Between the years 2001 and 2003, Carolyn Mason became the first female African American to serve as mayor in the history of Sarasota.
First female African American mayor in Sarasota
Federal lawsuit was filed by Newtown activists against the City of Sarasota
In the year 1979, a federal lawsuit was filed by Newtown activists against the City of Sarasota. The plaintiffs were Edward James, William F. Jackson, John H. Rivers, and Sheila E. Sanders. Fred E. Soto, Mayor of Sarasota; Ron Norman, Vice-Mayor; T.J. “Tony” Saprito, Rita Roehr, and William McCullough were the defendants.
The suit sought a judgment against Sarasota’s at-large system that diluted black voting strength. The plaintiffs wanted an injunction to prevent the defendants from holding any other elections under the at-large system. They also wanted the court to order that city commissioners be elected from single-member districts.
Leonard Reid Worked for Mayor Colonel John Hamilton Gillespie
In 1902, Sarasota is incorporated. Colonel John Hamilton Gillespie is elected as the first mayor. Leonard Reid worked for Col. Gillespie and assisted in designing Sarasota’s first golf course and became its first greenskeeper.