A CLEARER POLICY REQUESTED
Lourdes Ramirez addresses the County Commission in April. Photo by Norman Schimmel
A COUNTY COMMISSION MOTION TO BILL A RESIDENT RETROACTIVELY
FOR A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST FAILS ON A 2-3 VOTE, BUT THE BOARD
CALLS FOR NEW GUIDELINES FOR FUTURE CHARGES
By Rachel Brown Hackney
Editor
Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Barbetta 2050 Plan for development east of Interstate
failed last week in an attempt to bill Siesta 75. Barbetta has argued over the past several
Key resident Lourdes Ramirez retroactively months for changes in the plan, saying its pafor a public records request that necessitated rameters are too restrictive to make developa county employee sit with her for about nine ment possible.
hours while Ramirez
During almost exactreviewed the doculy 45 minutes of disments.
I think we've been taken advantage cussion on Aug. 28,
of, but going forward, I want us to the five commissionRamirez, president of
rigorously enforce this. It's not fair to the ers did agree that all
the Sarasota County
staff or the taxpayers.
Council of Neighborcounty departments
hood Associations, has
should bill people in
Carolyn Mason
Chairwoman
been researching the
the future for staff
Sarasota County Commission
history of the county's
time in situations simi-
