Radauskas wins new term on Board of Zoning Appeals

He first was appointed to that board in June 2015 and has served as chair for a number of years

As chair of the Board of Zoning Appeals, Paul Radauskas looks out at the audience during a meeting in June 2017. File photo

It took almost exactly 1 minute on Aug. 24 for the Sarasota County Commission to reappoint Paul Radauskas of Sarasota to another term on the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA).

A staff memo provided in the Aug. 24 agenda packet noted that Radauskas’ latest term had expired, but he had applied for reappointment.

The BZA attendance record for 2019 through June of this year, which also was included in the commissioners’ agenda packets, said that Radauskas had missed only one meeting over that period.

As he noted in his application, Radauskas first joined the BZA in June 2015. In response to the question about why he wanted to serve on that advisory council, he wrote, “So I can serve the community by utilizing my knowledge and experience in the Administration of Zoning and Land Development codes.”

As its county webpages explain, the Board of Zoning Appeals members hear “appeals concerning interpretation or administration and [they consider] variances under the zoning regulations.” The board, which does not act in any advisory capacity to the County Commission, has seven members. Radauskas, whose previous term expired on June 30, was chair at that time.

Radauskas further pointed out in his application that, prior to his retirement in 2011, he served in a variety of positions in communities with populations ranging from 50,000 to 450,000. Among those positions, he was zoning and land development administrator, building official and director of code enforcement, he noted.

He has earned “numerous certifications in relevant fields,” and he earned a master’s degree in public administration, he added.

These are the most recent attendance records for the Board of Zoning Appeals members. Image courtesy Sarasota County

In response to an application question about the ways he feels his knowledge and experience will contribute to his role on the Board of Zoning Appeals, Radauskas wrote, “I can explain the intent of the Ordinances and various sections [of the County Code]. I can relate background information to Board members, assist in describing potential consequences of decisions and provide general guidance.”

One other person — Maurice “Maurie” Molod of Venice — also applied for the BZA appointment.

This is the photo Maurice Molod uses with his LinkedIn account. Image from LinkedIn

Noting that he also is retired, Molod added that he learned about the opening on the NextDoor app.

“I’m looking for something where I can make a contribution based on my 44 years of development experience,” he wrote. Elaborating on that, Molod explained that he spent slightly more than 20 years “in the shopping mall industry in all areas of Right-To-Build, Leasing, Management, and Construction.”

Since April 2014, he pointed out, he has been leasing director for BL Restaurant Operations LLC — “Bar Louie,” he added — in Milford, Mass. He returned to work part-time, from his home, Molod noted.

“I’m responsible for negotiating the company’s leases, doing lease comments, modifications, extensions, amendments and handling Landlord/Tenant issues throughout the portfolio as they arise,” he wrote.

He has been semi-retired since May 2017, Molod added.

Further, he wrote that he has held real estate licenses in Michigan, Virginia and Massachusetts. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and geography from the University of Miami in Florida and a master’s degree in public administration from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Commissioner Michael Moran nominated Radauskas for the new term on the board, which will expire at the end of August 2024.

No other commissioner offered a nomination, so Chair Alan Maio asked Donna Thompson, the county zoning administrator — who was in the audience — to “tell Mr. Radauskas we appreciate his long service. We are delighted that he has asked for another term, and his usual rate of pay applies.”

Maio then added quickly that he was joking about the pay, as Board of Zoning Appeals members — like those on the county’s advisory boards — receive no compensation.