City seeks county funding for Robert L. Taylor complex

As the county prepares to end its financial support of the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex in north Sarasota, the city has made a formal plea to keep the money flowing.

In a May 18 letter to County Administrator Tom Harmer, City Manager Tom Barwin asked the county to contribute nearly $1 million toward the recreational center during the next fiscal year. That figure is more than three times greater than the county’s annual contribution of $320,000 for the past five years.

The letter highlights another in a series of disputes — often financial — between the city and county. Following discussions

between city and county staff, city administration has taken issue with the county’s definition of a “regional” park, which does not include the Newtown facility.

The Robert L. Taylor center, located at 1845 34th St., opened in 2011 following a $12 million construction effort. Staff quickly came to see the 13-acre complex as a highlight of the city’s parks portfolio, providing opportunities for structured programming such as camps, fitness classes and sports leagues.

Barwin has called the Robert L. Taylor center a model for the city to emulate as a group of residents pushes for increased investment in parks. In April, crews broke ground on $2 million artificial turf athletic field at the complex. In March, the city hired Robert L. Taylor Manager Jerry Fogle to fill the new position of parks and recreation director.

Despite the city’s enthusiasm, the county has not wavered from its plan to withdraw funding for the facility. That plan dates back to 2011, when the city and county entered an interlocal agreement that left the city solely responsible for funding the Robert L. Taylor center after five final annual payments of $320,000 from the county.

At the time, the city asked to add the facility to a list of regional parks within city limits the county agreed to continue funding. That effort was unsuccessful, but Barwin said the two boards agreed to revisit the conversation after the Robert L. Taylor center had five years to operate.

Barwin believes the data speaks for itself: According to information the city provided, nearly 60% of the visitors to the Robert L. Taylor center during the past five years come from outside of the city limits. About 54% of those visitors come from Sarasota County. As a result, Barwin requested $984,600 in county funding for the facility — or 60% of the projected operating budget.

During the May 2 City Commission meeting, Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown informed the board that the county had denied a grant application from the city to help pay for the athletic field project. He also provided an update on discussions with county staff that suggested a sizable gap exists between the two governments on the issue of funding the Robert L. Taylor center.

According to Brown, county staff believes a regional park is one that draws users from a broader geographical area than just outside the city limits. He cited Nathan Benderson Park and Twin Lakes Park as facilities that fit this description, suggesting the county’s criteria has shifted since the 2011 interlocal agreement.

“Even though we have numbers showing that more county residents are using the Robert L. Taylor center than city residents, that definition of ‘regional’ has apparently been redefined,” he said.

Sarasota County officials were not made available for comment on the future of Robert L. Taylor center funding. City staff said there has been no definitive answer from the county since Barwin submitted his letter to Harmer, and a county spokesman said staff is still reviewing the letter.

Fogle said the complex’s growing budget — projected to top $1.6 million next year — has enabled staff to expand the facility’s programming offerings based on the demands of the community. Despite the uncertainty, he remains hopeful the county will recommit to financial support for the recreational center.

“It definitely assists us with the programming and overall functionality of the complex,” Fogle said. “It’s absolutely critical to what we do here.”