Board to select from New Planning Commission Applicants
Meet the contenders to become Sarasota County's newest planning board commissioners
As concerns with development have become the preeminent political issue in Sarasota, the County Commission will appoint new members to its important Planning Commission next week.
The Planning Commission advises the county on important development issues, including long-term growth and land use. In recent years, the board has been seen as a pro-development body and a breeding ground for future county commissioners. However, the momentum may have shifted in April with the appointment of Jon Thaxton.
Thaxton, a former county commissioner, is the director of policy at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and a public advocate against Sarasota’s explosion of development in recent years.
Planning Commissioners Donna Carter and Cullen Morgan have not applied for reappointment, so there are two open positions among the seven people who applied.
The candidates range from vocal environmentalists to longtime operators in real estate and development.
A local environmental advocate, Ayech is a regular presence during public comment at county meetings. She is also a member of the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Environmental Advisory Board and the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida.
On her application, she wrote that she “lives in the rural part of Sarasota and will bring this perspective to the Planning Commission.”
Ryan Lieberman
Lieberman is the vice president of development for the Barrington Group, a local real estate firm. He is on the board of the Suncoast Builders Association, which is run by the husband of County Commissioner Teresa Mast. He is also a member of the Argus Foundation.
He said in his application that the county’s most important planning issue is transportation infrastructure.
“Traffic congestion and a lack of diverse transportation options are major concerns,” he wrote.
Libou is a director in real estate investment banking for Raymond James & Associates. He graduated from the acclaimed Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
He wrote that the two pressing issues he’d address as commissioner are “responsibly managing the county’s growth while preserving the way of life that makes Sarasota beautiful” and “preparing the county for more meteorological events, such as powerful hurricanes and flooding.”
Ryan Murphy
Murphy is a Lead Associate at the digital information firm Booz Allen Hamilton. He previously served on the Sarasota County Development Review Committee.
“Rapid and continued growth is the most pressing planning and land use challenge in Sarasota County,” he wrote in his application.
Boyd is the chair of the 1st Street Credit Union Board of Directors and the secretary of the Sarasota County Fair Board. He owns and operates the Boyd Investigative Group.
In his application, he wrote that the most pressing need in the county is infrastructure.
“Our county is experiencing unprecedented growth, and if the county is going to allow that growth, the infrastructure has to be a part of that plan,” Boyd wrote. “Developers need to take part in the responsibility for the infrastructure as growth takes place.”
David Stershic
He is a retired county firefighter who now works for Willis Smith Construction. His biggest issues were county drainage and infrastructure.
“I am not anti-development. An individual should have the right to develop the property they own,” he wrote in his application. “I believe this should be done at the appropriate time, which requires discussion about everything else that has to support and service it.”
However, he also wrote the county can “hit the pause button temporarily” on development to better plan for the future.
In one portion of the application, Stershic wrote that “Willis Smith Construction frequently manages the construction of County projects.”
Arthur is a real estate agent with Michael Saunders & Company. He recently exited the county Board of Zoning Appeals after 14 years.
“As a property rights advocate, and someone who is in the real estate business, I see both the importance of community service and understand the value of both residential and commercial presence within a thriving community,” Arthur wrote in his application.
He wrote that the most pressing need for the county is to “co-mingle existing development with new” and find the best practices for future growth to balance with existing development.
Eaton is a local environmentalist and wrote that his biggest concerns are floods, wetland protection, and stormwater enhancements.
“Just like traffic... the stormwater system has been overloaded and it’s lost all function,” Eaton wrote in his application. “Remediation needs to take precedence over new construction until the flood issue is properly corrected.”
The County Commission is scheduled to make its selections at its Aug. 27 meeting.
Correction: Ryan Lieberman is a member of the Argus Foundation but does not sit on its board, a previous version of the story said otherwise.
The Sarasota County Planning Commission can be reached at:
https://www.scgov.net/government/advisory-boards-and-councils/planning-zoning-and-licensing/planning-commission
Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Email him at ccasale@gannett.com or christiancasale@protonmail.com
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