This weekend word got out that a $1.5 million SWFMD (Southwest Florida Water Management District) grant for improving water quality in Sarasota was denied. That grant that was expected to be a slam dunk. SWFMD staff supported the grant. The City’s grant “score” was high. Two of the three SWFMD subcommittee voting members are from Sarasota. Jack Bispham approved the grant. Joel Schleicher denied the grant. It’s not a vote you would expect from a local resident. What’s going on?
Bobby Jones Golf Course (BJGC) is the site where water quality improvement work is to take place. The golf course is slated for an update. As part of the plan, the 300 acre site is designated for a conservation easement. Conserving Bobby Jones in a conservation easement has been in the works for years now. The park is already home to significant and diverse wildlife. Recently elected City Commissioner, District 3 representative Erik Arroyo, promised voters to achieve a conservation easement within his first 100 days in office. That milestone passed a few months ago. For unexplained reasons, the BJGC conservation easement has yet to be put in place. Commissioner Arroyo represents constituents who live next to BJGC. That campaign promise mattered to all City residents, but particularly to those in District 3. Now we learn that the water quality grant was denied.
You see, the potential for BJGC is similar to what Sarasota’s Celery Fields has become. By restoring wetlands and wildlife habitat, Sarasota will have another wildlife sanctuary teeming with birds and other animals. Both the Celery Fields and BJGC were originally wetlands. They were filled in to create farmland and a golf course, respectively. Returning portions of BJGC to its natural wetland state and incorporating trails will open up the park to more users – not just golfers. It will build on Sarasota’s exceptional birding sites, and bring in biking, running and hiking trails that can be enjoyed by everyone. The SWFMD water quality grant was an important first step.
Why would Joel Schleicher vote against the grant?
Mr. Joel Schleicher is the registered agent for at least two political action committees, or PACs. One is called “A Better Sarasota”. The other is named “Best Plan for Sarasota”. Former School Board member Eric Robinson is the treasurer for both PACs.
“Best Plan for Sarasota” was active from June 2019 through April 2020, and is registered with the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections. Mr. Jonathan Mitchell and Mr. Joel Schleicher, who both live in the City of Sarasota, each donated $50,000 to the PAC. The PAC expenditures were as follows:
MGT Consulting Group (for data analysis and collection): $34,408 Data Targeting Research (for public opinion research): $37,500 Contribution to “A Better Sarasota” PAC: $26,808 Robinson Gruters Accounting (3 accting fees, $350 ea) $ 1,050
“A Better Sarasota” is active since March 2020 to the present. It is registered with the state of Florida, not the City of Sarasota or Sarasota County (I’ll write a blog post about why that matters later). The only contribution to “A Better Sarasota” is the $26,808 from “Best Plan for Sarasota”. So far here are the major expenses for “A Better Sarasota”:
Robinson Gruters Accounting (12 accounting fees) $4,950
Interesting note: the PAC with more money (100K) and vendor expenditures (72K), “Best Plan for Sarasota” was charged $1,050 for accounting services by Robinson Gruters. The PAC with less money (27K) and nominal expenditures ($234) is paying nearly $5000 for Robinson Gruters accounting services. These accounting fee disparities continue to feed the perception that these PACs are simply a cash cow for Mr. Robinson and Mr. Gruters. The fees they charge do not appear commensurate with the work involved in keeping the books. But I digress.
City Manager Marlon Brown sent out an email informing City Commissioners late last week that the SWFMD water quality grant had been denied. Here is his email of April 8, 2021 at 5:07 pm:
What kind of “better” of “best” Sarasota does Mr. Schleicher envision? Does it include an elected mayor? Does it mean parkland at Bobby Jones Golf Course would be developed into strip malls or housing? Hard to say. But voting against a beneficial SWFMD water quality grant makes it clear that Mr. Schleicher isn’t particularly interested in what his City neighbors have supported for years.
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Worth noting that Schleicher and his wife also made maximum donations to Erik Arroyo’s campaign, as well as donated to Martin Hyde (at least in 2017)
How sad and frustrating. Another example of how corrupt our system has become. Things are not likely to change until we eliminate the obscene amounts of money pumped into elections. Bless Çathy Antunes for the amazing job she does of uncovering the corruption. Adrien is right about rallying but even that doesn’t always work. Just follow Siesta Promenade.
The players, the billings and the modus operandi smell, again, worse that the Red Tide this project is supposed to help remedy
This is dismal news to read. Yet, not surprising. Once again, citizens of Sarasota are going to have to really rally (as we did with the Celery Fields) to prevent any backroom deals that most likely will have a bad impact on both the improvement of the environment for wildlife and people who desire to utilize Bobby Jones for more than just golf. Who does Joel Schleicher really work for?