- March 26, 2026
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At the end of a trip to the Bahamas in 2011, on their way back home to San Diego, David and Martha Lough decided to take a side trip to a place they had never visited on the west coast of Florida. A Google search of walkable cities along the Gulf identified Sarasota.
They’ve been here ever since.
“Both of us had been on the East Coast of Florida but never on the West Coast, or at least not since I was 5 years old,” Lough said. “So we said, ‘Let's stop there for four or five days.’ We stopped and we stayed on Siesta Key.
“We were here for five days, and we bought a house.”
That house was on Longboat Key, the base of operations where he wrapped up his career as a consultant to Japanese businesses. Seeking a simpler lifestyle, the couple decided to move into the city in 2018, where they purchased a new-construction townhome in the up-and-coming Rosemary District.
Thus began a second career of sorts — as a staunch neighborhood advocate, a leader of the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association and prolific watchdog of, and unofficial consultant to, city government.
With a membership of 39 condo associations representing some 13,000 residents, the DSCA is a powerful voice in city policy affecting the downtown area.
“I am appreciative when citizens participate in local government at any level, whether it is sending an email or text one time to bring something to my attention, or attending every City Commission meeting in person like David does,” said Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch. “I do appreciate David’s participation and him taking the time to share his perspective, but he goes above and beyond because he also provides research and data that brought him to that perspective.”
He has been jokingly referred to as the lowest-paid member of the city staff, which is to say not at all. Ever present for the duration of lengthy City Commission meetings and frequently the Planning Board and Development Review Committee, he offers deeply researched positions on issues in a reasoned, even tone, usually providing the receipts to back them up.
“David not only provides us concrete data on issues facing the city, but he also gives reasoned thought to their solutions,” said Commissioner Liz Alpert. “His counsel is one I appreciate when making a decision whether we agree on the desired outcome or not.”
Said Mayor Debbie Trice, “David has been my neighbor and friend for almost a decade. His passion for the entire Downtown Sarasota area is inescapable.”
Prior to settling in Sarasota, the 81-year-old Lough’s career specializing in international business development as a top executive took him around the globe. Along the way, he has lived in places such as the San Diego area; San Francisco; Provo, Utah; Ontario, Canada; Massachusetts and Michigan.
When advocating his positions on issues with the city, he applies that resulting world view, and a career specializing in persuasion.
“With some of the skills I used back in the private sector in working with the city, there are similarities in speaking with as many facts as you can, persuading people, making your case and bringing people together on a shared vision,” said Lough. “In one instance it’s developing a new car wax or something, and in another it’s getting a park built. The combination of solving problems and challenges and working with people toward a common goal, thats what I learned from 40 years of business experience.”
For the past five years, Lough has been president of DSCA, representing the interests of all downtown condo owners and those of his beloved Rosemary District. He recently transitioned out of that position — traditionally a four-year hitch — but remains an active board member.
Among his initiatives were his advocacy for Overtown Square park, which opened in October 2024 at the corner of Boulevard of the Arts and Central Avenue, and the planned Complete Streets makeover of 10th Street and Boulevard of the Arts. The latter was awarded a $12 million federal grant in January 2025 to be paired with $3 million in city funding.
Most recently, Lough has set his sights on making the case for advancing plans for the Sarasota Performing Arts Center, which has earned him no small amount of consternation.
“I have good days and bad days. Some are pretty bad, but I've learned to have thicker skin,” he said. “I never thought people on social media would be coming after me, but I think of that as a badge of honor.”
He argues the new primary performing arts venue is vital to the future relevance of Sarasota. To make his point, he brings the data.
“Sarasota and Manatee counties are now are almost at a million people, and people think that Sarasota is growing rapidly,” he said. “The data show we grew about 6% in the last five years. The county grew about 11% and Port Charlotte grew 23%. So even though we're growing, the real world is we will be a smaller percentage of the county in the coming years.”
More alarming, he said, is the 2.3 deaths for every birth in Sarasota County, although the county’s population continues to grow. Indeed, according to the University of Florida, in 2024 there were 6,496 deaths in the county versus 3,192 births.
That means the growth is dependent on in-migration which, within the boundaries of a city that is essentially built out and reliant on infill and redevelopment, is limited.
“When we talk about such things at the Performing Arts Center, we've got a bucket with a hole in it,” Lough said. “Forget about growth. Longer term, we need to sustain our city size or we've got a big economic issue. We have to keep Sarasota interesting, engaging and relevant. We've got a poor mix of retail downtown. We need more. We need a little pharmacy. We need a little hardware store. We need a craft brewery. There are certain holes in our fabric here that individually aren't a problem, but collectively we’ve got to find strategies that make financial sense to mitigate that.”
As he continues to seek relevance in himself in his post-career life, Lough cites a recently published book titled "Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose." Written by Jennifer Breheny Wallace, the author posits that possessing a sense of purpose is essential to well-being, and the absence thereof results in a sense of isolation and professional burnout.
“At this stage of life, I'd like to matter,” he said. “I mattered in my business life, and this in its own way is more frustrating, but more rewarding because it's not just Quarter 3 financial results. It's a park that will be there forever.”
What matters to Lough is helping ensure the future of Sarasota. As the wave of baby boomers reached retirement age and many found their way to Florida’s west coast, places such as Clearwater, Fort Myers and Naples “got their share of them,” he said. A demographic shift, he said he believes, is coming and the city must adapt to complete for a younger demographic fewer in numbers to compete with other Gulf Coast cities for perhaps the first time.
Sarasota is right-sized, he said, for citizens to be empowered to help guide that future.
“It's kind of Goldilocks. It's this hidden jewel of just right size, just right sophistication, big enough to be big and small enough to be small,” Lough said. “When I work with city government, it's big enough to be complex, but it's not like you're working with Chicago where it's just a beast. You see where there’s enough wrong that you want to try and fix it, but it's not unsolvable. If you get 80% of what you're looking for, that's good enough.”
