Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/190797
Sarasota News Leader October 11, 2013 Page 31 in 2006 was the envy of virtually every other But for a variety of reasons, the Sarasota County Commission declined to create any city in Florida. more CRAs. There was one exception — in It was not just nightlife, either, that made it Englewood — which remains miniscule. shine. Every day, an estimated 50,000 people came into town to work. New downtown con- Merrill is a former Sarasota City mayor who dominiums created a population boom where now lives in Nokomis. He knows the virtues of virtually no population had existed before. having a CRA and the liabilities of not having Downtown became the economic hub of one. Nokomis, for example, has begged the Sarasota — for business, banking, retail and County Commission for more than a decade for a library. entertainment. Merrill wanted his committee to not only But in slightly less than three years, the CRA make a knowledgeable recommendation will be kaput. about the future of the Downtown Sarasota MERRILL THE 'TURBULENT PRIEST' CRA, but to continue it with a model ordinance that could be applied elsewhere. That In the meantime, other communities in idea, however, drew the ire of at least three Sarasota County saw this economic miracle county commissioners. One urged Merrill to in downtown and wanted one of their own. resign. So he did. During summer budget workshops, county commissioners already were considering revenue projections for future fiscal years that included tax dollars now going to the downtown CRA. Photo by Norman Schimmel