City and county again spar over homeless issues

The city and Sarasota County found themselves at odds again this week when county commissioners rebuked the city for misrepresenting the county in a press release.

During the County Commission’s Feb. 9 meeting, Commissioner Christine Robinson bristled at the implication that Commissioner Paul Caragiulo supported exploring the creation of a mental health taxing district. That city press release followed a Downtown Improvement District meeting, during which the DID voted to support exploring a taxing district to fund mental health services.

“We appreciate Commissioner Caragiulo being receptive to exploring this important community issue at the request of the DID,” said City Manager Tom Barwin in the Feb. 3 release.  “Hopefully, this will be an important start to build momentum to place it on the November ballot."

Caragiulo said he attended the meeting as part of an unrelated effort to bolster communication between the County Commission and business leaders downtown. When an unexpected discussion about different long-term funding options related to mental health and homelessness began, Barwin and Caragiulo said they both engaged in the conversation, but Caragiulo said he was only offering information. What's more, he said, November's ballot was never part of the discussion at the DID meeting, though it was mentioned specifically in the press release.

Barwin said his intention when including Caragiulo in the release was to praise him for engaging in dialogue and said that according to his and others’ recollections, Caragiulo pledged to continue dialogue about it. Barwin was unaware the County Commission had decided in November to avoid plans to explore a mental health district at its annual retreat in December because it preferred not to explore options that place new funding burdens exclusively on property taxpayers.

“As far as I’m concerned,” Barwin said, “I don’t have any dispute with Paul. Maybe he felt my suggesting we move assertively or proactively reflected on him. He didn’t say that. I was saying that, because of urgency we feel. We see this every day. We understand there are a good number of people in pain and the general community is disturbed by it as well.”

Caragiulo characterized the press release as a political move designed to distract from matters of policy on homelessness.

“I would hope at some time, with this homeless issue, we could stop dealing with the PR and start dealing with policy,” said Caragiulo. “The city seems to deal with PR, and never gets to the policy part. They draw a map but nobody ever gets in the car to take the ride. Maybe it’s a good thing because the car would go off a (expletive) cliff.”

The mental health district tax was included in a presentation staff gave county commissioners in November, but the county since put aside discussions about the approach.

In an email to the Sarasota Observer, sent on Jan. 12, Sarasota County Homeless Services Director Wayne Applebee said that, in order fund homeless services, “... during their December retreat (the Commission) decided that they would be willing to explore a tax where the burden was paid by a broader base then just the property tax payer. ...the Health & Mental Health Care District or millage is solely funded by the property taxpayer.”

The county seems to have backed away from any additional homeless or mental health funding sources since then.

County spokesman Jason Bartolone said in an email on Feb. 10, "At some time in the future, it may be appropriate to look at other funding sources, but at this time, there is no plan to do so."

Caragiulo said the problem is that the November ballot will already have a tax-related, $200 million referendum on it, but that "not in November" doesn't necessarily mean "never." 

"I'm open to any discussion for any long term funding for homelessness," Caragiulo said, "but my board does not want to put any other kind of tax item on the ballot for this November because of the referendum."

Barwin said he believes that the tax isn’t excessively burdensome because, in part, Sarasota county has the second lowest county tax rate in the state. He added that he's still hopeful the county will be receptive to discussions on the taxing district. He envisions a district that covers Sarasota County, and said the next step is to forward the city’s concerns to the county.

When asked if the city would participate in efforts to get a mental health taxing district on the November ballot (the district is required by law to be approved by a majority of county voters), he said, “I wouldn’t say we would be involved with that, but i think sometimes people are so passionate and see a community need that they will do things that advance quality of life and common good. But things have best chance to pass when as many organizations and groups, including political groups, are on the same page.”

About the mental health taxing district

Language in Florida Statutes governing public health facilities allows governments to create special taxing districts, which would would only be authorized to fund mental- or county-health services. 

Hardee County is the only county in the state to establish a special district under that statute. Manager Lex Albritton said his county established an indigent health care district in 1993 that authorized levying up to 1 mill in ad valorem taxes after voters approved it in 1992. Hardee used revenue from that district to pay its only local emergency room for costs resulting from treating indigent residents.

In the last fiscal year, the additional millage levied for the district in Hardee was .3558, which generated $549,880, according to Janice Williamson, director of budget and finance for Hardee County.

She said the district funds services – not facilities – essentially paying Florida Hospital of Wauchula, still its only local emergency room, for costs incurred treating indigents.

Williamson said it is difficult to estimate those costs, but that Hardee County contributes an additional $550,000 to pay for those services out of funds authorized by the Health Care Reform Act as well as medicaid and Department of Health contributions, and hospitals write off additional millions.

Williamson said she could not recall any opposition to the establishment of the district in Hardee County.