Who is running in the Sarasota County Commission District 4 primary? Republicans share their views

Former Venice City Council member Joe Neunder and home remodeling contractor Mark Hawkins are vying for the Republican nomination for the Sarasota County Commission District 4 seat.

The victor of the Aug. 23 primary will face Democrat Daniel Kuether in the general election for the District 4 seat held by Commissioner Alan Maio, who is precluded by term limits from running again.

Neunder served on the City Council from November 2019 until June, when he resigned from the post. He said he wanted to avoid a potential conflict between the two elected offices, since state statute forbids a public official from holding two offices at once.

Aside from his work on the council, Neunder operates a solo chiropractic practice in Vamo called Sarasota Spinal Mechanics. A graduate of Pine View School, he lives in North Venice with his wife and three sons.

Hawkins owns Hawk's Nest Construction in Sarasota. He has two children and seven grandchildren and lives on Phillippi Creek.

Background: Home remodeling contractor Mark Hawkins running for Sarasota County Commission

Related: Venice City Council member Joe Neunder running for open Sarasota County Commission seat

Meet the candidates: Who is running for local, state and federal offices in the Sarasota-Manatee area?

Hawkins ran for the County Commission in 2010 as a Democrat, losing to former commissioner Nora Patterson. He switched to the Republican Party and won a seat on the county Charter Review Board two years later.

Hawkins and Neunder have also both served on the Sarasota County Planning Commission.

Neunder has far outraised Hawkins, as his campaign has received, as of July 29, $124,620 in donations, $10,000 of which he loaned himself. Hawkins has raised $12,570. He has also given $20,000 of his own money to his campaign.

In recent interviews with the Herald-Tribune, the two candidates shared their views on Siesta Key hotel projects, affordable housing and several other topics. Their opinions on a few issues are provided below.

Siesta Key hotels

The County Commission approved two highly controversial hotel projects last year, one in Siesta Key Village and the other on Old Stickney Point Road. The commissioners also removed the cap on the number of hotel rooms that can be built on an acre of land in Sarasota County.

Hawkins said he is opposed to large, luxury hotels on Siesta Key.

“It’s not the nature of the place,” he said. “The nature of the place is a village.”

Hawkins disapproves of the decision to remove the cap on the number of hotel rooms. He noted that the the island doesn't have the capacity to handle the increased traffic that large hotels would bring.

Asked how he would approach future Siesta Key hotel projects seeking approval by the commission, Neunder emphasized the importance of public input. He said that when he considers development projects, he looks at their density, intensity and compatibility. He also considers whether the projects are “safe for the health and wellness of your community and citizens.”

As to whether he approves of the commission’s decision to eliminate the hotel room cap, Neunder said that he doesn’t have all the information on the matter.

“I don’t have all the public testimony, the emails, to give you a really straightforward, honest answer,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to say something that is not well-researched.

Affordable housing crisis

Hawkins said workforce housing will be one of his main priorities as a commissioner.

“I’m not going to wait five years and kick the stone down the road a little bit,” he said.

He said that as soon as he is sworn into the post, he would set up meetings with the county administrator and with local experts on affordable housing.

Hawkins approves of the idea of giving developers incentives, such as density bonuses, when they build affordable housing.

Neunder said all the stakeholders in affordable housing – such as developers and the county’s major employers – need to come together and come up with solutions to the housing crisis.

He said that he has built relationships with various community leaders over the years, and he would capitalize on those relationships as he tries to bring more affordable housing to the county.

Neunder also said he is interested in the concept of inclusionary zoning, which is when developers are required to set aside some units in a building or complex as affordable units when they build in certain areas. The developer would be given incentives for providing these units.

Proposed secured treatment facility for inmates

Sarasota County officials have, for a few years, been edging toward a proposal to address overcrowding at the county jail.

Officials from the Sheriff's Office and Sarasota County Department of Human Services are proposing a secured annex building that would focus on reentry, mental health and substance abuse programming.

Wayne Applebee, senior manager of Human Services, told the Herald-Tribune that officials are aiming to present a proposal to county commissioners by September. Even if the proposal is presented this fall, Applebee said it would take years before the project would come to fruition.

The expected cost to build the new facility is also expected to surpass the county's current bonding limit of $25.8 million, meaning the county would need to hold a voter referendum on it.

When asked if he would support getting the wheels in motion on the project, Hawkins said he would support the annex plan “100%.” He noted that when people are struggling with several different addictions, their family members aren’t able to help them.

“If you had this annex where people could go and they could get some help – what a great idea,” he stated.

Neunder said that as a commissioner, when tasked with any issue involving law enforcement or jails, his first call would be to Sheriff Kurt Hoffman.

“I’m all in favor of supporting the sheriff and trying to give him every resource possible to make our community healthier and safer,” he said.

Neunder said the annex proposal “in theory, sounds really good,” but he noted that the county’s citizens would have ultimate authority on it, as they would vote on the matter in a referendum.

Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Joe Neunder, Mark Hawkins face off in Sarasota commission District 4