Private investigator Boyd to serve out unexpired term
Thanks to an April 21 vote of the Sarasota County Commission, yet another new person has been named to the county’s Planning Commission: Randy D. Boyd of Sarasota, a private investigator who operates the Boyd Investigative Group/Boyd Security Group, his application says.
Commissioner Mark Smith nominated Boyd. No other members of the board offered alternatives. Thus, Chair Ron Cutsinger asked staff to notify Boyd of the decision.
Boyd’s term will be in effect through Aug. 31, 2029.
In his application, Boyd had written, “As a fourth generation resident of Sarasota, I believe it is my responsibility to help Sarasota move forward with planning and development in a productive, common sense manner.”
He added that, having been born and reared in the county, he is “very familiar “with its geography “and the impact development has on our lands.”
A person perusing the commission’s agenda materials in advance of the start of the April 21 meeting could have been excused for a bit of confusion.
The staff memo for Item No. 18, regarding the appointment of a new member to the county’s Planning Commission, appeared to be identical to a memo that had appeared on the board’s March 24 meeting agenda. It explained that Shaun Libou had vacated his Planning Commission seat, so a replacement needed to be named. Libou works in real estate and investment banking with Raymond James & Associates of St. Petersburg, his application noted.
Commissioner Tom Knight had won support from his board colleagues on Aug. 27, 2025, for his nomination of Libou to the Planning Commission, which long has been considered the county’s most influential advisory board. The Planning Commission members conduct hearings on land-use applications and proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, which guides growth in the county. Then they vote on recommendations to the County Commission, to guide its decisions on the applications.
As The Sarasota News Leader has reported, during the March 24 board meeting, Commissioner Teresa Mast nominated Veronica Cobb to the vacated seat. Cobb is the executive director of HarborChase, an assisted living facility with a memory care community that is located on Proctor Road in Sarasota, her application said.
On a 3-2 vote, Cobb won the seat, whose term was to be in effect through Aug. 31, 2029.
In response to a News Leader inquiry, Planning and Development Services staff explained in an April 21 email, “Ms. Cobb declined the appointment. She stated she recently had a personal issue in the family that required her to move out of the county.”
The other applicants
The other persons who had applied for the open seat on the Planning Commission are as follows, as shown in the agenda packet:
- Benjamin Elliott of Sarasota, the construction project manager for Power Design of St. Petersburg. He wrote in his application that he wanted to serve on the Planning Commission “because I care deeply about Sarasota County and believe [in] thoughtful, disciplined planning matters over the long term. Serving on the Planning Commission would allow me to contribute careful judgment, respect for adopted policy, and a balanced perspective to decisions that shape the community’s future.”
- Thomas Arthur of Sarasota, a real estate agent with Michael Saunders & Co. in Lakewood Ranch. In his application, he explained the following in regard to his desire to serve on the Planning Commission: “As a property rights advocate, and someone who is in the real estate business, I see both the importance of community service and understand the value in both residential and commercial presence within a thriving community.”
- Arturo D. Lopez of Sarasota, leader of the Sarasota office of Wannemacher Jensen Architects LLC, the firm’s website explains. Lopez noted in his application that he wanted to serve on the Planning Commission because he is “[u]nhappy with the amount of housing development approved in Sarasota County.”
- Thomas J. Fitch of Venice, a retiree who wrote the following in his application: “I’d like to help align and advise County leadership as to projects’ compliance with technical planning standards, then provide ranking of qualifying projects based on the County’s Comprehensive Plan. I’d also like to recommend revisions, if needed, to the existing Comprehensive Plan. I served in this capacity in Mecklenburg County, N.C.” Charlotte is located in Mecklenburg County.