Sarasota’s economy has been built on two elements: tourism and real estate. Local leaders for years have discussed the importance of diversifying our economy.  

Organic farming is emerging as an important avenue toward achieving that long sought-after goal. At the County’s annual Sustainable Sarasota conference, local agriculture advocate Don Hall told his audience that if Sarasota residents purchased 10 percent of their food from local sources, it would add $80 million a year to our local economy. A significant boost, and one that brings nutritional benefits to residents as well.

During a recent Council of Neighborhood Associations meeting, Civil Engineer Steve Suau discussed the potential Sarasota holds for becoming a major organic food center. Global Organics, a leading distributor of organic produce in the Southeast, is located off of Clark Road and Sawyer. Even small local growers can work with Global Organics to package their food and plug into an existing distribution network. This rare infrastructure already exists in our backyard and offers an important economic opportunity. Organic food production can create a financial foundation less vulnerable to economic downturns. People have to eat, and we are all becoming more aware of the importance of fresh, nutritious, chemical-free food. With this approach, Sarasota’s “brand” could become one of heath and wellness—great healthcare, exercise and fitness and nutritious local organic food.  

Sarasota County government’s focus on subsidizing sprawl development inhibits the emergence of better opportunities like organic farming. When the County Commission approved over 9,000 new houses east of Interstate-75 along Clark Road last year, they released the landowners from a requirement to purchase Transferred Development Rights for their rural lands.  The 9,000-unit housing approval increased the number of dwellings by 5,500-6,300 units, at a time when potential housing supply exceeds 10 year demand by 600-800 percent. County staff did not support suspending the required developer TDR purchase. Simply put, there was no public need for the huge increase in potential housing. There was no public benefit to throwing out the rule book, but the benefit to the landowners was substantial. Based on prior County TDR transactions, if enforced, the price for the required TDRS to get the 5,500- to 6,300-unit increase would have exceeded $14 million. The Clark Road developers claimed the required TDR purchase was “too expensive.”

Yes, TDRs are expensive. And that’s the point. If a rural project isn’t able to absorb the cost of TDRs, the market is signaling that the project isn’t needed. Releasing the Clark Road developers from purchasing TDRs simply conferred value upon the landowners, didn’t protect the value of existing homes and neighborhoods and sidelined other options like organic farming.  Where is the concern among County Commissioners that taxpayer-funded infrastructure for surplus housing is “too expensive”?  How will the Clark Rd. and I-75 interchange fare with these changes?  

Sarasota County as a center for health and wellness is a natural fit.  Our hospitals routinely receive national recognition for excellence.  Fitness opportunities are plentiful, and future investments in parks and recreation can bring real returns.  Local organic produce contains the seeds of potent economic growth.  But if we are to realize our potential as a community, we need to stop giving away the farm.  

SRQ Daily columnist Cathy Antunes serves on the boards of the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations and Sarasota Citizens for Responsible Government. She blogs on local politics at www.thedetail.net

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This question can be a challenge for many to answer. It’s rare to find an individual who has the exact job they set out to do in elementary school. In fact, most meander through several fields of study, discovering their passions along the way. That precious time in our lives, where we peer into the doorways of perspective career paths, is crucial to any student unsure of what they want to “be”. This process can be slow and even heartbreaking. Ask anyone who has paid a college tuition about the high cost of switching majors.

With an emphasis on “college and career readiness” and the rapid change of technology shifting the world of work faster than we can anticipate, the importance of career exploration is paramount to finding work that is financially viable and personally fulfilling.

2015 marked the second annual State of Jobs event, hosted by the Sarasota Young Professionals Group, a program of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. This one-day event focused on five leading regional industries including: technology, health care, engineering/manufacturing, business/finance and hospitality/tourism. The work of committed YPG leaders, support of generous sponsors and key insights shared by over 50 employers and educators were showcased this past Thursday at Suncoast Technical College.

Over 400 high school and college students and young professionals gathered to learn and discuss growing career opportunities, leadership and what it takes to succeed in today’s economy. Attendees heard from industry leaders about work in these specific industries, built relationships with these same leaders to help bridge the gap between education and employment, and engaged with local higher education institutions who provide professional development in the areas of hiring and digital professional responsibility.

State of Jobs used technology to gain real-time input from students about their thoughts on employment and education opportunities in this region and whether or not they believe they will be able to live, work, and call Sarasota their home. This information will be used to measure trends among students in Sarasota and will be presented to local educators and employers at the “State of Jobs: RECAP” event on March 26^th in order to help develop programs that retain our best and brightest students.

State of Jobs has done what any community needing a strong workforce would want to imitate: it swung the doors of career exploration wide open, giving the next generation of community leaders a chance to consider a breadth of local opportunities in a relatively short amount of time. Many were able to take the next step in their journey of career exploration and shake hands with the professionals they want to emulate. These 400-plus students have an advantage over their peers: even if they don’t have a precise answer on what they want to “be” when they grow up, they are much closer to opening the right door. 

Mimi Fleck is the Young Professionals Group coordinator for the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce

From the start, my campaign has been about the future of Sarasota. That is why I chose to run.  It is why my sole focus is on solving the big issues that confront our city’s future: homelessness, the Bayfront Cultural District, redevelopment of the North Trail and continuing to create a thriving downtown. 

The issue of homelessness provides one stark example for why a change is needed from the makeup of the current City Commission—the current City Commission has decided that solving the homeless crisis is not a priority.

When I started my campaign I said that I would listen to the residents of District 2 and I promised to be their voice on the City Commission. Over the course of the past eight weeks, in order to meet this goal, volunteers, my campaign staff and I have knocked on over 1,500 doors, made 1,000 calls and spoken with residents at condominium and house parties. One piece of my campaign literature included a detachable postcard survey that asked voters what issues they felt were most important. From my conversations at the doors and from the dozens of postcards returned to my campaign in the mail, it is clear that solving the homeless crisis is a top priority for the voters. 

We must bring the City Commission back to the table with the County Commission to formulate a long-term comprehensive plan to help those members of our community most in need. Better funding those organizations that have a proven track record of helping families and individuals get back on their feet must be a top priority. As your next City Commissioner I pledge to work diligently with the non-profit and business community, the neighborhoods and fellow elected officials to re-focus our efforts on creating solutions because the issue is solvable and is one of safety to both our residents and the homeless themselves.

While a resident of Tampa, I served on the city’s Architectural Review Board where I became passionate about historic preservation and smart growth principles—knowledge that I look forward to leveraging on the city commission. As the economy rebounds we must ensure new development is done responsibly. The architectural and historical significance of our cityscape must be preserved.

As a member of the City of Sarasota’s Human Relations Board from 2003-2011, I worked to create strategies to educate the community about the Board and the non-discrimination ordinance and made presentations to citizen groups regarding the ordinance. Further, I served as president of the Board of Directors for my Sarasota condominium association, the Regency House, where I spearheaded the approval of a special assessment to renovate the ground floor lobby and community room.  Since May of 2012, I have served on the Civil Service/General Personnel Board.

My record of community service to our city is reflective of my love for Sarasota. As your next city commissioner I will bring my experience and passion for problem solving to bear on those issues most important to you. 

Liz Alpert is a candidate for Sarasota City Commission District 2, and is responding to Eileen Normile's letter in the Feb. 21 edition of SRQ Daily

Last weekend, Daniel Dokko, owner of Sarasota’s Jpan Restaurant, attended The Food Network & Cooking Channel’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Dokko hobnobbed with friends and stars of the culinary world at the festival, a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. “The late night Asian culinary party started at 10pm on a chilly night by the pool, but the atmosphere of great music, delicious food and drinks and fun people blew the cold away.  Well-known chefs such as Ralph Scarmadella and Dale Talde served bite size delights and it was awesome to taste so many amazing dishes from different Asian restaurants at just one place. But the best moment of the night was to have the amazing roasted Peking Duck on a tortilla handed to me by the one and only chef Masaharu Morimoto. I had to take a selfie with him to capture and share that moment, and Morimoto was so friendly and kind as to accept my request.  I came back to Sarasota with good memories and fresh inspiration to create new flavors for the J-pan menu,” noted Dokko.  

JPAN Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Submissions are now open for the Gulf Coast Innovation Challenge, a community-wide competitive-grant challenge designed to inspire and fund innovative ideas to grow our region's Blue Economy. Gulf Coast Community Foundation is offering up to $500,000 in incentive grants for teams to propose and develop solutions for saving our seas and feeding our communities while helping to transform our region into a marine innovation hub. The Innovation Challenge is open to entrepreneurs, educators, conservationists, scientists -- anyone with an idea that can advance the marine sciences while providing a public benefit in our region. Teams can include members from the nonprofit, for-profit, and public sectors. All teams must have at least one nonprofit partner and one member (organization or individual) based in the Gulf Coast region from Boca Grande to Manatee County. 

Gulf Coast Innovation Challenge

Sarasota-based InterMedia Productions will be moving into a custom-built soundstage studio at 901 Ponder Avenue in late March. InterMedia Productions selected Yoder Custom Homes to construct the state-of-the-art facility.  The local production company has created industrial videos, television commercials, documentaries, and digital video webisodes for the past 28 years. The 1,600-square-foot studio will feature a post-production facility, 16-foot ceilings, infinity cyclorama walls, green screen, sound booth, dressing rooms and a full kitchen. The facility can be transformed into a soundstage for all aspects of film and video production. “The space will be available for rent to videographers, photographers, film production companies and for audio production. We were in need of an upgrade to accommodate the changing needed of our clients. In doing so, we also created a space with area creatives in mind, so they could utilize the studio to produce their own projects,” said James Flynn, owner of InterMedia Productions. Photo: Jonas Yoder, President of Yoder Custom Homes - Builder for InterMedia Productions’ new studio & James Flynn, Producer of InterMedia Productions.  

InterMedia Productions

Geckos Grill & Pub

 On May 1 the Humane Society of Sarasota County will host its 9th Annual Paws on the Catwalk Luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton. Filled with fashion, fun and fur, this fabulous event celebrates HSSC’s work to help our area’s precious four-legged friends. Shelter pets will be dressed to the nines as they greet arriving guests and this year’s fashion show will feature several four-legged models from the shelter strutting their stuff on the catwalk. Behind the entertainment, glitz and glamour is a very serious and strategic mission.  HSSC’s Pet Pantry Program provides over 30,000 pounds of pet food to families in need each year and its volunteers log over 14,000 volunteer hours every year. HSSC also hosts a Fur Fun Summer Camp for kids ages 7-12 who have a blast while learning about shelter animals and the importance of humane education.  The focus all of these efforts is a goal: the Humane Society of Sarasota County hopes to find homes for at least 2000 homeless pets this year.  

Humane Society of Sarasota County

Terri Najmolhoda, has been appointed Vice President, General Manager, Saks Fifth Avenue Sarasota. Najmolhoda has a broad retail career with experience in both department and specialty stores.  In 1987, she joined U.S. Shoe Corporation. Shortly thereafter, she joined Banana Republic as an Associate Store Manager. Najmolhoda joined Dayton Hudson Marshall Field’s in 1990 and worked in numerous roles of increasing responsibility, including Assistant Store Manager, Store Manager and Company Fashion Director. In 2003, she returned to Banana Republic as Director of their flagship stores and was subsequently promoted to District Manager. Najmolhoda joined Saks in 2008 as a Designer Sales Associate in Troy and was quickly promoted to Department Manager in 2009. Later that year, she was promoted to AGMM, Boca Raton and in 2011,  returned to the Troy store as AGMM.  In January of 2013, she was promoted to General Manager, Tampa and in June of the same year, she was appointed to her most recent role, Vice President, General Manager, Chevy Chase. Terri holds a Fashion Merchandising Degree from Ferris State University located in Big Rapids, Michigan. 

Saks Fifth Avenue Sarasota