Candidates for Sarasota County Commission in District 2 are in an admittedly low-profile contest, but say they are committed to getting supporters out on Tuesday. Now the write-in candidates have started creating some buzz of their own, some intended to boost other players and some to demand voters give the lower-billed candidates a second look. 

First, the candidates whose names appear on the ballot this Tuesday.

Republican Paul Caragiulo, a Sarasota CIty Commissioner, faces independent Alexandra Coe, a board member for Control Growth Now. "It hasn't slowed down at all," Caragiulo said. "My last event before the race is Monday." Coe said she has been canvassing neighborhoods and gathering places throughout the county, as well as early voting locations. 

Coe, a consultant who has been involved in several United Nations agriculture efforts, said she wants to bring a new approach to county government while Caragiulo represents the status quo. While differences on growth policy are, in her words, "obvious," she hopes voters respond to the different set of academic competencies she brings to the table. "I come with a lot of knowledge and experience for what it takes to create a sustainable future," she said. 

Caragiulo is running as a businessman—he and family members own several restaurants in Sarasota—and as an experienced official. Caragiulo was elected in 2011 to the Sarasota City Commission; he is required to resign his seat on the board in November regardless of whether he wins the county contest. 

In the final days of the race, the actions of write-in candidates, though, have been the most surprising. Write-in Steve McAllister, the first candidate to declare for the contest, announced last week he was endorsing Coe and withdrawing from the race. Coe said she will also be helping McAllister, a filmmaker, with his ongoing documentary Home Free.

On the other hand, Pete Theisen, who has served with Coe on the Control Growth Now board, said he was approached by Coe about dropping out but has no interest in doing so. He expressed anger that Coe, who he said at one point told him she wouldn't run if he was running, would now ask for an endorsement. "If someone is a liar and a cheat, you don't want to elect that person," Theisen said. "She could conceivably win office, and if she did would be the most self-interested person on the panel."

Coe disagreed with Theisen's account of events. "I don't look at Pete as opposition," she said. She would rather not have the race turn negative, and wanted to turn more focus on her policy differences with Caragiulo.

Caragiulo said he wasn't overly concerned with McAllister backing Coe. "You get the sense he [McAllister] was sort of antiestablishment," Caragiulo said. 

The Sarasota Farmers Market announced it will expand its downtown presence with a midweek market each Wednesday, beginning Nov. 5. Vendors will conduct business in Five Points Park.

Phil Pagano, manager for the market, said a midweek market has been in the works for almost five years. "It was finding the right time and the right spot," he said. "Espeically now with the opening of the new University Town Center, a lot of downtown businesses were getting a little antsy for something to draw people downtown." The entire reason the market was founded 35 years ago, he noted, was to attract more people into the Downtown commerce area.

The new market will include 40 to 45 vendors and will operate 10am-2pm. For now, the midweek market will operate each Wednesday through April, according to Pagano. Like the popular Saturday market, the event will feature both vendors with agricultural products and local restaurateurs offering demonstrations. Pagano did say there would likely be a greater focus on agriculture than arts and crafts vendors. 

The market midweek will be at Five Points in large part because getting clearance to close the street during weekdays is much harder, Pagano said, and the park looks like it will be a great place to do business. He expects there will be plenty of business from people who work downtown and visitors to the region looking for an activity midweek. "It's a good time to visit Downtown and do some shopping," he said.

The Farmers Market will continue the Saturday market from 7am-1pm around the intersection of Main Street and Lemon Avenue in Downtown Sarasota. About 70 vendors have space at the weekend event. 

When was the last time you ate pizza for lunch and felt energized and satisfied for hours afterwards? This happens for me every time I treat myself to one of Ionie’s delectable raw, vegan pizzas at ionie: Healing Center and Raw Food Café on Fruitville Road. The idea of raw, vegan pizza is daunting to some, but as a dairy-loving carnivore, I can assure you this tasty personal pie does not want for the lack of cheese or meat. There are three variations which all begin with house-made nut cheese and a specially made sprouted crust of buckwheat, carrot and flax: a Red pizza with red pepper sauce and vegan sausage, a Margarita with tomato and fresh basil and my personal favorite, the Greek, which features spinach, kale, olives, tomatoes, rosemary and lemon zest. Wash it down with the spicy and tasty ‘Elix This’ made of lemon, ginger, cayenne, coconut nectar & pure water. Your tastebuds and stomach will thank you.  

ionie Healing Center & Raw Food Cafe, 1241 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, 941-320-0504

The Cleary Group, a real estate office with RE/MAX Alliance Group, hired Milestone Marketing Associates to design a new website to promote real estate listings in Pelican Cove. The updated website is intened to provide an optimal viewing experience and features an interactive community map. It also includes a video of drone flight through and above Pelican Cove. 

Pelican Cove

Bradenton/Lakewood Ranch/Sarasota Urgent Care Walk In Clinics, announced that it entered into a partnership with eScreen, an industry leader in workplace drug screening technology, paperless testing protocol and employee health services to become an active partner in the eScreen Occupational Health Network. 

eScreen

Kam’s Bubble Tea and Sushi opened Oct. 10. It is a family owned business that offers a diverse experience to sushi and Taiwanese style bubble tea. The owners and their family just moved from Chicago early May this year. The sushi is fresh, handmade daily, and chosen from a high quality seafood. Kam's Bubble Tea and Sushi also has a grab-and-go sushi bar. 

Kams Bubble Tea And Sushi

Neal Signature Homes, a semi-custom, luxury homebuilder, hired Garrick Newman as a new homes sales associate for The Concession, an exclusive, gated golf-course community located near the Sarasota-Manatee county line. Newman, an award-winning real estate specialist with 14-plus years in the area, brings extensive market knowledge to Neal Signature Homes, company officials said. He is located in the Dominica II model at The Concession. 

Neal Signature Homes