Sarasota commissioners reject deal to buy Main Street lot for justice center

Sarasota County commissioners on Tuesday afternoon generally supported — but not widely enough to approve — the purchase of six-tenths of an acre in downtown Sarasota in support of the county’s Correctional Campus Master Planning project.

Needing four of five commissioners to vote in favor of spending $4.87 million for the land at 2100 Main St., Commissioners Tom Knight and Joe Neunder voted against the proposal.

Selling price — or more specially, the gulf between county and land-owner appraisals — was a key driver of the dissent. Knight also voiced concerns over a planned fall 2026 referendum on the overall project and county options for the land if voters rejected the measure.