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SRQ DAILY May 30, 2016

Monday Business Edition

Monday Business Edition

"This beach is great for volleyball and other types of recreational fitness."

- Gary 'Dr. Beach' Leatherman
 

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[Tourism]  Tourism Spending Rises
Diana Morales

According to Visit Florida, total travel spending enjoyed its biggest year-to-year increase since 2005. The boom in taxable sales from $82 billion in 2014 to $89.1 billion in 2015 was 8.7 percent better than the previous year and significantly better than the five-year average growth rate of 6.1 percent. Nearly a quarter of all state sales tax is generated from travel spending. This graph shows that the state received $5.3 billion in sales tax collections, which is almost a 9 percent increase from 2014. 

[Tourism]  Dr. Beach Brings Memorial Day Surprise
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

Memorial Day weekend tends to be the last big weekend of season on the Gulf Coast, so tourism leaders here were especially excited to see Siesta Key Beach once again on the 2016 Top 10 Beaches as ranked by Florida International University professor Stephen “Dr. Beach” Leatherman. “It’s a nice little gift,” said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County.

Siesta topped Dr. Beach’s list in 2011, and officials here thought that meant the beach was retired from the rankings forever. But in honor the the list’s 25th anniversary, Dr. Beach this year re-opened the rankings to any that had won before. Leatherman spotlighted Siesta both for its famously white sands and also for its wide shore. “The beach is hundreds of yards wide in the shape of a crescent, due to anchoring of onshore rocks to the south,” he wrote. “This beach is great for volleyball and other types of recreational fitness.”

Weatherman, a geologist, famously ranks beaches not just on recreational usability but on the quality of the water and sand. Haley said she had received numerous emails in recent weeks asking for updates on Siesta, and that the doctor had shown particular interest in recent improvements by Sarasota County to limit stormwater runoff. The only beach to beat the Sarasota destination was Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve in Hawaii. And next year, as retirement status presumably goes back into play, that makes Siesta a frontrunner for the top spot.

In some ways, winning the No. 2 now shows more than winning the No. 1 spot in 2011. In 2010, Sarasota ranked behind Coopers Beach in New York, then climbed to the top slot the next year when Coopers was no longer eligible. This year, Coopers came in at No. 8. Winning the top slot served an important purpose in 2011, of course, because the area still was recovering from a tourism slump following the BP oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, and Haley said Dr. Beach’s testimonial informed the world the no oil would be hurting the sands in Sarasota.

Any given year, making the Dr. Beach rankings helps draw travelers from around the globe. “For whatever reason, his list and TripAdvisor just garner huge attention,” Haley said, “and his list has a lot of credibility just because of all the criteria.” 

Photos courtesy Visit Sarasota County

[Exec Moves]  "Requisite" Sixth Edition Published

Williams Parker firm recently published its sixth edition of "Requisite," a thought-leadership publication offering insight on legal issues. The publication includes an interview with Kenneth J. Field of Feld Entertainment as well as articles that cover emotional and technical challenges to creating a great success plan, reviews on unique issues faced by family agribusiness enterprises and exploring the under-appreciated connection between Henry David Thoreau and his family's business. 

Williams Parker

[Exec Moves]  Two New Attorneys Hired at Icard Merrill

Icard, Merrill, Cullin, Timm, Furen & Gingsburg, P.A. has welcomed two new attorneys to their law firm and a new office location in Port Charlotte as well as an expansion into Lee County. Jessica Farrelly who will be working at the Sarasota office has a concentration in the areas of employment law and civil litigation. Mark Martella focuses primarily on real estate, bankruptcy, foreclosure, estate planning and condominium and homeowner association representation. 

Icard Merrill Firm

[Hires]  Promotions and Hires at ArtisTree Landscape

ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance and Design has announced the promotion of Jeremy Lepper and the hire of Matthew Stewart. Stewart has been announced as the new account executive for the company and will oversee foremen and crews serving homeowner associations in University Park. Lepper joined ArtisTree in 2006 and has been promoted from account executive to north branch manager to oversee daily operations. 

ArtisTree Landscape

SRQ Media Group

SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email

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