Sarasota News Leader

05/17/2013

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Sarasota News Leader May 17, 2013 Page 39 ashore on privately owned beaches," Brown Tourist Development Tax (TDT) Emergency noted, prompting "a lot of phone calls" from Fund to pay for beach cleaning under special those property owners. conditions "at County-owned public beaches, beach accesses and certain areas seaward of However, Brown said, existing county policy the mean high water line," which is specified prevented staff from responding. in Florida common law. A memo Brown provided to the commission Brown told the commission that special connotes that in 1995, the board adopted a Beach ditions cleaning costs from that TDT fund had Cleaning Policy, which it amended in 1997. ranged from $408,403 in 2007 to zero in 2009. That policy did "not clearly or adequately adThe cost for 2012 was $122,680. dress the use of public funds for the removal of dead fish or seaweed on private property," the The memo points out that each year about memo says. "In fact, aspects of the language $200,000 is budgeted in the TDT emergency are inconsistent with the Florida Statutes and/ fund for beach cleaning under special circumor case law as it relates to public beaches and stances. the public use of private property." County staff met with administrative staff, The memo also points to the importance of representatives of the County Attorney's the beaches to the county's economy and Office and the county's Natural Resources, notes that Parks and Recreation uses the Operations and Maintenance and Health de- Red drift algae abounds on Crescent Beach on Siesta Key in August 2012. File photo

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