Sarasota County, Florida
FACT 2 OF 28
VERIFIEDYour rent eats 56% of your check. Their ~$100 million headquarters has a TV studio.
$100.2M
122,000 sq ft — TV studio, wellness center
Commissioner Smith seconded all three January 31, 2023 resolutions that authorized and financed it — each carried 5-0.
SarasotaCountyFacts.org
Follow the Money. Know the Truth.
See the detailed breakdown
What the ~$100.2 million building could have funded instead
2,691
YEARS
of CNA salary ($33,280 + benefits)
1,552
DOWN PAYMENTS
on median Sarasota homes ($64,500 each)
2,224
YEARS
of food service wages ($37,107 + benefits)
47
YEARS
of the entire county library budget ($2.1M/year)
33
SCHOOLS
worth of annual elementary school operating costs ($3M each)
ZERO
working families who asked for a new admin building
Total project ≈ $100,157,471 (county CIP, FY2024–FY2026). Illustrative of scale; capital and operating funds are not always interchangeable. Passed to BUILD: Jan. 31, 2023 — construction scope (Res. 2023-020) + $75,105,000 appropriation (Res. 2023-022 / B2023-011). Passed to FINANCE: $28,000,000 Series 2023 bonds (Res. 2023-021). Smith seconded all three; each 5-0. 122,000 sq ft, four stories; TV studio + wellness center per general contractor Ajax. Sources: county adopted budget CIP; board minutes Jan. 31, 2023; BLS OEWS May 2024