Small details continue to cause tension between Sarasota city and county leaders regarding the handling of the homelessness problem in the community. As the commissions for each government prepare for a joint meeting in November, the most recent point of friction was whether to hear a presentation by Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri about the operations of Pinellas Safe Harbor. But while disagreement grabs headlines, officials from both local governments still hope common ground can be found and a solution can be agreed upon.

Sarasota County Commissioner Charles Hines earlier this month suggested Gualtieri be invited to a joint meeting, an invitation made after hearing the sheriff discuss the program’s successes at a Florida Association of Counties meeting. Safe Harbor has been the subject of tremendous debate in Sarasota largely because it was born out of the recommendations of Dr. Robert Marbut, a consultant later hired in Sarasota to offer solutions to homelessness here. Marbut has also encouraged local officials to open a similar shelter, with supporters praising the idea as a way to transition people off the streets and critics calling it a jail diversion program that doesn’t address chronic homelessness in a permanent way.

But when Sarasota city officials initially questioned including a presentation on Safe Harbor, Sarasota County scheduled the sheriff to speak to county commissioners on Oct. 13 at a county meeting in Venice. “We have invited city officials to attend,” said County Administrator Tom Harmer. In the end, Gualtieri wasn’t available to attend the Nov. 6 joint meeting anyhow. But Sarasota City Commissioner Shelli Freeland Eddie voiced upset that city staff spoke for commissioners on the scheduling matter without speaking with the elected officials first. “Although the previous commission received considerable information on Pinellas Safe Harbor, as a new commissioner, I’d have liked to have a mini-report,” she said.

City officials have remained supportive of an alternative philosophy to a shelter, namely Housing First, which focuses on getting homeless individuals into permanent homes. The county has remain steadfast in support of opening a shelter to intake homeless, as suggested by Marbut. 

But Doug Logan, city director of Special Initiatives, said the focus of staff going into the meeting is on finding common ground. “We need some to understand that the guy who is sitting on a bench 400 yards from here may not be ready for a house immediately, and if he ends up drunk in the middle of the night has to be taken somewhere, so there has to be a transitional entryway,” Logan said, “but ultimately, a homeless person at the end of the day is still homeless. We need to create a climate so that a healthy exchange can take place.” 

E-mail marketing has become commonplace and is a great way to engage your contacts.  Once you have your e-mail prepared you want to ensure that it reaches your contacts' inbox and that they open it.  Personal preferences and SPAM filters can hinder that process, but we have a few tips to help you increase your open rates.

1.  66 percent of contacts check e-mail on a mobile device, so ensuring that your e-mail is mobile friendly is key.

2.  Write a subject line that captures the recipient's attention without misleading the reader about the content of the e-mail. Avoid the "what happens next ..." syndrome.

3.  Your e-mail should have a good balance of text and images.  An e-mail with too many images can load slowly and trigger SPAM filters.

4.  Have a concise call to action in your e-mail. You're contacting people for a reason, so make that reason clear: learn more, register now, buy now, etc.

5.  Send a test e-mail to yourself and review it. Make sure the links within your e-mail work properly. You'll also see how images load and look.

6.  Too many e-mails will turn off your audience and you'll find your recipient list shrinking. Send only when you have something important or valuable to tell your customers.

Pedro Pérez is a founding partner of Nuevo Advertising Group and an adjunct professor of Global Brand Strategies at Ringling College of Art and Design. For over 17 years Pedro has offered clients his knowledge and expertise. Pedro has always demonstrated a keen analytical sense combined with a good dose of common sense in crafting digital and online marketing strategies as part of an integrated marketing plan. 

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System announced that Cardiovascular Surgeon Dr. Jonathan Fong will join the health system’s First Physicians Group this month. Fong, a cardiac surgeon who led Venice Regional Bayfront Health’s cardiac surgery team for the past 12 years, will join Sarasota Memorial Cardiac Surgeons Drs. Jeffrey Sell, Paul Vesco, Thomas Kelly and Jonathan Hoffberger. The cardiovascular/thoracic surgery practice, part of the hospital-owned First Physicians Group, is located in the Heart and Vascular Services building. Fong will begin seeing new patients the week of Sept. 28. 

First Physicians Group

Three members of the Bradenton Police Department will be promoted in a ceremony on Wednesday. The ceremony will take place in the City Hall Council Chambers at 5pm. The promotions are: Lt. Valorie Shoates, Sgt. Joseph Kelly and Sgt. Jose Santos. 

Bradenton Police Department