« Back To SRQ Daily Archive

SRQ DAILY Mar 26, 2016

Please allow images to view this email properly

"This is a great opportunity for us to bring attention to our faculty's ability to prepare students for university engineering programs."

- Dr. Carol Probstfeld, State College of Florida
 

[The Detail]  Institutional Corruption
Catherine Antunes

In recent years, Florida has been cited as a leader in political corruption by various watchdog and news organizations, including Integrity Florida. But how exactly do we define corruption? In Sarasota County, public officials take offense and claim our local government is not corrupt, because questionable practices are either not against the law, or because there has been no quid pro quo exchange. Is that really a fair definition of corruption?

According to Zephyr Teachout, author of Corruption in America, the founding fathers set the bar much higher and were focused on ensuring the public interest prevailed over private interests. Improper influence and professional lobbying were considered contrary to public policy—some states even outlawed lobbying.  They set limits on the power of appointment and the number of positions that members of Congress could simultaneously hold. They also required that government take private property only for public use, and that it provide fair compensation when doing so.

Sarasota County’s collective eyebrows were raised in 2014, when a sitting County Commissioner accepted a position acting as Executive Director of the Argus Foundation, a political lobbying group.  The subsequent public outcry failed to convince either Argus or the County Commissioner to abandon this arrangement. A review of the Supervisor of Elections website shows the Argus Foundation’s history of PAC donations, along with it’s self described “political organization” status.  Attempts to rebrand Argus as something other than a political group insult the intelligence of Sarasotans. Such competing loyalties for a public official would certainly be considered corruption by our founding fathers, according to Teachout’s historical research.

Sarasota County’s decision to surrender public assets or functions to private non-profits is another questionable practice. The Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates, or SANCA, manages the publicly owned Nathan Benderson Park.  SANCA has been plagued by cost overruns, loss of non-profit status and a lawsuit over a dredging contract. SANCA’s budget, funded by Sarasota County taxpayers, operates outside of government procurement rules. 

Another County funded non-profit, Sarasota’s Economic Development Corporation, or EDC, gets over 90 percent of its funding from Sarasota County taxpayers. Another look at the Supervisor of Elections website shows the EDC contributed $4,500 to the Committee for Jobs PAC in 2010. Your tax dollars are PAC dollars? How is that not corrupt? 

Lawrence Lessig, founder of the Edmond J. Safra Research Lab for Ethics, has clearly defined the kind of corruption we are dealing with in Sarasota:  Institutional Corruption. Institutional Corruption “is manifest when there is a systemic and strategic influence which is legal, or even currently ethical, that undermines the institution’s effectiveness by diverting it from its purpose or weakening its ability to achieve its purpose, including, to the extent relevant to its purpose, weakening either the public’s trust in that institution or the institution’s inherent trustworthiness.” 

Tax dollars turning into PAC donations, County Commissioners working as lobbyists, SANCA using public money without the accountability of government procurement—these and other County practices work against the public interest.  We have Institutional Corruption in Sarasota County.

Cathy Antunes serves on the boards of the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations and Sarasota Citizens for Responsible Government. 

[Higher Education]  Gator Engineering at SCF
Carol Probstfeld, presidentsoffice@scf.edu

From the time I became the president of the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, employers have told me that our region was desperately short of engineers, and that when they needed interns, they had to travel to Gainesville to find them. It’s exciting to see this week that a major step has been taken to resolve this challenge with the announcement of the University of Florida’s Innovation Station in Sarasota County.

Today I’d like to talk about just one of the many facets in this initiative – the role my college will play in Gator Engineering at SCF. The University of Florida lacks the capacity to admit all the qualified students who apply to its engineering program each year. Students who meet UF’s requirements will be offered the opportunity to attend SCF and participate in the Gator Engineering program. We expect about 10 students in 2017, but hope to see the program grow over time. UF has a similar partnership with Santa Fe College in Gainesville which has demonstrated great success and tripled the number of students in its program in just three years.

These students will enroll on our SCF Venice campus in the fall of 2017 for their first three semesters. Assuming they complete all their requirements satisfactorily, they will move on to the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering in Gainesville for their fourth semester, reverse transfer their credits to be awarded an Associate of Arts degree from SCF, and then continue to work toward their bachelor’s degree at UF.

Our traditional students can participate in the same coursework and upon graduation from SCF could be given consideration for transfer to UF or be fully prepared to transfer to any other state university. This is a great opportunity for us to bring attention to our faculty’s ability to prepare students for university engineering programs.

Internships are another piece to this program. We are blessed in this region with a number of growing technology and manufacturing companies that can provide mentorship and internship opportunities for our students. Those relationships typically lead to full-time employment offers upon graduation, bringing our best and brightest students back home to Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

I want to thank the Sarasota County Economic Development Corporation and UF for recognizing the capabilities of SCF and our outstanding faculty. We are already providing all the classes required for the Gator Engineering program and hope that this develops into a flagship program for our SCF Venice Campus.

Students interested in affordably completing their first two years toward an engineering degree do not need to wait until the fall of 2017 to enroll at SCF—we are ready for you now. 

Dr. Carol Probstfeld is president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. 

[Government]  Sunday Shorts
Tom Barwin, Thomas.Barwin@sarasotagov.com

Spring is nature’s glorious season of fresh starts, new creations and optimism. During this Easter season, I thought I might share a few noteworthy Spring updates from a community perspective:

  • The biggest news this early Spring was this week’s announcement that the University of Florida College of Engineering’s very first Innovation Station will soon be located in Downtown Sarasota. This UF-, Barancik Foundation-, Gulf Coast Community Foundation- and Sarasota County Economic Development Corporation-led collaboration has planted promising seeds to cross pollinate local engineering talent with a statewide UF network to advance innovative problem-solving and business opportunities right here. The creative coast could become the Silicon Valley of Florida. Congratulations to all involved; this is quite a coup to help further strengthen our local economy.
  • One of the elements that makes our area attractive to the Innovation Station is the potential here. Creativity is contagious and creatives like working with other creatives in a diverse and stimulating environment. Google named Sarasota as Florida’s e-City in 2014, recognizing local innovation growth in e-commerce. In 2016, the second local People, Ideas, Nature & Creativity (PINC) conference was held here as well. Today, it is estimated that there are 24,000 professional jobs and 2.3 million square feet of office space within a one-mile radius of City Hall, which includes the HUB technology innovation incubator.

In other updates:

  • Our 2016 city budget also created the new Position of City Parks and Recreation Director. It is a special pleasure for me to announce I have appointed Jerry Fogle to fill this position following a national search. For the past 4.5 years, Jerry has done an outstanding job managing the Robert L. Taylor Community Center and has diligently prepared over the years for his new role. City Parks and Recreation programs greatly impacted Jerry’s youth, and I am pleased we have a director who passionately believes in the power of parks and recreation for healthy living and making a positive difference for people of all ages.
  • Many of our visionary spring-minded citizens describe a future vision of our city as one big, beautiful healthy park-like environment that people happen to live in. This is an inspiring vision. Along those lines, the City Commission amended our city budget this week to provide for an additional arborist to help care for our urban forest.
  • The Sarasota Police Department has reported that major crime dropped by 7.3 percent in 2015. Over the past five years, major crime in the city has now dropped by 28.1 percent. A big thanks goes out to Chief Bernadette DiPino and all of the men and women of the SPD for their efforts and all of the citizens and groups who continue to work with SPD to perfect Partnership Policing, which I believe is becoming a national model. Congratulations to all.
  • Although Sarasota decreased by 900 in population between the 2000 and 2010 census, the current construction boom is expected to see the full-time city population grow from 54,214 full-time residents to approximately 57,000 by 2019.
  • This week the City Commission also advanced a $734,000 bid for Bird Key Bridge and seawall repairs, a $15-million parking garage/beautification project on St. Armands Circle, and awarded a $7.7-million microtunneling and water main construction bid. The microtunneling bid came in approximately $2 million below preliminary estimates through a pre-qualification, competitive bidding process. Work on Lift Station 87 will resume this summer.
  • Lastly, hats off to the organizers of the 2016 Sarasota Film Festival, which runs April 1 through April 10 and will honor legendary actress Sophia Loren. One focus of this year’s festival is mental health, a timely topic that desperately needs much more attention here in the Sunshine State.

Happy Spring everybody. And, best wishes to the Baltimore Orioles this season. It’s been great having you back this Spring.

Tom Barwin is city manager for the City of Sarasota.  

[Candidate]  Schools Still Need Improvement
Eric Robinson

Much has been written about my employment as a treasurer for political campaigns and my work as a CPA. As a candidate running for the Sarasota County School Board, I think it’s much more important to discuss why I am running for the position, and why I am passionate about improving our schools.

Sarasota County has a lot to be proud of when it comes to our schools. As a member of the Sarasota County Schools Financial Advisory Board, I have toured, explored and been exposed to many facets of our education community. Our best asset is the quality of our teachers. The amount of time and dedication they put into their passion should make every citizen of our community proud. The second biggest sense of pride comes from the fact that our community, every four years, renews the school tax referendum. This provides much-needed support for essential programs, but more importantly, it shows a level of commitment and support from our community to our school system.  

However, there are areas that still need improvement. Sarasota County schools score better than all of the counties in Florida but one. While we are an A district, we are not an A district for all. The most glaring example is for minorities and working parents. Caucasian students in Sarasota are proficient for their grade about 76 percent of the time while an African-American student hovers around 40 percent.

I was particularly dismayed when the new school test results were released, and roughly one-third or approximately 14,000 children were not proficient on grade level. At the next Sarasota County School Board meeting after the results were released, the meeting was packed, with a long line of people filling out public comment cards. I thought now the community would demand better for our students. Now the parents would let the board know that having a D school was unacceptable. Instead the talk was centered on bathrooms and what gender should be allowed inside them. While this is an important issue, it should not be the only issue we discuss. 

We have plenty of programs that could have a positive impact on these children’s lives. The teachers only need funding and support to implement these programs. One obvious need is programming that teaches emotional well-being. Helping kids understand their emotions and explaining how to deal with them will trickle down and improve the learning environment across the board. If we teach kids to effectively handle peer pressure, bullying, test anxiety, anger, divorce and general teenage emotions, we can have a major impact in our classrooms.

My wife and I decided to be one of the funders for a program that does exactly that. Social Black Belt is being used for 297 students at North Port High School right now. This has been successful in other high schools in Sarasota County. Christine and I know that giving children utilize these proactive tools can change lives. I have seen first hand how this program affects students. When I am elected to the Sarasota County School Board, one of my goals will be to expand this program throughout the county. These programs are incredibly cost effective, especially when one calculates the cost of not doing them.

My wife and I have also funded programs at Booker High School. We are not only supporting emotional wellness education, such as Rachel’s Challenge at Booker, but we also have awarded multiple scholarships and programs to reduce the achievement gap. The principal, Dr. Rachel Shelley, is truly dedicated to the students and the mission of Booker High School. When you meet her you cannot help but realize that we have to do everything possible to support her endeavors. Christine and I have rented out the Blue Rooster on April 28 and paid for 150 dinners for an inaugural fundraiser to benefit the Booker High Foundation. Since we have paid for all upfront costs, all proceeds will go directly to programs helping the students. We encourage the community to support these important programs, which support the academic atmosphere of our classrooms and ensure the success of our students.

Eric Robinson is a candidate for Sarasota County School Board. 



[KUDOS]  Sarasota Contemporary Dance Celebrates 10 Years

 Sarasota Contemporary Dance celebrated 10 years of superlative dance last weekend, with a four day run of "Retrospect" at the Jane B. Cook Theatre. The 10th annual main stage performance celebrated a decade of Artistic Director, Leymis Bolaños Wilmott's work. Current Company members were joined on stage by former company dancers, who reprised memorable roles they debuted earlier on in the company's history.  SCD also celebrated 10 years of community partnership with SRQ Magazine and incorporated the publication into their performance. "Jest Girls was a piece that we presented at SRQ Hot List event 10 years ago and reflects on the directors youthful days of listening to Salsa music with her friends. The main prop used is  SRQ Magazine and the movement features isolation hip movements with dancers faces covered. It opened our 10th season production kicking off our show with a whimsical piece of pure joy. We appreciate that we are still partnering with SRQ Magazine after 10 seasons. They have been with us along for the journey!" said Artistic Director, Leymis Bolaños Wilmott. Be sure to join Sarasota Contemporary Dance as they close out their historic 10th season with four performances, June 2-5 at the Jane B. Cook Theatre. 

Sarasota Contemporary Dance

[TODAY]  Orioles Host All Faiths Food Drive

Today, March 26, the Orioles will host the sixth annual All Faiths Food Drive. Fans attending the 1:05 p.m. game against the Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items and/or monetary donations to benefit the All Faiths Food Bank. Volunteers will collect all donations at the gates of the ballpark. The Orioles’ participation in the All Faiths Food Drive is part of Sarasota 365, a host of initiatives through which the Baltimore Orioles and OriolesREACH demonstrate the ballclub’s year-round engagement with the Greater Sarasota community. Whether hosting youth activities, participating in charitable causes or partnering in efforts to boost the local economy, the Orioles are active in the region all year long, proving that their commitment to the club's southern home goes far beyond baseball.  

Baltimore Orioles

[SOON]  Wine Walk to Ca' d'Zan

Don't miss the fourth annual Wine Walk to Ca’ d’Zan on April 1 from 6-10pm, a self-guided wine tasting tour along the drive to John and Mable Ringling’s historic mansion overlooking Sarasota Bay.  Guests will receive a signature "Wine Walk" wine glass before they stroll The Ringling estate, taste fine wine and delight in delicious food pairings and entertainment inspired by the four seasons. The evening will conclude on the bayfront with live music and entertainment. Net proceeds will be directed to the Ca' d'Zan Preservation Fund. 

The Ringling

[KUDOS]  SMH Listed in Becker's Healthcare 150 Great Places to Work

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has been listed in Becker's Healthcare 2016 listing of "150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare.
The list recognizes U.S. hospitals, health systems, surgical centers and home health agencies and other healthcare-specific companies for promoting workplace excellence and efforts to improve professional development, diversity and inclusion, work-life balance and a sense of community among employees. A regional referral center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, Sarasota Memorial has more than 5,000 employees, 900 physicians and 900,000 inpatient and outpatient visits a year. It’s flagship 819-bed acute care hospital has been recognized repeatedly as one of the nation’s largest, and best, with superior patient outcomes and a complete continuum of outpatient services– from urgent care clinics and physician groups, laboratory and diagnostic imaging centers, to home health and skilled nursing & rehabilitation. 

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System

[KUDOS]  Goodwill Manasota Awarded Three-Year CARF Accreditation

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International announced Goodwill Manasota has been accredited for an additional period of three years for its Job Connection Program. The Job Connection program, a free service, is designed to help individuals obtain long-term employment or transition to better paying jobs. Through community partnerships, Goodwill matches jobless and underemployed workers with companies seeking well-trained, dependable employees.
Goodwill has nine Job Connection sites throughout Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties. Job Connection specialists help participants assess their career goals, prepare strong resumes and cover letters, identify prospective employers, and conduct successful job interviews. In 2015, Goodwill placed 961 people in jobs through its Job Connection service.


 

Goodwill Manasota

[SOON]  CWC-FPRA's 50th Anniversary and Image Awards Celebration

The Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (CWC-FPRA) will recognize the area’s best work in public relations achievements at its 50th Anniversary and Image Awards Celebration on Thursday, April 14, from 5:30-8pm at The Francis in Sarasota. Join current, past and future CWC FPRA members and their friends and family at the Chapter’s celebration and awards ceremony. The local Image Awards competition is conducted annually to recognize outstanding public relations programs in the area and to encourage and promote the development of the public relations profession. Winners will be recognized for their excellence in sound public relations research and planning as well as production, execution and evaluation of results, including budget. 

CWC-FPRA

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

Copyright © 2024 by SRQ Media Group, 331 South Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.
Powered by Sarasota Web Design | Unsubscribe

Read More

Where Oil Meets Water

Where Oil Meets Water

Phil Lederer | Mar 1, 2024

Freedom to Wander

Freedom to Wander

Laura Paquette | Mar 1, 2024

Drive and Dine

Drive and Dine

Laura Paquette | Mar 1, 2024

A Mesmerizing Journey

A Mesmerizing Journey

Barbie Heit | Mar 1, 2024