.

It and do we do any kind of education?

People who are required to register know the rules, but I also hear from people who are doing uh vacation rentals not in a registration area who don't know that it's a seven-day, seven-night minimum.

You know, they're saying, oh, I'm just you know helping to pay the mortgage.

Yeah.

So is there any education to uh other neighborhoods besides the ones where there's registration requirements?

Education for our requirements really comes down to either discussing registration or being in communication, whether that be a complaint.

Um also our website I keep updated with current information, which is a very valuable resource for people to go and learn more about our requirements, but only if they realize it applies to them, right?

I can't really speak for anybody else.

Okay.

Um now you said that there were half dozen complaints from uh Gillespie Park.

Um what were the nature of the complaints?

What were they complaining?

What were the complaints about?

The are you referring to the five and DTN?

Yeah.

They were about renting for less than seven days and nights.

Okay.

And how does that compare with the complaints you received in other areas where registration is in effect?

Most of the other complaints were due to failure to register and or the seven days and nights.

Oftentimes when we cite for failure to register, we also find non-compliance with the minimum stay.