Sarasota 2020 Election: Candidates, Races, Issues

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Sarasota-area voters head to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes for candidates and determine the fate of statewide constitutional amendments.

There are plenty of decisions to make in the general elections this year. Like voters around the country, Sarasota County residents are eager to have a say in the outcome of this year’s presidential race between Pres. Donald Trump and Democratic challenger, Vice Pres. Joe Biden. There’s also a multitude of local races to consider and voters will decide who fills seats on various governing bodies, including the Sarasota County Commission and Sarasota City Commission.

Just two days before Election Day, Sarasota County hit 64 percent voter turnout. By Sunday morning, about 155,000 residents had voted by mail and nearly 83,000 participated in early voting.

"The turnout for early voting has been steady. We strongly urge voters to consider voting early," said a spokesperson for the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections office. "Early voting will go a long way toward helping to reduce wait times and lines that could likely occur on Election Day due to high voter enthusiasm, a lengthy ballot and social distancing practices due to COVID."

Voting has gone smoothly so far, the spokesperson added. The biggest concern has been reports from approximately a dozen voters whose return envelopes were already sealed when they received their vote-by-mail ballots.

"Florida humidity and weather are likely to have affected those small number of envelopes, and we have assisted any voter who has encountered this situation," the spokesperson said.

Voters are interested and engaged in this year's election, said Carol Hartz, president of the League of Women Voters of Sarasota County. "My guess is that voters, who seem highly engaged this election, are voting early to ensure their voices are heard and their ballots are counted."

Hartz said LWV has seen a steady number of visitors to its website, which offers voter resources. Voting information can be found online here.

Return to Patch for Tuesday's local election results: Subscribe to free News Alerts.

Meet the candidates

For those opting to vote in person on Nov. 3, Sarasota Patch has compiled information that will help you make informed decisions at the polls. Here’s everything you need to know about candidates, races and issues in Sarasota County.

Representative in Congress, District 16

Current Florida State Rep. Margaret Good, a Democrat, challenged incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan for the District 16 congressional seat. Learn more about these candidates here.

Democrat Margaret Good currently serves as a state representative who “has built a reputation as a legislator who reaches across the aisle to find solutions to help Florida’s working families by reducing health care costs, investing in our public education and university systems, and protecting Florida’s fragile environment, recognizing the important role our environment plays in our economy,” according to her campaign website.

She earned her law degree from University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she served as editor of the Florida Law Review and graduated with honors, her website said. She and her husband moved to Sarasota after law school. Good worked as an attorney at Matthews Eastmoore.

According to her website, she is dedicated to ending “the partisan politics that hurt working families.” She said she’ll “be a strong voice for each of the communities in the 16th district by building bridges and finding solutions to our most challenging problems.”

If elected, her priorities include rebuilding the economy post-COVID-19. She said she’ll “focus on lowering taxes for the middle class, investing in job and skill training programs, especially clean energy jobs, expanding opportunity for local businesses, and diversifying Florida’s economy,” according to her website.

Good also said that she will continue her fight to improve education funding so that every child has access to a high-quality education. She also said she’ll fight to protect health care coverage for pre-existing conditions, stand up to health insurance lobbyists, and work to ensure all citizens have access to affordable health care and prescription drugs.

“Nobody should have to choose between paying for medical treatments and paying for their groceries or rent,” she said on her website.

Other issues of importance to her are environmental protections, comprehensive immigration reform that is “humane,” ending discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, protecting women’s rights and enacting “reasonable gun-violence prevention measures.”

Learn more about Good at her campaign website.

According to his campaign website, Vern Buchanan “is a self-made businessman who knows what it takes to create jobs and jump-start the economy. He understands that America’s greatness comes from its entrepreneurial spirit and pro-growth, free-market policies.”

The incumbent U.S. representative serves on the House Ways & Means Committee, which tackles tax policy, international trade, health care, welfare and Social Security. He’s also the chair of the Tax Policy Subcommittee.

“A tireless champion for small business, Buchanan is an outspoken advocate of reforming the U.S. tax code to make it simpler, fairer and less burdensome to fuel the economy and get Americans back to work,” his website said.

Concerned by the federal government’s “out-of-control spending spree,” the first bill he introduced in Congress was a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 2007.

“The measure simply requires the federal government to live within its means just like every family in America,” his website said.

His website also said that Buchanan is “tired of the dysfunction in Washington” and promotes bipartisan collaboration.

If elected, he’ll focus on job creation and giving small businesses the tools they need to succeed. This includes tax and regulation reforms, eliminating health law mandates for businesses, supporting free and fair trade, expanding energy drilling in the United States, cracking down on China’s intellectual property rights violations and reducing the government workforce by 10 percent.

Buchanan proposes tax relief for middle-class Americans and small businesses. He’s also dedicated to protecting federal safety net programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, which affect seniors and retirees.

Learn more about Buchanan at his campaign website.

Representative in Congress, District 16

Democrat Allen Ellison, Republican Greg Steube and Theodore "Pink Tie" Murray, running with no party affiliation, are vying for the District 17 congressional seat. Learn more about these candidates here.

Allen Ellison, 39, lives in Wauchula with his wife and daughter. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and has worked in business for more than 20 years.

"COVID-19 is the single most pressing issue facing my district. COVID has claimed lives, hurt businesses and put thousands of people out of work in my district and millions around the country," he told Sarasota Patch. "I plan to use my office to help draft policy to curb the rising COVID numbers and get people back to work with good paying sustainable jobs."

He also explained his "vision for the future of our district and America."

Ellison said, "My vision is centered around improving the quality of life for all citizens. This means protecting our environment, securing social security, healthcare, the rights of women, veterans care, increasing disability benefits, making improvements to infrastructure and our educational system. It means creating good paying jobs, sustainable agricultural development and green solutions for a stronger, cleaner and safer environment for everyone to enjoy. It means bringing families back together and healing the social divide and conquering this pandemic."

Learn more about Ellison at his campaign website.

Theodore “Pink Tie” Murray, running with no party affiliation, did not submit responses to our questionnaire, but we compiled some information about him. According to The Ledger, he lives in Frostproof and earned an economics degree with a minor in Latin American Studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He’s a roofing and building contractor.

According to The Ledger, he’s “fiscally conservative and socially progressive.” He’s also tired of partisan politics, he said.

If elected, he believes the role of a House member is educating constituents on the issues. He’s also a supporter of good environmental practices and is critical of policies that permit Mosaic, a phosphate company operating in Central Florida, to withdraw 70 million gallons of water from Polk County’s aquifer daily. Murray also told the Ledger he believes in term limits for political candidates.

Republican Greg Steube did not submit responses to our questionnaire, but we’ve compiled some information about him. The University of Florida graduate studied beef cattle sciences and minored in agricultural law. After completing law school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army following the Sept. 11 attacks. He served for three years in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, according to his campaign website.

After this, Steube was elected to the Florida State House in 2010 and the State senate in 2016. According to his website, he “used his background in agriculture, law and the military to build a record of accomplishment and strong defense of conservative principles.” In 2018, he was elected to serve District 17 in Congress.

According to his campaign website, his main goals are to “preserve the Second Amendment. Build the Wall. Defend Life. Protect our Vets. It’s that simple.”

He said he’s pro-gun, wants to ban sanctuary cities, believes “there is no place for abortion in civilized society” and wants to take care of veterans.

Learn more about Steube at his campaign website.

Sarasota Board of County Commissioners, District 1

Republican Michael A. Moran and Democrat Mark E. Pienkos are running for the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners District 1 seat. Learn more about these candidates here.

Mark E. Pienkos, 70, lives in Sarasota with his wife, Ann. He's a retired educator and school district superintendent. He earned his doctorate in education from the University of Southern California, and his master's and bachelor's degrees in education from Northern Illinois University. He previously served as alderman for the city of Muskego in Wisconsin.

He said the most pressing issue in District 1 is “accountability. The people in District 1 deserve a County Commissioner who will listen and act on their behalf. I pledge to do this. I will conduct periodic Town Hall Listening Sessions throughout the 15 precincts that comprise District 1.”

He’s also concerned about urban sprawl in Sarasota County and said “the rallying cry” should be “Keep the country, country.”

Pienkos is also committed to protecting the environment, rebuilding the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic and listening to the opinions of voters.

Learn more about Pienkos at his website.

According to his campaign website, Michael A. Moran has lived in Sarasota with his wife, Lori, and their two children since 2002. He also has more 34 years of experience in the insurance industry. He earned a bachelor's degree in business and insurance from Michigan State University.

On his website, he calls himself "a common-sense, straight-talking conservative" as well as "a respected leader in the Florida business community…focused on making government accountable to taxpayers."

Moran added that he "is committed to keeping Sarasota a world class community to raise a family, start a business or have a fulfilling retirement; all with as little governmental intrusion as possible."

He is committed creating an environment in Sarasota that entices "our youthful, talented citizens to remain" there.

Learn more about Moran on his website.

Sarasota Board of County Commissioners, District 3

Republican Nancy Detert and Democrat Cory Hutchinson are running for the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners District 3 seat. Learn more about these candidates here.

Cory Hutchinson, 24, lives in North Port with his fiancé Courtney Lape. He's worked as a college and career advisor at Laurel Nokomis School for the past four years. He holds a master of business administration degree from Western Governors University and a bachelor's degree in English from Arizona State University.

He said the biggest concern in his district is infrastructure.

“We have to fix our infrastructure. We have seen millions of gallons worth of sewage spills, and we must address this” he told Sarasota Patch. “We need to work with federal and state leaders to obtain grants and funding to begin repairing and rebuilding failing infrastructure. This is not just an environmental issue, but an economic one as well. If we have any red tide or other algae outbreaks, after the economic downturn from COVID, many businesses will be in danger.”

He also prides himself on not being “a career politician.”

Hutchinson said, “I am focused solely on our county and the needs of the residents, not of special interests. I have the drive and passion to get the job done, and I have been a resident of this county my entire life.”

Other issues he’s concerned about include the environment, access to mental health care and slowing urban sprawl.

Learn more about Hutchinson on his campaign website.

Incumbent Nancy Detert has served District 3 since 2016. She also served in the Florida House of Representative from 1998 to 2006 and the Florida Senate from 2008 to 2016. She sat on the Sarasota County School Board from 1988 to 1992.

Originally from Chicago, she currently lives in Venice. She also enjoyed a lengthy career as a mortgage broker.

According to her Ballotpedia profile, Detert has said she would support oil drilling within 10 miles of Florida's coast as long as tax money raised from these projects is used to subsidize the installation of solar panels. She's also expressed support of an overhaul of Florida's laws regarding background checks for those working with children and the elderly.

In an interview with the Venice Gondolier, she said that if she's re-elected, she'll focus her efforts on affordable housing. She also stated that she's unhappy with Sarasota County's voter-approved switch to single-member districts, a move she thinks will actually harm voters.

Detert's campaign Facebook page can be found here.

Sarasota Board of County Commissioners, District 5

Republican Ron Custinger and Democrat Alice White are running for the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners District 5 seat. Learn more about these candidates here.

Alice White, 64, lives in North Port. She earned a bachelor's degree in education from Kean College of New Jersey and taught for 36 years. She retired in 2018.

She told Sarasota Patch that she plans to be a “representative of the people. There has been a gradual but steady disconnect in our local government between our elected officials and those they were elected to serve and represent. I will have regular "town hall" meetings, casual get-togethers, etc. that include video conferencing to create an open door policy between myself and the people, and above all, make people feel welcomed and their input valuable at commission meetings.”

She criticizes her opponent for being backed by developers and special interest groups. White is “an advocate for the environment and would continue to be that, development must be both financially and environmentally sustainable, and above all I would bring the voices of the people in District 5 to the table, most notably those who reside in North Port, the largest municipality in Sarasota County and of which I've been a resident of for 30 years.”

Learn more about White on her campaign website.

Ron Cutsinger lives in Englewood with his wife, Alison. He's owned several businesses, including Ron's Restaurant and Waypoint Wealth Management, according to his campaign website.

He is the founder and former Chairman of the Board of the Suncoast Christian School which later became Venice Christian School. He has also served on the Sarasota County Library Advisory Board, the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, the Legacy Trail Expansion campaign, and most recently, as chairman of the Sarasota County Planning Commission.

Cutsinger's website states that he "is a steadfast supporter of President (Donald) Trump and is committed to the conservative cause." He also promises to fight for lower taxes, less government regulation, the rights of the unborn and all constitutional rights, especially the Second Amendment.

His website also states that "Ron honors our veterans and respects the first responders who run towards situations that everyone else runs away from. He will equip law enforcement with the resources needed to keep our community safe and will demand that they uphold the rule of law, starting with enforcing our immigration laws and securing our borders."

Learn more about Custinger on his campaign website.

Sarasota City Commission, District 1

Kyle Scott Battie and incumbent Willie Chares Shaw are running for the Sarasota City Commission’s District 1 seat. Learn more about these candidates here. Learn more about these candidates here.

Willie Charles Shaw is a Sarasota resident with deep roots in the city. His family has lived here for 110 years.

A retired United States Postal Service employee, he studied at St. Petersburg Junior College and Berean Bible College. He's currently associate minister at Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church.

He's previously served as a city commissioner, serving District 1, and as mayor. He's worked with SCOPE (Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence) and serves on the Sarasota Housing Authority. He also previously served on the Ad Hoc Police Advisory Committee.

He told Sarasota Patch that the biggest issue in his district is “affordable housing. Keeping people in housing that was affordable when they bought it and assisting them in maintaining its habitability, establishing realistic standards for affordability based upon the actual population in need, and upholding affordable housing requirements for development without exception. Much of meeting the affordable housing need requires creating employment and a living wage.”

If elected, he said his goal is “to continue to stand up for economic development in all of District 1. To continue to pursue meaningful affordable and workforce housing programs. To continue to work for local programs to assure that District 1 residents have affordable and accessible health care services. To continue to promote police reform, including leadership in promoting Community Policing/ Guardian Culture, Drug Market Intervention/Diversion, and assuring that Police Management has the proper ability to hold individual officers accountable to high standards of policing. To continue to stand up for neighborhood protection and enhancement and to support neighborhood protections provided by the city's Comprehensive Plan. To support inclusion of diverse community voices on all of the city's Advisory Boards and Committees.”

Learn more about Shaw on his campaign website.

Kyle Scott Battie did not submit responses to our questionnaire, but we compiled some information about him. According to the Herald-Tribune, Battie, 52, grew up in District 1 and graduated from Sarasota High School.

He worked as a model in Miami and New York before returning to Sarasota. He now hosts a men's lifestyle show, "Fly with Kyle Scott," on ABC 7.

According to his campaign website, he wants to revitalize the District 1 neighborhood.

"No Neighborhood left behind. Over the last decade we've seen investment pour into every other district in the city though upgraded roads, sidewalks, streetlights, and power lines. But in District 1 too many of our neighborhoods remain unimproved," he wrote on his website. "We need an aggressive District 1 commissioner that will bring more money back to the neighborhoods of District 1 to finally make the necessary improvements that have been on the back burner for far too long."

Battie said he also has concerns about the cost of living and the effect it has on those in his district and wants to bring more economic opportunities to the district.

He also expressed support of arts and culture in the city, as well as the environment and waterways. He also would like to reduce homelessness.

Learn more about Battie at his campaign website.

Sarasota City Commission, District 2

Liz Alpert and Terry Turner are running for the Sarasota City Commission’s District 2 seat. Learn more about these candidates here. Learn more about these candidates here.

Liz Alpert, 71, is a graduate of J.D. Stetson University College of Law. She's practiced family law for 14 years. She's served on the Sarasota City Commission since 2015.

In 2003, she was appointed to the city's Human Relations Board where she served until 2007. She was then appointed to the city's General Personnel/Civil Service Board.

“The single most pressing issue facing the city of Sarasota is the economic impact of the COVID pandemic. The city was one of the first in our area to institute a mask mandate to protect the health, safety and welfare of our citizens, but also because the faster the virus can be controlled, the faster our economy can recover,” she told Sarasota Patch. “We very quickly allocated money for a $5,000 business grant to city businesses that had suffered a loss under the pandemic. We are working on a second set of grants to help even more businesses. We immediately looked at our city budget and the impacts of a loss of revenue to the city. We instituted a hiring freeze and other cost-cutting measure to make sure we could cut our budget, but still provide the necessary services to our residents. We will continue to monitor the budget to make sure we have our expenditures under control. We will also continue to work with the community as to how better to help with the recovery.”

Alpert also has a long-term vision for the city.

“My emphasis is on a vision for the city for the next 25-50 years. Decisions we make today are critical to how our community will unfold for our children and grandchildren,” she said. “I have a vision of smart urban planning, a smart transportations system, and a preservation of our important arts and cultural assets and our environment. My opponent will take the city back to the old, tired ways of thinking and planning which will hold the city back from its potential.”

She also said she wants “to continue planning for smart growth, of planning for smart multi-modal transportation systems, of planning for sea-level rise and sustainability, of planning the creation of a world-class parks system, of planning for how we retain our historic and cultural assets, such as the Sarasota Orchestra and Selby Gardens. I've been working on these issue for the past five years. We've made significant progress, but there is still more to do.”

Learn more about Alpert on her campaign website.

Terry Turner studied engineering at Ohio University and earned an MBA in finance from the University of Rochester, according to his campaign website. He went on to earn a PhD in economics at Carnegie-Mellon University. Throughout his career, he worked with major banking institutions and taught finance at the University of California, Berkley.

He served on the Sarasota City Commission from 2009 to 2013 and represented the city on the Metropolitan Planning Organization during this time. He's also served on the Sarasota County Planning Commission, the Sarasota County Committee for Economic Development and the Sarasota County Environmentally Sensitive Lands Committee.

Turner told the Observer that he's running for office because "the current commissioners lack experience and are failing to provide the leadership we need. They are not responsive to the needs of the voters, and they have been irresponsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. I believe I can do better."

If elected, he told the Observer that his priorities include "maintaining essential city service during this severe health and economic crisis" and reestablishing, "once again, an effective, functioning city commission."

He added, "Currently, commissioners are not listening to residents, are not cooperating with one another and are not leading our city."

He's also interested in preserving Sarasota's character and standing up against overdevelopment.

Learn more about Turner at his campaign website.

Sarasota City Commission, District 3

Erik “E” Arroyo and Daniel A. Clermont are running for the Sarasota City Commission’s District 3 seat. Learn more about these candidates here. Learn more about these candidates here.

According to his campaign website, Erik "E" Arroyo is a business, wills and trust attorney in Sarasota. He's a first generation American raised by a single mother. He grew up in Sarasota and graduated from Riverview High School.

"I have seen Sarasota change and will fight to protect the integrity, taxpayers and resources of Sarasota. As an attorney, I frequently act as a trustee to help manage and maintain trusts financially sound. In addition, I advise business owners and sometimes have to represent them at the Sarasota City Commission. This job has allowed me to see the flaws in how the city is managed and I will use this experience to make sure to put the people of Sarasota first," he wrote on his website.

Arroyo also promised, "I will fight to find common-sense solutions to the homeless and affordable housing situation in Sarasota, which has impacted businesses and families alike; I will fight for fiscal responsibility and be a strong steward to lower taxes and utility costs; and finally, I will fight to prioritize our infrastructure and improving traffic conditions in the city of Sarasota. If you reach out to me…promise to always listen with an attentive ear, to always tell you my reasoning behind my position, and to always vote with a deep sense of responsibility to Sarasota. The time is now to come together and fulfill our vision to improve our quality of life, to lower the crime rate, and increase public safety."

Learn more about Arroyo at his campaign website.

Originally from Wisconsin, Daniel A. Clermont now lives in Sarasota's Arlington Park neighborhood, according to his website. Throughout his career, he's run and built small businesses, including an embroidery and screen-printing company, and a laboratory air quality and renovations operations.

"As a former small business owner, I've learned the value of common-sense decision making and the importance of prioritizing limited resources," he wrote on his website.

He said he's running for commission "to bring common sense to the decision-making process at City Hall and refocus our precious resources on the core responsibilities of city governance. City government should be fiscally responsible, focus on infrastructure, preserve our parks and open spaces, support our critical arts and culture, and maintain safe and character rich neighborhoods."

Clermont also said he's concerned that District 3 "sometimes…gets left behind at City Hall when it comes to resources and allocations of funds."

He added, "If elected I will fight every day to bring our tax dollars back from City Hall to District 3 so that everything from the roads and sidewalks to our public parks and playgrounds receive the funding they need and deserve."

Learn more about Clermont at his campaign website.

Constitutional Amendments

Voters are also deciding the fate of six amendments to Florida’s constitution. Here are the amendments on the ballot:

Amendment 1: Provides that only U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old, a permanent resident of Florida and registered to vote may vote in a Florida election.

Amendment 2: Raises Florida’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026.

Amendment 3: Allows all registered voters to vote in primaries for state legislature, governor and cabinet regardless of political party affiliation.

Amendment 4: Requires proposed amendments or revisions to Florida’s constitution be approved in two elections.

Amendment 5: Increase the period of time accrued Save-Our-Homes benefits may be transferred from a prior homestead to a new homestead from two to three years.

Amendment 6: Allows a homestead property tax discount to be transferred to the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran.