Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/115375
Sarasota News Leader March 15, 2013 Barwin's initial proposal called for one fulltime and two part-time caseworkers. Including equipment, benefits and supplies, the tab would run about $150,000. He appointed Sarasota Police Capt. Paul Sutton to spearhead the task force's efforts to seek "immediate stop-gap solutions, particularly dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues," according to a Nov. 30, 2012 city press release. A budget amendment later in the evening of March 18 would allow the city to accept $100,000 from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and add $20,000 from Sarasota County — plus $20,000 from the city's coffers — to create the program. As the city wrestles with resolving the old Sunshine suit, a new one surfaced Tuesday, Page 24 March 12; it also was filed by Citizens for Sunshine. It alleges the scoring and ranking of the contractors who bid on the $7.3 million State Street parking garage were changed in violation of the state's open meetings laws. "Using the Public Records Act, Citizens for Sunshine obtained scoresheets ranking the bidders that indicated bid scores were crossed out and altered," the group said in a media release. The organization added that the winner — A.D. Morgan of Tampa — did not even make the short list until after the scores were changed. The company received additional points after the scores were tallied because a "city staffer claims the points should have been awarded during the [open-to-the-public] committee meeting, but it was inadvertently overlooked," according to the lawsuit. The City Commission will consider a budget amendment March 18 to create a program to aid homeless people in the community. Photo by Norman Schimmel