At its May 18 meeting, the City Commission held an almost two-hour discussion on the future of the Downtown Sarasota Master Plan. At the conclusion of that discussion, the Commission voted unanimously to pause — or, as it was described during the meeting, suspend — work on the plan for the time being.

The Downtown Master Plan effort began with the seating of a 13-member ad hoc committee in April 2025. The committee was created to help guide the process and assist with the selection of a consulting firm to prepare the updated plan.

After a series of procurement complications, only one firm remained under consideration. The Master Plan evaluation committee had recommended moving forward with negotiations. However, significant community concern developed over the transparency of the process and how the selection evolved. DSCA was among the organizations expressing concern, along with other community stakeholders, including the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, CCNA, and the Argus Foundation.

Rather than proceed immediately with the remaining firm, the City Commission chose to pause the project and take a closer look at the process. With incoming City Manager Karie Friling expected to be involved in reviewing next steps, further consideration will now likely wait until at least July. At this point, it is unclear whether the ad hoc committee will be dissolved or continue in some form.

DSCA views the pause as unfortunate, given the importance of the Downtown Master Plan to the future of downtown. At the same time, given what had transpired, there was broad concern that proceeding under the circumstances could compromise the perceived value and credibility of the final work product. For that reason, DSCA believes the Commission made the right call. DSCA will continue to follow this closely.