Since Erik Arroyo first announced he would end his run for state House, I’ve watched to see when he disappeared from the Division of Elections’ list of active candidates. He remained there for weeks, but not because of any reluctance to leave the coming firefight that is the GOP primary in District 72. Rather, he went through a lengthy and surprisingly under-used process of transferring his state accounts to local office.

“Literally nobody I knew had ever gone through this process,” Arroyo notes.

The Sarasota attorney became the first Sarasota City Commission candidate to file for the 2020 elections. He’s now running in District 3, currently represented by Commissioner Shelli Freeland Eddie.  Since he already had raised $22,152 toward his state House run, transferring his candidacy gives him a jump on raising money.

But not as big a jump as it sounds. The City of Sarasota enforces much stricter rules on campaign fundraising. Donors who gave $1,000 toward his state run (and several did) can only give $200 to a city campaign. Only people, not corporations, can send checks. And of course, no money transfers over at all from donors who thought they were supporting a state House run but don’t want their money going to a city election.

Arroyo asked donors if they want their money back. They have 30 days from that point to decide. That should all get sorted out by early July. In the end, Arroyo will get a fraction of his state House money to use. But then, the race hopefully won’t be as costly an affair.

Arroyo jumped to the local contest for a variety of reasons. One was the greater ability to influence city policy as one member of a five-commissioner board, as opposed to a freshman lawmaker in a 120-member collegial body, itself one half of a bicameral Legislature.

But as alluded to before, this particular House race demands rigor and seems destined for rancor. It’s been a Democratic-held seat for barely a year, filled now by state Rep. Margaret Good. A prolific fundraiser and energetic campaigner, Good won the seat in a special election in February 2018, then held it in November. She’s already got $40,708 raised for her re-election effort. But Good last November won by less than 1,200 votes, about 1.4 percent. Republicans see this as a seat they can take back in a presidential election year.

Just to evidence that, Arroyo was one of three candidates to file for the seat so far. Charter Review Board member Donna Barcomb has raised $46,465 in contributions. That’s more than Good, though notably Good was prohibited from raising money during the Legislative Session.

More recently, newcomer Fiona McFarland, a Navy Reserve officer whose mother happened to be President Trump’s first deputy national security advisor, also entered the fray. She’s already won over heavy political hitters in the area like former County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo, and some see her as a rising star.

“It’s going to be one of the toughest races in the state of Florida,” Arroyo said, “if not the toughest.”

At least on paper, running for city commission should be easier. But Arroyo may well face an incumbent here. This cycle also marks the first time a Sarasota City Commission race happens concurrently with a presidential election. It remains to be seen if the boost in turnout comes with a higher cost for candidates trying to pierce through the noise of presidential politics.

Either way, Arroyo’s found a couple ways to get a jump on potential competitors. If nothing else, he’s the only guy already knocking on doors.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ Media Group. 

About 40 middle and high school students spent two weeks on the New College of Florida campus learning about marine science, biomedicine and scientific method through a series of hands-on learning opportunities. Led by Professor of Biology Sandra Gilchrist for the past 17 years, the PUSH/SUCCESS program largely attracts local students from underrepresented minorities.

PUSH (Preparing Unique Students for Healthcare careers) is designed for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders, while SUCCESS (Students United to Create Culturally and Educationally Successful Situations) focuses on students in grades 6 through 8. New College partnered with Unidos Now to recruit students from the local Hispanic/Latinx community to participate in the program, and also, for the first time, two students from Puerto Rico enrolled.

This year’s program, which received grant funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Environmental Discovery internship with the Cross-College Alliance, and the HDR Foundation, did projects with the EPA grant focused on carbon cycling as well as the impact of microplastics on marine life supported by HDR. Students conducted research both in our Pritzker Marine Science Research Center and around Sarasota Bay to understand the toll of pollution and climate change on our local habitat.

They participated in field trips to gather marine life samples from the bay, measure salinity levels in local pine trees by viewing lengths of needles, and investigate the health of native plants. On campus, they engaged in robotics and physiology experiments, learned computer language coding skills, and participated in a basic scuba diving course in our pool. High school students also stayed in our residence halls, experiencing for the first time the opportunity to live and learn on a college campus.

On Friday, June 14, in our Sainer Auditorium, these students made their group presentations and received their program completion certificates. We celebrated their success and encouraged their burgeoning interest in the sciences. The health of our society rests on such students.

Donal O’Shea is president of New College of Florida. 

Photo courtesy New College of Florida: Students take SCUBA lessons in the New College pools.

Mote Aquarium recently welcomed a new cownose ray pup.  Born in the Ray Tray touch pool, which includes cownose rays, an Atlantic stingray, and a yellow stingray, the ray pup will be moved to a behind-the-scenes area to be closely monitored by Aquarium staff and to grow before rejoining fellow rays on exhibit. Cownose rays are pelagic (open-water), unlike bottom-dwelling rays such as the southern stingray, and can be found along the east coast of the United States, throughout the Gulf of Mexico, and other areas of the Atlantic Ocean. Cownose rays give birth to live young, usually one pup at a time. Gestation can vary, sometimes taking up to 11-12 months while other times lasting 5-6 months. As soon as pups are born, they are able to swim and feed on their own. Learn more about this species 

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

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Pet parents everywhere, start snapping photos of your adorable furry pet or pets and submit them for judging. Get your friends and family to vote for your furry baby and help support Animal Rescue Coalition’s low-cost spay and neuter program. By submitting your $20 donation along with your pet's photo you will have entered your pet in this year's contest. Votes are $1 each with a minimum donation of $5 (5 votes) Each vote is another dollar to help ARC save lives through low-cost spay/neuter. Voting closes on July 31st

Animal Rescue Coalition

In late fall, All Star Children’s Foundation’s new five-acre campus in Sarasota will open to children victimized by abuse and neglect. In this nurturing environment, they will be enriched by a comprehensive program centered around healing trauma and surrounded by a team of compassionate caregivers who will teach them coping strategies and help them build trust and self-worth. All Star Children’s Foundation is looking for six caring couples to become foster parents for these children. Each couple will receive training and constant support. More importantly, they will be instrumental in breaking the cycle of abuse that shatters lives and destroys families. You can help All Star find these everyday heroes. Tap into your networks of friends, colleagues and families and let them know of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Call Lindsey May, All Star’s program director, at 941-217-6503 for more information. 

Frontier Airlines announced today it will add nonstop service from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) to the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ).  Service between CVG and SRQ will begin on October 10, 2019, with flights 3 times a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Service is seasonal, and frequency and times are subject to change. Check FlyFrontier.com for the most updated schedule.  To celebrate these new routes, Frontier is offering special introductory fares. In addition to the new route, Frontier also announced that their nonstop service to Philadelphia (PHL) would return on November 14, 2019 with flights 3 times a week on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  Frontier currently provides year-round service to Cleveland, OH (CLE) 2 times a week, on Monday and Friday. 

Frontier Airlines

Ringling College of Art and Design is the recipient of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) 2019 Educational Fundraising Award for Overall Performance for a Private Professional or Specialized Institution. Ringling College was chosen based upon a blind analysis of fundraising data from the past three years and is the only art and design college to win this year. The Overall Performance award recognizes colleges and universities that show solid program growth, breadth in the base of support and other indications of a mature, well-maintained program. 

Ringling College of Art and Design