City’s governmental affairs director confirms situation in response to Facebook page comments
During the Dec. 1 Sarasota City Commission meeting, Vice Mayor Kathy Kelley Ohlrich raised a question about an advertisement that had appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Was the use of the city’s logo on that ad — which was placed by the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation (SPAF) — approved by city staff, she asked. “Anybody know anything about that?”
“I do not know about it,” interim City Manager Dave Bullock replied, adding, “Sorry. I didn’t see it.”
“I don’t know anything about it, either,” she told him. “But I did see it.”
Then City Attorney Joe Polzak noted, “I’ve heard about it.”
Polzak explained that someone would have to check the Partnership Agreement with the Foundation, which the City Commission originally approved in April 2022 on a split vote, as well as “communications between us and [Foundation representatives] as to whether that [logo use] was authorized.”
Bullock then told Ohlrich, “We can look at that. We’ll look at that agreement.”
She thanked him.
The Sarasota News Leader also had seen comments on the Citizens for Sarasota County Facebook page, questioning the use of the logo.
This week, the News Leader learned from Jan Thornburg, general manager of the city’s Communications Department, that the use of the logo indeed was approved by the city, in August.
Thornburg added in a Dec. 15 email, “Staff with the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation worked with City staff on this, as the Foundation does reach out and request approval for the use of the City logo.
“The agreement between the City of Sarasota and the Foundation is still active,” Thornburg noted.
Among documents that the News Leader received about the issue, in response to a public records request, is a Dec. 4 email to Bullock, Deputy City Manager Patrick Robinson, and Thornburg from Jennifer Jorgensen, the city’s director of governmental affairs. It says the following:
“The Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation (Foundation) worked with both Jan and me on this. The Foundation does ask for approval from the City on the use of the logo.
“The Agreement Between the City of Sarasota and the Sarasota Performing Arts Center, Inc. dated April 18, 2022, with a First Amendment dated April 13, 2023 and Second Amendment dated January 13, 2025, is still an active agreement with the purpose of the City and Foundation planning, designing, funding and building a new performing arts center,” Jorgensen continued.
“Under that Agreement,” she explained, “the Foundation must develop and submit to the City Commission for approval an Implementation Agreement, which includes a project concept plan. The Foundation brought a draft Implementation Agreement and concept plan to the City Commission on March 17, 2025. The City Commission voted to continue the agenda item, asking for a modified concept plan and Implementation Agreement to be brought back to the City Commission, taking into account various comments made by the City Commissioners at that meeting. The City and the Foundation are currently working with the design architect on a revised concept plan.”
The Foundation is expected to raise 50% of the expense of the new performing arts center, in accord with its agreements with the city.
An updated City Commission meeting schedule that City Auditor and Clerk Shayla distributed on Dec. 10 does not list any Foundation presentation on the SPAC plans between Jan. 5 and the end of April 2026. However, that chart is not meant to be comprehensive.
On Dec. 5, the public records show, Deputy City Manager Robinson forwarded Jorgensen’s email to Vice Mayor Ohlrich. She responded the same day: “Thanks, Pat. Good to get the accurate information about this out there.”
Robinson noted in a follow-up email that the information from Jorgensen had been shared with city resident Virginia Hoffman, who first brought up the issue on the Citizens for Sarasota County Facebook page. He added that Hoffman had “advised she was going to spread the word …”
Indeed, the News Leader observed on that Facebook page that Hoffman had followed up as she had indicated she would.