Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/194514
Sarasota News Leader October 18, 2013 OPINION entire commission voted to rescind the contract offered to WMS Sarasota Management. By a 3-1 vote, the commission also rejected extending the contract to the other bidder, Cambridgeshire Investment LLC of Port Charlotte. Page 90 the future of Warm Mineral Springs. And after all of these months, the county and North Port are no closer to securing proper management of the facility than they were last December. The blame for this sorry state of affairs rests most squarely on the shoulders of the North Port Commission, especially Yates and Commissioners Cook and DiFranco. Their oafish bumbling has cost the taxpayers of Sarasota County dearly. Then, in another 3-1 vote, the commission voted to direct city and county staff to work on a plan to reopen only part of the springs without a private operator. Such a plan already had been considered and rejected by the county The voters of North Port might regret their as unworkable, even in the short-term. poor choices in their last municipal election, At least, in a final vote, the commission voted but it is the taxpayers of Sarasota County who 3-1 to allow the North Port city manager and are footing the bill. % Sarasota County administrator to, at their option, pursue another bidding process for a short-term operator. However, in the best LETTERS TO THE EDITOR of circumstances, that will lead to months of The Sarasota News Leadadditional delays in reopening the springs. er welcomes letters to the editor from its readers. LetBlame for WMS Sarasota Management's cold ters should be no more than 300 words feet rests with both commissions, since any in length, and include the name, street prudent person should have realized that no address and telephone number of the one in his right mind would undertake the writer. Letters should be emailed to management of such a derelict facility with Letters@SarasotaNewsLeader.com, with only a year to sort things out. The "take it or "Letter to the Editor" in the subject line. Letters actually printed will be selected based leave it" ultimatum delivered to the bidder on space available, subject matter and othwas virtually guaranteed to come back to er factors. We reserve the right to edit any haunt the commissions, as it now has. letters submitted for length, grammar, spelling, etc. All letters submitted become the Still, it has been almost a year since the North property of The Sarasota News Leader. Port Commission, led by its trio of obstructionists, hijacked the reasonable consideration of