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may not be feasible. "We also do understand the realm of politics and that not all [policy] changes that should be made actually can be," the report reads. "We understand that the fis- cal neutrality provision, amongst many other features of the comprehensive plan, is here to stay. So, the question is how to implement this policy in ways that are least restrictive to economic growth and overall prosperity in the County." The author then makes sev- eral recommendations on how to adjust the details of fiscal neutrality. "It's just more of the same thing," says attor- ney Dan Lobeck, who has been a frequent and harsh critic of the commission's decision to rewrite 2050. He calls the report "garbage." "Trusting Donna Arduin to come up with a plan on growth management is like trusting the Grand Dragon of the [Ku Klux] Klan to come up with a plan on civil rights," he says. "She continues to recommend eliminating fis- cal neutrality entirely, as well as removing as many zoning restrictions and regulations as possible." According to Lobeck, the purpose of the report is clear: "to guarantee that no developer ever pays anything." County staff members reviewed draft No. 2 and sent back comments and suggestions on Jan. 10, hoping to see their questions addressed before the Laffer team presented its findings to the County Commission on Jan. 29. But that appearance date was pushed back to Feb. 19, to give Laffer "adequate time" to address staff comments, in the words of County Administrator Tom Harmer. In a letter to Laffer's Ford Scudder, Sarasota County Long Range Planning Division Manager Allen Parsons asked for a number of clarifications to be made in the final draft. "Outside of an overall recommendation to eliminate the Fiscal Neutrality requirement, there do not appear to be specific policies or implementing regulations recommended for changes," Parsons wrote. "Within the context of the county's intent to maintain this over- arching Fiscal Neutrality requirement, the only changes recommended by your Fiscal Neutrality Analysis are associated with the clear definition of appropriate Costs and Revenues. ... If there are other specific poli- cies or regulatory changes proposed, please be sure to indicate those within the report." First National Bank of the Gulf Coast Executive Vice President Jody Hudgins also weighed in as part of the county's team of peer reviewers. He wrote that the new draft is much more "usable" than the first, but he also criticized some of its claims, such as the one that Sarasota has "some of the highest and most volatile housing prices in the state." Hudgins noted that that statement has "no factual basis." But Hudgins did praise sev- eral sections of the report, such as one that argues that all revenue sources, "direct and indirect alike," should be calculated when analyzing fiscal neutrality; and one that calls for local rules to be brought into line with new state laws. In an email to Harmer, Parsons indicated that a third draft is due from Laffer this week. "Staff will then review this updated draft and ensure that a finalized copy is included for the Board's review, as well," he wrote last week. % Sarasota News Leader January 31, 2014 Page 12