Good afternoon.

I would like to call this meeting to order.

Uh, welcome to the March fifth, twenty twenty-six special attack turn a client session city commission meeting, and first we will have the invocation by city auditor and Clark Griggs.

I don't see anyone who has a request to speak card, so I will also skip over the pledge of public comment.

So item number two point one is the attorney client session.

And this is a special closed meeting of the city commission for the purpose of discussing settlement negotiations and strategy related to three cases.

And I'm going to ask the city attorney to list those cases for us and to explain the attorney client session process.

Thank you, Mayor.

In accordance with section two eighty-six point zero one one subsection eight Florida statutes.

I'm announcing that hereby we're going to meet in private with the city attorney to discuss settlement negotiations and strategy related to litigation expenditures in the following three cases, which will be done in access in succession and noted on the record.

Edward Stanke versus City of Sarasota, case number 2023, CA 002096 NC.

The estimated length of the closed attorney client session on this case is approximately 30 minutes.

Asserted by Gannett, next our scripts, next our scripts, Times Publishing, the Florida Center for Government Accountability, and Barfield v.

City of Sarasota concerning allegations of Florida public records laws by the city in responding to public records requests regarding the investigation of Mr.

Ziegler.

The estimated length of time for the closed attorney client session for this case is approximately 60 minutes.

Those present for the closed portions of the meetings for all three meetings are as follows.

In addition to the aforementioned individuals, attorney James O.

Williams, Jr., outside council will be attending the closed portion of the meeting regarding the Ziegler matter only.

The chairperson shall announce the time and research recess periods for uh the open special meeting so that the attorney closed sessions may convene in succession.

Each of the three closed sessions shall be recorded by uh certified court reporter, including the time of commencement and conclusion, and no portions shall be off the record.

After concluding all three closed sessions in succession in the shade, the meeting shall be reopened in the sunshine, and the chairperson shall announce the termination of the session in time.

And uh Deputy City Attorney Joe Muladnik would also like to make a brief announcement.

Just for for the closed sessions, um, we're gonna keep them separate.

So you know, as we go through the first case, we'll we'll we'll open up the closed session, we'll announce the time, we'll go through that case, we'll announce the time and close it, and then move on to the next case, open it up and close it.

Same with the third, and and that's also so that we just have a clear transcript of of each of those uh sessions.

So that that's what we're uh planning to do, and we want to try to keep them separate so that everything's in order.

So thank you.

And these closed sessions will be in room 109 at City Hall.

So it is now 3.06 Apple time, and we're going to recess and convene in uh the closed uh attorney client session immediately from here.

Thank you, Mayor.

Take a second.

We are now back in open session of the special meeting of uh whatever today's date is March eighth.

Oh, yes, no, say it's March 5th.

March 5th, 2026.

And um I'm gonna call upon City Attorney Polzak to make comments come covering the closed attorney client session that we just finished.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh as you noted, we've we're now back in open session.

The time is four fifty-two PM.

Um the shade meeting in in the following cases, uh, as we discussed at the beginning has concluded.

The cases were Raquel Hammer v.

City of Sarasota, 2024 CA sixty one ninety-three NC, Edward Stanky v City of Sarasota, two thousand twenty-three CA twenty ninety-six NC, and Christian Ziegler v City of Sarasota.

Case number two thousand twenty-four CA fourteen oh nine NC, as far as the interview cross claims.

No votes were taken during the closed session, and mayor, I hand it off to you for any action.

Thank you.

Uh for the case of Raquel Hammer versus City of Sarasota.

Mayor, I have a motion to accept the proposed settlement in the amount of seventy-five thousand dollars in the case of Raquel Hammer versus the City of Sarasota.

Second.

Okay, motion by the Vice Mayor, seconded by Commissioner Ahern Koch.

Um you have your votes, please.

Do you need a roll call?

No.

Okay.

So it is unanimously passed.

Thank you very much.

Uh the second item, item three point two is uh the settlement for the case of Edward Stankey versus the City of Sarasota.

May I have a motion, please.

I have a motion, Mayor, to accept the proposed settlement in the amount of eighty-five thousand dollars in the case of Edward Stankey versus the City of Sarasota.

Uh motion by the Vice Mayor seconded by uh Commissioner Ahern Koch to settle um, and it passed unanimously.

Thank you very much.

And then the third item, item three point three, um concerning uh the case matter of Christian Ziegler versus City of Sarasota.

Um may I have a motion, please?

I have a motion, Mayor.

Uh, to reject the center's fifty thousand dollar offer for settlement and reject the global settlement offer made by all three claimants.

Second.

Okay, motion by the vice mayor, seconded by commissioner Ahern Koch to reject both settlement offers.

Um and your votes, please.

And that passed unanimously.

Thank you all very much.

And I guess then the meeting is adjourned.

Thank you.

Thank you.