During the three months between being selected as Sarasota city manager and her first day on the job, Karie Friling’s focus was to study up on the city’s long-term projects and initiatives that will influence how the city evolves for generations to come.
She wanted to “hit the ground running” with full knowledge of the current state of The Bay park, the city’s affordable housing plans for its First Street property, the downtown master plan update, a reimagined Main Street and the Sarasota Performing Arts Center, among others.
Then came June 2 when, just four days into her tenure, the Florida Legislature upended those plans with its approval of placing a referendum on statewide property tax reform on the November ballot. She was aware of the effort to significantly increase the homestead exemption was a possibility, but it still came as something of a shock…