When it comes to family, I am a traditionalist. I believe in the tradition of loving parents and meals together at the end of each day. I thinks it’s good to fight with your spouse. Not to correct a mistake, but because the marriage is that important. Marriage is hard. That is why so many people get divorced. If two people are willing to make the commitment, then I support them. Pam Bondi is no longer doing her job by appealing the ruling on marriage equality. She is campaigning. She is pandering to a base that is fast becoming irrelevant.

Our homeless problem is not a “homeless” problem. It is an addiction and a mental illness problem. It is a County problem and a City problem. It is an “us” problem, not a “them” problem. It says more about who we are then it says about who they are.

The government we have is terrible. People who don’t vote allow bad people to win an election. Those of us who do vote are tired of working hard to get you to eat your vegetables. Stop whining about being disenfranchised. Grow up. Take a seat and sit down at the table.

Common Core, No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top and now the Florida Standards do not keep the parent out of the classroom. Ninety-nine percent of parents would prefer not to be in the classroom. When we are, it’s because there is a problem. And the problem is never over whether little Tommy can recite the constitution. If a parent is not involved in their child’s education, it is because they chose not to be, not because some federal funding prohibits them from being there. The only thing I ask is that who we hire to teach our children and make decisions about what they are being taught are actually people who are educated in their field of study, not a politician who will say whatever sound bite will get them elected.

History, like science, is factual. It is not subjective. Art is subjective. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean I get to rewrite it. And neither do you.

Marijuana is no more dangerous than tobacco and alcohol. Responsible adults should be able to decide for themselves how to regulate its use. And a licensed physician should be able to prescribe marijuana to a patient if that is what the treatment calls for without retribution. Stop making people break the law when it comes to easing the pain of a disease.

Sea Level rise has occurred faster in the past century than in the thousands of years before. It should not take a scientist to figure out that we need to try and do something to slow it down.

Our future will be defined not by our past but by those of the future who do not carry our baggage or our water. My hope lies in the generation of my child and those that grow up with him, for they have yet to make their mark, yet to become apathetic, and yet to whine about how they are so misunderstood. Our problems are not their problems. I would like to keep it that way. 

SRQ Daily Columnist Susan Nilon is the president of Florida Talk Radio and owner of WSRQ Radio. She hosts The Nilon Report on WSRQ Sarasota 1220AM/106.9FM weekdays 4pm-6pm. Email her at susan@sarasotatalkradio.com.

There is concern in our community that is driven by a misconception regarding the 2050 plan and residential capacity in unincorporated Sarasota County. This leads some to ask: “If there is plenty of capacity for new homes within the Urban Services Boundary, why do we need to create neighborhoods east of I-75?”  Residential capacity, from a technical standpoint, is designed to serve as an indicator as to whether or not there is enough residentially designated land to serve the projected increase in demand over the next 10 or 20 years, depending on the geographic focus. Anything less than 100 percent would indicate there is not enough potential supply to meet anticipated demand. Generally speaking, then, capacity is good.

In terms of residential capacity, the role of the County is to ensure that enough potential capacity exists to meet anticipated demand. The question is typically not one of degrees, but one of yes or no. Residential capacity analysis is a tool intended to alert the County if it is falling behind in its responsibility to ensure adequate potential supply.

It would be flawed logic to assume that 100 percent of the potential capacity will actually end up as a housing unit or that it would be desirous to have such a scenario unfold.

In a 2011 evaluation and appraisal report, Sarasota County noted that over 50 percent of the vacant parcels potentially available for residential development didn’t have central water and/or sewer. There are areas within the Urban Service Boundary that are devoid of some of the same infrastructure requirements that would be incumbent upon 2050 development.

For 2050 development, much like with most projects within the USB, the infrastructure needed is required to be funded by the development itself. However, there are areas within the USB where the County has planned infrastructure upgrades that a developer could incorporate into a project. Thus within the USB, the responsibility of who pays for infrastructure is less definitive. In either case, it is the financial feasibility of a project that will ultimately trigger its undertaking. The lack of infrastructure that exists within certain areas inside the USB can serve as a significant disincentive to infill development because of the resulting impact on a project’s financial feasibility.

In a separate measure, within the same report, it was concluded that 70 percent of the potential residential units available were located within a coastal high hazard area, a special flood hazard area or a riverine system. For a number of reasons, those conditions affect their potential to actually become residential units. However, we must also, as a community, consider if we truly want to rely on them doing so. Homes built in those areas must adhere to development-specific conditions that eventually add significant cost on to the final price. Moreover, insurance premiums associated with these units would be considerably higher due to the inherent risk associated with the location.

Aside from direct cost-specific concerns, which would be very taxing on young workers, families and median income households, there exists a number of safety-related concerns that could make development in these areas significantly less desirable to builders, buyers and taxpayers. A workable 2050 plan would allow development in areas where homes are more affordable for the average taxpayer, safer for their families, and safer for their investment.

Regardless of the technical aspects, it is critically important to note and understand that the residential capacity analysis is not intended to create or define the housing market. It wouldn’t make sense to depend on real homes to meet imaginary demand or imaginary homes to meet real demand. Solely relying on a residential capacity analysis to guide future planning would likely create such a condition.  

SRQ Daily Columnist Kevin Cooper is the vice president for Public Policy and Sarasota Tomorrow Initiatives for The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce

Center for Architecture Sarasota is recognizing landmark buildings this month as part of their Archtober celebration of design and architecture. We'll be sharing a few buildings from their series in the upcoming weeks. Below is the Scott Building, future home of Center for Architecture Sarasota UF CityLab-Sarasota.

Located in downtown Sarasota at 265 S. Orange Avenue, the Scott Building is a significant surviving example of commercial architecture that was completed during the period of time that has since become known as the Sarasota School of Architecture. Award-winning and nationally recognized architects William Rupp and Joseph Farrell designed the structure in 1960. Their legacies as important masters in the Sarasota School of Architecture remain preserved in this building, one of the last remaining commercial or public projects in Sarasota designed by either of the architects.

Rupp and Farrell were commissioned by Clarence Scott in 1959 to design a commercial building that would serve as the new showroom for the Barkus Furniture Company and which also would include three separate units that could be leased as offices. Scott was interested in incorporating new technologies, such as precast concrete roof panels, and Rupp and Farrell were able to satisfy this request beautifully. The building is a one-story commercial structure designed in the International Style with a flat roof and open floor plan. The space measures approximately 7100 sq. ft., and features a precast concrete structural system with terrazzo floors and exposed masonry, supports, and columns. There is a 7 foot overhang on Orange Avenue, and 9 foot overhangs on Morrill Street and the north side of the building to protect the openings. The overhangs feature articulated precast hollow “I” sections developed by Farrell.

Please follow us as the Scott Building becomes the new Center for Architecture Sarasota in 2015. Center for Architecture Sarasota is a 2014-15 SRQ Story Project partner. 

Motivated by its commitment to maximize the value of every donation provided by the community, Goodwill Manasota is implementing a new operation to recycle, refurbish, and sell donated computers and equipment. Upon rollout, Goodwill Manasota will be offering complete, working computers, as well as functional hardware for those who are interested in building, repairing, or enhancing a computer of their own. The program will kick off with a pilot trial at the Goodwill Manasota store located at 5150 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Refurbished laptops and desktops, as well as components and peripherals such as monitors and keyboards, will be available for sale beginning October 15. In addition to offering this new program, Goodwill will also provide digital literacy tools for customers through the Microsoft Digital Literacy curriculum, which will be included on the personal computers Goodwill refurbishes. Goodwill Manasota is recognized as a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher - this free software is provided by Microsoft and serves as part of the package under the new program. 

Goodwill Manasota

For the second year in a row, Sarasota Opera will offer its popular “Understanding Opera” seminar series open to anyone interested in learning more about this dynamic art form. Executive Director Richard Russell and Director of Artistic Administration Greg Trupiano, who have more than 60 years of collective experience in the opera industry, will team up to offer specially crafted discussions designed to delve into different areas of the world of opera. These enjoyable morning talks will take place at the Jonas Kamlet Library in the Deane Carroll Allyn Pavilion Building next door to the Opera House. “We thought it was a great opportunity to leverage the resources and knowledge of the staff at Sarasota Opera to help audiences old and new delve more deeply into the world of opera,” says Richard Russell. Sessions include: Five Operas You Should Know, October 16 at 10:30am; Twenty Singers You Should Know, October at 10:30am; Getting the Opera On Stage, October 30 at 10:30am and From the Singers Point of View, November 6 at 10:30am. The cost per session is $25 or you can purchase all for sessions for only $75.  

Sarasota Opera

 Gecko’s Grill & Pub, a local favorite Sports Bar, Neighborhood Grill, and perennial “Best Of” winner has opened a sixth restaurant.  The new store, located at Fruitville and North Cattlemen Roads, is the largest of the Gecko’s siblings at 10,000 square feet, and incorporates a spacious patio overlooking a water feature.  The fresh interior is modern, bright, and inviting with nautical design elements, yet pays homage through historical images to the original East County neighborhoods, then known as the Community of Fruitville, Florida. Owned and operated by partners Michael Quillen and Mike Gowan, the Gecko’s brand of hospitality has deep roots in Sarasota and Manatee.  “We have been fortunate to have the most wonderful guests in the world,” said Quillen, “and this Fruitville Gecko’s will provide an opportunity for us to continue to share our hospitality, create economic stimulus, employ more Floridians, and treat folks to the fresh treasures of our local Florida farms, ranchers, and vendors.”    

Gecko's Grill & Pub

Every Child, Inc. recently celebrated 16 years of helping children in our community.  The anniversary celebration, filled with fashion from the 2014 Cinderella Project, clowns, face painting, music by Sal Garcia and lots of cheerful volunteers and sponsors was held at the Circus City Architectural Salvage as a thank you to supporters. Every Child, Inc., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving our community’s neediest children. An all volunteer agency that is highly efficient, Every Child, Inc.’s programs are flexible to meet current needs. Since 1997, the organization has provided local children with thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies, holiday gifts, parties and visits from Santa Claus, prom dresses for high school princesses in need, groceries and clothes for families, after-school programs, summer camps and enrichment classes.  

Every Child Inc.,