The Argus Foundation

10/15/2026

10/09/2026

Some of our photos from the recent 37th Annual Golf Tournament. For full photo gallery: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1605170708073251&type=3

10/09/2026

10/01/2026

🚨🚨⛅SUNSHINE ACCOUNTABILITY ALERT⛅🚨🚨
The public spoke up in August, and the Commission backed down. Now we're about to find out who actually listened.

WHO: The full Sarasota County Commission, Chair Ron Cutsinger, and Commissioners Mast, Neunder, Knight, and Smith

WHEN: Tuesday, October 6th Commission Meeting, under the Discussion section of the agenda

WHAT'S HAPPENING: After public pressure forced the Commission to drop its plan for automatic, closed-door pay raises, commissioners agreed to keep this year's performance reviews in the open, with real evaluations on the record. That review is now on Tuesday's agenda.

WHO DID THEIR JOB: Commissioners Knight and Smith submitted written evaluations of both the County Administrator and County Attorney, on time and in public view, exactly as the public demanded.

WHO DIDN'T: Commissioners Cutsinger, Mast, and Neunder have not submitted a written evaluation of either employee. They are not in the agenda packet.

WHY IT MATTERS: Every county employee is held to a standard of a formal, merit based evaluation. The County Administrator and County Attorney should be held to that same standard, in public, by every commissioner, not just two of them. County employees and taxpayers are watching. Raises and bonuses are being considered Tuesday WITHOUT the majority of the Commission completing written evaluations for their only 2 employees.

THANK YOU: Commissioners Knight and Smith followed through on the evaluations with transparency and accountability.

09/23/2026

🚨🚨⛅SUNSHINE ACCOUNTABILITY ALERT⛅🚨🚨
Sarasota County is being sued four times over the Live Local Act. Six days before yesterday's meeting, the Florida Attorney General's office sent the County a legal opinion that contradicts its position. The public heard nothing about it.

WHO: The Office of the County Attorney and the full Sarasota County Commission

WHEN: September 22nd Commission Meeting, during the County Attorney's Report

WHAT HAPPENED: A week before the meeting, the County Attorney added an item to the agenda titled "Live Local Update." It had no backup materials, and nothing new was posted on the County's Live Local webpage.

At the meeting, the County Attorney only referred to a memo sent to commissioners the Friday before. There was no verbal summary, and not one commissioner asked for one, even though the memo was never made public.

WHAT THE PUBLIC DIDN'T HEAR: In April, the County Attorney asked the Attorney General for a legal opinion on the Live Local Act. The answer came back on September 16, six days before the meeting. The Attorney General's office concluded that Sarasota County's Open Use Estate (OUE) and Residential Estate (RE) zoning districts qualify as mixed use under the Act, because they allow homes along with businesses like animal hospitals, veterinary clinics, and riding stables by right.

In the opinion's own words: "Therefore, the OUE and RE districts in Sarasota County qualify as zoned for mixed use under the Act."

SEE IT YOURSELF: The entire "update" took 27 seconds. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQHn0z9Tgx0

WHY IT MATTERS: The County's Live Local interpretation was decided at a commission meeting where the item wasn't on the agenda, so residents and stakeholders never had a chance to weigh in. Now four lawsuits are pending, and the state's top legal office has reached the opposite conclusion. If the County loses, it could owe up to $250,000 in attorney fees and costs per lawsuit.

The Legislature is watching too. Starting November 1, 2026, every county must file an annual report with the state on its Live Local litigation. By law, that information goes to the Governor, the Senate President, and the Speaker of the House by February 1, before the legislative session begins.

Taxpayers are footing the bill. They deserve to know.

09/22/2026

🛫 The City has had productive engagement meetings on the Airport Master Plan this past spring, with 2 Technical Advisory Panel meetings at City Hall and 2 Citizen Advisory Panel meetings at the Venice Community Center. Each panel met in public meetings on Feb. 11 and April 29.

🗓️ The last round of Airport Master Plan public meetings will be held starting Oct. 15. This will be the final opportunity to review the plan and share your thoughts before it is presented to the FAA and City Council for adoption. See below for a full schedule ⬇️

09/21/2026

Check out our latest guest column:
Local government works best in the open and transparent, and most of the time, it is. Agendas get posted and backup materials go out before a vote. Residents get a chance to speak throughout the process and before decisions become final.

But this year in Sarasota County, that process has broken down in ways that should concern every resident...

Local government works best in the open and transparent, and most of the time, it is. Agendas get posted and backup materials go out before a vote. Residents get a chance to speak throughout the process and before decisions become final.

09/13/2026

A proposal to tie annual pay raises for Sarasota County's administrator and county attorney to a rate set for elected officials by the Florida Legislature was turned away this week in favor of a deeper look at the job-evaluation process.
https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2026/sep/10/county-contracts-administrator-attorney/