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SRQ DAILY Oct 17, 2017

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"A lot of the money spent and raised went just to communicating that an election was going on."

- Hagen Brody, Sarasota City Commissioner
 

[Politics]  Push for March Elections in Sarasota Fails
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

A city commissioner’s push to move Sarasota’s election to the fall to boost voter turnout stalled as colleagues suggested a lack of public support for a change. 

Commissioner Hagen Brody on Monday raised the issue of rescheduling the elections, saying that the spring cycle in odd years depressed turnout, especially among minorities and young people. He proposed changing elections to an August primary with a November general election, coinciding with gubernatorial elections for district elections and presidential elections for at-large elections. “To me it’s simple,” he said. “We know where the voters are. They vote in November.”

Before the Monday meeting, Brody referenced SRQ’s Where The Votes Are election analysis to note that while all demographic groups see lower turnout in spring races than in November, the black and Hispanic vote see more severe reductions in participation. “I know from my campaign that a lot of the money spent and raised went just to communicating that an election was going on,” he told SRQ.

But the rest of the commission said that system could also result in low turnouts. Commissioner Liz Alpert noted August primaries in Florida have similar turnout as city elections held in March and May. And the possibility exists with district elections in particular of the August race determining the winner, but in an election where turnout gets driven far more by political parties. “Nothing says you can’t come out and vote in March,” Alpert said. “This is not an issue of voter suppression.”

Commissioner Jennifer Ahearn-Koch said this issue has been raised in Sarasota countless times but there’s a reason it’s never landed in front of voters. City commissioners opted against such a move a year and a half ago for similar reasons to those raised Monday, and multiple charter revision citizen petitions shortly before then, that would have changed the elections in a charter revision, failed to win enough signatures to be put on the ballot. “If people want this, get a petition together,” she said, noting citizen measures can always be put on the ballot regardless of commission opinion. Short of that, she did not believe “staff should spend even one minute on this.”

Brody won his seat in May with the highest vote total ever for a city commission candidate (6,371 votes) but in an election with just a 22.86-percent turnout. Ahearn-Koch won a seat in the same election, coming in second (with 5,080 votes, the second-highest total ever) in the at-large election.

The third-place finisher in that race, Martin Hyde, spoke Monday night in favor of moving elections, and said successful candidates, meaning all sitting commissioners, resisted changing a system that got each of them elected. “Denying voters based on your prejudices and opinions is ironic given it's this very system that got you sitting on that side of the table.” he said. 

[Exec Moves]  Puente Joins Neal Communities as VP of Sales

Neal Communities recently appointed Carlos Puente to its Lakewood Ranch-based team as the vice president of sales in its north region. Puente brings more than 10 years of experience in the real estate and home building industry to the builder. As the vice president of sales, he will lead a team of more than 30 people, from Tampa to Englewood. Puente’s role will focus on strategic planning for sales, enhancing the sales process and continuing to ensure a structure to help reach goals each month. Prior to joining Neal Communities, Puente served as general sales manager for a national homebuilder, working with its sales team for nine years. While with the builder, he developed and executed all sales strategies across 11 communities, ranking third among all general sales managers throughout the country. 

Neal Communities

[Expansion]  Watermark Introduces Thrive Dining

Watermark Retirement Communities, including The Fountains at Lake Pointe Woods in Sarasota, is introducing “thrive dining" for those affected by cognitive or physical challenges, who have difficulty using a knife and fork, causing mealtimes to become less enjoyable, independent and healthful. Through this innovative grinding and binding food preparation process, Watermark Chefs take well-balanced traditional dishes and transform them into fresh, delicious one- and two-bite hors d'oeuvre-style gourmet meals, intended to be eaten by hand. 

The Fountains at Lake Pointe Woods

[Synergy]  Bite Squad Partners with All Faiths Food Bank

Bite Squad today announced a partnership with All Faiths Food Bank to support the nonprofit organization’s mission to provide healthy solutions to end hunger in our community. The Food Love partnership, which provides the food bank with charitable funding and employee volunteers, kicked off yesterday on World Food Day, with the donation of one dollar for every delivery order placed with a dedicated promotional code on the Bite Squad ordering platform through November 30. The partnership also includes sponsorship of the All Faiths Food Bank’s annual fundraiser, Bowls of Hope, on November 12, at Ed Smith Stadium. All Faiths Food Bank is one of six Food Love partners, along with Feeding Tampa Bay in Tampa, FL, Bread of the Mighty Food Bank in Gainesville, FL, Arkansas Food Bank in Little Rock, AR, Hawaii Food Bank in Honolulu, HI, and The Gathering Place at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN. Bite Squad has pledged to donate up to $5,000 nationwide towards the 2017 Food Love partnership to help end hunger locally. 

Bite Squad

[Exec Moves]  Harkness, Sirianni Join Coastal Orthopedics

This month, total joint specialist Dr. John Harkess and pain management specialist Dr. Justin Sirianni joined Coastal Orthopedics Sports Medicine and Pain Management, a comprehensive and full-service orthopedic, sports medicine and pain management practice. Harkess completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Tennessee-Campbell Clinic Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and a lower extremity reconstruction fellowship at Scripps Clinic in California. He earned his doctorate from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. He was a contributing author on three publications and is a member of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. Sirianni finished a pain medicine fellowship at Wake Forest University and the Carolinas Pain Institute. He completed his anesthesiology residency at University of Arizona Medical Center, where he also acted as its chief resident for a year. He earned his doctorate from Drexel University College of Medicine. 

Coastal Orthopedics Sports Medicine and Pain Management



[TODAY]  THEATER: Anna in the Tropics , October 12 – October 29, 8pm

Go back in time to a Cuban-American cigar factory in 1929 Florida. Lectors are employed to educate and entertain the workers, and when a new one comes to a certain factor and reads aloud from Anna Karenina, he influences the lives of his listeners. 

Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton

[SOON]  SCIENCE AND NATURE: The Orchid Show , October 18 – November 22, 10am to 5pm

This year's Orchid Show will showcase spectacular flowers from across the world. The event will combine a display of plants in the Tropical Conservatory and additional treasures from search collections in the Museum of Botany & the Arts. Each part of the show will also include the science behind orchids and their relationship to earth, air, fire, and water.

Selby Gardens, 900 S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota

[SOON]  FESTIVAL: Ringling International Arts Festival , October 18 – October 21

For ardent aficionados of adventurous art, the 2017 Ringling International Arts Festival (RIAF) presents a dynamic array of ingenious and inventive contemporary performance. With music ranging from the folkloric to the avant-garde, dance that explores the comedy and pathos of 21st-century life, and theatrical narratives both intimate and massive in scope and in scale, this is your opportunity to explore the unexpected and expect the unexplored. With affordably priced performances you can enjoy the entire day. Lunch and dinner are available on-site. Members save 10% on all tickets and Non-Members save 10% when purchasing 4+ RIAF productions. Tickets may be purchased online, in person or by calling. Come, be amazed, and take part in the adventure!

The Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243

[SOON]  BUSINESS: 22nd Annual Share the Light Luncheon , October 19, 11:30am

Join Second Chance Last Opportunity for the 22nd Annual Share the Light Luncheon on October 19 at Michael’s on East. Emceed by Bobeth Yates of ABC7 and Justin Mosely of The Suncoast News Network, the event will honor Lee-En Chung, P.E., LEED AP, Founder and Construction Consulting Engineer and Valerie Powell-Stafford, FACHE, CEO at Englewood Community Hospital. Standard tickets are $65/person or $520 for a table of eight. 

Michael’s on East, 1212 S East Ave, Sarasota, FL 34239

[SOON]  MUSIC: The Woodwork , October 20, 8pm

Formed in March of 2016, the indie band has shown mastery in their music and performances. Their music is an almalgam of genres, with a blend of folk and jazz music coupled with hints of Latin jazz and fingerstyle guitar. 

Fogartyville Community Media & Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Ct., Sarasota

[SOON]  GALA: 2nd Annual Women’s Sports Museum Gala, "A Celebration of Women in Sports" , October 20, 6:30pm

Join the Women’s Sports Museum for their Second Annual Gala, “A Celebration of Women in Sports” on October 20. Trailblazers from the world of sports will be honored at this year’s gala, including sports broadcast journalist Lesley Visser, mountain biker and extreme athlete Rebecca Rusch and groundbreaking equestrian Donna Cheek. This year, the event moves to Michael’s on the Bay at Selby Gardens. The museum will present two scholarships to Sarasota County female student athletes. Sponsorships, in-kind donations and contributions are also being accepted, with all proceeds benefiting the nonprofit foundation’s efforts to build the nation’s first standalone museum dedicated to women in sports right here in Sarasota.

 

Michael’s on the Bay at Selby Gardens, 811 S Palm Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236

[SOON]  FESTIVAL: Night of Fish, Fun and Fright , October 20, 6:00pm

Buoys and ghouls of all ages are invited to dress up in costume for a Night of Fish, Fun and Fright at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. Unearth shark teeth in Coffin Creek, enjoy deep sea delights in the Diner of the Dead and take part in Mad Science experiments and activities. Don’t miss Mote’s signature underwater pumpkin carving in their spooktacular shark habitats and enjoy entertainment from students at EveryOneRocks.

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium , 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236

[SOON]  BUSINESS: Nosh and Knowledge , October 23, 12:00pm

Join Aviva: A Campus for Senior Life over lunch on October 23 at Michael’s on East for their new lecture Series, Nosh and Knowledge.  Don Burris, the senior attorney who successfully argued the “Woman in Gold” legal case before the U.S. Supreme Court will be here to share this incredible story and participate in audience Q & A. 

Michael’s on East, 1212 S East Ave, Sarasota, FL 34239

[SOON]  PERFORMANCE: White Rabbit Red Rabbit , October 25 – November 5

The play you are about to see is sealed inside an envelope. One actor will perform it, but they’ve never seen the script and never rehearsed it. In fact, there is a new actor every performance. There is no director. Slyly humorous and audaciously pointed, this theater-entertainment-meets-social-experiment is unlike anything you’ve experienced. In collaboration with Ringling International Arts Festival, this special event will play just 10 performances at Urbanite Theatre, with 10 different actors. We dare you not to Google for more. For more information please visit www.urbanitetheatre.com for show times and tickets. 

Urbanite Theatre , 1487 Second Street, Sarasota

[SOON]  MUSIC: Charles Wesley Godwin , October 26, 8pm

A singer and songwriter born and raised in West Virginia, Charles' music has been shaped by his experiences growing up. His songs and stories, which center around his childhood spent in Appalachia, have captivated audiences with their one-of-a-kind sound.

Fogartyville Community Media & Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Ct., Sarasota

[SOON]  THEATER: A Little Night Music , October 26 – November 12, 8pm

Get whisked away by romantic nineteenth century waltz from Stephen Sondheim. His music is sure to transport listeners to a weekend in the country. Tickets are $27, $30 or $37, depending on seating.

Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton

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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