It is the desire of the City Commission to foster and encourage the growth and development of the City of Sarasota in a manner that ensures all persons have an equal opportunity to live free of discrimination. The Human Relations Board was established to promote and encourage fair treatment and equal opportunity for all persons. It provides a process for a person to file a complaint of discrimination with the Board in the areas of employment, housing or public accommodation. The City of Sarasota’s Human Relations Board’s conciliation/hearing process may help you if you believe you have been discriminated against.
For more information refer to the City’s nondiscrimination Ordinance No. 16-5178 and general information on the complaint process, below.
For assistance, you may contact Stacie Mason, Director of Human Resources, or Jake Brown, ADA Coordinator, at 941-263-6299. You can also visit us in the City Hall Annex Building at 1565 1st St, Room 300, Sarasota, Florida 34236, or email the ADA Coordinator at ADACoordinator@sarasotafl.gov.
If you visit us – The Annex Building is located on City Hall property and borders Orange Avenue.
Help Against Discrimination
The City of Sarasota prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodation for the following Protected Classes:
- Age
- Color
- Disability
- Gender
- Marital Status
- National Origin
- Race
- Religion
- Sexual Orientation
- Veteran Status
The City of Sarasota has a law that provides a way to address discrimination informally through a conciliation/ public hearing process. The goal of this process is to resolve discrimination complaints without having to go to court. Should conciliation fail to resolve the issue, a public hearing is also available.
If you are in a protected class and believe you have been discriminated against in the areas of employment, housing, or public accommodation you may qualify for help. The alleged discrimination must have occurred within the city limits of Sarasota and must have occurred within 90 days to qualify for help.
You may be eligible to use this process if you meet the pre-qualifying guidelines described below.
Pre-Qualifying Questions
Please answer the following five pre-qualifying questions to see if this process may help you:
- Do you believe you have been discriminated against regarding employment, housing, or public accommodation?
- Do you believe this alleged discrimination was because you belong to one of the protected classes in the list?
- Did this alleged discrimination occur within the city limits of Sarasota?
- Did this alleged discrimination occur within the last 90 days?
- If you file a complaint, will it be the first time you have filed a complaint for this claim of alleged discrimination?
- Have you filed your complaint with another agency?
If you answered Yes to each question you may be eligible for help through the conciliation/public hearing process. You may wish to file a complaint with the City’s Human Relations Board.
The goal of the Human Relations Board is to provide early intervention into complaints of discrimination that result in resolutions mutually agreeable to the complainant (the person making the complaint) and the respondent (the person or company being complained against).
By offering a way to resolve complaints informally through conciliation, it is anticipated that most cases will not reach the formal hearing stage.
The Steps of the Complaint Process
- A complaint must be filed in writing on a Human Relations Board complaint form for either employment(PDF, 92KB), housing(PDF, 94KB) or public accommodation(PDF, 92KB). The complaint form can be completed manually, then mailed or hand-delivered to Human Resources.
- Upon receipt by the Human Relations Board, the complaint will be logged in and reviewed by City administration to ensure it meets the criteria of the ordinance.
- If the complaint does not meet the criteria of the ordinance, the complainant will be notified and the case will be closed. The complainant may be referred to another agency. If the complaint meets the criteria of the ordinance, the complainant will be notified. The respondent will be sent a copy of the complaint and will be asked to complete a response form.
- The respondent files their written response to the Human Relations Board.
- The complainant and respondent will be referred for a conciliation meeting.
- A qualified conciliator holds an informal meeting with both parties to try to resolve the complaint. The parties will enter into a conciliation agreement.
- If conciliation resolves the complaint and the Human Relations Board approves the conciliation agreement, the case is closed.
- If conciliation does not resolve the complaint, a public hearing is scheduled before the Human Relations Board. At this point, each party has the opportunity to tell their story, witnesses may be called, etc. After hearing the case, a majority vote of the Human Relations Board is required to determine if there is reasonable cause that an act of discrimination has occurred.
- If no reasonable cause is found, the case is dismissed.
- If reasonable cause is found, the complainant may request a right to sue letter from the Human Relations Board. The complainant may proceed, at their own expense, to file a lawsuit in the Circuit Court seeking monetary damages.
- Involvement by the Human Relations Board normally ends at the point of either the case being closed or issuing a right to sue letter.
Complaint Forms
Ordinance
Resolution
File a Complaint
If you feel you have been discriminated against in housing, you may file a housing discrimination complaint at 1-800-669-9777 (Toll Free) or 1-800-877-8339 (TTY) or locally:
Fair Housing Advocate
Jake Brown, City Hall Annex Room 300
1565 1st St.
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: 941-263-6299
Fax: 941-263-6336
jake.brown@sarasotafl.gov
Filing a Charge
If you believe you have been discriminated against by an employee, labor union or employment agency when applying for a job or while on the job because of your race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age or disability, or believe that you have been discriminated against because of opposing a prohibited practice or participating in an equal employment opportunity matter, you may file a charge of discrimination with the City of Sarasota.
Charges may be filed in person, by mail or by telephone by contacting the Department of Human Resources. To avoid delay, call or write beforehand if you need special assistance, such as an interpreter, to file a charge.
There are strict time frames in which charges of employment discrimination must be filed to preserve the ability of the City of Sarasota to act.
For more detailed information regarding the following acts, please contact the EEOC office nearest you.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII)
Charges must be filed with EEOC within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act. However, in states or localities where there is an anti-discrimination law and an agency authorized to grant or seek relief, a charge must be presented to that state or local agency. Furthermore, in such jurisdictions, you may file charges with EEOC within 300 days of the discriminatory act, or 30 days after receiving notice that the state or local agency has terminated its processing of the charge, whichever is earlier. It is best to contact EEOC promptly when discrimination is suspected. When charges or complaints are filed beyond these time frames, you may not be able to obtain any remedy.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The time requirements for filing a charge are the same as those for Title VII charges.
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
The time requirements for filing a charge are the same as those for Title VII and the ADA.
Equal Pay Act (EPA)
Individuals are not required to file an EPA charge with EEOC before filing a private lawsuit. However, charges may be filed with EEOC and some cases of wage discrimination also may be violations of Title VII. If an EPA charge is filed with EEOC, the procedure for filing is the same as for charges brought under Title VII. However, the time limits for filing in court are different under the EPA, thus, it is advisable to file a charge as soon as you become aware the EPA may have been violated.