Sarasota city officials, who struggled for months to find some way to persuade the County Commission to extend the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, got their response suddenly last Tuesday.
With little attention, the commission voted unanimously to stop funding the 30-year-old agency by September 2016. The CRA takes the part of tax revenues resulting from higher property values in a specified area and invests it in projects within that district.
The decision to end the CRA — which has helped finance dozens of city projects, including parks, parking garages and beautification programs — continues a widening, troubling rift between the city and county governments.