Sarasota News Leader

12/13/2013

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Sarasota News Leader December 13, 2013 Page 58 way with support from the major businesses Barry's plan calls for Moran to report back to who will be major contributors." the DID with alternatives to increase funding sources by June of next year. Moran was referring to a handful of bagclad protestors credited with reversing a SHORT SHRIFT City Commission decision to install parking The other six priorities were barely touched meters downtown. during the meeting. A plan to work with BREAK OUT THE MAPS downtown condominium complex resident Moran suggested he could produce a set of associations to pay for increased security in maps showing incremental expansions of the the district is still in the discussion phase. DID, each stating the amount the revenue One proposal would levy between $9 and $12 would increase if that specific, defined area per month on downtown condo units to offwas added to the DID. "In each increment, set the cost of more off-duty police officers we could ask, where is the opposition? What on the streets. benefit would help convince them to support The DID members did agree to set aside it?" he told the board members. one-fifth of their reduced annual expendable Three areas were named to give Moran a income as reserves. target for his mapping exercise. One was to Moran mentioned that some downtown the west, crossing U.S. 41 to encompass the improvement districts have other sources of still-developing hotel district — including income besides property tax revenue, includthe Ritz-Carlton, the yet-to-be-built Sarasota ing the East Coast cities of Delray Beach and Gulfstream and the Hyatt. While there was no mention of the former Quay property, it Coconut Grove. They receive money from their community redevelopment agencies as would be a natural fit. well as parking meter revenue. A second direction was north, into the Rosemary District. There is new interest in Kauffman mentioned a possible increase in commercial and residential development in the city fees for outdoor dining in the district. that section of the city. However, the cur- "The permit is $250, and then $25 for each rent tax base, from the DID point of view, is chair after the first four. It's not free, but it's pretty close to free," he said. "[The restaumeager. rants] can make that on one meal." A third option would be a push east, down Main Street. Now the DID stops in the middle Moran closed the discussion by saying the of the 1600 block. How far down Main could expansion will "take a lot of sweat. And that sweat should be shared." % it go? facebook.com/SarasotaNewsLeader

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