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Sarasota News Leader June 7, 2013 Page 50 The commission will hold its next budget • City of Sarasota: up 3.74 percent, with a total value of $7,131,631,602. workshop on June 12, when it will discuss the • City of Venice: up 2.84 percent, with a total operating budget for FY 2014. value of $2,775,761,673. The other preliminary taxable values for Sara• Town of Longboat Key: up 2.28 percent, sota County are as follows: with a total value of $3,379,484,986. • Sarasota County School Board: up 4.48 per- The preliminary taxable value of property in cent over the 2012 figure, with a total value North Port is $2,387,070,645. Rachel Brown Hackney of $43,601,207,507. SHERIFF KNIGHT APPOINTED TO PDMP FOUNDATION BOARD As of May 31, Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight began serving on the Board of Directors of The Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Foundation, the Sheriff's Office has announced. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group that operates as a direct support organization for the Florida Department of Health, a news release says. The foundation's goal is to raise private funding to operate the PDMP, which requires $500,000 annually, the release adds. In a letter announcing Knight's appointment, Florida Surgeon General and Secretary John H. Armstrong, MD, FACS, states, "We need people like you to donate time, energy, and experience to aid in reducing the scope of prescription drug abuse and diversion in Florida." Since 2009, Knight "has worked to crack down on the prescription drug problem, launching a special investigative unit to address these crimes and forming a community partnership with medical professionals to combat this crisis," the release points out. Those activities include promoting the creation of Florida's PDMP and advocating its widespread use, the release adds. Sheriff Tom Knight/Contributed photo The foundation consists of a board of directors appointed by the Florida state surgeon general, "plus community and business leaders working to save lives by fundraising for the PMDP to combat the deadly consequences of drug abuse and diversion," the release says. For more on the foundation, visit www.flpdmpfoundation.com.