Board members must file annual reports with Florida Commission on Ethics
Once again — in 2025 — the only member of the Sarasota City Commission with no income other than the salary paid by the city was Commissioner Kyle Battie, The Sarasota News Leader has learned from its review of the financial disclosure forms that the board members are required to file with the Florida Commission on Ethics.
Battie’s form includes “N/A” under the headings of both “Primary Sources of Income,” covering anything over $2,500, and “Secondary Sources of Income.”
For 2025, two of Battie’s colleagues did include mention of their city salaries on their forms, the News Leader found. Mayor Trice noted only her income from the Social Security Administration, a pension plan with IBM Corp., and a mutual fund with Vanguard Wellesley.
In November 2025, in response to a News Leader inquiry, Luke Mocherman, communications specialist for the city, reported that the city commissioners’ salary for the 2025-26 fiscal year — which ended on Sept. 30 — was $53,738.96.
Replying to a request for the board members’ salary for the 2026-27 fiscal year, Mocherman reported this week that that figure is $54,208.68.
Further, in his report for 2025, Battie wrote that he owns no real property, and he has no intangible property valued above the $10,000 threshold — such as stocks or bonds — the form shows.
However, he also indicated no major debts above $10,000.
The type of form each elected municipal government leader has to file in Florida on an annual basis does not include a net worth declaration.
Mayor Trice also did not report ownership of any real property or liabilities above $10,000. However, she attached a list of intangible properties. Those follow:
In her filing, Vice Mayor Kathy Kelley Ohlrich reported that she receives a pension from the State Teachers Retirement Fund of Ohio; income from VOYA, a retirement insurance and annuity company in Hartford, Conn., as she noted; a Merrill Lynch account; and her commission salary.
The vice mayor also left blank the space for listing any real property.
She did, however, list bank accounts with Fifth Third Bank and American Express as intangible property, along with Merrill Lynch and VOYA annuities.
Ohlrich did not report any debts valued over $10,000.
Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch listed her own firm, JAK Consults, through which she provides marketing, public relations and graphic design assistance, as a primary source of income, along with her salary. She, too, listed no real property.
Under the “Intangible Personal Property” heading, she noted “Florida Pre-Paid,” which refers to college tuition set aside under the guidelines of a state program.
Under “Liabilities,” she named Fifth Third Bank as a creditor.
In her form, Commissioner Liz Alpert listed her law firm and Social Security as her primary sources of income. She also did not note any real property.
In regard to intangibles, she listed her Florida Retirement System account, her Alpert Law operating account, and her Alpert Law accounts receivable.
As for liabilities valued above $10,000, Alpert noted a Bank of America mortgage; Sloan Servicing of Lincoln, Neb., whose website indicates that it assists with paying off student loans; Firstmark Services of Omaha, Neb., whose website says, “Since 1997, we have built strong partnerships and exceeded client expectations in managing the performance of private student loan and consumer loan portfolios”; and Independent Bank of Memphis. These were unchanged from her 2024 financial disclosures to the Florida Commission on Ethics, the News Leader found.