Florida Power & Light Company officials celebrated the commission of a new solar power facility in Parrish on Monday, where they also announced plans to build new universal solar power plants at eight locations by early 2018. “We have been working hard to drive down the costs of adding solar so we can deliver even more zero-emissions energy to all of our customers,” said FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy. “We have proven that it’s possible to cut emissions and deliver reliable service while keeping electric bills low for our customers.”

The FPL Manatee Solar Energy Center was one of three solar facilities commissioned Monday and brought online late last year; others now operate in Charlotte and DeSoto counties. The expansion of solar here comes less than eight years after the commission of a plant in Arcadia, an event so groundbreaking nationally it attracted then-president Barack Obama to its opening celebrations in 2009 to announce a clean energy initiative at the site.

Bill Orlove, FPL’s lead communications specialist, says FPL is in good position to bring more solar centers online because it can place plants near existing facilities and connect to an established power grid. For example, the Parrish center sits next to an existing natural gas plant in operation since the 1970s. “That affords us the ability to tie into transmission lines and our substation to have a way of getting power out onto the grid,” he says. Even as FPL relies more on renewable solar energy, it can then count on existing plants for support as well, ensuring, for example, that power availability isn’t subject to clear weather. This allows the company to produce a substantial amount of solar energy without raising utility costs to consumers, Orlove says. 

The actions have drawn praise from environmental activists. Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon Florida, attended the Monday event and lauded the announcement of new solar centers. “A year ago, I stood here as FPL broke ground on this solar site, marking the start of the installation of one million solar panels that are now producing zero-emissions energy,” Draper says. 

The three plants commissioned Monday represent more than 1 million solar panels now powering the region, and the eight new plants will bring another 2.5 million panels to power areas around the state. That’s enough panels to wrap around the coastline of Florida twice.

The commission event in Parrish was also a community event, bringing students from around the state together to participate in solar-themed events, such as a cookout using solar-powered ovens and a race with student-built vehicles that run on solar.

Photo by Armando Solares/FPL: Daniel Lopez and Samson DelTorto, both seniors from Lemon Bay High School in Englewood, Fla., make adjustments to their solar car at Florida Power & Light Company’s Manatee Solar Energy Center in Parrish on Monday. Nearly 50 groups of students from around the state demonstrated how they could harness the sun’s power and turn it into energy during the company’s commissioning event of the three universal solar power plants. 

I had an interesting conversation with a potential client recently. We were discussing his corporate website and how he hit a wall in terms of getting leads. He was well versed in SEO strategies, he had kept the website up to date, posted fresh content frequently on a blog and had dabbled in pay-per-click advertising. The interesting part of the conversation was when we started to discuss who his website user is. See, sometimes you can get so focused on getting your message out that you forget about who you are trying to communicate to.

The potential's industry is home health care so the person accessing the website for information would generally not be the person utilizing the actual services. I discussed how different generations utilize technology and access information differently. We talked about how Baby Boomers are far different from Millennials in how they search for content, what social media channels they use and how they use websites.

My advice was this: fix any issues that would limit the organic search optimization. Clean up the website and remove any errors in the code that would prevent your search engine listing from being recognized properly. Next, determine who the website user is and if needed modify the language and call to action on the website. Does the user prefer to read information on the website or speak to someone on the phone or via chat? Do they want to complete a contact form and provide their personal information? Do they want to read about the company or perhaps testimonials from other people that have utilized services?

Once the discovery is made and the proper steps have been taken to remedy any issues, I suggested an exploration into lead-generating channels such as pay-per-click advertising.

We could’ve dove right in and recommended an aggressive and costly plan to manage this potential client's online marketing efforts, but it wouldn’t have succeeded. Take a step back to review things from time to time. Make small adjustments in your efforts and in time you will see big results. 

Nuevo Advertising

Do you remember your first Tervis? Well, babies everywhere can now start their own Tervis collection with the new, customizable My First Tervis Sippy Cups. You may still be riding the wave of the wine glass Tervis, but who’s to say your little one doesn’t want to be just like you (minus the wine) and have their own personalized Tervis to sip out of? The double-handled, spill-proof design makes mommy-and-me time extra special, especially if you design matching mugs. Major kudos to Tervis for the lifetime guarantee—this custom sippy cup is unbreakable, dishwasher-safe and BPA-free for all the thirsty little monsters out there.  

Photo courtesy of Tervis.

Tervis Online Store

What’s better than BOGO at Publix and 2-for-1 drink specials at Daiquiri Deck? The reversible, pop-culture-inspired Inevitable dress by Animapop found at Apricot Lane. Combining two dynamic dresses in one, this Italian import is a total game-changer for women on the move as well as anyone who has felt the pain of shoveling clothes into your carry-on because your suitcase is allegedly “over the weight limit” (let’s be honest, we’ve all been there). Plus, the fabulous laser-cut, neoprene fabric is wrinkle-free, easy to wash and rolls nicely into a garment bag, making it wonderful and light to travel with.  

Apricot Lane, 464 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, 941- 960-1435.

The Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is inviting the community to enroll in the TSA PreCheck expedited screening program, offering a third temporary enrollment event from Monday, March 13 through Friday, March 17. An expedited screening program, TSA PreCheck enables identified low-risk air travelers to enjoy a more efficient screening experience, including no need to remove shoes, 3-1-1 liquids, laptops, light outerwear or belts. To apply for the TSA PreCheck March enrollment event at SRQ, visit the website below. Once on the site, click the Apply Now button, follow the steps and select an appointment time. The cost for five years of TSA PreCheck in all participating US airports is $85 per person. To complete the application process, proof of identity and US citizenship documentation is necessary. The application process is completed at SRQ with fingerprints for a background check and the collection of the $85 application for five years of service. 

TSA PreCheck

New York-based Moody's Investor Services has announced that Sarasota County's limited ad valorem tax bond rating has been upgraded from A3 to Aaa. The upgrade reflects a full six-level increase in the ratings for the Series 2008 and 2005 bonds, which are used for the acquisition of lands in the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP), indicating a stable outlook. Due to the previous economic downturn, Moody's had downgraded these bonds in 2011 from Aa2 to Baa2. In July of 2011, the county defeased approximately $17.5 million of outstanding bonds to improve the debt coverage of these bonds. Moody's upgraded these bonds to Baa1 in October 2013, and then to A3 in February 2015. According to Sarasota County Administrator Tom Harmer, the bond rating increase represents the cautious and responsible management of public funds by county officials. 

Sarasota County

Motorists saw little movement in pump prices this week, according to AAA, but gasoline could soon be on the rise as spring approaches due to refinery maintenance, an increase in driving and the switch to summer-blend fuels. Currently, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.283, up four-tenths of a cent from last week, down five cents from a month ago and 56 cents higher year-over-year. In Florida, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.283, up less than one cent from a week ago, nine cents lower than a month ago and 53 cents more expensive than last year. The lowest regional averages in the state are in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater ($2.183), Orlando ($2.193) and Jacksonville ($2.202). 

AAA Gas Price Index