for Sarasota County Commissioner of District 4
Prior to this I was elected to the Charter Review Board a well as served on the Planning Commission for 5 years. I am a 28-year small business owner of a Construction Company.
I have lived in District 4 for 60 years and live less then 5 minutes from where I grew up and as you can imagine I have seen a dramatic change in Sarasota. In the last 15 years the greatest changes have occurred. After term limits were put in place the reins on growth have really been loosened. Areas east of 175 are now all under current construction or pending construction pressure. The effects of all of this is a county that is out of control.
- Growth is not going to stop but how growth is handled needs to change. Growth and infrastructure have to work hand in hand. Before you start a new 23,000 home site roadways, water, sewer and environmental issues have to be put in place and the work started before home construction.
- The enforcement of the protection our waterways must be completely revamped. As our population continues to grow and the number of tourists coming to this area increases how will we protect the waterways and how the waterways will be used needs attention. Protecting will begin with upgrading our waste water treatment plants and fixing high areas of street runoff. Currently there are very few limits on the use of any or kind of water craft in the creeks, bays or gulf. If not defined and a level put in place our waterways wilt look like the waterways in St Pete and Clearwater. Hundreds of jet skies, banana boats, tour boats and more.
- One of the top issues for the past 20 years is putting in place a work force housing program. To date this issue has received very little attention. The reason is simple the cost of this program and the profits to be made. If we are willing to change zoning and density for commercial and residential use then we can also make those same changes for work force housing. This would make that type of construction profitable.
- For the life of me I cannot understand why Sarasota County Residents are not seeing a reduction in the county taxes. Right now, the county is bringing in more tax dollars then they ever have but they have not lowered our taxes they have increased them. I will certainly work to reverse this.
- My decisions for reviewing items brought to me will be based on two criteria common since and accountability. If an issue like US 41 and Stickney point road, a new commercial project, is brought to me I would first look at common sense. Traffic in that area is off the charts year-round and it is around a very well established 1960 neighborhood lacking sidewalks and having very narrow streets. So, unless the traffic issues could be fixed prior to construction starting it would be a no go for added density. Also, over 40 thousand folks either wrote letters or called expressing their concerns but all of them were ignored. I would listen and work for them.