Read the latest articles about topics that are effecting our community.
The Sarasota City Commission appropriately hit the reset button last month on their City Manager Search. It was the right thing to do, and at the right time.
When a city commissioner steps into office, commissioners must rely on staff for the expertise of their departments, as commissioners usually are dealing with issues they have limited time to learn about. This is where the commissioners learn to trust staff, but verify, and learn their role in accountability of government.
Twenty-five years ago, the Sarasota School Board, at the behest of a widely disliked Superintendent, decided to sneak a special referendum on a ballot for July for an additional millage. The school system was on the verge of financial ruin and more money is all the School Board and Superintendent cared about.
Last month, we wrote a column thanking the county commission for focusing on stormwater, but we asked for a special meeting solely on stormwater maintenance. We were surprised at the strong community reaction to that column; many from all walks of life reached out to The Argus Foundation to voice their support for the column and their concern for hurricane season.
The Argus Foundation was highly concerned for North Port taxpayers and businesses as well as the overall financial health of the city when these referenda were placed on the special ballot so quickly. Our concerns centered on insufficient due diligence in understanding taxpayer costs and a lack of comprehensive long-term planning for critical city infrastructure.
Flooding has hit our community hard recently, beginning with Hurricane Ian in 2022 and then the trio of storms in 2024 of Debbie, Helene, and Milton. These storms brought unprecedented flooding to areas that never used to flood and hardship as structures, vehicles, homes, and belongings were destroyed or severely damaged.
