Historic Preservation News

HISTORIC BUILDINGS RECOGNIZED

Sarasota, FL: An awards presentation honoring recent historic preservation designees will take place Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. at the Garden Club, 1131 Boulevard of the Arts. A new historic district and nine structures, many owned by the City of Sarasota, will be recognized.

The honorees include:

• Umbrella House, 1300 Westway Drive
• Federal Building, 111 S. Orange Avenue
• City Hall, 1565 First Street
• Blue Pagoda Building, 655 N. Tamiami Trail
• Chidsey Building, 701 N. Tamiami Trail
• Sarasota Garden Club (with its Potting Shed), 1131 Boulevard of the Arts
• Bayfront Historic District with the contributing Art Center, 707 N. Tamiami, Trail and the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium with the Hazzard Fountain, 801 N. Tamiami Trail

The owner of each historically designated building will be presented with a bronze plaque signifying the historic listing by the City of Sarasota. “Historic Preservation is important because it protects our cultural resources for future generations,” said Dr. Clifford Smith, City of Sarasota Historic Preservationist. “It provides the community with a unique identification. It’s one of the main reasons tourists come to our City instead of somewhere else.”

Presentations also will be given by the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau, Sarasota Art Center, Sarasota Garden Club and the Gulf Beach Resort. Mayor Kelly Kirschner, City Commissioner Suzanne Atwell and City Commissioner Richard Clapp will be on hand for the recognitions.

City Hall Landscape Honored as Florida Friendly Yard

From Jan Thornburg – City Hall

Sarasota, FL: To see firsthand what a quintessential Florida Friendly Yard looks like, take a peek at City Hall, 1565 First Street. The City of Sarasota was notified yesterday its City Hall landscape achieved the highest recognition level for Florida Friendly Yards. The recognition was awarded by environmental experts at the University of Florida extension office in Sarasota County.

The City achieved the "Golden Oak" recognition level, the highest of three levels, by assuring the landscape protects our natural resources. The landscape demonstrates to the public that serious environmental issues, such as storm water runoff, water shortages, and disappearing wildlife habitats, can be addressed without sacrificing attractive landscaping. "We wanted to showcase the plantings at City Hall as an educational tool because it is a public space that receives many visitors," said Michele Mician, Neighborhood Coordinator who oversees green initiatives for the City of Sarasota. Some of the techniques used at City Hall include:

• Planting more native species
• Recycling grass clippings
• Collecting rainwater and using it to water plants
• Using drip irrigation
• Avoiding fertilizers and pesticides
• Positioning trees and shrubs to improve the building's cooling capacity
• Planting low maintenance plants
• Providing cover for wildlife
• Purchasing plant materials from local native plant stores
• Positioning plants according to the principals of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)

Moving forward with green initiatives is one of the City Commission's top five critical priorities. In October 2007, the Environmental Management Task Force, comprised of City employees, was created to oversee sustainability issues within City government. "The landscape department includes a master gardener whose expertise helped make the garden bed at City Hall Florida friendly," said Neil Gaines, a Public Works employee who is a member of the EMTF.

In addition to the Florida Friendly Yard, visitors to City Hall can also see a set of rain barrels, which capture rainwater. Ultimately, that water is used to irrigate plants and flowers at City Hall through a drip system.

For more information about green initiatives visit http://www.yourgreencity.sarasotagov.com/

The Greening of Main

From an article in today's SHT concerning the proposed downtown green policy:

The intersection of Main Street and Palm Avenue has been due for a makeover for more than four years, with as much as $130,000 set aside to install plants, brick and benches.

But for those same four years, the project has been mired in debate.

On one side, members of the downtown group Save Our Sarasota want more trees and plants. On the other side merchants and some downtown residents prefer an urban look with more brick and fewer plants.

But everyone agrees Main and Palm is a key intersection, and ought to be a model for other intersections.

Now, after several failed attempts at compromise, city officials have appointed a committee to break the stalemate.

The five-member group -- which consists of a property owner, a restaurateur, a gardener, a downtown condo resident and a person who has lobbied in the past for more greenery downtown -- will have its first meeting Tuesday to talk about improvements at Main Street and Palm Avenue.

.................

Janice Green, who voiced concerns about an earlier plan to spruce up the intersection, hopes that the committee will come up with something more palatable.

"There has to be some greenery so you don't feel overwhelmed," Green said. "Even New York City has lots of trees on the east side.

"Green is chairwoman of Save Our Sarasota, a group that has lobbied against several proposals to make downtown more urban.

"Let's see what they come up with," Green said. "So far, SOS is very pleased with what is going on. I think it is a wonderful first step."

Carol Reynolds, also a member of Save Our Sarasota, will serve on the committee.

Downtown Greenspace Policy Update

In response to the overwhelming support for greenspace expressed by citizens, the City Commission reaffirmed its commitment to downtown landscaping by directing staff to draft changes to the Downtown Master Plan to reflect a commitment to greenspace versus the current hardscape focus.

Commissioners also asked representatives from resident, merchant and property owner organizations to work together on the landscaping design for the planned renovation of the Main and Palm intersection.

Your support through emails, attendance at meetings and phone calls has been instrumental in letting our Commissioners know how important downtown greenspace is to citizens. We are so grateful to each of you for your participation in these efforts.

Steering Committee
Save Our Sarasota

Changing Sarasota

Below are two pictures of the Payne Park area of Sarasota. The first picture shows what the park and surrounding area looks like today. The second is a postcard picture of the same area when the baseball field and trailer park were still there (about 1970?).

The area just east of Payne Park has been the subject of a proposed development for the last two years. Concerns about height, density and traffic have resulted in a number of changes to the original plan.

More recently a design charette was conducted to find "community consensus" concerning these issues. A description of the charette and the result can be found at School Avenue Charette website.

The process will continue to the Planning Board and the City Commission in the next month or so.

[The picture showing the current view of Payne Park is from the Charette website. There are other aerial pictures of this site also.]

SOS Recommendations for City Greenspace Policy

Commissioners and Staff,

Thank you again for your actions and efforts toward making downtown more environmentally friendly and attractive and inviting to residents and visitors alike by placing an emphasis on greenspace.

A summary of our recommendations follows:

-Page IV-8.1 of our Master Plan should be changed to reflect a commitment to greenspace vs. the current hardscape focus.

-We are not asking for brick-paved areas where people congregate, such as along Lemon Avenue, to be converted to greenspace. These areas provide a venue for vital community events.

-Whenever possible emphasis should be on in-ground planting beds for environmental advantages and maintenance ease as well as aesthetics. Pots, which tend to have a colder, more sterile appearance, should be used only where in-ground beds are not feasible. Planting beds can provide a larger area of greenspace and a more lush appearance. Pots are problematic - if hooked to irrigation, they cannot be moved. If movable, they are higher maintenance without the irrigation.

--Existing in-ground planting areas should be retained even though there is currently no money for improving the plantings or maintenance. They should act as place-holders until funds - most likely private - are available for upgrades. Once paved over, they will never be returned to green.

-The proposed Main/Palm bulbouts should have roughly the same percentage of greenspace as is now in the sidewalk areas. This would provide space for additional cafe tables and more landscaping. Canopy trees should be planted to provide shade, ambiance and environmental advantages. Because of the significance of this intersection, a public meeting should be held to solicit citizen input.

-When restaurants such as the new pizza restaurant north of Epicure Cafe on Palm request the use of public ROW for tables, they should be required to provide and maintain significant, high-quality, in-ground planting beds and canopy trees (where possible) to the city's landscape specs. If their request would remove existing greenspace, they should pay to mitigate by converting nearby hardscape to greenspace. The neighborhood association should be advised of proposed changes and be allowed to provide input. -Window boxes should be encouraged wherever possible.

-Pervious areas such as Ringling Boulevard medians should not be hardscaped. When hardscaping is necessary for crucial safety concerns, it should be mitigated with new greenspace nearby.

-We understand the budgetary pressures the city is under and, accordingly, have tried to put forth recommendations that will cost the city little or no money. The request for additional greenspace would primarily affect new developments, such as the two Leiter projects on Palm, with the intent that they provide significant in-ground planting beds in the ROW in front of their buildings plus canopy trees, if possible, vs. primarily brick-paving with some flower pots. Also affected would be restaurants requesting to use public ROW for commercial purposes.

Many thanks again to the Commissioners for voting for the development of a Greenspace Policy and to the Staff for holding the excellent Greenspace Workshop, for all of their efforts and for continuing to solicit public input.

Steering Committee, Save Our Sarasota

School Ave Charrette

As part of the last Planning Board approval of Ron Burk's proposed School Ave project, it was determined that a charrette whould be held to determine what type of development would be suitable and compatable for this site.

A web site has been established to give details about the charrette. Please visit the site. If you have an interest you would be welcome to participate in this process.

Mooring Field and Marina Jack - A Saga

"There's a war going on here over who owns the water-the rich or the many."*

Written by Harry Hilson in 1980, these words ring true today, as does much of his satirical Ahoy City Hall*. In this little book, Hilson made a direct attack on City Hall's efforts to get rid of the perceived riffraff occupying the Sarasota bayfront and also on the lucrative contract awarded to Marina Jack. Today's debate about the creation of a municipal mooring field has its echoes in this earlier era.

It seems there is always a certain tension between those who want things neat and orderly and those who prefer the picturesque and a more laissez faire approach. In 1980, the orderly crowd got the upper hand and the City Commission took steps to control the bayfront by passing a new regulation requiring boats to moor in an approved location. The number of approved locations was significantly smaller than the number of existing boats, and the regulation was widely perceived as an effort to get rid of the more eccentric elements of the bayfront community. Turned out that it also stepped on a lot of middle class toes, and within two weeks boaters collected 1,000 signatures protesting this action. Although the regulation was approved by the City Commission, community sentiment prevailed: the police chose to enforce it in such a fashion as to render it meaningless.

Municipal involvement at the bayfront has a long history. A public marina for Sarasota was first proposed in 1959, but voters rejected it in a referendum. Nevertheless, by 1963 the project was underway, using $500,000 from a bond issue and $100,000 in general funds. (This time around, they skipped the problematic referendum.) The money provided not only the land for the marina, but Island Park itself, all created with fill and completed by 1965.

The initial contract to build and run the restaurant, pier and docks was never put out for public bidding, and the history of this lease is very complex. Although the first contractor, Marina Mar (i.e., Gulf Oil), successfully completed the construction, they quickly ran into problems actually running the marina, and rent payments to the City became sporadic. Long-time residents still recall the many problems of this early phase.

In 1968, Marina Jack (then owned by Jack Graham) bought rights to the contract and then signed a formal lease with the City, essentially taking on the original 30 year lease which provided for a rent payment of 3% of gross sales. In 2006, that contract gave the City $327,433 on gross sales of just under eleven million dollars. Seems like a pretty attractive deal for Marina Jack, doesn't it? Hilson thought so too:

"What is this - some new form of government? A City Commission which acquires prime real estate, builds a complex facility, and then leases it for only 3% of the gross? It almost sounds too crooked to be true: but it's not crooked at all, just a far out deal."

Flash to 2005: the deal continues. Although the existing lease was not due to expire for another 22 years (due to numerous lease extensions that had already taken place), Marina Jack, now owned by Bob Soran, requested a twenty year extension to 2047. Having recently acquired O'Leary's, Marina Jack asked that the O'Leary lease also be extended (another 33 years) so that both leases would expire at the same time in 2047. In exchange for this additional time, Marina Jack agreed to take on the management of the soon to-be-created public mooring field and - in 2027 - slightly increase the minimum rent. In 2047, this contract will have been in effect for 84 years without once having been put out for public bidding. To date, no independent audit of Marina Jack has ever been performed and the last appraisal of the lease was done in 1994.

Why would the City agree to a 20 year extension? The City wants an organized mooring field for a variety of reasons including environmental concerns, insurance issues, and aesthetics. Not everyone agrees that a mooring field is desirable, but for the moment let's accept that we need a mooring field and that someone will have to operate it - either City employees or a contractor.

Given its long term relationship with Marina Jack, perhaps it is not surprising that the City would look to this known entity first. And perhaps Marina Jack's suggestion that they might exercise the no competition clause in their contract also had something to do with the decision? A 10/27/2005 memo from Deputy City Manager Schneider notes that "Marina Jack would not exercise its non-compete provision in its lease with the City if the lease extension were approved." In an article in the Pelican Press, the City's director of general services gave another reason. She said that "Marina Jack has made significant capital improvements to the leasehold in recent years and it needs the extension to amortize those." (Pelican Press, 11/23/05). Yet another factor is that state law requires there be no profit generated by the mooring field - this is a condition for the City obtaining the submerged lands lease from the State. The most frequent reason given for the extension was that that since there could be no profit and Marina Jack needed to be compensated in some way for their cooperation, a long extension of the current lease was justified. Whatever the reason, the City decided to move ahead without competitive bids and without making the lease more favorable for the City.

What is most surprising, however, is that in spite of the long process that the mooring field proposal has gone through, few financial details have been hammered out with Marina Jack. The agreement brought to the Commission for approval was almost embarrassing in its lack of detail and clarity. It seemed clear that the agreement was a long way from being ready for approval and yet, there it was to be voted on. At that City Commission meeting (12/17/07), Commissioners Clapp and Kirschner asked a great many questions and Mayor Palmer insisted that the Memorandum of Understanding currently being worked out with Marina Jack be returned to the Commission for approval even though Deputy City Manager Schneider said he thought this was unnecessary.

This Memorandum of Understanding is essentially the only card the City has left in negotiating details of an agreement that will expire in 2047. Surely that deserves some serious attention to detail. As Ronald Reagan famously said years ago, "Trust, but verify." Particularly when agreements are being made that will span decades, it is the City's fiduciary responsibility to its citizens to ensure that public dollars and property are being protected.

Kate Lowman
Guest Contributor

*Ahoy City Hall or throw me a line I'm sinking, Harry Hilson 1980, J.R. Isgur Co., Houston TX

[Part II follows]

Mooring Field and Marina Jack - A Saga

[Part II - continued from the above post]

This Memorandum of Understanding is essentially the only card the City has left in negotiating details of an agreement that will expire in 2047. Surely that deserves some serious attention to detail. As Ronald Reagan famously said years ago, "Trust, but verify." Particularly when agreements are being made that will span decades, it is the City's fiduciary responsibility to its citizens to ensure that public dollars and property are being protected.

Here are some of the main issues that have not been resolved:

Rates for using the mooring field. The figure most frequently cited is $15 per day with a 10% discount for longer stays. Many of the current residents can't afford this. They are being asked to transition from a place where they can anchor indefinitely and for free to one where they can stay only a maximum of six months at considerable cost. No distinction is made between large and small craft. As Hilson said, "Happy Jack runs that marina like Admiral Jack's Private Yacht Club. How do you do that? Simple: charge the hell out of the public and in that equation you'll end up with just those folks who can afford to romp around on public land and water."*

How much has Marina Jack already invested in this project? Numerous comments have been made at the City Commission table about the $450,000 that Marina Jack has "already contributed" to this project by expanding the showers and other facilities. Marina Jack currently supplies these services to its customers, but a mooring field will require additional facilities. Not only was there confusion as to whether Marina Jack had "donated" this money, but there were no clear statements about exactly how much had been spent and on what it had been spent. Were they simply improving services for their existing business or was it really all for the mooring field? Since it turns out that Marina Jack will get this money back from the mooring field revenues, and the expenditures were never approved or reviewed by the City, these are details that turn out to be pretty important.

Profit vs. non-profit: Since Marina Jack is a for profit enterprise and the mooring field must be non-profit, how will the accounting for these two entities be managed? Particularly since the City is obligated to pay 90% of any losses for the mooring field, there is an incentive for Marina Jack to shift costs to the mooring field. (That 90% would be deducted from the rent which Marina Jack pays to the City.)

On 1/7/08, Commissioner Clapp renewed questions about the agreements, stating that there were widespread concerns about Marina Jack's "sweetheart deal" and emphasizing the public's need for openness and transparency. Three items were agreed upon:

1. Audit the claimed expenditure of $450,000 to determine how much should be allocated to the mooring field (ie., should some be allocated to Marina Jack or O'Leary's?)

2. Audit the proposed operating expenses of the mooring field to make sure only those costs directly associated with the field are allocated to it. This is to ensure that no costs for operating Marina Jack and O'Leary's are charged to the mooring field.

3. Do an "appraisal" of the use of City land and resources used by the Marina Jack and O'Leary's operations to make sure the lease payment to the City is fair and equitable. Determine the fair value of the use of this land and resources. This will require comparison to similar agreements elsewhere (in real estate terms: comparables).

This measure passed on a 3-2 vote, supported by Commissioners Clapp, Kirschner and Atkins. Mayor Palmer stated that, even though many hard questions needed to be resolved with the Memorandum of Understanding, there was no point to conducting an in-depth analysis since the lease did not expire until 2047. She also noted that Marina Jack had invested a great deal of money in the bayfront and had helped make it a great community asset. Commissioner Shelin said he could not support the proposal because it was "putting the cart before the horse", (i.e. the Memorandum of Understanding.) The three Commissioners voting in favor of the measure all stressed that public confidence and trust in the City and its agreements demanded greater clarity.

As an outside observer, one has to note that asking these questions two years ago before extending the lease would have been even more timely, but better late than never. Fortunately, several of the Commissioners are asking hard questions and we can only hope the answers are forthcoming. Unless these details are fully worked out and there is some independent review of the numbers, it should not be surprising that many members of the public will continue to view this as another sweet deal and giveaway of public dollars.

Kate Lowman
Guest Contributor

*Ahoy City Hall or throw me a line i'm sinking, Harry Hilson 1980, J.R. Isgur Co., Houston TX

City Workshop - Green Policy

You are Invited to a

Downtown Green Space

Public Workshop

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 6:00 pm

Payne Park Auditorium

Your questions and comments are encouraged

Background

The City Commission, at its meeting on October 15, 2007, directed staff to develop a green space plan through a process that includes significant public input reflecting the Downtown as a space for the entire community to convene and include a vision for the Downtown parks and streetscapes.

Workshop Outline

• Process

• Direction and Scope

• Plans, Codes and Existing Inventory

• Managing the Urban Forest

• “Green” Paving

• Financial Sustainability

• Public Questions and Comments

Further Information

Contact John Burg with the Department of Planning and Redevelopment at 954-4195 extension 4214 or e-mail at: john_burg@sarasotagov.com.

From SOS Steering Committee

THANK YOU!

Due to the large outpouring of pubic support for greenspace in our downtown, on October 15th the City Commission voted to request that city staff develop a strategic greenspace plan with significant public input that includes a vision for the city's downtown parks and streetscapes.

Thank you to all who attended the Commission meeting, sent emails, made phone calls and forwarded the info on to your friends. The Commissioners heard the importance you place on downtown greenspace and responded positively. We will keep you advised of the plan's progress as your voice will be an important part of that process.

Again, many thanks for your continued support in keeping Sarasota green and beautiful.

Save Our Sarasota Steering Committee

[If you would like to be on the Save Our Sarasota e-mail newslist, send an e-mail to Saveoursarasota@aol.com and ask to be on the list]

Downtown Greening

Roger Birkel of Selby Gardens recently wrote a letter to the editor (SHT) concerning a proposed Sarasota Green Policy:

As President of Selby Gardens, and a neighbor of downtown Sarasota, I have had the good fortune to work with many fine citizens interested in the creation of a vibrant downtown business district.

As merchants, developers, residents, and visitors, they share a vision of downtown that is a dynamic and thriving heart of the community, a place to conduct business, to shop, to dine, a place where people gather in the daytime or evening to socialize, a place that draws tourists and residents from our neighborhoods to enjoy a special moment in a beautiful urban environment. Downtown Sarasota can sing with beauty and purpose, and enhance the quality of life for the entire community.

I believe there is a window of opportunity right now to approach the future of downtown Sarasota with vision and creativity and cooperation, to implement the dream we all share.

Success will depend upon many things, but at its most basic level it will be a sense of aesthetics, of “place making,” that drives our urban renaissance. To put it simply, people will gather in places that are beautiful and comfortable.

The human experience cries out for a connection to nature. We are more comfortable when surrounded by “green”.

At Selby Gardens I see this basic truth played out everyday.

However, in many people’s minds there exists a dichotomy between the built environment and the natural environment. One is bare, hard, hot, and alienating, while the other is lush, cool and comfortable.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Great cities of distinction like Chicago and Toronto are showing that it is possible to combine the two and create magnificent destinations.

And there are added benefits to increasing the prevalence of parks, plantings, trees, green walls and green roofs in the core of downtown Sarasota. Vegetation cools the air, slows rainwater runoff, absorbs carbon dioxide, produces oxygen, offers habitat, and improves the aesthetic quality. What more can you ask?

There is one more thing that we can and should ask. Developers, planners, business owners and others often voice a concern that green design compromises the merchant’s prerogative.
Can a downtown sidewalk accommodate a merchant’s need for seating and visibility and be a greenscape at the same time?

Recent studies show that trees, and greenscape in general, increase people’s positive perception of central business districts, causing them to stay longer and spend more. Wouldn’t it benefit everyone if we collaborate to ensure that the addition of plantings does not hinder a merchant’s success but in fact increases profitability?

At present, the addition of paving and hardscape to our main downtown streets is the default strategy in the City of Sarasota Downtown Master Plan. The term “urban character” is used to advocate a reduction in greenery of all kinds. This should not be so.

We must strive for the best in urban design and living. When coupled with our continuing commitment to our spectacular and precious natural environment, we will realize a community that supports all of our citizens and neighborhoods, indeed all life, in the best possible way.

Roger Birkel
The writer is president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota.

Help Establish A Sarasota Green Policy

What: City Commission will discuss preserving and enhancing greenspace
When: Monday, October 15, during the 6:00 PM Session
Where: City Hall - First Street and Orange Avenue
What You Can Do: Attend to show support and email the Commissioners

At this meeting, we will have a unique opportunity to increase the quality of our lives by urging the Commission to preserve and enhance our greenspace downtown as well as develop an overall green policy for the city, including the protection of our coastal waters.

For simplicity, greenspace refers to trees, flowers, shrubs and grass.

We are asking for a new Green Policy that clearly articulates the importance of greenspace, providing that the destruction of any public greenspace be only a last resort, not a first option, and then only with appropriate mitigation.

It is essential that we show widespread community support for this initiative.

Ways you can help include:

• Attending on Oct. 1st and bringing your friends and neighbors with you,
• Forwarding this message to your friends and neighbors via email, hard copy and word-of-mouth,
• Emailing the Commissioners (addresses below) to express your support for more greenspace
• Calling 954.4115 and asking to leave one message for all five Commissioners.

Thanks for your help in letting our Commissioners know how important this issue is to Sarasota's residents.

SOS Steering Committee

Addresses to click and send:
LouAnn.Palmer@sarasotagov.com
Kelly.Kirschner@sarasotagov.com
Fredd.Atkins@Sarasotagov.com
Richard.Clapp@sarasotagov.com
Ken.Shelin@Sarasotagov.com
robert.bartolotta@sarasotagov.com
saveoursarasota@aol.com

Pelican Press Endorses Super Majority

From the Pelican Press

Super majority amendment is good government

Come November - and much sooner actually as absentee ballots are being mailed out this week - voters will be faced with a chance to require significant changes in city and county government, some of them possibly confusing.

But one issue is simple. It would require a super majority of at least four commission votes instead of three to permit increased height or density changes in our comprehensive plans. ...

The Pelican Press strongly believes the community of Sarasota deserves the added protection of super majorities on comprehensive plan changes in both the city and the unincorporated area of the county.

Read the entire editorial here.

City Charter Amendments - Vote Yes

Dear Friends,

Save Our Sarasota's Steering Committee has endorsed four amendments to our City Charter that will be on the November 6th ballot. As a public interest group, we do not endorse candidates. However, we feel these amendments are important enough to the future of our City to merit our support and encourage your support as well.

The amendments will give Sarasota citizens a stronger voice in growth decisions and provide local campaign finance reform.

A super majority amendment would require the vote of four of five City Commissioners when changing the City's Comprehensive Plan to permit an increase in height or density.

Three campaign finance reform amendments would:

• Lower the campaign contribution limit from $500 to $200, bringing the City of Sarasota in line with Sarasota County;
• Allow contributions only from individuals, thereby preventing corporations from bundling multiple contributions from several business entities; and
• Change campaign finance reporting dates so that the press and public learn where the money is coming from before they vote, not after.

Sarasotans for Good Government, chaired by Susan Chapman, has been formed to support passage of these Charter amendments. If you would like to contribute toward the cost of signs and mailers to promote these measures, you may send a check,* limited to $200 per person, to:

Sarasotans for Good Government Campaign Account
46 Palm Avenue South,
Sarasota, FL 34236

If you would like a sign for your yard or are able to volunteer, please send an e-mail with your request and it will be forwarded to Sarasotans for Good Government.

Please vote Yes on November 6th and forward this to others who care about our city.

SOS Steering Committee

*No corporate checks. If check is for more than $100, please note occupation.
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Sarasotans for Good Government Political Committee.

Five Points Park Workshop Scheduled

Next week, the City Commission will hold a workshop to discuss the direction for Five Points Park. The Workshop will be Monday, January 29, from 3 to 4:30 PM. The following Monday, Feb. 5, the Commissioners are expected to vote on staff's recommendation - that a RFP be issued to select a landscape designer for the project.

Save Our Sarasota sent the following letter to the commissioners:

Dear Commissioners,

Save Our Sarasota applauds you for your desire to proceed with the redesign of Five Points Park that was initiated last year. The Planning Department conducted a model public process of soliciting citizen input through two workshops and a detailed questionnaire which was widely distributed.

As you probably recall, this public process produced strong consensus that the park should be designed for primarily passive uses with occasional large public events and festivals such as presently occur, and that the green area should be expanded with additional grass and flowers.

We ask the Commission to use this consensus as a starting point and to continue to solicit a wide array of citizen input throughout the process of redesigning downtown Sarasota's premier green space. We continue to strongly believe that Five Points Park should be a lushly landscaped oasis in the midst of all the downtown hardscapes.

Thank you for your consideration.

Janice Green, Chair
SOS Steering Committee

What Should Government Do?

Laura Sperling wrote an excellent column in the SHT yesterday. If you haven't read it you should. She has a wonderful way of saying what many of us wonder about:

Conservatives and libertarians tend to think that government should provide for public safety and not much more. Govern least to govern best, etc.

I, on the other hand, believe government should work much harder than that. As long as recipients do the dishes, put a chicken in every pot.

Government should build infrastructure, save the environment, educate us, broaden opportunity, level the playing field, cure disease, end injustice, support the arts, forecast hurricanes precisely, and unlock the secrets of the universe.

For starters.

Demanding as I am, though, I do not expect government to provide me with a critical mass of high-quality retail.

I'm 99 percent sure the phrase is not in the Constitution, but the idea keeps popping up at Sarasota City Commission meetings. Municipal movers and shakers apparently believe that shopping is so central to our future that it warrants special nurturing by government.

Freedom to shop is grand. It contributes to the general economy. But as civic ideals go, a "critical mass of high-quality retail" falls way short of "justice for all."

Heck, it doesn't even measure up to "timely garbage collection."

Unlike, say, sewage treatment, retail is a competitive, for-profit enterprise. The private sector seems eminently qualified to sink or swim on its own.

Something to think about. Read the entire column.

Super Majority - An Idea That Resonates

Stan Zimmerman, president of the City Coalition of Neighborhood Associations, said he was thinking about that project when he proposed requiring a super majority in the city. The neighborhood group unanimously approved the concept earlier this month.

"It seemed to be an idea that had some resonance," Zimmerman said. "Something about it feels right to me."

An article in todays SHT describes commissioner reaction to this concept when CCNA inanimously voted to ask the commissioners to enact this requirement.

Bill Earl, who heads the group, Citizens For Sensible Growth was quoted:

"When you have these important issues, you really ought to have a consensus," said Bill Earl, chair of the Citizens for Sensible Growth in Sarasota County, the group collecting signatures [to place the issue on a county referendum ballot]. "Going for the extra vote sets a higher standard."

It is a pleasant change to have the commissioners listen to the citizens.

Now, if we can change the City Charter to require the super majority for comprehensive plan changes, it could not be rescinded by a split (3 to 2) vote. Instead, it would take a voter referendum.

More on the Super Majority Idea

From SRQ magazine's Page 1 e-newsletter:

Super Intentions: The CCNA Wants A Super Majority Vote To Protect The City's Comprehensive Plan

If neighborhood preservation were in trouble, would Super Majority be its hero? Members of the City Coalition of Neighborhood Associations think requiring a super majority vote when amending the city's comprehensive plan might help curb some of the growth that they feel is detrimental to Sarasota.

Currently, the 5-member commission requires just a 3-2 vote to amend the comprehensive plan and allow developers such leeway as increased density and land use changes. But CCNA President Stan Zimmerman said their group decided last weekend to press the possibility of a super majority vote (4-1) to amend the plan.

"The comprehensive plan should require more than just a simple majority to change it," Zimmerman said. "We went through all of these years of effort to develop the downtown plan--who knows how many thousands of man hours and endless
meetings--and suddenly three commissioners could walk in one day and say 'Why can't we have 25 stories downtown?'"

Zimmerman stressed that the CCNA will see the issue voted on-whether it’s on the city commission's agenda or a referendum ballot. He said the city could pass an ordinance to require the super majority, and that route would be much easier. But if they deny the ordinance, the CCNA will request a citizen vote on the issue and hope to incorporate the new rule into the city's charter.

Super Majority

At the Saturday CCNA (Coalition of City Neighborhoods) meeting, the topic of requiring a city commission super majority (4 out of 5 votes) in order to change the comprehensive plan was brought up and discussed.

This would make it more difficult to change the comp plan without having community involvment and acceptance of the change before enacting the change.

CCNA voted unanimously to:

1. Ask thecity commissioners to put this question (requiring a super majority for comp plan land use changes) on a referendum ballot.
2. If the commissioners were not agreeable to this, CCNA would consider collecting signatures to put this on the ballot.

There is a petition effort to have a similar super majority requirement for land use changes in Sarasota County. The group has more than half of the required signatures.