Board members talks of continuing controversy over 2024 decision to award funds to nonprofit arm of organization instead of Sarasota County Schools
Given Sarasota County residents’ continuing opposition to the County Commission’s $7.5-million award last year to a nonprofit affiliate of the Suncoast Builders Association for a trades career training program, the commissioners this week agreed that they wanted an open, public discussion on the funding before the contract is signed.
Commissioner Tom Knight raised the issue during his Feb. 25 report to his colleagues as part of their regular meeting that day in Sarasota.
During the Open to the Public comment period that morning, two people had urged the board to take back the funds from the Suncoast Builders Association and give the money to the Sarasota County School Board.
Among those, Julie Forestier emphasized to the commissioners that the School District has “a proven track record” in training young people for careers in trades.
Knight’s motion called for County Administrator Jonathan Lewis not to sign the contract with the Building Industry Institute until the decision of the award of federal grant funds to that nonprofit organization could be revisited.
The funds would come out of the original Resilient SRQ grant that the county received, in 2023, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address unmet needs in the wake of Hurricane Ian’s September 2022 effects on the county.
During their discussions about how best to divvy up the $201.5-million, given HUD’s guidelines about its use, the board members had agreed to spend $15 million on trades training in an effort to facilitate future recovery from hurricane damage in the county.
The commissioners already had awarded $7.5 million to the Suncoast Technical College (STC) in North Port for training in the trades.
Former Sarasota County School Board Chair Jane Godwin was among four speakers during the Oct. 23, 2024 commission meeting who urged the board members to give the rest of the money to the college, which is part of the school district. “We have students [at Suncoast Technical College in North Port] that are readily available for training and people who have already done training,” Goodwin pointed out.
The School District project summary provided to the commissioners noted, “STC offers day and evening classes in over 30 technical programs,” with high school students allowed dual enrollment in them.
The funds received through Resilient SRQ would have been used to construct a new building for more career and technical education programs “and renovate the student services area to meet the needs of expanded enrollment,” the School District proposal continued.
The project summary anticipated that 1,100 students would be served in the first five years at a per-person benefit of $6,818.
In contrast, the Building Industry Institute program was expected to serve 420 students over the first three years, with programs offered in carpentry, electrical work, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), plumbing and construction technology. The per-person benefit would be $31,409.
The Suncoast Builders Association application explained that the organization would be “leveraging [the expertise of the Home Builder’s Institute (HBI)] in delivering exceptional construction workforce training. HBI will hire all staff immediately related to the operation of the academy, including the operations manager, instructors, recruiters, and career development coordinators. The Building Industry Institute will provide overall direction through its own CEO, [chief financial officer] and grant writer, and other professional staff. [The Institute] will also manage the property where the academy will be located.”
One point of contention during Suncoast Builders Association CEO Jon Mast’s appearance before the board vote in October 2024 was the fact that the organization wanted the commissioners to give it until the end of February 2026 to secure the rest of the money necessary to make its initiative work. It would take some time to raise the funds, Mast pointed out told the commissioners.
‘A lot of emails’
During his Feb. 25 remarks, Knight pointed out that he had been “getting a lot of emails” about the money that the commissioners seated on Oct. 23, 2024 voted to provide to the Building Industry Institute.
Former Commissioners Mike Moran and Neil Rainford were among the three-member majority of the board who approved the contribution to the Institute.
Commissioner Mark Smith noted on Feb. 25, “I’m the only one sitting here that voted in favor of [the grant].”
“I have some questions myself about [the funding award] before the contract is signed,” Knight added. Therefore, he said, he would like for the current commissioners to discuss the decision.
Last fall, before casting his vote in support of the grant to the Institute, Smith explained, “I have a lot of respect for the vocational schools” and Suncoast Technical College. “They’re doing tremendous work. But I also see value in the industry itself training their employees. … As we all know, especially when we got our first jobs, it’s all about relationships.”
With the Institute’s program, Smith pointed out that day, “These young people will have an opportunity to engage with … the folks that are hiring the workforce.”
During the Feb. 25 discussion, Smith noted, “The School District at that time … asked for $7.5 million, and we gave it to them.” The Building Industry Institute requested $13 million, he continued, and the commission gave it $7.5 million.
The total request from the Institute was $13,191,862, as noted in materials shown to the commission on Oct. 23, 2024.
Moreover, Smith stressed on Feb. 25, “There’s a lot of conditions that [the Institute] money’s been tied to. [Staff is] in the process of putting those conditions together. No money has been given to [the Institute].”
Then Smith told his colleagues that he recently had talked about the issue with Mast, the Suncoast Builders Association (SBA) CEO, and suggested that Mast “give us an update” on the plans.
“Personally,” Smith continued, “I don’t believe it’s appropriate to take the money from them … unless they fail in that agreement.”
Hearing an update from Mast would allow the current commissioners to determine whether “they’re on the right track,” Smith added of the SBA’s leaders. At the same time, he said, the new commissioners would learn the details of the proposal.
(Like Knight, Commissioner Teresa Mast, was elected to the board in November 2024. She is the wife of Jon Mast, and she served on the SBA board in years past.)
In response to Smith’s comments, Knight said, “I think what we’re just really trying to do is alleviate any questions” in the community. His goal is openness, he added.
Chair Joe Neunder told his colleagues, “I’ve made my comments pretty clear.” Before casting his “No” vote in October 2024, Neunder alluded to the commission’s longstanding relationship with the School Board. “They do a great job,” Neunder added that day, referring to the leaders of the school district. Moreover, he noted, “They’re kind of shovel-ready at the moment.”
On Feb. 25, Neunder pointed out that he had served as director of education at a college in years past. “Extremely familiar with the accreditation process in this case that we must have for our students,” he emphasized.
Neunder joined Smith in calling for the update from Jon Mast prior to County Administrator Lewis’ signing the agreement with the Institute.
The delay, Neunder continued, would enable the current commissioners to decide “whether or not [they] support that particular agreement …”
He also noted the emails the board members had received on the topic.
Neunder suggested that the motion direct Lewis to refrain from signing the contract until the commissioners had had “a very open, honest and transparent dialogue” in public. “That is what our community requires.”
Commissioner Ron Cutsinger, who cast the other “No” vote in October, agreed with the call for “full transparency” during a public meeting. “A lot of questions out there,” he added.
When Neunder turned to Lewis to ascertain with certainty that Lewis had not signed the agreement yet, Lewis explained that he had not received the document, as it had been undergoing review by other staff members first.
County Attorney Joshua Moye suggested that a motion could include direction first to Lewis, to refrain from signing the agreement when it was ready and, second, the call for a new public board discussion of the Institute’s funding request.
Knight made that motion. “We make the time for Jon Mast to come before the board.” Then, Knight added, the board members will have the opportunity to make any changes in the agreement that “we see fit” before Lewis signs it.
Smith seconded the motion, and it passed 4-0, with Commissioner Mast’s having to recuse herself.