Sarasota Planning Board Member Resigns Over Mask Ordinance

SARASOTA, FL — Sarasota Planning Board member Patrick Gannon resigned from the voluntary position because of the Sarasota City Commission’s decision to let the citywide mask mandate expire, he told Mayor Hagen Brody by email Tuesday morning.

In February, the commission voted 3-2 against a 60-day extension of the citywide mask mandate, which expired Feb. 25.

An effort to revive the mandate also failed in a 3-2 vote at the March 15 commission meeting. Though Commissioner Kyle Battie had a change of heart about the ordinance and a majority voted in favor of bringing back the mandate, at least four votes were needed for the motion to pass.

In Gannon’s resignation letter, he told Brody that his “concerns for public health made (him) unable to support the (commission’s) decision last month to lift the mask ordinance,” noting that he expressed his concerns about the mandate’s expiration “privately, never publicly.”

Serving on the Planning Board for six years, Gannon also said that he “avoided improper communications on matters foreseeably coming before the (board)” without elaborating on specific situations.”

When asked for comment by Patch, Brody said, “I’m busy planning a mass vaccination event this weekend at the Van Wezel (Performing Arts Hall) and have zero time for advisory board drama or nonsense.”

A second-dose vaccination clinic is planned at the arts venue for those who received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at Van Wezel last month.

In response to Gannon’s resignation email, the mayor responded, “Received. Thank you for your long history of service to the City and I look forward to working with you again in the future.”

Gannon served on the Sarasota Planning Board since 2015. He’s also vice president of the downtown Sarasota Condo Association, president of the Suncoast Cannabis Coalition and vice president of Arx Nimbus, according to his LinkedIn page. He also unsuccessfully ran for the Sarasota City Commission in 2017.

“I am proud of that dedicated service and the talented staff, fellow board members, neighborhood leaders and visionary developers that I have been privileged to work with as we crafted balanced approaches to our city’s rapid downtown growth," he wrote in his resignation letter.

Patch reached out to Gannon for additional comments.