SRQ DAILY May 7, 2018
Monday Business Edition
"The object is to create a great place for public congregation and activity within this corridor."
A popular pedestrian mall in Downtown Sarasota could soon be extended and create a walker-focused center within the urban core. Steven Stancel, Sarasota’s general manager of economic development, expects the project to significantly expand retail and restaurant activity. “For years now, the city has promoted walkability and place-making,” Stancel says. “The object is to create a great place for public congregation and activity within this corridor.”
The city wants the work to be done as construction moves ahead on The Mark, a new mixed-use Kolter Urban development on Pineapple Avenue. That 12-story project will bring online 157 new residential units, along with substantial first-floor retail. In March, MidiCi Restaurant became the first tenant for The Promenade commercial area on the ground level. The area is expected to open in 2019. Bob Vail, president of Kolter Urban, says the shopping and dining area will be “a thoughtfully curated collection of boutique retailers and restaurants that will help make this a new epicenter of the downtown landscape and lifestyle.” Plans for the Mark include a walkway through the building that will create a pedestrian corridor to the expanded Lemon Avenue Mall.
The existing pedestrian mall came into existence around 2003, shortly after the approval of Sarasota’s Downtown Master Plan. It includes a small plaza at Lemon and First Street, across the street from Whole Foods Market, and spans south to Main in front of Mattison’s City Grille. Public works officials with the city say a design/build contract is being developed for the expansion of the Lemon Avenue mall, which is being combined with the already planned improvement project for Paul N. Thorpe, Jr. Park. with a request for proposals going out soon, and a selection of a contractor expected in the next few months. Stancel says the plan would be to extend the mall south of Main to where the road meets Pineapple Avenue at Paul N. Thorpe, Jr. Park. Officials would like see construction start by the end of the year, according to city spokesman Jason Bartolone.
While the corridor will still be open to cars most of the time, Stancel would like to see bollards that could be put in place to stop traffic. Right now, when events like the Sarasota Downtown Farmers Market utilize this area, the city puts out wood sawhorses. Those help demark where pedestrians can walk and deter cars from driving through, but bollards would provide better safety, Stancel says.
It's possible the city could lose some parallel parking spots in the expansion of the mall, Stancel says, but he notes the city less than two years ago opened a 400-space garage nearby on State Street. “So far, we’ve had nothing but positive feedback,” Stancel says. “People have recognized how successful the city’s streetscape programs have been.” 
Rendering courtesy City of Sarasota. Image shows ground level view of Paul N. Thorpe, Jr. Park after improvements and expansion of pedestrian mall.
The City of North Port has announced that already the positive impact of the Atlanta Braves spring training relocation to North Port is being felt on the local economy. Adams Group, one of North Port’s top manufacturers, has been selected by the Tandem Construction + Barton Malow Company team to join in the construction of the upcoming Atlanta Braves Spring Training Complex in North Port. The Complex is currently under construction in the 9,600-acre master-planned community of the West Villages area of North Port and is projected to open in time to host the Braves’ final game of the 2019 spring training season. This $125 million public-private project will include the main stadium, a clubhouse for major and minor league players, offices, multiple training fields and, of course, all necessary parking spaces and site beautification. With this new project at the North Port spring training facility, the company is expected to create more jobs at their North Port headquarters, which is located at the North Port Park of Commerce.
The Realtor Association of Sarasota-Manatee hosts 12th Annual Global Conference this Wednesday, May 9. International buyers account for more than $24.3 billion in residential real estate, and this conference provides global real estate education and networking for members to better understand the global economy, transactions and relationships. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Lawrence Yun, chief economist and senior vice president of the National Association of Realtors, who will talk about recent developments in the housing market, the direction of home prices over the next year or two, housing cycles and economic forecasts.
Leaders from the Suncoast Nursing Action Coalition (SNAC) and community partners from area hospitals and nursing schools will gather at a milestone event this week to share joint measures they are taking to combat a serious shortage of nurses impacting hospitals and nursing schools here and across the nation. Held during National Nurses Week, the briefing will include highlights from SNAC’s 2018 report detailing challenges unique to Florida and the Suncoast region, and what steps local hospitals and nursing schools are taking to meet the region and Florida’s future nursing workforce needs. Among other initiatives, SNAC will share details about several new nursing programs that soon will allow nurses to complete four-year bachelor’s (BSN) degrees in their home town (rather than move to other communities to complete their BSN training); also, thanks to local philanthropists and foundation support, SNAC will announce its latest round of nursing scholarships, bringing the total awarded to local recipients to $214,000.
CAN Community Health has announced four new members to its board of directors, including Dr. Reinaldo Arroyo-Rodriguez, Anthony J. Becich, Dr. Thomas A. D’Eletto and Robin Moch. Arroyo-Rodriguez is an internist in Sarasota, Florida and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Doctors Hospital of Sarasota and Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System. Becich has been an accounting and management professional for over 25 years. He is currently the Finance and General Manager for the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. D’Eletto is a medical and business professional with experience in clinical medicine, pharmaceutical drug development and medical affairs. D’Eletto is board-certified in internal medicine and pulmonary diseases; he has also maintained a hospital-based inpatient and outpatient practice in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and critical medicine. Moch is a community-minded insurance and risk-management professional with nearly 30 years in the insurance industry. She is a partner at Tampa’s original insurance agency, M.E. Wilson Company, and has been with the firm since 2005.
Artwork made of marine debris including Greta the Great White Shark and Natasha the Turtle will arrive to Mote Marine this winter. This exhibit will bring awareness to the 4.4 pounds on average of trash genereated by each American daily. These larger-than-life sculptures are entirely made from plastic and other debris gathered from the Oregon Coast.
Mote Marine, 600 Ken Thompson Pkwy., Sarasota
This exhibition showcases the surprising and little examined, role of nature in Warhol’s art and life. The spectacular 15-acre tropical setting of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens on Sarasota Bay will provide a matchless context for examining Warhol’s fascination with the natural world in this focused, immersive exhibition. It is curated by Carol Ockman, Ph.D., curator-at-large of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and the Robert Sterling Clark Professor of Art History at Williams College
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 811 South Palm Ave., Sarasota.
A party at White Buffalo Saloon will kick off this year's 5 week Tarpon Tournament. This tournament is historic and has taken place in Sarasota anually since 1930. If you’re looking to make new friends, have some fun and test your angling skills, come fish with us and yours could be the next name on that trophy. Tarpon are world-class game fish and are easy to access directly off Sarasota’s beautiful beaches. Described as one of the most exciting fish to catch, tarpon are known for spectacular leaps and determined fights. For more information, click the following website: http://www.sarasotatarpontournament.net/.
White Buffalo Saloon, 5377 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota.
The final performance series from Sarasota Contemporary Dance will comprise of diverse new works by past company collaborators and dancers which celebrates the company’s past and future through impactful collaborations.
Jane B Cook Theatre, FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trl., Sarasota
The Harvey Milk Festival features a variety of attractions including live music, film, performing and visual artists, speakers, and vendors designed to engage a large and diverse audience. The mission of the Harvey Milk Festival is to honor the life of Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay Americans elected to public office, by fostering emerging talent in musicians and artists who support diversity and reject discrimination, and to promote equality for LGBTQ people through supporting equal rights legislation.
Five Points Park, North Pineapple Ave., Sarasota.
Come out and enjoy a beautiful day of golfing for a good cause. Proceeds will benefit Sarasota Teen Court's substance abuse reduction, anti-bullying and character development classes that they provide for young people.
The Meadows Country Club, 3101 Longmeadow., Sarasota.
Join the Sarasota Orchestra for a fan-friendly outdoor Pops concert at Ed Smith Stadium, home of the Orioles. Get yourself a hot dog, some popcorn, and sit back to enjoy the Orchestra in the outfield. The concert will showcase Broadway stars Deedee Magno Hall and Cliffton Hall. Conducted by Andrew Lane, the musicians of the Sarasota Orchestra will play a wide range of popular music including songs from La La Land, Grease, Les Misérables, scores from Disney films and other fan favorites.
Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th St., Sarasota.
Bringing its 41st Annual Juried Exhibition to Bradenton, the Southern Watercolor Society takes over all three of ArtCenter Manatee’s galleries with a collection juried by international award-winning master watercolorist John Salminen. In addition to the exhibit, each annual show brings with it a watercolor workshop for interested artists. Salminen will be teaching the workshop as well.
ArtCenter Manatee, 209 9th St. W., Bradenton
The Reserve's (former) singing barista returns for a very special performance to show off what she has learned at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In her music, Sky Stahlmann grew up singing and dancing opera and plays with the genres of jazz, musical theatre, rock and pop in her music. She is currently working on her first EP in a style that she calls "popera" which signifies her mesh of pop and her classical roots.
The Reserve SRQ, 1322 North Tamiami Tr., Sarasota.
Watch Bradenton's favorite, fierce roller derby squad face Swan City in their home arena. Prepare for a night of tough competition and keep the good times rolling to benefit Ewenity Farm, a herding dog haven.
Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex, 5309 29th St. East, Ellenton.
Sponsored by Rethinking Plastics, the goal of this screening is to raise awareness regarding the average American's overuse of plastics. Americans use roughly 60,000 plastic bags a day for a few minutes of single use before it is thrown away. Jeb Berrier's film, Bag It, follows where "away" is and the fate of these plastic bags. For environmentalists and for those looking to learn more, the film is an interesting piece that will open eyes to just how much we use plastic, why that is harmful and what people can do.
Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Ct., Sarasota.
This performance is from a jazz ensemble called The Roots of Unity, headed by trumpeter Chris Kottke. Their repertoire includes both straightahead and latin jazz, from classic standards to modern originals. Kottke attended the Berklee College of Music and was active in the Boston jazz scene for about a decade before moving to Sarasota in 2016 to pursue his day job as a math professor at New College of Florida. In addition to the Roots of Unity, Kottke can be occasionally heard in such Sarasota-based jazz ensembles such as Ocean's 11 and the Sarasota Jazz Project.
The Reserve SRQ, 1322 North Tamiami Tr., Sarasota.
A tuneful and memorable tribute, Patsy Cline's rise to legendary stardom is told through the eyes of her biggest fan, Louise Seger. From her performances in honky-tonks to the Grand Ole Opry, Patsy Cline will "always" have a place in country music, with hit songs such as, “Walking After Midnight,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Crazy,” “Sweet Dreams,” and many more you know and love.
Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 North Palm Ave., Sarasota.
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