County Procurement Official makes formal announcement that contract negotiations to take place
Sarasota County Procurement Official Jennifer Slusarz announced on Aug. 12 that she had recommended that the Kimley-Horn consulting firm in Sarasota be awarded the bid to lead the process to create a new Siesta Key Community Master Plan.
“It is Sarasota County’s intent to initiate contract negotiations with Kimley-Horn and Associates,” she wrote in the formal notice. “Upon completion of negotiations,” she added, “a contract will be submitted to the Sarasota County Commission for approval.”
Kimley-Horn staff members long have been involved in consulting work and development in the county. They have represented numerous companies in public hearings before the County Commission. One of the firm’s regular clients has been Benderson Development Co., which in the past has sought to build a high-rise hotel on Siesta Key.
Former two-term county Commissioner Alan Maio was a principal of Kimley-Horn before he retired from the firm to seek his initial board term in 2014. After serving his second term on the commission, Maio has returned to the company. The nonprofit Suncoast Builders organization lists him as a senior consultant among its information about the firm.
In response to Sarasota News Leader inquiry, Samantha Parker, a public relations professional with the county, wrote in an Aug. 13 email, that an item will be added to a County Commission agenda for approval of the contract after the negotiations with Kimley-Horn have been completed.
During the April 21 County Commission meeting, Assistant County Administrator Brad Johnson reported that staff’s goal, as of that time, was to bring the board members the recommended contract before they began their traditional summer break. The board recess started on July 9 and will end on Aug. 15
As the News Leader has reported, the commissioners voted unanimously at the conclusion of a Feb. 11 workshop on Siesta Key issues to direct County Administrator Jonathan Lewis and his staff to facilitate the creation of the new master plan. Island leaders had made a variety of presentations to the board that day about the necessity of improving not just the island’s appearance as a resort area welcoming to tourists but also of the need for upgrades of public utilities infrastructure and stormwater drainage systems. They also have asked the commissioners in the past to pay for a formal traffic study for the barrier island.
In making the Feb. 11 motion, Commissioner Mark Smith, a long-time Siesta resident, pointed out that the existing Siesta Key Community Plan dates to 1999.
The document that Procurement Department Official Slusarz released on Aug. 12 says that the following county staff members were the evaluators of the presentations made by the firms shortlisted for the bid award: Matt Osterhoudt, director of the county’s Planning and Development Services Department; Spencer Anderson, director of the Transportation Department; Shawn Yeager, director of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department; Brooke Bailey, director of the Public Utilities Department; and Rob Lewis, director of governmental relations.
An overview of the solicitation process that Slusarz also released on Aug. 12 explains, “The Evaluation Committee convened on June 30, 2026, to review and score proposals submitted in response to the [county’s advertisement of Requests for Proposals for the consulting work]. Based on the Committee’s review of the proposals and the total
points scored based on the established evaluation criteria,” she added, staff had shortlisted the following proposers for presentations and/or interviews”:
- Kimley-Horn, with 88.8 points.
- Stantec Consulting Services of Sarasota, with 81.2 points.
- Able City East of South Miami, with 75.6 points.
- LandDesign of Orlando, with 66.8 points.
Another notice from the Procurement Department said that presentations and a second evaluation meeting were scheduled for July 14.
Details of the solicitation
As the News Leader has reported, the solicitation that county staff advertised in April for the consulting work included the following background in the Scope of Work:
- “The 2026 Sarasota County Strategic Plan contains a Board of County Commissioners (Board) Policy Agenda Item titled ‘Siesta Key Beautification, Funding and Maintenance.’ This includes evaluating beautification needs, funding mechanisms, and maintenance responsibilities for Siesta Key and providing coordinated recommendations at a Board workshop. Siesta Key is a barrier island in Sarasota County with a population of 7,500 residents.
- “In 1999, the Siesta Key Community Plan was developed by Sarasota County leadership with considerable input from residents and stakeholders. During 1998 and 1999, the residents of Siesta Key took part in an extensive community planning process, including workshops, community engagement, and surveys to inform the Board on important community topics. This interactive process led to the County’s existing land use regulations on Siesta Key and recommendations to the Board to create a strong identity for Siesta Key.
- “Sarasota County adopted Ordinance No. 2006-089, known as the Siesta Key Village Public Improvement District (the District), now codified in Chapter 110, (Special Districts and Assessment Districts), Article XVI of the County Code of Ordinances, to ‘provide funding for the continuing maintenance of the municipal services and essential facilities which comprise the Project through the establishment of the District as an Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU).’
- “The Board held a Siesta Key Workshop on February 11, 2026, where several Siesta Key stakeholders presented short and long term challenges and opportunities.”
Additionally, under the heading Services Required, the solicitation explained that the preparation of a Siesta Key Community Master Plan — referenced later in the document as just the “Plan” — was to include the following:
“Conduct a review of the entirety of Siesta Key’s existing conditions, opportunities and challenges relating to Siesta Key Beautification, Funding and Maintenance, utilizing baseline information, including but not limited to,
- “The February 11, 2026, Siesta Key Workshop.
- “The 1999 Siesta Key Community Plan.
- “The Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan.
- “The County Code of Ordinances.
- “The District.
- “Any other previous relevant work.”
In response to an inquiry that the Procurement Department staff received about the bid, the staff noted that the county does not “have an estimated budget for this project.”