TTY 7-1-1 or 1-800-955-8771. 0000005077 00000 n [5] District Court of Appeal Workload and Jurisdiction Assessment Committee, Final Report and . All we had to do is tweak numbers based on the census. Cutsinger loves and is committed to Sarasota County and has served as a member of civic and nonprofit community service organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, and the Rotary Club of Sarasota. Map to History Center. Learn more. County Commission (BCC) - District 1 - Michael A. Moran District 2 - Mark Smith District 3 - Nancy C. Detert District 4 - Joe Neunder District 5 - Ron Cutsinger Watch County Commission Meetings Commission Calendar Commissioners Email (Public Access Email) Proclamations and Certificates of Recognition Citizen Opinion Survey Redistricting + TTY: 7-1-1or 1-800-955-8771. Goodrich, who said he drew the maps in partnership with his colleague Morgan Bentley, defended the use of party politics as a factor in the redistricting process. He is a past board member of the Siesta Key Association, Siesta Key Village Association, Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Siesta Key Presidents' Council, Sheriffs Advisory Board,All Faiths Food Bank, and the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. When Sarasota County voters in amending the county charter moved last year from a system that elects commissioners countywide to one that only allows voters in each commission district to cast ballots in a race, Morans reelection prospects dimmed. Each December, the Board elects one of its members to serve as Chairman and another as Vice Chairman for the following year. It turns out that its not the republicans at all that are the biggest utilizers of PACs in Sarasota, not by a long shot, wrote the individual, who identified himself as John even though Gmail also identified him as Adam Smith in that email. READ MORE: See the latest local and state politics news. Thats a 12.26 percentage point spread between the least-populated and most-populated districts, as factored by looking at how many percentage points each district deviates from the ideal district. Spitzer said he drew his proposal for new district boundaries in an effort to create adequate balance while still largely maintaining the 2019 map. Some have speculated that a credible opponent from North Port could give Detert a tough race if the lines of her district dont change. ESPAOL: (833) 912-1316, PHONE: (941) 423-9540 1660 Ringling Blvd., District State's Attorney Ansonia/Milford Margaret E. Kelley Danbury . PLEASE NOTE: Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. Rounds noted that nearly 60% of voters supported single-member districts in 2018, and a recent county opinion survey showed a positive sentiment among residents toward that electoral process. I have no stock in Christian Ziegler, and it was absolutely not done with that in mind. Each November, the Board elects a Chairman who serves as its . GIS stands for Geographic Information System, the field of data management that charts spatial locations. 311 or 941-861-5000, Sarasota County Waechter has not hidden his interest in redistricting. District 1 currently has more Democrats than Republicans, presenting Moran with the prospect ofa tough race under the single member district system. Copyright 2023 Observer Media Group Inc., All Rights Reserved. He and his wife Alison moved from Michigan in 1973 and have owned several local businesses, including Rons Restaurant in Englewood, which they opened in 1974. See the latest local and state politics news, for making campaign contributions to Democrats on behalf ofRepublican Lourdes Ramirez, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. But Waechter insists that the map is a good product. Single-member districts brought this contentious nature about, Moran said. Green Map; Neighborhood Projects; Water Atlas; Bike and Walking Routes; Neighborhood Services. The schemecould haveundermined Ramirez in a GOP primary by making it look like she supported Democrats. Ron DeSantis signed a law stripping Disney World of its special district. rcutsinger@scgov.net Florida Statute 668.6076. Waechter submitted proposed new boundaries for County Commission districts dubbed the "Smith map" anonymously through Sarasota County's online redistricting survey portal, and last. He and his wife Esther have four children Liz, Jackie, John, and Ashley. commissioners@scgov.net : . The Democrat will challenge incumbent Commissioner and GOP leader Christian Ziegler. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Resident R.N. Article does not exist or Permission Denied. in writing. The Herald-Tribune uncovered Waechters involvement in the Smith map by digging into public records and other clues. Home; A-Z; Residents. Redistricting is essential now that we have moved to Single Member Districts to insure every citizen has equal representation on the County Commission, wrote Agood Citizen, also spelling ensure wrong. how to get to quezon avenue mrt station Uncovering hot babes since 1919. He is a white, non hispanic male registered to vote in Sarasota County, Florida. According to information presented at todays meeting, census data shows a 14.2% spread between the populations of the smallest and largest districts in the county a gap in excess of the 10% benchmark used to determine whether a map is generally legally defensible. Office of the County Attorney Copyright 2023 Observer Media Group Inc., All Rights Reserved, County Commission requests new redistricting map, Sarasota County redistricting sparks questions, concern, Sarasota County leaders hear criticisms of redrawn maps, County finalizes redistricting map options, Sarasota County narrows list of redistricting maps, New district maps coming for Sarasota County, Despite public objections, county picks new district map, County selects redistricting map, targets repeal of single-member districts. Detert said shes not worried about the appearance of having someone with Waechters highly partisan and controversial background involved in crafting the map that commissioners might base their final product on. Sarasota County, FL Home Menu. Smith is a long-time Sarasota resident. County commissioners justified the 2019 redistricting by saying the previous district map, adopted following the 2010 Census, was out of date. After nearly an hour of discussion on Monday, the Florida High School Athletic Association's Board of Directors voted to implement a policy change that allows, but doesn't require . He continues to serve as a leader in his church. They adopted a racist map, which was a slap in the face to Atkins and the African- American community. I dont know Christian Ziegler. Waechtersaid he submitted the map anonymously because he was worried that attaching my name to it would have disparaged it.. Call 311or941-861-5000 We dont want to hold large blocs of people out of voting for six, eight, 10 years, Collins said. Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller. I think its funny that its being hailed as a tool to get Christian Ziegler re-elected, Goodrich said. He served as President of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 2007, and received the 2009 AIA Florida Silver Medal in recognition of his years of leadership and service. The commission also directed County Administrator Jonathan Lewis to create a portal for residents to submit proposed district maps. In doing that,the mapremoves most of North Port from District 3, which currently is held by Commissioner Nancy Detert. The Herald-Tribune uncovered a number of clues that tied Waechter to the Smith map. Supervisor of Elections Sarasota County GIS Maps are cartographic tools to relay spatial and geographic information for land and property in Sarasota County, Florida. Sarasota County commissioners are considering a new map that would drastically change the county's commission district boundary lines and make it easier for Commissioner Christian. I said give us some ideas of starting points.. The Sarasota County School District Transparency Page, a conservative activist Facebook group focused on Sarasota education issues, posted a comment during the meeting calling Foster a. Detert pushed back on the suggestion that Waechters involvement tainted the proposal and the entire redistricting process. Meanwhile, it appears that District 2 would move from a Republican tilt under the current configuration to a Democratic tilt. Although some officials have expressed displeasure with single-member districts, two speakers at todays meeting sought to push back against any efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2018 referendum. Collins said using the 2011 district maps in the 2020 election would have only been marginally less balanced than the redrawn maps the county adopted in 2019. Goodrichs maps propose a more significant deviation from the current district boundaries. District 1 would include a chunk of north Sarasota and a large swath of the middle of the county east of I-75 and south of State Road 72. The University of Floridas Bureau of Economic and Business Research pegged Sarasota Countys 2018 population total at 417,442. He represents the Commission on the Bay Park Improvement Board, Jewish Family and Children's Service of the Suncoast, Sarasota County Veterans Commission, Coastal and Heartland National Estuary Partnership, and the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. Spitzers proposed maps do not make the populations in each district identical, but instead cut the difference between the most-populated and least-populated districts so it is less than three percentage points. The County Commission asked Spitzer to create an alternate version of his proposed map that would establish State Road 72 as the southern boundary of District 1. Detert said she likes that Waechters map, another submitted by former Commissioner Carolyn Mason which Waechter also said heworked on and Millers map craft the districts in a way that makes them more compact and more understandable in terms of geography. ft . Downtown Sarasota. During the process of considering new district maps for county elections Tuesday, the County Commission defended its controversial decision to redistrict ahead of the 2020 census and criticized the single-member district election system, which voters approved in 2018. Ron Cutsinger was elected to the Sarasota County Commission in November 2020. All commissioners except Commissioner Mike Moran spoke with the consultant about the maps. This isnt just 2021, Moran said. They selected this map over two. The email complained that the newspaper was focusing on Republicans use of political action committees, and not giving equal attention to Democrats. When youre allowing anonymity that lacks transparency and allows people to question the motives behind the lines, said Gonzalez-Eilert. 430 Kumquat Ct, Sarasota, FL 34236 is currently for sale. Smith earned bachelors and masters degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology before returning to Sarasota with his family in 1990. Elections are held every two years, with either the District 1, 3, and 5 seats or District 2 and 4 seats up for election. As Sarasota County embarks upon an effort to redraw the map outlining district boundaries for commission elections, some officials are expressing hope the process will be more straightforward than it was in 2019. Dividing that total by five indicates that each commission district should have roughly 83,488 residents. Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), Phillippi Creek Septic System Replacement, Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, Proclamations and Certificates of Recognition, Transportation (Hurricane Evacuation Center), A Claim for Property Damage or Personal Injury, Commissioners Email (Public Access Email). Under Spitzers map, portions of District 2 north of 12th Street and east of U.S. 301 would be incorporated into District 1. Regular meetings of the Sarasota County Commission are cablecast live on Access Sarasota, and may be viewed live below. It was solely done from the perspective of how do we create a balance on the County Commission?. The similarity between Waechters map, the Miller map and others submitted by the public could be seen as evidence that there were no partisan intentions behind the redistricting effort. Resident Pat Rounds noted the countys recently completed community survey showed 40% of respondents approve of single-member districts, while 26% disapprove. Data from the. Ashland: David Meany (R) Barron: Brian . The computer IP address a numeric designation that identifies its location on the internet associated with Waechters Herald-Tribune comment is the same as the IP address for roughly 20 other comments, most from an account that uses the sarasotafactum@gmail.com email address. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. On November 15, Sarasota voters will learn which of three redistricting maps the Board of Sarasota County Commissioners accepts as the basis for the 2022 election. A Herald-Tribune reporter received an email from sarasotafactum@gmail.com in 2017. The email also complains about Hit Pieces on republican candidate Mike Moran., More recently, sarasotafactum@gmail.com sent an email to members of the media, Sarasota County commissioners and Assistant County Administrator Johnson with the subject line: Dems put finger on scales of public opinion survey, solicit stuff the box responses.. I didnt really give him any direction, Hines said. Return to full list >> Back to Top. Sarasota, FL 34236. The county agreed to have consultant Kurt Spitzer and Associates draw alternative maps that sought to minimize disruption to existing boundaries. Go. Despite public objections, county picks new district map Moving to redistrict ahead of the 2020 census, the Sarasota County Commission selected a controversial map based on a submission. Commission Chair Charles Hinessaid in an email that at this point I do not have anything new to add other than what we discussed at the public meeting.. PublicComment@sarasotacountyschools.net. TheCanvassing Board meeting schedulefor the March 14 Holiday Park and Tri-Par Estates electionshas been posted. Spitzer drew a map that seeks to largely maintain the general scope of the districts the county adopted in 2019. But a population analysis by Spitzer estimates that the least-populated district currently has 79,590 residents, while the most populated district has 89,824. About Sarasota County. FAX: (941) 861-8609 Traffic, water and air quality, and affordable housing are some of the issues he wants to focus on as a commissioner. See the schedulenotice. in writing. 1660 Ringling Blvd., As Sarasota County embarks upon an effort to redraw the map outlining district boundaries for commission elections, some officials are expressing hope the process will be more. Previously, all commissioners were elected by voters in the entire county. BCC Rules of Procedure - Exhibit A to R2023-011, Clerk of the Circuit Court To me its try and get the numbers as equal as possible and thats it, Hines said. Faced with a challenge from a Venice parent to remove a book about racism and white privilege from school libraries, the Sarasota County School Board voted 3-2 to keep the title on the . How much are these districts really going to change?. Mark Smith was elected to the Sarasota County Commission in November 2022. But under Waechters proposed map, it appears that District 1 would become solidly Republican and Moran would have a safe seat. He has also served on the Sarasota County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and was recognized by the Friends of The Legacy Trail for his support of the successful referendum to extend the trail. I dont want to put words in your mouth, are you suggesting that that bottom middle one would be the easiest I dont want to put words in your mouth on this are you suggesting that bottom middle one is the easiest one to get to zero or as close to zero? Moran said, referencing the Smith map and Spitzers assertion that it did the best job of evening out the population in each district. Commissioners began pushing to redraw the district boundaries after voters last November approved the single-member districts amendment to the county charter last year. For Sale: 3 beds, 2 baths 1647 sq. The county is redistricting because, per 2020 census data, theres too large a population gap between the largest and smallest district in the map adopted in 2019. The first batch of maps drawn by a consultant hired to guide Sarasota Countys County Commission redistricting process does not radically reimagine the commission district boundaries, but instead tweaks them and keeps the same basic geography for each of the five areas. Thats exactly the map that was submitted by Agood Citizen, aka Adam Smith. The County does not warranty, guarantee, or . Buthe later sent an email admitting he drew the map. He has three grandsons and three granddaughters who are the pride and joy of his life. For the latest redistricting effort, the county solicited online map submissions from the public from Oct. 1-11. Sarasota County commissioners are hoping to overturn the way the five-member local government board is elected, by only voters in the district where they live. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. County officials attached the name Adam Smith to the map because thats the name Gmail associates with the sarasotafactum@gmail.com account. Sarasota County Commission Districts and Voting Precincts This map is produced from Sarasota County GIS, and is representative information only. Local Candidates, Committees & Political Parties, Division of Elections Forms and Publications, Financial Reporting for Parties/Committees, Vote-by-mail requests are currently being accepted. Waechter submitted proposed new boundaries for County Commission districts dubbed the Smith map anonymously through Sarasota Countys online redistricting survey portal, and last week commissioners voted to have consultant Kurt Spitzer use it as a template to craft a map that they will consider going forward. Now, only voters who live within a district can cast ballots in that race. That email address sarasotafactum@gmail.com also was used to alert Sarasota County Assistant Administrator Brad Johnson to the maps submission. During the open comment section of Tuesdays County Commission meeting, speakers cast aspersions on the work of Brian Goodrich, the author of two of the three maps the county is considering as it redraws district boundaries for commission elections. Each Commissioner represents and resides in one of the five Commission Districts. The system - called single-member . He represents the Commission on the Bay Park Improvement Board, Jewish Family and Children's Service of the Suncoast, Sarasota County Veterans Commission, Coastal and Heartland National Estuary Partnership, and the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization.