Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/235968
Sarasota News Leader January 3, 2014 Commissioners on Dec. 11 goes ahead anyway with a deal including just such a so-called "clawback" provision, after an at-times-tense meeting with Paul Blackketter, the head of the nonprofit created to raise money for and manage the park. The Florida Legislature has approved a total of $10 million for the rowing project, in two $5 million chunks. But the latest round of money, approved by Gov. Rick Scott after this spring's legislative session, comes with strings attached. Enterprise Florida, the public-private entity that manages economic development in the Sunshine State, pushed for a clause in its contract with the county that requires Sarasota to pay back its investment if the rowing facility does not generate $25 million in state sales tax money by the end of 2018. Pretty much everyone on the commission agrees with Visit Sarasota County Director of Sports Nicole Rissler when she says that proving the facility generated $25 million in state money will be a "challenge." The county commissioners vote 3-2 on Dec. 11 to hold a public hearing on a panhandling ordinance that would replace a temporary, "emergency" ordinance now in place. The hearing will likely take place in March, according to county officials. Chairwoman Carolyn Mason and Commissioner Christine Robinson, who cast the dissenting votes, say they do not want to set a public hearing without first collaborating on the issue with municipalities throughout the county. At the joint city/county meeting held last month to hear homeless consultant Robert Marbut's 12 strategic recommendations, the county commissioners agreed to work with the cities to address homelessness in the region. Page 123 The Sarasota County Commission schedules a public hearing for the morning of Feb. 12 regarding a proposed county ordinance to control a new array of substances — synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic or substitute Cathinones and Kratom. The board votes unanimously on Dec. 11 to advertise the hearing. The commission in late August identified the abuse of synthetic drugs — referred to as "designer drugs" — as "a pressing community issue," according to a staff memo. Chairwoman Carolyn Mason seconds the motion Commissioner Christine Robinson makes to approve advertisement of the hearing, adding that a couple of months earlier, a homeless man walked up to her in church and said, "You've got to do something about this synthetic marijuana stuff that's going on in the community." Mason tells her colleagues and staff, "That says something loud and clear, to me, and I'm happy to see this ordinance [proposed]." Former Republican Party of Sarasota County Chairman Bob Waechter pleads guilty Dec. 12 to breaking election laws and impersonating another person with the intent to harass. The deal puts an end to a yearlong case that started when he used the personal information of a Republican opponent to make potentially damaging campaign contributions to Democrats. But the victim, current Sarasota County Commission candidate Lourdes Ramirez, says justice has not been served, arguing that political connections between Waechter and State Attorney Ed Brodsky put the state's objectivity in doubt. Waechter did donate $250 to Brodsky's 2012 campaign in June 2011, and his name pops up