SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Sarasota's state lawmakers got an earful Monday from municipal leaders, community groups and residents ahead of the legislative agenda for the new year.
The meeting took place at the Sarasota County Commissioners Chambers. The recent hurricane impacts and child welfare were among the items that took center stage.
For four hours, the delegation heard from the community on what they wanted them to focus on in Tallahassee.
The elected officials in the delegation included State Sen. Joe Gruters, State Representatives Fiona McFarland, James Buchanan and recently elected Danny Nix Jr.
Among the key asks and big-ticket items were issues related to stormwater management and long-term resiliency for coastal communities.
"Southwest Florida is booming and growing, and the only danger that any of us face is the fact that our infrastructure fails to keep up so it's so important that we all work collaboratively to help," Mayor Phil Stokes, City of North Port said.
"Our barrier islands need upgraded infrastructure. A lot of our infrastructure, even our lift stations, our roads were built decades ago and now we need money to be poured into the island," Lourdes Ramirez with Protect Siesta Key said. "That way we can raise some of the roads, raise some of the infrastructure so we can avoid all the problems we've been seeing in the past few hurricanes."
In total lawmakers heard from more than 80 different community groups and agencies represented including local elected leaders, education leaders, non-profits, and community advocates.
"Child welfare was a big thing this year. It is always been. We always hear from child welfare and advocacy groups, That's no different. But there seems to be a lot more this year, whether that's foster families, the guardian ad litem program, or just our child protective services" Rep. McFarland said.
McFarland, who was the chair of the meeting, said the delegation has already begun having conversations about what kinds of recovery or disaster grants can be implemented to assist local groups and municipalities.
"If it's an easy answer, it's already been solved and I think a lot of those issues were brought to light today in the conversation as we heard from our local groups. We're trying to get a flavor of the decisions that we have to make and the trade-offs that we'll consider when we go to Tallahassee and make legislation for our communities," she said.
Lawmakers will continue holding various policy workshops ahead of the upcoming legislative session which convenes on Tuesday, March 4.