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SRQ DAILY Apr 17, 2021

"Protecting and restoring environmental water quality is one of the most important things we can do to maintain and improve our region's coveted quality of life."

- Mark Pritchett, President and CEO of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation
 

[Gulf Coast]  Let’s Do Our Jobs on Region’s Environment
Mark Pritchett, mpritchett@gulfcoastcf.org

You would think we’d get it by now. Are our collective memories that short?

Just three years ago, a toxic red tide bloom along our regional shorelines devastated our tourism economy, degraded our quality of life, and killed our sealife. Also in 2018, a different but noxious blue green slime spoiled the fresh waters on both coasts and created another “Floriduh” headline.

But here we are again. Making international negative news when the Piney Point industrial site in Manatee County literally spilled over into a crisis. The effluent plume from this phosphate processing waste dump will linger in Tampa Bay for months, possibly fueling another red tide outbreak and destroying local sea life.

And it only gets worse. A model wetlands-redevelopment project planned for Sarasota that would restore wetlands and improve water quality going into Phillippi Creek and Sarasota Bay was denied funding by our own local representative on the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

When are we going to learn? Our local waters are our Blue Economy. But some of our recent actions and policies treat them like our blue dumping ponds.

Protecting and restoring environmental water quality is one of the most important things we can do to maintain and improve our region’s coveted quality of life. The recreation, tourism, fishing, and real estate for which we’re known all depend on healthy waterways. Tax revenues from these activities fund the infrastructure, roads, schools, parks, beaches, and social services that we expect and rely on. Clean water is not only an environmental issue for our region. It is an economic issue. It is a health issue. It is an equity issue. It should not be a partisan issue.

So, where was the leadership in preventing the predicted and preventable disaster at Piney Point? Where was the leadership in supporting the proactive wetlands redevelopment at Bobby Jones Golf Course? The tax dollars that will be spent to fix the first missed opportunity will dwarf the money that should be invested in the second. Our priorities are upside down.

At Gulf Coast Community Foundation, we are doing our job. We recently released a science-based “water quality playbook” detailing 43 activities our community can do to reduce nutrient pollution entering our natural waterways, remove excess nutrients already there, and build the capacity and resilience to sustain these improvements.

Our playbook is free and available to all. Admittedly, it is deep with details and focused on systemic strategies—wastewater treatment plant upgrades, stormwater management improvements, better water-quality monitoring, large-scale land conservation. But every one of us can learn from it and take an active role and personal responsibility for advancing its solutions.

Here are a few ways how:

  • Advocate for and then support local governments implementing the playbook’s activities.
  • Learn and practice proper fertilizer application, including your commercial landscaping contractor.
  • Plant native plants that require less irrigation and fertilizer.
  • Promote no-mow vegetative buffers around your neighborhood’s stormwater ponds.

Now, as leaders and as citizens, we need to get on the same team. And then we need to do our jobs.

Our community has a decades-long commitment to improving water quality, including pioneering efforts in fertilizer management, storm water management, seagrass restoration, and watershed land conservation. We have achieved and benefitted from collaborative successes to safeguard Sarasota County’s natural resources and water quality. But with decades of growth and development has come excess human-based nitrogen pollution that could push our ecosystem past a tipping point of impairment.

Together, we can correct mistakes of the past and implement solutions that continue to set us apart for the right reasons.

Mark Pritchett is president and CEO of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. 

[Argus]  The American Jobs Act goes after Exclusionary Zoning
Christine Robinson, Christine@argusfoundation.org

When President Joe Biden was candidate Joe Biden, he was very clear on his position on affordable housing. Local and state regulations were an affordable housing problem that also led to other problems in climate change and transportation. No one should be surprised that President Biden, within his first six months in office, has called on Congress to pass significant policy on affordable housing.

President Biden is trying to get his affordable housing policy passed in the American Jobs Plan. The White House fact sheet on the Biden proposal for the American Jobs Plan calls for $213 billion towards affordable housing. This ask coincided with a significant policy statement,” It pairs this investment with an innovative new approach to eliminate state and local exclusionary laws, which drive up the cost of construction and keep families from moving to neighborhoods with more opportunities for them and their kids.”

The plan elaborates on how this should unfold: “For decades, exclusionary zoning laws – like minimum lot sizes, mandatory parking requirements, and prohibitions on multifamily housing – have inflated housing and construction costs and locked families out of areas with more opportunities. President Biden is calling on Congress to enact an innovative, new competitive grant program that awards flexible and attractive funding to jurisdictions that take concrete steps to eliminate such needless barriers to producing affordable housing.”

This is a dramatic federal policy statement for local governments. But the President has been consistent on this policy, that was first introduced during the Obama Presidency, and was adopted by Biden in his campaign. There is no actual implementing language to this proposal yet, but President Biden has been clear about wanting this legislation to pass this summer.

Make no mistake about it, eliminating exclusionary zoning means that a diversity of housing types will co-exist, multi-family mixed with single family housing. What this translates to is an increase in density, which must occur for the Biden policy to be effective. 

In an NBC article published just after the American Jobs Plan was unveiled, it was reported that this idea has bipartisan support in Congress and that a bipartisan group of Senators and Congressmen and Congresswoman have drafted recent legislation to do what President Biden is calling for. According to the NBC article written by Jonathan Allen, This bill “would create a grant fund of $300 million a year for cities, towns, and counties that remove regulatory zoning and land-use barriers to the construction of affordable housing.”

America is on the precipice of a new dawn on federal affordable housing policy and local zoning and land use regulations. Local governments need to begin to prepare for this new policy and neighborhoods need to understand that change must happen and density must increase to begin to effectively tackle the growing problem of affordable housing.

Christine Robinson is executive director of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. 

Image from Pixabay

[Higher Education]  Rapid Path to Success
Carol Probstfeld, presidentsoffice@scf.edu

The pathway to completing a higher education is not always a straight line. Most students need a nudge here and there to make them aware of the opportunities or assistance available to keep them moving forward to graduation.

I recently talked to two students at the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, who are positive examples of willingly accepting a boost to enhance their education and career prospects.

When SCF started its Get Credentialed, Get Noticed! rapid credentialing campaign in Fall 2020 we knew the effort would be great benefit to individuals who were out of work and in need of a short-term program to get employed again. We have been pleasantly surprised, however, with how much this effort has benefited existing SCF students.

SCF’s short-term workforce certificates and industry credentialing programs prepare students for direct entry into the local workforce. We partner with regional employers to ensure our programs meet their needs and effectively prepare students for jobs that lead to careers.

SCF started the “Get Credentialed, Get Noticed!” initiative thanks to a grant of almost $500,000 from the Florida Department of Education’s Rapid Credentialing Economic Recovery & Prosperity Initiative. Scholarships and support are available through the grant and Florida Power and Light donated $229,000 to provide laptops to students to remove the technology barrier many face.

As we ramped up our focus on rapid credentialing through the grant, we were able to streamline our internal processes for awarding college credit certificates within SCF’s Associate of Science degree programs. Many certificates are embedded within these degree programs and we were able to identify students on track to earn certificates and make them aware of the opportunity.

Ericca Thomas and Kate Kinney are two of those SCF students notified that based on the courses they had completed and were currently taking they were not only eligible to earn certificates but could also receive a laptop through Florida Power and Light’s grant. Both are extremely grateful for the laptop, which has made it possible for each to continue taking online courses.

Ericca is completing the Business Operations and Business Specialist Certificates this spring as she continues her pursuit of a Business Administration and Management Associate of Science degree. She told me that “in addition to increasing my knowledge within my field and improving my marketability with employers, this boosts my confidence and spurs me on to fulfill my academic and career aspirations.”

Kate has already earned her Associate of Science degree at SCF and is pursuing a Public Safety and Emergency Management Baccalaureate degree. She recently shared her story with the Herald-Tribune. An aspiring lawyer, she is completing the Business Specialist Certificate this spring, but plans to earn more because she sees the value to bolstering her professional skillset. “The program is easy to understand, and the resources and funding are there to make sure students have access to everything they need,” Kate told me.

Our focus at SCF is to provide the services that wrap around the support provided by the grants from the state and FPL so students like Ericca and Kate have everything they need to focus on their education and careers. Thanks to our staff’s outreach program, more than 400 students will earn one or more of SCF’s rapid credentials in the 2020-21 academic year. It is just the nudge these students need to find a rapid pathway to success.

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



[Water Safety]  Red Tide Present in the Gulf

The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County DOH- Sarasota is notifying the public of elevated levels of red tide along the coast of Sarasota County. Some people may have mild and short-lived respiratory symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation similar to cold symptoms. Some individuals with breathing problems such as asthma might experience more severe symptoms. Usually symptoms go away when a person leaves the area or goes indoors. 

Click here for more information.

[Free Rides]  ITNSunCoast Offers Free Rides to Seniors

ITNSunCoast Offers Free Rides to eye care appointments for seniors aged 60 and up and visually impaired adults in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. If you’ve been putting off your eye appointments due to transportation concerns, reach out to us at (941)364-7530 to find out how you can take advantage of this opportunity and learn more about the services we provide. 

Click here for more information.

[SOON]  SEMINAR: Sarasota Luxury Travel Forum , April 21, 4:30pm-7:30pm

The Greater Sarasota-Manatee community is invited to attend to the first annual Sarasota Luxury Travel Forum on April 21, 2021 from 4:30pm to 7:30pm at Nathan Benderson Park's Finish Tower. The complimentary event, sponsored by Marc & Roz Bokoff of Cruise Planners, will showcase a selection of luxury travel companies in an Open House format. There also will be dedicated speaking times for the represented companies. Companies represented at the Travel Forum include Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Atlas Ocean Voyages, Kensington Tours, Silversea, American Queen Steamboat Company, Ponant and Seabourn. The event is free to attend, but registration is requested at www.BookThatEscape.com/SRQLuxuryTravel. In addition to speaking with representatives from the companies listed, the Bokoffs will be available to discuss other travel options, from villa and yacht rentals, private jet vacations, escorted land trips, destination weddings and more. Guest will enjoy refreshments during the Forum and pre-registered guests will have a chance to win a travel gift basket. CDC safety guidelines will be followed during the event.

[SOON]  GALLERY: Art Center Sarasota: North Sarasota County Schools Spring Art Show , May 5 – May 14

On view from May 5 to May 14, 2021, is one of our favorite shows. The Art Center will be filled with the art work of Sarasota County's young artists, from grades K-12. There will not be opening receptions for this show this year. Please call the Art Center - 941-365-2032 - to make arrangements to see this awesome show.

[SOON]  GRAB BAG: 6th annual RC Custom Car Open , April 17, 10am-2pm

2021 RC Car Registration is now open. Limited spots available due to COVID-19. Register ASAP to reserve your spot. Registration will close February 3 or when all spots are filled. Workshops will run every weekend from February 12 to April 17. Workshops are held Fridays from 5pm to 7pm, Saturdays from 8:30am to 10:30am & 11am to 1pm and Sundays from 8:30am to 10:30am & 11am to 1pm. More information on workshops will be provided during orientation sessions on February 5 through 7. Customize a remote control car using 3D printers, laser cutters & more. Battle on two unique race tracks and design competition for cash prizes & other awesome awards on April 17 from 10am to 2pm. Registration includes a remote control car ($80 value), ten weeks of hands-on weekend workshops and materials to customize your car for race day, and two months of Fab Lab membership for all team members ($70 value per team member).

[SOON]  GRAB BAG: Water's Edge of Bradenton: Remember When Vintage Car Show , April 17, 10am-2pm

Water’s Edge of Bradenton announces their 1st Annual “Remember When” Vintage Car Show to be held on Saturday, April 17, 2021 from 10am to 2pm. The car show will be held at their recently renovated senior living community at 2015 32nd Ave W, Bradenton. This event is FREE to the public and will feature Classic Cars, Great Food, Cool Beverages, Door Prizes & Free Giveaways, Craft Vendors, and Classic Music from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Attendees at the event may also take a tour of the 37-acre campus and experience the over 19,000 square feet of amenities that Water’s Edge of Bradenton has to offer their residents. Vehicle Registration: If you would like to pre-register your classic car for the event, please download the event flyer at the following link: Event Flyer. Complete and return the form on the second page of the flyer along with your $10 donation. You may also register your vehicle on the day of the event at the show with a $15 donation. Vendor & Sponsorship Opportunities: If you would like to be a vendor at the event or sponsor the event, the two options available are below. Please contact Theresa at 941-705-4584 for more information. $50: Company Logo on event flyer handed out to all attendees of the car show. $100: Company Logo on event flyer -AND- a table/vendor space at the show. All proceeds benefit the Life Enrichment Program at Water’s Edge of Bradenton, a non-profit organization. This event is provided by Water’s Edge of Bradenton, InTeliCare Health Services, and Home Helpers of Bradenton.

[SOON]  GRAB BAG: The Ringling: World Circus Day , April 17, All day.

World Circus Day is celebrated all over the world annually, and we are celebrating it all day on April 17. Children 17 and under will receive free admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Circus Arts Conservatory will perform 2 mini-shows, Performances will take place on the grounds at 1pm and 3pm. Historic circus films by Buster Bailey will be shown continuously in the Historic Asolo Theater. Enjoy special circus themed menu offerings from Metz Culinary Management: Mable's Coffee & Tea: Cotton Candy Frappucino, The Wandering Chef Food Truck: Corn Dogs and French Fry Special, popcorn, and cotton candy, The Ringling Grillroom: Circus Themed Flatbread Special, Monte Cristo Sandwich Special, Cotton Candy Martini, and Cotton Candy Creme Brulee.

[SOON]  DANCE: Virtual: Sarasota Contemporary Dance In-Studio Performance: REVYouth with Dwayne Sheuneman , April 17, 1pm and 7:30pm

SCD In-Studio Performance presents REVolutions Dance + REVyouth virtually on April 17, 2021 at 1pm and 7:3pm LIVE Stream. Tickets are free but donations are welcomed to support arts education. REVolutions Dance’s performance will highlight both its professional performers and its REVyouth performers. Their REVyouth program is in its tenth year and features young dancers of all abilities. The REVyouth ensemble has performed at many community events and local theaters. Through the REVyouth program, these talented young performers have and have had the opportunity to work with and learn from a variety of professional dancers from around the world, including Sidiki Conde from Africa, Liu Yan from China and Hanna Harchakova from Belarus. For fifteen years, REVolutions Dance’s professional company has been entertaining audiences with their signature style of partnering and collaboration between dancers from diverse physical and cultural backgrounds. The REVdancers have performed throughout the country and around the world including international tours in Russia, China and Poland. Experiencing a REVolutions Dance performance will surely broaden one’s perspective of the artistic and physical contributions disabled dancers offer the dance community and delight and surprise audience members.

[SOON]  GRAB BAG: Realize Bradenton: Children's Book Fair , April 17, 9am-2pm

Realize Bradenton is excited to announce that the Children's Book Fair is returning to the Bradenton Farmers' Market on Saturday, April 17 from 9am to 2pm on 3rd Avenue and Main Street in Downtown Bradenton. The 2021 book fair will feature book signings by local authors and illustrators of children’s books from ABC Artisans of Books for Children and Adults. Children will also receive a take home kit full of fun literary activities. Donations of gently used or new books will be accepted for Soar in 4. The Soar in 4 mission is to ensure children from families of all races, ethnicities, incomes, abilities, and languages have the opportunities and support they need for success in school and beyond. This program is made possible through the support of Realize Bradenton, ABC Artisans of Books for Children and Adults, Bradenton Community Redevelopment Agency, and Manatee Community Foundation. 

[SOON]  BUSINESS: Dream Career Day 2021 , April 17, 10am-2pm

The Dream Law Firm, PLLC and Dream Succeed Become LLC present: Dream Career Day 2021. We invite all business owners, managers/supervisors, and high-level employees to give an exciting 10-minute presentation via Zoom that is educational and appropriate for children ages 10-18. The goal of Dream Career Day is to expose children to traditional and non-traditional career paths. Dream Career Day will be held via Zoom on April 17, 2021 from 10am to 2pm. There is no cost for children to attend. All proceeds will be awarded as a scholarship to local graduating seniors in June 2021. The cost to become a presenter is $60 for businesses and $30 for individuals. Register here: https://forms.gle/mdkJHMUba4vY2aZcA.

[SOON]  SCIENCE AND NATURE: Seeing Stars at The Bishop , April 17, 8pm-10:15pm

You’ve seen stars outside at The Bishop during our public astronomy viewing opportunities, and you’ve seen them inside on our 50-foot dome during our live star talks in The Planetarium. On April 17 we’re bringing it all together for you. Join us for a live star talk with with a staff astronomer, who will introduce you to what you’ll see that night, then head outside to our telescopes to view objects like the waxing crescent moon, the glittery swarm of stars known as the Beehive cluster, and Mizar, with its companion star Alcor — the first double star to ever be seen through a telescope in the 1600s. Time slots include 8pm to 8:30pm, 8:30pm to 9pm, 9:15pm to 9:45pm, and 9:45pm to 10:15pm at The Bishop. We'll provide the telescopes and the expertise; you'll enjoy the wonders of our universe. Advance tickets are required. We are limiting audience size and hosting several sessions to allow for social distancing, so please choose from one of four different times. Masks are required for staff, volunteers, and guests.

[SOON]  BUSINESS: The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime: Limelight Market , April 17, 10am-3pm

The Limelight Pop Up market happens outside every 3rd Saturday with different guest vendors, live music, and food. Support Locals from 10am to 3pm. Located at the courtyard of The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime at 821 Apricot Avenue. April 17 guests include Animal Network, Myakka’s Gold Apiary, Suncoast Cookies, Jade Moon Art, Mad Wolfe Designs, Send Art Instead, Spiked Pickles, Colonial Shrubs, Cooper & Sage, and Haley G’s Bath & Beauty. Live music by Clint Justesen. Hamlet's Eatery will be open, as well as the 25+ vendors inside The Bazaar. For more information visit www.BazaaronApricotandlime.com.

[SOON]  MUSIC: WSLR: Steve Arvey and Rev. Billy C. Wirtz , April 17, 8pm

Steve Arvey and Rev. Billy C. Wirtz will be performing on Saturday, April 17 at 8pm. Tickets are $15 for members and $18 for nonmembers. This is an outdoor concert. In the event of inclement weather the stage and most seats will be moved inside. Reverend Billy C. Wirtz is a comic genius, gifted pianist and American musicologist who defies easy classification. Long a folk and blues festival favorite, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz wraps his humorous stories and songs into carefully orchestrated sets that feature his stellar piano playing. Playing with Billy will be drummer Walter Shufflesworth (he’s played with Lightnin’ Hopkins, Joe Turner, Musselwhite and Johnny and the Hurricanes) and Bill Singletary on bass. Steve Arvey began his career playing the Chicago blues circuit during the 70’s. During that period he shared the stage with many of the legendary blues masters from the Windy City. Now living in Florida, Steve is a fixture at major festivals and nightclubs throughout the South, Europe and the Caribbean. He is also considered by many to be one of the top cigar box guitar players in the world today.

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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