In The News

The report’s foundation is based upon a very important premise, “In the United States, housing supply has failed to meet demand, resulting in higher housing costs.” This is no longer a debatable issue, the market is not meeting population growth and therefore driving housing costs upwards. In Sarasota County, no one is in doubt that we are experiencing this issue right now, home sales prices have skyrocketed as we experience a demand from the flight of people from high-tax states.

What is inhibiting the building of housing supply? Regulation. According to the report, “A significant body of research has examined the relationship among land use regulation, housing supply, and housing prices, finding that increasingly strict local and State government regulations have driven up the cost of building new homes and prevented housing supply from keeping up with demand.”

Otherwise known as “regulatory tax,” the cost of regulation can be serious and significant.

Passidomo told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Tuesday that she supports much of the Texas law but does not its $10,000 incentive for people to sue anyone “participating” in illegal abortions.

“There are provisions in there that don’t make sense,” she said. “We need to do what’s right for Florida.”

Passidomo, who succeeds Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, as Senate President after the 2022 session, was speaking to the newspaper after it reported that she told the Argus Foundation Monday, “I am pro-life but I am not pro-telling on your neighbors.”

“Given the recent opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court, we may pursue greater protections for life in Florida,” said the Naples Republican, who is in line to be Senate President if Republicans maintain a majority in 2022.

The statement came a day after Passidomo made headlines for criticizing portions of the Texas “heartbeat” bill that bars abortions around six weeks into a pregnancy and makes no provisions for rape or incest. She made her remarks in a speech to the Argus Foundation in Sarasota, where she said “I am pro-life but I am not pro-telling on your neighbors,” according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

“I am pro-life but I am not pro telling on your neighbors,” Passidomo told the Argus Foundation crowd gathered at Michael’s on East, adding that she is “uncomfortable with that language” allowing citizen enforcement.

Passidomo said in an interview with the Herald-Tribune after the event that she does favor banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected.

All local governments in the county are receiving more money this year than last year. They will also see more money next year than this year if they maintain current millage rates because property values are increasing. Our overall local tax revenue did not take as...

Yes, there is a reduction of parking spots available with these terraces, and yes, in the case of the City of Sarasota, a loss of direct parking income with their parking meters.  However, there will also be an increase in sales tax collected on the food served and...

The American Rescue Plan is about to send a remarkable influx of federal dollars into local governments. The US Department of Treasury came out with guidance this week for $110.7 billion headed to county and city governments around the country. This is a pivotal...

"When President Joe Biden was candidate Joe Biden, he was very clear on his position on affordable housing. Local and state regulations were an affordable housing problem that also led to other problems in climate change and transportation. No one should be surprised...