Steven Cover will join the City of Sarasota as the new planning director on Wednesday, April 12. Cover's appointment follows an extensive hiring process involving a national search and community input. A seasoned urban planning and community development professional, Cover is relocating to Sarasota from Arlington County, VA where he is the Director of Community Planning, Housing and Development. During his distinguished career, he  has served in senior leadership planning positions in Atlanta and Madison, Wisconsin with a strategic focus on long range comprehensive planning, zoning code development, economic development and transportation. In Madison, he developed the city's first Transportation Master Plan, which emphasized multi-modal alternatives. His vast experience extends into envisioning and implementing housing initiatives and CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) programs. A former principal at an urban planning firm, Cover uniquely understands the inner workings of both the private and public sectors and the benefits of collaboration and building relationships between the two. In Atlanta, his private sector team secured top honors in an international architecture competition to design the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

City of Sarasota