Sarasota Memorial Hospital Board race generates renewed interest

The Sarasota Memorial Public Hospital Board race is one of the more crowded local elections in 2024, with 19 candidates in the running for four seats.

Because of the seven write-in candidates, who do not declare a party affiliation, and the fact each seat has Republicans and one Democrat on the ballot, the Aug. 20 primary will be closed, meaning only registered Republicans will be voting. 

The lone Democrat in each race, along with the Republican primary winner and the write-in candidates, will appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

Increased interest

For decades, hospital board elections did not generate the interest that the positions do now, “because they (voters) had to do a little research, and most people aren't willing to do that,” said Villa Johnson, first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Sarasota County. 

But in 2022, she observed, the COVID pandemic changed that. 

Photo by Jim DeLa

“In that election, three candidates were elected who rejected the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control, and have opposed vaccines and that type of thing,” Johnson said. “There are more candidates in that vein running this year. And I think people are concerned.” 

After the pandemic, critics claimed the hospital mishandled care by following CDC protocols, unnecessarily restricted visitation rights and discouraged the use of alternative, untested treatments for COVID. 

An independent review of the hospital’s performance during the pandemic gave Sarasota Memorial generally high marks, noting the hospital’s COVID death rate was 24% lower than national benchmarks. Complication rates and length of hospital stays were also lower than others. 

Critics, however, remain skeptical of the report and some candidates are saying they want the board to be more involved in policies involving patient care. 

What is the Hospital Board’s role?

The responsibilities of the nine-member board are spelled out on the hospital’s website. The core responsibilities include:

• Financial
oversight 
• Quality
oversight 
• Setting
strategic
direction/mission
oversight 
• Self-assessment
and
development 
• Management
oversight 
• Compliance
oversight


The board is also responsible for charting the direction of growth of the SMH Health Care System, including capital improvements and recent expansion into South Sarasota County, as well as recruiting the best medical talent possible.

The board approves and oversees quality-improvement
initiatives, reviews recommendations
of the
medical
staff
regarding
new
physicians to the staff and oversees the performance of the hospital’s CEO. 

The listed board's responsibilities do not extend to decisions about medical treatment.

The current Hospital Board chair, Sarah Lodge, who is running for reelection for Central District Seat 1, said it’s not the board's job to dictate treatment decisions. 

“The board's role does not oversee the medicine,” she said. “Now, we oversee patient (care) quality. We get an update on that all the time. As far as medicine goes, that is not our role.”

Kevin Cooper, a Republican running for Seat 2, echoed her sentiments. 

“The business of the board is the business of the hospital, and not the practice of medicine.”

However, the board recently voted down a proposal in May by board member Victor Rohe, who was elected in 2022 on a “medical freedom” ticket, to post controversial statements from Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who said COVID–19 vaccinations are risky and inappropriate for human use. 

In a closed session, the board rejected Rohe’s proposal, but released an alternative statement that supported the doctor-patient relationship, reinforced patients' rights and encouraged "patients and their health care providers to access all credible resources regarding their discussions and decisions."

At a candidate forum in June hosted by the Tiger Bay Club, another medical freedom ticket candidate, Tanya Parus, running against Lodge for Central Seat 1, said board members should offer input on patient care. 

“There's committees that fall under that board, and you can be on those committees as a board member,” she said. “The role of the board is to kind of look towards the hospital and to also look towards the public.” 

“Many of the residents are concerned about possible changes in the standard of care in our excellent hospital system,” Johnson said. "So people are very concerned about that, and want to know more about the races and the candidates.”

The candidates

Hospital Board At Large, Seat 1

• Sharon Wetzler DePeters (R)
• Ethan Garrett (write-in)
• Suzanne Hatatah (write-in)
• Tamzin Rosenwasser (R)
• Alan Jerome Sprintz (D)
• Jennifer Lee Zambrano (write-in)

Hospital Board At Large, Seat 2

• Kendra Becker-Musante (R) (Withdrawn)
• Kevin Cooper (R)
• Stephen Guffanti (R)
• Donna Hurlock (write-in)
• John A. Lutz (D)

Hospital Board At Large, Seat 3

• Pam Beitlich (R)
• Emilio Carlesimo (write-in)
• George Davis (D)
• Curt Erlandson (write-in)
• Mary Flynn O'Neill (R)

Hospital Board Central District, Seat 1

• Emilio Carlesimo (Withdrawn)
• Sarah Lodge (R)
• Vicki Nighswander (D)
• Tanya Marie Parus (R)
• Barbara Miller Vaughn (write-in)