Visit Sarasota County (VSC) and the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (BACVB) teamed up with United Airlines to add a nonstop route from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ). “We’re giving our customers throughout the Washington region more access and options to fly to Florida,” says Ankit Gupta, Vice President of Domestic Network Planning, United Airlines.  “We’re excited to add Sarasota to Dulles and give fliers from the Sunshine State another convenient connection to our vast network.” The two destination marketing organizations celebrated the inaugural Flight 3402 on Sunday, October 27 with a water cannon salute, giveaways and a ribbon cutting ceremony at SRQ.

The two daily nonstop flights will now provide domestic and international travelers the ability to connect through one of United’s hub cities if a layover is necessary. This flight will also likely open economical opportunities due to the corporations and associations surrounding the Nation’s Capital—many of whom will now consider sourcing Sarasota County and the Bradenton area as a destination for meetings, now that there is a more direct route available and convenient group airlift access—key factors in business destination selection. Additionally, the central location of SRQ, only 5 miles from some of downtown’s largest meeting hotels, makes getting to meetings or incentive locations a breeze. 

Virginia Haley, President of VSC, Elliott Falcione, Executive Director of BACVB and Christian Dorn, Marketing Program Manager of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority led a group of meeting professionals, who arrived on the first arriving flight Sunday, to Muse restaurant at The Ringling Museum for a celebration luncheon and tour. More extensive “Familiarization Tours” (known in the industry as ‘FAM’) of Sarasota and Bradenton will occur throughout the week with various local hotels, attractions and restaurants. “We have planned a varied and fun agenda to show off our amazing destinations to our special guests!” says Ellen Thomas, Senior Meetings Sales Manager of VSC. VSC and BACVB hope to work with more industry partners, meeting professionals, airlines, airports, media or each other, to continue promoting the destination and attract visitors. 

“Our destination has recently seen a tremendous expansion of non-stop flights into and out of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, which is quickly growing into one of the best airports in the region, further setting the Bradenton/Sarasota Area apart from other beach destinations in the state,” says Falcione. “We are thrilled to see the new United Flight from Dulles as the D.C. area is historically an important market for destination visitation from leisure travelers, groups and meetings. We know that those who take advantage of the flight (and especially the planners on the inaugural flight) will enjoy the convenience of flying into SRQ and landing minutes from the world-class beaches, dining, arts and more offered in the destination.” 

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Sarasota County Superintendent of Schools Todd Bowden on Monday fired Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jeff Maultsby for inappropriate communication between the administrator and a subordinate.

The move came after outside investigator Vicki Sproat issued a report detailing allegations by employee Cheraina Bonner, who accused Maultsby of sexual harassment.

“After reviewing the entirety of the text messages exchanged between Mr. Maultsby and Ms. Bonner, and the transcripts and exhibits from each interview conducted by Ms. Sproat, it is clear Mr. Maultsby behaved inappropriately, and his actions are unbefitting of a school district employee,” Bowden said.

The Sproat investigation includes texts sent by Bowden to Bonner, saying such things as “You know I love you Ms. Raina” and “I’m just kidding. This will now carry over to tomorrow.” Maultsby told the investigator the comments were “razzing” over a pro football game where his team, the Raiders, beat hers, the Pirates. But Bonner said Maultsby also made inappropriate comments about women in the workplace, and it was enough she changed her workplace attire to be more covered.

Bonner eventually brought concerns to School Board Member Caroline Zucker, who brought the matter to Bowden. Bonner believed she was passed over for a promotion on Maultsby’s recommendation. Bowden eventually told Maultsby about the complaints. The report said Bowden’s actions played a primary role in failure to properly address the complaints.

“I disagree with the report findings and several conclusions made by Ms. Sproat,” Bowden said in response. “I look forward to delivering a full response to School Board members next week.”

Maultsby has 15 days to respond to and appeal his firing. The School Board will hold a special meeting on Nov. 5 where Bowden will officially notify the board of his intent to fire Maultsby. The board can act as soon as Nov. 19 on the recommendation if Maultsby does not appeal to decision.

Photo of Jeff Maultsby

If you consider your home rustic, your style earthy, or just genuinely love the look and feel of natural wood, make a note to stop at Tremblay Wood Art's first public 'Trail Sale' for a one day only event. Osprey carpenter Ryan Tremblay has handcrafted custom projects for local businesses such as the drafting table for Nautilus Homes, the donor wall for the VAEC at Ringling College of Art & Design and tables for the Ridley's Porch at the Ritz Lido Key Beach Club. Now for his first public sale, he'll be bringing out all the stops, including a solar kiln, hand hewn barn beams, a myriad of furniture and art—all made of local recovered wood from 20+ species, including rosewood, norfolk, pecan and more.

"Being sea-locked in Florida has increased my focus on sustainability," Tremblay says. "I prefer to use the more rapid end of this renewable resource we call wood. Making mahogany jealous of pine is a challenge I love. Reclaimed lumber is my favorite and constantly on my radar." 

From 200+ kiln dry slabs, 200+ charcuteries/cheese boards, 15+ tables/desks, 300+ wine barrel staves, 100+ chrome table legs and 2000+ feet of sorted small stock lumber, kill the boardom one weekend by scouring the lot of exquisite wood goods, made with artisinal execution and sustainability in mind. Whether it's a log recovered from debris pile on Wharf Road in Sarasota after Hurricane Irma, rekindled to become a ruggedly cool piece of art, or rosewood charcuterie boards that have been soaked with three coats of food grade butcher block mineral, lemon and orange oils, and hand buffed with two coats of carnauba and beeswax, Tremblay is sure to always preserve the wood's natural beauty and enhance the glory of its grain.

Trail Sale: Saturday, November 2, 7am - 5pm at 862 South Tamiami Trl., Osprey, 34229, @tremblaywoodart. 

Photo courtesy of Tremblay Wood Art.

Photo courtesy of Tremblay Wood Art

Longboat Key author Michael Jordan has won a Silver Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association for his 2018 crime thriller The Company of Demons. Jordan accepted his award during the annual Florida Writers Conference held October 17-20 in Altamonte Springs, Florida. The Royal Palm award was given in the published thriller/suspense novel category and comes on the heels of Jordan's book winning the 2019 National Indie Excellence Award in Crime Fiction, announced in July of this year. Jordan will be speaking Monday, November 4, at 2pm at Selby Public Library, 1331 1st St., downtown Sarasota; as well as Friday, November 15, at 4pm at the Longboat Library, 555 Bay Isles Rd., Longboat Key, for a book signing, along with other area authors. 

The Company of Demons was published in 2018 by the Greenleaf Book Group and is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Nook, and Audible. Visit the author's website at michaeljordanbooks.com 

The Mark condominium project and the Lemon Avenue streetscape has been the largest and one of most difficult to work through for nearby businesses, including Artisans' World Marketplace. "We owe a lot to First Church, our landlord and partner these 23 years, and to all of you who have bravely made the difficult trip through all the construction to shop in our store.," says owner Sandy Ramsey. "We have come to a point where we can see the horizon." One of the last things to be done is a new sidewalk outside the fairtrade boutique. The new sidewalk on Lemon and Pineapple Ave. are under construction as of Monday, October 28, and Artisans' plans to be open regular business hours during this time, with access from its back door. "While the process has been difficult, we believe this revitalization will bring new life to an often forgotten area of downtown," says Ramsey.

Artisans' World Marketplace, 128 South Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, 941-365-5994, artisansworldmarketplace.com 

Suncoast Technical College and CareerSource Suncoast are partnering to co-host a free public event Wednesday, October 30, from 4pm - 7pm. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with over 50 employers, all who are actively seeking qualified individuals to fill their open positions. Employers will be recruiting for positions in auto service, computer science, construction, culinary, electrical, graphic design, hospitality, insurance, law enforcement, manufacturing and nursing, among other diverse and rewarding fields. Job seekers are urged to dress professionally and bring plenty of copies of their resume. The Career Fair Expo will take place at Suncoast Technical College, Sarasota campus, 4748 Beneva Rd. 

This Thursday, October 31st at 11pm, The Players Centre for Performing Arts will present its second annual Haunted Halloween Tour. Visit Sarasota’s longest running theater and experience ghost hunting with the Paranormal Society of Bradenton, psychic readings with Michael Newton-Brown, adult beverages, and more. “Our theatre is haunted! There are plenty of interesting phenomenon that happen here, and once a year we like to share our spirits with others, and Halloween seems to be the perfect time!” says Managing Artistic Director, Jeffery Kin. “We’ve been told that spirits are attracted to live theatres (like ours) because of the activity and electricity that naturally occurs here. We don’t mind our ghostly neighbors, and they’ll likely enjoy making some new friends!” 

Tickets: $10 in advance. $15 at the door. The Players Centre For Performing Arts, 838 N. Tamiami Tr., Sarasota, 941-365-2494, www.theplayers.org. 

Over 100 elected officials and community members attended the Choices: Scenario Planning Workshop and explored how three themes, derived from community surveys, outreach and planning events, compared to the current trend, could play out over the next 50 years. Each scenario illustrates future types and locations of communities, which influence how people will travel in the future. Participants agreed they would like to invest in the Vibrant Places Scenario, Environmental Health Scenario, Economic Diversity scenario, and the Current Trend scenario, respectively. Furthermore, most preferred the Vibrant Places Scenario. It is important the MPO receives community feedback on these scenarios in order to build a collective community vision.

The public is invited to share their opinion by taking the second survey in a series of four total— the Scenario Survey, released at the Choices Workshop. The community vision directly influences the regional transformation of the transportation network in the Sarasota/Manatee MPO 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The purpose of the 2045 LRTP is to develop future transportation facilities in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The LRTP must consider the full complement of transportation modes – roads, bicycles, pedestrians, trails, transit, parking, railroads and airports. The plan spans at least twenty years and must be updated every five years. The 2045 LRTP must include robust public involvement to shape the final plan.

The survey closes November 30 and the public is encouraged to help build the community vision today. Take the Scenario Survey here, www.mympo.org/transformtomorrow. 

The Suzuki Institute School of Music has opened their new Lakewood Ranch studio at St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church. They will be offering Suzuki and traditional violin instruction for all ages and skill levels, beginner through advanced, with more instruments and programs to follow. The Institute is under the new leadership of Dr. Salil Singh and Jennifer Singh, who bring years of experience in arts education and a passion for the positive role that the arts play in enriching the lives of the young and old alike .  

Spearheading the school’s new studio in LWR is Wendy Dane, a veteran musician and teacher. Mrs. Dane is a fantastic addition to Suzuki Institute’s music educational goals and is an outstanding violinist, hailing from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Music. She frequently performs in numerous musical styles including classical, jazz, bluegrass and Celtic and won her division of the Minnesota State Old Time Fiddle Contest on two separate occasions. She has initiated strings programs in public and private schools in several states, taught students from preschool through college levels and is in high demand as a guest clinician at various string workshops. 

The Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller is participating in Veteran’s Stand Down Court 2019, an event organized by the Manatee County Veterans Services Office, on Saturday, November 2 from 8 am – 12 pm at the Manatee County Fairgrounds in Palmetto. In its 21st year, the event aims to help homeless and potentially homeless veterans and their families receive critical needs and services in Manatee County. Staff from the Manatee County Clerk of Court will assist with unpaid court fees and fines on closed cases, unpaid traffic fees and fines and driver’s licenses. Legal Aid of Manasota will be present to provide support on civil case questions. During the day, additional services and assistance will be offered, such as Veteran Services, eye exams, hot meals, showers and hygiene products, haircuts, clothing, resume assistance, legal services and medical, mental health and dental screenings.

No pre-registration is required. Participants must have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and are asked to bring a valid form of identification, including a DD214, VA card or driver’s license.