Stephenie Whitfield, the newly-appointed President of Bank of America Sarasota/Manatee, is bringing her impressive qualifications and passion for community support into her new role. She will continue her current role as Business Banking Marketing Executive while also overseeing the company’s eight lines of business and its efforts to grow market share. Whitfield has over 25 years of experience in financial services, but her strong work ethic began even before her career.

“I come from a family of educators. My parents were teachers. My aunts and uncles were teachers. None of my grandparents had an education beyond elementary school, so they encouraged all their children to pursue higher education, and both my parents earned advanced degrees. I grew up as an avid reader and writer, and I found, quite frankly, that when financial lives are better for people, it lifts individuals, families, and whole communities,” says Whitfield.

She earned a law degree and, immediately after graduation, opened her own financial consulting firm—a formative experience for her. Whitfield says this experience solidified her belief in the power of financial services to impact people’s lives.

Now, Whitfield hopes to bring that emphasis on impact and community to her new leadership position within the organization she joined in 2016. “As President of Sarasota/Manatee, I lead Bank of America's locally focused efforts to make financial lives better. We serve a lot of people, a lot of businesses, in many different ways, and my job is to help give everyone the financial solutions that they need to succeed,” says Whitfield. She sees her central role to be building the community through Bank of America’s financial services, but also through giving back by supporting local charitable organizations.

Looking ahead, Bank of America under Whitfield’s leadership will continue to emphasize its focus on serving three core pillars—clients, employees and the community. “The cornerstone of what leadership really is to me is inspiring and empowering and elevating people,” says Whitfield. She says that the bank will continue to deepen relationships with non-profits through grant awards and other methods of community engagement, but that she is also planning new projects to expand these efforts. 

Provided photo.

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Detwiler’s Farm Market is proud to announce the opening of its new state-of-the-art warehouse and distribution center at Florida International Tradeport in Palmetto, FL. The 133,000-square-foot facility will officially open on Monday, September 29, 2025. The new distribution center will serve as the hub for the company’s six grocery stores, creating new  jobs, strengthening local supply chains, and giving Detwiler’s the capacity to keep food prices low while  preparing for future store openings. This investment ensures the company can continue living up to its  motto: “Eat Fresh for Less.” “This facility represents an important investment into our community,” said Sam Detwiler, President of  Detwiler’s Farm Market.  

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Sarasota County is offering free, voluntary, self-service sandbag locations this Sunday, Sept. 14, to support residents in protecting their homes and property from potential tropical weather as they make their hurricane season preparations. Each self-service station will have empty bags and sand free of charge at three locations. The sandbag operations will be held at the following locations on September 14 from 9am to 5pm: Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th St., Sarasota; Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota;  South County Fleet, 4571 SR 776/Englewood Road, Venice. These opportunities will supplement the county’s existing sandbag operations, which are activated prior to the arrival of a storm, to give residents time to prepare.  

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The Florida Recreation and Park Association (FRPA) honored Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources (PRNR) with the 2025 Voluntary Service Group Award in recognition of outstanding volunteer contributions. The award was presented to PRNR’s Friends of Lemon Bay Park volunteer group on Aug. 27 during the FRPA annual conference in Orlando and marks the sixth time in seven years that Sarasota County volunteer groups have earned the award. Their work following five major storms, including removing more than 50,000 pounds of debris, helped protect sensitive habitats and preserve one of the county’s longest stretches of mangrove shoreline. These efforts restored public access and allowed school groups and environmental programs to return. 

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Get ready for a Halloween celebration like no other. The Venice Symphony is resurrecting A Symphonic Spooktacular Concert, a family-friendly event that promises an eerily magical evening filled with music, costumes and treats. Originally on the bill last year, the concert was canceled by an evil force named Hurricane Milton. Event Details: Dates: Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11 at 3:30 p.m. Ticket Prices: $44 - $84 Location: The Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Building 5, Venice, Fla. Become entranced by Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho: A Short Suite for String Orchestra and travel to otherworldly dimensions with music from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and other mystical melodies.  

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The Van Wezel Education and Community Engagement Department is thrilled to announce the return of Golden Groovers for the 2025-2026 season. This dance class series is designed specifically for seniors to help engage and challenge our adult learners. The first class will take place at the Van Wezel in the Education Room on October 2 at 2 p.m. Registration is now open, and classes cost $15. Taught by dynamic Van Wezel teaching artists Deb Lombard and Eric van Baars, participants will warm up their bodies and groove to original choreography connected to a theme for each class. Upcoming class dates include October 2, October 9, October 23, October 30, and November 6.  

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