Former Sarasota City Commissioner Erik Arroyo | Photo provided by the City of Sarasota

Sarasota taxpayers will cover the $10,285 legal bill racked up by former City Commissioner Erik Arroyo while defending himself against three ethics complaints filed during his time in office.

City commissioners voted 4-1 on Monday to approve the reimbursement. The complaints, filed by three local residents, accused Arroyo of using his elected position to promote a project without disclosing his business ties to it.

Vice Mayor Debbie Trice cast the lone dissenting vote. She said she was uncomfortable asking taxpayers to pay for what she viewed as Arroyo’s poor judgment.

“So even if somebody acts foolishly,” Trice asked, “we’re on the hook for their legal fees?”

The issue stemmed from a February 2024 commission meeting where developer Jeff Koffman presented a proposal to convert Ken Thompson Park into a Park Golf course. Arroyo had requested the item be added to the agenda and cast the deciding vote to send it to a city advisory board for further review.

A month later, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune revealed Arroyo had undisclosed business connections to a company affiliated with Koffman’s Park Golf enterprise. Following a recommendation from then–City Attorney Bob Fournier, Arroyo recused himself from future votes on the project, which was later withdrawn.

City staff recommended approving Arroyo’s reimbursement, citing a state law that requires local governments to indemnify elected and appointed officials for actions taken while performing their public duties. Staff also noted the Florida Commission on Ethics ultimately dismissed the complaints.

Fournier, who returned to City Hall this week to speak on the matter, explained that both state law and the city charter require reimbursement when an official’s actions are part of their public role and serve a public purpose. He warned that ignoring such protections could discourage people from running for office.

He also noted that the Ethics Commission had dismissed the case because the complainants lacked “personal knowledge” of the alleged ethical violations — a requirement under recent changes to state law — and therefore he recommended the city pay the bill.

In her dissent, Trice said that the developer had other options for presenting the project that didn’t involve Arroyo and said she wished Arroyo had disclosed the conflict from the outset.

Jen Ahearn-Koch also expressed frustration with the situation but said she ultimately found no legal basis to oppose reimbursing the fees.

“I find this a very unfortunate situation that we are in,” Ahearn-Koch said. “The attorney has recommended that we really are required by law to reimburse him and I’m going to heed that warning.”

Derek Gilliam is an investigative/watchdog reporter for Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom of the Community News Collaborative serving Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.