Sarasota Has No Economic Development Strategy?

Sarasota County rethinks growth

[The] recession, the end of the building boom and a future made uncertain by the growing options of retirees has turned the old economic development model on its head.

The change was foreshadowed last December when County Administrator Jim Ley admitted in an internal memo to county commissioners that "we have no economic development strategy as a community." ...

the plans to spend more than $90 million on economic development in such a short period of time signaled a decided break from the past.

That shift was apparent again this week when Sarasota County commissioners announced plans for a program to give property tax breaks to businesses promising to create high-paying jobs here. The tax abatement plan would have to be approved by voters, and could be on the ballot as early as next spring.

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