Despite GOP outcry, Sarasota 211 made no referrals to Planned Parenthood last year

Despite recent, blistering attacks by the Sarasota County Commission against the 211 helpline for having Planned Parenthood as a potential service provider, the 211 phone information hotline made no referrals to the organization last year.

A spokesperson for United Way Suncoast told the Herald-Tribune that of the 13,791 referrals to callers made in Sarasota County during the 2022-23 fiscal year, none were to Planned Parenthood.

The 211 service is designed to connect people with community resources, a spokesperson said. Just because a resource is listed does not mean all callers will meet the qualifications and criteria to receive various services, ranging from rental assistance to childcare subsidies or health services.

United Way Suncoast has no funding or partnership agreements with Planned Parenthood, according to the agency.

The County Commission decided to cut funding to the nonprofit for the information and referral service in March, potentially jeopardizing the service, until Sarasota County developer and attorney Hugh Culverhouse Jr. agreed to temporarily fill the gap with $109,000 for a program he considered invaluable to the area's mentally ill and elderly population.

Sarasota County Commissioners Mike Moran and Neil Rainford have taken the lead in disassociating the county from United Way Suncoast for what they have characterized as public tax money going to an abortion provider.

Both men are also seeking election in 2024 − Rainford to the District 3 commission seat Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to in 2023, and Moran is running for Sarasota County Tax Collector against 40-year incumbent Barbara Ford-Coates.

Rainford immediately tried to flex his pro-life bona fides using the 211 issue in an official campaign email that included an attack on his opponent, former Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight.

“Governor DeSantis appointed me to the County Commission to take bold, definitive and conservative action - well, it didn’t take long. In just two weeks we’ve stopped Planned Parenthood,” the email said. “My very liberal opponent is pro-choice. We can’t allow him to gain steam.”

Knight, a fellow Republican, criticized the attack in a statement to the Herald-Tribune.

“It’s sad that this is the type of campaign Neil Rainford and his associates have decided to run. Everyone told me to expect the lies, half-truths, and exaggerations we are starting to see from that side. I just hoped for better,” Knight said. “I’m pro-life. For Neil Rainford to twist that and more for his own political gain should be a red flag for all of us.”

In another campaign email, Rainford said he was shocked and outraged that tax dollars could potentially be used to refer people to Planned Parenthood.

“I simply will not stand for this misuse of our tax dollars − and at yesterday’s county commission meeting, I stopped this wasteful spending in its tracks,” the email said.

In a column for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Moran said it was recently “uncovered” that the 211 helpline could refer people to Planned Parenthood for “abortion expense assistance” and “abortion services.”

“It also appears that a juvenile can access controversial services online even after entering a date of birth without parental consent,” Moran said.

No matter how they are referred, an underage patient seeking abortion services would still be subject to Florida laws on parental consent.

“In advance of our next commission meeting, I have asked staff to be ready to review any contractual relationship we might have with United Way – and be prepared to answer questions from commissioners about terminating our relationship with United Way if it does not immediately stop making referrals to Planned Parenthood,” Moran wrote.

However, ending county financial support for the 211 service is not enough for Moran on the issue. The commissioner also questioned a payroll deduction program United Way Suncoast operates for county employees. Moran claimed employees “have been surprised to realize their contributions were supporting agendas they vehemently oppose.”

However, a Sarasota County spokesperson clarified that employees can opt in or opt out of voluntary donations at any time.

Nevertheless, the County Commission will vote on two resolutions to sever their partnership with United Way Suncoast at their next meeting on April 23. One would eliminate the charitable payroll deduction program “within a time period reasonably sufficient to implement such change.”

The other would sever “any relationship between Sarasota County and any organization that provides referrals to organizations which provide abortion services.”

211 becomes political issue in Manatee County as well

The 211 service has also become an issue for the conservative Manatee County Commission, which also cited the possibility of referrals to Planned Parenthood.

However, of 15,260 referrals in Manatee County during the 2022-23 fiscal year, four were to Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida Chief Administration Officer Nan Morgan told the Herald-Tribune in a statement that she was disappointed in the Sarasota County Commission’s opposition to the helpline, which she said was rooted in a misunderstanding of 211’s utility to the community.

“Planned Parenthood has no formal relationship with 211, and we are one of many organizations and health care providers who are listed on their site for the benefit of those seeking community resources and assistance,” Morgan said. “Despite these ongoing attacks on the care we provide, Planned Parenthood’s services remain available to anyone in need of affordable STI testing and treatment, annual exams, cancer screenings, and any of the other care we offer – no matter what.”

United Way Suncoast CEO Jessica Muroff is trying to preserve the nonprofit’s 43-year-old funding partnership with Sarasota County. However, removing Planned Parenthood as a participant was a non-starter.

Responding to Moran’s questioning why United Way Suncoast could not add additional funds to the program to cover the amount Sarasota County refused to fund, Muroff said it is complicated to transition money among the five counties it serves.

“We would have to pull funding from an existing initiative to be able to do that. We’d have to redirect dollars, but we just don’t have the capacity to do that,” Muroff said.

While United Way Suncoast has restricted funding reserves, Muroff said the 211 helpline does not qualify for those specific budgetary circumstances. United Way Suncoast could continue to find private donors, but Muroff does not consider that a sustainable funding model.

Abortion will be a primary issue for Floridians leading up to the 2024 election. The state Supreme Court recently ruled that a constitutional amendment to codify abortion protections in the Sunshine State will be on the ballot.

A recent USA Today/Ipsos poll found that 57% of more than 1,000 Floridians surveyed would vote in favor of the amendment. That is more of a chunk of potential voters than the 33% who said they vote against it, but less than needed to meet the 60% threshold to pass the amendment.

More than half of those polled also said they oppose the recently triggered 6-week abortion ban, with 23% in favor.

Contact Sarasota Herald-Tribune Local Government Reporter Christian Casale at ccasale@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @vanityhack

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: No 211 referrals to Planned Parenthood despite Sarasota County uproar