The biggest day-to-day decision for residents may be what the county stopped: Sarasota County commissioners voted 5-0 to put a 12-month freeze on accepting, reviewing, or approving large-scale data center applications while staff studies how county rules should handle them. Staff said these facilities can use city-scale amounts of power and large volumes of water. Joe Neunder pushed for a moratorium, Teresa Mast said she wanted the code made unmistakably clear, Mark Smith said staff should identify what needs to be added so these projects cannot apply, and Tom Knight said he agreed. Staff said no application is pending, but one inquiry had come in.
The board also approved Visit Sarasota County’s fiscal year 2027 work plan and budget, $8,316,321, on a unanimous vote. That money supports tourism marketing and sports promotion funded through tourist development taxes.
On Siesta Key, commissioners filled out the new Beautification Task Force. The two at-large members are Barbara Lancer and Tina Landry, and each commissioner’s appointee was also confirmed: Rebecca Kyver, Mason Tusch, Robert Luckner, Natalie Gutwein, and Rick Monroe. Staff said they will notify members and start planning a meeting.
The board also approved Buckins Bayside Phase 2 in Englewood, allowing eight more residential villa units for a total of 20 in the mixed-use project. Commissioners approved the needed land-use and zoning actions 5-0, while revising one design stipulation so it applies to non-residential development.
Other actions included approving a lease-with-option-to-buy for a new clerk records center and asking staff to return with all 12 county wall and fence agreements so commissioners can review what obligations, if any, the county has before deciding next steps.
Key takeaways: - The board approved the Visit Sarasota County fiscal year 2027 scope of services and budget for $8,316,321 by a 5-0 vote. (1:24:10)
The board directed a 12-month temporary freeze on accepting, reviewing, or approving data center applications while staff studies regulations and code issues related to large-scale data centers. The vote was 5-0. (1:43:45)
The board selected two at-large members for the Siesta Key Beautification Task Force: Barbara Lancer and Tina Landry, and confirmed the five commissioner-appointed members. (2:09:06)
The board approved Buckins Bayside Phase 2 in Englewood, including a small-area comprehensive plan amendment, a critical area plan amendment, a rezoning, and special exceptions, with one stipulation revised to apply to non-residential development. The votes were 5-0. (4:43:22)
Meeting opening and withdrawn items
The meeting opened at the Robert L. Anderson Administration Center. The presiding officer said Items 2 and 3 were being withdrawn and would be heard after the break in August. (0:00:27)
2026 intern program presentation
Human Resources staff Hannah Alderson, joined by Melanie McGill and intern Ava Metric, presented an update on the county’s internship program. Alderson said the program began in 2019 and that from 2019 through 2025 the county hosted 197 interns. She said 35 interns were participating this summer in 12 departments. (0:03:28)
Ava Metric said Sarasota County had been recognized as a top-ranked internship program in the nation for 2025, that 100% of 2025 interns recommended the internship to peers, and that 26 former interns had become full-time county employees. (0:06:13)
Open to the public
During the first open-to-the-public period, speakers addressed later agenda items including large-scale data centers, the Siesta Key Beautification Task Force, county wall policy, the Lorain Road extension, a proposed workforce housing project on Clermont Road, and Manasota Beach Road. (0:09:35)
Visit Sarasota County fiscal year 2027 budget approved
Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Director Shawn Jaeger introduced Visit Sarasota County President and CEO Aaron Duggan to present the fiscal year 2027 plan and budget. (1:02:25)
Duggan said Visit Sarasota County is a 501(c)(6) public-private partnership funded through the tourist development tax, and that the portion under discussion included the 13% allocated to promotions and marketing and the 8% allocated to sports tourism. (1:03:10)
She presented a proposed fiscal year 2027 budget of $8,316,321 and described spending categories including website and CRM, public relations, digital engagement, airline service development, research, paid media, promotion, group sales, international marketing, visitor services, sports, postage, telecommunications, administration, and management fees. (1:02:47)
The presiding officer congratulated Duggan on a CNN mention and said tourism numbers were staying strong. (1:23:47)
Tom Knight moved approval of the Visit Sarasota County fiscal year 2027 scope of services and budget as presented, and Joe Neunder seconded. The board voted aye, with the chair stating the motion passed unanimously, 5-0. (1:24:10)
Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee appointment
Jaeger presented two applicants for an expired three-year at-large term on the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee: Alexandria Coe and John Robinson. (1:25:09)
Teresa Mast nominated John Robinson. No other nominations were made. The presiding officer said to congratulate him and thank him for his service. No roll-call vote was taken in the transcript. (1:25:42)
Large-scale data centers: update and 12-month freeze
Assistant Planning and Development Services Director Michelle Norton presented an update on large-scale or hyperscale data centers. She said such facilities can range from 100,000 square feet to more than 1 million square feet, with AI campuses around 500 acres or more. (1:26:32)
Norton said a 50-megawatt data center can consume power equivalent to roughly 35,000 to 50,000 homes, and that a 500-megawatt AI campus may approach the demand of a medium-sized city. She also said a 100,000-square-foot data center can use about 52,000 gallons of water per day, larger facilities can consume 500,000 to 2 million gallons per day, and AI campuses could use up to 5 million gallons per day. (1:28:38)
She said Senate Bill 484 took effect July 1 and established new standards related to infrastructure costs, water permitting, reclaimed water use when feasible, and public hearings at the state level, while reaffirming local authority to establish reasonable regulations. (1:31:05)
Norton said staff’s initial review was that this use was not believed to be permitted under current county zoning, but staff needed a deeper review of the comprehensive plan and code. She said the county had no application but had received one inquiry. (1:34:07) (1:41:29)
Joe Neunder said, “for me, it’s no, not now, never,” and said he supported a moratorium or similar action. (1:35:19)
Teresa Mast said she wanted the code clarified so there would be no doubt about what is and is not allowed, and said she did not want applications accepted at all. (1:37:04)
Mark Smith said he wanted staff to determine what needed to be added to county codes so such facilities could not apply. (1:39:20)
Tom Knight said he was on board with the other commissioners and noted the county had no application pending. (1:41:17)
County Attorney Lewis said the straightforward legal approach would be a temporary freeze on the acceptance, review, or approval of data center applications for 12 months, with implementing action to come back later. (1:42:58)
Joe Neunder moved “a temporary freeze on accepting revision and or appeals on any data center applications for a period of 12 months,” which was amended during discussion to “approval” instead of “appeals.” Teresa Mast seconded. The board voted aye, and the chair said the motion passed unanimously, 5-0. (1:43:45)
Stormwater and general services approvals
After the break, the board approved several funding and contract items without full presentations:
- Item 7, stormwater, Parts A and B, approved 5-0. The motion was made by Joe Neunder and seconded by Teresa Mast. The transcript does not restate the item title during the vote section. (2:01:03)
Item 8, Hudson Bayou dredging, adding CIP project 75891 and appropriating $14,695,660, approved 5-0. Mark Smith asked about the project schedule and design timeline before the vote. (2:01:27)
Item 9, Philippi Creek dredging and contingency, appropriating $490,816 and approving addendum 3 in the amount of $419,816, approved 5-0. (2:05:58)
Item 10, Knights Trail fuel site budget amendment appropriating $1,246,000, approved 5-0. (2:06:54)
Siesta Key Beautification Task Force appointments
County Administration staff member Eileen Duckett said the board had previously established the Siesta Key Beautification Task Force and that 11 applications were received for the two at-large seats. (2:08:08)
The presiding officer then confirmed the commissioner-appointed members: Teresa Mast appointed Rebecca Kyver; Mark Smith appointed Mason Tusch; Tom Knight appointed Robert Luckner; Joe Neunder appointed Natalie Gutwein; and Ron Cutsinger appointed Rick Monroe. (2:08:44)
The presiding officer said the board’s written selections showed “a very clear decision” for the two at-large seats: Barbara Lancer and Tina Landry, each receiving four votes from the board. (2:09:06)
Duckett said staff would notify them and begin planning a meeting. (2:09:34)
During discussion, Joe Neunder asked about the task force duration and whether it could later be extended from the current end date of 12-31-27. Duckett said the board could extend it later without repeating the appointment process. (2:09:42)
Clerk records center lease with option to purchase approved
Capital Projects Director Carolyn Eastwood presented a proposed commercial lease with option to purchase with the Swift Family Limited Partnership for a new clerk records center facility. (2:12:47)
Eastwood said the project was included in Surtax IV with an $18 million allocation. She said the proposed site was on Mango Avenue and Aspen Wall Street, about 1.3 acres, and the new building would be about 26,000 square feet. (2:13:00)
She said the lease term would be 30 years with an option to purchase after the first year and each year after that. The purchase price was $15.4 million. Annual rent would be a little over $1 million, paid monthly. She said the county would be responsible under a triple-net lease for maintenance, insurance, property taxes, and office furniture, and that lease payments would need to come from a non-surtax source. (2:16:22)
Eastwood said the applicant was pursuing a street vacation and rezoning through the City of Sarasota, and that if those were denied and rent increased because of a two-story design, the county could terminate the agreement at no cost. (2:17:34)
She also said the landlord would design, permit, construct, and deliver the building within 24 months of lease approval. (2:19:03)
Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller Karen Rushing told the board the current facility was at 99% capacity and said she was concerned about weight load in the historic courthouse. She said she is required to keep some original records and that the county is required to provide the capacity. (2:29:08)
Teresa Mast moved approval of the commercial lease with option to purchase with Swift Family Limited Partnership for the new clerk records center facility. Tom Knight seconded. The board voted aye, and the chair said the motion passed unanimously, 5-0. (2:32:21)
County-owned walls and fences discussion
Transportation Director Spencer Anderson presented a status report on county-owned and maintained walls and fences in transportation rights-of-way. He said the county has 12 wall segments totaling about five miles. (2:33:24)
He reviewed locations including Oakwoods, Centergate Estates, Ridgewood/Brentwood Estates, Turtle Creek, Maple Loft, Curry Creek Condo, Eastgate, Pinebrook Wall, Waterford, and Honoré Avenue. (2:34:00)
On the Pinebrook Wall, Anderson said there are about 7,000 feet of foam concrete wall along Pinebrook Road, built around January 2006, and that the county had recently spent about $125,000 on repairs from storms. He said the material is no longer available and replacement pieces have to be created by hand. (2:37:34)
He said staff had met with residents from Sandalwood, Mission Lakes, and Pelican Point and reviewed the 2001 agreement related to the wall. (2:38:51)
Anderson presented four replacement options using the Pinebrook Wall length as an estimate:
- Option 1, concrete block or prefabricated concrete wall, about $3 million. (2:42:22)
Option 2, aluminum fence. (2:42:57)
Option 3, EcoStone vinyl fencing. (2:43:18)
Option 4, louvered vinyl fence, described as the least expensive option. (2:43:28)
He said staff’s recommendation for a county standard would be Option 4 unless a specific segment had requirements calling for something else. (2:45:24)
Commissioners discussed whether the county should remain in the wall business, whether each wall had a different origin and agreement, and whether the county had any legal obligation to replace walls in perpetuity. (2:46:23)
County Attorney Lewis said staff had found nothing in the agreements that legally required the board to replace and continue maintenance of a new fence or wall. (2:51:58)
After discussion, Teresa Mast moved to have staff come back with all 12 agreements so the board could review the language, origin, and any obligations. Joe Neunder seconded. The board voted aye, and the chair said the motion passed unanimously, 5-0. (3:10:49)
Buckins Bayside Phase 2 approved in Englewood
Planner Kirk Crane presented Buckins Bayside Phase 2 as a four-part application: a small-area comprehensive plan amendment, a critical area plan amendment, a rezoning, and a three-part special exception. He said the purpose was to add eight residential villa units to the previously approved 12, for a total of 20 units in a mixed-use development. (3:13:41)
Applicant attorney Bill Merrill and consultant Kelly Klepper presented on behalf of the Libertor family. Merrill said the county had invested in Dearborn Street revitalization and described the project as a catalyst for redevelopment in the area. He said Buckins Bayside Phase 1 had been approved unanimously in 2024 and included a restaurant, valet parking, and 12 residential villas. (3:18:18)
Klepper said the project would add eight units on parcels acquired after the original approval and said the county’s CRA investment needed private reinvestment to generate tax increment revenue. (3:24:15)
Crane said staff had no objection to the comprehensive plan amendment, the critical area plan amendment, or the rezoning, but recommended a stipulation requiring old Florida vernacular architectural design for the residential portion of the mixed-use project. (3:49:00)
During public comment, speakers both supported and opposed the project. Supporters said it would help bring traffic and investment to Dearborn Street. Opponents raised concerns about precedent, parking, traffic, architecture, and waterfront impacts. (3:51:31)
In rebuttal, Merrill said the request before the board was to add eight units, that the restaurant and valet parking had already been approved in Phase 1, and that the project met county requirements. He asked that a special exception stipulation be revised so the old Florida vernacular requirement would apply to non-residential development. (4:17:09)
The board first recessed as the Board of County Commissioners and convened as the Land Development Regulation Commission. Ron Cutsinger moved approval of Item 14C, finding Ordinance 2025-035 consistent with the comprehensive plan. A second was made from the dais. The board voted aye, and the chair said the motion passed unanimously, 5-0. (4:43:22)
The board then reconvened as the Board of County Commissioners. Ron Cutsinger moved approval of Items 14A, 14B, 14D, and 14E with the stipulation revised to add the words “non-residential.” A second was made from the dais. The board voted aye, and the chair said the motion passed unanimously, 5-0. (4:43:22)
Final open to the public
During the final open-to-the-public period, Tom Weaver spoke about the Pinebrook Wall and asked the board to replace what exists today “like for like,” honor existing agreements, and continue communication with residents. (4:45:00)
Adjournment
The chair adjourned the meeting. (4:48:36)
Watch the full meeting recording
Vote tallies in this recap were transcribed from the meeting recording and reviewed by a human editor; this body doesn’t publish a structured roll-call record, so they were not independently verified against an official vote log.
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