to the staff report. Kratom is "[h]ighly addic-
tive with symptoms ranging from dry mouth
to hallucinations," the report adds.
Enforcement will be handled by the Sheriff's
Office, police officers or county Code
Enforcement staff, according to a PowerPoint
presentation provided to the commission.
Among the possible penalties for possession
of the substances are fines of $250 per pack-
age and revocation of a business' Certificate
of Occupancy. A Feb. 12 memo to the board
explains of the latter, "Although the use of this
remedy would likely be rare, it is an available
option should multiple violations by the same
business continue to be documented …"
The ordinance even provides "for a cause of
action for a citizen to enforce the code as a
'private attorney general,'" Mel Thomas, a
planner with the county's Health and Human
Services Department, told the board.
The Feb. 12 memo pointed out, "This new
language would allow a person to seek dam-
ages, including but not limited to damages
for medical expenses and wrongful death, for
injuries sustained" as a result of a violation of
the ordinance.
THE LATE CHANGE
After hearing a reprise on Feb. 12 of a staff
presentation from its Dec. 11, 2013 meet-
ing, the County Commission learned from
Assistant County Attorney David Pearce
that the Sheriff's Office had contacted him
Monday about the suggested tweak to the
An illustration shows samples of packages in which synthetic drugs are marketed. Image courtesy
Sarasota County
Sarasota News Leader February 21, 2014 Page 69
