SRQ DAILY May 9, 2016
Monday Business Edition
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"We are doing this because working people deserve a place to live, and they are not getting that in Florida."
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More than 3 million tourists visited Manatee County in 2015, according to figures reported last week by the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and officials expect those record-breaking figures to be surpassed this year. “We are still expecting 4-percent growth this calendar year,” said Elliott Falcione, executive director of the bureau. “If the economy stays where it is, we should see another year of vertical growth.”
In total, visitor traffic in the Bradenton Area was up 3.4 percent over 2015, bringing an economic impact of $1.1 billion to the region, according to a report from Data Research Services commissioners by the bureau. The boost created an additional 24,700 tourism-related job opportunities in the area, up 13.4 percent from 2014. International tourists alone increased by almost 8 percent, making up almost 118,000 of the visitors to the region this year. Over the past four years, international visitation increased more than 27 percent, and Falcione said that increasing travel from abroad will be a major focus in the coming year.
“We continue to reinvest in Central Europe and the United Kingdom,” he said, “and we will continue to do some public relations in the Scandinavian countries, which are markets of opportunity for us.” Seeking out media attention in those countries will be an efficient use of dollars in those growing visitor markets. The bureau also seeks to boost domestic travel from American markets like the Midwest.
In total, the bureau has a marketing budget of approximately $2.5 million this year, money generated entirely through a tourist development tax on hotel stays in the county. Falcon said that creates an incredible return, as tourism last year accounted for $46.9 million in sales tax in the Bradenton area alone. And something clear from growth rates in all statistics in the Data Research Services report, tourists are spending more per capita than in past years. The 3.4-percent increase in visitors brought an 8.8-percent boost in related sales tax, a 10.6-percent boost in economic impact and a 13.8-percent increase in tourism-related jobs from 2014 to 2015.
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A plan for a low-income apartment complex will still be considered by Sarasota City Commissioners later this month, but city staff will no longer ask for the right to conduct independent inspections of the units. Developer Harvey Vengroff, who just a week ago walked out of a public hearing about the project and said he would withdraw an application for a comprehensive plan amendment, now will leave the project’s future in the hands of city commissioners.
City Manager Tom Barwin said the hope in asking for inspections had been to assure a change in the city future land-use map was approved, but instead it divided the board. On Wednesday, Barwin and members of his staff met with Vengroff. “I hope it’s clear the city wants to make this happen,” said Barwin, noting a shortage of affordable housing in the city. Staff will no longer recommend putting a requirement for inspections, and will accept third-party insurance inspections of the structure to assure the development meets safety and health standards. Vengroff is fine with that. He felt the inspections requirement would be unfair to put on his development and not any other ones, and noted that city code inspection has the right to inspect for violations on any property, including Vengroff’s projects, if there is probable cause to do so.
Barwin notes that the community in the past has discussed ordinances that would allow city inspection of apartment units, something that was successful in other jurisdictions where Barwin has worked. But without having a citywide rule, a requirement singling Vengroff’s development out will not be proposed anymore. The original push had come as critics of Vengroff cited past code violations, but Barwin now feels confident in the quality of development being proposed. Barwin also noted that should the land-use designation on this property change, it will be the first time a ‘downtown edge’ designation would be given to a property north of Fruitville Road.
Vengroff said that any history of code violations involves minor issues like uncut grass, and a certain amount of that is to be expected when he is managing 1,600 properties in the region that all cater to low- and middle-income families. His hope now, though, is that the city is as committed as staff claims regarding a plan to bring 393 units online that will serve as workforce housing. He said this kind of designation change on the property should not be viewed as a give-away, as allowing him to build 50 units an acre in six-story apartment buildings actually will provide less return on investment. Using quick estimates, he said building about 400 affordable apartments would be worth about $20 million, but if he build 200 condominium units on the property, which he could do under the existing zoning, he could sell each one for $200,000 and make $40 million. “We are doing this because working people deserve a place to live, and they are not getting that in Florida,” he said.
The hearing on the property was continues until the May 16 meeting of the Sarasota City Commission.
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Sarasota County won top honors in a regional Best Tasting Drinking Water contest, held last month by the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association. The county's tap water was selected by the panel of judges as the best in Region X, topping Charlotte, DeSoto and Manatee counties and several other municipalities and utilities for the third straight year. Sarasota County was also one of 12 finalists in the statewide competition, won last week by the City of Tallahassee.
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U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, announced 10 local students he has nominated for appointment to the nation’s military service academies. The following students were nominated: Tyler Dean Abbott, Judson Cole Haggard and Emiliano Concha-Toro for the U.S. Military Academy; Matthew William Pelton and Shelby Kate Watson for the U.S. Air Force Academy; Garrett Jackson Lawlor and Sarah Michelle Weiss for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; and Samuel Heenan Winegar, Campbell Phoenix Thomas Lee and Gabriel Duremdez Pilones for the U.S. Naval Academy.
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TreeUmph! Adventure Course is featured in the launch collection of 130 attractions included in the Florida Attractions Finder. Visit Florida and the Florida Attractions Association on Friday unveiled the Florida Attractions Finder. Point-of-view videos accessible through the application showcase attractions around the state.
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The "roar" from the April 21st "Hear Me Roar" Women in Business Leadership and Awards Luncheon produced by SRQ Media could be heard from North Port all the way through Palmetto as this year's winners and finalists were announced at a sold-out lunch at The Francis in Downtown Sarasota. Kicked off by Keynote Speaker entrepreneur and Silicon Valley darling Anna Zornosa and founder of Ruby Ribbon with her message of passion for the team, the Women in Business Initiative recognized this year's recipient of the "Hear Me Roar" Trailblazer Award, author, philanthropist and former editor in chief of Town & Country magazine Pamela Fiori. Her top 10 tips for success were one of the event's most treasured take-aways. Once the awards ceremony was underway, stellar women leaders from diverse regional industries were revealed as the WIB Judge's selections for induction into the 2016 Leadership Circle. Share in the celebration of empowerment with photos from the event.
Pictured: Anna Zornosa, Pamela Fiori and Adrienne Vittadini.
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