Former Sarasota County Sherrif Tom Knight is running for Sarasota County Commissioner for District 3. His opponent in August 20th’s primary is incumbent Neil Rainford who was appointed by Governor DeSantis in June, 2023, after Commissioner Nancy Detert passed away. I am writing this post to tell you why you should vote for Tom Knight, a 50 year resident of Venice and former County Sherrif. Tom cares about his community and wants to reign in the unbridled growth we see before our eyes every day. He feels the county should provide the proper infrastructure (roads, drainage, sewer and water etc) before allowing tens of thousands of new homes to be built.
Let’s Learn About Neil Rainford
Rainford is a local business man who was appointed to the Sarasota County Commision on June 9, 2023 by Governor Ron DeSantis. Rainford claims DeSantis is endorsing him in the primary for County Commisioner. DeSantis is not; it’s a bold faced lie. Another thing is Rainford doesn’t even live in District 3 which includes Northport and most of Venice. He lives in North Sarasota, but recently bought a home in the district to keep up appearances. The tax bill for the home is sent to the Sarasota address. I believe that’s what southerners call a “carpetbagger.”
Planning Commission
Rainford served on the Sarasota County Planning Commission from February, 2020 to June, 2023 when he was appointed to the County Commission. He is known to have ties to developers. The list of contributors to his campaign reads like a who’s who of local developers and contractors. During his time on the Planning Commission, he made 221 votes. 220 of them were in favor of developer’s requests. He made one “no” vote: he voted against allowing someone to open a daycare in their home. Does this sound like a guy who has the best interests of county residents in mind?
County Commission
One thing is certain, Rainford likes spending your tax dollars. One of his first votes as a commissioner was to raise the county budget 38%. He also voted in favor of a mega hotel on Siesta Key and gave $12 million of Resilient SRQ money to out of town contractor friends. While this last motion didn’t pass, he made a motion to raise commissioner salaries $10,000 per year to improve “Constituent communications.” The average annual pay for a County Commissioner in Sarasota is $172,824 a year.
He also voted in favor of putting apartment buildings on Albee Road where the orange groves used to be, in favor of the HUGE development on Jacaranda between Center and Venice Avenue (the run-off from which is flooding Chestnut Creek), in favor of the soon to be developed corner of River Road and East Venice Avenue, and in favor of the apartments on 776 near Boca Royale. All of these projects faced massive outcry from county residents, but Rainford rubber stamped his developer buddies’ requests. Does this sound like a guy who has the best interests of county residents in mind?
Rainford’s Funding
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve seen negative mailers and TV ads about Tom Knight that are untrue and unsubstantiated. These are paid for by The Friends of Neil Rainford, a group comprised of developers and their contractors, suppliers and attorneys. Money from other PACs also pays for these negative ads. In total, Rainford and his cronies will spend over $1 million on this primary alone! That’s to reach approximately 20,000 voters! None of his ads list his accomplishments because he consistently votes in the interests of developers. Does this sound like a guy who has the best interests of county residents in mind?
Let’s Learn About Tom Knight
Tom Knight is a law and order type of guy. He was in law enforcement for 34 years with the Sarasota County, Florida Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the City of Sarasota Police Department. He retired as the Sheriff of Sarasota County in early 2021 after being elected for three consecutive terms, the last two without opposition. He’s lived in the city of Venice for 50 years and he, like many others, is concerned with the unbridled growth going on around us. Tom will not rubber stamp developer requests and they know it – that’s why they’re spending over $1 million to smear him. Let’s look at Rainford’s “Claims” About Tom Knight
He’s a Secret Liberal
Tom is a life-long Republican. In fact, he was the Republican Party of Sarasota elected official of the year in 2017. Rainford, who was previously designated “independent,” became a Republican in 2018.
He Worked Against Donald Trump
Whatever you think of Trump, this statement is another boldfaced lie by the Rainford campaign. Tom endorsed Trump twice and will likely do it again. See for yourself.
He Worked Against DeSantis
He did not work “against” DeSantis, he endorsed Adam Putnam in the 2018 gubenatorial primary. Putnam lost and Tom voted for DeSantis in the general election.
Tom Knight Didn’t Enforce Immigration Laws
Tom was one of the first Sherriffs in Florida to work with ICE to deport illegal immigrants. See for yourself. As a County Commissioner, Tom wants to start an illegal immigration task force for Sarasota County. The mission of the task force will be to create a system to collect and report comprehensive information on the presence and activity of illegal immigrants in our county.
Tom Knight is Not Tough on Crime
This one’s laughable. He was a law enforcement officer for 34 years. As Sherriff, Tom reduced crime in our county by 52%. See for yourself.
Tom Knight Lined his Pockets and Got Rich as Sherriff
Tom retired with a sizable pension after 34 years of service. In 1987, when Tom became a law enforcement officer, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at $1,939. In 2021, when he retired, the Dow was at $39,126 – nearly 20 times growth. Pensions invest in stocks, so Tom did good there. His parents also died and left him some money and his wife sold her business. He was never even remotely implicated in any financial scandal, he was just a hard working cop.
Tom Knight Didn’t Protect Children
More “horse hockey” from the Rainford campaign! Tom Knight conducted numerous child trafficking stings as Sherriff. Google it.
He Fought Against the Second Amendment
If you got this far, you probably get the trend; it’s another lie. See for yourself.
In Conclusion
Tom Knight is a guy who will put the best interests of Sarasota county residents first. Not the developers or the contractors or the lawyers, the people who live here and work here. His opponent is not running on his record, he’s running a smear campaign and I hope you, as a concerned voter and Sarasota county resident, will vote for Tom Knight in the primary on August 20 and in the general election. After all, who would you rather have representing you on the County Commission, a 50 year Venice resident with a 34 year history of service to the community or a carpetbagger who rubberstamps every development project he sees? The choice is clear, vote for Tom Knight.