Sarasota County Commission District 3: Shari Kay Thornton

Age: 60

Current occupation: Retired from a 30+ year career as a healthcare executive resolving complex issues and providing quality service with fiscal responsibility. My last position was as a vice president of information technology for a large regional healthcare system in Southwest Ohio.

How long have you been a resident of Sarasota County? Purchased a condo in Waterside Village in Venice in 2009. Purchased a home in Jacaranda West in 2016 and became a full-time resident in 2020.

What are the three top priorities/issues facing the county, and how should the commission address them?

1) Over-Development. Developers are routinely granted variances and amendments that significantly increase density on properties purchased for development. Approved zoning and amendments changes increase the dwelling density significantly.

These density increases create additional demands on the infrastructure and result in major reductions of green/open space. This adversely impacts the wildlife corridors and character of our communities.

A good first step would be to minimize special exemption zoning approvals and follow the nationally recognized 2050 Comprehensive Plan.

2) Inadequate infrastructure and resources (roads, limited water). County planning and budgets are not keeping pace with the increased demand for roads, water and other county services.

The Commission needs to realistically budget to meet the increased demands. The

Developers need to pay their fair share instead of the burden continually falling disproportionately on the taxpayer.

3) Businesses need workers, and workers need to be able to live affordably in our county. 

The high price of housing and inflated insurance costs, plus reductions of funding of safety net services, are some of the concerns people have shared with me.

We need to create a business/workforce committee to assess and overcome barriers to connecting businesses and applicants.

Why are you running for office?

I’m running primarily to stop over-development and the disproportionate influence of developers. While attending commission meetings, I’ve observed commissioners’ responsiveness to developers’ requests over citizens’ objections. The commissioners have routinely granted far too many zoning and amendment changes for new development. This is costing taxpayers money and negatively impacting quality of life.

3H Ranch LLC and Sioux Investment Partners LLC is an example. Their land in question, just south of State Road 72 and east of Skye Ranch, was zoned for 386 dwellings. 3H Ranch and Sioux Investment Partners requested that it be rezoned for 6,576 units — a 1,603% increase.

The County Commission approved the rezoning 4-1, including 16 modifications to the unified development code. Only Commissioner Mark Smith opposed the changes. “We’re putting 50 pounds of building into a five-pound piece of land,” Smith said. “This is not a binding plan, it’s an idea.”

These types of changes are granted routinely and alter the character of the community. The large increase in density adds stress to already failing roads and deplete vital resources such as water. These types of decisions demonstrate a lack of responsiveness to the public and show where the influence truly lies.

Have you ever run for public office before? If so, for what office?

This is my first time running for public office.

What makes you more qualified than your opponents for this office?

I bring a fresh perspective to the responsibilities of county Commissioner. I’m truly an independent candidate. I am NOT taking ANY contributions from developers. Multiple recent news reports have highlighted the fact that the development machine has too much influence into decision making in Sarasota County.

In addition to that important distinction, my experience as a healthcare executive developed my abilities in business, fiscal management and budgeting, emergency preparedness and strategic planning. My extensive experience with collaborating, partnering with experts and listening to stakeholders led to successful delivery of results in a fiscally responsible manner.

These skills are directly transferable to the responsibilities of a county commissioner.

Affordable housing — what can the Sarasota County Commission do to increase the supply of workforce housing?

A good first step has been accomplished by the formation of the Sarasota Consortium Affordable Housing Committee. Its recommendations were finalized in September 2022; these recommendations need to be implemented. The recommendations include:

• Create an expedited review process for qualified projects;
• Ensure flexibility with density, height, lot coverage and parking to incentivize long-term affordable workforce housing;
• Direct county administration to review the county’s policy and zoning code and for potential change to encourage opportunities for diversity in housing types, prices and additional affordable housing units.
• Develop a system to track building permits with accessory units;

The commissioners should expand the committee to include any municipality wishing to partner for workforce/affordable housing (Venice, North Port and Longboat Key).

What is your philosophy toward zoning?

Zoning is a tool to provide predictability in growth and development. The codes exist to prevent haphazard and incompatible growth with existing land usage. The 2050 Comprehensive Plan was lauded for its strategic concepts for land uses. But it is not being followed. 

Developers have received too many zoning and amendment changes they benefit from at the expense of taxpayers. When developers purchase land, they have purchased the existing zoning for that property, not what they are requesting as a change. 

Zoning changes should be judiciously considered and only approved if the changes benefit the overall county and taxpayers.

Growth — what is your philosophy on how population growth should be addressed in Sarasota County — particularly east of Interstate 75?

The Urban Service Boundary established in the 2050 Comprehensive Plan should be maintained. The boundary was established to create a balance between urban development and the rural character that has been an integral part of our county for generations.

Additionally, the County Charter specifies growth shall be fiscally neutral. An independent study should be conducted to ensure development is fiscally neutral.

Roads/Transportation — what should the County Commission’s strategy be to address the county’s road needs?

Congestion on our county roads is an obvious problem. Thousands of new homes and tens of thousands of new daily car trips are being added to local roads that were not built for this increased capacity. New developments have been and continue to be approved regardless of the condition and capacity of the roads in the area.

Commissioners say per state law they cannot use the current state of roads in making development decisions. Since roads can’t be a factor, commissioners and staff need to ask different questions and address resident safety and county resources. By changing the focus of the questions to residents and county resources more resident centric decisions will be made.

A strategic effort is required to bring failing roads up to the appropriate safety and structure standards. Road improvements should plan for the projected traffic volumes and have capacity to accommodate future growth. Roads designated as evacuation routes must be prioritized in the planning process as well.

What is your position on impact fees?

Developers should pay their fair share of infrastructure and services needed for their new developments. Taxpayers are currently paying a disproportionate share of the expense for these services and infrastructure, particularly in more rural areas. 

The impact fees must cover concurrency for all allowable services and infrastructure as outlined in the state statutes. 

An independent study must be conducted to ensure that development is fiscally neutral, and developers pay their fair share.

What is your position on land acquisition for conservation and preservation?

Eighty percent (80%) of citizens in Sarasota County voted yes for 0.25 mill tax to pay for the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP). The Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee must work with governmental agencies and environmental experts to identify owners of environmentally sensitive lands for preservation.

At the same time, we must preserve the land already designated as conservation/preservation.

Rezoning these conservation areas for other uses defeats the purpose of the program and disregards the voters’ wishes.

What is your position on using tax increment financing around the Bay Park to fund 50% of a new performing arts hall?

The art and cultural experiences in Sarasota draw many people to the area. The Sarasota Performance Art Center (SPAC) Foundation is funding the design concept phase of the new SPAC. 

Studies are ongoing regarding the new Bay Park SPAC and the future of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Once committee reports are available, I will review and assess the business case and formulate my position.

What grade would you give the County Commission on managing the county’s tax dollars? What needs to be changed in the county fiscal management?

My analysis of the budget based on available information shows a lack of consistent formatting.

The inconsistency makes it difficult to identify trends and areas of focus. The 2024 budget projects the county’s revenues to be at an all-time high. From a business perspective, when there are record revenues, I would expect to see more money being saved and debt decreasing.

However, in the 2024 budget the opposite is budgeted to occur. General funds (savings) are projected to decrease by 14.5%, and the debt is increasing by 15%. 

Additionally on a percentage basis, the increase in the budgeted expenses are outpacing the population growth. So taxpayers are paying more. This is not a sustainable trajectory.

Can you identify any area where you think the county’s spending should be cut, or any area where more needs to be spent?

Given the information publicly available, there is not enough detail to make an informed decision. Once in office, I’ll have access to more information and will work with the financial management office to see the inner details of the budget and the budgeting process. My questions for the financial management office would include:

• Is the budget tied to the county’s strategic plan and goals, and how is this measured?
• Is there a budget variance process in place? If so, what is the frequency and what are the expectations if a budget unit is over or under budget?

Tying the budget to the strategic plan and the priorities of the county should be the baseline for funding.

What is your position on the county’s current millage rate — is it satisfactory? Too high? Too low? 

Sarasota County has the second lowest millage rate in the state, which benefits county homeowners. I will always work to balance services with taxes.

How would you describe your philosophy on the role of government and on taxation?

Government, particularly at the local level, exists to serve residents of the community. Sarasota County’s mission statement is “Ensuring all residents can access and enjoy the quality of life that makes Sarasota County a great place to live, work, grow, play and learn.” I support this mission.

Government’s first responsibility is to its citizens. Sarasota County residents are concerned about over-development, traffic congestion, low water pressure and future water supplies.

Commissioners need to listen to, plan for and deliver solutions.

I will always support the best services for the lowest possible taxes and listen to the voters.

This questionnaire has been updated.