In theaters now, Live by Night, a crime thriller adapted from the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name, sees actor Ben Affleck taking on the role of a Boston gangster sent to Florida’s own Ybor City to manage bootlegging operations during Prohibition. But when it came time to film, Affleck, who also wrote, directed and produced Live by Night, opted to construct a new Ybor City in Georgia instead of heading 300 miles south to the real thing, citing largely economic reasons and the lack of film incentives in Florida. SRQ sat down with Jeanne Corcoran, director of the Sarasota County Film and Entertainment Office, to talk film incentives and why Sarasotans should care.

How do these tax rebates, or film incentives, work and why is Georgia looking more attractive right now? Corcoran: An incentive works differently in different states, but basically refunds back a specific portion of spending in that state. Sometimes that refund is in the form of a check, sometimes in the form of tax credits, which then have to be brokered and sold within a state against tax debt a company may owe, sometimes a combination of those things. It is now often a mandatory element that productions require to be in place before they will even consider filming in certain states or regions, countries or nations. The many competing countries, states, regions or other locales, who seriously want filming and the millions of dollars a year in direct spending it can represent, must use incentives to remain in consideration, to be compared to their competitors.

Why should Sarasotans care about film incentives, even if they're not involved in the film industry? Besides driving potentially millions of dollars of direct spending into all kinds of local companies and individuals, helping our community's economic stability and diversity, helping valuable people and businesses to stay in our community, buy homes, raise families and stay current with the technology of communications throughout the world of entertainment, it is also a clean industry—one of the few in the United States that still has a positive trade balance and generally a trade surplus. It also benefits the entire community by complementing and strengthening our legacy industries of tourism, real estate and the creative arts.

How do we change that? Support Sarasota County through the vision of its county commissioners, who recognize that a sensible rebate program is a valuable tool to not only attract film, television and other omnimedia for production and post-production, but it is a tool our local resources—people and companies—can use to promote themselves against their own competition outside of the county. 

Pictured: Ben Affleck in "Live by Night." Image courtesy of "Live by Night."

In the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s, more specifically, US Navy Pilot Ryan Rankin in a TL-2000 Sting S4, taking his third flight for the year in his journey through the world of aviation.

A light sport aircraft built in the Czech Republic, the Sting S4 is a composite aircraft, meaning the frame and body are constructed primarily of carbon fiber instead of metal. With the freedom to craft shapes metal will not allow, the resulting plane is not only lighter but stronger as well. “This allows for more complex curves, which enhances the aerodynamics,” says Rankin. “It’s a slick aircraft.”

It’s also a very simple aircraft, he says, and “user-friendly.” Although the Sting S4 differs greatly from most of the planes Rankin has flown in the past—with one of the closest somehow being last week’s GT450, by merit of its weight—stepping into the Sting’s cockpit, the layout of the controls was almost instinctual. “There aren’t dozens of switches and different things,” he says. “You sit down and you look at the way things are laid out and it just makes sense.”

Flying again out of Jack Edwards National Airport in Gulf Shores, AL, Rankin eschews the aerobatics this time around, instead opting for a smooth cruise down the coast toward Pensacola, eventually passing over his house. “It’s a very easy airplane to fly,” he says. “Very forgiving.” Which explains why alongside Rankin rides Brody Hughes of Salt Air Aviation, where the Sting S4 serves as the primary aircraft for flight training, including in its Navy IFS program, a sort of pre-training flight school to gauge cadets’ pilot potential.

“It seems like the goal is to bring aviation closer to people and make it more accessible,” Rankin says of the Sting. “They’re a lot of fun and very low-stress aircraft. That’s what I appreciate.” And being a rather “hands-off” plane, much time is left for sightseeing out of the Sting’s massive canopy. “I’ve never flown in an aircraft with such great visibility,” says Rankin. “It was like sitting in a bubble.”

For more about this flight in Rankin’s own words and a video of the flight, follow the link below. 

Pictured: TL-2000 Sting S4. Photo courtesy of TL-Ultralight Aircraft.

Ryan Flies

Next time you stroll through St. Armand’s check out Green Zebra, an organic, family owned café that serves cold-pressed juices, smoothies, salads, raw entrees, juice cleanses and desserts—all of which can be made gluten-, meat- or dairy-free. While picking up your morning Green Power smoothie or getting lunch from the raw menu, take a glance at the hand-made cross-body bags hanging on the wall. These vibrant, bohemian-inspired bags are perfect for a day spent at the beach and add a pop of color to any outfit. Not to mention that everything sold at Green Zebra is recyclable and eco-friendly (even the furniture is made of repurposed materials). Bloom with the incoming spring flora and fauna with these flower-patterned bags. 

Green Zebra Cafe, 476 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, 941-388-2848.

Quick—savor this hearty stew while it’s still chilly. The Duval's seafood bouillabaisse puts a signature twist on a French classic. Bouillabaisse, a traditional Provençal fish stew, originates from the port city of Marseille, dating back to 600 BC. Originally, it was a dish made with the leftover pieces of seafood on days when the catch was not being sold at the market. Unique in preparation method—ingredients added one at a time instead of all at once—the name stems from the French word bolhabaissa, meaning both “to boil” and “to reduce heat.”

Unlike the people of Marseilles, Duval’s keeps their fish fresh—this bountiful bowl of steaming seafood stew overflows with half of a North Atlantic cold-water lobster tail, jumbo shrimp, calamari, Prince Edward Island mussels and a fillet of fresh local Gulf fish, married in a rich roasted fennel and savory tomato broth. Served with a crisp Parmesan crostini to help soak up all the deliciousness, this bouillabaisse is one of a kind.

Duval's is a member of Nosh, the SRQ magazine content marketing program for local restaurants. 

Duval's, 1434 Main St., Sarasota, 941-312-4001.

Ground will be broken Thursday on a new mid-county Tax Collector office at 6100 Sawyer Loop Rd. in Sarasota. The design and construction of the new 10,770-square-foot building is a joint effort between the Sarasota County Tax Collector, Sarasota County Public Works, Fawley Bryant Architects and Tandem Construction. The new facility will provide enhanced and more efficient services for Sarasota County residents. It will offer a full range of Tax Collector services, including the issuance of drivers' licenses, vehicle titles and registrations, and tax payment collection. The nearly 6-acre site will include a road course for drivers' license testing, allowing motorists to demonstrate their driving competence under safe and controlled conditions. The new office will also feature an after-hours payment drop-box and a drive-thru for those who are on the go. The building has been designed using sustainable building practices and materials. It will feature LED lighting, high-efficiency air conditioning, the use of environmentally sustainable materials and native plant species that will not require irrigation after establishment. The project is expected to be completed in spring of 2018. 

Sarasota County

Shapes Fitness For Women in Sarasota has a full day of activities planned for members and the community during their Grand Opening celebration on Monday, January 30 from 8am–8pm. Shapes is located at 5451 Fruitville Rd. in Sarasota. The ribbon cutting will take place at 1pm and the community is invited to attend. Shapes focuses 100 percent on the needs of women and works to improve the health and fitness levels of members in the communities they serve. Shapes was founded on the idea that women want to exercise in facilities that were tailored to their needs. Shapes facilities have state-of-the-art equipment, personal training, group fitness classes and small group training. The Grand Opening schedule includes sneak peeks at all the programs that Shapes has to offer including: Mother/Daughter Yoga Flow, Pump, Bop Till You Drop Eighties Dance Party and more. 

Shapes Sarasota

Caldwell Trust Company has hired Dennis Shanahan as operations associate. He will assist the operations division with overall day-to-day financial transactions and also work directly with third parties—banks, brokers, depositories and fund companies—to maintain client assets. A native New Yorker, Shanahan brings a breadth of wealth advisory and private banking experience. Prior to joining Caldwell, he was in charge of overseeing day-to-day operations for a private investment advisory firm and also worked at some of the largest financial institutions on Wall Street, including Prudential, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and US Trust. Since relocating to Sarasota in 1996, Shanahan has become known for delivering unparalleled service to high-net-worth families, nonprofit organizations and institutions. 

Caldwell Trust Company