New Sarasota City Commission selects Brody as mayor

The victorious candidates in Tuesday’s Sarasota City Commission race officially took their seats on the board during a special meeting today at City Hall.

After the swearing-in ceremony for Kyle Scott Battie, Liz Alpert and Erik Arroyo, the board selected Commissioner Hagen Brody to serve as mayor for the next year. The city’s mayor position is a ceremonial role responsible for leading meetings. The commission selected Erik Arroyo as vice mayor.

At the beginning of the meeting, outgoing Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch gave the annual State of the City presentation, highlighting in a video past, present and future issues and projects officials are undertaking.

Outgoing District 1 and District 3 commissioners Willie Shaw and Shelli Freeland Eddie made remarks reflecting on their time on the board, expressing gratitude toward those they worked with and optimism about the future of the city.

During the meeting’s closing remarks, the sitting commission said it wanted to forge a productive working relationship in hopes of effectively serving the entire community.

“It is time to heal, to come together and to get things done,” Brody said.