2019 IMPACT Report - Sarasota County, Florida

District 1 City of Sarasota City of Venice City of North Port District 3 District 5 District 4 District 2 SarasotaClerk.com 7 OUR COUNTY S arasota County is a political subdivision of the State of Florida and was formally incorporated in 1921. Located on the southwest coast of Florida, Sarasota County (including water areas) is a 725 square mile area with outstanding natural beauty. The resident population served, according to the 2019 OEDR (Office of Economic and Demographic Research) is approximately 426,275 permanent residents. The County includes unincorporated County and four municipalities: the Cities of Sarasota (County seat), Venice, North Port and the Town of Longboat Key. Sarasota County is empowered to levy a property tax on both real and personal property located within its boundaries. Sarasota County offers many services to its citizens including law enforcement; fire and rescue protection; 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; stormwater utility facilities; and public transportation services. The fiscal responsibility for Sarasota County is shared by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) and the Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller (Clerk and Comptroller). The BCC and the Clerk and Comptroller are separately elected constitutional officers and vested with separate powers, according to Florida law. This separation of power provides checks and balances within the County government to help safeguard the assets of the County. The BCC is responsible for adopting an annual budget for all departments under the commissioners. The budget is prepared by the Office of Financial Management, under the direction of the County Administrator, and presented to the commissioners for approval. The budget governs expenditures by the departments. The Clerk and Comptroller pre-audits every expenditure prior to payment to ensure that all expenditures are legal, budgeted and in compliance with County policies and procedures.