A quality of life survey shows the vast majority of Sarasota County citizens maintaining trust in local officials.

“There’s robust trust in government,” said Joshua Scacco, a professor with the Florida Institute of Government at the University of South Florida. “People in general are happy with the services they receive.”

Indeed, when it comes to Sarasota County government, 61 percent of residents surveyed trusted government officials to do what was right most of the time or almost always. The same percentage of residents felt that level of trust in their city government as well. By comparison, 37 percent of people trusted county government only sometimes or never, and 34 percent responded negatively about city government.

That serves as solid support compared to state or federal government. Only 43 percent gave high marks as far as trusting Washington while 56 percent gave negative opinions. Tallahassee fared slightly better, with 51 percent expressing trust most or all of the time, and 48 percent saying the never or only sometimes trusted state government.

Beyond elected officials, 95 percent of residents say they were somewhat or very satisfied with government services provided in Sarasota County though only 10 percent said they had interfaced with the county over the past year.

There are more people in the county who want to see a reprioritization as far as county spending. And the community showed some consensus on challenges facing the region. About 20 percent of residents consider new development the greatest challenge facing the region, followed by traffic and congestion at 9 percent. When asked where the greatest traffic problems lie, 28 percent pointed to U.S. 41, with another 10 percent pointing to Interstate-75.

Notably, many Sarasota County residents mistakenly feel they live within a city. Some 64 percent of residents who responded to the USF survey live in unincorporated Sarasota County, though 70 percent of respondents believed they were city residents.

Now is the time to check off some hotspots from your bucketlist. Keep it local this month using Visit Sarasota County's 'Big Pass' to unlock savings to some of the region’s best promotions. The Sarasota Big Pass offers deals that range from Buy One Get One, 25% Off and $5 Off Discounts at favorite local attractions, restaurants, hotels and more. 

The Sarasota Big Pass' website offers a full listing of their serious savings. With promotions like 25% off of accommodations at regional hotels, BOGO admission at some of the area's premire cultural institutions and food and drink specials, these deals are not to be “passed up!” Visit the Big Pass Website to learn more.  

Image courtesy of VisitSarasota.com

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Third year's a charm for Southside interior designer and retailer Blu Home. To celebrate its 3rd anniversary, owners Nicole and Chelsea will host a party of bubbles, store discounts, live music by Billy Lyon, a pop up shop with Hillview District neighbor Treat Boutique, plus giveaways from Sarasota Facial Aesthetics. Shop and support local today, 3-7pm.  

Blu Home, 1830 South Osprey Ave. #101, Sarasota, @bluhomesarasota

Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) welcomed a new member to its orthopedic surgery team today:  ROSA the knee robot. ROSA, which stands for Robotic Surgical Assistant, adds another layer of technical expertise to the health system’s growing robotics program. With ROSA by their side, SMH’s leading orthopedic surgeons Edward Stolarski, MD, and Sean Dingle, MD, performed two robotic total knee-replacement cases and were working on a third in separate procedures today. The patients – a 66-year-old North Port man, 72-year-old Englewood man and 73-year-old Venice woman – all came to SMH with debilitating pain from degenerative knee disease. Using ROSA’s computerized algorithm, the patients received a new, precisely formulated and placed joint designed to promote natural joint movement and eliminate their grinding bone-on-bone pain. Drs. Stolarski and Dingle used ROSA’s specialized 3D imaging software to create a custom surgical plan based on their patients’ unique anatomies and conduct virtual knee replacements ahead of the surgeries. The computerized platform provides real-time intraoperative data to help surgeons assess the bones and soft tissues of the knee during the procedure, and with guidance from ROSA, precisely cut and position the new knee for optimal performance, flexibility and longevity.  

Photo courtesy of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System

An area consulting agency on aging, known as SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders), will be hosting a presentation to explain Medicare, open enrollment, prescription coverage and more, free to the public. The Medicare Open Enrollment Period begins on October 15, and future and current Medicare beneficiaries are invited to attend a free presentation on Wednesday, October 2.  The presentation will feature professionally trained counselors of the SHINE program. Participants will discover the basics of Medicare Parts A, B, C and D, learn how to prepare for the Open Enrollment Period, and see the new online Medicare Plan Finder. Counselors will be available to answer questions afterwards. Presentation held at 2pm at the Sarasota Friendship Center, located at 1888 Brother Geenen Way in Sarasota. 

Learn more at Florida SHINE

Metropolitian Planning Organization's subgroup, Transform 2045, will meet this evening to discuss Visioning in Transportation at a free event, bringing together community influencers in the shared efforts to shape transportation throughout the region, as well as participate in engaging visioning activities. These visioning activities, along with a series of community survey results will result in four transportation scenarios, leading into the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) for Sarasota and Manatee counties. The MPO, in partnership with the Gulf Coast Geographic Information System (GIS) Group and the Manatee Millennial Movement (M3), will be addressing the group about the ins and outs of scenario planning, what modeling is and why it is used, and the visioning process, plus show visuals such as participants’ travel patterns.

This evening's Visioning in Transportation registration: 5:45-6pm. Event: 6-7:30pm. Transform 2045 has limited open spaces to join the group. For those interested in becoming a leading voice within the movement and would like to join the conversation, attend the event, or read more, visit the Transform 2045 page. Or call Cate McLean at 941-365-9200. 

Join SRQ MEDIA on October 23, 2019 from 5:30-7pm to explore the options at local private and charter schools in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Hear from representatives from: The Out-Of-Door Academy, NewGate School, St. Martha Catholic School, Sarasota Christian School, The Pinnacle Academy, and the Island Village Montessori School.

Free admission. Light bites and refreshments. RSVP online at SRQMAG.COM/MOED. 

RSVP Here