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SRQ DAILY Feb 6, 2016

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"It's difficult for us to say goodbye to friends, but knowing that their choice to give impacted others - one person at a time - makes it easier and serves as a reminder about what we can do with the time, talent and treasure that has been afforded to us."

- Roxie Jerde, Community Foundation of Sarasota County
 

[Chamber]  Two State Taxes Being Examined
Amy Farrington

The Florida Legislature is currently in session and is considering a host of difficult decisions including substantive issues like education and transportation, as well as fiscal matters including taxation and budgets. Although state legislative activity can seem far removed from the Sarasota region and our individual circumstances, these kinds of decisions have very real consequences in our daily lives, our businesses and our quality of life. Of particular note are two tax-related bills that directly impact area businesses.

One bill proposes extending a narrow tax exemption that makes our state more competitive. Florida law provides a 6-percent sales and use tax to be levied on tangible personal property. Generally, we all see this additional charge on things we buy at stores. Florida law outlines certain exemptions to this tax for various items or for specific circumstances. One of those exemptions is the industrial manufacturing and equipment sales tax exemption that was approved in 2014 for three years and is set to expire on April 30, 2017. The exemption specifically applies to industrial machinery and equipment purchased by certain eligible manufacturing businesses and used within the state.  

Within the state of Florida, there are more than 18,600 manufacturing companies with over 321,000 manufacturing employees. These companies produce everything from aerospace products to food and beverages to boats and have a significant direct economic impact. Indirectly when one manufacturing job is created, it generates an additional three to five jobs in ancillary businesses including transportation and retail.

Another tax issue that will be decided during this session concerns the business rent tax. If a business rents a physical building, they usually pay property taxes as a portion of their rent (it is “passed through” to them) and then they pay an additional 6-percent tax just for leasing the space. Florida is the only state in the country that assesses a sales tax on a business lease, which costs Florida businesses an estimated $1.7 billion annually. The proposed legislation reduces this tax by 1 percent (down to 5 percent) which will return $289 million per year to businesses.

So how does this affect you? Or me? These bills, and others like them, directly affect us and our community through our business owners. If the Legislature votes to permanently exempt this manufacturing equipment, those dollars can be reinvested back into local jobs and businesses, which will work to grow and diversify our economic base. If the business rent tax is reduced, the money business owners save can be reinvested in the business to expand and hire new employees.  

For more information, visit www.leg.state.fl.us. The industrial manufacturing and equipment sales tax exemption legislation is found in House Bill 115 and Senate Bill 98. The business rent tax legislation is located in House Bill 247 and Senate Bill 116.

Amy Farrington is vice president of Public Policy and Sarasota Tomorrow Initiatives for The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. 

[The Way I See It]  The Moral Purpose of Business
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At a recent meeting of the Gulf Coast CEO Forum, an organization comprised of local CEOs with a focus on business leadership, we were treated to a lecture by Dr. James Otteson, Presidential Chair in Business Ethics at Wake Forest University. In addition, he is the executive director for BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism. His talk embraced the above topic and the Morality of Capitalism. I will do my best to summarize his talk.

He commenced his address by challenging us to place business in its proper moral context by investigating the value and purpose of “Honorable Business.”

According to Aristotle, human beings have a hierarchy of purposes.The ultimate end for humans is “eudaimonia”, a contented state of being happy, healthy and prosperous. Achieving “eudaimonia” requires a connection between business and the “humane and just society.”

In the proper moral context of business. we want a “humane and just society.” An HJS depends on specific social institutions including a properly functioning market economy, which includes honorable business providing productive value.

Before 1800, the life of man was brutally short. The average person was no better off than in 100,000 B.C. with daily earnings of $1-3.Today it is $145 per day in the US, and $45 in the rest of the world, a 15-fold real increase, 50-fold in the U.S. What caused this?

Culture and Institutions.

There are two ways to get what one wants:

Extractive behavior: theft, slavery, imperialism.

Cooperative behavior: voluntary exchange.

Around 1800, there was a cultural shift: extractive behavior became unacceptable and cooperative behavior became acceptable, even praiseworthy.

Institutions began to reflect this cultural change. The key to prosperity is more cooperation. The “company” is a powerful node of cooperation and thus honorable business is a key to prosperity.

Is money all that matters? No, but wealth enables other things that do matter to us.

Dr. Otteson went on to produce a series of graphs that compared the markets of the freest economies and the least free economies for a range of subjects; development, poverty, life expectancy and the environment. In all sections, the most free substantially outperformed the least free. Should we seek to equalize wealth or income? After all, Bill Gates is substantially wealthier than Michael Jordan; is this fair?

What matters is the absolute quality of each individual’s life. Life is a journey, not a race.

Sure all wealth comes from business but genuine prosperity comes from Honorable Business, which leads to increasing wealth and enables “Eudaimonia”

I have attempted to convey the content of Dr. Otteson’s address, with his permission, as I felt it was not only thought-provoking but timely as our country will be called upon to make an important choice in November.

It was not planned, but after writing this column we went to see The Big Short, which for me underlined the appropriateness of Dr. Otteson’s remarks. 

Ian Black is the founder of Ian Black Real Estate 

[Community]  What Will Your Legacy Be?
Roxie Jerde, roxie@cfsarasota.org

One of the most moving experiences in my professional and personal life occurs each year at the annual Legacy Luncheon for the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.  With lights turned down and candles lit at each table, I read the names of our Legacy members who have passed away during the last year. These moments are very poignant for me and for our audience of donors and their family members.

Each name being read represents a life that was lived with intentionality by a person who believed in the power of giving to others. Like each one of us, they came from different backgrounds, held different positions in their careers, suffered losses and experienced different challenges in life that shaped the way they felt about our world and how they wanted to impact it.  

Among the names I read on Friday was Kathy Baylis, a kind and brilliant community leader who made countless contributions to local businesses and our economy. I read the name of Charlotte Graver, who helped to pave the road for women in business. She had a deep sense of pride for her family, supporting causes important to her and her family including Jewish culture and heritage, human services, and cancer research. I read Dr. John Freeman’s name—a deeply loved radiologist from Venice who touched thousands of lives.

Philanthropy has been broadly defined as love for humankind.  No matter what your individual circumstance may be, each of us has three potential gifts at our disposal to share: our time, our talents and our treasure. Whether you share your gifts in a structured way—through a local nonprofit for example—or more informally—helping your friends, family and neighbors—you have an imprint on your community.

The ways we can make a difference are also shaped by how we choose to talk to others and work with others who may be different from ourselves. It can be hard to remember as political discussions about candidates are heating up and we face strong feelings about what we want to stand up for. But when used with that love for human kind, our words and actions can have greater impact in the way we shape possibilities in our community.  

Together with my colleagues, I consider myself extremely fortunate to sit at the intersection of so much community impact that is powered by philanthropy. We enjoy the stories from local nonprofits who receive funding from Immediate Impact Grants, the thank you notes passed along by families who escape homelessness through Season of Sharing funds, the news of graduation from our college scholarship recipients, and the photographs of students learning experientially at local organizations through EdExplore SRQ.

Each of these examples of philanthropy at work is part of a larger landscape of positive impact in our community. Each is made possible by people who care deeply about others and our community.

It’s difficult for us to say goodbye to friends, but knowing that their choice to give impacted others—one person at a time—makes it easier and serves as a reminder about what we can do with the time, talent and treasure that has been afforded to us.

Some leave charitable legacies of millions of dollars, others with millions of imprints of kind hellos and expressions of “How can I help you?”

Let’s consider how many opportunities we have to be philanthropic. When our names are read one day, it will mean something powerful. 

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

[From Olaf Maly]  Who Needs New Whole Foods?
Olaf Maly

Who needs another food market? We have Fresh Market, Publix (three in a 4-mile radius), Ditweiler, only to name a few around here. Another tree-covered area will be another beautiful parking lot. I could cry to see all those trees go. The whole University Parkway corridor from Interstate-75 to Tamiami Trail will be one store and restaurant after the other. Not to talk about all the shops and restaurants in the UTC area. Then we have the 'diamond circle' on I-75. We live on University Park and try to avoid the eastbound direction already as much as we can. It's getting worse every day. My point is, this area was once green, nice and quiet. Now it is one traffic nightmare after the other. And the last green spot will be gone too. But who cares? Business is what's important, right?

“Garrison noted, though, that the environmental impact will be mitigated by the purchase of land in a preserve that will boost the Manatee River Basin.”

How wonderful. I would be interested where this is. On the site for Whole Food,s there is no River basin, but that might be only me who doesn't see it. Maybe he means the retention pond he has to build. Certainly a beautiful pond, I am sure.

When does this madness end? When there is nothing left to cut down. How sad.

Olaf Maly, Sarasota, responding to the "Whole Foods to Change Customer Market" article in the Feb. 1 edition of SRQ Daily. 

[From Kafi Benz]  Added Value for Your 50-Year-Old House
Kafi Benz

On Feb. 8, Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations, is hosting Lorrie Muldowney, the immediate past manager of historical resources for the county, who now has established a historic preservation consulting service in Sarasota. She will discuss the benefits of historic preservation that could enhance our communities greatly through higher property values, retaining the character of our neighborhoods and creating a sense of place with significant charm. She also will dispel concerns often rumored about restrictions on property owners.

The value of historic preservation often is overlooked in Sarasota. The reason for that is pondered by many who know how much of a benefit it may be. Some say that Florida lacks ‘real’ history, without knowing that the first known European settlement in the new world was in Florida (named in 1513 by Ponce de  León). The first recorded birth in the new world of a child with old world ancestry was in 1566 at Saint Augustine. That was two decades earlier than the brief settlement at Roanoke Island (1585), and those of the next century at Jamestown (1607), New Netherlands (1609), and finally, Plymouth (1620). I won’t even go into the details of the debate about the location and nature of the first “Thanksgiving,” but can assure you that Florida is the likely site!

The surprising value of historic designations can benefit the entire community and neighborhood as well as an individual property owner. Think of the charm that makes Laurel Park so desirable. Retention of its bungalows that were built in comfortable scale to one another has blended with its few 1920s apartment buildings into a fabric that creates a welcoming character. The next boom era of Sarasota, after the Second World War, lent a new architectural style to neighborhoods developing throughout the county. From the early cores of the cities and settlements, suburban neighborhoods were developed that reflected a burgeoning economy and new access enabled by the automobiles families now were able to afford. The neighborhoods emerging during that development may have embraced new styles, but scale always will remain essential to new and appealing neighborhoods, providing character and a sense of place. 

Homes and buildings built before 1966 now have crossed the threshold for eligibility for historic status. Property owners in communities and neighborhoods that recognize how historic preservation can be used to add extra value can work together to enhance values.

My home was built in the late 1940s, but research into its history shows that the property was homesteaded a hundred years before that by the family of A. B. Edwards. A youthful Edwards was hunting with his father when they welcomed the Scots who traveled here to establish a colony. He became her first mayor when Sarasota incorporated as a “city” and he attracted Bertha Palmer to Sarasota so he could demonstrate why she should invest here. He was active in the effort to carve Sarasota County out of Manatee and founded the Edwards Theater that is home to the Sarasota Opera. The Edwards homestead was included in the plat Charles Thompson registered as Shell Beach, which would become winter retreats for the Ringlings and the Sapphire Shores neighborhood during the 1920s. What history is associated with your property and how can that increase its value?

Come learn the facts about historic designation and the added value it brings to homeowners, neighborhoods, an communities. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 8 at the Sarasota Garden Club, located at 1131 Boulevard of the Arts near its intersection with Tamiami Trail. Parking and the entrance are reached from Van Wezel Way. For more information see the CONA web site, www.conasarasota.org/meetings.html.

Kafi Benz is president of the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations, vice chair of the citizen advisory committee of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization and the founder and president of Friends of Seagate.  



[SCOOP]  Cheer On The Runners At Sarasota Half Music Marathon Tomorrow

Cheer on the participants in the 2nd Annual Sarasota Music Half Marathon  tomorrow, Sunday, February 7.  The race features 20 bands that runners will pass 42 times in their 13.1 mile journey along the Music Half Marathon course. The Sarasota High School Sailor Marching Band will play on the Ringling Bridge. Runners again run through Selby Gardens at mile 10 where they will hear the soulful stylings of The Kara Nally Band. Entrance to Selby is free, but spectators have to have a tickets which can be reserved at www.Selby.org. The always popular ‘Beer Mile’ will again welcome the runners to the 12.5 mile mark to the lively dance tunes of Spark Notes. The 2016 race is offcially sold out with 3,000 entrants.  Registration for the 2017 is open now and tiered promotional pricing are available in limited quantities from $45 - $65. People can register at the link below. 

Sarasota Music Half Marathon

[SCOOP]  Center For Sight Accepting Applications for Free Mission Cataract Surgeries

Center For Sight, one of the nation’s leading ophthalmology practices, is now accepting applications for free cataract surgeries through the Mission Cataract program. Mission Cataract is an annual event where Center For Sight performs over 100 free surgeries for individuals who have no health insurance or other means to pay for treatment. Download an application at the link below or call 941-480-2143 for application information. The submission deadline is April 15, 2016. Surgery dates for Mission Cataract 2016 are July 13 and July 20. The surgeries will be performed at Center For Sight’s state of the art AAAHC-accredited surgery center in Sarasota.  

Center For Sight Foundation

[SCOOP]  Music Compound Offers Innovative Music Education For All Ages

Music Compound, a fresh new innovative music school and second home to students and local musicians of all ages, will host an open house on February 12. A series of education workshops begins March 26 with a program on "Defining Your College Music Career" for advanced music students.  The contemporary local studio located at 1747 Cattlemen Road in Sarasota features a “cool” Music Lounge, as well as studios for private lessons or group practice sessions. "With guitars, keyboard, drums, bean bags, tables and chairs, our Music Lounge is like a coffee or tea shop," said Jenny Alday Townsend who opened the studio in January. There are even "try-out" instruments on the walls for students just beginning to explore the world of music. "Local musicians can share riffs, find a missing band member or sing along with new musical friends."   

Music Compound

[SOON]  Yoga in the Gardens

Start your week off right by treating yourself to a peaceful mind/body Yoga experience in the beautiful Marie Selby Botanical Gardens setting February 8, 15 and 22 from 9-10am.  Practicing yoga in an outdoor setting is a unique experience thanks to sense of calm and well-being offered by the plants, sunshine and wind in the leaves. In fact, there is quite a bit of science to support the health benefits of doing yoga outdoors. Research shows that time spent in nature (Japanese refer to it as “forest bathing”) improves mental cognition, improves immune function and lowers blood pressure. Translated, “yoga” means union and yoga at Selby is the perfect mix of uniting people with nature.  Classes are for  beginners as well as advanced students and all those who want to enjoy peace of mind and serenity by practicing this mindfulness technique in the great outdoors.

  

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

[SCOOP]  Pines of Sarasota Ready & Steady Plan for Better Balance

Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans. To help seniors assess their current risk of falling, Pines of Sarasota Rehabilitation and Senior Care Community announces the outreach of Ready & Steady Plan for Better Balance, a complimentary falls risk assessment. The Ready & Steady risk assessment’s features four steps: 1. CDC based Health questionnaire, 2. Timed, Up and Go test (T.U.G.) 3. Biodex Balance System SD Machine™ that quickly tests balance, 4. A recommended action plan suggested by one of Pines of Sarasota rehabilitation therapist. To determine your risk or the risk of someone you care about, please call the Pines of Sarasota Rehabilitation Center at 941-552-1882 for availability. 

Pines Of Sarasota

[SOON]  Sarasota Opera Announces 13th Performance of Aida

Due to overwhelming demand, Sarasota Opera is pleased to announce an additional performance of the company’s production of Verdi’s Aida has just been added to its current season calendar. Aida, one of opera’s most beloved tales of the tragic love triangle between a stunning slave, a vengeful princess, and a great warrior, opened Sarasota Opera’s 2016 Winter Festival Season on January 30th to critical acclaim. Originally set to run for 12 performances, a 13th performance has been added for Thursday, March 10th at 7:30pm. The last time the company added a performance to their calendar was the debut of their production of La bohème by Giacomo Puccini in 2006.

 

Sarasota Opera

[SCOOP]  Emerging Leaders Wanted

The Gulf Coast Leadership Institute is a two-month leadership-development program that aims to identify and train a group of aspiring, emerging, and experienced leaders from across our region, providing them with the skills they need to help transform our communities. For the 2016 class, Gulf Coast will select up to 25 individuals who will take part in seven leadership-training sessions from late April through June led by the nationally recognized J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development; plug into a diverse network of fellow leaders -including nearly 250 Leadership Institute alumni-who represent the diversity of our region's public, private, and independent sectors; receive all training and resources at no cost, other than your commitment to use your new skills to benefit our community. To submit an online application for Gulf Coast Leadership Institute go to the link below. Completed applications must be submitted by March 18, 2016, to be considered. 

Gulf Coast Leadership Institute

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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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