NO ONE KNOWS MORE ABOUT THE SARASOTA/MANATEE POLITICAL SCENE THAN THE SARASOTA PHOENIX/NO LOCAL MEDIA "VETS POLITICANS" LIKE THE SARASOTA PHOENIX
Voelker and Rominiecki
ROMIEINCKI/VOELKER CONTROL OF CITY HALL NEEDS TO END
END THE VOELKER/BAR OWNERS ARTS AND CULTURE COALITION WITH ROMINIECKI'S SELBY GARDENS GANG TURNING SARASOTA INTO PARADISE LOST
The THREE BRO'S
With the election of Kyle Batttie and Eric Arroyo joining Hagan Brody on the Sarasota City Commission in 2020---
Chris Voelker’s bar owners, Jennifer Rominiecki’s Chablis and brie crowd at Selby Gardens, Christine Robinson at the Argus Foundation and David Merrill III at the Icard Merrill law firm, who under the watchful eye of the THREE BRO’s puppet master, Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown, THE THREE BRO juveniles headed by Brody turned City Hall into a cash cow for “Pay to Play” developers.
Voelker at her Downtown Sarasota watering hole on States Street where Sarasota Arts and Culture groupies hang out when not at Ronnie Shugar's champaign bar or the Corona Cigar bar.
Battie former part-time greeter and bartender and now City Commissioner
The former then 53 yer old greeter/bartender riding around downtown Sarasota on a bycycle without a legal drivers license bar hopping is now the City Commissioner Battie giving the thumps up to the "Pay to Play" developer - Icard/Merrill attorney David Merrill III at a Agus function.
City Commission elections need to end the political power and influence of downtown bar owners Voelker, Selby Gardens CEO Rominiecki and their cronies at the Argus and Icard/Merrill.
Spectacles like Battie, acting as the Mayor of Sarasota officially opening up the Ybor City based Corona Cigar Bar in Downtown Sarasota where he shares a VIP membership with a major real estate downtown Sarasota operator Ian Black needs to end.
The political influence of downtown Sarasota bar owners at City Hall led by Voelker and the commercialized Selby Gardens CEO Romininiecki has become scandalous and near criminal.
The $128 million waterng hole for local politicians and Sarasota rich and famous social elite to party hardy.
Rominiecki's Selby Gardens has become primarily a gathering place where local politicians and local self proclaimed social elites attend Rominiecki’s gilded age galas
LESS TREES AT SELBY GARDENS—MORE ROOM TO PARTY HARDY
Rominiecki is the same Selby Gardens’ CEO producing the galas for local politicians and the rich and famous, who is accused of destroying trees at Selby Gardens rather than preserving them.
Rominiecki, the Selby Gardens CEO and host of lavish galas for local politicians and the “rich and famous” is accused of destroying 102 trees—including 16 healthy native live oaks and five grand oaks—along with four acres of protected habitat. She claimed Selby was exempt from the citywide grand tree ordinance and of course she won.
Environmentalist and apparently a "recovering arsonists" Jon Thaxton of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF), who spoke for Rominiecki tree cemetary with his wife Dru Greene joining Laurel Stevenson and John Knowles at a Rominiecki Selby Gardens gala..
Rominiecki came to Sarasota from New York City and with support from local politicians, who along with her “rich and famous” backers, Rominiecki turned her $128 million commercialized Selby Gardens into a bayfront venue for politicians and the elite rich and famous of Sarasota to party hardy at her galas.
Rominiecki has put half of her social strivers, who attend Rominiecki's galas at her high-priced watering hole on the Bay onto City of Saarsota advisory board, turning them all into cheap salespersons for Romieincki’s rich and famous social elite.
Brown
Voelker and Romniecki are major reasons why City Hall has become a Shit Show where the FOR-SALE sign was placed prominently up front at City Hall for “Pay to Play” developers to stuff the City Manager Marlon Brown and City Commissioners in their pockets.
A FOR SALE sign which one New York City developer, after working with the City Commission and Brown, remarked that in all his years of handling development projects nationwide, the level of corruption he experienced in Sarasota was the "WORST" he had ever encountered.
Shugar/Clermont/Voelker
VOELKER’S ARTS AND CULTURE COALITION PAC
The Arts and Culture Coalition PAC managed by a trio of Voelker, Dan Clermont and Ronnie Shugar were the major financing part to elect the Coalition's handpicked City Commissioners to seize control of City Hall. The Arts and Culture Coalition PAC is the PAC, which distributed ads blatantly fabricated false profiles of their opponents for the Sarasota City Commission.
Shugar and Voelker serve on the Downtown Improvement District (DID) which was supposed to do things like buy flowers for the baskets on the lampposts and power wash sidewalks. Under Voelker and Shugar, DID has morphed into a marketing enterprise for downtown bars and restaurants and events.
The Arts and Culture Coalition have been heavily financed, endorsed and supported by among others--the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce (Rominiiecki is the present President), the Argus Foundation, the “Pay to Play” developers at Gulf Coast Builders Exchange (GCBX), multimillion dollar local foundations and the Sarasota Observer.
Patrons of Romieincki’s $128 million parking garage amd restaurant have funneled in $thousands to elect Voelker and Rominiecki City Commission endorsed candidates.
In the 2024 and 2026 Sarasota City commission races, 46 individuals associated with Rominiecki's Selby Gardens (either as Trustees., or advisory board membr or named donors) contributed a total of $64,800 to candidates supportive of the Voelker/Rominiecki endorsed candidates.
Fourteen of Selby's affiliated individuals donated a total of $21,300 to the People for Arts & Culture PAC, which is run by Voelker, fellow downtown bar owner Shugar and planning board member board member Clermont. Shugar contribued $25,000 to the PAC.
The former New York security guard and stay-at-home husband Rob Rominiecki enjoying the "good life" with the CEO of Selby Gardens Jennifer Rominiecki as he runs for the Sarasota City Commission
Rominiecki and Voelker are now incredibly promoting Rominiecki's former security guard and “stay- at-home husband” to be a Sarasota City Commissioner where he would join Sarasota City Commissioner Battie—Voelker’s former greeter and bartender at her downtown State Street bar—and others as their allies in leadership positions at the Commission.
Rominiecki campaigning for the City Commission with Battie
Rob Rominiecki is no more qualified to serve as a City Commissioner than Voelker’s former greeter and bartender Battie.
For the first seven months of Rominiecki’s candidacy, he listed no relevant background beyond having worked as head of security at the Guggenheim in New York City, a position he left in 2006 to become a stay-at-home father.
Rominiecki later claimed to have worked as a “museum operations” consultant after leaving the Guggenheim, though that claim appears unverifiable: there is no website, LinkedIn profile, or business registration in New York or Florida. According to this account, his wife has vouched for him and listed him as a “Pro Bono Consultant” at what critics call her “tree cemetery.”
Notably, he was never included in Selby’s appearance before the City Commission, never presented at a board meeting, and two board members reportedly knew nothing of his contributions to the organization.
Rominiecki later claimed to have consulted with the Leonard Reid House and even to have helped “move the house.” Yet, according to this account, the only Leonard Reid board member aware of his involvement was his wife.
Rominiecki does not appear in any Leonard Reid House photos, and his alleged contributions are not acknowledged anywhere, suggesting that many people may be reluctant to cross his wife.
The GHOST candidate Loomis
LOOMIS CONNECTION TO VOELKER AND ROMIEINCKI CAMPAIGN FOR CITY COMMISSION DEMANDS A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
The Brody's GHOST candidate at CCNA forum
The recent disqualification of Sarasota City Commission candidate Jaime Loomis for not living in the City of Sarasota a full year raises serious questions about Loomis being a “GHOST” candidate for Romieincki and DEMANDS a criminal investigation.
Brody
Loomis was totally unqualified City Commission, as witnessed at a recent CCNA City Commission forum was promoted by Voelker and Rominiecki’s waterboy, former Sarasota City Commissioner Brody.
Loomis’s ties to Voelker’s Arts and Culture Coalition PAC and with Voelker’s active support for Rob Rominiecki raises serious questions about Loomis being a “GHOST” candidate for Romieincki and DEMANDS a criminal investigation.
Loomis’s recent statements about her City Commission candidacy raise serious legal and criminal questions about whether she was unwittingly recruited as a “GHOST” candidate to benefit Rominiecki, as another woman candidate to take votes awy from women City Commission candidates, Jennifer Ahearn Koch and Flo Entler.
A criminal investigation should be launched due to ghost candidates, who have been used to aid in recent political campaigns causing serious legal issues in Florida and elsewhere. Individuals have been arrested, convicted, and jailed for this criminal activity.
Bainter
Pat Bainter, who has been involved with Voelker’s Arts and Culture Coalition PAC and Rominiecki’s present campaign, as a powerful longtime political operative based in Gainesville, was recently involved with former Florida Senator Frank Artiles being criminally convicted and sentenced for election campaign violations concerning a "Ghost" candidate in Miami.
Voelker’s Arts and Culture Coalition PAC, who raised $thousands for the the re-election of Battie and Liz Alpert in 2024 paid Gainesville political operative Bainter over $92,000 from the Chris Voelker's PAC.
Bainter's firm is also a vendor for Rob Rominiecki's present campaign. Bainter billed Romieincki $1,500 for his website, according to records on file with the City. No doubt more to come for Bainter in future Romieincki expenditures.
Loomis’s disqualification occurred after City of Sarasota residents made official request that Loomis be disqualified because she was not a legal residence of the City for a full year.
This disqualification came after Loomis candidacy was officially announced by Voelker at a fundraiser for Rominiecki at Sugar’s Champaign bar where a $150 minimum spend requirement per person, per reservation is required.
Shugar along with Voelker and Dan Clermont manage the Arts and Cuture Coalition PAC are supporting Romiiecki for the City Commission.
Loomis after being disqualified stated when asked how she got involved in the city race, Loomis stated that former Sarasota City Commissioner Kyle Battie recruited her.
The Brody's
Loomis also said that Brody, the former City Commissioner who recruited Voelker’s greeter bartender Battie in 2020, had coached Loomis on her developer-friendly talking points before the CCNA forum. Loomis also said that Brody's wife, Maryann Brody was her campaign manager.
Goodman
Local political operative Max Goodman, who is listed as providing printing services for Rominiecki on campaign fillings signed the petition along with Voelker and City Commissioner Liz Alpert.
Harshman
Goodman is ALSO involved with City Commission candidate John Harshman’s campaign. Goodman is also the political operative for Sydney Gruters running for the U.S Congress along with various “Pay to Play” developers handpicked local candidates.
It was revealed that two employees of the City Auditor and Clerk’s office, Miles Larsen and Jamese Johnson, signed Loomis’ petitions. That same office is designated by the Charter as “the election official for the city” and is responsible for administering city records and auditing internal controls to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
This dual role—staff acting as petition signatories while their office is responsible for verifying Charter compliance—raises obvious concerns about both appearance of neutrality and the rigor of the eligibility review.
This incident further highlights the corruption that has plagued City Hall since the CEO of the multimillion dollar commerlized Selby Gardens Romieincki along with Voelker’s Arts and Culture Coalition began financing the Brody-led “Three Bros” slate turning Sarasota city government into a corrupt Shit Show spectacle.
The Gruters and Buchanan's at a Rominiecki Seby Gardens gala
THE POLITICIANS AND SARASOTA RICH AND FAMOUS WHO MAKE ROMIEINCKI BEYOND SCRUTINY BY THE PUBLIC OR MEDIA
Florida State Senator Joe Gruters sponsored “Selby Law” which Rominiecki’s Selby Gardens pay no taxes on their gala garden / tourist trap followed Florida Govrnor Ron DeSantis signing a bill that shields Sarasota's Rominiecki's Selby Gardens from losing full tax exemptivon.
According to the New York Social Diary, “U.S Congressman Vern Buchanan has been a fan of Rominiecki since those early days and, along with a cross-section of Sarasota’s political figures, has helped Selby clear the way for a $128 million major expansion and revamp of Selby Gardens. “
ROMIEINCKI PART OF THE WHITE SOCIAL ELITISTS FOURSOME WHO CALLS THE CITY OF SARASOTA A PLACE CALLED HOME
Emily Walsh president and publisher of the Sarasota Observer Media Group, Roxi Jerde of the Community Foundation of Sarasota, Terri Hansen the former president and CEO of Charles & Margery Barancik
Foundation and Jennifer Rominiecki CEO of Selby Gardens are four prime examples of being among the Chablis and brie social
elitists, who call Sarasota home turning Sarasota into a enclave of welthy white social elitists.
The bar owner Voelker is not part of Rominiecki’s FOURSOME who are proclaimed the "four most women mover and shaker in Sarasota."
Terri Hansen the former president and CEO of Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation with Roberto Cordaro at a Selby Gardens Gala
Emily Walsh president and publisher of the Sarasota Observer Media Group with her husband Sarasota Deputy City Manager Pat Robinson at a Selby Gardens Gala
Emily Walsh is the daughter of Matt Walsh, who from his perch on Longboat Key has turned the Sarasota Observer into a mouthpiece for “Pay to Play” developers by endorsing some of the most ineffective City Commissioners financed by those developers.
Emily Walsh has followed in her father’s footsteps, earning millions in advertising from developers moving into Sarasota, helping turn it into another sprawling community for wealthy retirees seeking sunshine, fine dining, golf, fishing, and other “pleasures of the harbor,” while working-class residents are pushed out by a lack of affordability.
Roxi Jerde of the Community Foundation of Sarasota with Cathy Lawton - Chair of Bay Park Conservancy at a Selby Gardens gala
Jennifer and Rob Rominieckl in the center of others at Selby Gardens Gala
SHUGAR/CLERMONT/VOELKER LED ARTS AND CULTURE COALITION CONTROL OF CITY HALL
The bar owner Voelker unfortunetly for Voelker is not part of Rominiecki’s FOURSOME who are proclaimed the "four most women mover and shaker in Sarasota."
Nevertheless, behind “Foursome” and pushing their Shit Show agenda from their downtown Sarasota bars at DID are Voelker and Shugar, who have been promoting along with others begining in 2015 electing City Commissioners Eric Arroyo Liz Alpert, Battie and Brody.
Brody the No. 1 BRO was the failed local States Attorney and misogynist holding City Hall women officials in a near hostage situation for over two hours.
Shugar
Shugar operates out of his Shugar Champagne Bar in downtown Sarasota with a $150 minimum spend requirement per person, per reservation.
Shugar enjoying some champagne with friends at Selby Gardens 2024 New Years Eve Gala
Clermont when not pushing the agenda on the Planning Board of the "Pay to Play" developers enjoys doing business having a cocktail and cigar hanging out at a establishment called Waterworks, which caters to a high-end clientele, mostly people who own or run a business.
Waterworks owner Robin Jennings wants his business to be a secret unlike Rominiecki who wants all of Sarasota and beyond to know she has politicins and wealthy socal elite wining and dinning at her Selby Gardes gala’s.
Arroyo greeting those attending his Corona Cigar Bar sponsored Mayor's Ball.
The Waterworks is in the City off Orange Avenue where former City Commissioner Eric Arroyo had his infamous Mayor’s Bar Gala sponsored by the Ybor City based Corona Cigar Bar located in Downtown Sarasota
The Waterworks is in the City off Orange Avenue where former City Commissioner Eric Arroyo had his infamous Mayor’s Bar Gala sponsored by the Ybor City based Corona Cigar Bar located in Downtown Sarasota.
Those attending the Corona Cigar Bar sponsored event included Clermont up front in his white suit and New College President Richard Corcoran. There are still tens of thousands unaccounted for from the Arroyo/Atluru/ McCardle unregistered City of Sarasota Foundation.
Also attending the Arroyo event was Heidi Brandt a.k.a Heidi Wells with Jeffrey Koffman. Brandt is a Sarasota County School Board candidate.B
VOELKER AND ROMIEINCKI ELECTION OF THEIR FLUNKY KYLE BATTIE
What is the most scandalous and despicable result of Voelker and Rominiecki involvement in Ciy of Sarasota governing, and politics was theiir involvement in the election and reelection of the most unqualified individual to be a City Commission, Kyle Battie.
Battie was bicycling around downtown Sarasota without a legal driver’s license after reportedly being driven out of Indianapolis over allegations of dog abuse and an apartment eviction when he encountered Brody at Voelker’s bar.
Shaw
Commissioner Brody was looking for a candidate, who could care less about his minority constituents in his Distrct 1 and do the bidding of Voelker’s crony Rominiecki and her rich and famous friends, who wanted to take out City Commission Willie Shaw.
Shaw was the deciding vote on the City Commission denying Rominiecki restore Selby Garden into future tree cemetary and a expensive party water hole venue for Voelker Arts and Culture Coalition and her fellow travelers.
Shaw opposed turning the bayfront site into a $128 million venue for local politicians and their “rich and famous” friends to attend Rominiecki’s galas, arguing that the project was an eyesore that harmed the character of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Thurlow/Hament/Jamess
Brody and his political operatives Gabriel Hament, George Thurlow, and Ed James III, who along with the LGBTQ community are key figures in the Voelker and Rominiecki Arts and Culture Coalition, escorted Battie through District 1 neighborhoods answering questions Battie could not answer about City issues, which was every question asked about City isues.
Brody and his LGBTQ operatives took Battie from his role as Voelker’s bartender and dressed the former Miami Beach model, who later worked as Voelker’s gofer, in expensive suits from his father’s clothing store on St. Armands Key.
Paul “Fredo” Caragiulo, a former Sarasota City and Sarasota County commissioner and Battie supporter, reportedly said, “Battie looks GREAT in a suit.”
Battie impressed the white voters in The Rosemary Distric and Gillespie Park neighborhoods and other selected white enclaves at meet and greet events, while staying clear of and forums with other candidates, which would have exposed Battie being unqualified to be a City Commissioner.
Backed by substantial donations from “pay-to-play” developers, support from Rominiecki’s Selby Gardens circle, and Voelker’s Arts and Culture Coalition, Battie became the City Commissioner who cast the deciding vote to approve Rominiecki’s bayfront venue for Sarasota politicians and their “rich and famous” allies.
Battie before making that vote and a few days after being elected City Commissioner, Battie got drunk at Palm Avenue bar and got “punched out” landing in a gutter after calling out patrons at vthe bar with vulgarity.
VOELKER/ROMINIECKI CONTROL OF CITY HALL NEEDS TO END
END THE VOELKER/BAR OWNERS ARTS AND CULTURE COALITION WITH ROMINIECKI'S SELBY GARDENS GANG TURNING SARASOTA INTO PARADISE LOST
The election and re-election of Voelker and Rominiecki’s bar hopping Battie, their failed States Attorney Brody election, their Brody’s deposed City Commissioner Arroyo and other Voelker and Rominiecki candidates, who together with the latest revelation concerning the Loomis GHOST candidate incident should end the political power and influence of downtown bar owners Voelker, Selby Gardens CEO Rominiecki and their cronies at the Argusand Icard/Merrill.
Jon Susce
The Sarasota Phoenix team is the last media guardian in the Sarasota/ Manatee area and beyond laying bare for all to see how the Sarasota/ Manatee area and beyond is controlled by a UNI Party financed by millionaires and billionaires turning Florida into Paradise Lost..
A
s usual, Jon Susce offers great insightfound nowhere else in Suncoast and State Republican politics." Kevin Wright of the Manatee Republican Liberty Caucus.