None of his colleagues offers a comment on proposal
With two new members on the board, Sarasota County Commissioner Mark Smith once again broached a topic on Dec. 17 that he had raised with no success in the past.
And, once again, he found “no takers,” so to speak.
As part of his report to his colleagues during their regular meeting in Venice on Dec. 17, Smith said, “I think the board should consider bringing back in-person Neighborhood Workshops.”
He was referring to the county-required, applicant presentations on land-use development proposals. The purpose of the sessions is to inform residents and business and property owners within close proximity to the sites of the proposed developments about the plans before the formal applications are submitted to county Planning Division staff members for formal review. Leaders of homeowner associations in the affected areas also are invited to attend the workshops. Attendees of the workshops are invited to ask questions and offer comments.
On Dec. 17, Smith pointed out to his board colleagues, “I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from folks that are having either difficulty or are just dissatisfied with not being able to meet [with applicants] in person.”
Smith pointed out, “COVID’s gone,” referencing the fact that the pandemic necessitated the use of virtual meetings, in an effort to prevent transmission of the virus before vaccines became available.
“I just think it’s something this board should reconsider,” he said again. Perhaps, Smith noted, applicants for land-use projects could be allowed to have hybrid workshops, with both a Zoom feature and an in-person session.
“Meeting face-to-face with the folks that are wanting to develop in our neighborhoods and community” is very important, Smith added. Such sessions would entail developers and their team members to “listen to the community directly.”
When then-interim commission Chair Joe Neunder asked whether any of the other commissioners would like to speak on the issue, no one said anything.
“No comments,” Neunder said before moving on to the report from Commissioner Tom Knight.
The last time Smith broached the topic was on Jan. 30, 2024. He also had brought it up in 2023.
In November 2024, Teresa Mast of Sarasota was elected to the District 1 seat on the commission, while former Sheriff Tom Knight of Venice was elected to the District 3 seat. They replaced Commissioner Mike Moran, who was term-limited, and Commissioner Neil Rainford, whom Knight defeated in the August 2024 Republican Primary, respectively.
During the Jan. 30, 2024 County Commission meeting, Smith said he understood that one of the recent virtual workshops “went silent for 15 minutes.” Moreover, he continued that day, the public interaction with the presenters during those sessions “was restrictive.”
Smith then added, “I just think we’re disenfranchising our neighborhoods. … I’m just bringing that up as an opinion.”
With no other commissioner signaling to then-Chair Moran on Jan. 30, 2024 that he wished to comment, Moran told Smith, “OK. Thank you.”
Congratulations to commissioner Smith, the only commissioner with a spine for trying. The others, along with the lawyers of their supporting developers, are afraid to face embarrassing questions from residents.