Commercial real estate professionals in Sarasota rebranded the name of their professional organization to better reflect the activity being done. The Commercial Investment Division, a part of the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee, beginning in December will operate as the Commercial Real Estate Alliance.

“We worked to create a name that represented who we are and the communities we serve,” said Susan Goldstein, the organization’s 2019 President.“We support more than just ‘investments’—we work with the sale and leasing of commercial properties for business owners and investors. We are also a true alliance of all the participants in Commercial Real Estate.”

Goldstein, a commercial real estate agent at Michael Saunders and Company, also said the rebranding better positions the organization’s place within the Sarasota-Manatee business community. That’s why the group now calls itself an Alliance, bonding business leaders and commercial agents. To stress the change, the Alliance has a goal in 2020 of positioning itself as a clear resource for all commercial real estate dealings in the region.

The Alliance represents more than 300 commercial real estate agents, brokers, lenders, attorneys and other organizations in the industry. It provides mentorship programs, education efforts, communications services, networking events and business development. 

Photo courtesy Commercial Real Estate Alliance: Joe C. Hembree, 2019 CREA President-Elect; Erick Shumway, 2019 CREA Vice President; Susan Goldstein, 2019 CREA President; and Ken Hughes, CREA Director..

Mireya Eavey of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and Jennifer Behrens of the Atlantic Mold and Machining Corp trekked their way North this week, to present the collective concerns of local business owners, nonprofit founders, and other representatives of Sarasota's managerial class regarding what they see as long developing cracks in our community's workforce. Business Leaders United, a nonprofit representing a national coalition of privately-owned companies, claims that 62% of small and mid-sized businesses in the United States have trouble filling skilled positions in their companies. Through the Chamber of Commerce, local businesses have identified similar issues, regarding both entry level jobs and the development of the skill sets needed to move workers into mid and upper level employment. 

In May of this year, the Chamber of Commerce organized a public forum with the University of South Florida to discuss these concerns and develop uniform language regarding the issues. Attendees included members of the Florida Policy Institute, the Bradenton EDC, Suncoast Technical College, United Way, Unidos Now, the Baranick Foundation, the Sarasota County Libraries, and many others. The group identified issues like a lack of state and federal funding for technical education, apprenticeship programs, child care, affordable housing, or voluntary pre-k education as primary concerns in supporting the workforce. Specifically, the group voiced support for the full utilization of the Sadowski Trust Fund, the Continuation Florida Job Growth Grand Fund, and HB7071 which would expand vocational and technical education in the state of Florida.

With these concerns in hand, Eavey and Behrens met with Senators Scott and Rubio, and Congressman Buchanan. “We can only do so much without policy. At some point is feels like we're stuck in a loop,” Eavey told SRQ Daily. “They need to understand the situation here.” 

Through a collaborative effort with Sarasota County Emergency Management, Sarasota County Schools has received a $1,057,700.00 grant from the Florida Division of Emergency Management to make improvements to select schools currently serving as hurricane evacuation centers. The grant also provides funding to add Taylor Ranch Elementary as a mid-county shelter location. 

Throughout the 2020 calendar year, Taylor Ranch Elementary, Fruitville Elementary, Gulf Gate Elementary and North Port High School will undergo improvements to ensure the continued safety of evacuees during a hurricane. Upgrades to these school sites will include wind impact protection for all windows, mesh impact barriers in exterior areas, including stairways and outdoor restrooms, and improved drainage systems. 

The school district will also retrofit Taylor Ranch Elementary to make it the 12th general population hurricane evacuation center in the county. This location will better serve mid-county residents. The grant calls for an engineer to assess and make structural recommendations for Taylor Ranch Elementary to serve as an evacuation center. In addition, it enables the District to replace and install impact windows, wind impact screens, mesh debris barrier systems and improved roof and drainage systems. The upgrades to Taylor Ranch Elementary will add space for approximately 1,280 evacuees in the event of a high-impact hurricane. 

More than 60 schools attended the 14^th Annual Manatee County Technology Student Association (TSA) District Competition that took place on Saturday November 16, 2019 at Southeast High School (SEHS) in Bradenton. The event began at 8 a.m. and the auditorium and gym was filled with more than 1,200 students, 90+ advisors and hundreds of parents, event judges and event coordinators. Manatee County has the largest and longest running TSA District Competition in the State of Florida.

Almost 500 elementary students from 31 elementary schools; and more than 700 middle school and high school students from Manatee County, Sarasota County, Hillsborough and Lee County also competed at SEHS. More than 30 events focused on Catapults, Dragster, Structures, Flight, Graphics, Architecture, Video and other challenging technology and engineering areas. 

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick lawyer Chris Cavaliere recently gave a live webinar presentation to the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers (FCCC) on the topic, “Best Practices for Classifying Independent Contractors, Complying with Employment Laws and Avoiding Liability.” The FCCC is a statewide association comprised of the Florida Clerks of the Circuit Court and Comptrollers. It provides education and accreditation for Clerks of the Court and Comptrollers as well as information and technical assistance to local governments.

Cavaliere fights on the side of employers in legal disputes, helping businesses prevent and resolve legal disputes, particularly those with their own employees. Focusing on labor and employment law, he assists both large and small employers with HR and employment issues relating to hiring and firing, background checks, employee handbooks, compensation, overtime, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, unpaid wages, non-competition agreements, non-solicitation agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other topics.