Mega Hotels and Mast

with a Rainford assist

As I shared in my prior post, Sarasota County Commission District 1 candidate Teresa Mast has refused or ignored candidate forum invitations and interviews. Historically speaking, she may be the only candidate running for Sarasota’s County Commission who has completely dodged such interaction with the public. A close second is Neil Rainford, who has done the same with one exception: Rainford did show up for a South County Tiger Bay forum. Clearly Mast and Rainford believe avoidance is an effective strategy. What questions or issues are they looking to avoid?

The approval of Mega Hotels on Siesta Key in 2021 was hugely controversial. Both candidates Rainford and Mast served on the Planning Commission and approved the Mega Hotels proposal brought to the Planning Commission. They approve the Mega Hotel proposal in spite of robust public opposition. Siesta Key’s CG (Commercial General) zoning permits hotels with 26 units/acre. The hotel applications that Mast and Rainford approved would have increased those permitted units from 26 units/acre to 170 units/acre - an increase of 6.5 times what was permitted. That increase was in clear violation of Sarasota County’s Comprehensive Plan.

The Sarasota County Comprehensive Plan (aka the Comp Plan) is the major rule book (the law) for land use planning in Sarasota County. Back in 1985, Florida adopted the Growth Management Act, which requires each Florida County to put together a Comprehensive Plan to:

• Guide future development

• Solve existing problems and prevent future problems that may occur from land use & development

• Preserve, promote, protect, and improve the public health, safety, comfort and good order

• Protect people, the environment, community and economic resources

Sarasota and Manatee Counties have just witnessed a spectacular fail in land use planning: the flooding both during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Debby. Yes, we got a lot of rain. But residents have never seen this kind of flooding. It’s clear that our storm water infrastructure is inadequate. Both County governments have been criticized for their undisciplined willingness to grant increases in development density (often for promised affordable housing which does not materialize), cut wetlands protections, and gut wise planning policy.

Why would Mast and Rainford want to avoid questions? These issues will surely come up. Given their Planning Commissiion records, they would have a lot of ‘splaining to do. Both have been reliable “yes” votes for developers.

Let’s look specifically at the Mega Hotels proposal in 2021. At a four hour meeting where the Planning Commission recommended approval of 170 room/acre hotels, Mr. Rainford said very little:

Mr. Rainford did not appreciate what the public shared with him - that the proposal to permit hotels that are 6.5 times larger than what is currently allowed would create huge traffic and quality of life problems on Siesta Key. As a barrier island, there are only two access points to the Key - the north and south bridge - which are already jammed during season. The proposed Mega Hotels appoved by Rainford and Mast, would open the door to other hotels of the same size being built on Siesta Key. It wasn’t about just a few hotels.

Teresa Mast had more to say about the Mega Hotels proposal, and I’ve captured her comments if you’d like to view them. But this short comment pretty much sums up Mast’s attitude:

In spite of public outcry that the Mega Hotels application would create big traffic problems (the staff report indicated the same), Mast pooh-poohs these traffic concerns. Mast fails to acknowledge that bad situations, like traffic on Siesta Key, can and indeed HAVE gotten worse. She speaks as if traffic on the Key is the same as it’s always been. She says SHE doesn’t believe traffic will change “one iota, not one bit”. She thinks “the traffic will stay about the same”. It’s a very telling statement.

To make that statement, Mast must ignore common sense, the public and the staff report. Mast must know as a Planning Commissioner that her vote to approve the Mega Hotel proposal is not just about the two hotels in front of her that day, but all the future hotels that are possible by making the zoning change she recommends. Mast must also ignore a fellow Planning Commissioner’s concerns and public testimony that the Mega Hotel proposal actually violates the law. Mast ignores all of this. It’s a potent example of a bad decision which, had it been allowed to stand, would have made lasting negative change on Siesta Key.

Sarasota County residents, particularly Siesta Key residents, can thank Lourdes Ramirez for her successful lawsuit against the Mega Hotels proposal.
A judge ruled that the Mega Hotels proposal violated the caps on growth for the Key in the Comp Plan. Can Sarasota County residents always count on someone like Lourdes suing when the County violates planning standards? Not a good plan. The state has made it harder & more financially risky for residents to sue over bad planning decisions (not that it was ever easy). Counting on white knight citizens like Lourdes Ramirez to protect Sarasota County from bad land use decisions is a poor strategy.

The Siesta Key Mega Hotel developer dream isn’t dead yet. Benderson Development has joined the effort, and developers are seeking to simply change Sarasota’s Comprehensive Plan to allow Mega Hotels on Siesta Key. Mast and Rainford’s campaign coffers are stuffed full of donations from development interests, including Benderson.

Mast and Rainford’s reluctance to face the public’s questions may have a lot to do with wanting to avoid questions about their development votes. They would certainly face questions about the future of Siesta Key.

For residents who want to protect their property and quality of life from the ravages of overdevelopment - from excessive traffic, from terrible flooding - the most effective strategy is clear. Your vote matters. Your neighbors’ votes matter. The best way to protect our County from the problems of overdevelopment is to be certain we have County Commissioners who really work for US. The best way to be sure our County Commission does the right thing is to elect Commissioners who have demonstrated a commitment to public service, not developer dreams. Be sure to vote on August 20th for County Commission candidates who will listen to you, who will look out for and your neighbors. The future of our community is up to us.

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If you’d like to view the entire August 19, 2021 Planning Commission meeting, you can find it here