Budget, transportation and stormwater issues among board’s top priorities for next year
Sarasota County Commissioner Ron Cutsinger of Englewood, who holds the District 5 seat, has been chosen chair of the board for 2026.
The vote came during the commissioners’ strategic planning retreat, held on Friday, Dec. 12, at Nathan Benderson Park near University Parkway.
Commissioner Mark Smith of Siesta Key, who represents District 2 — including the city of Sarasota — was elected vice chair; and Commissioner Teresa Mast of Sarasota, who represents District 1, was named pro tem.
Cutsinger has been serving as vice chair this year. He previously was chair of the board, having been elected to his South County seat for the first time in November 2020. Last year, he won re-election without opposition.
Smith, who was elected to the commission in November 2022, is seeking re-election in 2026. Mast won her seat during the November 2024 General Election.
During the Friday retreat, the commissioners also “identified their strategic priorities to set the roadmap for goals, projects, and initiatives in 2026,” a county news release notes.
The annual retreat is an opportunity for the commissioners to discuss issues in an informal setting as they zero in on the topics that they believe should be their priorities for the following year.
For 2026, the board members settled on the following top issues:
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Natalie Gutwein of the Siesta Key Beautification Alliance addresses the county commissioners during their March 11 meeting in Venice. File image The 2028 fiscal year budget, especially in regard to “critical services,” the news release noted. Commissioners have expressed concern on numerous occasions in recent months in regard to the action already underway in the Legislature that could reduce or eliminate property taxes. Legislators have indicated the likelihood that one or more referenda will be on the General Election ballot in November 2026. Without sufficient property tax revenue, the commissioners are worried that they will have to contend with cutting back services to county residents.
- “Current and future transportation management on county roads. Commissioners have expressed frustration this year about the need for the expansion of the county’s road network to serve the growth of residential development. However, the board has been constrained by the cost of such undertakings.
- “Legacy regional” stormwater facilities.
- “Siesta Key beautification, funding and maintenance.”
A representative of a new group on the barrier island — the Siesta Key Beautification Alliance — tried without success earlier this year to persuade the commissioners to dedicate $30 million to an initiative that would provide new landscaping to replace foliage destroyed by 2024 Hurricanes Helene and Milton and, in general, refresh the look of the is.
Further, the county news release reports, the commissioners agreed during their retreat that they would “continue to focus on crucial agenda topics,” including affordable housing, transportation and stormwater initiatives.