Annual Land Owners Meeting Coming in June

I've always wondered how WVID Supervisors are selected and elected. I also have never seen a slate of candidates or a ballot form, or been asked to give my vote in the four years that I have been a property owner in the District.  Each year, the District "elects" one new Supervisor to the five member board to serve a four year term. So, just how does the voting work? Well I did some homework this weekend and found out.

Becoming a "candidate" for District Supervisor is easy. The State charter for the WVID states simply in one sentence: "Following the initial election of supervisors in order to be eligible for election, a candidate for an office of supervisor shall be required to file a written notice of intention to be a candidate in said office of the district at least 30 calendar days but not earlier than 90 calendar days before but not including the day of the annual meeting of the landowners."

The actual election of a new Supervisor each year is not done at the polls by ballot in the way most of us are accustomed to electing our public representatives. Instead, the voting is done more like the election of officers within a corporation. It happens at the Annual Meeting of the WVID where land owners assemble and votes are given physically (in person or by proxy) during the meeting.

As the owner of one residential lot (any portion of 1 acre) within the district, I have one vote to make at the annual meeting. Pulte Family Homes as the owner of about 650 acres of undeveloped land within the IslandWalk village has about 650 votes. Gran Paradiso, LLC (Sam Rogers) has about 900 votes for the undeveloped acreage within the Gran Paradiso village. The Sarasota Hospital Board has about 135 votes for their acreage around the South County Resource Center. And, Fourth Quarter Properties (Stan Thomas) has about 6,500 votes for all the rest of the undeveloped acreage within the WVID boundaries.

So, if you want to cast your 1 vote you must be physically present at the Land Owners meeting in June, or give your written proxy to someone who will be there to give your vote for you.  If you want to be a candidate for Supervisor just send a letter to the District Manager's office declaring your candidacy. The only requirement is that you be a US citizen! And, if you want to get elected, contact Stan Thomas, because it is his vote alone that will decide who is "elected" as the new Supervisor this year!