Same-sex couples lined up outside Southwest Florida courthouses Tuesday morning, ready to take advantage immediately of the right to be legally married in the state for the first time. More than 50 couples in Sarasota and Manatee counties took advantage of the change in law, and a handful of ceremonies were performed at courthouses in the region. 

It was a big moment for Cindy Barnes, chairman of Sarasota Pride since 2010, who spent years engaged in the fight for marriage equality. Barnes, who coincidentally received her notary public this weekend for professional reasons, married multiple couples in the Sarasota Historic Courthouse courtyard early Tuesday. “It’s surreal with all we have been through,” she said. “Even up to last night, I had people calling me asking ‘Are you sure there isn’t anything legal they can do?’ ”

Of course, courts are not completely done with the Washington County case that challenged Florida’s ban of same-sex marriage. While a judgment came down that called for Clerks of Court in Florida to begin issuing licenses on Tuesday, a final judgment could change the situation down the road, though a majority of states now have seen the legalization of same-sex marriage whether through the courts or legislative change. A Supreme Court case may also impact whether states can restrict marriage. Barnes said she imagines many couples were anxious to be wed Tuesday in case the right is taken away down the road.

All Florida counties issued licenses, but a number of counties discontinued the practice of offering services for weddings; Sarasota and Manatee counties both still offer ceremonies. “We treat [same-sex marriages] just the same as any other,” said Very Reyna, supervisor of Marriage and Passports for the Manatee Clerk of Court’s Office. “Our clerk has always said we would follow any order received from the higher courts.” In the Sarasota Clerk of Court’s Office, General Counsel Irene Plank said no change in services offered is being considered, and no employees have objected to performing ceremonies for same-sex couples. Plank said the Sarasota offices in Venice and Sarasota issued a total of 36 marriage certificates, 33 for same-sex couples, and had performed five same-sex wedding ceremonies. Rayna said 22 certificates were issued in Manatee on Tuesday, 17 to same-sex couples, with two same-sex ceremonies performed. In comparison, Plank said on average last January, the Sarasota offices saw a combined 8 or 9 certificates issued per day.

Pictured: Cindy Barnes, center, performed a joint ceremony for the first same-sex couples wed in Sarasota County: Susan Pringle and Barbara Sharpe, left, and Gail Foreman and Pat Cummins, right. Photo by Jamie Arena, courtesy Sarasota Pride. 

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe dives into the New Year tonight with the opening of its first show for 2015, Knock Me A Kiss. Written by Charles Smith and based off the true story, the play dramatically details the spirited and hopeful but ultimately short-lived romance between Yolande Du Bois, daughter of civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, and Countee Cullen, a poet rising to the top of the Harlem Renaissance.

“When you play a historical figure, a lot is riding on the fact that this was a person who existed, who breathed, who made things happen,” said E. Mani Cadet, the actor playing Du Bois and whom WBTT fans may recognize as the voice of Audrey II in the previous production of Little Shop of Horrors. “I already knew a lot about W.E.B. Du Bois, but I did a lot of research. It’s great pressure, but great to play because he was a great man.”

And as Du Bois was known as a great man in his own time, so an expectant world watched the 1928 marriage of Yolande and Cullen as a momentous union of great intellect and artistry, a high point in the Harlem Renaissance. The ensuing collapse brooked widespread disappointment. Knock Me A Kiss offers a more intimate look at Yolande as a young woman finding her way under intense pressure, torn between family obligation, outside expectation and an up-and-coming band leader named Jimmie Lunceford.

“What I always want whenever I do this play is for the audience to go read about these characters, because these people existed,” said Knock Me A Kiss director Chuck Smith, visiting from his position as resident director for the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, where he was also a founding member of the Chicago Theatre Company. “I want them to further investigate.”

Both Smith and Cadet expressed satisfaction with their time at WBTT. “Let’s put it this way – I plan to come back,” said Smith.

“The platform that [Nate Jacobs] has created for actors to display their work is a great thing for Sarasota,” said Cadet, now in his third production with the company. “15 years later, I’m just happy the platform is still here for African American theater.”

Knock Me A Kiss opens tonight at 8pm and runs until Feb. 8. 

Café Epicure first opened in Downtown Sarasota in the year 2000. The sunny trattoria features sidewalk seating, cheery service, a beautiful backlit bar and a state-of-the-art wood-burning pizza oven. In the past couple of years thanks to a renovation and helped along by proximity to hot spots like Clasico, Selva Grill and Ivory Lounge, Café Epicure has also become something of a staple for Sarasota’s lively nightlife crowd. The authentic, fresh Italian cuisine, though, is what keeps us coming back for more. My family and I are huge fans of Epicure – our go-to choice for Christmas Eve dinner, a quick lunch or a gelato fix. I love the Insalata Tropicale featuring hearts of palm and avocado, the Salmon Tartare with cucumber sauce and a decadent touch of heavy cream, as well as the pizzas with their perfectly thin crusts. My dad and I can’t get enough of the chili infused olive oil; he likes to pour it liberally over the fresh seafood pasta.  

Cafe Epicure, 1298 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota

Venice Regional Bayfront Health announced Inna Makievsky as its new chief nursing officer. Born and raised in the Ukraine, Makievsky had a Master’s degree in engineering and a career in naval architecture before entering healthcare. She spent six years directing risk management and overseeing quality at the General Children’s Hospital in Kherson, Ukraine. Makievsky, her husband, and their two children immigrated to the United States in 1989. Unable to speak English, her first job in the U.S. was selling women’s shoes. Under the mentoring of her host family mother who worked in healthcare, Makievsky returned to school to pursue nursing and learn to speak English. While in school, she worked in a clinical laboratory holding various positions including phlebotomist, stat lab clerk, and microbiology tech. After completion of nursing school, Makievsky spent seven years in critical care working in cardiovascular intensive care unit, neuro-spine ICU and oncology ICU units, and was most recently chief nursing executive at St. Cloud Regional Medical Center in St. Cloud. 

Venice Regional Bayfront Health

Neal Communities broke new company sales records in 2014, selling 864 new homes, earning $276 million in revenue and pulling permits on over 500 homes in Manatee County alone. This year, the homebuilder also hit a major milestone by delivering more than 10,000 homes to families in Florida since its inception in 1970. Neal Communities opened nine new communities in 2014 from Manatee to Collier counties and expects to unveil eight in the first quarter of 2015, starting a five-year expansion plan. 

Neal Communities

In an effort to improve access and opportunity for all in this community, Bayside Community Church announced completion of a building expansion of its East Bradenton Campus and will host an official Grand Opening event the weekend of Jan. 10 and 11.  Services will take place on Saturday at 5pm as well as on Sunday at 9:30am and 11:15am.  On Saturday, attendees will be invited to stay for a celebratory after-party.  Throughout the weekend, community members will have the opportunity to tour the new facility on State Road 64 East in Bradenton. 

Bayside Community Church

This January, SRQ | The Magazine produces the second annual Women in Business Competition, recognizing women who have made meaningful contributions to the Sarasota and Bradenton communities through their business, non-profit and philanthropic endeavors. Nominations are open to the public beginning January 12^th. Each nominee will submit a formal application to share her story of success. SRQ is proud to announce the 2015 panel of judges that will review and identify the winners: Sam Bond, president and owner, Sam Bond Benefit Group; Wanda Lipscomb-Vasquez, director, Florida Institute of Technology Women’s Business Center; Jo Watson Hackl, attorney, Wyche, P.A.; Nancy Whitworth, deputy city manager, director of economic development, City of Greenville, SC; Jill Langford Dame, executive director, Leadership Jacksonville, Inc.; Donna Orender, CEO, Orender Unlimited; and Linda Simmons, president and CEO, R.R. Simmons Construction Corporation. Nominations for the 2015 Women in Business Competition open on Monday, January 12 and close on Friday, February 6, 2015. For information on the 2015 SRQ Women in Business competition, visit the Inside the Brand blog. Nominees, finalists and winners will be recognized in the May 2015 edition of SRQ. 

SRQ wants to see your most dramatic home before-and-afters projects! Just in time for Spring, our March 2015 House + Home Roundtable for contractors, builders, landscapers and designers is sure to awe and inspire homeowners throughout Sarasota and Bradenton. Perfect for interior design updates, structural improvements, curb appeal refreshes, bath and closet makeovers, pool and landscape renovations and organizational overhauls, Home Makeovers is just right to reach future clients with information about your company and expertise (and to showcase photos of your amazing handiwork)! Contact us at GrowMyBusiness@srqmag.com to reserve your space today!