Every student who comes to State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) brings a different story, a different goal and often a different idea of what comes next.

Some know exactly where they are headed. Others are still figuring it out. Many are balancing college with work, family and responsibilities outside the classroom. At SCF, we have a responsibility to help each of them find their path, access the support they need and make progress without unnecessary barriers or delays.

That idea is at the heart of SCF's new 2026-2031 Strategic Plan and my vision for our College: help more students succeed and create clearer, more efficient pathways to graduation and the opportunities that follow.

We call it going “higher and faster,” together.

Our new Strategic Plan provides the roadmap, but it was not created by one person, one office or from a single perspective. It reflects the voices and ideas of people throughout our SCF College community, as well as the needs of the communities, employers and industries we serve. I am grateful to everyone who shared their experiences, perspectives and ideas throughout the planning process, and to our Strategic Planning Committee for bringing those voices together around a common purpose: helping our students and our region thrive.

At the center of the plan is our new mission: “SCF’s mission is student success. Through high-quality, open-access education, we create pathways that empower students to achieve prosperity, transform lives, and strengthen their communities.”

Our vision is equally ambitious: “SCF’s vision is to be a national leader in student success and paths to graduation, driving transformation across communities and industries.”

Those words matter because they define both what we do and where we intend to go.

Our Strategic Plan organizes that work around three priorities: Student Success, Academic Excellence and Institutional Effectiveness.

Student Success means helping students connect with SCF early, know where to turn when they need assistance, develop clear academic plans and prepare for what comes after graduation. The plan calls for stronger connections between students and faculty, greater awareness of available resources, more opportunities for internships and experiential learning, and proactive support when students encounter academic challenges.

Academic Excellence means ensuring students can make meaningful progress toward their goals. That includes continually improving teaching and learning, developing clear degree pathways and providing the courses students need when they need them. Our plan specifically focuses on reducing barriers along academic pathways, decreasing the average time to degree and increasing graduation rates.

Institutional Effectiveness may sound less visible to the public, but it directly affects the student experience. We want SCF to be easier to navigate, more responsive and better equipped to serve students. That means reducing unnecessary barriers, strengthening collaboration, using technology and data responsibly, and creating more consistent experiences across the College.

Our values will guide how we accomplish this work.

Accountability means owning our outcomes and continuously improving. Excellence keeps high-quality teaching and learning at the forefront. Belonging reminds us that students and employees should feel welcomed and supported. Teamwork recognizes that student success is shared work. And Community Connections reflects an essential truth about SCF: when our students succeed, our region benefits.

That last value is especially important because this is not a plan SCF can accomplish alone.

We need employers who provide internships and career opportunities. We need community organizations that help us support students beyond the classroom. We need educators who help students see college as attainable. We need alumni who share their experiences and advocate for the next generation. And we need our community to continue telling us what it needs from its college.

A strategic plan should not sit on a shelf. It should be visible in the experiences of our students, the work of our employees and the impact SCF makes throughout Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Over the next five years, we will measure our progress, learn from what works and continue listening to the people we serve. The goal is ambitious, but clear: more students achieving their goals, with fewer barriers standing between them and graduation.

That is how we strengthen families, our workforce and our community.

Let’s go “higher and faster,” together.

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

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

Not long after I turned 18, I cast my first ballot. It was 1994, a midterm year, with no presidential race to pull people to the polls. I don't remember every name I voted for that day, but I remember the feeling of standing in that booth and realizing how much I still had to learn about what I was deciding. Since then, I've made it a habit to research not only the top-of-the-ticket candidates, but also to spend equal time learning about who is running for local office and each ballot measure voters are considering. An informed, engaged electorate isn't only about the top of the ticket. It's the school board seat, the county commissioner's race, and the constitutional amendment near the bottom of the ballot, too. Every one of them deserves the same attention.

Similarly, many issues on this year’s ballot deserve thoughtful consideration and a clear understanding of the facts. Gulf Coast isn’t taking a position on the Increased Homestead Exemptions; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property (Amendment 3). But we believe this region is stronger when the residents here have the facts before they vote. Not talking points. Not spin. Just the facts.

That belief comes from what we heard through Gulf Coast's Regional Scan. Nearly half of respondents (48%) told us they don't always feel like they belong in this community. When asked why, 40% of those respondents pointed to local government not listening, and 35% said they struggle to find common ground with the people around them, politically, socially, and culturally.

Belonging and civic engagement are connected. People show up when they trust their voice counts, and that trust starts with information they can rely on.

Nationally, as many as one in four eligible Americans are not registered to vote or aren't sure whether they are registered. That's roughly a quarter of the electorate who might not make it to the polls this November or might show up and find out they can't vote. Amendment 3 is exactly the kind of decision where voter engagement matters. Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption for qualifying homeowners to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, lowering the non-school portion of their property tax bill, and it would reduce the assessment growth cap on non-homestead properties, like second homes and commercial real estate, from 10% to 5%. If it passes, the changes will go into effect in 2027. If it fails, the debate doesn't end there; Florida's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, a body that meets only once every 20 years, will reconvene in 2027 and could take up property tax reform on its own.

Organizations across the region and statewide are working to ensure Florida voters understand what Amendment 3 could mean in real terms. Gulf Coast's role is to keep that focus hyper-local: Sarasota, Charlotte, and DeSoto Counties specifically. In the City of Sarasota, if the exemption passes, a qualifying homeowner could see roughly $866 in savings the first year and $1,744 by the second. The same exemption change is projected to reduce the city's own property tax revenue by roughly $38.75 million between 2028 and 2032. Numbers like these show what the amendment means in real terms for both the households that pay property taxes and the governments and institutions that rely on that revenue. That's one example, out of many across the region. Our Amendment 3 Community Guide (gulfcoastcf.org/amendment3) gathers nonpartisan information on how property taxes work and what the amendment would change here at home, checked for clarity and accuracy, along with a list of in-person town halls and panel discussions taking place across the region. It's one piece of a broader effort. We're sharing that same information across our social channels, in emails, and in our newsletters, hoping that by November 3rd, more people across our three counties have the facts before they vote.

Listening is where all of this starts. When people told us they don’t feel heard, we took that seriously, and it’s why we stepped into voter education this election season. A region does better when more of its people walk into their polling places informed. I'm not telling you how to vote on Amendment 3. What I hope is that Amendment 3, and everything else we’re voting on this November, gets the same attention, the kind I've tried to give my own ballots since that first one in 1994. That's what showing up ready has always meant to me.

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

Pictured: Phillip P. Lanham speaking at Rosemary District WSLR Candidate Forum. Provided photo.

For years, Tallahassee has asked local governments to show restraint. The Governor, the Cabinet and the Legislature have pointed again and again to local budgets growing faster than inflation and population combined. Local governments, for the most part, kept spending.

That changed when Amendment 3 landed on the November ballot. Suddenly, budget workshops included words like “efficiency” and “priorities.” Some governments trimmed. Others slowed their growth. It took the real possibility of losing revenue to produce the kind of discipline taxpayers had been asking for all along.

Now many local governments are in a holding pattern, waiting to see how the vote goes. Too many have not prepared for the amendment passing. And if it fails, the plan seems to be a quiet return to business as usual.

That would be a mistake, because Amendment 3 is not the only path to reform. Next year, a little-known body called the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission convenes for the first time in two decades.

The Commission is written into the Florida Constitution and meets every 20 years. The Governor appoints 11 members, and the Speaker of the House and the Senate President each appoint seven. Four legislators serve as non-voting members. The last Commission met in 2007 and 2008.

Its charge is broad. The Commission examines the state’s tax structure, its budget process, and government productivity and efficiency. It reviews how state and local governments raise and spend money and looks at constitutional limits on both. Most importantly, it has the power to place constitutional amendments directly on the ballot with a two-thirds vote of its members, bypassing the Legislature. Those proposals must be filed roughly six months before the 2028 general election.

In other words, whatever happens on November 3, property taxes and local spending will be back on the table, and Florida voters could see tax reform on their ballots again in 2028.

State law even anticipates a role for local governments. It encourages cities and counties to examine their own taxation and budget policies and submit recommendations to the Commission. That is an invitation to lead rather than react.

The prudent course is clear. Local governments should begin operating as if their budgets will be reduced, because there is a real chance they will be. That means tightening spending growth now and building up economic uncertainty reserves so that any reduction is a gradual adjustment in services rather than a sudden drop off a cliff. Governments that are already falling short of their own reserve policies are the most exposed and we have governments in Sarasota County that are in that category.

The fiscal restraint we have seen since Amendment 3 reached the ballot proves that local governments can do this. The question is whether that restraint was a temporary response to one election or the beginning of a better way of doing business.

Local budget reform is coming. The only question left is whether it arrives this November or in 2028.

Christine Robinson is the Chief Executive Officer of The Argus Foundation. 

Provided photo.