Commissioners elect not to have representative of master developer of new communities present for discussion
On Feb. 11, at County Commission Chair Joe Neunder’s request — with full concurrence of his colleagues — the board members directed county staff to halt work on an agreement that the commissioners approved on Jan. 28, regarding the extension of a county road to the area of Hi Hat Ranch where new developments are proposed.
The decision followed publication of an article by Michael Barfield of Sarasota, who is a reporter for the Florida Trident and director of public access for the Florida Center for Government Accountability.
Neunder passed the gavel to Vice Chair Ron Cutsinger during the regular commission meeting on Feb. 11, saying of the planned development of Hi Hat Ranch, “I think this is a very large project. It’s 13,000 acres in a geographical area that’s as large as the city of Venice. There are some things that I think really need to be looked at closer.”
Using a multitude of emails and text messages that he had received through a county public records request, Barfield had provided details of the involvement of former county Commissioner Alan Maio in crafting the agreement that the board members addressed on Jan. 28; Maio had represented the Turner family of Sarasota, which owns the ranch property.
Maio stepped down from the commission in November 2022 because of term limits. Since then, he has returned to work with the Kimley-Horn consulting firm in Sarasota, of which he was a principal before retiring to launch his first campaign for public office. (See the related article in this issue.)
During the Feb. 11 discussion, at Commissioner Teresa Mast’s request, Chair Neunder agreed that the in-depth board discussion on the details of the agreement — and how it evolved — should take place no later than six months from that date.
This week, as part of the board’s business as they conducted a regular meeting in Venice, County Administrator Jonathan Lewis distributed copies to the commissioners of a staff proposal about how the Hi Hat Ranch workshop should flow. The discussion will take place on April 9, Lewis said.
Without mentioning Commissioner Tom Knight by name — as Knight was the one who raised the issue on Feb. 11 — Lewis also asked for direction about having the master developer of Hi Hat Ranch — a representative of the Turner family of Sarasota — present on April 9.
Staff had not planned for that, Lewis added, but if the commissioners wanted a Hi Hat Ranch representative there, staff would take care of that.
If they did not want to make a decision this week, Lewis said, he would bring up the issue again when they hold their next regular meeting on March 26.
“What is the will of the board at this time?” Chair Neunder asked.
With no one having indicated a desire to speak, Neunder told Lewis, “It seems like everybody is good with the current process [outlined in the memo].”
The process, as proposed
In response to a county public records request, The Sarasota News Leaderreceived a copy of the memo that Lewis distributed to the board on March 11.
The March 5 document provides what it calls “an outline of the topics that could be considered for discussion at the workshop.”
They are as follows:
- “Key Development Related Definitions.
- “Concurrency and Mobility Fees.” As County Attorney Joshua Moye has explained to the commissioners, a state law enacted in 2011 forbids local government bodies from using what had been called “concurrency” in regard to traffic issues when voting on a land-use application. The state’s Community Planning Act makes it clear that the potential that a new residential area will generate enough traffic on existing roads that the level of service on those roads will decline cannot be cited as a valid reason for denying the application.
Both Commissioners Tom Knight and Mark Smith have expressed worries about increased congestion on Fruitville Road as new developments are constructed in the eastern part of the county. For the past several years, residents who live along Fruitville Road have stressed the worsening of the congestion.
- “Regulatory Requirements vs. Proprietary Interests.
• “2050 Process.” That refers to the county’s 2050 Plan, which was enacted in 2002 to guide growth in the county east of Interstate 75, with specific criteria to be met by each developer. Commissioners Smith and Knight recently have pointed to the fact that the plan has been amended a number of times. One of those changes allows for Lakewood Ranch Southeast to be built with more density than the plan’s Hamlets, but less density than the Villages. - “Master Development Order (MDO) for the Hi-Hat Ranch.” Approved unanimously in June 2021 by the commissioners seated at that time, the MDO allows up to 4,503 acres of the 9,959-acre project area on Hi Hat Ranch to be developed. The number of residential units is restricted to 13,081, with non-residential space limited to 450,000 square feet. Another 3,157 acres will be devoted to greenway, with 2,298 acres to be set aside as open space. James and Richard E. Turner, the principal partners in Hi Hat Ranch, told the commissioners that the build-out would not be completed before 2056.
- “Timeline.”
- “BCC [County Commission] Policy Guidance.” That line item is subdivided to note the discussion the commissioners had on Oct. 23, 2024 about guidance in regard to a proposal for sale of county access to the Hi Hat Ranch communities through county-owned land east of the Bee Ridge Road-Lorraine Road intersection, plus the Jan., 28 discussion, after which only Commissioner Tom Knight voted against the proposed agreement.
- “Impacts on County Operations of Bee Ridge East Extension (East of Lorraine Road).” Staff created a graphic for the board to show the number of county facilities and operations that would be affected if the Bee Ridge Road Extension East— to which staff gave the acronym BREE — were constructed as proposed.
- “Transportation Deal Points for Fruitville Road [right of way] and Bee Ridge Widening from Bent Tree Blvd. to Lorraine Road.
- “Policy Guidance and Next Steps.”
The memo indicates that Assistant County Administrator Brad Johnson worked with Matt Osterhoudt, director of the county’s Planning and Development Services Department, and Eileen Dutka, manager of commission services, on the draft.
During the Feb. 11 discussion, County Administrator Lewis had suggested that the commissioners provide, in advance of the workshop, a list of questions that they wanted to have answered when it was held.