City Commission: Rob Rominiecki

Age: 57 

Current occupation: Pro-Bono Security/Museum Operations Consultant and full-time dad. 

Sarasota County residency: 11.5 years. 

What are the top three priorities/issues facing the city, and how should the commission address them? 

Put infrastructure before overdevelopment

• Prioritize safety and connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists in the upcoming Master Plan and create an  awareness campaign about rules of the road.
• Prioritize free and expanded parking in the upcoming Master Plan. 
• When new city-owned infrastructure is built or repairs are made, prioritize resilient strategies in the wake of 2024 hurricanes.
• Expand stormwater management in collaboration with Sarasota County. 
• Prioritize allocation of city budget toward cleanliness of city streets and sidewalks. 

Housing for workers

• Focus on 60% or lower of the local Area Median Income (AMI) because "affordable" and "attainable" housing metrics are too high.
• Expedite proposals for these types of housing projects by placing them first on all required city meeting agendas.
• Reduce redundancies in the filing process. 
• Promote existing density bonus that is in the building code. 
• Seek out industry-specific housing opportunities (such as the Arts Alliance project with One Stop). 
• Realize additional benefits of expanded housing for workers, such as reduced traffic from eliminating the commute of workers. 

Protect city's arts and culture identity

• Per recent CNN article, Sarasota was named America's best town to visit in 2026 because of its arts and culture. This identity must be protected by enabling our arts and culture organizations to thrive.
• Certain commissioners have consistently voted against our arts and culture organizations, such as the Sarasota Orchestra, the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, The Bay Park Conservatory, and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. 
• If elected to the City Commission, I will use my voice and vote to support our city's vibrant arts and culture organizations.
• Having spent 15 years at the landmark Guggenheim Museum in New York City, culminating in serving as the director of security and safety, I understand the impact arts and culture organizations have on a community. This includes education opportunities for children and adults, economic vitality, and a place of respite. The most recent study of the economic impact from Sarasota's arts and culture organizations was estimated to be around $342 million for the year 2022. This is larger than the city's current budget of $303 million. 

Why are you running for office?

I am not a politician. I view this opportunity as a chance to serve this city that my family and I truly love and move it forward. The impetus for deciding to run for office was witnessing the past City Commissions vote down our arts and culture organizations on numerous occasions. I have also witnessed our city embark on future city-funded projects, spend a significant amount of taxpayer dollars, only to have the City Commission vote to stop the project. We have gotten to the point where it appears no one wants to do business with our city. The most glaring recent examples are an almost two-year search for a new city manager, and pressing pause on our master planner search because we couldn't attract an experienced master planner. These are just a few examples that have opened my eyes to seeing the overall lack of vision that certain City Commissioners have exhibited. I know that I can bring much-needed vision to the job. 

Have you ever run for public office before? If so, for what office? 

No. 

What makes you the best candidate for this office?

The City Charter states that a City Commissioner is a Commission Manager position. I have the highest level of successful senior management experience to bring to the job. While in my position as director of security and safety at the Guggenheim Museum, I was directly responsible for adhering to all New York City land use codes, all NYC building codes, all fire safety codes, all OSHA codes and all ADA codes. I was in charge of the museum's largest department with over 100 direct employees. I was responsible for the safety training of the museum's 500-plus employees, as well as how OSHA and ADA codes related to their jobs. In addition, I was responsible for the safety and protection of the museum's 1 million annual visitors. More recently, I have been serving as the pro-bono security/museum operations consultant for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, enabling the Gardens' shift to the trademarked "living museum" operating model. I advised on the security and safety of the world's first net positive energy botanical garden complex, which became a reality with the opening of Phase One of Selby Gardens' Master Plan. I am continuing in this role for Phase Two, and I advise on various aspects of security and safety for both campuses of Selby Gardens. 

Should the city be a landlord in its quest for more affordable housing units?

Basically, no. I don't think the city should be putting up buildings and operating them with taxpayer dollars. However, in a case like the First Street Project, I think that the model of having the city-owned land being developed by outside entities, specifically as housing for workers, is a way to achieve truly affordable housing. 

Can you identify any area where you think the city's spending should be cut, or any area where more needs to be spent?

Recently, certain City Commissioners voted to change course on projects where significant taxpayer dollars were already spent. These funds could have been used to benefit our city instead of wasting them. One example of this is the $676,000 spent on the Bobby Jones clubhouse project that was scrapped. Tens of thousands of dollars were also wasted on the first city manager search that was scrapped. One area where the city needs to potentially spend more is ensuring that our city's Police Department has salaries that are competitive, and they have all the most up-to-date equipment necessary to continue keeping our city safe.

What grade would you give the City Commission on managing the city's tax dollars?

Due to the actions of certain City Commissioners, the grade I would give is a "C". Significant improvement is needed. 

What needs, if anything, to be changed in the city fiscal management?

As I mentioned above, certain City Commissioners voted to change course on projects where significant taxpayer dollars were already spent. These funds could have been used to benefit our city instead of wasting them. 

What changes would you recommend be made to the downtown master plan?

Regarding the current downtown master plan, some of the changes that are needed include:

• Wider set-backs.
• More shade trees.
• Free and expanded parking. 
• Safer connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Expansion of stormwater management in collaboration with Sarasota County.
• The creation of a Parks District to protect the city's green spaces.

Regarding the future downtown master plan,  I would like to see District 1 and 3 included in an overall master plan for our city so that their specific needs can be addressed.

What should the future vision for St. Armands Circle include? 

St. Armands Circle was among the hardest-hit areas by the 2024 hurricanes. Its future vision first and foremost needs to focus on resilience. The Circle needs to be lifted so it's less of a bowl and more like a dome. It also needs significant storm water and storm surge handling capabilities. This can be done by adding large storm water vaults, similar to the Bay Park and Selby Gardens. 

What is your position on the city's current millage rate?

The millage rate needs to be preserved until our reserves are replenished following the cash outlay for recovery from the 2024 hurricanes. After that, we can examine whether millage rates can be lowered. 

What is your position on a pedestrian cross-over bridge over U.S. 41 to The Bay park?

I am in favor of this undertaking. Pedestrian safety is critical to the future of our city and this bridge would encourage walkability and reduction of vehicular traffic.