Golden shovels finally turned over dirt at the site of the once and future Quay on Wednesday. City leaders and officials from GreenPointe Communities gathered on a long vacant piece of land on the Tamiami Trail for the groundbreaking of a $1-billion mixed-use project that could provide important connectivity between Sarasota’s Bayfront and Downtown. “This couldn’t have been in a better place,” GreenPointe Communities President Grady Miars told SRQ at the event.

It’s been a long road for the Quay Sarasota Waterfront District. Plans for a major hotel and commercial project at the site won Sarasota City Commission approval in 2007, and a memorable pyramid structure on the site got leveled to make way for the new development, but financial disputes at the peak of the Great Recession led to those plans’ demise. GreenPointe in 2014 announced its own plans to buy the site, then got their own plan approved in 2016. The company ultimately plans to build six structures, and will also leave in place the historic Belle Haven hotel. “I’ve watched this project unfold and I've been really excited about it,” says Mayor Liz Alpert. 

Even at the groundbreaking, some officials remain reticent about the new project. Commissioner Jennifer Ahearn-Koch shrugged at the project kicking off despite outcry two years ago at the potential for new traffic detrimentally affecting the community. “It is what it is,” she says. “The good part is the public process. The planning part will be vetted.” She notes that every phase of the project moving forward will need a sign-off by Sarasota’s Planning Board, a special stipulation put on the massive project. Miars says he’s happy to have that requirement in place. “We concentrate on placemaking,” he says, noting GreenPointe’s history with master-planned communities.

Already, Sarasota is looking for ways to bring in the community as the project moves forward. GreenPointe will work with engineering and architecture students at Booker High School, and officials from the Sarasota County School District took the stage at the groundbreaking on Wednesday. Martha Jane Flynn, who leads the robotics and engineering programs for Sarasota County schools, brought to the groundbreaking Antonio Hanamean, a sophomore Booker High student studying architecture and who will be among the students participating in the planning, design and construction of the Quay. “I told him he has no idea how cool it will be 10 years from now when he drives by this and can say 'I’m part of this,' ” she says.

Commissioner Shelli Freeland Eddie, who helped bring together the schools and the developer, says the prospect of educational outreach was among the best parts of the project. “Early on we asked, how can we use this project as an opportunity to keep the best and brightest in the city,” she says.

Miars says the complete buildout of the Quay will take years.  The company has a five- to seven-year timeline in mind, but notes market and economic conditions could affect that. 

For some, the siren song of the sea represents limitless adventure. For others, the vast reaches of space yet loom large as the final frontier. Still more seek the thrill of exploration in the endless possibilities of a burgeoning digital world. But for the explorer in artist Laine Nixon, all she needs is a fresh canvas. Opening tonight with a reception at Alfstad& Contemporary, Laine Nixon: Unfixed brings audiences into the artist’s world of process as exploration, including select pieces from the past five years and the debut of new large-scale work.

Featuring art from three of Nixon’s series, including the long-running Zuhanden series and Assent, which garnered the artist a John Ringling Towers Grant in 2017, Unfixed simultaneously highlights both the artist’s prolific exploration and experimentation, as well as her devotion to established process. Running since 2013, Zuhanden comprises 22 paintings at this point, and Nixon plans to continue. Both Assent—four works created from the recombinated remains of fifty abstract watercolors—and Becoming Unfinished—a departure in technique seeing the artist work with liquefied pigment and syringes—may have completed their runs in 2017, but Nixon always leaves the possibility open for future exploration.

But despite the show spanning years of creation and multiple series, Nixon remains unconcerned about any scattered or unfocused effect, as the pieces remain in conversation with one another, partly due to this throughline of process. Obvious linkages can be made through color palette or even the overall penchant for abstraction (“I’m drawn to abstraction for the sheer aesthetic experience one can have,” says Nixon, echoing the Unfixed sentiment), but perhaps the greatest point of commonality resides in the lingering ambiguity permeating each presentation, which should come as no surprise, as the primacy of process over conclusion necessitates the presence of the unanswered—the process has a point, even if what that is remains to be discovered.

Therein lays the paradox of process and the value of constraint. By forcing herself to abide by the confines of process, Nixon forces herself to explore in a more focused and minute manner. Instead of each canvas being an entirely new conversation, it represents but a slight variation on the theory, each shedding new light on the general proposition. And the work, as a series, becomes a dedicated area of focus, as opposed to a passing flight of artistic fancy. “It’s important, if you have an idea, to execute the idea as best you can,” says Nixon. “If you switch too much, then you don’t really know if your first idea would’ve worked or not. You can only do so much in one painting—the more marks you put on a canvas, the more locked down it is. So if you have three or four ideas, then you have to make a series.”

Opening tonight with an artist reception at Alfstad& Contemporary at 5:30pm, Laine Nixon: Unfixed runs through June 29. 

Pictured: "Infinite Sameness" by Laine Nixon. Photo courtesy of Alfstad& Contemporary.

In this scenario, there's no need to be wary of a big basketcase. Sunshine Baskets puts together lavish gourmet gifts customizable for every holiday and any occasion you can possibly think of. But owner Tamara Davis goes way beyond the predictable celebratory occasions—her creations become as personable as the person accepting the gift. Leaving no basket unturned, Davis has broadened her repertoire to cater to virtually anyone in terms of demographic, lifestyle and hobby. Have your pick—Junk Food Junkie, Showtime Movie, Boater's Glory, Football Fanatic, Golf Lover, Paw Patrol, Chocolate Madness, Coffee Time, Bath & Snacks, Lucky Lady, and even a Finding Dory and an Ultimate Redneck—just to name a few prime examples. Especially noteworthy are the native themed Floridian baskets, to put a little estra "sunshine" in someone's day. Taste of Florida, Life's a Beach and Hurricane Surival Kit consist of locally sourced items such as Sirards Seafoam, Simon's coffee beans, local honey and hot sauces, Amish apple butter and baked breads, keepsake postcards, candles, baggie of Siesta Key sand, Sarasota Taffy, key lime-flavored goodies, flamingo-shaped pasta and craft beers from local breweries.

Davis is continually in search of the most festive and out-of-the-box ingredients to deviate from the boring fruit and candy landmarks. Discover specialty snacks galore, as well as gourmet commodities relating to your desired theme. “Our unique handmade gift baskets are a creative alternative to flowers, and certainly last much longer,” says Davis. “Baskets are stuffed full of great items and gifts that will leave a lasting impression on the recipient.”

All baskets come impeccably “dressed to impress”, wrapped in cello with a handmade bow and ribbons. Daily local delivery is available to businesses, homes, hotels, hospitals and everywhere in between within Bradenton, Venice, Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Osprey and Nokomis. Worldwide shipping also available daily. If you can't find exactly what you're looking for, call Tamara Davis to customize a bespoke basket! 

Images provided by Sunshine Baskets

Sunshine Baskets, $49.99-$149.99, 3805 McIntosh Road Sarasota, 34232, 941-320-7219.

Michael D. Andreas, the current director of Safety, Security and Emergency Management with Sarasota County Schools has been promoted to the position of executive director, effective immediately. He will be responsible for the formation and long-term implementation of the Department of Public Safety, which will include the Sarasota County Schools Police Department and the operations command center, among other functions. An Army veteran and former police officer, Andreas has served with the school district since 2016. Before joining the school district, he was responsible for numerous state and local security programs and initiatives, and served as director of the Graduate School of Homeland Security Studies at Endicott College in Massachusetts, where he was responsible for leading the faculty and designing the program’s homeland and domestic security programs. During his career, Andreas has served on numerous federal, state and local task forces, including the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the U.S. Attorneys Massachusetts Anti-Terrorism Task Force and Governor Mitt Romney’s Criminal Justice Transition Team. Andreas also served on the Salem Massachusetts Police Department. 

Sarasota County Schools

Halfacre Construction Company, a Lakewood Ranch-based commercial construction company, recently named Reed Giasson and Tom Rees as partners. Giasson joined Halfacre Construction 18 years ago as a carpenter. He advanced from that position to lead estimator, to a field superintendent, to a project manager and later became a vice president. With over 20 years of experience in the construction industry, As the team leader for manufacturing and industrial projects, Giasson will manage preconstruction services and oversee the project managers and superintendents during construction through project completion. Giasson’s past projects include Marina Jack’s renovations, Siesta Key Village beautification and numerous projects for Manatee County Port Authority, Manatee County and Sarasota County governments. Rees joined Halfacre Construction 14 years ago as an assistant project manager. He will supervise the firm’s educational projects in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Collier and Hillsborough Counties. From preconstruction through completion, he will oversee all project phases and managing client relations. Past projects include numerous educational facilities projects throughout Florida, The Loveland Center Villages, MacDill Air Force Base and Caldwell Trust’s headquarters in Venice. 

Halfacre Construction Company

Williams Parker is pleased to announce the addition of attorneys Nicole F. Christie, Nicholas A. Gard, and Bailey S. Lowther to the firm. Christie represents clients in residential and commercial real estate matters. She represents developers, investors, lenders, and individuals in connection with purchase and sale transactions and the development of subdivisions, condominiums, and real estate investments. Gard focuses on corporate and tax law. His experience includes work on a variety of tax matters, including federal tax litigation, tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service at the examination and appeals levels and international tax issues involving tax treaties, transfer pricing, and cross-border investments and business operations. Lowther is a civil trial attorney who focuses on complex litigation matters, including probate and trust litigation and business litigation. 

Williams Parker

Hurricane season begins June 1, and for the first time ever, PGT Innovations, the nation’s largest manufacturer of impact-resistant windows and doors, is allowing an inside look at the independent testing lab to see the stringent protocol testing that its products undergo. Multiple demonstrations will be on display, including an impact test, cyclic pressure differential test and water test, and hear about Florida’s strict codes and certifications. During the impact test, a 9-pound, 8-foot-long two-by-four lumber missile will be shot out of a compressed-air cannon at 50 feet per second (34 mph) at a window. The cyclic pressure differential test subjects the window to 4,500 cycles of varying positive wind pressure, which is simulated with a vacuum chamber, and is flipped around and subjected to another 4,500 cycles of varying negative wind pressure. The water test subjects the window to air pressure that is equivalent to 15 percent of the structural design pressure rating. While the air pressure is applied, a water-spray rack uniformly delivers water to the window at a minimum rate of five gallons per square foot per hour. The air pressure and water are applied for a period of 15 minutes. 

PGT Innovations