Sarasota County Consolidated Major Revenue and Debt Report 2019

TO THE CITIZENS OF SARASOTA COUNTY I am pleased to present to you the Consolidated Major Revenue and Debt Report issued for fiscal year 2019. Each year, this report provides a high level overview of the major revenue sources, indebtedness and arbitrage for Sarasota County. The purpose of this report is to identify the collection history, legal authorization, uses and restrictions of the primary revenue sources, as well as to provide clear and concise information about the County’s debt. As Comptroller, this office prepares the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as required by Florida Statute 218.32. The CAFR is submitted for an independent audit, as required by law, to confirm that the report fairly and accurately represents the financial conditions of the County at the close of the fiscal year, September 30, 2019. By choice, each year this office submits its CAFR to the Government Finance Officers Association, an organization that rates the presentation of the information. I am proud to inform the citizens of Sarasota County that the presentation and conformance of the CAFR was again awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for fiscal year 2018. This award is the highest recognition of excellence in Financial Reporting. The Consolidated Major Revenue and Debt Report is comprised of two sections: Revenue Categories and Indebtedness. For purposes of this report, a major revenue source is defined as a financial resource greater than $1 million on an annual basis. The principal revenue features of this summary report include fiscal year 2019 budgeted and actual revenues by category, together with information from the adopted 2020 budget, a five-year revenue history for most revenue categories and detailed information on each major revenue source. The principal debt features of this summary include a history of Sarasota County’s debt, a brief description of all outstanding bonds, a ten- year history of debt issued, and a comparison of Sarasota County’s debt to that of other similarly populated counties in Florida. Also included, you will find information relating to the Commercial Paper Loan Program, Bank Term Loans, State Revolving Fund Program, and debt issued through the Conduit Financing Programs. Finally, general information concerning arbitrage and the debt affected by arbitrage can be found in this report. I trust that this Consolidated Major Revenue and Debt Report will answer many questions concerning the information presented within. Should you have additional questions, please contact the Comptroller’s Office through the Finance Department at (941) 861-5165. Sincerely, Karen E. Rushing Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller A MESSAGE FROM KAREN E. RUSHING, CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT AND COUNTY COMPTROLLER