SCAT seeks public opinion on merger plans

Sarasota County wants to know what you think about a proposed merger between SCAT and Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT).

Administrators have set up an online survey and will run a series of public hearings to gauge community support for the move.

The survey, which will be online for three weeks, has six questions plus a comment section for community members and is available in Spanish. The results will be used by SCAT and the Sarasota County Commission to make a final decision on the proposed consolidation of transit services.

The SCAT customer survey is available through the county website, www.scgov.net, and on SCAT buses. Customers can also call 861-5000 and take the survey by phone.

"The survey should take about a one minute to complete and will add the voice of our customers to ongoing conversation about a possible merger," SCAT Director Glama Carter said in a prepared statement.

Carter presented a preliminary timeline for the merger at a Sept. 17 joint meeting between the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners (BCC) and the Longboat Key Town Commission, reporting that the merger would take between 10 months and two years to accomplish — depending on how quickly an inter-local agreement could be reached.

“I want to emphasize that the BCC has not made a final decision,” Sarasota County Administrator Randall Reid said at the Sept. 17 joint meeting.

The BCC will hold a joint meeting with the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 15.

Residents can call 861-5000 for more information.

Contact Nolan Peterson at [email protected]