In a column, Florida Politics publisher Peter Schorsch lambasts the slow-growth organization over their pick’s developer ties.
By Noah Lechtenstein
Original Air Date: June 24, 2026
Host: A high-profile politics watcher and consultant has taken to task community organizer and big-development opponent Lourdes Ramirez for her endorsement of Joe Neunder. The first-term Sarasota County Commissioner has shifted from being a safe developer vote to a skeptic, but now, as he’s running for a second term, the Republican incumbent is facing a Republican challenger. Both do have ties to developers, and both are trying to distance themselves from developers. Noah Lechtenstein reports.
Noah Lechtenstein: With the Sarasota County Commission primary election coming up August 18, it’s only natural that endorsements are starting to be given out. One organization in particular has faced backlash regarding their endorsements. Protect Siesta Key decided to endorse Mark Smith and Joe Neunder—the two incumbents. The non-profit was started by residents, and one of its main goals is to prevent high-density development. The group cited the incumbents’ voting record against what Protect Siesta Key calls “mega-hotels” as the top reason.
Screenshot from Protect Siesta Key’s website
Other reasons listed by Protect Siesta Key included the sitting commissioners’ record on growth management, environmental protection and preservation of the neighborhood character.
But Peter Schorsch, the publisher and political brain behind news website Florida Politics, begs to differ. He dedicated a column last week to Lourdes Ramirez, the president of Protect Siesta Key. His main issue: Joe Neunder’s ties to big developers, questioning why Protect Siesta Key would endorse him over his Republican opponent Jim DeNiro.
Schorsch wrote that a PAC backing Neunder called Conservatives for a Brighter Future received over $50,000—much of it developer money—during his first campaign for county commission in 2022.
During this election cycle, that same Political Action Committee received $20,000 from Benderson Development—a major player proposing big projects on and near Siesta Key, according to Schorsch.
Joe Neunder | Photo courtesy of Sarasota County
Schorsch took Ramirez to task for not bringing this up in the group’s endorsements.
“She could have explained why voters should ignore the developer money sitting right there in Neunder’s own financial reports. After all, the receipts were not whispered in a dark alley. They were pulled verbatim from the Florida Division of Elections. She did none of that.”
We reached out to Joe Neunder but did not receive a response before deadline.
Neunder’s record has moved from being a solid rezone vote towards the other side. In 2023, he voted for the Siesta Promenade—a Benderson project near the key—allowing 414 multifamily residential units and a 130-room hotel.
But more recently, Neunder has been an advocate to rein in the Live Local Act, a state law that allows for dense, affordable housing in low-density areas, overriding local zoning.
Ramirez, a well-known community organizer who has personally taken developers and the county to court—and won—explains why she decided to back Neunder and Smith.
Lourdes Ramirez
Lourdes Ramirez: I’ve seen them both—Dr. Joe Neunder and Mark Smith—really start standing up for the residents. They’ve been there for the residents. They’ve voted against the developments that keep popping up. For me, seeing them over the past 2 years is refreshing.
NL: In his column, Schorsch is downplaying Jim DeNiro’s ties to John LaCivita. LaCivita is DeNiro’s brother-in-law, the CEO of one of the county’s largest construction contractors and an $8,000 donor to DeNiro. LaCivita also gave the maximum amount allowed to Joe Neunder’s campaign back in 2022.
Smith is not running unopposed, either. He faces Kristina Sargent in the Republican primary. Ramirez is outspoken against Sargent. Sargent has said on the campaign trail that the Live Local Act is the law of the land and criticized Smith’s vote, arguing it exposes the county to litigation.
LR: She’s defending the opposite—to allow it and not to fight it. That really is concerning. Between the mega hotels and the Live Local Act we said they are not what we need to support for County Commission.
NL: According to Ramirez, both DeNiro and Sargent have their campaign signs posted on Gary Kompothecras properties. Ramirez considers Kompothecras a nemesis, as the lawyer and developer is trying to build hotels on Siesta Key that go beyond current zoning.
LR: Obviously, we have two county commissioners who have voted against him and his proposal for mega hotels and two candidates who are using his properties to promote their campaigns.
NL: Ramirez has received three “citizen of the year” awards, mostly for her efforts in controlling growth. She won a lawsuit against Sarasota County in 2023 when they approved a rezone allowing construction of a massive hotel on the island. A judge found that the rezoning was in violation of the 1989 comprehensive plan.
Reporting for WSLR News, Noah Lechtenstein.
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