Sarasota County Planning Commission serves the developers
Herald Tribune columnist Carrie Seidman on the way Sarasota planning governance excludes the people it is supposed to represent. Originally published by the HT in 2020 under the title: "County appointments deserve wider field, deeper scrutiny"
A fifth-generation Floridian born on a farm near Osprey, Thaxton has earned broad-based respect for his reflective judgment and his willingness to cross traditional boundaries to examine all sides of an issue. His dedication to the preserving the natural environment — he’s a noted expert on the endangered Florida scrub-jay — is balanced by his experience in land use and affordable housing issues.
A three-term County Commissioner (he term-limited out in 2012), he currently serves as the Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s senior vice president for community investment, a job that puts him in close touch with Sarasota’s key nonprofits and the area’s most challenging social and economic challenges.
So why, on his fourth attempt over the past six and a half years to serve on the Planning Commission, was he again recently passed over by the Board of County Commissioners? It was just the most recent of his rejections for the position, which date back to the mid-‘90s and are so numerous he’s now lost count.
“This is the 16th? 17th? time, so I just take them in stride,” said Thaxton who, as always, returned my call promptly, even though he wasn’t eager to talk. “I can only assume that the reason for me not getting appointed time and time again is that the qualities I bring to the table — in terms of expertise in water quality, affordable housing and land use — are not the skill set they’re looking for. I’m not going to draw any conclusions.”
Nine residents submitted applications for three openings on the Planning Commission, which is charged with advising the County Commissioners on land development applications and potential changes to the Comprehensive Plan guiding community growth. With the exception of Commissioner Nancy Detert, who nominated him (for the second year in a row), the board again spurned Thaxton’s bid for an unpaid position considered one of the most time-intensive and onerous in county government.
Instead, commissioners reappointed Teresa Mast (wife of Jon Mast, CEO of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, who was recently reappointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals); and named Neil Rainford, an executive with Mullet’s Aluminum Products and Justin Taylor, of MRT Lawn and Garden Center, a company that provides landscaping installations in new developments, as well as for the county. Taylor also serves on the BZA.
That means the Planning Commission remains dominated by members who work in or with the development industry and tend to have a pro-development stance. The commissioners did not offer any reasoning for their choices or rejections. But I’m not the only one who think it smells bad.
“Mr. Thaxton, who is widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable people about Sarasota County history, planning and environmental issues, has been rejected four times,” said Tom Matrullo, a local environmental advocate who helped lead the Fresh Start for the Celery Fields group. “I’m waiting to hear a single reason from any commissioner for this decision.”
Dominance on county boards by industry-affiliated individuals is not limited to the Planning Commission. Indeed, some groups, such as the Development Services Advisory Committee, require a specific area of expertise that precludes those without industry connections. But the committees that reserve a position for a member of the “general public,” tend to be those that deal with less controversial decision making, such as historical resources or public art.
In particular, seats on the boards that have to do with development and zoning are almost always filled by those whose business or industry could gain some benefit from their service. Whether that’s because those less personally vested may not be as willing to take on the workload or because they feel applying would be futile is open to debate.
Another factor limiting the field is how and where the county advertises open seats for its host of voluntary positions. Unless residents are particularly motivated, it can be a challenge to find the county website page where they are listed and they are not otherwise advertised through an email blast or networking with volunteer organizations.
Thus, a pattern has evolved that when openings come up, candidates seem to be virtually self-selected or, when there is a choice, selected by the established powers. Often there is but a single candidate for an opening or, if there are more, the process of evaluating them is done behind closed doors.
Even when a board requires some industry expertise, it would make sense to reserve a seat or two for members of the general public, who represent the “end users” of whatever is decided within the committee. That would broaden not only the community’s involvement, but the equitable balance of the county’s input.
Thaxton, who denied — once again and vehemently — that he has any intention of another run for County Commission, said he does plan to vie for the Planning Commission again.
“I’ve been doing this so long, I’m in it for altruistic motives,” he said. “All I want is an improved community. I felt bringing my decades worth of experience on some of our most pressing issues would be advantageous. So I’ll wait until it is.”
Commended for his perseverance he added, “Some would call it that. My wife might characterize it as stubbornness.”
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