A Sarasota County Commission candidate forum Thursday saw District 2 hopefuls square off over controversial issues facing taxpayers and campaign contributions — with one candidate accusing the other of being bankrolled by developers.
Lone Democrat Ruta Jouniari and Republican candidates Christian Ziegler and Alexandra Coe took questions from Sarasota Tiger Bay Club members about potential paid parking on Siesta Beach, single-member voting and the fiercely-opposed dredging of Big Pass.
In addition, Journiari, who has been outspoken about Ziegler’s motivations for seeking public office, accused him of being “bought by developers” who have contributed to his campaign. Ziegler has raised more than $50K in cash donations- the other two candidates combined have just over $40K.