Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/235968
Sarasota News Leader January 3, 2014 Following a County Commission pledge last month to set aside $500,000 to deal with homelessness issues in the area, the City Commission votes 3-2 on Sept. 3 to match that. The city board takes the action after a discussion about funding for a homeless shelter, which has also been called a "transitional center" by consultant Robert Marbut. Commissioners Paul Caragiulo and Suzanne Atwell and Mayor Shannon Snyder vote to dedicate the money to initiatives for the homeless. Commissioners Willie Shaw and Susan Chapman say they cannot support the effort. Although Snyder and Atwell vote for the funding, they do voice concerns about the overall cost of building and operating a new facility. The $500,000 includes $289,000 in the form of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) that had already been Page 89 allocated for a homeless center. Thus, the City Commission effectively put up another $211,000 for the proposal. City commissioners say they want the city attorney to tighten the current noise regulations, combining two ordinances into one. During their Sept. 3 regular meeting, they also direct Police Chief Bernadette DiPino to meet with several bar owners about continuing problems. Mayor Shannon Snyder has a direct message for DiPino and police officers to send to several Main Street bar owners — including those at Tequila Cantina and Smokin' Joe's — who are evading the city's noise laws. "We have a problem with two or three businesses that don't want to comply," Snyder says. "It's time for these folks to get Tequila Cantina has been one Main Street establishment at the focus of downtown noise concerns. Photo by Norman Schimmel