Next installment of Civics 101 course to start July 27

Free programs will be conducted on Thursday evenings through Sept. 14

Civics 101 students attend a session at the Emergency Operations Center in February. Photo courtesy Sarasota County

The next installment of Sarasota County’s popular Civics 101 program is set to begin on July 27 and continue through Sept. 14, the county has announced.

Act I: Setting the Stage will take place on Thursdays from 6 to 8:15 p.m., a county news release says. The location will change for each class, the release notes.

Act I: Setting the Stage “is an encore performance of the module that was offered in February,” the release explains. It will put the focus on operations of such county departments as Communications, Financial Management, Economic Development and Planning and Development Services, the release adds.

“The class is usually a mix of people who enroll because they want a better understanding of how their tax dollars are spent, and people who are just looking for an interesting way to spend their time,” says Sarasota County Community Outreach Specialist Miranda Lansdale, who coordinates the program, in the release.

The course is free, the release points out, with materials and light refreshments provided. “Anyone who lives or works in Sarasota County is eligible to participate, although module enrollment is limited to 35 students,” the release notes.

Applications are available at scgov.net, keyword: “Civics 101.” Interested parties also may call the county Contact Center at 861-5000 or email neighbor@scgov.net.