Many residents impacted by development, flooding, traffic, environmental concerns, and infrastructure expansion are elderly citizens who deserve the opportunity to be heard. Some no longer drive and must rely on rides from family members, neighbors, or caregivers. Others are working residents who cannot attend daytime meetings without losing wages, using vacation time, or risking employment conflicts.
For many families, evening meetings are the only realistic opportunity for participation.
We are requesting that Sarasota County hold Commissioner Meetings and major public hearings at 6:00 PM so that:
working citizens have a fair opportunity to attend,
family members can assist elderly relatives with transportation,
and seniors who wish to speak are not effectively excluded from the process.

Citizens should not have to spend an entire workday waiting for an uncertain opportunity to address their elected officials. Residents have repeatedly experienced situations where speakers arrived in the morning only to be pushed to the end of the day, or where agenda timing changed unexpectedly, causing many to miss their opportunity entirely.

Public participation should not depend on:

• flexible employment,
• physical endurance,
• transportation advantages,
• or the ability to sit through an all-day meeting.

Our elderly residents built this community. Their voices should not be dismissed or made inaccessible because of scheduling practices that create unnecessary barriers to participation.

Meaningful public engagement means creating a process that working families and senior citizens can realistically access.

County government belongs to the people — all of the people.