NEWS BRIEFS

+ Condo owner abandons DID expansion efforts
Ron Rayevich appeared at Tuesday’s Downtown Improvement District (DID) meeting to seek an easier path for residential property owners to be included in the district. Instead, he found a new hurdle — and gave up his cause entirely.

Rayevich, the president of the Plaza at Five Points Condominium Association, was leading an effort to include downtown condo owners in the DID, which is currently only made up of commercial property owners. Taxed at a reduced rate of .5 mills — commercial owners currently pay 2 mills — the revenue generated from residential owners would have gone toward improving safety, security and cleanliness downtown.

DID Board Chairman Ernest Ritz was absent at the meeting at which Rayevich first suggested the expansion. On Tuesday, he was staunchly opposed to the idea. He called the reduced tax rate residential members would pay unfair. He also said adding a residential member to the DID’s five-person board would distract from the original purpose of the district.

“That’s why we’re here,” Ritz said. “We’re commercial property owners.”

Due to a perceived resistance from the board, Rayevich said after the meeting that he is finished trying to get condominium owners included in the DID.

“We are withdrawing our proposal to join the DID,” Rayevich said. “No use fighting an uphill battle.”

+ Correction
In a Sept. 26 article about the possible expansion of the DID, Ron Rayevich’s name was misspelled.

Meetings & Agendas
• Siesta Key Association Meeting — 4:30 p.m. Oct. 3, at St. Boniface Church, 5615 Midnight Pass, Siesta Key
• Regular City Commission Meeting — 2:30 and 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, City Hall, Commission Chambers, 1565 First St., Sarasota.
• Sarasota Board of County Commissioners Meeting — 9 a.m. Oct. 8, at the Robert L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice; and 9 a.m. Oct. 9, at the Sarasota County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota