City questions county about future plans

The site of the former police station on Ringling Boulevard has become a source of tension between the city of Sarasota and Sarasota County. The property at 2050 Ringling Blvd. is less than an acre, and it has been vacant since the building was demolished in March 2012.

The city agreed in a July 2003 memo of understanding to give the property to the county, but, since then, the city has been reluctant to confirm that it will follow the agreement, according to the county.

County Commission Chairwoman Carolyn Mason spoke about the agreement during the public section of the City Commission’s Jan. 5 meeting. Although it is not standard for city commissioners to respond during this section of the meeting, county commissioners were irked that city commissioners did not discuss the matter.

“I was surprised they didn’t respond at all,” said County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo. As a former city commissioner, Caragiulo said it’s rare for the county chairperson to speak publicly at the meeting.
The 2003 memorandum states that the county agreed “to satisfy its facilities master plan for Court and Administrative needs within the downtown judicial complex area,” however, in recent talks, county officials have considered a temporary parking lot for the site.

The city wants more specifics before transferring it.

“We were told originally it was going to be an expanded judicial center,” said Jan Thornburg, spokeswoman for the city. “Now that’s not clear.”

After staff meetings in July, County Administrator Tom Harmer sent a new interlocal agreement to the city as a deed to transfer the property. In a letter to City Manager Tom Barwin, Harmer wrote that the draft agreement was intended to satisfy the city’s request to identify the county’s future plans for the property.
The agreement lists uses for the property but also includes a stipulation that, in the interim, it could be used for public parking for up to 10 years. Although the agreement lists a judicial tower with space for other county administration functions as the intended use, it also states “the city and county recognize the dynamic nature of the county’s wide range of obligations and needs. Accordingly, it is acknowledged that the ultimate use of the property may be for another county use.”

The document clarifies that if the county does not choose to build the judicial tower, the city is able to approve the alternate plan.

“We are interested in knowing what their plans are and how it fits,” Thornburg said.

The city thinks the site has better uses than a parking lot, Thornburg said. The city discussed placing a dog park at the site in January 2013, but the idea was not pursued.

County Commissioner Christine Robinson is concerned the county’s downtown presence could be at risk. The parcel of land was part of the county’s master plan to expand its services downtown, such as the Sheriff’s Office. The county has been waiting to move into the space, but if the city isn’t willing to allow that, it might have to look beyond downtown, she said.

“I question whether the county can stay in downtown at all,” Robinson said. “We shouldn’t be fragmented.”
County commissioners directed Harmer to incorporate a discussion on alternatives for county services at the facility-planning workshop Feb. 20.

“Does Sarasota County live or die if that property isn’t conveyed to us? No,” said Commissioner Charles Hines at the Jan. 12 meeting. “It’s an example of trying to create cooperation between these two governmental entities.”

RINGLING CORRIDOR
Sarasota County has developed the Ringling Corridor concept of grouping services together in downtown Sarasota on Ringling Boulevard. This map shows the county services located near the former police station site.