Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s soul is on the line as Republican Primary nears

Sarasota’s Hospital Board elections once seemed like one of the lower-stake matters for a facility with a trauma center. But in the wake of the pandemic, many see upcoming contests as critical to the region’s high-performing institution.

Four seats are up for grabs on the nine-person Sarasota County Public Hospital Board. The contests come two years after three candidates won seats on anti-vaccine platforms and vowed to meddle in the day-to-day affairs of medical professionals at the Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Health Care System. This year, a slate of so-called “medical freedom” candidates has run on a similar platform.

Heading into an Aug. 20 Republican Primary, there are effectively two bundles of candidates.

One wants to preserve the public hospital and have leadership adhere to federal health recommendations and requirements.

That includes incumbents Sarah Wetzler DePeters in at-large Seat 1 and Sarah Lodge in Central District Seat 1. Mote Marine Vice President Kevin Cooper, meanwhile, is running for at-large Seat 2, and retired SMH Executive Director of Women and Children’s Services Pam Beitlich filed for the at-large Seat 3 contest.

On the other side of the debate is a group notably featuring the sister of controversial far-right leader Michael Flynn. America’s Future Executive Director Mary Flynn O’Neill is running for at-large Seat 3. But she’s running with a medical slate including physicians Tamzin Rosenwatter for at-large Seat 1 and Stephen Guffanti for at-large Seat 2, with activist Tanya Parus running for Central District Seat 1.

The anti-privatization field is now counting on some of the extremism animating the party in the wake of 2020 COVID restrictions and mandates being tempered down, as they argue about the importance of maintaining a world-class public hospital in Sarasota.

“Look, at the end of the day Republicans in Sarasota County are sick and tired of living in the COVID-past,” said Max Goodman, a Republican consultant working with the slate. “There is a reason the presidential candidates on the national stage aren’t talking about COVID — they’re looking forward.”

“That’s why the likes of Army Combat Veteran Kevin Cooper and SMH Executive Director Pam Beitlich have shattered every fundraising record in Hospital Board history. It’s why Hospital Board members Sarah Lodge and Sharon Wetzler DePeters are galvanizing so much Republican support. People understand how personal and important quality medical care is for themselves and their loved ones. They also understand that the faux-medical freedom pretenders will put their healthcare at risk. Look no further than their recent proclamation that they would stop the development of the new North Port hospital, a petulant one-finger salute to the residents of South County who don’t want to drive an hour for medical treatment. That’s what’s on the ballot this Tuesday.”

The “medical freedom” slate, meanwhile, has pushed back on being characterized as pro-privatization, a label sparked by a Flynn social media post saying the hospital should consider going private at a time Guffanti was attacking the Board for isolating COVID patients.

“The false accusations aimed at us only highlight the lack of integrity in our opponents’ campaigns,” reads a joint statement issued by Flynn O-Neill and Parus. “Their deceptive tactics, including spreading lies about our position on privatization, raise doubts about their transparency and honesty. We remain steadfast in our commitment to keeping Sarasota Memorial public and accessible to all, and we will not be swayed by their deceitful tactics.”

While the slate has piqued media attention, it hasn’t raised a comparable amount of money against the business leaders and incumbents running a hospital defense message. Flynn O’Neill raised less than $1,000 compared to Beitlich’s nearly $28,000 haul. Parus raised more than $3,500, but Lodge reported more than $23,000 in fundraising.

Rosenwatter has been the most successful fundraiser running on a patient’s voice message, collecting nearly $15,000 to top incumbent DePeters’ total of less than $9,000. Guffanti raised more, almost $20,000, but that was overshadowed by Cooper’s record-breaking haul of nearly $43,000.

Write-in candidates ensured all the August races would be closed to Republican voters. Democrats filed in every seat, and winners of the Aug. 20 races will advance to November. There, candidates will face Democrat Alan Sprintz in at-large Seat 1, George Davis in at-large Seat 3 and Vicki Lynn Nighswander in Central District Seat 1.