Turner, Alpert, Clermont, Arroyo advance in Sarasota City Commission race

The field of six candidates for three City Commission seats appears set for the Nov. 3 general election, with four candidates advancing from Tuesday's primary. 

In District 2, former City Commissioner Terry Turner and incumbent Commissioner Liz Alpert received the most votes. With 100% of precincts reporting, unofficial results on the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections website showed Turner with 1,950 votes and Alpert with 1,885. In a six-person field, the two finished comfortably ahead of third-place candidate Joe Barbetta, who had 1,042 votes.

In District 3, Dan Clermont finished with 1,378 votes, 41.7% of the ballots cast in the race. In the unofficial results, Erik Arroyo finished 84 votes ahead of Rob Grant, putting him in a position to secure the second spot in the November general election.

Under the city’s election rules, the top two candidates in August primaries advance to the general election. Incumbent Willie Shaw and challenger Kyle Scott Battie, the only two candidates in the race for the District 1 seat, will also face off in the November election.

Turner, 79, said the results showed voters had faith in his leadership skills during a challenging period for the city. As someone who served on the commission from 2009 to 2013, Turner said he would step in on day one with experience guiding the city through an economic downturn. 

“I think the voters are hungry for some leadership in city government, and I think a lot of them believe I’m the experienced person who can provide that leadership,” Turner said.

Turner said his priorities headed into the general election include providing sound financial management, improving the services offered to residents and strengthening partnerships with cultural organizations.

Alpert, the lone incumbent on the ballot, said she was relieved to emerge from a crowded group in District 2. She credited her success to a coalition of supporters that included environmentalists, urban planners and advocacy groups such as Equality Florida and Ruth’s List.

As a field of challengers criticized sitting officials, Alpert tried to emphasize the strides she believes the city has made. Alpert, 71, listed The Bay Sarasota project, a new home for the Sarasota Orchestra and a comprehensive transportation plan among the initiatives she wanted to focus on during a second term.

“There’s just so many things I did not want to bring to a screeching halt,” Alpert said.

Clermont, a property manager and former businessman living in the Arlington Park neighborhood, said effective public outreach helped him land at the top of the District 3 race. Clermont said he tried to listen closely to the issues voters shared with him, and he hoped to effectively position himself as a positive force for progress in Sarasota.

“I think we can work together, get the warring factions — whether it’s neighborhood, development — together try to get people on the same page,” Clermont said.

Clermont, 56, called the environment, the arts and the economy three of his top priorities as a candidate.

Arroyo, 30,  used the issue of development review procedures to draw contrast from his opponent.

Clermont has advocated for public input to guide updates to the city’s building regulations, leaving the technical merits of individual projects to be judged by planning staff. Arroyo, a lawyer, said he supported more public input during the review of proposed developments.

“I think the main difference we have is that Dan’s for administrative review, and I’m for limited administrative review and more public input into the development process,” Arroyo said.