Hardee County development group CEO outlines 90‑day plan focused on budget transparency, project tracking and placemaking

Sarah Evers, the development group CEO, presented a 90‑day plan to the Hardee County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 16 that she said prioritizes financial clarity, project tracking and community‑focused economic development.

Evers told the board she has identified seven areas of focus for the next 90 days, and said the group will create a public project information hub with a financial dashboard to show fund balances, allocated and unallocated dollars and project budgets. “This dashboard is going to start providing financial snapshots of information that are accessible to our staff, our board, you, the commissioners, and to the public,” Evers said.

The plan, she said, also includes an internal inventory tracking system to monitor timelines, budgets and property‑and‑construction details for each project; a ranking system to prioritize current projects for 2026 planning; and a requirement to produce project closeout reports detailing timeline, budget, risks and cost variances. Evers said the group will not remove projects during ranking but will use the list to guide board workshops and budgeting discussions.

Evers described “placemaking” projects to improve quality of life as an economic development tool, citing a downtown Monticula property, the Rife Harbor Building on Main Street, as a target for recruiting a restaurant tenant. She said the development group will partner with the Small Business Development Center to solicit entrepreneur proposals and vet business plans.

The CEO also outlined governance improvements: annual sunshine‑law, ethics and public‑records training for the Industrial Development Authority board beginning in November, defined onboarding for new board members, and an update to procurement policies to reflect grantor requirements. Evers said the group will issue a monthly newsletter with a CEO update and develop standardized talking points for each project to ensure consistent messaging to commissioners and the public.

Commissioners responded positively but recommended moving from monthly full public updates to quarterly presentations while retaining monthly one‑on‑one briefings between a commissioner and an IDA board member. Commissioner comments urged focus and cautioned the staff to prioritize achievable items given current staffing levels.

The presentation concluded with Evers describing community initiatives the development group will pursue in 2026, including a quarterly business check‑in program with the SBDC and workforce partners, a program to support homebuyers with closing‑cost and down‑payment assistance, and formation of a “community committee” of emerging leaders ages 25–45 to generate ideas and initiatives for the development group and commissioners.

Evers invited further feedback from commissioners about the cadence of public updates and said her office is open for additional discussion.