As 2025 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting not just on what we accomplished at Gulf Coast Community Foundation, but on how it all happened. From ensuring families had access to essential meals to creating new housing opportunities, to strengthening community connections, these achievements were made possible by the generosity, trust, and commitment of our donors and partners. Their support continues to drive meaningful change across our region.

Just last month, the federal government shutdown created a gap in food assistance, leaving families across our region without access to nutritious foods. Gulf Coast donors responded immediately, giving more than $600,000 in less than a month to help ensure our neighbors had the support they needed during this time of uncertainty. Their swift generosity demonstrates the power of philanthropy to respond quickly when it matters most.

Gulf Coast also continued progress on critical regional housing issues. Together with fellow local funders, we commissioned the Sarasota Housing Action Plan, produced by the Florida Housing Coalition. The report puts hard numbers behind the current and growing housing shortage in our region and lays out clear strategies and recommended actions to create and preserve affordable housing. Designed as a tool for housing advocates, the Action Plan helps construct a coordinated, collaborative approach to addressing housing needs across Sarasota County.

We released an updated Water Quality Playbook, sharing lessons learned from the first edition and offering the most up-to-date science and solutions to improve water quality in our region. In Florida, especially along the Gulf Coast, every environmental issue is ultimately a water issue. Clean water is not guaranteed. It is a choice we make every day through policy, investment, and stewardship.

We celebrated a major milestone with the Heroes’ Village ribbon cutting. Sarasota’s first permanently affordable housing community for veterans, Heroes’ Village, is now fully occupied, demonstrating both the success of the project and the critical need it addresses. With 20 veterans now housed, Heroes’ Village offers stability, dignity, and belonging, made possible through strong partnerships and donors committed to long-term, life-changing solutions.

The YOU MATTER kindness campaign also brought a different kind of impact. Hundreds of You Matter cards were exchanged across the region, and for one week, kindness truly was the talk of the town. It was a simple reminder that small gestures can spark connection and that building a strong community is about more than bricks and mortar.

As we celebrate the successes of 2025, our focus also turns to what’s next. Initiatives that began this year are coming to life, including Sarasota Station, a 202-unit workforce housing development off Fruitville Road, which is set to break ground next month. Gulf Coast provided an impact investment loan needed to complete the capital stack and bring the project to life. It is a powerful example of how philanthropic investments, used strategically, can unlock solutions that benefit the entire community.

Behind every one of these efforts is an extraordinary group of people. I’m deeply grateful to our Board of Directors, whose leadership and strategic guidance help steer Gulf Coast with purpose and accountability. I’m equally inspired by the dedication, creativity, and mission-driven focus of the Gulf Coast staff, whose work ensures that donor intent is honored and community impact is maximized. Together, their shared commitment makes it possible for generosity to translate into real, lasting change.

As we look ahead to 2026, I am thankful to our donors, partners, and team for believing in what is possible. Together, we are building a stronger, more resilient community where generosity fuels progress, and everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Phillip P. Lanham is President | CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation.   

Pictured: Donors Elsa and Peter Soderberg celebrate the opening of Heroes’ Village. Photo by Harry Sayer Media.

Messages encouraging all of us to “shop local” proliferate on social media, in the news, through marketing by local small businesses, and in reminders from organizations like the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. I worry that the messages are so frequent that consumers no longer think about the impact that it could make if we all really focused our spending with local businesses – hence my attention-grabbing headline. What I really meant to say was, “Please, please, please shop local!”

It absolutely matters. It matters every day of the year, but the holiday shopping season provides a unique opportunity for each of us to make a renewed commitment to supporting local businesses. The National Retail Federation’s (NRF) estimates on winter holiday spending include a prediction that almost 160 million consumers plan to shop today–the last Saturday before Christmas. Full disclosure: I will be one of them.

Imagine the impact if consumers in the Manatee-Sarasota region decided to do all of that shopping at local businesses–whether that be an in-person visit or an online purchase through a local business’s website. The NRF also estimates that consumers individually plan to spend $890 for gifts, decorations, food, and other seasonal/holiday items. $29.1 billion in gift cards are expected to be purchased. It has never been easier to direct those purchases to local establishments - so let’s do it!

Small businesses comprise the significant majority of our regional economy. Many experienced negative impacts from last year’s hurricane season, the uncertainty of shifting policies, or disruptions in supply chains. The Manatee Chamber’s membership includes 2,200 businesses and organizations that employee over 75,000 in our region. Those employees depend upon the success of their employers for job security and growth. A concerted effort by all of us to use local businesses when we need products or services can make a huge difference.

Local businesses and their employees are the foundation of philanthropic giving in our area, too. The need for non-profits to generate an even bigger impact in serving our region is at an all-time high – and directing our charitable giving to local non-profits is so important. If even half of us were able to commit another $25 to our year-end charitable giving it would mean millions of dollars to support the work of non-profits in addressing the challenges that mean the most to each of us.

My headline was meant to grab attention. The encouragement to “shop local” has become ubiquitous, which is a good thing in many ways, but we need to make sure that we don’t become immune to noticing and acting upon it. On behalf of our Manatee Chamber team, I wish you a very happy holiday season and a healthy, prosperous new year filled with purpose and opportunity.

Jacki Dezelski, IOMis the President and CEO of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce.

Pictured: Manatee Chamber Staff Team. Provided photo.

Every semester at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF), I am reminded that a college degree is never just a piece of paper. It is a declaration of courage, of perseverance, of possibility. This winter, we proudly awarded more than 983 degrees and certificates. Among them were 541 associate in arts degrees, 197 associate in science degrees, 168 bachelor’s degrees, and 77 workforce certificates, each representing a unique journey, a personal story, and a dream inching closer to reality.

Across two ceremonies and our Grad Walk events, our graduates crossed the stage in Bradenton and Venice, cheered on by faculty, staff, family, and friends who witnessed firsthand what “We’re Everyone’s College” truly means. It means access. It means opportunity. But most importantly, it means meeting students where they are and walking with them as far as their determination will take them.

One of this year’s graduates, Blondine, represents the determination and perseverance that define so many SCF students. Her path to completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing began in 2018 and included multiple pauses due to pregnancy, family responsibilities, and surgery for both herself and her father. During those years, she balanced homeschooling her children with a demanding work schedule, 10-hour shifts, four days a week, from Wednesday through Saturday, while serving patients as a case management coordinator for BayCare HomeCare. As a trilingual nurse, fluent in French, Creole, and English, she uses her languages when needed, especially to support Haitian patients who may not speak English. Despite the challenges, Blondine persisted, often studying late into the night, and ultimately completed her degree with unwavering personal drive and the encouragement of her family and SCF faculty.

Her story is not one of convenience. It is one of conviction.

Blondine pushed forward because she wanted a credential earned here, at a college she now considers part of her family. She shared that she completed many of her assignments at 2 a.m., logging into online coursework long after her children were asleep. What kept her going? A deep personal desire to advance, family members who supported her at every turn, and the steady encouragement of SCF faculty like Dr. Tinley, who emailed her persistently but lovingly, “You need to finish this.”

After seven years of stops and starts, Blondine walked across our stage, nursing pin earned that afternoon, bachelor’s degree in hand that evening, with her husband, sons, and parents beaming. “I’m glad. I’m happy,” she said simply. But her journey tells a far bigger story. At SCF, persistence is not just possible. It is expected, nurtured, and celebrated.

Stories like Blondine’s unfold every day on our campuses. They are reflected in the single parent studying in a parked car between shifts. The first-generation student discovering she belongs in college. The dual-enrolled high school student becoming the first in her family to earn a degree. The veteran reinventing his career. The adult learner returning after decades away.

Our graduates prove that talent is universal, even when opportunity is not, which is why SCF exists. We expand opportunity. We remove barriers. We champion every student’s ambition.

To the Class of Winter 2025: your accomplishments strengthen our community, fuel our workforce, and inspire future students who will follow your path. You have shown that resilience is powerful, education is transformative, and the future of our region is bright because of you.

From all of us at SCF, we are proud of you, we believe in you, and we cannot wait to see what you do next.

Tommy Gregory, J.D., is the President of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.

Photo courtesy of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.

The county commission faces a fiscal challenge demanding immediate action. Current projections indicate the county will spend $24 million more than it collects in revenue this fiscal year—a figure that increased by $1 million at the commission's final 2025 meeting. This deficit spending threatens long-term financial stability and must be addressed before next year's budget cycle begins.

The commission has experience navigating difficult fiscal terrain. During the recession, County Administrator Jim Ley implemented a "glide path" strategy combining gradual service reductions with strategic reserve drawdowns. This approach generated compounding savings that reduced projected deficits in subsequent years. Each dollar cut eliminates that expense not just for the current year, but for every year forward.

The inverse is equally true: failing to make necessary reductions today compounds the deficit and transfers the problem to future decision-makers. With term limits in place, outgoing officials may defer difficult choices, leaving successors with amplified fiscal challenges.

However, today's circumstances differ from the recession era. The county currently enjoys a 5.86% increase in property tax values—substantial growth that few households or businesses can expect. With disciplined prioritization, the commission can align spending with available resources and establish a sustainable fiscal trajectory.

The county must operate as prudent households and businesses do: living within its means through strategic decision-making. Residents and local enterprises make such tradeoffs regularly; their government should demonstrate the same fiscal responsibility.

To their credit, commissioners have identified the budget crisis as a priority concern, particularly given projections showing reserves will be depleted by 2028. Among four major policy priorities established for 2026, one specifically addresses "Budget 2028 Including Critical Service and Current Budget." This represents an essential first step.

Nevertheless, acknowledgment alone proves insufficient. The county is nearly one quarter into the fiscal year, and time grows short for implementing meaningful reductions. Establishing a glide path now can distribute necessary adjustments across multiple years, reducing the severity of cuts required in any single budget cycle.

The previous budget year offers instructive lessons. The commission lacked a clear prioritization framework. Rather than evaluating requests against strategic criteria, commissioners entertained virtually every proposal. The $24 million reserve drawdown represents the cumulative result of this undisciplined approach.

Moving forward, the commission must establish firm boundaries and rigorous evaluation standards. Commissioners should request budget reductions from administration immediately, accompanied by additional optional cuts for consideration at a mid-year workshop. These measures will address the immediate deficit and establish precedents for the 2027 budget planning process.

Eliminating the projected 2028 deficit begins with decisive action in the 2026 budget. The commission has acknowledged the problem and committed to solutions. Now comes the difficult phase: following through with actual reductions. The county's financial future depends not on good intentions, but on the commission's willingness to make tough choices that restore fiscal balance and preserve essential services.

Christine Robinson is the Executive Director of The Argus Foundation.
 

Provided photo.