Sarasota County Commissioners will hold a newly scheduled workshop on Aug. 19 to reexamine the proposed $2.5 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2026 — a move that comes just days after Suncoast Searchlight reported that the county’s growing budget plan could lead to significant shortfalls in coming years.
The decision to add a fifth workshop came Tuesday, after County Commissioner Tom Knight raised concerns during a regular commission meeting about the county’s spending trajectory.
“I’m just not comfortable where we are with our budget,” Knight said. “Our budget is going to go up 20% this year and we saw a historic increase last year.”
He added that raising taxes isn’t an option, saying residents are already suffering “death by a thousand cuts” from insurance hikes and the rising costs of living…