SRQ DAILY Mar 6, 2018
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"I never tell anybody they can't win a race. I'm living proof that you can."
Weeks after Ray Pilon watched a Democrat win the state House he held for years, the former state representative wants his old job back. Today, Pilon says he will turn in his papers to run for state House in District 72 against incumbent state Rep. Margaret Good. “I feel I can communicate with the 144,000 people in the district,” he says. “‘I’ve communicated with them before.”
The Republican served three terms in the House, from 2010 to 2016, before choosing to run for an open state Senate seat in 2016 instead of seeking a fourth consecutive term. Ultimately, Greg Steube, who’s served with Pilon in the House, won the Republican primary and general election in state Senate District 23. Meanwhile, Republican Alex Miller in 2016 won a two-year term the District 72 House District. But then after less than a year on the job, Miller resigned the post, triggering a special election in February. Amid record spending and turnout, Good won the special election to complete the remainder of Miller’s term.
Now Republicans will have to face an incumbent in November, but Pilon’s not worried about that. His first election to the state House came in 2010, when he defeated two-term incumbent Rep. Keith Fitzgerald. “Everybody told me I couldn’t do it and I did,” he says. “I never tell anybody they can’t win a race. I’m living proof that you can.”
He notes his public service predates his time in the Legislature. He served four years on the Sarasota County Commission, and before then worked as a deputy sheriff. “I’ve been connected to this community since 1975,” he says. That background directed him toward addressing criminal and juvenile justice reform while in the state House. But he also touts an environmental record. Once again, he plans to run as a moderate conservative, and wants to stress the value of the district being represented by a member of the majority party in Tallahassee. Democrats will likely remain in the minority in Tallahassee, he says, and representatives on the blue team won’t get as much accomplished at home.
Should he return to the House, Pilon will actually get to reboot a potential eight consecutive years in office before term limits end his time there. The former representative feels he would be able to go to Tallahassee better armed with knowledge of the capital workings than most freshman lawmakers boast. He already has a relationship with incoming Speaker of the House Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, and with numerous other lawmakers with whom he served through 2016.
Right now, Republican Alexandra Coe is filed to run in the district as well, but is also considering a county commission run. Other Republicans in the region have reportedly considered challenging Good, including James Buchanan, the Republican nominee in the special election. School Board chair Bridget Ziegler and County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo both tell SRQ they will not run. Good has already filed for re-election.
Candidates for office must qualify by noon on June 22. A primary election, if needed, is scheduled for Aug. 28 and the general election is scheduled for Nov. 6. 
Rounding the bases and sliding into home is Michael's On East. By honoring the Orioles’ baseball spring training season in Sarasota, they’re creating a specialty Baltimore Epicurean Adventure with dishes inspired by the “Charm City.” Here’s the play by play– the two-course lunch features a choice of entrée and dessert for $19.95 per person, available Monday-Friday, 11:30AM-2PM. The lunch menu highlights a Crispy Maryland Soft Shell Crab Salad incorporating edamame, heirloom tomatoes, hearts of palm, pickled red onions, baby arugula and watercress with a wasabi mango vinaigrette. Or have a crack with this allstar performance, the Home Run Free-Range Chicken Breast consisting sautéed tasso ham, farro piccolo, black rice, scallions, curried apples and flavored with a pomegranate citrus gastrique. Stick around for the next inning because dessert is the best part. Pretzel, Peanut Butter & Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake with housemade strawberry jam or a Blackberry Shortbread Crumble Bar with Vanilla Porter Ice Cream. No fouls there.
And the three-course dinner menu only gets bigger and better from there. The Baltimore Epicurean Adventure dinner is available Monday-Saturday evenings for $38.95 per person, March 1st-31st. Pairing their impressive assortment of worldly wines is highly encouraged for the true “Grand Slam” experience. More noteworthy is the fact that each Monday, Michael’s On East will donate a percentage of beverage sales in the restaurant’s lounge during extended Happy Hour times to the All Star Children’s Foundation allowing guests to enjoy a glass of Private Label Wines, well cocktails and draft beers for $6 until close in support of the nonprofit organization. Thanks for taking us out to the ball game of gluttony, Michael’s.
1212 East Avenue South, Sarasota, FL (941)366-0007
Image provided by Michael's
The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF) recently elected Jennifer Vigne, president of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, as a member-at-large. Vigne is one of five statewide members who, along with three statewide officers, govern the CFEF, a membership organization for Florida’s district-wide local education foundations. Established in 1987, the CFEF seeks to maximize the individual and collective strength of Florida local education foundations to support local partners and schools. It now has 63 member foundations and collectively 1,100 volunteer board members, raising more than $63 million annually to support students, teachers and schools through a variety of programs. The Education Foundation of Sarasota County is an independent partner working to advance philanthropic support for Sarasota County Schools.
Sarasota Memorial has appointed a new physical medicine and rehabilitation and brain injury specialist to guide rehabilitative care throughout the health system’s inpatient and outpatient network, Aurora Wong, MD. Wong, who will serve as Sarasota Memorial’s new medical director of rehabilitation services, has spent the past decade specializing in neuro-rehabilitation for stroke, traumatic brain injury, trauma and neurological disorders, will oversee a full spectrum of services to meet the complex medical, rehabilitation and mobility needs of people recovering from brain and spinal cord injuries, stroke and neurological disorders, and orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions. Board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Brain Injury Medicine, before relocating to Sarasota, Wong served as medical director of the North Mississippi Medical Center’s Rehab Institute in Tupelo, MS, for the past five years and was chairman of the medical center’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation division. She also served on the governing board of the North Mississippi Medical Center’s Medical Executive Committee, helping to oversee 40 medical specialties implementing collaborative quality control and improvement initiatives. Previously, she served three years as medical director of the Appalachian Regional Medical Center, Hazard, KY.
Troy Thompson has been named the new principal at Lamarque Elementary School effective April 2, pending Board approval. Thompson currently serves as assistant principal of Emma E. Booker Elementary, where he has worked as an administrator since 2016. He returns to Lamarque where he was an assistant principal from 2013 to 2016, oversaw professional development programs for teachers and led instructional and classified trainings to ensure best practices in the classroom and school. Sandra Russell, who has been serving as acting principal of Lamarque will remain in this post through March. Thompson has had a long-standing career with Sarasota County Schools where he has worked since 1998. Prior to Emma E. Booker and Lamarque Elementary, he served as an assistant principal intern at Phillippi Shores Elementary IB World School where he was responsible for the Shared Decision-Making Team and School Action Committee from 2011 to 2013.
Zota Beach Resort has announced the promotion of Jeremy White as executive chef. In his new role, White will direct Viento Kitchen + Bar, the resort’s signature Floribbean concept restaurant. White served as sous chef of Zota Beach Resort since the property’s opening last June. Prior to joining Zota Beach Resort, White oversaw all culinary aspects of Racquet Club Ladue in Ladue, MO, as executive sous chef. White trained in modern as well as classical cuisine and graduated from L’Ecole Culinare in St. Louis.
The Compound Boardshop yesterday commemorated the opening of its new location at 3604 South Osprey Ave., Sarasota, with a grand opening party open to the public, featuring the Volcom Skate Team grinding through Sarasota on the Road Rager 2018 Skate Tour. The Compound was founded in 2003 based upon homegrown Gulf Coast culture and love of grassroots skateboarding and surfing. Since then, the Compound has become a premier supplier for surf, skate, SUP, skim and fly fishing enthusiasts in the region. The Compound is heavily focused on community action and education, hosting video premiers and tutorial sessions, surf and skim camps, skate contests and beach clean-ups. The Compound also sponsors local talents as they grow into professional athletes.
Gold Coast Eagle Distributing has announced that effective immediately it will be distributing 22 new breweries and ciders in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The new breweries and ciders include many Florida breweries, including Angry Chair Brewery of Seminole Heights, Escape Brewery of Trinity, Green Bench Brewery of St. Petersburg, Barrel of Monks of Boca Raton and more, as well as many regional US breweries and European imports. Gold Coast Eagle Distributing has been in negotiations to purchase these brands for over two years. Financing was provided by Wells Fargo Bank. Gold Coast Eagle Distributing added four new sales positions in order to handle the sales and marketing of these new brands. These brands represent over 25,000 cases of additional volume to Gold Coast Eagles Distributing and this acquisition was part of a much larger transaction that included all seven Anheuser-Busch / Corona Distributors on the West Coast of Florida. The total transaction was valued at over $10 Million for all acquiring wholesalers.
MarineMax has hit its 20-year anniversary. The roots of MarineMax date back over 45 years, but the story starts when Chairman and CEO Bill McGill moved his family to Florida to turn his lifelong passion into what would become the world’s largest boat retailer. Later he, along with a group of America’s leading boat retailers, decided the boating industry was in need of change. By uniting companies, they could maximize efficiency of operations while sharing best practices. Part of the MarineMax commitment includes offering top-notch brands. In their showrooms and along their docks, visitors will see a diverse lineup in size and use. In addition to boats and yachts, they offer world-class service, financing and insurance, educational programs, access to Getaways and other boating events.
Golfing with heart takes on a new meaning at The Concession Golf Club as two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin partners with The Concession Charities for the 8th Archie Griffin Celebrity Golf Classic. More than 20 professional athletes are expected to attend, including current and former NFL players Eddie George, Joey Galloway, Leroy Hoard, Isaac Curtis, Will Allen, Michael Merriweather, Robert Smith, Louis Breeden and Keith Byars. Proceeds from the celebrity tournament will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County, empowering more than 7,000 youth to reach their potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Full event details are available online including an up-to-date list of attending celebrities and sponsorship opportunities
The Concession Golf Club , 7700 Lindrick Ln, Bradenton, FL 34202
This exhibition highlights Hutchison’s trademark style, which has been compared to the work of James Turell. Viewers will see thin sheets of Plexiglas mounted on frames of birch plywood, surfaces masked in duck tape or coated in beeswax. Moving closer, viewers are entranced by the rows of saturated color, glowing, inviting them to look, not at the artwork, but through it.
Alfstad& Contemporary, 1419 5th St., Sarasota.
Join us for SRQ Magazine's Where the Votes Are presentation on the School Referendum on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 from 7:30am to 9:00am at the SRQ Studios. The program includes: Senior Editor Jacob Ogles' analysis of the recent School Referendum by the votes and special guests Pam Truitt and Dan DeLeo of the Citizens for Better Schools. Click here to RSVP or call Madeline Crotts at 941-365-7702 x221. Registration at 7:30am and presentation from 8am to 9am.
SRQ Studios, 331 S. Pineapple Avenue Sarasota, FL 34236
This concert features the striking work of Bartók and Schumann. Bartók's final string quartet is a curious and powerful work, ranging from playfulness to melancholy. As the music succumbs to the impending end, it transforms into something majestic in its resignation. Schumann's String Quartet No. 3 features a Clara motif, as he wrote it during his first marital crisis, a domestic issue with a modern ring to it. Typical for Schumann, the finale sweeps away all that has gone before in a surge of energy with a grand conclusion.
Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 North Tamiami Tr., Sarasota.
The ninth annual event will feature films that "explore, record, and celebrate Jewish life and experience" from both the past and present. Films vary in genres from exciting fast-paced features to more serious and somber films. Enjoy great cinema for only $15.
Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota
Headlining a program of Broadway favorites is Tony-nominated actor Norm Lewis, recognized for his roles in Phantom of the Opera, Porgy and Bess and Showboat at Lincoln Center. Also on the program is Sierra Boggess, who starred in Phantom with Lewis. The program includes music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern, Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein.
Van Wezel, 777 North Tamiami Tr., Sarasota.
Change the destiny of the 30,000 homeless cats and kittens in Sarasota County by joining Cat Depot for an enchanting celebration under the stars at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Guests will enjoy live entertainment, hand-crafted cocktails, delectable bites and delicious desserts prepared by award-winning Michael’s on East and Cat Depot’s best silent auction to date. Every ticket sold will provide much needed support and medical care for the homeless, abandoned, and injured cats and kittens the organization rescues each year.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 811 S Palm Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236
Marta is the unwilling mistress of awealthy landowner, Sebastiano. To ensure the poor girl will remain close, Sebastiano marries Marta off to Pedro, a shepherd on his land. Pedro falls in love with Marta. Eventually, the awful secret comes to light, but the shepherd is still willing to do whatever it takes to free his beloved from her warden.Performed by the likes of Maria Callas and Montserrat Caballé, this extraordinary example of early 20th century verismo opera is seen regularly in Germany and Austria, but there has only been one other U.S. production in a century.
Sarasota Opera House, 61 North Pineapple Ave., Sarasota.
This event gives the public a chance to interact with both art and artists. This year’s party will serve as an opportunity for the public to purchase a print created right before their eyes while meeting the members of SARTQ and enjoying music, food and craft brewing culture of Mandeville Beer Garden. Each of the 12 participating artists have created original designs as well as a special Mandeville silkscreen just for the event. Attendees may bring their own clothing items such as t-shirts, pants, scarfs etc., though any item that can lie flat under the screen and will accept ink can be printed on. Each print is just $5
Mandeville Beer Garden, 428 North Lemon Ave., Sarasota.
Face Autism, Inc. is teaming up with the Sarasota Jeep Club and Firkins Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram by rasing funds to continue to serve the local Bradenton, Sarasota, and Venice autism communities. The event will include live music, food and performances from Dynasty Dance and Face Autism clients. All event proceeds will go directly to Face Autism.
Firkins Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, 2700 1st Street Bradenton, FL 34208
Year after year of sold-out performances at VT prove that these Grammy winning legends of folk music just get better with time! The Kingston Trio always provides a wonderful trip through a musical genre that is adored by millions. You'll be sure to enjoy their beautiful harmonies, simple-yet-meaningful songs, and top-notch musicianship. The Kingston Trio: George Grove, Bill Zorn and Rick Dougherty
Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave W., Venice,
Roe takes the viewer inside the personal and public battles of the two women at the heart of the landmark Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade. Recreating the case itself, with the help of actual audio recording from the justices of the time Loomer gives nuanced and surprisingly humorous life to both sides of the contentious debate.
Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 North Tamiami Trl., Sarasota
No piece of classical music may be better at taking our imagination on a breathtaking journey toward outer space than Holst's The Planets. Performances at the Van Wezel will include projections of NASA images that make this experience a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. Roger Zare's Lift-Off is a celebration of human space exploration.With a sound that some have described as out-of-this-world, soprano Pureum Jo will join Sarasota Orchestra to sing a variety of Mozart's best and most beautiful concert arias.
Van Wezel, 777 North Tamiami Tr., Sarasota.
The Price is a 1968 play by Arthur Miller. It is about family dynamics, the price of furniture and the price of one's decisions. The play premired on Broadway in 1968 and has been revived on Broadway four times since.
The Players Centre of Performing Arts, 838 North Tamiami Tr., Sarasota.
There are many aspects to building a new art museum, but the most visible, of course is the curatorial program. In addition to the 15,000 sq ft of dedicated exhibition space, there are numerous Curatorial Zones on the Museum Campus where visitors will experience and engage with art. Join us for a presentation and interactive discussion about the formation of our communities' new art museum.
The Works, 891 South Tamiami Tr., Sarasota.
The Resonant Rogues is the songwriting soul child of partners Sparrow and Keith Smith. Since meeting in 2012, they have dedicated their lives to crafting and sharing their music with the world, touring extensively across the US and Europe. The Resonant Rogues are difficult to define, but easy to enjoy.
Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Ct., Sarasota.
Mike Solomon's exhibition "Native Shore" focuses on the artist's return to his native shore and hometown of Sarasota after 40 years of living away. His work is inspired by Sarasota's shoreline. The resplendent light of the neotropics radiates from the paintings and editions, drawing viewers into vibrant aqueous colors and translucent depths, the rhythmic rise and fall of the horizon.
Alfstad& Contemporary, 1419 5th St., Sarasota.
Shakespeare's comedy brings together a group of star-crossed lovers, an inept band of actors led by the pompous Nick Bottom, and the king and queen of the fairies and their impish henchman Puck, who creates romantic and comic havoc for all.
Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave W., Venice
Experience these timeless and melodic selections including Die Fledermaus Overture from the operetta by Johann Strauss, Dvorakʼs iconic and influential New World Symphony, and Samuel Barberʼs Violin Concerto featuring recording artist and violin soloist, Irina Muresanu.
Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Venice.
Open to youth 8-13 years of age. Come and learn about horticulture producation and research. Participants will go on a laboratory and greenhouse tour, visit a Manatee County plant nursery and talk with researchers and people with various careers in agriculture. This will be an outdoor event so wear closed toed shoes and bring sunscreen. Admission fee will cover activities and group transportation.
Manatee County Agriculture and Extension Services Office, 1303 17th St. West, Palmetto.
SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email |
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