Sarasota commissioner didn't report his ties to Ken Thompson Park developer, officials say

Though Sarasota City Commissioner Eric Arroyo brought developer Jeffrey Koffman to City Hall in February to pitch a plan for private development at Ken Thompson Park, city officials did not learn the two of them had business ties until more than a month later.

Those ties were to the company Koffman planned to use for what he envisioned as the revamped park's main attraction: A "park golf" course.

Koffman co-owns Park Golf Entertainment, which he said is the sport of park golf’s exclusive marketing arm in the U.S. However, neither Koffman nor Arroyo disclosed to city officials that the city commissioner was the company’s registered agent.

Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert said she was only made aware of the fact after an inquiry by a Herald-Tribune reporter, and said that it could constitute a conflict of interest. Alpert said she would preferred to know before the presentation by Ride Entertainment, co-owned by Koffman. The mayor, along with Commissioner Kyle Battie, joined Arroyo in a 3-2 vote to send the issue to the city’s Parks, Recreation & Environmental Protection Advisory Board for review. The PREP board is scheduled to consider the issue at a meeting April 18.

Battie did not respond to a request for comment.

Sarasota commissioner: 'Caught off guard'

Vice Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch, who was most outwardly opposed to the proposal, said she was surprised by Arroyo’s connection to the development proposal.

“I was caught completely off guard,” Ahearn-Koch said. “I had no idea about any of that.”

The vice mayor remains vehemently opposed to any private development at Ken Thompson Park, which she said should keep its city designation as an open-space nature park. She added that the city should be capable of funding improvements to the park recommended by the 2019 Parks Master Plan, which includes adding more trees and shade, improving parking, and preserving the park’s mangroves.

Arroyo said in a text message last Saturday he had only been made aware that Park Golf Entertainment could potentially be involved in the project.

State records show he has been involved with the business since at least January 2023.

A registered agent is typically a legal representative who sends and receives legal documents to and from the state. Their services can cost about a few hundred dollars a year.

Arroyo said Monday that he believed he was clear of any conflict of interest because the presentation was technically on behalf of Ride Entertainment Sarasota, with which he has no listed affiliation.

Koffman is also not listed on Park Golf Entertainment’s state record. However, Koffman told both the Herald-Tribune and the City Commission he owned the company and planned on its involvement with the project. Arroyo also acknowledged that the company’s Title President is HSK Industries, which Koffman legally owns.

Koffman also told the Sarasota Observer he wants to rebrand Ride Entertainment Sarasota into Park Golf Entertainment.

“We’re changing the name to Park Golf Entertainment,” Koffman told the Observer. "We’re doing it because Ride Entertainment is misleading. We are not an amusement park, and that’s why we are changing the name.”

City Attorney Robert Fournier said he wasn’t aware of Arroyo’s business connection to Koffman until the commissioner contacted him on Saturday after an inquiry by the Herald-Tribune.

“I don’t know what plans − if any − you have to do work for them in the future or to the extent you would be involved,” Fournier said he told Arroyo. “But if you have a private gain or loss here, you have to declare that as a conflict, and you won’t be able to vote on it.”

While Fournier said it would have been simpler for Arroyo to inform city officials earlier, he also said he doesn’t think the commissioner’s vote on referring the the proposal to an advisory board constitutes an ethical violation. In the city attorney’s opinion, there has not been a special gain or loss by Arroyo.

Fournier said he plans to meet with Arroyo on the subject and that any ongoing work by the commissioner for Koffman could necessitate a recusal from any definitive votes on the park proposal.

Described by the International Park Golf Association of America as “mini-golf on steroids,” Koffman said the park golf is intended for an older demographic – for which Sarasota’s is nationally known. The developer said the city could be known as the nation’s park golf capital; he told the Herald-Tribune the revenue from a Ken Thompson Park course would be able to fund free amenities and improvements the city has acknowledged the City Island space needs: More trees, more shade, and more outdoor structures.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Eric Arroyo did not disclose business relationship with developer