Keller loses out on bid for another term
During their regular meeting on Dec. 18, the Sarasota County commissioners reappointed home-building company attorney Colin Pember and Willis Smith construction manager John LaCivita to the county’s Planning Commission.
However, instead of giving incumbent Planning Commissioner Jordan Keller another term, at Commissioner Teresa Mast’s suggestion, the board members unanimously appointed Mitzi Fiedler of Venice.
The Planning Commission is considered the county’s most influential advisory board, as it conducts hearings on land-use issues and offers recommendations to the County Commission on whether to approve the applications. Mast was a member of that board for a number of years; she resigned to begin her campaign for County Commission, as required by county regulations.
“I would like to make a motion to reinstate [LaCivita and Pember],” plus Fiedler, Mast said on Dec. 18. “I’d like to take it all in one clean sweep,” she added.
Commissioner Ron Cutsinger told his colleagues that he had intended to nominate Keller for another term, noting that the board members typically do reappoint incumbents if they want to serve new terms on the Planning Commission.
Todd Dary, manager of the county’s Planning and Development Services Department, had informed the commissioners that Keller, LaCivita and Pember had turned in applications in an effort to retain their seats.
After checking with Cutsinger to be sure that he was supportive of giving new terms to LaCivita and Pember, interim commission Chair Joe Neunder suggested that the board settle first on those two nominations.
Cutsinger responded that he was fine with Mast’s proposal on them, adding that he knows Fiedler.
Neunder said he had worked with Fiedler when both were on the Venice City Council. (Neunder won the District 6 seat in 2019.)
“I think we need a little more South County representation [on the Planning Commission],” Neunder added. “My preference would be [Fiedler],” Neunder said.
At that point, Cutsinger withdrew his nomination of Keller.
“I’m sure [Fiedler will] be a great planning commissioner,” Cutsinger said.
The terms of Keller, LaCivita and Pember were due to expire at the end of January 2025, Dary of Planning and Development told the commissioners. Officially, LaCivita and Pember will begin their new terms on Feb. 6, 2025, as noted in a county staff memo in the Dec. 18 agenda packet. Their terms and Fiedler’s will expire on Jan. 31, 2029, the memo added.
Pember has served on the advisory board since January 2017.
LaCivita was appointed to the Planning Commission in September 2023, to fill out the unexpired term of Kevin Cooper, whose term was to end on Jan. 31, 2025.
In August 2021, Keller, an Air Force veteran who was at the time project manager of Red Dog’s Roofing in Sarasota, was nominated to the Planning Commission by then-County Commission Chair Alan Maio of Nokomis.
Fiedler identified herself in her application for the Planning Commission seat as a retired educator, but she also noted that she served for six years on the Venice City Council.
She won the Venice District 1 seat for the first time in 2017 and kept it in 2021. In 2023, she lost the seat to Joan Farrell, the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office’s official results show.
In regard to an application question about why she wanted to serve on the Planning Commission, Fiedler wrote, “In a country where local democracy is treasured, I believe it’s essential that citizens play an active role in their community. Participating on the Planning Commission will offer me an important opportunity to serve my community.”
Responding to application questions about what she sees as the most pressing planning and land issues in the county and how they could be resolved, Fiedler wrote, “Important land issues in Sarasota County, I believe are, housing needs, infrastructure, and environmental concerns.
“These are multi-dimensional issues that will require research, citizen involvement, and policy decisions,” she added.
In his application for reappointment, Keller noted that he is a commercial estimator with Mullet’s Aluminum Products in Sarasota.
Responding to the application questions that asked, “What do you believe are the most pressing planning and land issues in Sarasota County?” and “How do you think they may best be resolved?” Keller wrote, “One of the biggest challenges Sarasota County faces is managing its growth while preserving what makes the area so special — its natural beauty, vibrant communities, and quality of life. With more people moving here, there’s increasing pressure on infrastructure, green spaces, and housing. Balancing this growth with protecting the environment is critical.”
LaCivita noted on his application that he is a construction manager for Willis A. Smith Construction in Lakewood Ranch.
He answered the questions about the most pressing planning and land issues and how to resolve them as follows: “Roads and Infrastructure in my opinion is still the most pressing issue in our community. The best way to resolve these issues is to make sure all newly proposed land use changes address the future needs of our community.”
Pember is an attorney with the Pulte Group, working out of its Bonita Springs office, he wrote on his application.
In regard to the questions about the most pressing planning and land issues and how best to resolve them, Pember responded, “I believe transportation infrastructure is the most pressing issue. Although I am not a traffic planner, I am aware of the current residential and commercial developments in progress, those going through the planning stages, and those coming to light in the future. As a Planning Commissioner, I believe the transportation issue could best be resolved by analyzing and using logical skills after listening to public and private experts, looking at the comprehensive plan and studies, and working with landowners, developers, businesses, and citizens.”
The other applicants
Along with applications from Fiedler, Keller, LaCivita and Pember, an agenda document showed that the following persons also sought the open seats:
- Becky Ayech, who long has been president of the Miakka Community Club, which represents residents in the historic Old Miakka area in the easternmost part of the county. She listed her occupation as “retired/farmer.”
In response to the question about why she wanted to serve on the Planning Commission, Ayech wrote, “I serve on 2 other advisory committees and believe this is a way to give back to the community.
I live in the rural part of Sarasota and will bring this perspective to the Planning Commission and I am very interested in the planning of Sarasota County.”
Her answer to the questions, “What do you believe are the most pressing planning and land issues in Sarasota County?” and “How do you think they may best be resolved?” were “Growth and where and how it will be accomplished,” along with “Utilizing and improving on existing regulations regarding growth in the County.”
Ayech also pointed out that she had been a past member of the Planning Commission and that she has “participated in all the planning aspects in Sarasota County since 1980.”
- Brian Faro of Englewood, a real estate broker with Paradise Exclusive Real Estate.
He wrote that he wanted to serve on the Planning Commission so he could “help be a voice for the community and help see through the objectives of the planning commission.”
His answer to the questions about the most pressing planning and land issues in the county and how they best may be resolved follows: “ I believe the constant changes in planning and development for the county need to be monitored and addressed in a manner that will not cause harm to the public body and allow for a fair balance of zoning that will enable communities to flourish.”