Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/147897
Sarasota News Leader August 2, 2013 Afterwards he sat down with Barbetta. "I didn't want to go head-to-head [in a campaign] with people with an awful lot of money, people with a different set of values," Caragiulo told The Sarasota News Leader. "Talking it through, he didn't think that was the case." It is likely Barbetta will be a political "rainmaker" for Caragiulo, opening doors to fundraisers and influential people. "Joe has been an enormous part of my short public service," Caragiulo added. "I talk with him nearly every day. I bounce ideas off him." Barbetta told the News Leader, "It will be a tough race, [but] he's bright, highly ethical and has a great work ethic. … He's not afraid to tackle problems." Barbetta added of Caragiulo, "He understands economic development, and he understands we need to grow our tax base." Page 15 ON THE FATE OF THE CRA Two former city commissioners already sit on the Sarasota County Commission. Both Nora Patterson and Carolyn Mason are two-term veterans of the city board, but both have expressed skepticism in the past in regard to continuing the Community Redevelopment Agency. The county now contributes about $4 million into the city's downtown, ostensibly to fight blight. The county is already budgeting that $4 million annual contribution into its general fund for the fiscal years after the CRA's 2016 expiration date. Patterson leaves the board in 2014, also term-limited out. Mason's second term ends in 2016. It is unclear when the county will address the issue of whether to extend the CRA. If Caragiulo is elected in November 2014, he could be casting a vote on the issue. Caragiulo was elected to the Sarasota City Commission in 2011. "I think the preservation of [the CRA] is pretty He is 38 years old; married, with two daugh- set. I have confidence in that group," he said. ters. With his brothers, he manages three "What we don't know is about [the county restaurants in town. share of] the increment. We do know the issue Paul Caragiulo (middle right) listens to remarks during a City Commission meeting in 2012. Photo by Norman Schimmel