Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/273295
Robinson added that if police in North Port or Venice transport an individual to the north Sarasota shelter, "[The person will] just be dropped off in our jurisdiction. Then [he will] walk out onto our streets." OBSERVATIONS NEAR AND FAR "Does it make sense to transport transients to the city that are now in a central part of the county?" asked resident Lynn Robbins. "How can other cities be asked to share this cost? We've asked for the budget. How can we approve a project without even knowing the cost?" Robbins was one of 13 people who shared their thoughts and concerns with the City Commission Monday. Several work at the Pines of Sarasota, an assisted living and nursing facility on Orange Avenue. They expressed concern for the homeless and vagrants, but they also voiced concern for their own safety and the safety of the people at a nearby day-care center. The Osprey site would be one block from the Pines. (See the related story in this issue.) "For the safety and security of my 400-plus staff members, the majority of them females, the vulnerability of our youngsters, the defenseless seniors and their loved ones, I ask you to consider them," said John Overton, the Pines' president and chief executive officer. The mother of two cadets at Sarasota Military Academy told the board, "The chronically homeless in Sarasota are not invisible to me. I do not think the concentration of addicted and mentally unhealthy people is an asset to Pines of Sarasota (marked with the flag) is also located on North Orange Avenue in Sarasota. Image from Google Maps Sarasota News Leader March 7, 2014 Page 21