On November 3, 1971, the citizens of Sarasota County adopted a Home Rule Charter in accordance with the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Florida. The Home Rule Charter sets forth a “commission” form of government under which a five member Board of County Commissioners is elected to serve as the executive and legislative body for the County. The County Commissioners appoint both a County Administrator and a County Attorney. The County Administrator’s duties include the administration of directives and policies of the Commissioners, responsibility for the operation of all Departments and provision of services under the purview of the Commissioners. The County Attorney represents the officials and employees of Sarasota County in all legal matters relating to the discharge of their official duties. The citizens of the County also elect a Sheriff, a Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller, a Supervisor of Elections, a Tax Collector and a Property Appraiser, whose responsibilities and duties are set forth in the State Constitution. Sarasota County offers many services to its citizens including fire and police protection; emergency medical services; construction and maintenance of street and traffic systems, highways, bridges and other infrastructure; preservation and maintenance of beaches, parks and environmentally sensitive lands; recreational facilities, programs and cultural activities; comprehensive planning and community development; community information and education programs; health and human services; water and wastewater utilities; solid waste disposal facilities; storm water utility facilities; and public transportation activities. The financial statements of Sarasota County include all governmental functions and operations for which the County is financially accountable. The financial statements include the General Fund and all of the elected officials referred to above, since the County Commissioners are responsible for incorporating the annual operating budget for each elected official into the County’s budget. Separate financial statements may be obtained for these constitutional officers through the Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller’s office. The financial statements also include various other special taxing districts, which are defined in Note 1, Section A to the financial statements. The Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller publishes two supplementary documents each fiscal year to provide citizens additional information relating to financial matters of the County. The Consolidated Major Revenue and Debt Report provides a summary and description of the County’s primary revenue sources along with information related to the extent, nature and purpose of the County’s indebtedness, including arbitrage. In addition, the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR), also known as the IMPACT Report, is designed to provide the citizens of the County with an understanding of where County revenues came from and how those dollars were managed and spent in an easy to read format. These publications may be obtained from the Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller’s website (www.sarasotaclerk.com). Sarasota County follows the laws of the State of Florida regarding the control, adoption and amendment of the budget during each fiscal year. Formal budgetary integration is employed as a management control device during the year for all fund types. The County Budget Officer must submit a tentative budget to the County Commissioners prior to July 15th of each year for the following fiscal year. The budget may be amended up until 60 days after the end of the fiscal year. Budgets for all funds, except for capital project funds and proprietary funds, are adopted on a basis consistent with GAAP. Capital project funds are prepared for the project life rather than for the current fiscal year. The financial plan may be obtained from the Office of Financial Management’s website (www.scgov.net). Local economy The local economy has been steadily improving over the past few years. The unemployment rate for Sarasota County averaged 2.8 percent for fiscal year 2023, which is slightly higher than that of the prior fiscal year and the State rate, but still remains below the National unemployment rate. Taxable property values increased 14.2 percent and County population continued to increase over the prior fiscal year. During fiscal year 2023, Sarasota County saw a 2.0 percent increase in tourists visiting the area with almost 3.1 million visitors. Local beach communities have earned an international reputation as a family vacation destination. The County is known for its thriving art community, with world-class facilities including the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center. Sports tourism is strong with two Major League Baseball spring training stadiums and a premier rowing facility. The area is service industry oriented and the largest job sectors are healthcare and social assistance, government, accommodation and food service, and retail trade. Sarasota County is the winter home for approximately seventy-nine thousand out-of-town residents. 12
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