Reluctant warrior

The good vibes that soaked the White Buffalo Saloon in Sarasota after country rocker Jo Dee Messina recently played a gig there masked a not-so-good history.

The country-western-themed bar and restaurant, actually, almost never had a history. That's because owner Mike Evanoff, who has run a half-dozen local hospitality and entertainment businesses for 15 years, nearly abandoned the project during a contentious three-month battle with Sarasota County over impact fees. Those fees are taxes municipalities levy to cover a broad range of services, including roadwork near the property, water and sewer lines.

“I decided to open a new restaurant business,” says Evanoff, “and rather than open their arms and say 'thanks, Mike, for doing business here,' I ran into a lot of roadblocks. We were ready to walk away.”