Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

COLUMN: Group learns story behind the famous names

For full column:

https://www.newsbreak.com/venice-fl/...e-famous-names

At the annual Venice Heritage meeting and luncheon, members learned about Caspersen, Andrews, Blalock and other Venice pioneers behind the names of the places most of us enjoy regularly.

Irvin Lewin gave an interesting and informative presentation about the people behind the names.

The group learned James Blalock was the second mayor of Venice. He is credited with getting Venice through the Great Depression. Blalock Park is a popular place in town housing a butterfly garden and arboretum.

Monty’s Arboretum with its more than 100 trees is named for Monty Andrews. He got Venice named a bike friendly city and was instrumental in Legacy and Patriots parks. Nearly every day, one could see Monty’s white truck parked at the Arboretum while he was sprucing up some part of Blalock Park. These days the truck is not so visible.

During the holidays, Blalock Park hosts the Festival of Lights.

Bill Jervey was at the luncheon. His thumbprint is on the Venice Library, the Venice Train Depot and the Venice Theatre. Bill grew up in Hawaii.

The Caspersen Brothers emigrated from Norway.

Irvin Lewin is vice president of Venice Heritage and editor of their newsletter.

This year, Venice Heritage received the Organizational Achievement Award accepted by board member Jean Trammell. Dorothy Korwek received the Individual Achievement Award. Both came from the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation.

The group continues to work on the restoration of the Higel House.

Visit: https://veniceheritage.org for information about events and membership.

[wondermint2]

Sarasota Police search for suspect in deadly shooting that left one person dead

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/r...at-left-1-dead

Sarasota Police are investigating a deadly shooting that happened during the early morning hours on Thursday, July 4.

Police said the shooting happened near the intersection of Dixie Avenue and 24th Street around 1 a.m. One adult victim died from their injuries.

Authorities believe the shooting was isolated and there is no threat to the public.

If anyone has any information that can help police identify the suspect, please call Sarasota Police at 941-316-1199 or CrimeStoppers at 941-366-TIPS.

[wondermint2]

Record-breaking amount of sea turtle nests found on Anna Maria Island (Video)

The initial record from 1983 documented 543 nests during the season.

For full article & video:

https://www.wtsp.com/article/life/an...9-cf72977061ff

After 42 years, a new sea turtle nesting record has been set with still around two months left in the season.

According to the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, there were 546 sea turtle nests recorded on Tuesday. That surpasses the initial record of 543 nests, which was set in 1983.

“We are excited that so many sea turtles have decided to nest on Anna Maria,” Kristen Mazzarella, executive director of AMITWSBM, said in a statement. “We can thank the conservation efforts of patrollers that protected nests 25 years ago for producing the hatchlings that are coming ashore to nest in such high numbers this year.”

AMITWSBM says turtle nesting season takes place between April and September.

The organization says they recorded their first hatch on Saturday, and have since only had one other hatch that happened on Tuesday.

Officials are reminding beachgoers to follow these steps during hatching season:

[wondermint2]

Food service vendor loses contract at SRQ airport, cuts nearly 100 jobs

For full article:

https://archive.is/B0Q91

HMSHost, a suburban Washington, D.C., company that provides food services at in the U.S. and Canada, is laying of nearly 100 employees at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

The layoff notice was posted Wednesday on the Florida's Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification database. According to the posting, 97 jobs will be cut beginning Aug. 31.

The jobs are in accommodations and food services.

(Companies, according to federal law, have to provide states with WARN notices when making job cuts.)
A letter to the state that normally accompanies the posting was not immediately available Wednesday, but a spokesperson for the Bethesda, Maryland, company confirmed the cuts in an email.

“The concessions contract is transitioning to a new operator,” the spokesperson says.

“HMSHost is working with the new operator to ensure our team members will be offered continued employment as positions are available.”

The new vendor was not disclosed, but at a Longboat Key event in February Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport’s president and CEO Rick Piccolo said future projects would include new concessions and shops. Among those he mentioned were Anna Maria Oyster Bar, Shops at Siesta Key, the Salty Key and Motorworks Brewing.

[wondermint2]

Longboat Key venues promote private beach and unique weddings

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...each-weddings/

A couple's wedding venue is an emotional decision, said Ayla Goggin.

As the director of events and catering at the Longboat Key Club (LBKC), she sees how much the location affects a couple’s special day.

“When people pick a wedding venue, they're gonna remember it for the rest of their lives,” said Goggin.

The Observer spoke with Goggin and Longboat Island Chapel wedding coordinator Diane Lehman to learn what it takes to plan a wedding at a destination location like Longboat Key.

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

10-story apartment complex proposed for Tube Dude downtown site

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...ube-dude-site/

Another block of the east Main Street area of downtown will soon face the wrecking ball to make way for a high-density rental community, taking a well-known local business with it.

An unnamed project that will occupy several parcels of Main Street between Indian Place and Pine Place made its initial submittal appearance before the city’s Development Review Committee on Wednesday.

The 10-story building is proposed to include 226 apartments, among them 25 priced for attainable housing, plus 5,575 square feet of ground floor commercial space.

The site is currently home to a 25,570-square-foot office building, a 4,780-square-foot multi-tenant retail building and, most notably, Tube Dude, the prolific purveyor of twisted pipe sculpture that occupies a 7,386-square-foot building.

The owner of the property is BPOZ 1700 Main LLC, which has a principal address of 255 Glenville Road in Greenwich, Connecticut, according to state records.

The entity is a subsidiary of investment and asset management firm Belpointe under Belpointe REIT Inc. Sister publication the Business Observer reported in November 2020 that Belpointe acquired the property in October 2020 for $6.8 million.

Just two blocks to the east, Belpointe is developing 1 Main Plaza, which will have 418 luxury apartments and 55,000 square feet of commercial space at Main Street and Links Avenue.

The company’s newest Sarasota project is directly across the street from the site of SOTA, a 16-story luxury condominium/boutique hotel being built by Trepp Developments. There, another downtown standby — Il Panificio — will be razed in the latter stage of site clearing. Oddly enough, SOTA’s sales center is in the retail building that will be razed for the new apartment development.

Tube Dude finds new home after five years on Main Street

Forced to move by redevelopment, the downtown institution takes a powder for south Bradenton where it finds room to grow.

For full article & photos:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...dude-new-home/

Scott Gerber calls his Tube Dude creations “art a la carte.”

Given the nomadic history of his company in and around Sarasota, perhaps it could be called "art on a cart."

Part sculptor, part metal fabricator and, most recently, part powder coater, Gerber’s multiple moves from downtown to St. Armands then back to downtown have been capped off with him landing in south Bradenton.

There, Tube Dude has more than twice the space to create whimsical metal sculptures from the original classic mailbox to mermaid outdoor showers.

What began in 2010 as the former yacht builder found himself in the throes of a shrinking market due to the Great Recession has blossomed into a global business with Tube Dudes and Dudettes — along with mailboxes in the design of aquatic birds and sea life, pets, wildlife, large exhibition pieces and more — now in display around the world.

Tube Dudes and Dudettes are custom made to represent owners’ professions, recreation interests, lifestyles and more, all with the trademark face with a cheek-to-cheek grin meeting large round eyes.

Now in his new 16,712-square-foot space at 2306 60th Drive E., more than double the square footage he had at 1710 Main Street, Gerber and his staff of five are in expansion mode. That includes an investment of some $100,000 for powder coating equipment necessitated by lagging turnaround in outsourcing that step in production.

Tube Dude's latest move wasn’t voluntary, but it is serendipitous — trading high visibility for square footage. The space the business occupied for five years at the corner of Main Street and Pine Place, along with the rest of the block, will be razed to make way for an apartment building.

“The city tried to kick us out when we first moved in because they said that what we were doing was industrial, but it just so happened that we didn't meet the city's definition of industrial, but we did meet the definition of an artist's studio,” Gerber said of his prior location. “We had five wonderful years there and it was great because very few places in a metropolitan situation can you do welding and grinding and cutting and all that. It was great for our customers because they would get to come see how the art developed.”

[wondermint2]

Community members bring to life Revolutionary War-era fashion

Sarasota Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution explain what it takes to re-create the costumes of 18th-century patriots.

For full article & photos:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...r-era-fashion/

[wondermint2]

Video - 11 year-old Nora Bear Music plays her first single "Moving On" | Suncoast View (July 3rd, 2024)

For video:

https://www.newsbreak.com/sarasota-f...-july-3rd-2024

[wondermint2]

Greg Wood makes bid for School Board seat

For full article:

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/35149...ool-board-seat

Greg Wood is set to run for the Sarasota County School Board District 3 Seat this year.

Wood, who lives in Venice, is running for the position against newcomer Thomas Babicz and incumbent Tom Edwards.

The primary election is Aug. 20. If no candidate wins 50% plus 1 vote, the top two vote-getters move on to the Nov. 5 general election.

Wood served as a lecturer and coach at Texas A&M University and started two youth-based rowing programs before moving to Sarasota to lead and coach at the Sarasota Scullers Youth rowing program until 2022.

Wood has three young daughters and a wife and currently serves on the Audit Committee for the Republican Party of Sarasota County.

After more than two decades of youth mentorship, Wood said he wants to channel that passion into Sarasota County Schools. He also said he plans eliminate the “drama” surrounding the board, if elected.

“You need to be an advocate that’s calm, that’s level-headed, that’s focused on the mission, and that’s really how you make the difference,” Wood said. “When you get caught up in things that sidetrack or maybe personal agendas, that’s that’s when you get lost and the kids lose.”

With a data-driven mindset, Wood said he plans to rebuild trust with parents and the community by being more transparent with classroom procedures and curriculum.

“We need to leave you with the skills you need to be a successful adult. And the drama and politics doesn’t get us there, but math, science and reading does,” Wood said.

Wood noted teacher empowerment is also among his priorities, stating staff should feel that they can teach “without having to worry about repercussions from up above.”

[wondermint2]

Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections seeks more poll workers ahead of August primary

For full article:

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/35155...august-primary

Sarasota County Elections Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner issued notice that his office needs more poll workers ahead of the August primary election.

Sarasota Elections spokesperson Paul Donnelly said the county needs about 1,000 poll workers every election for the local democratic process to run smoothly.

"We really rely on poll workers to be the backbone of the elections process for us," Donnelly said. "It's a great way to serve your community, because without our poll workers, we literally wouldn't be able to administer elections."

Donnelly also emphasized it is not a volunteer position − poll workers earn between $190 to $315 per election, depending on their position.

How to become a Sarasota County poll worker

Those interested can submit an application online at the Supervisor of Elections website:

https://saraim.precinctcentral.com/T...l/Landing.aspx

or at one of the division's offices in Sarasota, Venice or North Port. Those who apply in person must present their Social Security card and Florida Driver's license. High school students who are at least 16 years old are also encouraged to apply through the Student Poll Worker Program:

https://www.sarasotavotes.gov/Poll-W...t-Poll-Workers

Poll workers must be able to arrive and start work at 6 a.m. on election days, be able to sit or stand for long periods of time, and have an email address. They must also complete both an online and an in-person training before each election.