Details of a potential spring training deal with the Atlanta Braves were greeted by Sarasota County Commissioners and North Port Town Commissioners with enthusiasm Tuesday. Executives from the Braves organization made clear they want to move their operations from Lake Buena Vista to North Port in time for the 2019 pre-season. “We intend to create an incredible complex,” says John Schuerholz, Atlanta Braves president, who made the trek to Sarasota to pitch county officials today.

But while officials expressed enthusiasm at the prospect of a second Major League Baseball team training in the county, there remain financial resources to shore up. The Braves want to open an athletic complex valued between $75 million and $80 million. Sarasota County officials plan to raise $22.1 million in funding, with bonding costs, for the deal, but the deal also relies on $20 million from the State of Florida. The City of North Port would be expected to contribute $4 million to $5 million. West Villages, partnered with Mattamy Homes, plans to provide land for the complex, and would take on the liability for the land if a deal falls through.

The Braves are one of only two teams training in Florida that don’t have a 20- to 30-year lease, and therefore are one of the only ones not already supported with a state grant. County Commissioner Nancy Detert says without a transferable grant, funding from the state could be more difficult to secure. If no state funding is available, “that could be problematic,” Detert says. The Atlanta team wants to sign a 30-year lease with five-year options at the end of that, something that will make a state grant more enticing. But North Port commissioners made their own participation in a deal contingent on the state funding.

Plans right now include a 6,500-seat stadium with 2,500 general admission guests allowed on the berm and a 360-degree concourse walkway, as well as luxury suites. The complex would have six full practice fields and two more half-fields. There would be 750 paved parking spaces on site as well, and plans include multi-use grass parking lots that could also be used as sports fields. A critical facility in the plans would also be a year-round baseball academy, where Braves players could do physical rehab and there could also be sports medicine facilities. County Commissioner Mike Moran said this type of permanent job creation could be the most important part of any deal. “It’s careers I’m looking for in this,” he says.

County Commissioner Charles Hines called the prospect of the Braves training the county: "The biggest announcement I’ve heard in my lifetime.” North Port Commissioners all put on Braves jerseys before voting unanimously to enter negotiations as well. But even while broadcasting enthusiasm, officials in North Port offered a “wish list” of priorities for the city. Mayor Linda Yates stressed that the athletic complex made financial sense for the city primarily because of the prospect of facilities for youth sports available year-round. “It would take us millions of dollars and many years for one multi-year field,” Yates notes; renderings show space for six such fields at the proposed Braves complex.

County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo stressed any deal would have to be negotiated with transparency. “Doing business in Florida is not an easy thing,” he says, noting the state’s open government laws. “It’s sometimes like going to marriage counseling in a comedy club.” But he also stressed that Sarasota County has a community that is engaged and would rightly scrutinize any deal. “We need clear information on who is spending what and what it is being used for,” he says. 

Rendering courtesy of West Villages.

Move over Chipotle, there’s a new place in town specializing in the beloved burrito bowls that have emerged as a significant foodie trend. Poppo’s Taqueria one-ups Chipotle with authentic and locally sourced gourmet Mexican street food. Prepared in a healthful way with a multitude of fillings such as feta cheese, arugula, kale, red cabbage and organic tempeh, Poppo’s has the best of both worlds—refreshing flavor and holistic ingredients. Pair your overflowing bowl with a probiotic-filled Moringa Lavender kombucha from local brewer 221BC, served on draft at the bar. Avoid Chipotle’s mile-long lines and questionable “antibiotic-free meat” and head to the laid-back atmosphere of Poppo’s Taqueria for the real deal.  

Poppo�s Taqueria, Pine Ave., Anna Maria, 941-254-7941.

When it comes to making family healthcare decisions, women are often at the helm. As the primary caregivers for their families, they steer the healthcare course for their children and spouses and many times their parents and friends. The mission of the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s Women & Medicine Lunch series, now in its fifth year, is to educate, enlighten and empower women with the knowledge they need to be able to make the very best healthcare decisions for themselves, their families, their friends and the community. The series showcases leading physicians from the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System team and the latest information about prevention, screening and diagnosis, along with treatments available at Sarasota Memorial.

This year’s program focused on trends and innovation in cardiac care. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women. More women die of heart disease than any other disease and more than all cancers combined. One out of every three women in the US will die from heart disease; 30 percent more African American women will die of heart disease than their Caucasian counterparts.

Co-chairs for this year’s event were: Beverly Bartner, Johanna Gustafsson, Charlie Ann Syprett and Sylvia Taylor. 

SMH Foundation

Jeff Charlotte, president and CEO of J.E. Charlotte Construction Corp., a Venice-based commercial construction company, was installed as the president of the Argus Foundation on January 12. Charlotte brings over 20 years of experience in the commercial construction industry, community leadership and his dedication to community philanthropy and outreach to his new role for the Argus Foundation, a nonprofit business think-tank organization dedicated to joining business leaders from diverse industries and leveraging their talents and experience to benefit the community. During his one-year term as president, Charlotte aims to focus on fostering community conversations, collaborating with community partners and being part of solutions to improve the local community with issues like economic development, growth, affordable housing, infrastructure and more. 

The Argus Foundation

Realtor John Mooney has returned to RE/MAX Platinum Realty in the Venice office. Previously with Coldwell Banker, he has 18 years of real estate experience. Mooney specializes in the Sarasota, Venice, Osprey, Nokomis and North Port areas, and has experience with both resales and new construction. His strong marketing and negotiation skills have earned him awards for sales performance. A native of Ohio, Mooney attended Franklin University and received his bachelor's in Business Administration from the Ohio State University, both in Columbus. He has a background in the retail industry, owning designer shoe stores in several states and serves on the Venice Area Board of Realtors Professional Standards Committee. 

RE/MAX Platinum Realty

Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) is transitioning the operation of BIG—Bright Ideas on the Gulf Coast to one of its biggest and longest-running partners in the entrepreneurial support initiative, the Gulf Coast CEO Forum. The CEO Forum will focus BIG activities on engaging entrepreneurial college students with its member businesses as well as retired executives, and reinvigorating BIG’s original strategy of connecting young talent with existing resources to stem brain drain from the region. Gulf Coast Community Foundation will support these activities while it continues to advance the larger mission behind BIG of fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem on the Gulf Coast. The Forum also seeks to grow its CEO Forum Associates program, which enables students to participate in special CEO Forum activities, learning from and networking with members. 

Gulf Coast Community Foundation

Take a peek behind the Diamond Vault curtain this month in Setting Stones as we observe the process behind the beauty. From multi-generational gemologists to finding a balance between Old- and New-World techniques, the jewels that emerge from within the Diamond Vault prove as mysterious as they are dazzling.  

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On February 9 at 5:30pm, SRQ MEDIA will host SRQ SkillSHARE: Mentorship at the Speed of Life powered by the Women in Business Initiative. Made for speed, SkillSHARE is professional mentorship concentrated into mini-sessions that encourage honest interactions and allow for spontaneous connection. Send us your most burning questions about career and personal development. Each participant will be paired with several mentors for 10- to 12-minute sessions curated to address those questions. Applications for SkillSHARE are accepted through Friday, January 27, 2017.  

Register for SkillSHARE