Sarasota County Commissioner Mike Moran only needs to win over a fifth of Sarasota County this year, not the whole county as needed four years ago. But he faces primary and general election opposition. Mike Hutchinson of Sarasota has challenged the incumbent in the Republican primary, which will be settled on Tuesday. Hutchinson previously worked for L3, a major manufacturing company that long worked out of Sarasota. When the business moved its operations to St. Petersburg, he stayed here, and wants to protect the high quality of life and regional jobs in the future. This is the first time Hutchinson has run for office himself.

“We need to preserve open spaces in East Sarasota County,” he said. “There was a lot of open space when I moved here.” A resident of the area since the late 1980s, Hutchison sees an erosion of planning that protects rural areas of Sarasota County. He’s specifically been upset by a vote cast by Moran in favor of a Celery Fields recycling plant; that application was ultimately shot down in a 3-2 vote.But he’s also been bothered by a number of measures that passed with Moran’s support from the Siesta Promenade and numerous smaller proposals.

Moran, for his part, hopes to win a second term on the strength of a range of decisions made during his first four years. Moran pushed for affordable housing, and has called on a reexamination of how the county approaches economic development. He pushed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic for economic dollars to go to help existing businesses get through the economic hardship, as one example. In a recent campaign email blast, Moran wrote about how as a father of a young adult living in the county, it’s important to him that talent raised in the city doesn’t need to leave the region to find professional opportunities. “I made a campaign promise to do everything in my power to attract and retain these sharp young adults,” he wrote.

The County Commission races this year will be decided for the first time in decades through single-member elections. The county commissioner this year made a controversial decision to redraw district lines, including making Moran’s District 1 more hospitable to a Republican candidate. The primary, of course, will only have Republican voters in the district, who will decide if Moran or Hutchinson advances to the general election and face Democrat Mark E. Pienkos. 

Photos: Mike Moran (top), Mike Hutchinson (bottom)

Many more Manatee County businesses are expected to become eligible to apply for CARES Act relief following the County's announcement that eligibility for funding has been substantially expanded. Beginning today, Aug. 17, Manatee County small businesses may apply for up to $50,000 through the the second round of the Recover Manatee Safety First Small Business Grant Program. Businesses can receive a $5,000 base grant for safe operations and up to $45,000 for reimbursement of recorded losses due to business interruption caused by required closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We know that small businesses are struggling right now. We hope that with expanded eligibility for grants up to $50,000, businesses can begin the recovery process and feel some relief,” said Geri Lopez, director of the Redevelopment and Economic Opportunity department overseeing the program. 

Click here for applications and more information.

Manatee County residents have six more weeks to respond to the 2020 Census to avoid an undercount that could cost the state and local community billions of dollars for programs and impact representation in Congress.  As of Thursday, Aug. 12, 56.6 percent of Manatee County residents have responded to the Census, trailing Florida's overall count by about 4 percentage points. According to the Census, Anna Maria Island, along with west and south Manatee County are the areas where the most residents need to be counted. “Taking the census is an important civic duty that only takes a few minutes,” said County Administrator Cheri Coryea. “If you've completed the census already please remind your family, friends and neighbors. It's a small time investment that will help build a better community for years to come.” 

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Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) again earned the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus award, an achievement that demonstrates the continued implementation of quality improvement measures for treating severe heart attack patients. SCFD first received the highest status of recognition from the Mission: Lifeline program in 2013, and has earned the Gold Plus standard since 2016, when that designation was created. This year, SCFD is one of 18 agencies in the state of Florida to receive the Gold Plus recognition.  "Sarasota County Fire Department continues our dedication to providing the best possible care to all patients and we are honored to be recognized once again for these efforts," said Sarasota County Fire Chief Michael Regnier. "We are grateful to our personnel and the local hospitals for their collaboration to help us achieve this recognition.This award is yet another indication of the elite medical service that SCFD is so proud of." 

Etta Y. Carter, MBA, has joined RE/MAX Alliance Group in the University Park office. Carter has a background in sales, marketing and business development, mostly in the pharmaceutical industry, where she helped launch six new products. She served in leadership roles as a quarterback for her territory sales team and a mentor for new representatives.  Her outstanding performance won her many awards including President’s Club, MVP, and a nomination for the National Diversity and Inclusion Award. 

Carter can be reached at 941-413-6175 or list2salebetta@gmail.com.

The hands behind Sarasota's selfless sewers. 

Click here to read the full article from SRQ's Summer 2020 edition.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital is now enrolling healthy adults in a clinical trial testing whether an experimental antibody cocktail can prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Infectious Disease specialist Manuel Gordillo, MD, principal investigator of the three monoclonal antibody trials at SMH, said the studies should prove relatively quickly whether the lab-created antibody cocktail is effective at both preventing and treating the disease. Results are expected within the next few months, possibly ahead of results from vaccine trials. “If the results replicate earlier success in laboratory tests, these antibodies have the potential to serve as an important bridge to reduce the spread of the virus and severity of the disease until a vaccine becomes available,” Dr. Gordillo said. 

941-917-2225

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Due to ongoing concerns and restrictions regarding COVID Aqua Ventures is going to have to cancel the Reef  and Beach scheduled at the Bradenton Yacht Club September 13-14 . They remain appreciative and thankful  for our committee, the volunteers and local business support the last four years and plan on coming back stronger than ever next year. 

The City of Sarasota has extended its declaration of a local citywide public health emergency through August 21 following a weekly review, as required by the City Charter, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergency order issued Friday by City Manager Tom Barwin, in consultation with Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch and City Attorney Robert Fournier, also permits the Newtown Farmers Market to reopen Friday, August 21, and Saturday, August 22, as well as each Friday and Saturday thereafter, from 10:00am to 5:00pm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety guidelines will be followed, and all patrons, vendors and other attendees must wear face coverings.