Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/91307
'IN A SHARPER MANNER' TOP STORIES County Commission requests formal notification of administrative staff's handling of issues flagged in audits — Rachel Brown Hackney The Sarasota County commissioners have asked County Admin- istrator Randall Reid to provide them updates on measures he and other administrative staff take to resolve problems flagged in audits by the Sarasota County Clerk of Court's Office. The commissioners want to avoid a repeat of situations that led to the Procurement Department scandal in 2011, they told Reid. The discussion followed Clerk of Circuit Court Karen Rushing's presentation of her office's latest audit report during the commission's Oct. 23 regular meeting in Sarasota. That audit examined the county's permit and impact fees. The report's synopsis says, "The permitting and impact fee assessment and collec- tion process is complex and there are not written guidelines or procedures docu- menting this process. Undercharges and overcharges were noted during the audit …" (Full story here) TOO CHARMING Analysis: Laurel Park fights for a place in the sun — Stan Zimmerman Laurel Park is everything you could ask for in a neighborhood. Geographically, it lies on the southern edge of downtown; all the urban amenities are within walking distance. It features the city's best collection of 1920s architecture — from bungalows to apartment buildings. And it is close to all the city's major traffic ar- teries. The residents of Laurel Park have battled for years to keep their "patch of paradise" out of the hands of speculators and high-rise builders. They even had the city create a unique zoning district (RSM-9) for the area. That district does not allow for com- mercial activity, even though the neighborhood already had a historic designation to protect its character. (Full story here) AT A GLANCE