11 people applied for two at-large seats
With no discussion during the Sarasota County Commission’s regular meeting on July 8, Chair Ron Cutsinger announced the seven members of the Siesta Key Beautification Task Force.
Those individuals will work for up to 24 months in an effort to guide the commission on how best to address the island’s needs in the wake of devastation from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the fall of 2024.
A county staff memo included in the agenda packet for the board’s regular meeting on May 19 — the date when the board settled on guidelines for the group — explained the task force’s direction thus: “The scope … is advisory in nature and includes reviewing existing conditions, identifying priorities, and evaluating opportunities related to streetscapes and corridors, landscaping and vegetation, signage and wayfinding, public spaces and beach access areas, cleanliness and maintenance, and pedestrian safety. The Task Force will … not have decision-making authority or authority to commit County resources.”
The related county staff memo included in the July 8 agenda packet noted that the task force “will provide periodic updates” to the commissioners.
Robert Luckner, acting treasurer of the Siesta Key Association (SKA), suggested during the Open to the Public comment period that morning that the commissioners direct staff to allow monthly updates from the task force during the regular board meetings, starting in August, after the commission returns from its annual summer break.
Additionally, Luckner requested that the commissioners ensure that the Siesta Key Beautification Study published in February serve “as the foundational document” for the task force’s work. The report was produced by RVi and Atwell. Leaders of the nonprofit Siesta Key Beautification Alliance, which was established in the aftermath of the 2024 hurricane season to advocate for county assistance in not only dealing with damage from the storms but also to enhance infrastructure and the look of the barrier island, paid for the report privately, leaders of that group have reported.
“I think it’s a key document that could save a lot of time for both the task force and the [County] Commission,” Luckner pointed out. “There are 69 pages of recommendations and input.”
The commissioners also should direct staff to make certain that the consultant hired to lead the creation of a new Siesta Key community master plan first undertake “a thorough review” of that report, Luckner said, and discuss it with the task force members.
In regard to the timeline for the work of the task force, the July 8 county staff memo in the agenda packet said that the resolution that the commissioners adopted on May 19 called for the task force to sunset “upon submission of its final report [within 18 months],” or Dec. 31, 2027, “whichever occurs first.” However, as The Sarasota News Leader reported, the commissioners voted on May 19 to allow the task force to remain in existence for 24 months. That fact is noted in the minutes of the May 19 meeting, as shown in an item on the board’s July 7 Consent Agenda of routine business matters. Staff had proposed the 18 month timeline.
On July 8, commissioners did ask that staff try to schedule the first task force meeting as soon as possible — another request that Luckner of the SKA had made that morning.
Eileen Dutka, office manager of County Administration — who had provided the May 19 presentation to them — noted on July 8 that the first order of business would be an orientation for the members, especially in regard to the state’s Sunshine Law — open meeting — stipulations.
Staff would send a note of “Congratulations” on July 8 to each of the seven members and would begin planning that first meeting, Dutka added.
In announcing the appointments, Chair Cutsinger also noted that the two at-large members won support from four of the five commissioners.
The members of the task force are as follows:
- District 1, Commissioner Teresa Mast — Rebecca Keiver, who listed an Ocean Boulevard address. Keiver noted in her application that she has more than 30 years of experience as an insurance adjustor, and she handles vacation rentals. Keiver also wrote, “I want to help Siesta Key build resiliency to weather and economic catastrophe.”
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Mason Tush. Image courtesy Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce District 2, Commissioner Mark Smith — Mason Tush, co-owner of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Stickney Point Road on Siesta Key. He wrote that he wanted to serve on the task force because “Siesta Key is important to my family and more importantly to the success of Sarasota County.” He added that he and his family members have owned their business on the Key for 50 years.
- District 3, Commissioner Tom Knight — Robert Luckner of the Siesta Key Association (SKA), who is a retired chemical engineer. In his application, Luckner pointed out that he was an original member of the Siesta Key Beautification Alliance.
- District 4, Commissioner Joe Neunder — Natalie Gutwein, a Realtor whose business is The Natalie Gutwein Group and the spokesperson for the Siesta Key Beautification Alliance. “I live and work on Siesta Key and the condition of the island is very personal to me,” she wrote in her application. Gutwein also noted that she studied public and environmental management at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
- District 5, Commissioner Cutsinger — Rick Munroe, co-owner of Sun Garden Café in Siesta Village and the principal of Munroe Consulting Group. In his application, he wrote that he wants to “promote the [long-term] sustainability of Siesta Key, create a functioning plan to enhance and bolster infrastructure on the island, preserve the [island’s] unique character and collaborate on a plan that makes it the [best-in-class] coastal community it deserves to be.”
The at-large members Cutsinger named are as follows:
- Barbara Lancer, a retired pharmacist and owner of Olaf Siesta Key and Gidget’s Coastal Provisions in Siesta Village. She wrote in her application that her reason for wanting to serve on the task force is “I love Siesta Key,” adding that she is a lifelong resident of the barrier island.
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Tina Landry. Image from her LinkedIn account Tina Landry, a retired nurse practitioner. Landry pointed out in her application that when she first heard about the Siesta Key Beautification Alliance from its spokesperson, Gutwein, she asked about volunteering to help its leaders, “because I felt passionate about the idea and had time.” A full-time Key resident, Landry added, “I was affected personally by the hurricanes of 2024 and have helped with multiple [clean-up] efforts in the community. Because I ride my bike all over Siesta Key and frequently hang out in the village,” she continued, “I feel passionate about improving Siesta Key for visitors and residents.”
A document that the News Leader received through a public records request showed that Commissioners Cutsinger, Teresa Mast, Joe Neunder and Mark Smith all voted for Landry. Commissioners Tom Knight, Mast, Neunder and Smith voted for Lancer. Cutsinger and Knight were the only ones to vote for David Samec, a consulting engineer with Stantec in Sarasota.
The other applicants
The other persons who applied for the at-large seats are as follows:
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Bonnie Whisman. Image from the Protect Siesta Key website Bonnie Whisman, a retiree who identified herself in her application as a “Concerned citizen.” She is a member of the board of directors of Protect Siesta Key, as the president of that nonprofit organization, Lourdes Ramirez, wrote in a letter accompanying Whisman’s application. “Bonnie is thoughtful, dependable, and genuinely invested in the future of Siesta Key,” Ramirez noted.
- Keith Povich, CEO of the Holliday Group, a general contracting firm. “I live on Siesta Key and want to see its beauty … protected and maintained,” he wrote in his application. He described himself as “a local business leader [who would bring] a unique blend of financial discipline and practical construction expertise to the Siesta Key Beautification Task Force.” He noted that he earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in finance, and he is a Florida Certified General Contractor.
- Robert Strader, a retiree who wrote that he has lived on the Key for more than four years. “I have interest in moving its interests forward, making it more desirable for both its residents and visitors,” he noted in his application. “My background in Program Management may lend itself well helping to keep the task force on task and accomplishing great things for [Siesta] Key.”
- Michelle Blair, vice president of a magazine, LUXE Interiors + Design, wrote in her application, “I live on the Key and would like to keep [its] charm, while tastefully and efficiently enhance/update safety, aesthetics and cohesiveness to ring lasting enjoyment for all.” She added that she is an alumna of Riverview High School in Sarasota.
- Julian Parry, who is self-employed. As for his reason for wanting to serve on the task force, he wrote one word: “Traffic.”
- Tracy Geannopulos, an accountant who is employed by My Village Pub (MVP) in Siesta Village. She wrote, “I have a business interest in the Village, and I have long thought that the Key lacks unification and some basic services.”
- Tommy DeAlano, owner of the HOTWORX fitness studio in Sarasota. “As the President of the Bay Island Siesta Homeowner’s Association,” DeAlano wrote in the application, “I represent all of the City [of Sarasota] residences on the North end of Siesta Key and Bay Island which is the Gateway to Siesta Key immediately across the North Bridge.”
- Allan Nemore, a Realtor. He pointed out in his application that he has been a homeowner on the Key for more than 22 years. Nemore added, “I have a genuine stake in our community’s beauty and character. As I walk, bike, or drive around the key [sic], I often notice small, but important issues that go unattended. I’d love to serve on the beautification Task Force to help identify and rectify these overlooked details. With my long-term perspective, professional experience and passion for the island, I’m ready to work with others to keep Siesta as inviting, charming and vibrant, as it should be.”
- David Samec wrote in his application, “I would love to be part of helping the Sarasota County Commission improve the aesthetics and infrastructure of my favorite beach in the world — Siesta Key Beach.”