Sarasota News Leader
October 18, 2013
Page 18
allow University of
The Center for
Florida graduate
Architecture is taking
Most problems and issues are over a county print
students to study
architecture at a 1960 uncovered when people come forward, shop and restoring it
Sarasota School of and people are only going to do that when at no cost to the taxArchitecture build- they feel comfortable.
payers, he points out.
ing located on Orange
Steve Uebelacker
Cynthia Peterson later
Avenue. Press releases
Ethics and Compliance Officer
Sarasota County
emailed Uebelacker,
and news reports
have quoted Barbetta
requesting a meetcalling the program a "tremendous mile- ing, at which Uebelacker told her he had no
stone for Sarasota," "a great connection with intention of pursuing the matter. "I thought
the University of Florida," and "big for the the issue was over," he wrote to Barbetta.
community."
(Peterson did not respond to a News Leader
message.)
When Uebelacker later met with Barbetta to
discuss the employee's claims, Barbetta "vol- The second allegation is the thornier one.
unteered" that he is indeed "very good friends" Tom Giddens and his wife, Toni, have long
with Peterson and her husband, architect Guy protested the validity of the county's mowing
Peterson, according to Uebelacker's Oct. 9 contracts, and in a 5,000-word email sent this
email. But Barbetta tells The Sarasota News August, Tom charged that county employees
Leader it's "shocking" that someone would had steered bids to favored companies and
suggest he might profit from the arrangement. retaliated against Storm Tech for speaking out.
A South Orange Avenue building designed in the style of the Sarasota School of Architecture will be the
future home of a University of Florida graduate architecture program. Photo by Norman Schimmel
