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SRQ DAILY Mar 11, 2015

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"We knew we had done the work and just hoped voters would come out and recognize that."

- Shelli Freeland Eddie, Sarasota City Commission candidate
 

[Politics]  Alpert-Normile, Zimmerman-Eddie Contests Set for May
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

Sarasota City Commission contests will continue to May 12 runoffs, as no candidates secured a majority of votes in elections held Tuesday. Candidates Liz Alpert and Eileen Normile will duke it out for the District 2 seat and candidates Stan Zimmerman and Shellie Freeland Eddie will fight for votes in District 3. All candidates say they are prepared to fight as hard to win the runoff as they did to get a spot on the ballot.

The fight for District 2 seems the most likely to come down to the wire. Alpert was the top vote-getter there, with 1,655 votes (43.67 percent) to Normile’s 1,446 votes (38.15 percent), while David Morgan was eliminated after pulling in 689 votes (18.18 percent). After early voting, Alpert and Normile were separated by only five votes, but Alpert performed strongly on Election Day.

“The voters of the City of Sarasota sent a clear message we need new leadership on the City Commission,” said Alpert in a campaign statement. That was a clear shot at Normile, who was appointed to fill a vacancy on the City Commission in November and is filling out a term that ends in May.

But Normile felt heavy involvement from the Democratic Party of Sarasota accounted for a difference in her vote total and Alpert’s. “I would say with 10 volunteers and a completely grassroots campaign of Democrats, Republicans and independents, we did pretty well against a fully fueled partisan political machine,” she said.

As for District 3, Zimmerman, who was also appointed to the Commission in November, nearly avoided a runoff completely thanks to a strong showing in early and absentee votes, but ended the night with 749 votes (45.95 percent), not quite enough to avoid a second contest in May. Eddie pulled in 584 votes (35.83 percent) thanks to growing momentum leading into Election Day. Matt Wooddall received 297 votes (18.22 percent) and was eliminated.  

Zimmerman has heartened by his a strong absentee showing, and felt partisan calls from Democrats on behalf of Eddie was what pushed his race into a runoff. “I’m very pleased with the election results tonight,” he said. “I expected a runoff… Clearly the Democrats swamped the system for Ms. Eddie with robocalls. They want to play that way and now I have to figure out how I want to play.” 

Eddie, meanwhile, was bracing for the next phase of the campaign. “We weren’t worried at all,” Eddie said Tuesday night. “We knew we had done the work and just hoped voters would come out and recognize that.” 

[Politics]  Younger, Daly Win LBK Elections

Longboat Key Town Commission candidates Phil Younger and Jack Daly easily won elections on the island Tuesday night. Younger, an incumbent, won an at-large election, getting 1,379 votes to Gene Jaleski's 430. Daly won a District 4 seat with 1,295 votes to Larry Grossman's 505. 

[Festival]  Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Aims High for 2015
Philip Lederer, Phil.Lederer@srqme.com

The races may still be a few months away, but sports fans were getting excited yesterday at the Hyatt Regency as the newly renamed Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival was revealed, along with a new partnership, new events and plans for national and international distribution.

“The Sarasota schedule is quite ambitious. It’s something that hasn’t been seen very often in offshore before,” said Jason Miller, general manager of Offshore Powerboat Grand Prix, explaining the new partnership with Powerboat P1 and Aqua Cross. The partnership will bring a whole new set of races to the festival, including hundreds of personal watercraft racers. “It’s something that people have been clamoring for and something we feel will keep spectators interested and show them the awesome product that OPGP is putting out.”

In addition to adding new races, the festival is gearing itself towards being more spectator-friendly in general, setting aside large swaths of beach for race-goers and organizing a more open awards ceremony on Lido Beach. To supplement the races proper, which take place towards the end of the festival, festival director Lucy Nicandri is aiming for 10 days of activities both on land and sea, to capitalize on the influx of tourists.

“We really understand the value of this event,” said Nicole Rissler, Director of Sports at Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau, which granted $15,000 to the festival, on top of $82,000 in a TET grant from the County, according to Nicandri. “As we’ve grown into the sports market and with sports tourism exploding over the last 7-8 years, we know that certain events have really been the foundation.”

The festival, partnered with Suncoast Charities for Children, where Nicandri also serves as executive director, brought in an estimated $26 million last year.

The last big announcement came from the festival’s work with Greenlight Productions, securing national coverage on CBS Sports and a digital footprint that could stream the event into as many as 650 million homes worldwide.

“The Sarasota race is always something special that I keep in my memory,” said Mark Niemann, a racer with Phantom 9 Racing, who won the event a couple years back. “It’s a really great event, and if we compare it with the races I’ve been in over the world, we always consider Sarasota one of the best races out there.”

The Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival begins June 27, with the races being held July 4 and 5. 

[Good Bite]  Sip of Summer
Kaye Warr

Kam’s Bubble Tea and Sushi occupies one of the charming cottage businesses on Fruitville Road in downtown Sarasota. There’s not a huge amount of atmosphere in the new restaurant but light streams through the windows and the food and specialty drinks are fast, fresh, affordable and delicious. Bubble Tea is a drink that originated in Taiwan and includes large, sweet, chewable tapioca balls. We ordered a Watermelon Smoothie, which consisted of fresh watermelon smoothly blended with ice, and my friend Molly declared it to be a “sip of Summer.” We ordered sashimi and sushi rolls and watched as they were prepared in the open kitchen. The salmon and tuna sashimi was sliced beautifully and the portion was generous. We were given the option of brown or white rice for the sushi rolls. The tuna salad garden roll was the perfect combination of a salad and sushi and served with spicy mayo. Presentation is important and they even took the time to form our ginger into a rose. The restaurant is set up as a fast casual café–one can dine in, as we did, but most of the other patrons appeared to be taking their meals and their bubble teas to go.  

Kam's Bubble Tea and Sushi, 1813 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, 941-960-1610

[Opening]  EOC Finished in Sarasota

A ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday honored the completion of the Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center. The two-story, 40,000-square-foot facility contains the Emergency Operations Center, Public Safety Communications Center and the Sarasota County Contact Center. Intended as a nerve center for Sarasota County during significant events such as hurricanes, the facility's main function is to ensure the continuation of government and public safety, especially during disaster situations. 

Sarasota County

[Launch ]  Neal Unveils Sanibel Home Model

Neal Communities unveiled its newest model at Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood.The decorated and furnished Sanibel model, from the builder’s Coastal series, boasts 2,453 square feet with three bedrooms and three bathrooms plus a three-car garage.Boca Royale Golf & Country Club had more than $10 million in sales in 2014. 

Neal Communities

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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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