Supporters highlighted the cultural and economic benefits of a state-of-the-art venue, arguing that a new facility is essential to maintaining Sarasota’s reputation as an arts destination. Many emphasized that the new center could attract world-class performances and expand opportunities for local artists and students.
Critics, meanwhile, expressed concerns about the cost, questioning whether taxpayers should foot the bill for the project. Others worried about the fate of the existing Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and the potential for increased traffic and infrastructure challenges.
Their comments preceded the commissioners’ vote about whether to move forward with an implementation plan from the architecture firm designing the new facility.
After hours of discussion and public comment, the city commission decided it needed more time before making a decision. They agreed to discuss the topic before the City Commission’s first meeting in May, with the possibility of holding a special meeting on the implementation agreement with an architectural firm.
If approved, the city will commit to a $36 million contract with that firm – Renzo Piano Building Workshop – which includes a $3.6 million termination fee should the project be halted.
Suncoast Searchlight captured some of the public comments below:
In opposition – Jose Fernandez
Fernandez urged the city to not go forward with the implementation agreement, saying the project is “driven by an elitist vision” and that there are too many unanswered questions. “The city is not ready to extend this implementation agreement,” he said. “Only after you committed millions of taxpayer dollars will you know whether it will be financially sustainable.” Fernandez also questioned the yearly operating and maintenance costs that would need to be covered by philanthropy. “You can’t be pressured by artificial deadlines to make this decision.”
In support – Cheryl Gauthier
Gauthier said she and her husband moved to Sarasota eight years ago in part because of the city’s array of arts and culture. She urged the city commission to move forward with the agreement, saying a new performing arts center will benefit the whole county and boost tourism. Gauthier also said that she knows many people who “refuse to attend the Van Wezel, or do so reluctantly, for disdain of the venue’s seating configuration and appearance.” If the project stalls now, she said, it could lose momentum at a crucial time: “Please move the ball forward on an implementation agreement.”
I
n opposition – Ron Kashden
Kashden, a Sarasota-based certified public accountant with experience auditing other performing arts centers, said the city can’t afford to cover the costs of the proposed performing arts center. Kashdan, who released a white paper earlier this year projecting that the city would be on the hook for $427.3 million if the county backs out, said the city’s own accounting department shows a deficit of more than $230 million. “I personally think that the city could utilize another hall,” he said. “But you’re looking at this particular proposal, and you need to know, can you fund it?”
In 
support – James Matras
Matras said he has been a resident of Sarasota for seven years but still maintains a home in the Madison, Wisconsin, area, which he notes is about the same size as Sarasota. He said that about 20 years ago Madison built a $350 million civic project called the Overture Center for the Performing Arts that “completely revitalized the downtown area.” Matras, who was a board member for the Overture Center for several years, said that if Madison was able to fund that center mostly through philanthropy then he believes Sarasota can pull off a new performing arts center, as well. “I think we have the support. I think the community is behind this, and I think there’s the money here that we can go ahead with this.”
In support – Michael Klauber
Klauber, a Sarasota resident for over 50 years, said he was one of the founding members of the Bayfront 20:20 effort that built community support for what eventually became the Bay Park Conservancy. He shared some of the history in the formation of that effort before urging the city commission to move forward with the implementation agreement. “Our new performing arts center is not something new. It has been a part of the approved master plan from the very beginning,” he said. “The cultural centerpiece of our unanimously approved master plan includes a repurposed Van Wezel and a new performing arts center.”
In opposition – Killian Hunt
Hunt, a resident of Sarasota’s Broadway Promenade condominiums, shared many concerns, many of which he said he had brought up at a meeting earlier this month. He said he would like to see a more realistic budget and clearer language in the current implementation agreement. He also requested that the city seek an amendment that puts a hard cap on project costs. “While I support the Sarasota Performing Arts’ needs to have a long-term suitable facility to continue the wonderful work in our city, I do not support the seemingly haphazard approach that is evident at this point both on the financial and practical aspects on the proposal and its location north of the canal.”
In opposition – Michael Hassett
Hassett is a city resident who said he supports the center, but that “I’m a numbers guy, and the numbers have got to work.” Right now, he said, he questions whether they work. Hassett said there are “four elephants in the room.” One is the large cost of the project at $407 million. The other is the Van Wezel and what to do with that large city asset. A third elephant is whether there’s a “relevant way to pay for this stuff.” The last elephant, he said, is the involvement of Sarasota County in the funding of the new performing arts center and the risk that it backs out.
In support – Drayton Saunders
Saunders, the president of Michael Saunders & Company, highlighted how the city would be investing in inspiration by moving forward with the implementation agreement and a new performing arts center. He noted another looming community cost — a $700 million project to build a new jail — and how investing in inspiration would have value. “And as much as infrastructure and incarceration are parts of our community, so is inspiration, and this project, the bay front, everything that this engenders for the future of the community lives in that essence of what you can do and what exclusively Sarasota can do.”
In 
support of the SPAC; in opposition of the location – Tim Witz
Witz, a Sarasota resident, said he supports a new performing arts center and noted that the Van Wezel is inadequate to meet the city’s needs. But he said that updated plans to place the new facility near to the 10th Street Boat Ramp will “never work” and, in fact, “be a nightmare,” especially during the years-long construction period. He urged the city commission to rethink the proposed location of the performing arts center. “There’s not room for a building the size of the proposed performing arts center,” Witz said. “Get the SPAC (Sarasota Performing Arts Center) back in the park where the master plan originally positioned it.”
Neutral – Kelly Brown
Brown, a Sarasota resident, highlighted a recent Coalition of City Neighborhoods Association meeting where the CEO of the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation said it would be willing to take over management of the Van Wezel. She also highlighted the Van Wezel’s practice of setting seats aside for the disadvantaged members of the community. She also sought for the new center to maintain that practice. “How do we have some type of a lottery system, whatever it is, to put seats aside for people that can’t afford a ticket to be able to enjoy this beautiful new building, if we move forward?”
In support – Monica Van Buskirk
Van Buskirk said she knows the Van Wezel perhaps better than most, having served first as a volunteer, then a gala chair, then as a board member and finally as its president and CEO. “I know the Van Wezel very well, and I know the building very well. “You’re going to hear a lot of pros and cons about the building,” she said, “but I want to take another approach. I want to talk about milestones and icons.” Van Buskirk then recalled how the Ringling Bridge and Ritz Carlton put Sarasota on the map and likened them to what’s happening at The Bay Park and its proposed performing arts center. She expressed confidence in current members to achieve the goal of a new center.
In support – Kelly Maldonado
Maldonado read a statement for Sally Markell, a former professor in dance education and performance at New York University and the University of Memphis. Markell wrote that she supported a new performing arts center. “We need a performing arts center that is the finest example of architecture, design and comfort,” Maldonado read from the letter. “We need a performing arts center that is itself a work of art, displaying originality and ingenuity. This says, ‘Yes, artistic excellence is valued and important for the city, for the community of Sarasota.’”
In support – Pamela Mones
Mones urged the city to vote in support to continue momentum that has been generated for the project in prior years. “Today is not about standing at the shoreline,” Mones said. “It’s about going deeper into the water, having the courage to take the next step without fear of drowning – the step needed to transform our city from great to exceptional – or be content to be recognized only for our lovely beaches. Today, you must be brave by committing to excellence. … To vote no means there will be no more steps to take, no more data to collect, no more moving forward, no more imagining a stunning performing arts structure for the enjoyment and inclusion of the whole community, city, state and beyond.”
In opposition – Martin Hyde
“Want is not need,” said Hyde, a former candidate for city commission, saying that the performing arts center would be used mostly by white people with all the tax money going to benefit that demographic. Hyde also used a prop stuffed chicken and a real egg, calling it inappropriate to commit to the agreement with the pressure coming from Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation. He called into question the funding sources, noting current state-level political moves that could see property taxes eliminated.
In support – Roy Sorensen
Sorensen was the business agent for the stagehands union in Sarasota, including at the Van Wezel since 1971. He encouraged the city commission to vote yes. “We need a much bigger performing arts hall,” he said, noting that demand is getting bigger, the shows are getting bigger and that Sarasota needs to continue growing. He called the new center an “anchor” for the entire arts community. “I can’t tell you how important it is for you to take that next step.”
In support – Adrian Anantawan
Anantawan, a visiting artist who shared his story as a violinist who was born without a right hand, said he’s been able to travel around the world because of the transformative nature of the arts. He said the new center is a reflection of what Sarasota already is with the arts being able to create dialogues across differences. He spoke in support of the new center.
In support – Stevie Jones
Jones urged the city to support the new performing arts center, saying it will serve as a central hub for fostering social cohesion by providing a shared space for diverse community engagement. As a teaching artist with the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, Jones said he has partnered with staff to deliver impactful art education and mindfulness programs across Sarasota, with a specific focus on historically excluded students and families in Newtown and North Sarasota.
In support – Ken Shelin
Shelin, a former city commissioner, called the implementation agreement a short, simple document that allows for planning for a new performing arts hall. He urged support. He noted the questions that remain but said that doesn’t mean the city shouldn’t move forward. “You have mitigated and minimized that risk by engaging a highly qualified group of people to manage the creation of a new arts venue,” he said, “and the selection of an internationally renowned architectural design firm to design it.”
In support – Arthur Thompson
Thompson, an architect and city resident who lives in Laurel Park, said he moved to Sarasota from Portland, Maine, for one big reason: the active arts community. “The city over the last 30 years has not let us down,” Thompson said. However, he was not happy with the location of the project next to the boat ramp on 10th Street. He said the parking was too far away to be useful. “I was happy to see in the slide show today that extra slide that was added in, and I got confirmation that is being studied, moving the building to the south, and that’s very important, I think, to the long term success of this project on many levels. And I’ll go through those just in support of continuing this search for the best site.”
In support – Joe Boncha
Boncha, a Sarasota resident, urged the city commission to stay on the course and stay on the journey and spoke about the cost of lost opportunity. “I am not a big arts goer,” he said. “I hope to start, but I even though I’m not an arts goer, yet, I see the need – not just a want, but those are the things that drew me, as well, to Sarasota, everything from the Bay the islands, the beaches, the downtown, and you saw the photos of 1000s of people New Year’s Eve. We keep growing as a destination. And so there is a need for something of this size and caliber that meets the issues that the Van Wezel doesn’t address.”
In support – Maria Schaedler-Luera
Schaedler-Luera, a Sarasota-based artist and educator, told the city commission that she supports a new performing arts center, saying it’s more than just a building – it’s a promise that young artists belong, their dreams matter, and their creativity has a home in Sarasota. She emphasized that for students like her daughters, the arts are not just extracurriculars but their reason for going to school, and a new center would reflect their talent and dedication. “Can you imagine what it would mean for them and for all the young people across Sarasota County schools to be able to walk into a brand new performing arts center, to step inside a space that reflects their talent, their dedication and their dreams – a space that tells them they belong, their voices matter, and their artistry has a home in the city? That’s what this is about.”
In support of the SPAC; in opposition of the location – Douglas Ricciardi
Ricciardi said he appeared before the commission as a representative of the professional charter captains of Sarasota. He said he supports the growth of the city and urged commissioners to address the location of the center, particularly with regard to a view corridor agreement that would allow the center to be built south of the boat ramp. “I propose a simple, yet effective, solution – shifting the performing arts center slightly south, like we saw today, away from the boat ramp canal and existing parking lot. This adjustment would protect the views that downtown residents cherish, while also enhancing property values – as a well placed Performing Arts Center can be a cultural asset without diminishing the natural beauty that makes Sarasota special.”
In support – Allison Hunter
Hunter read a letter penned by Rick Levine, a local teaching artist and performer. Levine wrote about his support for the new performing arts center, saying that it will allow “us as artists to give more to our youth.” He said that “a new performing arts center would continue the expansion of Sarasota’s amazing reputation for the arts and self expression, as well as keeping Sarasota as an art mecca for wonderful skills and talents for both children and adults for years to come.”
In support – Christopher Rouse
Rouse said he moved to the area in 1978 with his brother working at the Ringling Brothers Circus when he got into the area’s theater industry. He said the proposed performing arts center would support workers like him by ensuring a more steady stream of shows. “We need year round work,” Rouse said. “You know, loading trucks and moving things around, set up and take down.” He said it was tough this past year when the Van Wezel closed for several months to repair damage sustained from the hurricane.
In opposition – Dan Lobeck
Lobeck, a slow-growth advocate and an attorney, argued against the center, which he called a “half-a-billion-dollar boondoggle.” He also questioned the ability of the SPAF to come up with the $203.5 million needed to meet its obligations for the project. “Your obligations beyond the total public project costs of the building itself are massive and extensive and uncalculated,” Lobeck said. “It’s totally irresponsible to depend on revenue that you have no reasonable assurances of obtaining.”
In support – Estrella Minor
Minor, a Sarasota resident, spoke of her own emotional connection to The Bay Park and a recent visit to the park with her daughter. “Today, I speak in strong support of the new Sarasota Performing Arts Center, a space that will foster creativity, healing and opportunities for families like mine,” Minor said. “In October of 2023, I attended a Mr. Stevey (& Friends) event at the Bay Park with my younger daughter. At the time, I was battling the lasting impact of my childhood trauma, while my daughter struggled to find stability in the wake of my divorce. That day, through art movement, meditation and literacy, I saw her fully present, breathing deeply at peace.”
In support – Marlon Brown
Brown, the city’s former manager, spoke on behalf of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, urging support for the city to move forward with the implementation agreement with the architecture firm. Brown also said that legacy projects require bold decisions, while pointing to prior difficult decisions past commissions took, including capital improvements for the Ringling Bridge and Bobby Jones Golf Course.
In opposition – Kelly Franklin (via Zoom)
Franklin, a Sarasota resident and wife of Ron Kashdan, spoke about the financial costs of the new performing arts center, including how an original plan was in response to the Sarasota Orchestra needs for its own venue. She questioned the Orchestra moving forward with its plans on Fruitville Road and the need for a new performing arts center. “That isn’t to say the arts aren’t critical to Sarasota and that we don’t all value them, but the arts are a business, and it’s not good business practice to invest hundreds of millions of dollars without an identified need, an accurate market analysis, a detailed business plan, a clear financing mechanism and a strategy for sustaining the Van Wezel.”
In opposition – Flo Entler (via Zoom)
Entler, a Sarasota resident, urged the city to hit an off-ramp on the deal, noting how it had increased in cost, while changing in scope. “The project started with four buildings at a cost of $200-plus million,” she said. “Now we’re getting two buildings for $400-plus million.”
Derek Gilliam is an investigative/watchdog reporter for Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom of the Community News Collaborative serving Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.