Viral Video Encouraging Commissioner Turner's Ouster

Election season is heating up in Sarasota, and it's for the one in March more than the one in November. 

A video targeting City Commissioner Terry Turner (at-large) is circulating with an accompanying petition to show support to vote Turner out of office. The video highlights one of his competitors, Richard Dorfman speaking at the Wednesday citizens input session during a special meeting at City Hall where commissioners advertised the millage rate. It was the first chance residents could speak on a proposed charter amendment.

"Something doesn't feel right to me in the city when an elected official can use his own money to affect the political process in this city," Dorfman said. "It's not right." 

The video, posted by Citizen Kane and distributed via a press release from , continues to focus on Dorfman and then ends with a loop of Mayor Suzanne Atwell asking "Is that is for citizen's input?" for effect. 

You might have recognized Citizen Kane from such viral Sarasota Web political films as and Condo Assoc. Strikes Back. 

The petition — complete with its own domain voteturnerout.com — accompanying the video is not one for a recall election to remove Turner from office, and at that, grounds for recall would have to be filed with the Supervisor of Elections, according to Florida elections statues.

Is This Video Over The Line Or On Point? Leave Your Comments Below.

For Turner's part, he told The Herald-Tribune he wouldn't respond to Dorfman's comments and that Dorman “is entitled to his opinion.”

Dorfman's comments were pointed toward Turner's funding and backing of political action committee Citizens For A Better Sarasota collecting signatures for a while at the same time, shooting down, with support by two other members of the commission, to table discussion for a placed forced by Commissioner Paul Caragiulo (District 2). 

Caragiulo's amendment proposal would have had to be approved by the commission to go through the process for the November ballot whereas Turner's amendment collected signatures instead to be nearly guaranteed to appear on the ballot. (Always the possibility for ballot summary language to be debated to delay a charter referendum as has happened in the county in the past.)

Usually, commissioners try to get additions to the regular meeting agendas into the city auditor and clerk by the Wednesday before the meeting, Turner said at Monday's meeting. In this case, the addition request by Caragiulo was added a few hours before the meeting.

As folks are Dorfman's significant other, folks want to know was it correct for the commission to table the discussion, denying the chance for 25 people to speak that evening, or was it correct for the commissioners to consider the thousands of other residents who might not have read about the proposed amendment — or either amendment?

The reason commissioners gave Monday was one about process.

"It's inappropriate to good governance and good process," Turner said then.

To Commissioner Shannon Snyder (District 3), who isn't a fan of either amendment, it's about the whole city and not the 25 people who showed up Monday, he told The Herald-Tribune:

“We're talking about probably the most major decision that the electorate will make, and you want to rush it?” said Commissioner Shannon Snyder.

“That was just done completely inappropriately.”

During the citizen's input at Wednesday's special meeting, well known Sarasota real estate agent Ian Black critiqued the commission in addition to resident Diana Hamilton, a 2011 City Commission District 3 candidate.

"There are times when we have to consider form over substance," Hamilton said. "How do we balance an actual desire to respect procedure over the substance of what might occur?"

She added that she understands the issue of the procedure of Caragiulo having the item added at the last minute, but felt that the issue should have trumped that.

"It's about how I want my city to progress and it has to," she said.

Black said to be "politically denied that right to speak" to that topic "sent such a chill down my spine that I was about to get on a plane and leave town." 

"I sat in the audience for four and a half hours hoping that I could speak to an issue that I have been passionate about for many, many years because I believe directly elected leadership in the city is the only way forward," Black said.  

He added that if he would tell his real estate clients "how dysfunctional" the city commission is along with its meetings, "they would run a mile."