Sarasota and Manatee administrators discuss shared issues

With the population of Sarasota and Manatee counties now exceeding 800,000, officials in the adjoining jurisdictions find themselves talking more and more about the same issues, priorities and concerns.

The line on a map dividing the counties is becoming less distinct as more people reside in one county and work in the other — or have a Sarasota or Lakewood Ranch address that is not in the county they presumed it to be.

On Thursday, a capacity crowd of 250 attended “Regional Impact,” a forum at the Carlisle Inn sponsored by the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, an organization with members in both counties, and the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. They came to hear the guest speakers, the administrators of both county governments.

LWRBA president and CEO Dom DiMaio said both counties share a common interest: growth.