Sarasota County School District special tax wins overwhelming support in latest renewal referendum
During the Nov. 5 General Election, outgoing Sarasota County Commissioner Michael Moran, a Republican, defeated long-time Sarasota County Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates, a Democrat, the unofficial returns show.
Moran won 51.27% of the 268,317 votes cast in that race.
Additionally, while the Sarasota County Commission will welcome two new members, the Sarasota City Commission will see Kathy Kelly Ohlrich take the District 3 seat, having defeated Commissioner Erik Arroyo, as shown in the unofficial results.
Former three-term Sheriff Tom Knight, a Republican, prevailed in the District 3 Sarasota County Commission race, joining business owner Teresa Mast of Sarasota, also a Republican as the two new members of that board.
Knight, who has lived in Venice since 1973, won 69.76% of the 58,424 votes cast in District 3, which includes most of Venice and part of North Port. His opponent was Shari Thornton, also of Venice, who had no party affiliation.
Mast won the District 1 seat in the Aug. 20 Primary, when she defeated challenger Alexandra Coe of Sarasota.
Knight and Mast will be sworn in on Nov. 19, before the next regular meeting of the County Commission. Both the ceremony and the session will be conducted at the R.L. Anderson Administration Center, which stands at 4000 S. Tamiami Trail in Venice. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m.
Ohlrich will be sworn in — along with re-elected city Commissioners Liz Alpert and Kyle Battie — during a Nov. 8 meeting that is required by the City Charter. It will begin at noon in the Commission Chambers of City Hall, which stands at 1565 First St. in downtown Sarasota.
Mayor Alpert will deliver a “State of the City” address, and then the new mayor and vice mayor will be chosen by the board members.
Overwhelming support for Moran in the southern half of county
As The Sarasota News Leader reported after Moran’s filing for the office, the last time before this year that Tax Collector Ford-Coates had had a challenger was in 2016, when she faced Republican Jim Bender. She ended up with 61.38% of the 221,886 votes cast in that race, the Supervisor of Elections Office records note.
In 2008, Ford-Coates took 67.22% of the 194,373 votes cast when she faced Republican Donna Clarke, a former Florida House member. In advance of that contest, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that Clarke was Ford-Coates’ first challenger in 16 years.
Ford-Coates’ biography, on the Tax Collector’s website, notes that she joined the office in 1975 and first was elected tax collector in 1984.
The biography also points out, “She has been unopposed four times and received the highest vote count of any candidate (local, state or federal) on the Sarasota County ballot in three elections. She has the longest service in the history of Sarasota County elected officials and is the longest serving Florida Tax Collector currently in office.”
On Nov. 6, Ford-Coates told the News Leader, “It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Sarasota County for over 40 years, and it’s been my privilege to work with the incredible people in my office, who are kind and help their customers every single day.”
She added, “Of course, I called Mr. Moran and congratulated him and have pledged to make this transition as smooth as possible.”
In response to a News Leader request for comment, Moran wrote in a Nov. 7 email, “Thank you to Barbara for almost 50 years of service. The residents of Sarasota County felt it was time for a change in leadership. I am honored and excited to carry on with serving our amazing community.”
A News Leader review of the precinct results in the Tax Collector’s race found that Moran won the Siesta Key vote and generally prevailed in Osprey, Nokomis, Venice, North Port and Englewood, with most of Ford-Coates’ best showings in North County. For example, Ford-Coates won 61.76% of the 2,356 votes cast at Precinct 227, at the Church of the Palms on Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota. In contrast, Moran captured 63.71% of the 3,428 votes cast at Precinct 309, which was the Morgan Family Community Center on Price Boulevard in North Port.
For another example, Ford-Coates won 64.92% of the 3,848 votes cast at Precinct 209, the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Sarasota. In contrast, Moran won 62.62% of the 8,178 votes cast at Precinct 541, which was at the New Life Church in Venice.
Ohlrich’s victory
In the District 3 Sarasota City Commission race, Ohlrich, captured 52.51% of the 6,492 votes cast.
Arroyo prevailed in three of the six precincts whose residents could participate in the District 3 vote, the unofficial results show. Those were 131, which is located at Oakwood Manor, standing at 3330 Fruitville Road; 217, which is located at the Sarasota Community Church, standing at 4041 Bahia Vista St.; and 227, which is at the Church of the Palms, located at 3224 Bee Ridge Road. Only 11 votes were cast at the latter site, the unofficial results say, with Arroyo receiving six of them.
Ohlrich prevailed in Precincts 125, located at the Fellowship of Believers at 3333 12th St.; 129, which is VFW Post 3233, standing at 124 S. Tuttle Ave.; and 215, which is located at St. Paul Lutheran Church, standing at 2256 Bahia Vista St.
Ohlrich picked up the biggest number of votes at Precinct 215: 1,190, compared to 955 for Arroyo. At Precinct 125, she captured 1,165 votes to his 1,009, the unofficial results note.
Alpert won another four-year term in the District 2 seat, having captured 53.18% of the 11,660 votes cast in that race, the unofficial results show. Her challenger was Ron Kashden of Laurel Park, who also has represented neighborhood interests in numerous appearances before the City Commission in recent years.
Commissioner Battie held on to his District 1 seat by taking 55.55% of the 5,561 votes; the tally was 2,472 for his challenger, Sequoia Felton, who had the backing of former mayor and Commissioner Willie Charles Shaw.
Both Arroyo and Battie became new members of the commission after their victories during the 2020 General Election.
Knight prevails in every precinct
Former Sheriff Knight carried all 27 precincts where votes were cast in the District 3 race, the unofficial results note.
The best showing for his opponent, Thornton — based on a Sarasota News Leader review of the Supervisor of Elections Office data — was at Precinct 513, where she captured 41.5% of the 685 votes cast. Precinct 513 was at the Bird Bay Village Clubhouse in Venice.
Thornton’s second best showing was in Precinct 339, where she captured 39.29% of the 28 votes — 11 to Knight’s 17. Precinct 339 is located at St. Nathaniel’s Episcopal Church on Biscayne Drive in North Port.
She also won 36.74% of the 958 votes cast at Precinct 521, located at Country Club Estates in Venice.
In regard to the District 1 race, an Oct. 27 post on a Sarasota County citizens advocacy Facebook page encouraged District 1 voters to write in the name of Hope Williams, the daughter of candidate Mast’s campaign manager. Williams had filed as a write-in candidate in an apparent effort to prevent a “universal primary” on Aug. 20 between Mast and her Republican challenger, Alexandra Coe of Sarasota. Williams’ filing in June thwarted voters registered as Democrats or as having no party affiliation from being able to participate in the primary. However, the unofficial General Election results offer no indication of any write-ins in the District 1 race.
Williams ended her candidacy prior to the election.
Paul Donnelly, director of communications and voter outreach for the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office, had told The Sarasota News Leader that no write-in votes for Williams would be counted, anyway, because of her withdrawal from the race.
School district tax renewed
Among other unofficial election results, the Nov. 5 referendum on continuation of the Sarasota County School District’s special tax showed that 84.06% of the 255,053 voters who participated in that referendum approved the renewal of the tax.
In response to that decision, Superintendent Terry Connor released the following statement on Nov. 6: ““On behalf of the students, families, teachers, staff members, administrators, and the School Board of Sarasota County Schools, I want to thank the community for their continued support in voting to maintain the millage referendum. This funding, in place for over 22 years, has enabled the school district to recruit and retain high-quality educators, enhance technology, improve school safety, and support the arts, among other key priorities.
“Thanks to our community’s decision,” he added, “this critical funding will remain in effect through June 30, 2030. The Sarasota community recognizes that investing in our schools ensures we continue to be a premier destination and educational provider, contributing to a better quality of life for everyone.”
Amendments 3 and 4
The majority of Sarasota County participants in the Nov. 5 General Election also voted in favor of Amendment 4, which would have eased the state’s abortion restrictions, and for Amendment 3, which would have legalized small amounts of marijuana for recreational use.
With 272,782 citizens voting on the Amendment 4 issue, 58.54% of them marked “Yes” on their ballots.
Regarding Amendment 3, 56.52% of 272,862 voters expressed their support for that proposed modification of the Florida Constitution.
Both amendments needed support from 60% of voters statewide to become law. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Amendment 3 garnered 56% of the statewide vote, while the Amendment 4 vote was close to the 57% mark.