Sarasota News Leader
December 28, 2012
Page 58
SEPT. 10
SEPT. 11
���A lot of this activity this evening seems to be
somewhat scripted,��� Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton says toward the end of
the commission���s first public budget hearing.
Upon advice of County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh, the Sarasota County Commission this
week votes unanimously to settle the lawsuit
it filed against the state over efforts to collect
disputed Medicaid payments. However, commissioners say they believe the counties need
to continue to press the point that state billing
methods have to improve. DeMarsh points out
that the 57 counties that participated in the
lawsuit with the Florida Association of Counties succeeded in their effort to force state officials to address inefficiencies in the process
used to obtain the Medicaid payments. The
collection effort was prompted by a Florida
Legislature bill covering Medicaid bills from
2001 through April 2012. On Aug. 20, the commission voted to pay $3,570,168 in Medicaid
bills state officials said it had linked to county residents, a 44 percent reduction from the
original total the county had faced.
Indeed, it was literally scripted. The budget
document the commission was working from
contained a ���script��� from which Commission
Chairwoman Christine Robinson and county
staffers read. And since there were zero public
comments about the budget, which contains
a 1.6 percent tax increase because of a raise
in the mosquito control rate, the commission
zips through the hearing, closing things down
after just 36 minutes. But that does not mean
there are no surprises: Robinson votes against
the proposed millage rates, the only ���No��� vote
on the five-member commission, while still
thanking county staff for putting together the
budget plan. When asked about her vote, Robinson cites the lump-sum money payment to
county employees as one reason she could not
support this year���s budget. ���I greatly appreciate how hard our employees work,��� she writes
in an email. ���I see the amazing things they do
for our citizens everyday. But until we see our
revenue stream stabilize, I could not support
any type of lump sum payout or raise.���
SEPT. 12
The vote is split, but the Sarasota County
Emergency Services staff receives the goahead to advertise a request for proposals
for a consultant to help staff work out design
specifications for a new public safety radio
Sarasota County commissioners head into fall with more big-ticket items on their agenda, including decisions about Siesta Public Beach and the replacement of the county���s emergency communications system. Photo by Norman Schimmel
