Sarasota Parking Manager Mark Lyons will keep his job but take a 10-percent pay cut and a demotion after officials determined he improperly swayed an advisory board to choose his son-in-law for a $100,000 public art contract at State Street Parking Garage. The decision on who installs permanent art at the new parking structure and what it will look like now falls to the Sarasota City Commission, where two new members must address the scandal shortly after taking office. 

An official investigation by the city determined Lyons improperly interfered with a Public Art Committee selection of artist proposals for decorating the new garage. The committee met April 12 and recommended Mark Krucke, Lyons’ son-in-law, be hired to create murals and installations. But board members were unaware of the relationship between the parking manager and the artist, one of five finalists considered for the contract. Committee members during the meeting asked Lyons to discuss maintenance issues related to the art installation after narrowing choices down to Krucke and a bid from Michael Parker and Richie Brasil. At that point, Lyons criticized the Parker-Brasil proposal to employ spray paint as “a terrible idea,” and also raised problems with the effectiveness of wayfinding in that plan. His comments apparently swayed the board, which had been locked in a 2-2 vote but then backed Krucke 3-1. Committee member Benjamin Grijalva, a Students Taking Active Roles participant, credited Lyons’ points as what changed his vote. 

Two other staff members working with the committee, Planning Manager David Smith and Planner Clifford Smith, also got demoted as a result of the impending investigation. The two told investigators they knew Lyons’ son-in-law submitted work but didn’t alert the board, and did not see a conflict until after Lyons spoke at the meeting, which both described as “a disaster.” Clifford Smith accused Lyons of “crucifying Michael Parker’s artwork” and said he immediately went to David Smith, his supervisor, after the meeting to report the comments as “a serious problem.” David Smith said he “never thought he (Lyons) would critique Parker.” 

Two other employees became aware of Lyons’ and Krucke’s relationship only at an artist luncheon held shortly before the committee meeting. One noted Lyons had spoken with the committee about the project “at least three times” before April 12, and the other immediately reported Lyons after she felt the comments “threw the other artist under the bus.”

For Lyons part, he said he made clear as early as November 2015 that his son-in-law would be submitting a proposal in the design competition for the garage but was told explicitly that would not be a problem since he had no say in choosing the winning artwork. Lyons had been involved in crafting the original call to artists. The Public Art Committee previously winnowed 25 submissions down to five finalists, and when asked, Lyons said the Parker-Brasil proposal was “inappropriate,” and that even if the committee chose that art, he would also tell the city commission the work did not meet specifications. “I don’t want the PAC to go to the City Commission with a project that’s not viable,” he told investigators.

Both David Smith and Clifford Smith returned to work Monday, and Lyons returns today. The employees may appeal their disciplinary action to the city manager within 10 days. Before the pay cuts, Lyons made $90,820 annually, David Smith made $104,107 and Clifford Smith $76,248. All employees must also undergo ethics retraining, and Lyons is barred from participating in any city procurement processes for at least six months. City spokeswoman Jan Thornburg says city officials will now develop a conflict-of-interest provision within the city code of ethics that addresses conflicts relating to public art contracts, a void in regulations before now. All city employees will also now have to go through regular ethics training.

City officials stressed the matter was taken very seriously by administration as soon as a relationship between Lyons and the artist became known. "It was poor communications and judgment that resulted in violations of City policies and the public trust,” says Assistant City Manager John Lege, Lyons supervisor. “We want the community and our employees to know we take ethics and conflict of interest very seriously.”

City leaders have yet to make a decision on how to proceed with the State Street contract, and commissioners are slated to consider options on June 5, less than a month after two new commissioners are sworn in; an election will be held today to determine who will take office. 

Rendering from Mark Krucke proposal for State Street Parking Garage.

Turnout leading in to city elections for Sarasota and North Port today indicate greater interest in the contests than existed in March, when prior elections decided what candidates would continue into runoffs. At the close of early voting on Saturday, 13 percent of Sarasota voters had cast votes early or by mail, and 7.8 percent of voters in North Port had done the same. By comparison, turnout at the same point before the March 15 elections was 9.4 percent in Sarasota and 6.6 percent in North Port.

In Sarasota, three candidates—Jennifer Ahearn-Koch, Hagen Brody and Martin Hyde—vie for two seats on the Sarasota City Commission. In North Port, Pete Emrich and Jill Luke are running for Seat 4 on the North Port City Commission. Polls in both jurisdictions will be open today from 7am to 7pm.

Roughly 1,000 voters in each municipality have voted in the runoffs who did not vote in March, according to Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner. While the races are both nonpartisan, political parties in the county have become more engaged as the field of candidates winnowed, with differing levels of success. As of Monday afternoon, Sarasota had seen 2,487 Democrats, 1,780 Republicans and 673 independent or third party voters cast ballots by mail or at early voting. In North Port, the breakdown was 1,648 Republicans, 1,155 Democrats and 747 other voters. 

Opening yesterday in the Rosemary District, Ethnic Origin Company brings the world to Sarasota for those home decorators, collectors and curators looking for the global touch for their local digs. Founded by Petra Gurin, the brick-and-mortar embraces the same philosophy as her digital store, bringing authentic and handcrafted items from indigenous artisans around the world and sharing their stories as well as their craft. From the Indonesian island of Java, great teak roots repurposed as standing vessels lend a stately but grounded air, while gleaming ostrich eggs from South Africa add a weightless counterpoint. Draped behind, a handmade hundira, or wedding blanket, from Morocco showcases the merging aesthetics of African and Arabic traditions, while the mortars-turned-stools from the Lozi people of Zambia emphasize the real connection between life and craft. Featuring items from at least 29 countries, a percentage of the proceeds go to Survival International, an organization championing the rights of indigenous peoples. 

Photo by Phil Lederer.

Ethnic Origin Company, 1560 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, 941-202-4031.

As today’s workforce continues to change rapidly, Sarasota and Manatee employers must learn to proactively shift strategies in order to hire and retain high-performing employees. The inaugural CareerSource Suncoast State of Talent Conference at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee on Friday, May 19 brings together area experts in recruitment, training and retention to better prepare companies and provide them with the necessary tools for success in the workplace. 

"This conference is so important to me because it brings together influencers who can seriously impact our local businesses with regards to recruitment, development and overall culture, said Steve Shenbaum, Founder and President of Game On Nation. “The message I want to reinforce is, although technology is obviously an incredible resource, we must share techniques to improve eye contact, authentic conversation and basic human interaction in the workplace. If we don't value these basic needs, my concern is they'll become a lost art."

State of Talent tackles topics from mentoring interns and new hires, inspiring transformational leadership, age-friendly workplaces, creating high-performance work cultures, professional development best practices in human resources through workshops, speaker presentations and networking with other area professionals.

Kristi Hoskinson, Human Resources Department Manager at FCCI Insurance Group and State of Talent speaker is eager to share how investing in your employees not only creates a positive work environment but helps retain a high performing workforce. “It’s exciting to work for an organization that is forward-thinking. FCCI is innovative; we are constantly challenging ourselves as it relates to our commitment in teammate investment. I look forward to sharing FCCI’s approach to learning and development, especially as it relates to one’s overall wellbeing and how that impacts the organization and the community.”

As our community continues to grow, events like State of Talent become increasingly crucial tools for building local economic strength. Providing the resources to effectively hire, train and retain the best talent our region has to offer not only increases individual productivity but improves Suncoast workforce performance as a whole. 

“This type of event is so important to the community and the professionals who work here.  Laws are constantly changing and as an HR professional, it’s critical to keep up on what’s new.  It’s also a great venue at which we can all make new connections and learn from not only the speakers, but from our peers who may have had similar experiences and can share what they know, said Human Resources Manager of Design Concepts/Marine Concept Holly Schearer, "

For more on the State of Talent conference, contact Chris Laney at claney@careersourcesc.com or visit their website online at StateofTalent.org. 

State of Talent

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, a full-service business law firm with offices in Tampa and Sarasota, Ohio and North Carolina, is launching Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC, a public affairs group that will provide advocacy, issue management and business-to-government and business-to-business services. Headed up by Shumaker partner and business lawyer Ronald Christaldi, president and CEO of Shumaker Advisors in Florida, the public affairs practice will provide public and private sector clients with services at the federal, state and local levels. Christaldi, whose practice areas include business law and commercial litigation, is a past chair of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and recently traveled to Panama, Chile, Toronto and Cuba with other civic leaders to strengthen ties to the Tampa Bay area. Shumaker Advisors Florida has also added public affairs specialists Patrick Baskette, Ed Miyagishima and Carlye Morgan to its newly created team. 

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick

Catherine Ann Rustin has joined RE/MAX Alliance Group in the Sarasota office. She was formerly with Keller Williams on the Water, where she won the Rookie of the Year award, as well as the Gold Circle award for achieving more than $5 million in annual sales volume. Specializing in Sarasota waterfront homes, Rustin is a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) and member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing Million Dollar Guild. Rustin has an entrepreneurial background, serving as a commercial printing broker in Atlanta, Georgia, for 35 years, while also maintaining a real estate agent and associate broker's license. She has a bachelor's in Advertising and Marketing from the University of Georgia. She serves on the Board of the Florida Winefest, the Administrative Board of the Pines of Sarasota and the Board of Advisors of the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. 

RE/MAX Alliance Group