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SRQ DAILY Jul 1, 2017

"The Sarasota Board of County Commissioners can embrace our community vision and chart a different course."

- Cathy Antunes, The Detail
 

[Community]  The Hierarchy of Needs
Roxie Jerde, roxie@cfsarasota.org

For many students, time outside of school during the summer can be far from a vacation. Without adequate resources, struggling families can find they are unable to patch together an environment of activities, learning and even safety for their children while they are out of the classroom or before they even enter kindergarten. The amount of obstacles is numerous. Often, the parent is a single mother or father and quality learning time with a child is a scare resource when you’re trying to provide for your family. Also, other urgent needs regularly take priority over providing adequate daycare or bringing books and learning materials into the home. Additionally, cultural and language barriers can also contribute to a child falling way behind their peers academically.

These situations have a significant effect on whether or not a child will be prepared for school and often extend an already-wide learning gap—teachers of Title 1 schools regularly see the evidence first-hand. Fortunately, our A-rated Sarasota County school district is addressing the issue.

Nothing can ever replace the impact a parent has when it comes to a child’s success, so schools have begun to eliminate the hurdles that both the parent and the child face through a two-generation inspired lens. Starting last month, four Title 1 elementary schools (Alta Vista, Gocio, Tuttle and Emma E. Booker), supported by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and other partners, began their Summer Learning Academies (SLAs) designed to provide a beneficial learning environment for their students over the summer plus opportunities for their parents.

While the SLAs are in session, and afford parents the relief of knowing their children are in a safe learning environment for at least six weeks, school social workers also work to identify potential issues at home that may affect a student’s academic potential. As one social worker at Gocio Elementary explained, when a child’s physiological and safety needs are not being met, it becomes severely difficult for them to focus on their social and academic wellbeing, as well as difficult for a teacher to engage with them in the classroom.

Through a network of initiatives such as Season of Sharing and the Student Emergency Fund at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, social workers quickly provide resources to struggling families to cover the cost of rent and utilities that occur because of an unexpected emergency or shoes for growing feet and reading glasses for children who are struggling to see the smart board.

Support for the families is also not just financial. Parents who opt-in their children for these SLAs also attend weekly or bi-weekly “parent universities,” designed to instruct them on a variety of topics such as financial sustainability, nutritional cooking, building social capital and navigating the educational system. At two of the schools, Gocio and Tuttle, a forward-looking program in partnership with UnidosNow is also providing English classes for parents who are first-generation immigrants and a curriculum to teach them about the American educational system so they understand such things as parent-teacher conferences.

We are proud of the impact these summer Academies have made within the last few years, and recognition from the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has reinforced this work. Our region’s interconnectedness and willingness to tackle community issues by everyone coming together has been the core driving force of providing a better future for our children. There is still more to be done, but we are taking the right steps in serving as a pacesetter for this work. Seeing the smiles on children enjoying learning and reading is the return on investment that we and their parents cherish.

Roxie Jerde is president of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. 

[The Detail]  Stakeholders, Drive the Stake
Cathy Antunes, cathycantunes@gmail.com

Advocates for Sarasota’s celebrated birding and recreation park, the Celery Fields, gained a victory this past month when the Planning Commission recommended denial of James Gabbert’s petition to build an industrial waste recycling facility on Celery Fields’ lands. But that doesn’t mean the Celery Fields is safe.

Last year, Sarasota County put the 12- and 7-acre public land at the southwest and northwest corners of Apex Road and Palmer Boulevard up for sale by issuing Invitations to Negotiate (ITN). The County sale offer resulted in just one bidder proposing and incompatible use for each parcel of land - County official James Gabbert, with his industrial waste project, and the now departed Restaurant Depot, purveyor of wholesale restaurant supplies. Restaurant Depot flew the coop when the firm understood the ferocity of public opposition to their project. Mr. Gabbert’s industrial waste facility proposal comes before the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 23. While the Planning Commission’s recommendation to deny the project is positive, this ill-wrought industrial proposal is not dead. Testimony during the Planning Commission meeting shined a light on prolific political donor Gabbert's inside track.

In the fifth hour of the June 1 public hearing, City of Sarasota Director of Neighborhood and Development Services Tim Litchet came to the podium to give public input on Gabbert’s proposed industrial waste transfer facility. Seeing a City official give public input to the County against a development project is rare. I’ve never seen it happen.

Mr. Litchet explained his position and credentials, and thanked the Planning Commissioners for their service. He stated he had reviewed County’s staff’s report, which was well prepared and pointed out “weak areas and potential pitfalls” with the plan. First, he noted it was interesting that the County chose to dispose of the property by issuing an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) rather than an Request for Proposal (RFP). Mr. Litchet noted that an RFP would have solicited the highest bid for the property, while and ITN allows the County more flexibility to get both “the use and the person they want.”

It has been widely reported that Mr. Gabbert's businesses donated over $17,000 to the campaigns of four of five sitting County Commissioners, along with $10,000 to a local Political Action Committee.

Mr. Litchet then went on to say that the County apparently wants to make the site a dump or recycling center because the applicant (Gabbert) was “apparently instrumental in drafting the changes to relevant zoning section 5.3.5.b.2.b, as reflected in ordinance 2016-08… that was a new designer ordinance which really only applies to this site which reduces the dump recycling center acreage from 35 acres to 15, and it appears to allow the dump recycling center to not necessarily be in an enclosed building.” Litchet then relayed how the designer ordinance specifically reducing the industrial recycling land requirement from 35 acres to 15 acres for Mr. Gabbert’s project was approved on Dec. 14, a full month after Gabbert submitted his Nov. 13 dump recycling center petition. “How do you file a petition utilizing new zoning code language that has not even been approved? he asked. “I don’t think you can legally do that”.

While other industrial waste facilities must be on 35 acres, Mr. Gabbert has been successful in getting a special law passed reducing that requirement to 15 acres solely for his project, with no guarantees that the facility be enclosed. Given the applicant’s success at gaming the system, let’s recognize that public outcry is the only thing that has stopped this train wreck. An industrial land use near a premier ecotourism wildlife habitat would be a spectacular betrayal of community planning, interest and investment. The Sarasota Board of County Commissioners can embrace our community vision and chart a different course. If the public wants to drive a stake in the heart of this polluting blight, we all better show up at the County Commission meeting on Aug. 23.

Cathy Antunes serves on the board of Sarasota Citizens for Responsible Government.  

[GCBX]  Construction Rodeo
Mary Dougherty

The other day I received a call that I couldn’t have been happier to get. Steve Panagiotakis, the vice president of operations for Bright Future Electric, hired an impressive 18 students as interns from the recent Construction Rodeo. What a way to illustrate the return on investment from this one event. Once the students finish their various programs, the four-office company plans to hire them all as full-time employees. Aqua Plumbing’s Chuck Jacobson, chair of the subcontractor’s council for Gulf Coast Builders Exchange and a board member, has a number of applicants, and Mike Corbett from Piper Fire Protection also confirmed they are in the hiring process. So something is working.

More than 350 high school students attended the Construction Rodeo, a Gulf Coast Builders Exchange event that showcased information on careers in construction. Students from Sarasota and Manatee Counties interested in jobs in the various trade industries were bused to the event at the Manatee Technical College. They learned from more than 35 local businesses, with speakers and hands-on activities to help unveil the different construction-related career opportunities.

Huge congratulations are owed to the construction and business leaders who helped us spearhead this fantastic event. Over 50 Gulf Coast Builders Exchange members participated, volunteering their time and showcasing their businesses and giving our students an opportunity to interact directly with employers. There is so much opportunity in construction right now and so much talent in our schools. This is a perfect way to make sure our students know the career path to get into those vacancies that are right here in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Kudos the Sarasota and Manatee County Schools, too, for recognizing this as a worthy initiative and much-needed event for our students.

This event is important because there’s a workforce crisis in the region. Jobs are being held up, and prices are rising because we don’t have an abundance of skilled workers in the region. After the economic downturn many skilled workers left the region for good. We looked at opportunities for young people in regards to internships or apprenticeships in construction. We want to start opening these prospects up for them to help solve this workforce crisis.

A 2016 labor market analysis put out by CareerEdge Funders Collaborative showed that average annual pay for the construction field in Sarasota County grew between 10 percent and 15 percent between 2012 and 2015.

Panagiotakis agrees, too. He feels that the industry needs more participants and help with its high school students, and they are definitely doing their part. The amount of students that showed up to the Construction Rodeo truly demonstrates the need for young people—in need of direction and choices—to find gainful employment.

Corbett was pleasantly surprised by the interest and number of the students that attended, many of who didn’t even know there were other industries besides air conditioning, plumbing and electronic. Over the years, this event will really open up the student’s eyes to all of the trades available, including fire sprinklers.

This is extremely encouraging success, and our plan is to make this an annual event, alternating between the Manatee Technical College and the Suncoast Technical College. I would highly encourage the construction community, trades and business leaders to attend, volunteer, purchase a booth and recruit these students, who we can hopefully keep in the Sarasota and Manatee region. Look to leaders like those at Bright Futures Electric to ensure bright futures for career- ready students right here in Sarasota.

Mary Dougherty is executive director of the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange. 



[[SCOOP]]  13th Annual Humane Society Golf Tournament

The Humane Society of Sarasota County’s 13th Annual Golf Tournament will take place on Saturday, September 23, at Laurel Oak Country Club. After a rousing round of 18 on one of Sarasota’s most challenging courses, guests will settle in for a lunch reception and the announcement of the winning teams. Along the way, there will be prizes, a 50/50 drawing and of course, adoptable animals. Best ball scramble rounds are $150 per player or $500 for a team of four, and sponsorships are available from $150-$5,000.  All proceeds benefit the life-saving work of the Humane Society of Sarasota County. 

Humane Society of Sarasota

[[KUDOS]]  Dr. Rachel Shelley Named Florida's 2017 Principal of the Year

Booker High School principal, Dr. Rachel Shelley has been honored with Florida's 2017 Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership, an award popularly known as Florida Principal of the Year. Shelley was one of three finalists in the running for the coveted honor. The awards recognize principals and assistant principals for their exceptional contributions nominated by the superintendent from their respective school districts. With more than 28 years of experience in kindergarten through 12th grade education, Shelley has been praised by her colleagues for her dedication to helping every student succeed and for her relationship–based leadership. She motivates students with her mantra: "every student is college and/or career bound." Shelley is a graduate of Sarasota County’s Riverview High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from Bethune-Cookman College with a master’s degree in special education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She was named principal of Booker High in 2011.“I am so grateful for this honor and I share it with the Booker Nation — our students, faculty and staff at Booker High School — and with my colleagues throughout the Sarasota County School District, as well as the community,” said Shelley. “This award reflects our focus on helping all our students succeed.” 

Sarasota County Schools

[[SCOOP] ]  The Sarasota Ballet Receives Grant From The Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation

The Sarasota Ballet has received a $50,000 grant from the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation in support of the organization’s 2017–2018 Season. “Charles and Margery have such a great knowledge and understanding of the performing arts, and I must confess that after each program I wait with anticipation to see if I’ve earnt their approval.”says Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet. This grant will play an important role in the upcoming Season, which will feature productions by some of the great ballet choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton’s The Dream, George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations and Antony Tudor’s The Leaves Are Fading, as well as ballets by choreographers of today like Robert North, Marcelo Gomes and Resident Choreographer Ricardo Graziano. Since 1990, the mission of The Sarasota Ballet has been enriching lives, captivating emotions and strengthening the community through the art of dance 

Sarasota Ballet

[[KUDOS]]  Doctors Hospital of Sarasota Named Best Places to Work

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota has once again been selected as one of the Best Places to Work by Modern Healthcare. The hospital has made the list nine years in a row. According to Modern Healthcare, this annual awards program recognizes companies who continuously try to improve their work environment and increase employee engagement, satisfaction and retention through innovative ideas. “Our culture here is special. We strive to create a place where everyone is valued for their unique talents and recognized for the contributions they make providing personalized care to our patients,” said Robert Meade, CEO of Doctors Hospital of Sarasota. The hospital offers comprehensive benefits and is committed to providing a healthy work environment. There are stress breaks for employees with massages, free Tai Chi classes, tuition reimbursement, ongoing job training, and appreciation events throughout the year.  Doctors Hospital of Sarasota has almost 800 employees and 250 volunteers. Earlier this year it was also recognized by Becker's Hospital Review on its "150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare | 2017" list. This year the hospital also received an “A” for its commitment to quality from the Leapfrog Group. 

Doctor's Hospital of Sarasota

[[SCOOP]]  Goodwill Manasota and Girl Scouts Collaborate on the Runway

Goodwill Manasota and Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida are partnering for the Little Black Dress: Salute the Runway luncheon and fashion show on Thursday, July 13 from 11:30am–1:00pm. The event, which takes place at the Hyatt Regency, will feature area women veterans wearing little black dresses selected at area Goodwill retail stores. Since spring, Goodwill and the Girl Scouts have teamed up for the Inspiring Patriotism, a community project with the goal of honoring veterans, inspiring patriotism and embracing freedom. Girl Scout Cadettes and Seniors, grades 6 through 10, have participated in a variety of activities to earn the "Finding Common Ground" Legacy Badge. As part of the effort, Girl Scouts have been paired with women veterans through the Goodwill Manasota Veterans Task Force. Through this mentorship, each girl has had the opportunity to learn first-hand the sacrifices that the veterans have made and how they have become leaders in the community. Guests are invited to wear their own little black dresses. Tickets are $75 and proceeds from the event will benefit Goodwill’s Veterans Services Program and the Girl Scouts. 

Experience Goodwill

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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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