Editor's Note: This is the first in a two-part story. The second installment will appear in tomorrow's edition of SRQ Daily.

If a Democrat ultimately wins a election to represent District 72 in the Florida House, they will head to Tallahassee as part of a minority caucus; Republicans currently hold 76 of 120 seats. But both Democrats running, Ruta Jouniari and Margaret Good, each remain confident they can find allies across the aisle to support progressive parts of their agenda. Democrats in the district vote Tuesday on who will be the nominee.

As Good stresses her environmental credentials and support for better funding to public schools, Jouniari pushes an economic message about wages and access to health care.

Good supports a ban on fracking in Florida, and notes two bills enacting such a restriction have been filed by Republican House members. “Let’s form a coalition around those issues that we can agree on,” she says. In this case, she believes lawmakers from both parties would support a push for more renewable resources in the state, and wants to explore ways to boost solar power and other non-traditional but clean ways to generate energy. “We need to do whatever we can to move in that direction,” she says.

Jouniari believes she can convince members on health care reform. She runs a free clinic in Sarasota, where she sees a wide range of people who cannot afford insurance, something she credits to the federal Affordable Care Act “collapsing.” She notes that, for most Floridians, the only insurance available in the federal marketplace is Florida Blue, which can pull out at any time. “Then it’s going to go into crisis mode,” Jouniari says. She favors a move to single-payer health care, and feels state governments will need to lead the way on that.

Good, though, says the ACA will not fail, and says Republicans in Washington—who ran on repeal-and-replace and have failed to move that way even with a GOP-controlled Congress and White House—realize that. She wants the Legislature to instead pursue a Medicaid expansion. Jouniari would support such an expansion, but says Florida needs a true safety net for citizens beyond that.

Campaign reports through Oct. 19 show Jouniari raised $7,479 in monetary contributions, compared to Good’s $87,870. The winner of the primary on Tuesday will face Republican James Buchanan and Libertarian Alison Foxall in a Feb. 13 general election. The seat was vacated by state Rep. Alex Miller, who resigned earlier this year citing family and business obligations.  

Photos: Margaret Good, Ruta Jouniari

Editor’s Note: This is part 48 of an ongoing series documenting the flights of active-duty US Navy Pilot Ryan Rankin on his journey to fly 52 planes in 52 weeks through the year 2017.

This week Rankin steps into the cockpit of one of the most ubiquitous aircraft around—the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. An iconic training craft and all-around workhorse, the Skyhawk pops up on nearly every airfield and in nearly every training regimen, but somehow Rankin has avoided it thus far.

To be fair, it almost became an active avoidance, one of those little flukes of happenstance that somehow become defining, like never seeing Star Wars. Similarly, Rankin has never eaten Taco Bell, not due to a deliberate boycott, but because that’s just how things shake out sometimes. “So at this point, I’m just not going to go,” he says. “Might as well not ever.” He will, however, fly a Cessna.

“It was always a plane I had in my back pocket,” Rankin says. “There are hundreds everywhere you go.” So in the case of illness or a canceled flight, wrangling up a ride in a Skyhawk was a good backup to have. But that’s how Rankin saw it—as a backup. For a guy with a penchant for the weirder or more exotic planes, the commonplace can lose some of its magic. But taking off with Nate Barber, an instructor with SkyWarrior Flight Training out of Pensacola, FL, Rankin discovered for himself what made the Skyhawk so popular in the first place.

At first, it was weird. He’d seen the Skyhawk so much, Rankin felt like he’d flown it before. “It’s like seeing this one face every day, but not talking to that person,” he says. But after a quick introduction (no instruction necessary, just pointing out where the windshield wipers are) and a little airtime, Rankin was sold. Like the Honda Civic of the sky, the Skyhawk isn’t flashy or excessive in any way, but it gets the job done reliably, safely and affordably. And there’s a reason he sees at least two or three at every airfield. Everyone needs to train at some point, Rankin says, “and the Cessna is the best in that category.”

And though the flight shattered his preconceived notions surrounding the Skyhawk, Rankin feels comfortable letting his preconceptions stand when it comes to Taco Bell. “I don’t think so,” he says, when asked about making his first trip for a fast food fiesta. “I love Mexican food and value it too much to lower my standards.”

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

Pictured: Ryan Rankin flies the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Photo courtesy of Ryan Rankin.

Ryan Flies

What better way to celebrate the Holiday season than with a handcrafted cocktail, fresh, fantastic food and an incredible view of Sarasota Bay? Ophelia’s On The Bay is the perfect location for your corporate or personal Holiday party this season. Their packages fit any size group to ensure everyone gets a chance to celebrate on the Bay. Not sure where to have Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner? Ophelia’s has you covered! Executive Chef Daniel Olson and team will be rolling out some some must-try meals; hosting a Christmas Eve dinner 4PM-9PM and a Christmas Day dinner from 2PM-9PM. They also will be hosting a New Years Eve dinner from 4PM-12AM. The options at Ophelia’s this Holiday season are endless and it is the perfect place to spend time with family and friends.

Photo Credit: Wyatt Kostygan

Ophelia's On The Bay is a member of Nosh, the SRQ magazine content marketing program for local restaurants. 

Ophelia's On The Bay, 9105 Midnight Pass Rd, Sarasota, 941-349-2212.

Ophelia's On The Bay

Friendship Centers, a nonprofit organization serving older adults in Southwest Florida, has received a $15,000 grant from the Wilson-Wood Foundation. The funds will be used toward the development and expansion of the Caregiver Resource Center (CRC) on the Road program, which was begun in 2011. Caregivers and families in the Newtown community will now continue to receive hands-on information and support services in their own backyard. One goal of the program is to help seniors find the information they need about caregiving and learn new ways to cope with the stresses and challenges of being a caregiver. Through this grant and other generous donors to this program, these needed services will continue and expand into South Sarasota County, and are free to anyone who needs them. The Caregiving Place also offers respite for caregivers through its Adult Day Service in Sarasota and Venice, Monday through Friday. Loved ones with cognitive and/or physical challenges receive compassionate, yet professional loving care at our licensed centers and their caregivers receive respite from caregiving duties knowing their care partners are having fun and enjoying socialization with others. 

Friendship Centers

Sarasota Bayfront Planning Organization has reached its $2.1 million fundraising goal to ensure the delivery of a professionally prepared master plan for the sustainable development of the 42-acre Sarasota Bayfront. The announcement was made after a year-long volunteer fundraising effort led by Drayton Saunders, Veronica Brady and Shaun Merriman. Nearly 60 donors have invested in the planning initiative to reimagine Sarasota’s Bayfront. Many foundations also provided financial support including The Patterson Foundation, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. The funds will be used to hire the leadership team along with planning and design firm, Sasaki, to create a financially feasible, operationally viable and environmentally sustainable master plan for the City Commission to review in the Fall of 2018. The community is encouraged to meet this leadership planning team next week during a series of events to kick off the beginning phases of the master plan creation, beginning with a meeting at City Hall with the City Commission at 6pm and continuing through the week. 

Sarasota Bayfront Planning Organization

Manatee County is accepting applications for two seats on the Manatee County Public Library Board of Trustees. The Library Board is responsible for creating and recommending policy for the operation of the Library System to Manatee County Commissioners. The openings are for a representative of Manatee County at-large and a representative of unincorporated Manatee County. The two seats are for four-year terms. Applications are due Dec. 18 and can be found online at the website below. 

Manatee County Advisory Boards