Ball & Shoe To Be Reimbursed By City

Ball & Shoe Sports Center will be paid $4,838  by the city to make up for its losses for ordering jerseys and equipment for a last year. 

Sarasota City Commissioners voted 5-0 to authorize the payment to Ball & Shoe Sports Center, managed by Dave Ruth, after getting caught in the middle between a customer, Sarasota Youth Gators Football team and the city's grant program. 

"I think at the end of the day, it sounds like he was assured by the city not by the football league that this was going to happen, so we have an IOU out there I guess," Commissioner Paul Caragiulo said.

Ruth and Youth Gators coach Eddie Austin made the where Austin also apologized for his That money wouldn't be going into the hands of the club, Austin explained, but rather to Dave Ruth of Ball & Shoe Sports Center, 4219 S. Tamiami Trail, who had ordered the team's jerseys and equipment before he was paid. 

That $25,000 was never awarded to the team, and staff had said told the team not to purchase anything until it was formally approved in writing, Interim City Manager Terry Lewis said, adding it essentially turns into a he said, she said debate, but it's hard to verify what was said after six months passed.

"You have a reputable business that does a lot of good things. You got employees doing their job, but you have a recollection that's different of the events," Lewis said.

Ruth explained at that May 7 meeting that he operates on a "trust then pay" operation.

"When every high school in Sarasota calls, I place the order," Ruth told the commission May 7.

This year, Ruth couldn't do that for the Youth Gator team because the team still owes his business for last year's order. The team has paid some of the balance, but still owes a significant balance, he added.

Ruth was able to sell and return enough equipment to get the debt down to $4,838, said Commissioner Shannon Snyder, who requested the item to be on the agenda.

Mayor Suzanne Atwell is glad it will be resolved and said in this case the city, needs to "take the high road."

"I think it's all very unfortunate," Atwell said. "We are setting a tone that we need to fix this and probably won't happen again. We're going to stay above the fray on this and act in goodwill and in good faith because I think there was an element of that."