Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/100825
Sarasota News Leader December 28, 2012 MAY 21 Sarasota���s public property trespass ordinance comes up for review in light of a lawsuit against the city by the American Civil Liberties Union. City Attorney Robert Fournier introduces a new trespass ordinance for its first public hearing, and he briefs city commissioners on the status of the lawsuit. Trespass is rooted deeply in English common law. In American usage, it generally means that if a property owner asks someone to leave, the person must stay off the property for a year or face arrest and jail. ���A trespass warning avoids judicial due process,��� says Michael Barfield, counsel for the Sarasota chapter of the ACLU. ���To allege a crime but not provide an individual with their full rights is not correct.��� The city and the ACLU are in the midst of a 60-day hiatus over their dispute, to try and find common ground. ���We���ve agreed to an informal and expedited system for the lawsuit, to keep the fees down,��� says Barfield. Fournier adds, ���We���re looking at the records. Before we answer the complaint, we���d like to take the 60 days to work on the factual details.��� Page 30 of African American Leadership, tells the commissioners that Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent should have provided opportunities for citizens to look at the proposed plans before Dent brought them to the commission for action. ���It is my hope and fervent prayer that you will not approve these changes,��� he tells the commissioners. ���And please be mindful of Section 5,��� James said. James was referring to a portion of the U.S. Voting Rights Act that calls for freezes on new election practices in certain states, including Florida, until those changes have undergone a federal review to make certain they comply with the provisions of the 1965 act. MAY 22 In spite of pleas from representatives of the African American and Hispanic communities in north Sarasota County, and some commissioner reservations about the lack of public awareness of the matter, the Sarasota County Commission votes 4-1 to allow the consolidation and renumbering of voter precincts throughout the county. Commissioner Carolyn Mason, the only African American on the board, casts the single ���No��� vote. Prior to the board discussion of the new precincts, Ed James, representing the Coalition The Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections consolidates precincts prior to the 2012 General Election and releases a new map showing their boundaries. Image courtesy Supervisor of Elections