Stepping forward yet again to make up for cuts in social services funding by the Sarasota County Commission, attorney and developer Hugh Culverhouse Jr. has donated $100,000 to Legal Aid of Manasota to help keep pro bono legal assistance available for vulnerable residents.
The donation comes after the commission cut $172,000 in funds to Legal Aid of Manasota for the second year in a row.
Much of that was designated for helping local residents with evictions, foreclosures and other housing emergency cases handled by the agency. Those types of cases are on the rise amid an ongoing housing crisis in one of the most expensive markets in the nation.
“The cuts to Legal Aid of Manasota come at a time when our community needs them the most,” said Culverhouse, CEO and owner of Palmer Ranch Holdings. “Ensuring that those who are struggling have access to legal representation is essential for maintaining fairness and justice. I hope this donation helps bridge the gap left by the loss of public funding and inspires others to donate.”
The donation will make an enormous difference, said Linda Harradine, CEO of Legal Aid of Manasota , which is a court-designated agency providing free legal assistance to about 5,000 residents of Sarasota and Manatee counties every year.
And the donation’s timing couldn’t have been better, she added, given that Hurricane Debby’s flooding has brought even more cases streaming into her offices.
“His generosity will be life-changing for our clients,” she said of Culverhouse.
Legal Aid is the latest program that Culverhouse and his family have helped rescue over the past year following public funding cuts.
More: Who is Hugh Culverhouse Jr. and why does he keep paying for programs the government cuts?
Last month, Culverhouse and his wife, Eliza, announced that they were donating $107,643 to Embracing Our Differences to make up for the loss in support from Sarasota County and the state.
In March, Culverhouse provided a one-time gift of $109,000 to United Way Suncoast for the 211 helpline service to make up for cuts by the Sarasota County Commission.
He also covered a $150,000 shortfall in public funding to maintain the Sarasota County Comprehensive Treatment Court, a program designed to divert individuals with mental health disorders from jails into treatment.
Harradine said she is incredibly grateful for Culverhouse’s gift.
But she hopes that by the next budget season, the Sarasota County Commission will revert to full support for Legal Aid – support that had been in place for more than two decades before the recent cuts.
The cuts to Legal Aid this summer were among hundreds of thousands of dollars that the commission slashed from numerous social service programs serving thousands of area families.
Led by Commissioner Mike Moran and carried out against the advice of its own citizen-led advisory councils, the cuts prompted an outcry from the area’s foundations, which urged commissioners to restore a “transparent process.”
“I don’t think that the county can defer to generous donors like Mr. Culverhouse in the future if they want to provide full services to members of our community who work here, live here, and have kids in our school,” Harradine said.
For now, though, his help is a lifeline.
“He singlehandedly made a huge impact on our community," she said.
This story comes from a partnership between the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Saundra Amrhein covers the Season of Sharing campaign , along with issues surrounding housing, utilities, child care and transportation in the area. She can be reached at samrhein@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Hugh Culverhouse Jr. again covers funding cuts made by Sarasota County Commission
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