Read the latest articles about topics that are effecting our community.
Sarasota County held its much-anticipated budget workshop on February 26th, and the results were a mixed bag. There was genuine progress to acknowledge budget problems, and the commission deserves credit where it is due. At the same time, several issues surfaced that will require continued scrutiny. Taxpayers need to stay engaged
Sarasota County kicks off its budget workshops for the year on Thursday, February 26th, and the numbers deserve your attention. The county has budgeted $23 million more in economic uncertainty reserves than it collected in general fund revenue, and that gap has real consequences for taxpayers.
The 9.2% increase in spending in 2026 has commissioners starting the budget process with a $7.1 million gap between expenses and revenues.
Sarasota County budgeting has begun earlier than usual, and as commissioners head into 2027 planning, they have dug themselves a spending hole. They couldn’t say “no” in 2026, and now they’re facing the consequences.
This Thursday, I had the privilege of attending the groundbreaking ceremony for Sarasota Station, a remarkable workforce housing project two decades in the making by One Stop Housing (OSH).
