County Commission names him to replace Deems
The Sarasota County Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee (ESLOC) has a new member, courtesy of County Commission action on April 23: Ray Loraine of Sarasota, an environmental consultant with Stantec Consulting Services in Sarasota.
Loraine also won an appointment to the ESLOC in April 2021.
The terms are for three years. Loraine’s position will expire at the end of April 2028, a county staff memo said.
Nicole Rissler, director of the county’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department, pointed out during an April 23 presentation to the commission that the ESLOC needed a new at-large representative to serve a three-year term on the advisory board, thanks to the expiration of member Rhonda Deems’ term. Staff received four applications for the ESLOC position, Rissler said.
Deems is a resident of Casey Key Road in Nokomis. She had had “years of working experience … as an entrepreneur,” as she wrote in her application, before retirement.
Deems did apply for reappointment. In the majority of such situations, the County Commission allows an advisory council member to serve another term if that person is interested in doing so.
Commissioner Ron Cutsinger nominated Loraine, but he offered no comments about his choice.
Commissioner Teresa Mast seconded the nomination.
With no other names put forth, Cutsinger’s motion passed unanimously.
As its webpages explain, the ESLOC “[p]rovides a conduit for citizen input to the [County Commission]; makes recommendations and provides advice on land protection within the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP).”
In Loraine’s application, he wrote the following in response to the question about why he wanted to serve on the advisory council: “I have been a proponent of private, non-government and public land acquisition programs as a conservation strategy for decades. I have some 40 years of experience in wildlife biology, assessment and permitting, environmental planning, and environmental permitting at the local, state, and federal levels throughout Florida. I believe that my collective background and expertise has contributed to previous discussions when I previously served on ESLOC.”
In Deems’ application, she wrote, “I love living in Sarasota County and I strongly support the conservation of our environmentally sensitive lands.”
The other two applicants for the seat were as follows:
- Pamela Bournival of Sarasota, also a retiree, wrote in her application, “As much land as possible needs to be preserved for a variety of reasons and environmentally sensitive land needs even more thoughtful preservation. I want to be a part of the process.” She noted that she is a volunteer with Big Waters Land Trust, which is based in Osprey.
- Elizabeth Gray of Sarasota, a hair stylist who works at Salon Forty One on Main Street in Sarasota. She was seeking appointment to the ESLOC, she wrote, because “[w]e are at a pivotal point in Sarasota and all of Florida. Our increasingly developed and undeveloped lands are essential to what we will become and should be our priority. I want to be involved in the future of my hometown.”