The Sarasota Phoenix July 2014

PHOENIXJuly2014.
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7
Traffic Report
Perfect Storm
12

July 2014

10
University / I-75
Fiscal Conservatives
Whos Financing
Them?
Grassroots
Waechter,Robin-
son, Stevenson
Although two time convicted

MAIO'S
SARASOTA
COUNTY CAMPAIGN
follow the money. For example,
just as any of the present Sarasota
County Commissioner, managed
by the Waechter/Robinson/Steven-
son trio? What you will find is
Randy Benderson, Pat Neal, Rex
Jensen and Henry Rodriquez cir-
cumventing the local campaign fi-
nance regulations that attempted to
limit special interests buying local
politicians.

For example, Randy Benderson
with a Buffalo, New York address
of 570 Delaware Avenue has fun-
neled 10, $200 contributions into
the Maio campaign. Pat Neal with
a Lakewood Ranch address of
5800 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard
has funneled 14, $200 into the
Maio campaign. Rex Jensen with a
Lakewood Ranch address of 14400
Convenent Way has funneled 9,
$200 contributions in the Maio
campaign and Henry Rodriquez
with four different addresses has
funneled 4, $200 contributions into
the Maio campaign.
felon Bob Waechter's name doesn't
appear in any campaign finance re-
ports found on Sarasota County
Election Supervisor campaign fi-
nance reports, Waechter is no
doubt is involved with political ac-
tivity in Sarasota County, which in-
cludes the campaign of Al Maio for
Sarasota County Commissioner.

Waechter's political ties to Maio
become quite apparent when Maio
was questioned by local assistant
States Attorney Brian Iten in the
Waechter election fraud felony
case. For example, Maio admitted
under oath that on numerous occa-
sions, both in telephone conversa-
tions and in private meetings that
he conferred with Waechter con-
cerning his run for Sarasota County
Commissioner.

All these meetings took place be-
fore Waechter was arrested for at-
tempting to destroy the political
career of Maio's County Commis-
sion opponent, Lourdes Ramirez.
Maio also admitted being in con-
tact with Waechter, after Waechter
was arrested

There is little doubt that Waechter
feels free to continue his political
consultants activities in promoting
various local candidates after

receiving a slap on the wrist for ad-
mitting to election fraud from a
client of Waechter/Eric Robinson/
Mac Stevenson machine in 2012,
local States Attorney Ed Brodsky.

For example, Waechter mistakenly
called a prominent Democrat in
Northport believing he was leaving
a message for Fred Tower to run
for the Sarasota County Charter
Review Board. Unbeknown to
Waechter he left a message for
Tower with a prominent Northport
Democrat. This call was made after
Waechter was convicted of his sec-
ond felony arrest.

Although Maio no doubt will like
to disassociate himself with
Waechter, it is impossible for Maio
to disassociate himself with two
other members of the
Waechter/Robinson/Stevenson
local political machine, who are

Al Maio
Robinson and Stevenson. Both
Robinson and Stevenson are paid
political consultants for the Maio
campaign. Robinson has received
10, $350 payments from Maio, 1,
$2,100 payment from Maio and 1,
$1,000 for Maio consulting fees.
Stevenson has received 7, $2,000
payments from Maio.

In addition, Kelly Dowd who is the
daughter of Commissioner Joe
Barbettas business partner and for-
mer political consultant John
Dowd has received 2, $350 pay-
ments from Maio, 4, $500 pay-
ments Maio and 5, $1,000 payment
for consulting services for Maio.
(With two months to go in the
campaign, Maio has spent $28,300
for consulting fees).

It does not take a rocket scientist to
see who Maio will be taking orders
from if elected. All one has to do is

These contributors to the Maio
campaign have exhibited a com-
plete shameful disregard of the
general public's desire to limit one,
$400 contributions per entity and
have made a mockery of our local
political system.

If anyone wonders what these con-
tributions buy from local Sarasota
County Commissioner for Bender-
son, Neal and Jensen, just take a
look a the massive urban sprawl
being created at the University
Blvd/I-75 Corridor. Once again it
doesn't take a rocket scientist to
understand the sprawl has been
created by major massive urban
style development of Randy Ben-
derson and over 8,000 planned res-
idential development by Neal and
Jensen in Lakewood Ranch.

What is scandalous is that the pres-
ent Sarasota County Commission-
ers whose campaigns were
managed by the Waechter/Robin-
son/Stevenson trio and financed by
the Benderson, Neal, Jensen Gang
signed off on these developments.
These unchecked developments
will now need over $150 million, if
not more in infrastructure to allevi-
ate the traffic nightmare created.

Continued on page 18
THE MEDIA VOICE THAT WRITES WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS THINKING BUT IS TOO AFRAID TO SAY
5
University / I-75
Interchange
Urban Sprawl
$200 Million SCAM
I N S I D E
Robert Waechter
14
PHOENIXJuly2014.qxp_Layout 1 7/25/14 8:23 PM Page 2

THE RANDY BENDERSON
ROWING FACILITY
A PRIVATE / PUBLIC
PARTNERSHIP SCAM
As recently as January 2009 when Randy Benderson was awarded
a no bid contract to build and manage his rowing facility, an estimate
of only around $2 million was being tossed around to create a
Private/Public Partnership between Sarasota County and Randy
Benderson to build a rowing facility.
Benderson contributed $1 mil-
lion and the Sarasota County
owned park was renamed Nathan
Benderson Park. This was before
Benderson went wild for rowing
and convinced the County Com-
missioners and other business lead-
ers to go along for the ride.
Since the initial $2 million to cre-
ate a rowing park, Sarasota County
has contributed $19.5 million, in
partnership with the state's $10
million. Manatee County has added
about $500,000. Sarasota County
also has recently contracted with
the Benderson controlled SANCA
organization to run the rowing fa-
cility at a cost of almost $800,000
to Sarasota County through 2018.

This Benderson Corporate Welfare
Scam, which is no other way de-
scribes this so called Private/Public
Partnership, started at a Sarasota
County Commission meeting on
1/24/11. At that meeting, with the
approval of the Sarasota County
Administrator Jim Ley, Sarasota
County officials Dave Bullock &
Jim Harriott came before the Sara-
sota County Commission to dis-
cuss a "Private/Public Partnership"
between Sarasota County and
Randy Benderson.

In this so called Private/Public
Partnership, Bullock and Harriott,
no doubt with the approval of Ley,
sought approval of a no bid $19
million agreement with Randy
Benderson for his rowing facility.
An agreement between Sarasota
County and Benderson that County
Commissioner Jon Thaxton stated
in 2011, "had Randy Benderson's
name all over it."

Bullock and Harriott also discussed
how the $17 million North Cattle-
men Road Improvement Project,
will benefit Sarasota County and
the Benderson Park Project.
Neither Bullock nor Harriott men-
tioned how these multimillion dol-

Benderson Rowing Facility

lar publicly funded projects will
gain $millions$ in financial bene-
fits for Randy Benderson.

COMMISSION APPROVES
BENDERSON SCAM
The presentation by Bullock and
Harriott included a PowerPoint
presentation and a contract detail-
ing all aspects of these "sweet-
heart" deals for Benderson. The
County approved contracts had
Benderson giving back little or
nothing to Sarasota in comparison
to what the County gave him.

At the end of the one hour presen-
tation by Bullock and Harriott, the
five County Commissioners ap-
proved the $19 million Benderson
Park Project (Contract No. 2011-
240, which was signed by Com-
missioner Nora Patterson, being
Chairperson of BOC at the time.

The $19 million contract with Ben-
derson among other taxpayers
gifts to the Benderson was $3 mil-
lion to manage the Benderson Park
Project. The fee paid to Benderson
was 16 percent of the county's
$19.5 million building budget
about three times as much as a con-
struction manager usually makes
for a project of similar size. In ad-
dition, Benderson was given the
rights to use the county lake for
storm water/floodplain compensa-

tion, and the right to take the dirt
for his other developments.

Bullock states in his presentation
the reason the no bid contract for
the construction of the rowing fa-
cility occurred was the county and
Benderson link already in place.
This project must be done by Ben-
derson as a developer's agreement.
Anyone listening to Bullocks
presentation could hear what he is
telling the BOCC on behalf of Ley-
--"Benderson must do this project".
After passage of over nearly $20
million in public funds to increase
the Benderson profit margin at the
University/I-75 Interchange, Ben-
derson spokesperson Paul Black-
ketter was quoted in Sarasota
Herald Tribune as stating, "These
decisions by the Commission will
help us tremendously."

BENDERSON COMMITS
TO FINANCING OVER $19
MILLION ROWING FACILITY
What needs to be remember today,
is the cost of Benderson Rowing
Park and its need for millions more
to complete. Benderson is asking
public officials for millions in ad-
dition and that the agreement
signed by Benderson in 2011 stated
the future financial obligation for
this project is the responsibility of
Benderson. It could cost over $19
million in public money to con-

struct and manage the Benderson
Rowing Park, and it did.

THAT AGREEMENTS
BECOME USELESS
A week later on 2/1/11 after the
scam was perpetrated on the gen-
eral public, a North Port neighbor-
hood activist, Alice White sent an
email to the five Sarasota County
Commissioners disapproving of the
Sarasota County Commissioner ap-
proval of the $19 million Bender-
son Park Project.

AGREEMENT "STINKS"
White stated: As recently as Janu-
ary 2009 estimates of only around
$2 million were being tossed
around to create a rowing park.
Benderson agreed to donate half,
$1 million, and the park is renamed
Nathan Benderson Park. But now
that rowing park is a $19.5 million
project and it's awarded to Bender-
son Development. Did I get it
right? Tell me how this doesn't
stink like three-day old garbage.

Over three years later the stench
continues to permeate as what can
only be described as one of the
biggest scam perpetrated on the
taxpayer of not only the Sara-

524 Erie Court, Sarasota, Fl. 34237
Publisher, Jon Susce
Editor, Yvette Kimm

Editorial Board Chairman,
Frederick Douglas Williams

Business Manager, Madonna Sullivan
Art & Design, FWF
(941) 953-2720

jsusce@msn.com
2
THE SARASOTA PHOENIX

Cathy Antunes
sota/Manatee area, but also the
great majority the State of Florida
taxpayers. An example is the Ben-
derson contribution to this
Public/Partnership of $1 million,
while the public's has invested
close to $50 million.

What is scandalous is that Bender-
son is seeking at least another $20
million to finish his rowing facility.
What is equally scandalous is not a
word from local or state officials
on how this rowing facility is going
to make $millions$ for Benderson
and his partners at his nearby Mall,
Taubman Centers.

As Eric Ernst of the Sarasota Her-
ald Tribune recently wrote, "Be-
cause the park sits just south of
Benderson's proposed University
Town Center Mall and not far from
two other Benderson plazas, the
developer stands to profit a great
deal if it is a success.

Benderson and Blackketter

BENDERSON AND TAUB-
MAN MAKE MILLIONS
Not only will Benderson and Taub-
man make millions from the thou-
sands of participants and spectators
involved in the rowing park activi-
ties coming from the United States
and the world in 2017, but Bender-
son cronies Pat Neal, Carlos Beruff
and Rex Jensen will make $mil-
lions$ constructing new develop-
ments in close proximity to the
rowing facility and mall.

What makes this Benderson Row-
ing Park such a scam is Benderson
contributes only $1 million with
Neal, Beruff, Jensen and Taubman
contributing absolutely nothing to
this so called Private/Public Part-
nership. If this is not an example of
multimillion dollar Corporate Wel-
fare, nothing is.
Benderson has pushed through leg-
islation before the Sarasota County
Commission and Florida State
Legislature for millions in public
money and is seeking $millions
more to build a facility that will
bring in $millions in revenue to the
Taubman/Benderson Mall and
other Benderson strip malls, hotels,
restaurants and residential develop-
ment.

$100,000 CONTRIBUTION
EQUALS $10 MILLION
Not only has Benderson bought
and sold every single Sarasota
County Commissioners on the
cheap with documented campaign
contributions to pull off this scam,
Benderson has also contributed
over a $100,000 to Governor Rick
Scott re-election and Scott has re-
ciprocated with signing legislation
giving $10 million in state funding
for the Benderson Rowing Project.

The latest estimate to complete the
Benderson Rowing facility now
tops $52 million. This so called
Public/Private Partnership to finish
construction of the complex is up
from $2 million

Dave Bullock

$22 MILLION NEEDED TO
FINISH ROWING PARK
That means the rowing park needs
roughly $22 million more to finish
construction, on top of the $19.5
million provided by Sarasota
County and $10 million allocated
in previous state funding. One
must remember the $millions$ that
have been invested, except for a 1
million contribution by Benderson,
all the funding has been public
funding.

A new Benderson creation to raise
more millions of dollars to finish
the once $2 million rowing project
was placed with the general public
on 3/19/14. For example, the Sara-
sota County Commission on a 4-0
vote, approved Benderson's re-
quests for additional funds for the
Rowing facility by entering into an
agreement with the newly formed
Benderson entity called SANCA.
This organization is a new Bender-
son creation headed by a Bender-
son flunky, Paul Blackketter.

(By the way, Commissioner Bar-
betta recused himself on this vote,
due to allegations by Adrien Lucas
that an entity owned by Commis-
sioner Barbetta and managed by
his wife received a no bid contract
from Benderson Development for
$20,836).

Paul Blackketter

BENDERSON'S
SWEETHEART DEAL
The SANCA/County agreement
will have Benderson controlled
SANCA and keep all revenue, pro-
ceeds and fees from events at the
park. The county will also reim-
burse up to $788,722 /year for ad-
ministrative, personnel and
operating expenses, and staging
and maintenance until October
2018.

The initial agreement runs through
September 2019. Thereafter, as
long as SANCA meets the terms of
the agreement and chooses to stay,
it will be managing the park for at
least the next 40 years. After 2018,
the county will trim back its sup-
port of SANCA to $250,000 a year
and only pay maintenance and ad-
ministrative and operating ex-
penses, according to the
agreement.

Cathy Antunes, who is vice presi-
dent of the Sarasota County Coun-
cil of Neighborhood Associations
(CONA), questioned numerous
terms in the agreement, which has
SANCA keeping all revenues. An-
tunes stated, "The County Com-
mission has saddled the public
with the up-front risks, and is en-
abling SANCA to keep all of the
profits. The County is bankrolling
SANCA's operations. Why is the
County bankrolling a private entity
to run a public park and taking no
part of the profits?"

Governor Scott and Pat Neal at the
Rowing Facilty Groundbreaking
DETER CALLS IT
CORPORATE WELFARE"
It appears that finally local public
officials are becoming aware of
this Benderson Corporate Welfare
Scam. At a recent Tiger Bay meet-
ing, State Sen. Nancy Detert, R-
Venice, told community leaders in
Sarasota that when she secured $5
million for the rowing facility last
year, she did not expect park
boosters to return a year later seek-
ing $11 million more. Detert told
nearly 300 people at a Sarasota
Tiger Bay meeting, "this is just
starting to look like too much cor-
porate welfare to me.

Detert is not alone among lawmak-
ers questioning the growing price
tag, Rep. Ray Pilon, R-Sarasota,
said in an interview after the meet-
ing he did not support the push for
$11 million this year because it was
just too much money. "I didn't like
it at all, Pilon said at Michael's
On East. I just can't do it.

It is way past time for the general
public to demand of their elected
public officials an answer to these
questions:
* Why wasn't this ordinal $19 mil-
lion contract put out to bid by
Sarasota County officials to deter-
mine if some local, national or in-
ternational entity could have been
more qualified or could have ac-
complished the task with possible
less funding than Benderson?
* Why was the only financial obli-
gation placed on Benderson by
Sarasota County officials to build
and manage the rowing facility for
only $1 million?

Aerial view of Benderson Park

Why have local and State of
Florida public officials not de-
manded Benderson fulfill his
signed agreement with Sarasota
County in 2011 and be held finan-
cially responsible for all cost over
$19 to construct and manage his
rowing park?

FINISH ROWING PARK OR
COUNTY PUTS OUT R.F.P
There can be no other solution to
finish funding of this rowing facil-
ity other than if Randy Benderson
cannot fulfill his agreement to fi-
nance $40 million to finish project,
put out a Request for Proposal
(RFP) to an entity that can.

3


TAUBMAN'S
SWEETHEART
DEAL

As recent information concern-
ing the $315 million Mall at Uni-
versity Town Center becomes
known, it appears that the Partner-
ship Taubman Development has
with Benderson Development to
construct the Mall, cannot not be
considered anything less than a
major "sweetheart" business trans-
action for Taubman.

For example, if Randy Benderson
accepted the same business
arrangement that was offered to
Hugh Culverhouse Jr. by Taubman
to build the Mall on his property,
the profit sharing in the Taubman
and Benderson Development busi-
ness transaction will not be 50/50.

If Benderson accepted the business
deal Taubman offered to Culver-
house, Benderson will receive 20%
of the gross net, not the gross rev-
enues derived from the Mall at
University Town Center. The gross
net will include Taubman's admin-
istrative costs, which will total mil-
lions of dollars over the years. In
addition, Benderson gets none of
the 20% gross net until Taubman's
get reimbursed for their construc-
tion costs of the Mall.
According to Culverhouse, the deal
that Benderson accepted from
Taubman was the same financial
deal that Taubman representatives
offer him to partner with Taubman
in construction of the Mall on Cul-
verhouse's property, that is adjacent
to the Central Parkway in Osprey.

Culverhouse turned down the
Taubman offer. Taubman then of-
fered Culverhouse a tender of sole
negotiations rights with him for a
year for $250,000. Culverhouse
counter proposed a figure of
$500,000, which Taubman agreed
upon. A bank transfer of $500,000
was place in a Culverhouse ac-
count by Taubman.

It appears that Taubman then used
this right to negotiate with Culver-
house to build their Mall on Cul-
verhouse property into pressuring
Benderson making the same deal
Culverhouse turned down.

BENDERSON BLAMES
CULVERHOUSE
Culverhouse's property being use
as a negotiating tactic by Taubman
strained Benderson's relationship

with Culverhouse, which led to the
Benderson/Henry Rodriquez at-
tempt to squeeze Culverhouse out
of the EEZ Project in Osprey.

CULVERHOUSE TO WARN
BENDERSON
Culverhouse's attempted to have
Benderson understand that he was
being manipulated by Taubman. It
was near impossible to build the
Mall on Culverhouse property.
There was no interchange to con-
nect the Mall to the Interstate. In
addition zoning requirements
would bring strong opposition
from environmental and control
growth organizations.

Pressure was placed on Benderson
by Taubman to accept the deal that
Culverhouse turned down. Taub-
man understood Benderson needed
the type of tenants Taubman Inter-
national could entice for the pro-
posed Mall built on Benderson
property. Benderson needed the
Mall to anchor his various projects
in the area. For example the 73
acres that the mall was to be built
was the center of a roughly 500-
acre University Town Center
mixed-use Benderson develop-
ment, which straddles the Manatee-
Sarasota county line.

If Taubman doesn't get involved in
the Mall on his property, Bender-
son has no established high end
stores to anchor his 500 acre Uni-
versity Town Center property.

Additional pressure on Benderson
to accept the Taubman sweetheart
deal was that the Mall would be
surrounded by what already is
about 1.5 million square feet of re-
tail with permission for about
400,000 square feet more, 500
hotel rooms and about 1,500 resi-
dential units. Without the Mall as
the anchor, the value of Benderson
properties diminishes considerably.

MAJOR SPRAWL TO BE
CREATED
The Taubman/Benderson business
transaction will be a major source
in creating major sprawl along the
University Boulevard/U.S I-75
Corridor and beyond. The reason
being is that the sprawl produced
by the Mall and existing Benderson
properties, and other proposed

Robert Taubman

Benderson gets none
of the 20% gross net until
Taubman's get reimbursed
for their construction
costs of the Mall.
projects along the University
Boulevard/I-75 Corridor will be in-
creased by the construction of ad-
ditional strip malls by Benderson.

The necessity of Benderson build-
ing additional strip malls in order
to be make up for once anticipated
Mall profits. Those profits were
lost, due to Benderson being out
negotiated by Taubman. Benderson
is hoping to increase his profit mar-
gin by individuals shopping in his
existing strip malls and others
along the University Boulevard/In-
terstate Corridor, who will be being
drawn in by the Mall.

To alleviate the gridlock that will
occur with the Mall and various
Benderson related projects along
this corridor, the public will pay
$millions$ in infrastructure costs.

PUBLIC FUNDING EN-
HANCES TAUBMAN PROFIT
Taubman has negotiated a business
deal with Benderson Development,
which has not only taken advan-
tage of Benderson questionable ne-
gotiations skills in enhancing their
profit, but also $millions of Sara-
sota County and State of Florida
public funds that will further en-
hance Taubman's profit margins.

Taubman will not to be required to
be held responsible for the $mil-
lions of dollars in public funding
for the infrastructure, which will be
needed to mitigate the traffic issues
caused by the construction of the
Mall and various other projects that
are adjacent to the Mall.

This was made clear in a Taubman
press release which stated, "Park-
ing facilities will be built around
the 73-acre Shopping Centre,
which will require the county
(Sarasota County) to finish its Cat-
tlemen Road extension project to
serve as the main entrance."

There was another press release is-
sued by the Benderson Corpora-
tion, before the awarding of $20
million in public funds to build the
Cattleman Extension that indicated
they anticipated public funding for
the road: "folks won't have to battle
Interstate U.S 75 or a leisurely
Honore Avenue to get from Univer-
sity Park to Fruitville. The Ben-
derson press release failed to
mention the public financed Cattle-
men Extension connectsBenderson
projects on Fruitville Road and
University Boulevard. In addition,
no mention that the road will not
require Benderson or Taubman to
finance the construction of the road.

TAUBMAN WITH BENDER-
SON & U.S CONGRESS-
MAN VERN BUCHANAN
Taubman will rely on Bendersons
political ties to local, state and na-
tional political officials to persuade
them to fund the millions of dollars
in further infrastructure needs to al-
leviate the traffic issues, which will
be created when the mall and the
Randy Benderson Rowing Park is
completed.

Benderson has already received
over $40 million from Sarasota
County and $10 million from the
State of Florida to construct the
Benderson rowing facility. The
rowing facility will be buffered by
the Mall, Benderson developments
that will include strip malls, office
space, 1,700 multi-family homes,
hotels and other Benderson shop-
ping centers on University Boule-
vard and Fruitville Road.

After Taubman presented a
$10,000 check to a Sarasota
County Education Foundation at
the recent ground breaking of the
Mall, Sarasota County Commis-
sioner Christine Robinson de-
scribed the Taubman/ Benderson
Partnership: "a visionary public-
private partnership and a legacy
project for Sarasota County."

I wonder if Robinson understands
the details of Taubman's sweetheart
deal with Benderson.
4 THE SARASOTA PHOENIX

THE $200 MILLION UNIVERSITY
BLVD/I-75 INTERCHANGE SCAM
Florida, especially Sarasota has
become a haven for hustlers like
Randy Benderson, who upon arriv-
ing in Florida rip off the taxpayers
with multimillion dollar
scams/projects while making $mil-
lions$ in profits for themselves.

If ever there was a clear example of
how Benderson and his fellow as-
sociates, who are Pat Neal, Carlos
Beruff, and Rex Jensen have cor-
rupted the political process in Sara-
sota and Manatee County, it is the
recent revelation that local politi-
cians are promoting a project that
will eventually reach over a 200
million dollars of public money to
alleviate a local traffic nightmare.
A hideous traffic nightmare, which

The proposed Interchange at the intersection of University Parkway and
I-75 will take over a year to build and it is not clear who will pay for it.

original commitment from the
Florida State Legislature to fund
the Interchange.

Neal, who has plans for $millions
in residential development along
the University/I-75 Corridor agreed
with Stueub: "the area can go 20
years without significant road im-
provements to keep traffic flowing."

PRASAD OFFERS SUPPORT
In a dramatic turn of events, given
that just a month ago, the project
was not scheduled for construction
until after 2036. For example, in a
meeting organized by Steube that
included county officials from both
Manatee and Sarasota, Florida
DOT Secretary Ananth Prasad said
has been created by the Benderson
Gang at the University Boule-
vard/U.S I-75 interchange.

Local politicians in both Sarasota
and Manatee County have turned
their backs on the interests of local
taxpayers in order to accommodate
the interest of those who have
poured thousands of dollars into
getting them elected. Instead of in-
sisting the responsibility for creat-
ing the problems along the
University/I-75 Corridor is Bender-
son and other developers legal ob-
ligation to pay for transportation
improvement, they are promoting
the public pay for a problem Ben-
derson and others have created.
Their Godfathers (Benderson,
Neal, Beruff and Jensen) are look-
ing for compensation for previous
favors bestowed upon them

Randy Benderson

MOTTO IS: BUILD AND
THE PUBLIC WILL PAY
Benderson operates under the Cor-
porate Welfare Manifesto which
has two basic tenants. One is,
"build it and they will come" and
"Build it and once they come the
public will pay for the infrastruc-
ture I created." Another part of the
Benderson Corporate Welfare
Manifesto is to finance the cam-
paign of his handpicked politicians
who approve his projects before
the infrastructure is in place and
then vote $millions$ in public
funds to create the infrastructure
needs created by his projects.
The looming construction will dis-
rupt traffic patterns in one of
Southwest Florida's most congested
corridors at a time when a new
shopping mall, international rowing
event and new growth in Lakewood
Ranch will converge to put more
cars on the stressed intersection.

CORPORATE WELFARE
EXEMPLIFIED
Massive infusing of public money to
alleviate the problems the Bender-
son, Neal, Beruff, Jensen Gang have
created at the University/I-75 Inter-
change is but another example of
massive corrupt Corporate Welfare
Public/Private Partnerships in the
area. These partnerships are all
with the acquiescence of "Fiscal
Conservative" local politicians.

It did not take a rocket scientist to
see that the Benderson projects ap-
proved over the last few years by
Sarasota and Manatee County pub-
lic officials were going to cause a
major traffic problem along the
University/I-75 Corridor. Any
time you add infrastructure like the
mall and rowing facility, you are
going to see increases in traffic,
said Sage Kamiya, Manatee
County deputy director of public
works for traffic management.

Some now fear the looming con-
struction will disrupt traffic pat-
terns in one of Southwest Florida's
most congested corridors and at
a time when a new shopping mall,
an international rowing event and
renewed growth in Lakewood
Ranch will converge to put more
cars on the stressed intersection.

TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE
For example Jensen is developing
Lakewood Ranch South, with
5,000 homes and nearly 400,000
square feet of retail and office
space. Lakewood Ranch South is
planned for 5,500 acres near the
same University Blvd/I-75 inter-
change with 5,000 homes and
nearly 400,000 square feet of retail
and office space and
Benderson/Taubman Mall at Uni-
versity Town Center, which prom-
ises to bring more than 100 more
merchants and restaurants starting
in October. In addition the traffic is
expected to get more intense with
more than 40,000 international
tourists coming for the rowing
championships in 2017.

Traffic snarls on i-75
Originally, there was not be up-
grades until at least 2036, accord-
ing to a long-range plan by a
government board prioritizing
roadway work in the region. The
Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan
Planning Organization has the first
preliminary design work for im-
provements slated for 2031.

Growing traffic snarls, increasing
annual accident rates and the fact
that a major new mall near the in-
terchange is opening later this year
combined to make it clear that the
state cannot wait that long, state
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota,
said. "It's a severe problem right
now, and it is only going to get
worse when the mall opens, said
Steube, who was key to getting a
he would he would push to start
construction on an innovative inter-
change at Interstate 75 and Univer-
sity Parkway within a few years.

Prasad said if other projects in the
state's rolling five-year construction
program hit unexpected delays or
cannot use their funding, he is
committed to making sure the Uni-
versity Pkwy interchange will be a
top priority to get unused money.

With a new destination mall open-
ing later this year, the growing in-
ternational attraction of the
Benderson Rowing Park, and thou-
sands of homes planned for the
area, Prasad said, "all parties in-
volved realized they couldn't afford
to wait to get the project moving."

Ananph Prasad
Could it be that the hundreds of
thousands of dollars being pumped
into Governor Rick Scott's re-elec-
tion campaign by Benderson, Neal,
Beuff and Jensen has something to
do with Scott's appointed, Prasad
moving up construction up 20
years for the interchange at the
University Blvd./I-75 Corridor?
In addition, Prasad stated that
"since early March, both county
commissions have passed resolu-
tions supporting the project, Prasad
has declared it a top priority and
state lawmakers from this area

Continued on page 6
5


Continued from page 5 sections calls for a $25 million over-
pass for University Parkway over
Scott is elected Governor of
Florida will Crist appointee for
implement it does not exist, unless
general public is to appropriate the
have been pushing to advance even
more funding for the work."

DID POLITICS INFLUENCE
PRASD'S DECISION?
Once again the thousands of dol-
lars Benderson, Neal, Beruff and
Jensen finance local politicians po-
litical campaigns has something to
do with them "pushing even more
funding for the interchange at the
University Blvd/I-75 Corridor?
Cattlemen Road, so through traffic
would not be delayed by mall or
rowing center traffic. That intersec-
tion is split between Sarasota and
Manatee. East of I-75, the state said
the Lakewood Ranch intersection
with Market St. would need $6 mil-
lion in improvements.

$Millions in public money have al-
ready been allocated to elevate the
traffic nightmare Benderson has cre-
ated at the University/I-75 Corridor.
Manatee improved the intersection
at Cooper Creek Boulevard, the en-
tryway to a Benderson shopping
mall north of University. Sarasota
County allocated a $17 million ex-
tension of Cattlemen extension.
DOT Secretary be as accommodat-
ing as Scott's DOT Secretary,
Ananth Prasad?

The bottom line in this scam being
perpetrated on the general public in
this area concerning the impending
traffic calamity concerning insuffi-
cient road capacity leading into and
out of the mall and other Bender-
son, Neal, Beruff and Jensen devel

opments from the pivotal intersec-
tion continues. A belated fix to this
unbelievable lack of foresight is
being studied, but even if a plan is
approved the over $200 million to
funding of this major Benderson
Corporate Welfare Scam.

Who's responsible for this world-
class blooper? Were the powers-
that-be awake or asleep when they
put the cart before the horse?

When public officials like Steube
states, "The problems with traffic
aren't going to be as severe as peo-
ple think," he must have been
sleeping or else or had his eyes
closed when picking up a campaign
contribution from Benderson at
Randys H.Q on the University

Even with a new interchange, it
would fail without Sarasota and
Manatee counties to first commit
up to $31 million for improve-
ments to University Parkways in-
tersection with Cattlemen Road
and at the intersection at Market
Street in Lakewood Ranch.

An additional solution to the inter-

NO RELIEF COMING FROM
TALLAHASSEE
Unfortunately, Steube and other
local politicians belief that prelimi-
nary work to fix one of the South-
west Florida's most dysfunctional
highway interchanges is on pace to
start this summer, decades ahead of
schedule has had a major setback.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
The question now becomes: Will the
Legislature provide $68 million in
direct funding next year for con-
struction of the interchange project
after declining to fund it this year?
In addition, if Democrat Charlie
Parisi Painting

Residential & Commercial
Interior & Exterior
Licenced and Insured
Pressure Cleaning
(941) 355-8795
www.parisipainting.com

BENDERSON TO CREATE
ANOTHER TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE
AND URBAN SPRAWL AT
STICKNEY POINT AND U.S 41
Randy Benderson who has cre-
ate a traffic nightmare at University
Boulevard and I-75 is in the process
of creating another one on the other
side of town at Stickney Point Road
and U.S 41.

Randy Benderson and Sarasota County Commissioner, J oe Barbetta
Point/U.S 41 Corridor will endure
endless traffic problems, as he
drives into his home in the gated
Oaks Complex in Osprey.

By the way, it is highly unlikely
that the Sarasota County Commis-
sioners who are handpicked and fi-
Benderson operates under the
motto of not only build it and they
will come, but build it and the pub-
lic will pay for the roads and other
infrastructure needs, which are cre-
ated by his developments.

For example, the Benderson/Taub-
man Mall and the Benderson Row-
ing facility were given Sarasota
County Planning and Commission
approval and then constructed, be-
fore any thought was given to how
they were going to move the traffic
along, already near gridlock at the
University Blvd/I-75 Corridor.
What conveniently has flown under
the radar is that the
Benderson/Sarasota County Com-
mission lowered the impact fees
long before the public became aware
of the cost to relieve the traffic
nightmare created by Benderson. Of
course Benderson's partner, the
Michigan and Hong Kong based
Taubman Centers will not be re-
quired to pay a penny for the traffic
mess they created.

BENDERSON BROUGHT
BUFFALO URBAN SPRAWL
WITH HIM
Now once again Benderson, who re-
cently parachuted into Sarasota from
Buffalo and is turning Sarasota into
what Buffalo looks like, wants Sara-
sota County officials to approve
another traffic nightmare on the
other side of town. Fortunately,
before any approval is given to
Benderson to put another part of
Buffalo in Sarasota, the public
must now demand their Sarasota
County Commissioners ask, who is
going to pay for infrastructure that
will be needed to accommodate
Benderson developments?

What is disgraceful is that Bender-
son, who lives in the gated Oaks
Complex in Osprey could care less
that those who live in Lakewood
Ranch or for those that live in the
neighborhoods near the Stickney
nanced by the Benderson, Neal,
Beruff, and Jensen Gang are going
to vote against the financial interest
of Randy Benderson. This is why
Benderson and his cronies gave
and continue to give thousands of
dollars in campaign contributions
to the five Sarasota County Com-
missioners.

By the way the general public
should understand that the five
County Commissioners campaigns
Benderson and his cronies financed
selected the members of the Sara-
sota County Planning Board who
rubber stamp Benderson residential
and commercial projects.
6
State Rep. Greg Steube

MORE TRAFFIC AND
URBAN SPRAWL

and not essentially in the outskirts
of the county. Essentially, you're
creating a mini-downtown in there
with no real economic engine other
than retail," Patterson said

As reported in the Sarasota Herald
Tribune in approving the Bender-
son New Urbanism proposal:
County officials have said they
have had enough of suburban-style
development where subdivisions
are separated from commercial and
By LAURA DIMOCK
Randy Benderson who has cre-
ated a traffic nightmare at the Uni-
versity Boulevard/I-75 Corridor
since he arrived in Sarasota from
Buffalo is now incredibly propos-
ing more development.

Benderson who is the co-develop-
ers with the Taubman's of the
sprawling University Town Center
Mall wants to build more commer-
cial and office space more than a
half-million square feet of it at
the heavily traveled crossroads on
the Manatee-Sarasota County line.
The expansion would occur north-
east of the mall near Interstate 75.

If approved, which theres little
chance of not being approved by a
Sarasota County Commission, which
Benderson buys cheap through
thousands of dollars in campaign
donations, the added stores and of-
fices will mean more cars on al-
ready congested area roads.

BENDERSON-PROPOSED
TRAFFIC RELIEF ABSURD
But instead of continually widen-
ing roads to accommodate traffic,
Benderson is proposing absurd
transportation alternatives into its
grand plan for the area. Benderson
is proposing a trolley system, bicy-
cle lanes and multi-use walking
paths to alleviate the traffic prob-
lems along the Corridor.

It is almost laughable that Bender-
son is proposing that shoppers
from the areas surrounding the
Benderson/ Taubman Mall and
other Benderson strip malls are
going to use trolleys, walking paths
and bicycles to maneuver around
the University Blvd/I-75 Corridor.
It would be a treat to see Bender-
son using a trolley, a bicycle or
walking along the University
Blvd/I-75 Corridor.

ANOTHER MALL AT
UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD
Benderson's addition of 600,000
square feet of retail covering
slightly less land than the footprint
of Desoto Square mall in Braden-
ton would bring the total retail
space around the University Town
Center area to 2.28 million square
feet from 1.68 million. Office
space would jump from 220,000
square feet to 320,000, according
to Benderson's application, submit-
ted to the county last month.

Work on Benderson additional
sprawl would start less than six
months after the 880,000-square-
foot Mall at University Town Cen-
ter opens in October. It is utter
madness, for this carpetbagger
from Buffalo to propose more
sprawl along the University Blvd/I-
75 Corridor when there is no pro-
posal on the table for when and if
the $200 million in public money
becomes available to alleviate the
traffic nightmare Benderson and
his developer cronies at Lakewood
Ranch have created.

MORE SPRAWL
LESS HOUSING
Benderson who in 2007 promised a
New Urbanism concept with 1,746
multifamily homes, which he has
since reneged on, is now proposing
more sprawl in addition to destroy-
ing wetlands in his new proposed
commercial development.
What the general public is unaware
of is that the reason for Bender-
son's proposing more sprawl, as
was pointed on in another article in
this edition of the Sarasota
Phoenix, is that Benderson was
completely and embarrassingly out
negotiated by the Taubman's in his
Mall deal with them.

It is reported that Benderson will
not gain any profits from the Mall
until all of Taubman's construction
costs for the Mall are finalized.
Benderson reportedly will received
any profits until the Taubman's are
reimbursed for their construction
costs. In addition, all of the Taub-
man's administration costs are re-
imbursed from Mall profits.

Benderson's convoluted financial
plan is to have shoppers drawn to
the Mall, also shopping at his strip
malls. The Taubman might find a
problem with that Benderson plan.
For example, the Taubman's may
take Benderson to court claiming
Benderson is taking profits away
from the Taubman's at the Mall.
The last thing Benderson needs is
another law suit like the one Hugh
Culverhouse has placed against him.

This latest sprawl proposal by Ben-
derson is but another result of the
Sarasota County Commissioner
voting in 2012 to approve Bender-
sons request to eliminate a smart
growth community housing re-
quirement from its University
Town Center plans.

This new proposal by Benderson
continues to worsen urban sprawl,
alter needs for public infrastruc-
ture, and imposes negative impacts
on neighborhoods surrounding
Benderson's created sprawl.

What is interesting is that before
approving Benderson New Urban-
ism proposal in 2008, Sarasota
County officials nixed a previous
276-acre project, citing concerns
over traffic and potential harm to
Sarasota retailers.

In the words of County Commis-
sioner Nora Patterson, "This proj-
ect belongs, to me, in a bigger city
industrial areas, leading to sprawl
and a seemingly endless need to
widen roads. The emerging idea is
to build compact communities
where more people live near their
work and where retail and parks
are within walking distance.

This latest proposal by Benderson
and other sprawl projects approved
by the Commission reneged on
their desires to end sprawl and
endless needs to widen roads.

BUFFALO URBAN SPRAWL
I hope people realize what Randy
Bendersons promises have van-
ished. Sarasota County and Ben-
derson promised new urbanism
with open walking mall, homes,
rental apartments, moderate priced
housing have become empty prom-
ises--and what they received was
what Benderson brought with him
from Buffalo---BUFFALO'S
URBAN SPRAWL.

7


GOVERNMENT WASTE:

Gulf Gate Library is nearing completion.
SARASOTA COUNTY
$7.7 MILLION
WHITE ELEPHANT
A NEW
ACRONYM IN
SARASOTA
COUNTY:
SCAM
SARASOTA
COMMISSION
ACQUISION
MALFEASANCE
By JULIETTE JONES, PH.D.
Once again its July and almost
time for the Sarasota County Com-
missioners to breeze off for their
month long August vacation desti-
nations of choice. Last year about
this time, this County Commission
returned the verdict to close down
Warm Mineral Springs leaving the
people of North Port, their guests;
By RICHARD SWIER, SR
Sarasota County, FL is replacing
its 30-year old Gulf Gate library
with a new 27,000 square foot fa-
cility. According to the Sarasota
Herald-Tribune, One of the chal-
lenges, the architects and builders
learned, was coming up with a de-
sign that kept the much-appreci-
ated coziness of the old library
while greatly expanding its size
and offerings. The designers said
they are confident they have been
able to achieve that, at least in part
by how bookstores like Barnes &
Noble and coffee shops like Star-
bucks are able to bring cozy to
large spaces.

But wait, there is a Barnes &
Nobel complete with coffee shop
and NOOK store less than a half of
a mile from this new facility. But it
gets worse.

Within a one mile radius of this
new $7.7 million dollar county li-
brary are two other brand new li-
braries. The Sarasota County
School Board has within the past
year opened newly built libraries at
Riverview High School and the
Sarasota County Technical Insti-
tute, which has its own cafe. Sara-
sota County has a total on nine
libraries, each of which is within a
short distance of a Sarasota school
district library and multiple pri-
vately owned book stores.
Sarasota County Commissioners
Robinson, Mason and Hines. Com-
missioners Barbetta and Patterson
are not in the photo.
Question: Why cant the Sarasota
County library system and Sarasota
County School Board get together
and provide library services with-
out such costly duplication?

Both government entities will find
reasons why not. However, for tax-
payers it makes no sense to have
brand new public libraries in such
close proximity to one another, all
paid for by Sarasota County tax-
payers.

According to Jeremy Greenfield
from Forbes in 2013, Hardcover
book sales in the U.S. are up over
10% through the first eight months
of 2013, according to the latest
numbers from the Association of
American Publishers. At the same
time, adult eBook sales are only up
4.8%; all U.S. eBook sales, includ-
ing childrens and religious
eBooks, are down about 5%. So
people are buying more books,
many online. So why spend this
kind of money expanding a library
with the intent of competing with
public sector entities like Books-A-
Million, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.
Former Florida State Senator Mike
Bennett notes, I fought for years
in the legislature that we should
have every new library request to
be incorporated into the public
school system. Students are com-
fortable going to the school cam-
pus. I believe that if they are
comfortable going there perhaps
they would also go there to study,
check out books, do research, and
have access to computers after
school hours. They have lots of
parking for others to use the facili-
ties. I agree, this is a waste of
money.

Why waste money by building the
Gulf Gate library in such close
proximity to other adult libraries?
Answer: Because the Sarasota
County Commission can, it is gov-
ernment and always knows what is
best for us, no matter what the price.

Dr. Rich Swier holds a Doctorate
of Education from the University
of Southern California in Los An-
geles, CA, a Master's Degree in
Management Information Systems
from the George Washington Uni-
versity, Washington, D.C., and a
Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts
from Washington University, St.
Louis, MO. Richard is a 23-year
Army veteran who retired as a
Lieutenant Colonel in 1990. He
was awarded the Legion of Merit
for his years of service. Addition-
ally, he was awarded two Bronze
Stars with V for Heroism in
ground combat, the Presidential
Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese
Cross of Gallantry while serving
with the 101st Airborne Division in
Vietnam.
and tourists from near and far---you
know, folks who actually use or
visit Warm Mineral Springs---
without their vacation choice to
enjoy. Commissioner Christine
Robinson made herself look espe-
cially ridiculous citing that the
County couldnt possibly allow the
place to stay open with porta-toilets
on the site. Oops Ms. Robinson
I guess you didnt visit often
enough to realize that your former
Operator, Cypress Lending used
porta-toilets for months on end.
Mr. Barbetta and Ms. Robinson
have written to me insisting that
that the original purchase of WMS
property was with the intention of
economic development or as Ms.
Robinson puts it with the intention
to stir economic development by
making this acquisition.

There is no question that WMS is
already an economic engine for
North Port. In fact, has stirred the
economy in North Port for the past
50 years. The property was put
into public ownership with the in-
tention of insuring public access to
the community and to continue un-
interrupted as tourist destination.
(A promise which the County has
already broken.) But chiefly to
preserve and protect as an environ-
mentally sensitive PARKLAND.
This property was not purchased
for the Countys private developer


8

.

Caraguilo, Barbetta, and Barfield Paul Caragiulo Chris Brown Susan Chapman
IS CARAGIULO'S
CAMPAIGN IN TROUBLE?
Barfield. Even some of Caragiulo's
supporters are questioning Carag-
iulo's relationship with Barfield.

CARAGIULO'S
FAILED PROPOSALS
As Sarasota City Commis-
sioner Paul Caragiulo begins the
last leg of his campaign for Sara-
sota County Commissioner, the
once "shoe in" to win, has problems.

LITTLE FUNDS LEFT IN
CARAGIULO'S CAMPAIGN
First of all, it is all too apparent
that Caraguilo has little money left
in his campaign to move forward in
the last leg of the campaign, unless
he raises much more money. As of
this date Caragiulo has raised
$46,030 and has expenditures of
$35,735 leaving him at the present
time a little over $10,000 in his
campaign coffers.

One of the troublesome aspects of
his financial reports found in the
Sarasota County Supervisor of
Election office is how Caragiulo
has spent his money and aspects of
how he has raised it.

CARAGUILO'S
COUNSULTANTS
First of all, Caragiulo has three po-
litical consultants, who are Eric
Robinson, Mac Stevenson and
Kelly Dowd. Caraguilo has paid
his consultants up to this date,
$24,350 of the $35,735 raised.

Stevenson has received $14,000,
Dowd has received $6,000 and
Robinson has received $4,350. Eric
Robinson is the husband of Sara-
sota County Commissioner Chris-
tine Robinson.

In addition, instead of collecting
the necessary signatures needed to
get on the ballot, which Caragiulo
had sufficient time to collect, hav-
ing entered the race for County
Commissioner last October, Carag-
iulo spent $4,900 on the filling fee.

Caragiulo no doubt has a problem
gathering signatures to get himself
on the ballot or for issues he sup-
ports. For example, his three cam-
paigns for political office and the
recent "IT'S Time" Elected Mayor
for Sarasota which he headed up,
all failed to get the necessary sig-
natures to get on the ballot.

CARAGIULO'S
CONTRIBUTORS
One disturbing aspects of his cam-
paign finance report is his total dis-
regard for the local campaign
finance regulation to limit one, 200
contribution from one entity con-
tributing to an individual running
for political office in Sarasota.

For example, Caragiulo has re-
ceived 11, $200 contributions from
entities belonging to James Gabbert,
who among various business enti-
ties owns large tracts of land east
of I-75 on Fruitville Road that are
prime locations for future re-devel-
opment. Caraguilo has also re-
ceived 12, $200 contributions from
entities belonging to Chris Brown

J ames Gabbert
CARAGIULO'S PROBLEM
WITH PATTERSON'S?
Brown's involvement with Carag-
iulo raises one of the problems that
Caragiulo's has with his close rela-
tionship with Sarasota County
Commissioner Joe Barbetta. It is
no secret among political observers
that there is no love lost between
Barbetta and Commissioner Nora
Patterson and political influential
Sarasota attorney John Patterson.

CARAGUILO'S
TIES TO BARBETTA
It is also no secret, that Caragiulo
has Barbetta as his political mentor
and is greatly influenced in making
decisions by Barbetta. The political
feud between Barbetta and the Pat-
terson's began when Barbetta ac-
cused Commissioner Patterson of
having an un-due influence on
Sarasota County officials in mak-
ing it difficult for Brown to con-
duct business with his numerous
establishments on Siesta Key.

The feud has intensified and if you
look through Caragiulo list of cam-
paign contribution one see little or
any of the Patterson's numerous
political allies contributing to
Caragiulo's campaign. With Sara-
sota City Commissioner Shannon
Snyder in the race, local political
observers will keep an eye on
where Patterson's supporters cam-
paign contribution go, if anywhere.

If John Patterson's recent $200
contribution to Snyder is any type
of indication it appears that Carag-
iulo will not have his depleted
campaign funds be replenished by
those close to the Patterson's.

CARAGIULO'S TIES TO
BARFIELD
Another problem Caragiulo has is
his close relationship with Michael
Barfield, who is one of his major
supporters. Barfield is the local
ACLU president and so called Sun-
shine Law Expert, who Caragiulo
has been using behind the scenes to
make City Hall look chaotic and
out of control in order to have his
"IT'S TIME" for an Elected Mayor
referendum get on the ballot.

In addition, Caragiulo has been be-
hind the scenes supporting
Barfield's involvement with Sun-
shine Law violations against Sara-
sota City Commissioner Susan
Chapman, who is an opponent of
his led Elected Mayor Referendum.

Barfield very troublesome criminal
and legal background, which in-
cludes 68 convicted felonies, 3 sen-
tences to Florida State prisons and
Barfield's involvement in numerous
nebulous law suits concerning Sun-
shine Law violations have local po-
litical activists questioning
Caragiulo's involvement with
Another major problem Caragiulo
will have, as he enters the final
stages of his campaign for County
Commissioner, is his recent fail-
ures in getting his proposals
passed. For example, the embar-
rassing defeat of his Elected Mayor
proposal, which could not even get
on the ballot due to the inability of
his and Barbetta's handpicked
"IT'S TIME" organization getting
the necessary signatures to get the
proposal on the ballot.

Kelly Dowd
The other high profile defeat for a
Caragiulo proposal supported by
his allies at the County Commis-
sion, who are Barbetta and Com-
mission Christine Robinson, is the
defeat of the Marbut Homeless
Shelter being place in the City of
Sarasota. A proposal strongly sup-
ported by Caragiulo that would
have placed the chronic substance
abusers, who refuse treatment, in
close proximity of Downtown
Sarasota residents and merchants.

CAN CARAGIULO DELIVER?
There is little doubt in the minds of
those who make major contribu-
tions to politicians, tthere are ques-
tions about Caragiulo's political
allies, his troublesome campaign
finance reports and most important,
can he deliver on passing proposals
his contributors want passed. Their
question is, can Caragiulo deliver.
The answer to that question with
his record as a Sarasota City Com-
missioner and especially with his
failed Elected Mayor proposal and
the Marbut Homeless Shelter in the
City of Sarasota, the answer is a
definite NO.
9


By JON SUSCE
A PERFECT STORM HEADED
When the Taubman/Bender-
son Mall opens in October a per-
fect storm will hit the University
Boulevard/I-75 Corridor, but unlike
the perfect storms that eventually
moves away, the perfect storm at
University Blvd/I-75 will continue
to cause major problems for an un-
determined length of time.

First of all, the traffic is only ex-
pected to get more intense along
the Corridor with more than 40,000
international tourists coming for
the rowing championships, and the
influence of the new destination
mall and some 8,000 more homes
planned for that area.

Stefanos Polyzoides

TRAFFIC PROBLEMS
Anyone driving in the vicinity of
University Boulevard and I-75 can
easily observe the traffic is a major
problem today and will only get
worse when the Mall opens up in
October.

It did not take a rocket scientist to
see that Randy Benderson's proj-
ects approved over the last few
years by Sarasota and Manatee
County public officials were going
to cause a major traffic problem
along the University/I-75 Corridor.

Any time you add infrastructure
like the mall, a rowing facility and
renewed growth in Lakewood
Ranch area you are going to see in-
creases in traffic on the stressed in-
tersection," said Sage Kamiya,
Manatee County's deputy director
of public works for traffic manage-
ment. There is no doubt the loom-
ing construction will disrupt traffic
patterns even more in one of
Southwest Florida's most con-
gested corridors and millions of
dollars in infrastructure costs will
be needed.

NO PLAN OR FUNDING
Unfortunately, there is no plan to
alleviate the problem and despite
local politicians saying there is
funding to alleviate the problem,
there is no funding plan in place.
There is no public or private fund-
ing in the pipeline to minimize the
serious problems that will effect
University Blvd/I-75 Corridor
come October, as the perfect storm
bears down on the Corridor.

Todd Mathes
The recent "dog and pony" show
put on by local state Department of
Transportation (DOT) at the Holi-
day Inn in Lakewood Ranch did lit-
tle or anything to make the general
public aware of the nightmare that
will hit in October. Nor were any
answers to questions to what is
being proposed by local politicians
to alleviate the traffic
nightmare/perfect storm that will
hit in October.
Originally, there was not to be up-
grades until at least 2036, accord-
ing to a long-range plan by a
government board prioritizing
roadway work in the region. The
Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan
Planning Organization had the first
preliminary design work for im-
provements slated for 2031.

POLITICIANS AND OFFI-
CIALS IGNORED FUTURE
TRAFFIC PROBLEMS
Local politicians and various pub-
lic officials were well aware of the
improvement on the infrastructure
was not to begin until 20131, but
ignored the facts as they continued
to approve major commercial and
residential projects along the Corri-
dor.

One of the politicians who had to
know a problem was coming was
Florida State Representative Greg
Steube, who represents the area.
Steube and other local politicians

knew that growing traffic snarls,
increasing annual accident rates
and the fact that a major new mall
was to open later this year com-
bined to make it clear that the state
cannot wait until 2031.

What Steube, his fellow local
politicians and local public offi-
cials fully understood was that not
only would the Mall cause serious
traffic, but an International rowing
event in 2017 and over 8,000 in
new home construction in the
Lakewood Ranch area seriously
added to the traffic problem.

What was a disservice to the gen-
eral public was that Steube and
other local politicians proposal to
the problem has been too little and
too late.

PRASSAD MAKES
PROJECT A PRIORITY
For example, in a meeting organ-
ized by Steube last March that in-
cluded county officials from both
Manatee and Sarasota, Florida De-
partment of Transportation (DOT)
Secretary, Ananth Prasad stated
public funding would be forthcom-
ing. Prasad said he would move the
project up on his priority list and
work to find funding.
DOT officials stated the Legisla-
ture's proposed budget set for
adoption in May will give them
more than enough money to start
the initial design and engineering
work this summer on improving
the Interstate 75-University Park-
way interchange, a project that has
quickly become one of the region's
most pressing transportation needs.

CAMPAIGN CONTRIBU-
TIONS?
Could it be that the hundreds of
thousands of dollars being pumped
into Governor Rick Scott's re-elec-
tion campaign by Benderson, Pat
Neal, Carlos Beruff and Rex

Jensen had something to do with
Scott's appointed, Prasad moving
up construction up 20 years for the
interchange at the University
Blvd./I-75 Corridor? Benderson
has already contributed over
$200,000 to Scott's re-election
campaign.

Benderson buying state politicians
to access traffic more easily to his
Mall is similar to Neal, Beruff and
Jensen buying local politicians

Benderson and Blackketter
much cheaper to move ahead proj-
ects planned in the area, which sur-
rounds the University Blvd/I-75
Corridor.

NO RELIEF COMING
FROM TALLAHASSEE
Unfortunately, Steube and other
local politicians belief that prelimi-
nary work to fix one of the South-
west Florida's most dysfunctional
highway interchanges is on pace to
start this summer, decades ahead of
schedule has had a major setback.
Florida state legislators officially
approved a state budget in May
that did NOT include $100 million
that was to be reserved for a trans-
portation trust fund to alleviate the
traffic nightmare at the University
Blvd/I-75 Corridor.

Prasad had hoped to put $60 mil-
lion of the $100 million toward
constructing a double diverging di-
amond at the interchange of Inter-
state 75 and University Parkway.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
The question now becomes: Will
the Legislature provide $68 million
in direct funding next year for con-
struction of the interchange project
after declining to fund it this year?
In addition, if Democrat Charlie
Scott is elected Governor of
Florida will Crist appointee for
DOT Secretary be as accommodat-

10

FOR UNIVERSITY BLVD/I-75
ing to Benderson, as Scott's DOT
Secretary, Ananth Prasad?
By the way, the $68 projected cost
is a joke. For example, a proposed
interchange at Central Sarasota
Parkway ten years ago was an esti-
mated $90 million. That inter-
change south of University
Boulevard was not anywhere near
the cost of a double diverging dia-
mond intersection planned for the
University Boulevard area. In addi-
tion over $50 million is needed for
traffic improvements east and west
of University Boulevard.

BENDERSON MAKES
TRAFFIC WORSE
What is scandalous is that Bender-
son who is a partner with the Taub-
man Centers in the development of
Mall, which is the major reason the

I-75 gridlock
perfect storm will hit in October,
has recently announced plans to
open an additional Mall along the
University Blvd/I-75 Corridor.

For example, Benderson is propos-
ing to build more commercial and
office space more than a half-
million square feet worth of it at
the heavily traveled crossroads on
the Manatee-Sarasota County line.
Office space would jump from
220,000 square feet to 320,000, ac-
cording to Benderson's application,
submitted to the county last month.

The added stores and offices will
mean more cars on already con-
gested area road. The addition of
600,000 square feet of retail
covering slightly less land than the
footprint of Desoto Square mall in
Bradenton would bring the total
retail space around the University
Town Center area to 2.28 million
square feet from 1.68 million.

What the general public is unaware
of is that the reason for Bender-
son's proposing more sprawl is that
Benderson was completely and
embarrassingly out negotiated by
Taubman in his Mall deal with
them.

Mall until all of Taubman's con-
struction costs for the Mall are fi-
nalized. Benderson reportedly will
profits from the Mall will be lim-
ited until the Taubman's are reim-
bursed for their construction costs.
In addition, all Taubman's adminis-
tration and managerial costs are re-
imbursed from Mall profits.

Ed Vogler
DESOTO MALL MATHES
It is Benderson's convoluted finan-
cial plan to have shoppers drawn to
the Mall to also shop at his various
existing strip malls and his pro-
posed mall, which is as large as the
Desoto Mall in Manatee County.
The Taubman's might find a prob-
lem with that Benderson's plan. For
example, the Taubman's may take
Benderson to court claiming,
among other problems they have
with Benderson, that he is taking
profits away from the Taubman's at
the Mall.

TAUBMAN'S RECENTLY
SELLS SEVEN MALLS
There are other problems with the
perfect storm descending on the
University Blvd/I-75 Corridor. For
example starting January, 2014,
Taubman began negotiating with
Starwood Capital to sell seven
malls and on 6/18/14 the Taub-
man's sold the seven mall for
$1.405 billion, cash $785 million
and assumption of $620 in debt.
The sale includes two centers in
Virginia, two in Michigan, one in
Charlotte, North Carolina, one in
Plano, Texas, and The Mall at
Wellington Green in Palm Beach
County.

With the Taubman's recently de-
posing of seven of their malls an
indication that the Taubman's are
giving second thoughts to being in
the Mall Business, especially in
taking a $180 million loss in losing
out a Mall venture in Long Island?
The Taubman's lost the $180 Mil-
lion on a sale on 1/31/14 for $39
million to Simon Company.

Also, with Benderson being unable
to use his political connections to
get state funding to alleviate the
traffic nightmare on the University
Blvd/I-75 Corridor, will Taubman's
decide to sell their interests in the
Mall or force Benderson in taking
on the fiscal responsibility for the

Benderson plans to build a sec-
ond mall in the same area!

$320 construction loan on the Uni-
versity Center Mall?

BASS PRO SHOPS BY-
PASS MALL
In addition, is the recent decision
by Bass Pro Shops' to enter the
Sarasota-Bradenton market bypass-
ing Benderson's much ballyhooed
Mall for the for the Fruitville Com-
mons retail center, which is one I-
75 exit south of University
Boulevard, due to fears of impend-
ing traffic nightmare to hit the Uni-
versity Blvd/I-75 Corridor in Oct.

What is of importance in what is
going on with this impending traf-
fic nightmare that is to occur at the
University Blvd/I-75 Interchange is
that Randy Benderson has a record
of not to be trusted.

BENDERSON PROPOSED
SMART GROWTH
For example, in 2007, after Ben-
derson was originally turned down
to build his mall at his University
Town Center on University Boule-
vard by Sarasota County officials,
Benderson brought in Stefanos
Polyzoides, a New Urbanism guru
from Los Angeles to redesign the
project. With the help of the Cali-
fornia mixed-use architect, Bender-
son turned the rejected plans for its
University Town Center into a
more integrated combination of
stores, homes and offices.

The project still called for three de-
partment stores, but planners added
"live/work" spaces where shop
owners or employees could live
above their businesses, reduced the
maximum building height to 85
feet from 134 feet and cut the size
of the theater almost in half.

The town center was to be dotted
with green landscaping, open space
and a long promenade that ends

Florida State Legislature

with a water feature near the L-
shaped grouping of specialty retail
and department stores. The entire
project would be 1.9 million square
feet, the same size Benderson pro-
posed previously. The mix, though,
was changed slightly. Instead of
1.8 million square feet of traffic-
producing retail and 100,000
square feet of office space, the re-
tail part was reduced to 1.66 mil-
lion square feet with the rest being
offices.

In addition, Benderson's New Ur-
banism University Town Center in-
cluded 1,746 multifamily homes
and 2 million square feet of com-
mercial space. Twenty-five percent
of the residences must be work-
force housing for people earning
between 80 percent and up to 100
percent of area median income.
Translated into dollars, workforce
homes will be priced between
$153,000 up to $192,000.


THE SARASOTA PHOENIX 11

SARASOTA'S
"FISCAL CONSERVATIVES"
MATT WALSH AND HANK FISHKIND
By JON SUSCE
Take a close look around Sara-
sota and you can observe the self-
proclaimed "Fiscal Conservatives"
are once again in control of the fi-
nancial and political power.

If you had been any sort of reason-
able and observant individual, you
could have easily recognized the
bovine offal that was being written
and spoken by economic and polit-
ical leaders a few years that was
often designed to take the spotlight
away from developers and pro-de-
velopment governmental insiders,
as the culprits who were responsi-
ble for the bottoming out of the
local and state real estate markets.

Take a close look around today and
you can observe the same economic
and political powers that created
the Great Recession in Sarasota are
again preaching their Corporate
Welfare Scams. Once again, Matt
Walsh and his Sarasota Observer is
the mouthpiece of those who put us
in near economic disaster. Walsh
once again is promoting the politi-
cians that continue to promote a
Fiscal Conservatives that is nothing
more than Corporate Welfare.

Who are these folks? First of all,
there is the mouthpiece of self-pro-
claimed fiscal conservatives, The
Sarasota Observer. For years, while
their developer cronies have been
ripping off public money and land
to increase profits, mostly via egre-
giously low impact fees, the paper
hasn't uttered a word. The housing
market came crashing down and put
Sarasota at what can only be described
by anyone who took a basic high
school economic course as 'on the
brink of a financial disaster. Mean-
while, the newspapers attempted to
blame the folks that said years ago
that the Emperor had no clothes.

Example: An editorial in The Sara-
sota Observer back in June of 2008
stated this about Bill Earl and his
group, Citizens for Sensible
Growth: "If given their way, they
would ruin the economy and throw
thousands out of work or stop an-
other Michigander from fleeing
that states wrecked economy."

WALSH IGNORED EARLY
WARNINGS OF COMING
FINANCIAL DEVASTATION
Instead of attempting to absurdly
blame others for their corporate

Matt Walsh
welfare scams, these "fiscal conser-
vatives" refused to acknowledge
the incredible economic devasta-
tion that they were solely responsi-
ble for creating. For example,
Walsh and those who made Walsh
a rich man publishing his social
and economic babble continued to
ignore individual's like Professor
Robert Shiller, economic academic
at Yale University and co-founder
of the index of the Standard &
Poors/Case. The Shiller index of
house prices, and an economic aca-
demic at Yale University, stated no
matter how you look at the data, its
obvious that the state of the single
family housing market was grim."

Meanwhile, the newspapers are at-
tempting to blame the folks that
said years ago that the Emperor
had no clothes.

But instead of getting out of the
way, they published those ridicu-
lous, inane, and foolish manifestos
appearing in the Observer and
called their opponents "Socialists."

HANK FISHKINDS
"GOLDEN WORDS"
As a financial disaster was de-
scending upon Florida, the Sara-
sota Observer is featuring their
mouthpiece, Hank Fishkind, on the
cover of their edition of Gulf Coast
Business Review. Walsh described
Fishkind, "as Florida's pre-eminent
economist" and, according to the
Observer, "his word is golden."

Just for non-laughs, here were
some of the golden words of
Fishkind, who Walsh described as
Florida's pre-eminent economist:
(note carefully the dates):
07/12/06: "We are moving from an
extraordinary real estate market to
a normal market... Southwest
Florida's housing market has been
'on top' for so long that a decrease
will seem unusually slow... Funda-
mentally, this is a great housing
market. (Naples News, 07/12/06)

Hank Fishkind
11/07/06 -- "With the drop in de-
mand, prices have stopped rising,
but they have not fallen nor are
they likely to do so. Now that de-
mand has stabilized there is no rea-
son for prices to fall for
Single-family homes (Fishkind
press release / WMFE radio script)
07/26/07 Dire warnings and nega-
tive news about the housing market
are overblown and, outside of
Miamis condominium market, we
have hit bottom months ago.
(Fishkind on WMFE radio, via nu-
merous real estate blogs)
For those failed predictions and
other hallucinatory assessments by
Fishkind, The Observer, in an arti-
cle written by Matt Walsh, recently
rated Fishkind as a '10' on the cred-
ibility scale. I wonder what Walsh
thinks of assessments lower than 10?

FISKHKIND'S "FISCAL
CONSERVATIVE"
SOLUTIONS
What are some of economic
changes Fishkind (who, according
to Walsh, is economic adviser to
the biggest corporate clients in
Florida), would make in Florida?
Here are some of the changes rec-
ommended by the guru of the local
fiscal conservatives:"
1) unlimited gas tax
2) increase of 5 cents in sales tax
3) impose sales tax on gas
4) gas indexed to inflation
5) toll roads
6) K-12 public education funded
with states sales tax

MORE FISHKIND
PREDICTIONS IN 2006
In a Fort Myers News-Press article
on 1/6/06 the newspaper noted that
Fishkind recanted his bogus opti-
mistic predictions of the past.
However, like a Jehovah's Witness
repeatedly setting upcoming dates
for the Second Coming, Fishkind is
still at it. The paper reports that
Fishkind is incredibly predicting
that the upcoming January election
will definitely turn things around

for the real estate market in
Florida: "If the market is de-
pressed and there are homes for
sale and nobody's buying them,
you can't simply expect that offer-
ing more homes for sale will make
a difference," said veteran Florida
economist Hank Fishkind.

Fishkind predicted in August of
2006 the real estate market had al-
ready bottomed out and was show-
ing signs of a turnaround. He
revised a few months later when
his prediction in light of the sub-
prime mortgage lending crisis, he
predicted the turnaround would
begin later that year.

If you keep predicting the same
thing over and over and over again,
at some point in time you will get
lucky, the predicted event will hap-
pen, and thus you are a genius.
That would have appeared to have
be Fishkind's and Walsh's modus
operandi here. Unfortunately for
Fishkind, Walsh and those who
created the financial meltdown
their predictions were as erroneous
as they are predicting today.

WALSH AND FISHKIND
PROMOTE ECONOMIC
IDIOCY
Other than for the sake of blind op-
timism or blind luck at hitting the
target, we should believe Fishkind
this time.....ummm, why, exactly?

Walsh and Fishkind's don't pro-
mote fiscal conservatism, they pro-
mote economic idiocy.

By the way, does anyone have any
doubt why Fishkind is economic
adviser to the biggest corporate
clients in Florida? Does anyone
wonder why there is no mention of
impact fees on developers and only
sales and gas taxes that effect
working folks more discrimina-
tory? Could it be why Fishman
words are considered "Golden" by
the so called fiscal conservatives?

WALSH REFUSES TO
SINGLE OUT CULPRITS
IN FINANCIAL DISASTER
Here are some of the other com-
ments that fiscal conservative
Walsh refused to single out as cul-
prits in the financial disaster that
hit Sarasota:


12

WHOS FINANCING
LOCAL FISCAL
CONSERVATIVES?
By JON SUSCE
Who are these local "Fiscal
Conservative" politicians who are
being manipulate by the Benderson
Gang with thousands of dollars in
campaign contributions? THE
SARASOTA PHOENIX has on nu-
merous occasions suggested, fol-
low the money to determine who
are financed by the Benderson
Gang. What is found at the Sara-
sota County Supervisor of Election
site is the following:
Rex Jensen gave Commissioner
Carolyn Mason, ten $200 contribu-
tions; Commissioner Nora Patter-
son, seven $200 contributions;
Commissioner Christine Robinson,
ten $200 contributions; Commis-
sioner Charles Hines, ten $ 200
contributions. All of these contri-
butions with the same 14400
Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch
address.

Rex J ensen
Pat Neal gave Commissioner Car-
olyn Mason, ten $200 contribu-
tions; Commissioner Nora
Patterson, ten $200 contributions;
Commissioner Joe Barbetta, nine-
teen $200 contributions; Commis-
sioner Christine Robinson,
fourteen $200 contributions; Com-
missioner Charles Hines, seven
$200 contributions. All these with
the same address of 8210 Lake-
wood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood
Ranch.

Carlos Beruff gave Commissioner
Carolyn Mason, twenty four $200
contributions; Commissioner Nora
Patterson, thirteen $200 contribu-
tions; Commissioner Joe Barbetta,
five $200 contributions; Commis-
sioner Christine Robinson, twenty
two $200 contributions. All these
with the same address of 2212 58th
Avenue East, Bradenton.

Henry Rodriquez gave Commis-
sioner Carolyn Mason, six $200
contributions; Commissioner Nora
Patterson, five $200 contributions;

Betsy Benac

Commissioner Joe Barbetta, five
$200 contributions; Commissioner
Christine Robinson, five $200 con-
tributions. All these entities at vari-
ous Rodriquez residences and
offices.

Randy Benderson gave Commis-
sioner Carolyn Mason, six $200
contributions; Commissioner Joe
Barbette, nineteen $200 contribu-
tions; Commissioner Christine
Robinson, five $200 contributions.
Commissioner Charles Hines 49,
$200 contributions. All these with
the same address of 7978 Cooper
Creek, Sarasota and Buffalo ad-
dresses.
Though local campaign finance
laws limit donors to $200 per can-
didate, Neal, Benderson, Beruff,
Jensen and individuals affiliated
with them, as shown above, have
circumvented the letter of the law
in 2010 and 2012 and funneled nu-
merous individual campaign con-
tributions from their controlled
LLC, to Sarasota County Commis-
sioners.

In addition, Benderson, Neal,
Beruff and Neal were part of a
PAC managed by local political op-
erative, Bob Waechter, which
raised over $42,000 for Commis-
sioner Patterson's re-election cam-
paign in 2011. Waechter was
recently convicted of a felony for
election fraud and is a business
partner for Commissioner Patterson
and her attorney husband, John.

J oe Barbetta

Three of those Sarasota County
Commissioners, Barbetta, Patter-
son and Robinson are on the Sara-
sota/Manatee Metropolitan
Planning Commission. They are
joining with three Manatee County
Commissioners in promoting the
public to pay over a 200 million
dollars to alleviate the traffic prob-
lems on the University Blvd/I-75
Corridor.

(The Corridor borders both Mana-
tee and Sarasota County, needs
both County Commission to re-
quest public transportation funds
for the Benderson Gang's "re-
quests").

What THE SARASOTA
PHOENIX has recently discovered
is that those three Manatee County
Commissioners, who are Betsy
Benac, John Chapie and Larry
Bustle, are recipients of thousands
of dollars in campaign contribu-
tions from the Benderson Gang.

Carlos Beruff

For example, The Benderson fam-
ily and LLC affiliated with Bender-
son Development has contributed:
Commissioner Betsy Benac 7,
$500 contributions

Commissioner Larry Bustle 11,
$500 contributions

Commissioner John Chapie 7,
$500 contributions

Carlos Beruff has contributed:
18, $500 contributions to
Commissioner John Chapie;
17, $500 contributions BetsyBenac
18, $500 to Commissioner Larry
Bustle


13

Robert Waechter
F
I
S
C
A
L

C
O
N
S
E
R
V
A
T
I
V
E
S


COHEN PUTTING TOGETHER
GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION
TO TAKE ON
WAECHTER/ROBINSON/STEVENSON
POLITICAL MACHINE
By LAURA DIMOCK
Jennifer Cohen, who shocked
Sarasota political observers when
she took 45% of the vote when she
ran against incumbent Christine
Robinson for Sarasota County
Commissioner in 2012, is putting
together a grassroots political or-
ganization in Sarasota County from
North Port in the south to the SRQ
Airport in the north of the County.

Cohen in her race against the es-
tablishment's candidate Christine
Robinson, who despite being out
spent 10-1, Cohen demonstrated
that the political machine put to-
gether by two time convicted felon,
Bob Waechter, Venice CPA Eric
Robinson and political consultant
Mac Stevenson and financed by
multimillion developers Randy
Benderson, Pat Neal, Carlos
Beruff, Rex Jensen and a few others
can be defeated in the near future.

There is little doubt that if Cohen,
who is a Democrat would have re-
ceived the support from the her
local Sarasota County Democratic
Executive Committee, as Robinson
received from her Sarasota County
Republican executive Committee,
Cohen would have been the sitting
Sarasota County Commissioner.

FERRANDINO IGNORED
CORRUPT SARASOTA
COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Cohen and other Democrats were
extremely disappointed in Rita Fer-
randino and other local leaders of
the Democratic Party, not taking
advantage of the political scandal
that forced Sarasota County Ad-
ministrator Jim Ley to leave office
with a $600,000 Golden parachute,
which was provided by the five Re-
publican County Commissioners.

Instead of daily press releases
emitting from Ferrandino concern-
ing the daily press stories docu-
menting the corrupt practices under
the Ley administration, not a word
from Ferrandino. What was equally
credulous was that the local Demo-
cratic party not only did not ac-
tively support Cohen in her race
against Robinson, no Democrat ran
against the Republican nominee
Charles Hines.

J ennifer Cohen
Ferrandinos inaction had a leading
Republican leader recently state if
he had been in charge of the Sara-
sota Democratic Party during the
unraveling of the Ley Administra-
tion, the local Democratic Party
would have been a legitimate force
in Sarasota politics.

FERRANDINO IGNORES
LOCAL POLITICAL RACES
Ferrandino strategy of placing all
of the organizational and financial
support for state and national De-
mocrat candidates while ignoring
local is being challenged by Cohen
and her supporters. Ferrandino un
written strategy of not antagoniz-
ing local RINO (Republican In
Name Only), due to the believe
that those RINO'S are Democrats
in reality and will definitely vote
for Democrats on the state and na-
tional level makes for an ineffec-
tive two political system and leads
to political and economic corruption.

FERRANDINO AND
BARBETTA MEETING
Fernandina's strategy of accommo-
dating RINO politicians might
have crossed the line recently. For
example at a meeting of propo-
nents of an Elected Mayor in the
City of Sarasota held last October,
Sarasota County Commissioner
Joe Barbetta stated his personal at-
torney and Democrat Morgan
Bentley was setting up a meeting
between Barbetta and Ferrandino.

Barbettta announced at the meeting
that he thought he could arrange
for Ferrandino to not only support
his Elected Mayor proposal, but
also convince Ferrandino not to run
a Democrat against his two en-
dorsed Republican candidates for
Sarasota County Commissioner Al
Maio in District 2 and Paul Carag-
iulo in District 4.

COHEN TO ESTABLISH
GRASSROOTS
ORGANIZATION
Cohen's strategy is to make Sara-
sota County a truly two party polit-
ical system by not accommodating
RINO'S, who are basically part of
a political machine that would
make Boss Tweed envious. Cohen's
grassroots organization will sup-
port Like Minded Candidates
wanting to fight the unethical be-
havior in Sarasota County and it is
unique, as the political organiza-
tion inclusive of not only Democ-
rats, but Republicans and
Independents who are not in pock-
ets of special interest groups who
make a mockery of local campaign
finance regulations.

Essentially, Cohen will be putting
together an organization that will
give voters in Sarasota County for
the first time in years legitimate
and well qualified candidates to
oppose the handpicked candidates
of the Waechter/Robinson/ Steven-
son political machine, who are fi-
nanced by the Benderson, Neal,
Beruff, Jensen Gang.

COHEN TO OPPOSE
WAECHTER/ROBINSON/
STEVENSON
POLITICAL MACHINE
Although getting a late start on
putting a grassroots organization in
order to have alternatives to the
handpicked candidates of the
Waechter/Robinson/Stevenson
local political machine, Cohen has
recruited five candidates to run for
the Sarasota Charter Review
Board. This political entity is very
important to the political process in
Sarasota County, in that they can
and do make recommendations to
the Sarasota County Charter. Those
recommendations can be place on
the ballot for approval by Sarasota
County voters.

The importance of the Charter Re-
view Board has not been lost by
Waechter, who for years recruited
candidates for this Board. By the
way, Waechters conviction for
election fraud, has not stopped him
from recruiting candidates to run
for the Charter Review Board and
other seats. For example, he at-
tempted to get Fred Tower III to
run for District 3, when Tower
backed out, they put in Habitat for
Humanity (Robinson) plant, Joe
Blow to run against Cohen in Char-
ter Review District 3. Fred Tower
III connected to Waechter put his
wife on the ballot for Hospital
Board and put David Garofalo
from North Port on the ballot.

In addition, Cohen was responsible
for Greg Para staying in the race
for House of Representatives Dis-
trict 72 running against incumbent
Ray Pilon. When Para was
receiving little encouragement
from the local Sarasota County
leadership, it was Cohen who
called Para and urged him to stay
in the race and offered her
support. Together they have
configured a well-organized grass-
roots support team and political
strategy. Para a returning
Afghanistan Veteran is extremely
viable, Cohen joined his team. The
money was raised to pay his entry
fee and the campaign is on.

Cohen, Democrat also supports Re-
publican Lourdes Ramirez for
County Commissioner in District
4, Independent Alexander Coe for
County Commissioners in District
2 and Democrat Lorenzo White-
head for North Port City Commis-
sioner.

It is Cohens desire to have a can-
didate running in every local race
in Sarasota County in 2016 in op-
position to the Waechter/ Robin-
son/Stevenson political machine
and to establish a legitimate two
party system in Sarasota.

14
Rita Ferrandino

Continued from page 8

friends (JEBCO) to build a 35
million dollar Development in a
publically owned park. Yes, thats
right; Sarasota County purchased
their share of Warm Mineral
Springs with money from a spe-
cial fund, taxpayer approved by
referendum that was designated
for the purchase and preservation
of PARKLANDS. The County
One word of caution, if you get the
opportunity make a clean break---
do it. Please, no goofball ideas
about Sarasota County giving the
springs to the City of North Port, or
parceling out sections and dividing
the property up in pieces. The
Sarasota County Commission may
or may not want to get out of the
Warm Mineral Springs marriage;
but in any case lets not take them
for political fools or friends.
ROOT CAUSE OF
THE INCOME IN-
EQUALITY CRISIS
THE FEDERAL RESERVES MONETARY POLICY
By DR. RICH SWIER
Commission has been ignoring its
fiduciary duty to the 390,000 peo-
ple in Sarasota County who ap-
proved this designation for the
funding that was used to buy
Warm Mineral Springs.

BUT WAITYou havent heard
the best part. The Sarasota
County Commission wants to use
this publicly owned environmen-
tally designated Parkland Property
as collateral for their Developer
friends. Thats right---put Warm
Mineral Springs up as collateral,
and you know, if they happen to
run out of money or if their mas-
sive building project doesnt work
out for whatever reason, the pub-
lic will be on the hook for the loss.

The City of North Port put a stop
to this malfeasance by casting
their vote for the current Operator,
National and State Park Conces-
sions who presented an economi-
cally and ecologically sustainable
plan demonstrating that Warm
Mineral Springs was already sus-
taining itself economically, and
monies coming in the gate can be
used to replace existing buildings
within three years from funds that
WMS already generates. National
and State Park Concessions al-
ready operates environmentally
designated properties, and shows
authentic respect for important
ecological concerns.

OUR GRATITUDE AS
CITIZENS AND
TAXPAYERS TO THE
NORTH PORT CITY
COMMISSION MAJORITY
sans Jim Blucher, for doing the
right thing. We dont see this
often enough in Sarasota County
politics, but the North Port Com-
mission showed real fiduciary re-
sponsibility, wisdom and the
courage to stand up to the usual
Sarasota County Commission spin.

The purchase of Warm Mineral
Springs by the City of North Port
will solve the continuing deadlock
between the two owners; it will
stop future closures and threats of
closure by the County; it will cir-
cumvent continuing loss of tax-
payer dollars, potential future
legal battles; and will restore
Sarasota Countys investment so
they can go forth on other projects.

Warm Mineral Springs in North
Port is an International attraction.

UPDATE
As of todays writing The Sarasota
County Commission has voted 5-1
to sell Warm Mineral Springs to the
City of North Port, and the City of
North Port has subsequently voted
to purchase. City of North Port
Commissioners (sans the vote of
Jim Blucher) should be held in
high esteem for their insight and
foresight in both economic and
ecological leadership. I went back
to the video of the original pur-
chase of WMS back in 2010 and
one clarion remark made by Com-
missioner Tom Jones stands out:
If we dont preserve this ecological
and architectural site, it will be too
late when there is a violation or it
is destroyed. Placing it in the
hands of our local community will
prevent that destruction. WMS can
also be taken off the market and
closed to private developers. This
is an acquisition that will reap divi-
dends to the people of North Port
in the long run. This money is well
spent.

Thank-you is perfunctory expres-
sion extended to the City of North
Port majority commission which
cannot possible convey the grati-
tude from everyone who knows and
values WMS. They have saved the
city from vulture capitalism and
taken the key first step toward
proper stewardship, and the healing
of our community. North Port
commissioners have asked for an
immediate workshop to get the ball
rolling on the issues of community
access and continuing protection
against big development. The
things most worth having are often
not achieved without great struggle.
WMS, unique in the entire world is
worth having and preserving!
The latest political slogan is
income inequality. Various news
outlets report that the rich are get-
ting richer and poor getting poorer.
Various politicians cry out for more
government intervention, more
government programs and ex-
panded government funding to ad-
dress this national crisis. Cries are
heard daily from politicians to to
raise the minimum wage.

But who is really behind this grow-
ing income inequality crisis? Ac-
cording to one monetary policy
expert it is the U.S. Federal Re-
serve.

James Rickards in his book The
Death of Money: The Coming Col-
lapse of the International Monetary
System explains how this has hap-
pened in America and will happen
again. Rickards writes, Critics
from Richard Cantillon in the early
eighteenth century to V.I. Lenin
and John Maynard Keynes in the
twentieth have been unanimous in
their view that inflation is the
stealth destroyer of savings, capi-
tal, and economic growth.

Rickards warns, Inflation often
begins imperceptibly and gains a
foothold before it is recognized.
This lag in comprehension, impor-
tant to central banks, is called
money illusion, a phrase that refers
to a perception that real wealth is
being created, so that Keynesian
animal spirits are aroused. Only
later is it discovered that bankers
and astute investors captured the
wealth, and everyday citizens are
left with devalued savings, pen-
sions and life insurance.

Rickards finds that the 1960s and
1970s are a good case study in
money illusion. Two lessons
from the 1960s and 1970s are
highly pertinent today. The first is
that inflation can gain substantial
momentum before the general pub-
lic notices it Second, once infla-
tion perceptions shift, they are
extremely difficult to reset.

Is the Federal Reserve contributing
to a money illusion? According to
Rickards, [Since 2008 the Federal
Reserve has printed over $3 trillion
of new money, but without stoking
much inflation in the United States.
Still, the Fed has set an inflation

target of at least 2.5 percent, possi-
bly higher, and will not relent in
printing money until that target is
achieved. The Fed sees inflation as
a way to dilute the real value of
U.S. debt and avoid the specter of
deflation. Therein lies a major risk.

Rickards notes history tells is, [A]
feedback loop will emerge in which
higher inflation leads to higher in-
flation expectations, to even higher
inflation, and so on. The Fed will
not be able to arrest this feedback
loop because its dynamic is a func-
tion not of monetary policy but of
human behavior.

Rickards predicts:
1. Skyrocketing gold prices and a
crashing dollar;
2. Russian, China and the Interna-
tional Monetary Fund will stand
ready with gold and SDRs, not dol-
lars, to provide a new reserve asset;
and 3. When the dollar next falls
from the high wire, there will be no
safety net.

Richards in his book notes, The
coming collapse of the dollar and
the international monetary system
is entirely foreseeable The inter-
national monetary system has col-
lapsed three times in the past
century in 1914, 1939 and 1971.
Each collapse was followed by a tu-
multuous period.

Rick Santelli explains what he be-
lieves is happening in the U.S.
today. Brian Maloney from Medi-
aEqualizer.com writes: So what
exactly are his [Santelli's] points?
1. By keeping interest rates artifi-
cially low, the Janet Yellen led
Federal Reserve has encouraged
reckless government borrowing and
spending while crushing savers, es-
pecially Americas retirees.
2. The Fed has focused all its ef-
forts on making the rich even richer
through Quantitative Easing while
working people suffer and are ig-
nored by Washingtons elite.
Who wins and who loses when
there is another financial crisis like
the DOT.com bust in 2000 and the
housing crisis of 2008? The win-
ners are the bankers and savvy in-
vestors (the 1%) and their political
allies. The losers left holding the
bag are citizens living on Main
Street U.S.A.

15


NORTH
PORT
VOTERS
FACE A
CRITICAL
CHOICE!
By JULIETTE JONES, PH.D.
Ive talked, and Ive listened to a
lot of people here in North Port. I
was out on the street getting signa-
tures on a referendum so voters
might have a choice about the fate
of Warm Mineral Springs. The
vast majority want to see the wa-
ters and the land preserved, the
buildings restored or replaced, and
they want to see WMS stay open to
the public. They dont want to see
big development on public park-
land; but they do want to see re-
sponsible economic development
on private property. I learned a lot
of other things too.

Most of my life I have avoided any
involvement around political issues
like the plague. I dont care for
politics. We all know that candi-
dates for public office get ap-
proached by grifters and big
development interests who offer
money to fund their campaigns in
exchange for support. This isnt
news to the man on the street; we
know that candidates are linked to
supporters, but do we really bother
to look at the city website and fol-
low the money? Its posted right
there for all to see.

POLITICIANS AND
DEVELOPERS.NEED I
SAY MOORE?

Jacqueline Moore, for example is
supported by big developer inter-
ests including both Randy and
Shaun Benderson, Pat Neal, Fred-
erick Derr & Co. And others. Ms.
Moore is part of a business as usual
political interest cabal trying to in-
filtrate North Port. Ms. Moore also
received campaign money from
Gene Vaccaro, the former WMS
Operator who dumped an algaecide
into WMS not approved by the
manufacturer for use in mineral
waters and altered the ecology of
the water.

Common sense, real know-how
and authentic care motivation make
a difference in how things get
done. So where does Ms. Moore

get her expertise? Lets see. She
has a B.S. degree from an online
outfit in California billed The
University of Metaphysical Sci-
ences The university admits that
they dont accredit for jobs in the
secular world or compare them-
selves with traditional universities
as they are a religious school.
Ms. Moore also founded The
Power and Light Company and
advertised herself for quite a while
as a self-styled life coach. Now
that she has entered the political
arena, she has taken this somewhat
embarrassing website off the net.

Marty Murphy

MOORE + MURPHY =
MEDIOCRITY
If the people of North Port are
happy with mediocrity and chaos,
by all means vote for people like
Jacqueline Moore or Marty Mur-
phy whose credits involve running
two Chicken Delight restaurants.
Not that there is anything wrong
with running a restaurant or
Chicken Delight; but does it really
prepare you for a complicated po-
litical office?

UNDERSTAND THE
ISSUES AND ACT
ACCORDINGLY
People are angry about politics
here in North Port. They sense
something is wrong, but dont re-
ally understand the specifics of
what is wrong. Mainstream news-
papers cater to their political allies
and twist or omit inconvenient
truths. They are beholden to their
advertising customers and han-
dlers. The degree of distortion is
shocking. Nine times out of ten the
real story gets buried, and thats
why Im writing this article---to
come straight out and tell you what
I think and what brings me to my
opinions.

These days there are unprecedented
problems in government every-
where. The place to start standing
up and making change is right
where you live. I have watched
and studied local politics for three
years now, and my motive is to see
common sense, expertise and high
integration prevail in North Port in-
stead of business as usual. Toward
that end, there are only two candi-
dates in North Port that make me
want to get out and vote:

LORENZO WHITEHEAD
FOR SEAT NUMBER 4

We are entering into a critical era
for North Port; poised to experi-
ence our most significant growth in
decades over the next four years.
Now is not the time to elect a can-
didate showered in special interest
money or coached in colorful
greeting card language.

Lorenzo Whitehead has a strong
knowledge base and understands
the importance of attention to de-
tail. He is trained and trusted as a
pilot on an Intercontinental Boeing
767 aircraft. The Federal Aviation
Administration requires under-
standing of domestic and interna-
tional rules and regulations and
practical test standards in order to
trust the lives of hundreds of men
and women to cross the Atlantic.
Lapses in understanding here can
cost lives.

Mr. Whitehead has made it his
business to apply the same skill
sets to his preparation for city com-
missioner. He is the only candidate
in the race with an actual voting
record having served as Vice-Chair
on the City of North Port Planning
and Zoning board. He holds a
Masters degree in Aeronautical
Science, Space Studies Specializa-
tion form Embry-Riddle Aeronauti-
cal University; tops in the field.
Hes a personable family man and
looks at service to the community
as a duty and thats why hes run-
ning for political office.

Brian MacKenzie

BRIAN MACKENZIE FOR
SEAT NUMBER 5
Brian Mackenzie sees the need for
unified functional leadership, Hes
a guy with vision and a track

record of service, beginning with
attendance at the US Naval Acad-
emy Annapolis MD, an extensive
career in industry, and most re-
cently service on the City of North
Port Planning and Zoning Board.
He holds a B.A. in Economics and
an MBA in Finance from the Uni-
versity of Miami. We need to start
making reasonable decisions based
on a disciplined, intelligent analy-
sis of accurate and timely informa-
tion with due consideration for the
potential liabilities associated with
each process.

Mr. Mackenzie feels not enough
has been done to pave the way for
prosperity and at the present time
small business operators and resi-
dential/commercial developers are
reluctant to do business in North
Port because of the current high
costs, hassles and uncertainty with
the current regulatory regime.
Economic development should be
comprehensive focusing on the
kinds of overall community pros-
perity that will make the city an at-
tractive business location for
business owners to live and thrive
by embracing an ambiance beyond
strip malls, asphalt and burger
joints. Meanwhile, eastern areas of
North Port could accommodate
light industrial locations that can
serve to offset our residential tax
base as that area is still isolated and
affords direct access to I-75.

Finally, Warm Mineral Springs
should be wholly owned by the
City of North Port. It should re-
main a public park facility that
serves as the focal point of a Town
Center environment along Ortiz
Blvd and the surrounding area.

J acqueline Moore
However, there are some important
cleanup and prospective research
studies that need to be completed
so we have a better idea of exactly
what we are dealing with. Any de-
velopment on the WMS parcel
should be municipal in nature, lim-
ited to the footprint of the existing
impact, and financed on a pay as
you go basis from user fee rev-
enues.
16
Lorenzo Whitehead

DONNELLAN LACK
OF JUDICIAL
ACUMEN
IS CONFIRMED
By JON SUSCE

On 3/11/14 local retired Circuit Judge Nancy Don-
nellan, ruled that a recent decision by the Florida
Supreme Court concerning Legislative Privilege
does not apply to Sarasota County Commissioner
Nora Patterson and former Sarasota County Com-
missioner Shannon Staub. Donnellan ruled both
Patterson and Staub can avoid answering ques-
tion in a law suit Hugh Culverhouse Jr. has placed
against Randy Benderson, Henry Rodriquez, and
former Sarasota County Administrator Jim Ley.
where they live, and not the dis-
tricts' gerrymander. For this reason,
it's not the reason. There is no
compelling public interest to apply
the privilege."

Donnellan then proceeded to ask
Allan Roddy, who is Patterson and
Staub's attorney to write her order.
Attorney Morgan Bentley repre-
senting Rodriquez at the hearing
agreed with Donnellan's decision.

FLORIDA SUPREME
COURT DECISION ON
LEGISLATIVE PRIVILEGE
It is more than obvious that Don-
nellan did not read the Florida
Supreme Court decision or failed
to understand it concerning Leg-
islative Privilege. For example, the
Florida Supreme Court decision
stated, "To decide whether Florida
should recognize a legislative priv-
ilege, WE ASSUME EVERY
QUESTION ASKED OF CON-
GRESSMAN IS LEGISLATIVE."
The Court went through the
process-and said, "The privilege is
not absolute." Donnellan said privi-
lege is absolute.
Dubensky was originally assigned
the Patterson/Staub case but was
out of the country when the case
was scheduled to be heard. Dun-
nellan was the retired Judge, who
was assigned to hear the case in
Dubensky absence. Instead of post-
poning the hearing until Dubensky
returned, Donnellan heard the case.
impact the ability of local public
officials to hide behind Legislative
Privilege. For example as the
Florida Supreme Court ruled, "The
Court must weigh every question
and answer whether the public
need for the information outweighs
the privilege and legislators had to
answer."

Dierdre McNab
Culverhouse in his law suit is
essentially alleging that Benderson
and Rodriquez conspired with
Sarasota public officials to gain fi-
nancially at the expense of Culver-
house financial interests in the EEZ
Project in Osprey.

PATTERSON AND STAUB
CAN'T COVER UP
After Donnellan's decision to allow
Patterson and Staub to continue to
refuse to answer question in the al-
leged illegal and fraudulent con-
spiracy, Culverhouse attorneys
raised serious questions concerning
Donnellan decision on 3/11/14 and
filed an amended complaint.

DONNELLAN AGREES
CULVERHOUSE ATTOR-
NEYS HAVE MERIT
Donnellan has now ruled that Cul-
verhouse's complaint has merit.
Donnellan has ordered the Culver-
house request that Patterson and
Staub be required to answer ques-
tions concerning their involvement
in alleged conspiracy with Bender-
son, Rodriquez and Ley to be heard
by Judge Peter Dubensky.
DUBENSKY'S
DELIBERATIONS
An indictment of Donnellan's deci
sion to shield Patterson and Staub
was evident in a hearing held last
Tuesday (6/3/14) by Judge Duben-
sky. For example, in a similar re-
quest by Culverhouse attorneys to
revoke a decision by other Sarasota
County officials, other than Patter-
son and Staub to invoke Legislative
Privilege, Dubensky heard the ar-
gument by both Culverhouse attor-
ney Steven Hutton and Sarasota
County Attorney Roddy defending
Sarasota County officials.

Dubensky, unlike Donnellan did
not make a "snap" decision on
6/3/14 as Donnellan did on
3/11/14, but took the arguments
into consideration. To aid Judge
Dubensky in making his decision,
Dubensky had three law clerks in
attendance at the hearing.
No doubt those three law clerks
will assist Dubensky in researching
the numerous documents Culver-
house attorneys have submitted in
this alleged conspiracy case.

In addition, once again unlike Don-
nellan, Dubensky with the aid of
the three legal clerks will make a
very important decision that can

Shannon Staub
As of this date no judicial decision
has been made by Dubensky.
Donnellan's decision to allow Pat-
terson and Staub to continue to
hide behind evoking "Legislative
Privilege" in refusing to answer
questions, which concerns their al-
leged involvement with other Sara-
sota County officials in conspiring
with Benderson and Rodriquez,
questions her judicially acumen.

For example, Donnellan after a 45
minute hearing on 3/11/14 she
made this short and very confusing
statement, "I wish the Supreme
Court had taken a case other than
the League of Women Voters to ex-
plain privilege, because I do think
there was compelling, competing
interest and the right of people to
vote for their representatives,

Henry Rodriquez
The Florida Supreme Court deci-
sion further stated, "The Court
must weigh every question and an-
swer whether the public need for
the information outweighs the priv-
ilege. The Supreme Court decision
continued, "THE NEED FOR DIS-
CLOSURE OUTWEIGHED THE
PRIVILEGE AND LEGISLATOR
HAD TO ANSWER." Donnellan
said Patterson and Staub need not
answer.

DUNNELLAN IGNORES
FLORIDA LEAGUE OF
WOMEN'S VOTERS
In addition, Donnellan decision to
shield public officials like Patter-
son and Staub to hide behind "Leg-
islative Privilege did not take into
consideration the statement of
Deirdre MacNab, who is the Presi-
dent of the League of Women Vot-
ers of Florida. MacNab made these
comments concerning the Florida
Supreme Decision on Legislative
Privilege stated: "No amount of
kicking and screaming by legisla-
tors should prevent the will of the
people from being followed.


17


Continued from page 11 Continued from page 1 Continued from page 13 into getting them elected. Instead
of insisting the responsibility for
BENDERSON REPLACES
NEW URBANISM
Four years later, Benderson's Todd
Mathes told Sarasota County Plan-
ning Board times have changed
since then. Benderson's plans now
were for the New Urbanism concept
to be replaced by a "plan that will
become more traditional in design."

AFFORDABLE
WORKFORCE HOUSING
Benderson attorney Ed Vogler told
the County Commissioners, "Ben-
derson has been hampered in his
talks with upscale department
stores for his Mall, due to the af-
fordable-housing requirement with
Sarasota County. Department
stores want certainty in their agree-
ments, and for Benderson to build
workforce homes makes them
nervous." Volger said, "This is
about bringing department stores in
the near term."

BLACKKETTER AND
BENDERSON
According to another Benderson
spokesperson Paul Blackketter,
2011 is a different planet.

COMMISSION VOTES 5-0
TO APPROVE BENDER-
SON PROPOSAL
On 6/29/11, according to a Sarasota
Herald Tribune article, "Vogler's
references to its advanced talks
with elite department store chains
for proposed University Town Cen-
ter mall swayed Sarasota County
commissioners to vote 5-0 to allow
Benderson to renege on his prom-
ised New Urbanism development.
The approval lifted what Bender-
son said was a 'negotiation-chilling'
requirement to make affordable
priced homes a part of its project."

The 5-0 was despite a 7-O vote
against Benderson reneging on his
New Urbanism project by the Sara-
sota County Planning Board.
Rather than the walkable lifestyle
center originally proposed hom-
age to the New Urbanism style in
vogue during the heady days of the
housing boom the 1.4 million-
square-foot University Town Cen-
ter looks much like a standard mall
with parking around the perimeter.
Gone, as well, is the integrated,
"new urbanism" design that accen-
tuated pedestrianism and that
mixed residences with commercial
space and cultural amenities.

What we have is the
Benderson/Taubman Mall that
could be shortly in a financial cri-
sis, if Taubman chooses to make
the Mall the 10th Mall he abandons
and leaves Benderson holding an
$876 construction note. Most criti-
cally we have a perfect storm to
descent on the University Blvd/I-
75 Corridor in October.
Can there be any doubt with Maio
involvement with Waechter, Robin-
son and Stevenson and his cam-
paign heavily financed by the
Benderson, Neal, Jensen Gang can
there be any doubt Maio will not
follow his businesses partner and
personal friend Commissioner Bar-
bette's support of Urban Sprawl?


The areas growth will take off like
a rocket in 2007 and you're about
to enter a boom to end all booms
-- urban planning expert Bob
Gibbs;
We have 10 more active years,
here and around Florida
-- Judy Shoemaker, President,
Sarasota Association of Realtors;
Whats happening in Sarasota Real
Estate is a perfect storm
-- Elliot Rose, executive V.P. of
Florida Operations, Coldwell Bank.

And, of course, there is Michael
Saunders, owner/operator of Sara-
sota County's biggest real estate
brokerage firm. When asked by
Sarasota Magazine in their July,
2005 issue if an over-inflated real
estate bubble will soon burst, she
replied, Absolutely not... This is
not frenzy. It is a part of solid
growth, its sustainable... This real
estate market is not only driving a
poor economy here, but also our
whole national economy.
Sadly, Saunders was, in retrospect,
half right in that assessment.
Miami's and southwest Florida's
markets collapsed first, creating a
huge Florida sinkhole that quickly
sucked the rest of the country into
the newly created abyss.

This was a national economy that
was recognized two years later as
nothing more than a Ponzi scheme
that needed Citigroup Inc., Bank of
America, and J.P.Morgan to reach
an agreement on an $80 billon fund
to buy some of the $320 billion in
assets held by so called structured-
investments vehicles, known as
SIVS. An agreement called flawed
by Josh Rosner, whose Ne New
York-based firm analyzes finance
and real estate investment vehicles.

WALSH AND FISHKIND'S
CORPORATE WELFARE
This local and national economy
that was built on false assumptions
of greed that went against the Puri-
tan ideals -- to work hard, to save
for a better life -- didn't die from
fiscal conservative ideals and prin-
cipals. It was killed willfully and
purposefully by newly created
Gilded Age policies, initiated by
the selfish greed merchants like
Walsh and Fishkind's, whose defi-
nition of "Fiscal Conservatism" is
more commonly referred to as Cor-
porate Welfare.
Rex Jensen has contributed
17, $500 contributions to Betsy
Benac, who is a former longtime
planner for Benderson and Beruff.
Unfortunately, the Benderson
Gang control of politicians in Man-
atee County is more egregious than
Sarasota County. For example, the
Benderson Gang circumvented the
letter of the law by contributing
$500 per entity in Manatee, instead
of the $200 limit in Sarasota County.

Larry Bustle
DON CORELONE OF GOD-
FATHER FAME WOULD
APPRECIATE LOCAL
POLITICIANS
Local politicians in both Sarasota
and Manatee County have turned
their backs on the interests of local
taxpayers in the interest of those
have poured thousands of dollars
creating the problems along the
University/I-75 Corridor is Bender-
son and other developers legal ob-
ligation to pay for transportation
improvement, they are promoting
the public pay for a problem Ben-
derson and others have created.
Their Godfathers (Benderson,
Neal, Beruff and Jensen) are look-
ing for compensation for previous
favors bestowed upon them.

At least $200 million will be
needed to seriously reduce the
problems created by the Bender-
son, Neal, Jensen, Beruff Gang and
it is their responsively to pay their
fair share. By the way, according to
article in the Manatee Times it ap-
pears that the same political ma-
chine that is corrupting the political
process in Sarasota County is doing
likewise in Manatee County

The article gives clear evidence
that Eric Robinson, who is a the
husband of Sarasota County Com-
missioner Christine Robinson and
close political associate of con-
victed felon on political fraud
charges, Bob Waechter is in the
middle of both political machines.
In addition, it appears the Bender-
son, Neal, Beruff, Neal Gang is fi-
nancing the campaigns.
18
Newtown
Business
Association

Business
Shabazz Solutions
Town Hall
All Brite Cleaning
Unlimited Tax Service
Golden Palm Photography
TC Jumpers & Slides

Social
Mothers Taking Back Newtown
Newtwon Chess and Game Club
Veterans for Common Sense
Sarasota Millionares
American Legion
(Michael Campbell Post 370)
Lance Shabazz
(941) 879-1111


DONNELLAN IGNORES
LEGAL SCHOLARS
Donnellan paid no intention to a
recent interpretation of "Legisla-
tive Privileged" by Kelly M.
McGuire of the Washington and
Lee University School of Law,
which stated: "Such interpreta-
tions have enabled self-interested
legislators to abuse the privilege
by shielding their misconduct from
the Judiciary, the Executive, and
the public. Moreover, this im-
proper broadening of the legislative
privilege has precluded needed in-
quiry into legislators actions.

Donnellan could say that Patterson
and Staub were protected by Leg-
islative Privilege, but in making
that ruling Donnellan had to con-
sider every question by Culver-
house attorneys to see if the
public's need for the information
outweighs the privacy of the leg-
islative privilege.

DONNELLAN FAILED TO
ANSWER QUESTIONS
Donnellan needed to review infor-
mation provided her by Culver-
house attorneys to determine: 1)
Are Patterson and Staub covered
by the privilege and 2) if it is cov-
ered, is the information provided,
give evidence of corruption of
County public officials by Ro-
driquez and Benderson so impor-
tant to the public it outweighs the
confidentiality Legislative Privi-
lege given Patterson and Staub.

Donnellan apparently made no in-
vestigation of the hundreds of
questions submitted by Culver-
house attorneys, as to whether
those questions involved legisla-
tive privilege. Such an initial in-
vestigation is required to applying
a compelling "public interest" test.
If Donnellan made a judicial re-
view of questions submitted, she
could not have made that decision.
ing Benderson and Rodriquez con-
spiring with Sarasota County offi-
cials is overwhelming.

For example, THE SARASOTA
PHOENIX has over a hundred
emails between Rodriquez, Ben-
derson, Benderson employees and
various Sarasota County officials
and others involved with EEZ Proj-
ect in Osprey.

Those emails, which begin on
4/14/09 and proceed to 1/25/11,
give a clear indication that corrup-
tion of Sarasota County public offi-
cials by Rodriquez and Benderson
is so important to the public that it
outweighs the confidentiality Leg-
islative Privilege given Patterson
and Staub. There is little doubt that
Culverhouse attorneys provided
similar emails to Donnellan.

In addition a significant amount of
those emails, which are on Patter-
son's private email account, give a
clear indication that Patterson vio-
lated local, state and federal laws
and she attempted to cover up her
involvement in the conspiracy. For
Donnellan to ignore documentation
is outrageous.

Nora Patterson
DONNELLAN CONNEC-
TION TO PATTERSON
With this forced reversal of Don-
nellan decision on 3/11/14 and
turning the decision back to
Dubensky to decide if Patterson
and Staub can invoke Legislative
Privilege, Donnellan motives in
protecting local officials must be
questioned. For example, it is known
Donnellan is closely affiliated with
her sailing partners, John and Nora
Patterson and is politically and so-
cially close to the Patterson's.

AT THE SHOPPING MALL
(Southgate Mall: before University Parkway Mall)
By SHARON MITCHELL

I dont look him in the eyes.
Too many men have held me there.
Their eyes are locks, their hands traps.
I really want to trust more
but life has shown me how deceptive
even I can be. Ill be right back, I
sputter to the man, the beautiful
dark eyed, cream-colored skin man
whose voice is as soothing
as the lotion he rubs on my hands.
I tell him I need to get cash from the ATM.
I rush toward the machine
not more than five or six stores away
and as Im waiting for the machine
to hack up its questions about receipts
and $2.00 surcharges, I wonder
how I could spend a ridiculous $45
on two small bottles of lotion.
Somehow it doesnt seem like such
a luxurious treat without the man
caressing the cool lotion gently over my palms,
into my fingertips, turning my hands over
and admiring them as if they are fragile flowers
in need of watering.

Randy Benderson
BENDERSON AND
RODRIQUEZ CORRUPTED
GOVERNMENT
There is little question Donnellan
took little or no time to read or re-
view pertinent documentation
made available to her by Culver-
house attorneys. The evidence
submitted to Donnellan concern-
DONNELLAN HAS A
HISTORY FOR COVERING
UP FOR PATTERSON'S
POLITICAL ALLIES
Donnellan has a history of being
called on when needed to cover up
for the Patterson's and other local
politicians aligned to the Patter-
son's. For example, when Con-
gressman Vern Buchanan was
running against Christine Jennings
for the U.S Congress in 2008 the
Sarasota Herald Tribune was at-
tempting to gain access through the
courts for Buchanan questionable
financial records, Judge Donnellan
ordered those records sealed.
19

I PHOENIXJuly2014.qxp_Layout 1 7/25/14 8:23 PM Page 20

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