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The naming of Rep. Tommy Gregory as president of State College of Florida and the appointment of now-former Manatee County Commissioner James Satcher to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections seat already had a ripple on the 2024 election cycle.
Both political figures have not officially withdrawn from their re-election bids, but their assumption of new roles has opened the door for new candidates. Meanwhile, candidates for other Manatee County seats continue to amass funding for their races.
Nelly Korda, the world’s No. 1 women’s golfer and Bradenton native, is going for a record sixth consecutive LPGA Tour tournament win at the JM Eagle L.A. Championship this week.
Korda withdraws from LA Championship, putting quest for six straight LPGA titles on hold
Nelly Korda’s quest for six straight victories will have to wait. The World No. 1 announced on social media that she has withdrawn from this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club. Korda put out a statement on social media. On Sunday, Korda became the third woman in LPGA history to win five consecutive starts on tour, making her fifth a major title at the Chevron Championship.
“It was not an easy decision,” Korda wrote. “After the unbelievable week at The Chevron and grinding through the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”
University of Florida researchers want help from Sarasota County households to get a better understanding of how homes generate and handle food waste.
A new citizen science project, led locally by UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County staff, aims to enroll 100 Sarasota County households in a two-week study measuring how much food waste each home generates daily, along with the amount of food-related packaging discarded.
“Almost a quarter of our landfill waste stream is organic materials, most of which is our food waste,” said Randy Penn, waste reduction agent with UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County. “Residents who participate in our study will play an important role in understanding how we dispose of our food waste.”
Federal research has shown that a third of all food goes uneaten, and a Sarasota County Extension study found that the average Sarasota County household generates nearly 19 pounds of compostable food waste each month, most of which winds up in a landfill. While home or community composting food waste could greatly reduce the amount sent to landfill, few households take advantage of that option.
The Extension food waste study aims to shed some light on the process of getting more homes engaged in reducing food waste and involved in composting, starting with a closer look at households in Sarasota County, along with a companion study in Alachua County.
Sarasota County households of all sizes who are interested in joining the study can start the process by completing a short form at:
Extension then will distribute to selected participants a food waste monitoring "kit," including a small receptacle for daily food waste collection, a scale to weigh the waste, and a kitchen packet to log daily information.
Kits will be made available to study participants April 1-5 at the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County office, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, during business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Households in the study then will log their daily food waste production and food packaging discards from April 9 through April 22. Extension will collect the results, as well as related information on food waste attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
For more information about the study or becoming a participant, contact Randy Penn at rpenn@ufl.edu or 941-861-9829.
Sarasota County Extension conducts food waste study
The University of Florida IFAS Extension in Sarasota County is doing what it can on Earth Day to make disposing food waste environmentally friendly.
The Extension wrapped up a 2-week study on Monday, which involved 100 households in the county.
The study asked participants to keep track of their food waste and packaging by weighing it at the end of each day.
Randy Penn with the Extension said, “We’re working with communities and schools to think of different ways to dispose of our compostable waste rather than just see it at our landfills.”
The Extension will be holding a class about composting on May 1 in Sarasota.
'State-of-the-art' upgrades coming to Sarasota County Schools' farm to help agriculture learning
Thanksgiving Day traditions are notably connected to agriculture as part of celebrating the fall harvest. But with many of our farms being replaced with housing developments, many children often grow up not knowing how their food gets to their table.
The Sarasota School District hopes to change that with a state-of-the-art farm renovation that would transform its agriculture program and keep young people better engaged about the subject.
The push continues for a farm to table program and facility within the Sarasota County School District. It’s based at McIntosh Middle School, but it’s for all students in Sarasota County.
It’s a project that gets to the heart of agriculture in Sarasota County and passing along to the importance of students.
Phase One of the farm project at Mcintosh Middle School in Sarasota has been completed.
Funding for Phase Two, sponsored by Senator Joe Gruters and Representative Fiona McFarland, did not pass through the state. Sarasota County School Superintendent Dr. Terry Connor is now asking for the school board to use $4 million to come out of their five-year capitol improvement plan to make this a reality.
The superintendent and the Sarasota County School board members will be talking about funding this at a May workshop.
The Sarasota Bay Model Railroad Society, Inc., announced Monday that it has reached an agreement in principle with the new Sarasota Toy Museum to maintain and operate the museum’s world-class model train layout.
The Sarasota Toy Museum, now under construction, is scheduled to open in June 2024. Members of the Sarasota Bay Model Railroad Society will operate the layout for the benefit of the public. Plans are being discussed to allow the public to operate individual trains using the DCC system of train control.
The museum’s layout, measuring 30 by 20 feet, was built by professional modeler David Frary for this museum and models the area around the Killington, Vermont, ski resort. The builder estimates that it has 28,000 individual handmade trees and is unique in that the model scenes change from spring, to summer, to fall, to winter, as you walk around, each season requiring a unique modeling effort. Operating on 3 levels, the layout provides over 240 feet of mainline run. The layout is featured in Model Railroader Scenery magazine, 3rd edition.
George Borsari, president of the Sarasota Bay Model Railroad Society, said, “We are thrilled to be working with the new Sarasota Toy Museum and to be able to have operating sessions on a model train layout of this quality.”
The Sarasota Bay Model Railroad Society, Inc. is a model railroad club serving Sarasota and Manatee counties.
For more information on the Sarasota Bay Model Railroad Society, please contact George Borsari at 202-374-8521, orgGeorge.borsari@gmail.com. See their Facebook page, “Sarasota Bay Model Railroad Society.”
For more information on the Sarasota Toy Museum, please contact Richard Pierson at 415-519-2649, or RichardPierson@mac.com.
We're nearly at the end of April, which also means the conclusion of snowbird and tourist season here in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. And while that means that there will be less events taking place locally in May than the past few months, there'll still be plenty to do.
Next month's events calendar will feature Cinco de Mayo festivities, with multiple Mexican restaurants throwing block parties, and Memorial Day commemorations that include parades. Sarasota's premier performing arts venue will kick off its free outdoor summer concert series, held on its bayfront lawn. And even though many local arts organizations have either concluded or are about to conclude their 2023-24 seasons, there'll still be plenty of concerts, comedy shows, stage productions and art exhibitions going on.
Here are more than 75 events set to take place in May in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties, listed in chronological order. Event details are subject to change.
From 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, the City of Sarasota will host what its staff is calling a Main Street visioning workshop.
The event is scheduled to be held in the Jack J. Geldbart Auditorium at Selby Library, which stands at 1331 First St. in downtown Sarasota, a city news release says.
Transforming Main Street between U.S. 41 and School Avenue into a complete street “is the No. 8 priority in the City of Sarasota’s Transportation Master Plan adopted by the City Commission in 2019,” the release explains.
“The visioning workshop will begin with a brief presentation by the project team explaining the goals of the initiative. Improvements to sidewalks, landscaping, public parking and more are being considered to promote a Main Street that is pedestrian-friendly, attractive, accessible and even more desirable as a destination,” the release points out.
Participants may attend one of the four 30-minute sessions planned, the release notes: 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.
Each session, which will be led by a project team member, will be limited to approximately 50 participants, the release says. Attendees will review the existing Main Street conditions and then “build their own Main Street by offering their unique ideas and collaborating with others to create a vision for the corridor,” the release adds.
“To help shape the spirit of the Main Street complete streets project, a video station will be available for participants to record their vision in their own words,” the release continues.
To reserve a space for the April 2 event, interested members of the public are asked to sign up via this Eventbrite link:
“Registration is limited to one session per person,” the news release cautions.
“Additional community outreach events will be announced in the coming weeks,” including two open houses during which people can drop in as they please, to learn about the Main Street complete streets project and share their ideas, the release notes.
In the meantime, city staff is encouraging residents, business owners, property owners and visitors “to complete a brief online survey about Main Street via this link. The survey is open through Friday, April 26.
City of Sarasota hosts open house on complete street plan for Main Street
The first public open house session takes place on Tuesday, April 23. The second session will be held on May 1.
The city of Sarasota is still taking in public input on the Main Street Complete Streets Plan. City engineers want to redesign Main Street and some nearby roads to make the roadway safer for commuters, pedestrians and cyclists.
In addition to an ongoing survey, city officials will hold a series of open house sessions to hear from the public. The first public open house session takes place from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23. The second session will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on May 1. Both sessions will take place at the City Hall Annex on 1st Street.
Since the project's vision phase kicked off last fall, neighbors have been sharing their concerns about various issues along that axis.
"The 'Devil Circle'. It's just so tiny and if you're trying to make a left from North Novus to go north on Shade, there's no way trucks can do it and people ignore it," Wil Colon, a homeowner, said.
The problem roundabout features prominently in complaints from the neighbors in the Alta Vista neighborhood off Shade Avenue.
"Once a week at least you'll hear somebody go 'bam' and hit the bottom of their car on that thing and just stop and say what just happened," Colon added.
"Some of them get frustrated when I don't assume they're going to stop and they are like hurry up, go, I'm stopping for you. But I can't just risk my life to assume they're going to do the correct thing," Breeana Gillispie, who lives in the neighborhood, said.
The Main Street Complete Streets Plan focuses on areas between U.S. 41 and School Avenue. It will feature upgrades to travel lanes, on-street parking, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping. The neighbors have been sending in their desired changes in recent surveys and at workshops.
"I chose the ridge crosswalks because I think that will slow people down at least and make them realize we're crossing," Gillispie said.
The feedback from neighbors is what city officials are hoping to hear in the upcoming open house sessions. According to city officials, the intent is to use their comments and suggestions to tailor the street plan according to the community's needs.
"It will all be interactive in nature so you will have vision boards, a couple of existing boards, where you can see what Main Street looks like right now," Alvimarie Corales, the city's chief transportation planner, said.
Neighbors can also see vision boards of what they would like to see in the future.
"That's the whole point of creating a vision phase. It's to build that consensus, it is to meet people halfway," Corales added.
The open house sessions are open to the public and not just neighbors in that area. However, neighbors who would be directly impacted are encouraged to make time out to attend either of the sessions. The public also has till the end of this month to fill out the online survey which you can find on our website.
"For National Pretzel Day, I figured I'd treat my MVP husband to one (if not all) of the best local places to savor a warm, salty and twisted dough of deliciousness. "
The naming of Rep. Tommy Gregory as president of State College of Florida and the appointment of now-former Manatee County Commissioner James Satcher to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections seat already had a ripple on the 2024 election cycle.
Both political figures have not officially withdrawn from their re-election bids, but their assumption of new roles has opened the door for new candidates. Meanwhile, candidates for other Manatee County seats continue to amass funding for their races.
Manatee school board member vies for Florida House seat
Although Lakewood Ranch’s Richard Tatem is running for the District 72 seat in the Florida House of Representatives, he said his priority will be to continue to serve as the District 5 representative on the School Board of Manatee County until the day before the November election.
With nearly two years of experience with the school board under his belt, Tatem said he sees the Florida House of Representatives seat as an opportunity to make all Florida public schools more financially responsible and administratively efficient.
Plymouth Harbor residents and staff spent Earth Day 2024 celebrating the completion of a year-long revitalization for the community’s bird rookery and peninsula.
The peninsula, about 3 acres in size, is home to a bird rookery where a variety of birds come to nest and create a small ecosystem in Plymouth Harbor. The project was a resident-led effort.
Now, residents and staff can enjoy a stroll around the new peninsula, with benches, a cushioned walking path, viewing areas, signage, a songbird garden and new vegetation.
Before cutting the ribbon, Plymouth Harbor board members, campaign chair Bill Johnston and Save Our Seabirds Executive Director Brian Walton had a chance to give a few remarks.
Harry Hobson, former president and CEO, said the vision to revitalize the rookery began over 12 years ago, but couldn’t be fully realized at the time. Over the years, some modifications were made and in fall 2021 a committee was formed to further the project’s vision.
Johnston chaired that committee and led the fundraising effort, which began in spring 2022. Later that year, the campaign surpassed the goal of raising $1.65 million and construction could begin.
Johnston said the rookery was a special place to him and his family. His father, who also lived at Plymouth Harbor, enjoyed the scenery of the rookery, which often made him smile later in life.
“The ability to see him smile, whether it was the waves, or birds or whatever, just made my mother as happy as anybody can be,” Johnston said.
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