The board appoints Joe Neunder as chair. How will he wield the power of the gavel?
By Johannes Werner
Original Air Date: December 13, 2024
Host: The Mike Moran era is over. This Friday morning on the sunlit top floor of the Benderson Finish Tower, the five Sarasota County commissioners — including two new ones — unanimously picked a new chairman. Moran’s successor is not the longest-serving member; it’s the commissioner who has voted with him most consistently.
Johannes Werner: The pick of the next Sarasota County Commission chair went down in a matter of 30 seconds.
Joe Neunder, who was first elected two years ago, took the gavel for the next year. Teresa Mast, one of two new commissioners at the table, moved to nominate him. Ron Cutsinger, who has been on the board for four years, seconded the move.
Joe Neunder, directing the meeting.
Joe Neunder: I guess at this point, we have the will of the board. Any nominations for the position?
Teresa Mast: I have a nomination.
JN: Yes, Mrs. Mast?
TM: Commissioner Neunder to be our chair.
Ron Cutsinger: Second.
JN: Okay. We have a first and a second, any discussion on that? Any thoughts or ideas? Anybody else? No? Okay, well then I graciously accept. Thank you for your confidence, I look forward to working and serving with all of you this coming year.
JW: Just before the meeting, Mast, Cutsinger and Neunder spent a few minutes together in a small room curtained off from the meeting space.
Wearing a black-and-yellow Buffalo Sabres jersey, Neunder seemingly enjoyed himself during the meeting on the fifth floor of the glass tower. He kept the meeting running fluidly, he projected his Puerto Rican roots by suggesting the pre-meeting silence be filled with salsa, and he joked with fellow commissioners and staffers during the whole process. He repeatedly intervened when issues came up affecting people in his Venice district.
The strategic retreat meeting on the fifth floor of the Benderson Finish Tower.
But how will Neunder use the gavel when it comes to policy? The tenure of his predecessor, Mike Moran, was marked by controversial votes for big developments in the county’s rural east and on Siesta Key. It was also marked by micromanagement of funding and cutbacks for social service and arts organizations, and by red-meat culture war issues and votes. Neunder generally voted along with Moran and his agenda.
Joe Neunder, whose mother is from Puerto Rico and taught her son to speak Spanish fluently, describes himself as a conservative Republican. He says he believes in “small government, low taxes, balanced budgets, respect and support for law enforcement and first responders, and protection for the natural beauty that surrounds us”.
He came up through the Sarasota County system by serving on the Planning Commission, generally as a reliable vote for developers. He also served on the Venice City Council.
A chiropractor, Neunder runs his own business in Venice, where he has raised three children. A Buffalo, NY native, Neunder moved to Florida as a teenager. He competed on the Venice High School swim team, as well as with Swim Florida, and graduated from Pine View School.
During and after a historic storm season in Sarasota, Neunder made it a point to reach out to homeowners affected by flooding and to neighborhood associations.
Stay tuned.
Reporting from the Benderson Finish Tower for WSLR News, this has been Johannes Werner.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.