Sarasota Enquirer

The irony 🤡

UPDATE: Willis-Smith CEO's brother-in-law, Sarasota County Commissioner Candidate, Jim DeNiro, recently validated our reporting.

He admits his brother-in-law runs Willis Smith Construction, that the company benefited from county public infrastructure work, and that the business profited from county projects. He claims that's not a conflict of interest because he wasn't voting.

Every single one of Jim DeNiro's campaign signs is located on property owned by Benderson Development, Pat Neal, Etc. We have the receipts. We have the property records.

Same developers, same commercial interests, all positioned behind a candidate who claims he's running to "change the system."

Developers/Builders want to replace Commissioners Joe Neunder and Mark Smith so they can steamroll developments that have come to a screeching halt without a majority vote (Thank you, Commissioners Knight, Smith, and Neunder).

That's not an "attack."

We're not part of Joe's or any special interest camp. But it is on par to assume that, rather than address the actual concerns.

We're Sarasota County taxpayers who are sick and tired of developers using candidates as puppets while the place we call home is paved over.

We're just connecting the dots.............

North Port let's talk about what's happening in YOUR city with YOUR money.

North Port City Manager Alfred Fletcher now earns $256,304 a year, 290% higher than the average city employee salary.

Since 2021, his salary has increased 521%.

Over $215,000 in raises while YOU foot the bill.

When was the last time YOUR salary went up 521%? When was the last time your government worked 521% harder for you?

Source: City of North Port Public Records

Not long after we posted the straw poll results, our inbox lit up.

Multiple voters reached out to let us know that a local political consultant sent out a survey on behalf of the Heidi Brandt campaign for Sarasota County School Board District 1.

Voters across the district received it by text.

Here's the link to the survey they were sent: http://flpoll.us/?p=33&i=9413236591

Make of that what you will but the timing is worth noting. When your straw numbers aren't where you need them, apparently the next move is to start polling. We'll keep watching.

A new straw poll out of Sarasota is turning heads ahead of the August 18th school board election.

When community members were asked which Registered Republican school board candidates they'd vote for, one name stood out clearly:

Teresa DeWitt pulled 46% of the vote, nearly 15 points ahead of the next closest candidate.

Here's how the full results broke down:

Teresa DeWitt — 46%
Michelle Pozzie — 31%
Frank DiCicco — 20%
Heidi Brandt — 3%

These are four of the registered Republican candidates currently on the ballot across Sarasota County School Board Districts 1, 4, and 5.

Teresa DeWitt and Heidi Brandt are both running in District 1
Frank DiCicco is running in District 4
Michelle Pozzie is running in District 5

Here's what many voters don't realize: you don't just vote in your own district.

Every registered Sarasota County voter will cast a ballot in all three of these races on August 18th. That means this election affects every single household in the county.

While this is an informal community poll, the margin is hard to ignore. DeWitt is pulling nearly half the Republican vote in a multi-candidate field, a strong signal of grassroots momentum heading into the home stretch.

Make sure you're registered and ready to vote on August 18th. All three school board seats are on your ballot.

A new straw poll out of Sarasota is turning heads ahead of the August 18th school board election.

When community members were asked which Registered Republican school board candidates they'd vote for, one name stood out clearly:

Teresa DeWitt pulled 46% of the vote, nearly 15 points ahead of the next closest candidate.

Here's how the full results broke down:

Teresa DeWitt — 46%
Michelle Pozzie — 31%
Frank DiCicco — 20%
Heidi Brandt — 3%

These are four of the registered Republican candidates currently on the ballot across Sarasota County School Board Districts 1, 4, and 5.

Teresa DeWitt and Heidi Brandt are both running in District 1
Frank DiCicco is running in District 4
Michelle Pozzie is running in District 5

Here's what many voters don't realize: you don't just vote in your own district.

Every registered Sarasota County voter will cast a ballot in all three of these races on August 18th. That means this election affects every single household in the county.

While this is an informal community poll, the margin is hard to ignore. DeWitt is pulling nearly half the Republican vote in a multi-candidate field, a strong signal of grassroots momentum heading into the home stretch.

Make sure you're registered and ready to vote on August 18th. All three school board seats are on your ballot.

One of our loyal followers, Lisa Schurr, recently asked us to release the names of school board candidates with eviction records on file.

The results speak for themselves.

According to public records, Jimmy Glover, the Democrat-backed candidate for Sarasota County School Board, was evicted in March 2026.

If he cannot manage his own finances well enough to keep a roof over his head, why would we hand him responsibility over a $1.5 billion budget and the future of Sarasota's children?

Thank you to Lisa Schurr for asking the question that needed to be asked.