A new movement against single-member Sarasota County Commission districts has a long-standing civic organization in Sarasota concerned its message and branding have been wrongly co-opted.

The STOP Coalition in Sarasota, better known as STOP!, says the new political committee STOP! Stealing Out Votes just stole their name. After STOP! Stealing Our Votes posted a new Facebook page and messaging alleging big developers want single-member districts, STOP Coalition steering board member Kate Lowman said the new group intentionally muddled conversation. 

“Anyone looking at the “Stop! Stealing Our Votes” Facebook site would readily assume it is a STOP! website,” Lowman said, “but they would be wrong.” 

Lowman said the use of “stop” in all caps with an exclamation point, along with the use of red colors in the messaging, appeared a clear impersonation. Already, the STOP Coalition received one email from someone asking if the new website was the work of the older group.

Officials with the new group say the hope would be the older group felt kinship, not animosity, toward a new organization in town. “We would hope that the Stop Coalition would join with Stop Stealing Our Votes to protect the rights of voters,” said Russ Bobbitt, chairman of STOP! Stealing Our Votes.

And other groups opposed to single-member districts said the notion anyone owned the word ’stop’ should not be taken seriously, much less the color red. 

“I would hope that's a universally recognized color for stopping,” said Jack Brill, vice chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota. “This is happening because that group (the STOP Coalition) is for single-member districts and they will do anything they can to drum up publicity. This is a desperate move on their part.”

A switch to single-member districts would mean voters could only vote for their own district representative on the county commission. Right now, all five county commissioners, while required to live in their district, get elected countywide. Supporters of single-member district say the change with allow more diverse representation, a focus on their geographic constituency and cheaper political campaigns. Supporters of the existing system say such a switch would suppress voter participation and reduce ever voter’s electoral power to elect all five members of the commission.

Dan Lobeck, a supporter of single-member districts, says more than the use of STOP! branding, he’s upset that the new group would conflate a switch with pro-development interests. The STOP Coalition is Sarasota supports stronger controls on growth, like replacing administrative approvals at the city with public hearings. Lobeck says single-member districts would actually reduce the influence of big donors like developers. 

“Because a county-wide campaign for County Commission is so very expensive, for many years the candidates bankrolled by the big development interests have always won,” he said. “Candidates who do not receive their massive funding just can’t compete effectively in reaching voters from the Airport to North Port.”

Bobbitt declined to discuss the group’s message in detail. STOP! Stealing Our Votes’ Facebook page states: “Big developers are pushing the Single-Member District Amendment to divide and conquer our County Commission. We must stop this uncontrolled growth.”

Brill acknowledged the term “stealing our votes” may overstate things and said the party would do its own campaigning against the proposal. But he says suggesting the little guy gets helped by single-member districts simply isn’t true. “This will change the cohesiveness of county commissioners to instead only taking care of the constituents and needs of one district in the county,” he said. “It’s a terribly thing that is being brought in front of the voters.”

Regardless Lowman says she knows there' no likely legal remedy, especially before the general election, but the STOP Coalition has asked Facebook to look if the ads qualify as false identity use, and she's stressed her group does not oppose single-member districts or agree with the STOP! Stealing Our Votes' message.

Sarasota County voters will vote on single-member districts in the Nov. 6 general election. 

Graphic: STOP Coalition messaging (left); STOP! Stealing Our Votes messaging (right).

Seven days without a taco makes one week – so mark your calendars for next Thursday, October 4, and celebrate National Taco Day the right way with PBNT! With a blend of new creative and authentic Mexican flavors, the deceptively simple taco has become a staple in American cuisine, with over 4.5 billion consumed in the United States last year alone. It seems only fitting that there be a national holiday to celebrate the dynamic dish; and while banks may stay open and mail is still delivered, National Taco Day is the perfect excuse to tuck into everyone’s favorite meal.

No matter how you like them, hard or soft, chicken or beef, PBNT has something to tantalize every taco-craving taste bud; as well as their crowd-pleasing pizza and burgers. There’s no need to compromise on National Taco Day! On October 4 only, add a classic taco to any of PBNT's mouth-watering entrées for only $2 – now that’s something worth celebrating! 

1409 Main St, Sarasota

Cat Depot, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a free-roaming facility, clinic and adoption services, recently welcomed Jackie Ott Jaakola as its executive director. With more than 30 years of experience in animal welfare, Ott Jaakola is an experienced professional with expertise in nonprofit management, strategic planning, budget management, organization and program development, event management and fundraising. The talent management company, MBJ Group, led the nonprofit’s search for the position. In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing the organization’s consistent achievement of its vision, mission and financial objectives. Ott Jaakola will drive the strategic direction, culture and overall management and oversight of Cat Depot. She will also lead fundraising and development initiatives and manage Cat Depot’s 34 employees. Relocating from California, Ott Jaakola most recently served as the senior manager of advocacy, outreach and programs advisor for Wallis Annenberg PetSpace. 

Cat Depot

Halfacre Construction Company, a commercial construction company, has been selected to make improvements to the Robert L. Anderson Administration Center and construct a new approximately 29,000-square-foot courthouse. The new courthouse will provide four new courtrooms and spaces for court-related functions. The project’s improvements consist of renovating more than 62,000 square feet of existing space in the complex and site work and parking updates to the entire site. The pre-construction services have started for the project, including the data-gathering phase and the schematic design phase. Halfacre Construction Company partnered with Tarpon Springs-based Kokolakis Contracting on the project, and DLR Group and Sweet Sparkman Architects will be tasked with creating the architectural designs. The construction start date has not yet been determined, but a 24-month construction schedule is slated once construction commences. The work will be done in phases, and the courthouse will remain operational during construction. 

Halfacre Construction Company

Manatee County is accepting applications for three vacancies on a citizens advisory committee that makes recommendations on regional transportation issues. The Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) assists the Metropolitan Planning Organization by providing input to the transportation planning process that reflects citizens' views and attitudes. CAC members represent a general cross section of the citizens of Sarasota and Manatee counties including the cities within the counties. CAC representatives are recommended for appointment by their respective units of local government and are appointed by the MPO Board. Manatee County residents may apply for the following the three seats: one resident of unincorporated Manatee County; one at-large seat representing minorities; and one at-large representing the disabled. Applications are taken through a rolling application process, and may be found online at the website below. 

Manatee County Advisory Board Applications

“It’s not just the construction; it’s a collaboration.”

SRQ Magazine invites you to meet the creative team of Firmo Construction | Modern. Sustainable. Innovative. As the featured BrandStory Partner in this September’s 2018 edition of SRQ Magazine. Firmo Construction has been raising the bar in Sarasota construction for 15 years and shows no sign of slowing. An early adopter of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certifications, their sustainable portfolio reflects award-winning projects spanning across commercial construction, high-end custom homes, adaptive reuse, tenant improvements, and hospitality. 

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