Commissioner Hines discusses the status of the county at Rotary Club of Sarasota meeting

On Wednesday, Feb. 24, Sarasota County Commissioner Charles Hines accepted an invitation to attend the meeting of the Rotary Club of Sarasota. Sarasota Rotary, (which currently has 98 members) is an international service club of active and retired business, professional and community leaders dedicated to helping make Sarasota and the world a better place. Commissioner Hines was asked to discuss the status of Sarasota County and answer questions from attendees.

He admitted to the room full of Rotary members that he was actually a Sertoma Club member, but reassured the crowd and received applause after saying, “My smarter and better half, (his wife Susan), is a member of the Rotary Club of Venice. And that his father was also a Rotarian.”

Born and raised in Venice, Charles told the crowed that he attended college at the University of Florida and decided to come back to Sarasota County to raise a family and practice law at his Venice-based firm.

“We are part of this community,” he said. “This is one of the best places to live. It’s a place where most people chose to come and stay.”

During the meeting, Charles addressed the big picture of the county. Charles believes the county is in great shape and outlined recent projects, including the recent $21-million Siesta Key Beach revamp, the new emergency operations center, the Gulf Gate Library and some much-needed road construction; including the Bee Ridge road project.

But for Charles, public safety is his top priority. “Siesta Key Beach was an incredible and awesome project but that project would be meaningless if our residents didn’t feel safe in their homes or going to the beach,” he said. “Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight has done a phenomenal job and under his leadership, the crime rate is down 41 percent.”

Charles also discussed topics like homelessness, term limits, working with the City of Sarasota Commissioners and getting involved locally with politics. “You elect us to solve problems and address issues,” said Charles, “and I would encourage you to become more involved with our local politics – regardless of your party or beliefs. Find out about candidate’s background, experience and why he or she is running, so you can make an informed decision about whom you are electing to lead our community.”

Two audience members stood up with comments to thank Commissioner Hines, including a past commissioner from another city. Commissioner Hines thanked the Roary Club of Saraosta for having him at their meeting and for the privilege of allowing him to serve on the County Commission.