Sarasota County works in concert with its neighbors

I often speak to students at our Civics 101 class as part of their introductory course. While all attendees are interested in their local government for a variety of reasons, the one thing that many of them have in common is they originally hail from another part of the country, and they’re taking the opportunity to learn how Sarasota County, in particular, operates.

What folks learn as part of their curriculum is how regularly Sarasota County collaborates with our municipalities and our neighboring governments. They read or watch stories that highlight differences in philosophies between our organizations, but in reality, these partnerships show that the proper stewardship of public dollars is the one philosophy that binds us all.

Our organizational mission statement is this: provide and enhance quality programs, services and facilities that reflect the goals of the community while always promoting health, safety, public welfare and quality of life for our citizens. Every day we are focused on this mission, on seeking better services at the best price, and we consider the stewardship of public monies the most important responsibility conveyed to us as public servants. Simply put, the goal is to do more with less, and to be more effective in the process.

Of course, collaborations are a key component. Sarasota County has dozens of collaborative efforts with the cities of Sarasota, Venice, North Port and the town of Longboat Key, as well as with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, the Sarasota County School District and neighboring counties. Examples of these collaborations include:

• 800 MHz radio system replacement provides regional communications for both public safety and non-public safety partners in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
• Sarasota County provides fire dispatch throughout the county and law enforcement dispatch for the cities of Sarasota, Venice and the town of Longboat Key.
• Sarasota County and the city of North Port provide each other with back-up 9-1-1 services.
• Shared-data center and disaster-recovery systems with the school district,  Sarasota Memorial Hospital,  the city of North Port and the town of Longboat Key.
• Interlocal agreement for fire protection with the city of Sarasota.
• A joint library project between the county and the school board in North Port.
• Maintenance of designated city parks through interlocal agreements with North Port, Sarasota and Venice.
• SCAT and the school district partner on bus parking and fueling at the North Port bus compound.
• Advanced traffic signal and traffic maintenance with the Florida Department of Transportation, Manatee County and local municipalities.
• Shared General Information System with Sarasota, Venice and the town of Longboat Key helps reduce costs for all governments.

As you can see, these collaborations are not only vital to all of our communities, but they also take place each and every day. Maybe most importantly, these collaborations show where good government and good planning intersect, and how, in the long run, we can work together to provide the best service, and the best price, to the community.

Sarasota County is one of the top places in the country to live, work and play for a reason.

These collaborations can only make it better.

More information regarding our public partnerships and collaborations can be found at scgov.net.

Thomas A. Harmer is the Sarasota County Administrator