Eduardo one of four applicants for seat
On a split County Commission vote, taken on Sept. 8, Peter Eduardo of Sarasota won a seat on the Sarasota County Board of Zoning Appeals.
He is the director of land development with the Sarasota division of Texas-based homebuilding company D.R. Horton, he wrote in his application.
Eduardo will have the seat through the end of January 2029, a county staff memo said.
As its county webpages explain, the Board of Zoning Appeals — which stands on its own, not in an advisory capacity — “[h]ears appeals concerning interpretation or administration and for variances under the zoning regulations.” Each member’s term is three years.
To serve on the board, a person must have been a county resident for at least two years, the webpages points out.
James Ehrmann, the county’s zoning administrator, reminded the commissioners during their regular meeting on Sept. 8, in Venice, that the expiration of a member’s term had left one vacancy on the board. In January, he noted, he provided the names of two applicants for that position. However, Commissioner Teresa Mast asked that staff continue to advertise the vacancy, “to acquire additional qualified applicants,” as the staff memo in the Sept. 8 agenda packet put it.
Mast won full support of the other commissioners for her Jan. 27 request. “This is one of the boards that makes very decisive decisions that actually do not come in front of us,” she explained. The votes of the Board of Zoning Appeals determine how property owners can proceed, Mast noted. “I’d like to draw more applicants in.”
Three additional applications had been submitted to the county since then, the Sept. 8 staff memo noted. Only one of the original candidates for the position remained interested, the memo pointed out. That person was Alex Rydel of Venice.
Eduardo was the last of the three new people to apply for the seat, as shown in a worksheet that also was included in the agenda packet. Steven Foor of North Port submitted his application on May 23, the form says; Matthew Koratich of Venice applied for the seat on June 7; and Eduardo submitted his application on July 27.
After Ehrmann made his introductory remarks to the board on Sept. 8, Commissioner Mast nominated Eduardo.
Then Commissioner Mark Smith nominated Rydel.
When Chair Ron Cutsinger asked for votes in favor of Eduardo, everyone expressed support for him except Smith.
Commissioner Joe Neunder was absent from the meeting.
“Let [Eduardo] know that he’s been appointed,” Cutsinger told Ehrmann, “and thank him for his service.”
In response to the application question about why he wanted to serve on the Board of Zoning Appeals, Eduardo wrote, “I have familiarity with Sarasota’s zoning code through my occupation and would like to use that knowledge to help our community. I have spent my whole life in Sarasota, am raising my family here and plan to spend the rest of my life in Sarasota. I want to use my knowledge an abilities to help our community.”
Rydel wrote in his application that he is a retiree, adding that he had served on the Venice Board of Construction & Appeals and as a certified housing counselor for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He also is a mortgage broker, Rydel noted.
Answering the question about why he wanted to serve on the board, he responded, “To be an advocate for the average citizen.”
In his application, Koratich wrote that he is in real estate development as an employee of Starwood Land, which has an office in Lakewood Ranch.
Responding to the question about his interest in serving on the Board of Zoning Appeals, he explained, “I am passionate about responsible growth, sound governance, and preserving the quality of life that makes Sarasota County a desirable place to live and work. Throughout my career in residential development and master-planned community operations,” he continued, “I have worked extensively with governing documents, land use considerations, architectural standards, and stakeholder engagement. These experiences have given me a practical understanding of how development decisions impact residents, property owners, businesses, and the broader community.”
He previously served as vice chair of the Board of Zoning Appeals for the City of North Port, Koratich added.
Foor wrote in his application that he is a retiree, as well, but he also works as a multi-unit team leader for H&R Block.
Regarding his interest in serving on the Board of Appeals, he noted “the important role it plays in making fair and thoughtful decisions that directly affect residents and the character of the community. Throughout my career,” he continued, “I’ve spent decades making decisions that require balancing competitive priorities, evaluating real-world impacts, and focusing on long-term outcomes. I see a strong connection between that experience and the work of the Board, where each case requires careful consideration of both the rules and how decisions affect people day-to-day.”