SRQ DAILY Jan 6, 2020
Monday Business Edition
"People often wonder and ask, what does a supervisor of elections do when it's not an election year. We are always holding elections and planning for elections."
As 2020 began, Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner said he felt like he’d been “shot out of a cannon.”
With a presidential election on Nov. 3 this year, Turner said his office will prepare for the “Super Bowl of elections.” But that’s just the most high-profile contest he must oversee this year. A March presidential preference primary, an August state primary settling School Board and judicial races, and a number of small elections through the year will keep officials busy. Turner outlined all the events he’s bracing for this year to the Republican Women’s Club of Sarasota at a luncheon Friday.
“People often wonder and ask, what does a supervisor of elections do when it’s not an election year,” Turner said. “We are always holding elections and planning for elections.”
His office right now will keep Longboat Key voters abreast of two coming bond referenda, one which will be voted on by residents on the Gulf side of the island and one that will be on a ballot for Bayside voters. Special taxing districts in such localities as Holiday Park or Tri Par Estates demand the office’s attention, even if Sarasota County voters outside those communities likely have no idea an election will be held.
And amid all of it, Turner also stands for reelection in 2020 himself; so far he remains unopposed.
The elections office must juggle developments on the state and national scale. For example, the Division of Elections in December certified presidential primary candidates, with 16 Democrats and four Republicans qualifying for the March ballot. Turner did remind his primarily Republican audience Friday that Trump faced primary challenges from former Ohio Rep. Joe Walsh, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld and perennial candidate Rocky de la Fuente.
But just having a list of candidates isn’t where the work of Florida supervisors ends. Every candidate that drops out of the presidential race from here on—Democrat Julian Castro dropped out last week for example—will still appear on the ballot even if no votes will count if they withdraw. Turner’s office will publish written notices that appear in all voting precincts to inform voters if a candidate has formally withdrawn.
Turner also addressed concerns raised by voters like ballot harvesting, a practice seen in other states where campaigns illegitimately collect or cast vote-by-mail ballots for unaware voters who then get turned from polls on Election Day. The Supervisor said Florida has measures in place to prevent that crime here, like only allowing ballots to be sent to an address on file without a voter asking personally to get it sent elsewhere.
Turner also said his office has been busy responding to a county redistricting being challenged in court, but will not reassign voters to new precincts this year. As legal developments occur, his office will respond to those as well, he said. 
The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation awarded the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County a $250,000 grant to assist with the renovation and expansion of the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club, which is located at 18 School Ave. in Arcadia. The Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club is the organization’s sixth Club location and first site situated beyond Sarasota County lines. The agency began operating this facility in July 2018, and started providing children, ages 6 to 11, with year-round programs that help them excel in school, become leaders and adopt healthy habits. Children also receive healthy meals and snacks and foster meaningful relationships with peers and trusted mentors. The Club is currently at maximum capacity with nearly 75 children participating in programs each day. “This commitment from the Selby Foundation will help us completely transform the way in which our organization will serve the children and families in Arcadia,” said Bill Sadlo, President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. “The expansion of our Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club will allow us to extend our reach, serve a greater number of youth, including teens, and implement more programs designed to help them achieve their full potential.”
Earlier this year, the City of Arcadia transferred the lease of the Smith-Brown Recreation Center that sits adjacent to the current Club building to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. The agency will transform the structure into a multi-purpose gymnasium for youth with designated space for physical activities, project-based learning and enrichment programs that further fosters their personal development. The organization will add another 7,000 square feet to the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club for additional youth development programs. The facility will also be available for local use outside of the Club’s operating hours, and will become a valuable community asset. “We’re proud to support this expansion project, and we look forward to seeing how this facility will become a pillar for Arcadia’s families who seek a safe, positive place for their children to learn, play and grow,” said Carol Butera, President and CEO, William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. A groundbreaking ceremony for this expansion is scheduled for February 12, 2020.
The Board of Directors of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee approved its new slate of officers for 2020 at its December meeting. Randon Carvel will serve as the new president of the board. “My goals as the new president will include continuing to raise valuable resources in order to provide for those members of our community who still have real needs in spite of the economic gains most of our community has experienced,” Carvel said. “In light of the amazing growth of our local Jewish community, now with approximately 35,000 people living in Jewish households, we hope to engage them in even more meaningful ways both on our incredible re-imagined 32-acre campus and by bringing Federation to them throughout our two-county area.”
Past President Michael Ritter noted, “During the last two years, through the hard work of our talented staff and lay leadership, we’ve made great progress toward realizing our vision of redeveloping our 32-acre campus, as well as successfully launching our capital campaign required to fund the project. We also completed our first community-wide population study in 18 years, which will provide the Federation and other Jewish organizations valuable information about the needs and wants of our community members. “Our new President, Randon Carvel, has been very involved with Federation for several years and understands our organization and its challenges. I am very confident that Randon is up to this challenge and will do a great job.”
Other officers will include Michael Ritter, Immediate Past President; Ian Black, Vice-President Campus Utilization; Merrill Wynne, Vice-President Development; Stacy Hanan, Vice-President Capital Campaign; Bob Israeloff, Treasurer; David Millstone, Secretary and Governance Officer; and at-large officers: Tom Bernstein, Roz Goldberg, Anne Spindel, Peter Wells and Patti Wertheimer. New board members include Joel Morganroth, Mark Smotkin and Larry Zaslavsky.
Senior advisor Mike Migone, CCIM, of SVN Commercial Advisory Group recently coordinated the sale of 2, fully leased industrial buildings totaling 52,650 SF at 5103 & 5107 Lena Road in Bradenton, FLA. Maraba, LLC, was the seller. Diventi St. Armands, LLC, was the buyer. Migone represented the seller. Michael Hollander and Joe C. Hembree from Hembree and Associates represented the buyer. Purchase price was $6,100,000. “The property consists of 27-1800 SF income producing units that maintain close to 100% occupancy.” Said Migone, concerning the property. “The low vacancy rate, combined with the prime location just off of I-75 and SR 70 made this asset very appealing to the buyer.” Diventi St. Armands plans to keep the property as a fully leased income producing asset.
Michael Gallatin, Realtor, LEED AP with SaraBay Real Estate Inc. has been elected to the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee Commercial Real Estate Alliance (CREA) 2020 Board of Directors. CREA objectives are to unite those engaged in commercial - investment activities of the real estate profession, to promote and stimulate commercial - investment real estate business activity among CREA members and to provide CREA members the opportunity to better serve the public through education in commercial real estate.
Registration is now open for the Faulhaber Fab Lab's RC Custom Car Open, an engineering and design competition for K-12 students, organized and led by a high school student committee. Additionally, the school with the most team registrations wins a $1,000 cash prize.
Students from Sarasota or Manatee County public schools, charter school, private school, virtual school and home school are invited to participate in this event that sells out every year. Through six weeks of innovative workshops and team collaboration, students learn the basics of engineering and operation of high-tech equipment available through the Fab Lab including a laser cutter, 3D printer and vinyl cutter. Additionally, students build critical 21st century skills including collaboration, creativity and critical thinking through teamwork and hands-on learning.
Families may register teams of 2-4 students for a fee of $100 which includes the remote control car, six weeks hands on workshops and materials to customize the car for race day on March 7, 2020 and two months of membership to FabLab for each team members. On March 7, teams will compete in three challenge areas for prizes that include scholarships. Registration closes on January 15, 2020. Workshops and race day will be held at the Faulhaber Fab Lab located at 4452 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota.
Born and raised in Mexico City, where he spent most of his career, Manuel Álvarez Bravo (Mexican, 1902-2002) was one of the most important figures in 20th century Latin American photography. Although he took art classes at the Academy of San Carlos, his photography was mostly self-taught, but he was savvy to the emerging international artistic avant-garde. Considered to be one of the founders of modern photography, his work extends from the late 1920s to the 1900s. He was a key figure from the period following the Mexican Revolution—often called the Mexican Renaissance—in which arts and literature flourished. This “Renaissance” owed to the happy—though not always tranquil—marriage between a desire for modernization and the search for an authentic national identity with Mexican roots, in which archaeology, history and ethnology played an important role. Support for this exhibition has been provided, in part, by the Ringling Endowment at the Florida State University Foundation. Paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues.
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota
Concealed and Revealed offers a unique selection of paintings by the artist, along with numerous objects from the Solomon Archive on view for the first time. Syd Solomon (American, 1917-2004) described himself as an “Abstract Impressionist” alluding to the fact that his work infused impressionism into the processes, scale and concepts of Abstract Expressionism. Solomon moved to Sarasota in 1946 with his wife Annie. His was the first work of contemporary art to be collected by The Ringling in 1962. His paintings were greatly influenced by climatic factors and reveal a fascination and concern for Florida’s aquatic environment. Solomon incorporated his experience as a camouflage designer during World War II into his painting. It is not well-known that he was also an accomplished graphic artist, who in his early years designed commercial signage for prominent hotels and businesses in Sarasota. Like his work in camouflage, Solomon’s calligraphic skill was essential to the development of his later gestural abstraction.
Syd Solomon: Concealed and Revealed is presented in partnership with the Estate of Syd Solomon and is accompanied by a 96-page publication with essays by former curator at The Ringling Michael Auping, George S. Bolge, Dr. Gail Levin, and Mike Solomon. The exhibition will include artworks from private collections and The Ringling’s permanent collection.
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota
Dabbert Gallery presents the exhibition "Local Color, Florida Style" to open at the First Firday Gallery Walk on Friday, January 3, 2020 and continues through January 31, 2020. Featuring six of the gallery's Florida artists including Arnold Desmarais, Martin Dunn, Bill Farnsworth, James Griffin, Joe Palmerio and Luke Steadman. Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 5pm.
Dabbert Gallery, 46 S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL
Enjoy a one-of-a-kind display of native Borucan Art at the annual Rainforest Masks of Costa Rica exhibit and sale. The Opening Reception on January 4, will give attendees the first chance to purchase the masks of their choosing before the exhibit opens to the general public on January 5. The hand-carved and painted, vibrant masks will be on display in The Museum of Botany & the Arts. Members of the Borucan tribe will be at the exhibit on select days for mask carving demonstrations.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 900 S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota
Mote's Special Lecture Series features expert speakers highlighting fascinating ocean topics on Monday evenings. Doors open at 5:30 pm and lectures start at 6:30 p. in Mote Marine Laboratory's WAVE Center, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, 34236. Cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-members (per ticket per lecture). Registration required for all.Join us for the Mote's Special Lecture Series "Beyond the cute, furry, flippery and scaly: The ins and outs of animal care," presented by Amanda Foltz, Curator of Mammals and Reptiles at Mote Aquarium.
WAVE Center at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236
Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL) is preparing for its 49th year of extremely popular global issues lectures and musical conversations. In 2020, these programs will begin in January and continue through the end of March. Speakers of global issues lectures are well-known, highly experienced experts, and guests on musical conversations are internationally renowned musicians, singers, and performers. SILL is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization. In its 49th season, its programs will include 96 lectures and musical conversations presented in Sarasota, Venice, and Lakewood Ranch. SILL audiences mostly consist of highly educated and intellectually curious seniors living on the Suncoast year-round or during winter months. SILL also simulcasts some of its lectures to selected senior communities. Last year, attendance at SILL events exceeded 40,000. Single tickets to SILL events are only $10 at the door when available, and a season ticket for 12 same-day lectures cost just $85, which represents substantial savings. For program schedules, venues, speaker bios, and ordering season tickets visit sillsarasota.org
First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave.
The Hospital Gala has raised more than $2.2 million to benefit Sarasota Memorial Hospital ER/Trauma Services and Cardiac Services. This year, proceeds will support Cancer Services to help the SMH cancer care team deliver the best life-saving care for you, your loved ones and those in our community.
The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, 1111 Ritz Carlton Dr, Sarasota, FL 34236
The Key Chorale Chamber singers will present their fourth installment in their American Roots series January 11-12 with American Roots: Grassical. The 7-member DePue Brothers Band joins the singers in a program from the hills of Appalachia to progressive bluegrass sounds of today. These classical violin virtuosos, with blazing bluegrass chops, have pioneered the term “grassical,” a vivid blend of bluegrass, gypsy, and jazz. They have been the subject of a PBS documentary, named “Musical Family of America” by presidential decree and released 3 acclaimed CDs. Experience a one-of-a-kind program taking our popular bluegrass concert onto a new set of tracks. “This concert has become such an audience favorite that it is a challenge to keep raising the bar,” said Maestro Caulkins. “By adding such a polished ensemble like the DePue Brothers Band, along with brand new charts written especially for this concert, I am certain this will be an unforgettable experience.” Hear contemporary and old-time bluegrass from the Wailin’ Jennys, Emmylou Harris and Ricky Skaggs, to Flatts & Scruggs, The Foggy Mountain Boys and the immortal Ralph Stanley. Guest vocalist and audience favorite Madison Spahn, who joined us last year for American Roots: Digging Deeper, will be back again this year.
St. Boniface Episcopal Church (1.12) ; Venice Presbyterian Church (1/12), 5615 Midnight Pass Rd., Siesta Key; 825 The Rialto, Venice
For the past several years, dazzling young bassist Xavier Foley has been thrilling audiences and critics alike with the stunning musical magic he makes with the essential but often overlooked double bass. Foley’s playing makes this largest and lowest member of the string family as important as any solo instrument. The Philadelphia Inquirer calls him a “spectacular player” and one who is “blissfully unaware that dazzling virtuosity is usually someone else’s job.” A native of Marietta, Georgia, Foley was also featured recently on PBS Thirteen’s NYC-ARTs and was named to New York WQXR’s "19 Artists to Watch” list for 2019. He has performed at Carnegie Hall and as a soloist with the Atlanta Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra, amongst others. Joining Foley will be pianist Kelly Lin, a sought-after accompanist whose groundbreaking collaborations with Foley have dazzled audiences and been hailed by critics for their “agile interplay between piano and bass,” as well as their “radical, riveting reinventions of old classics.” The duo will be performing their critically acclaimed program that includes Foley’s reinvention of Mozart’s Violin Sonata in E Minor, that transposes the violin part to a range comparable to a cello’s; Schubert’s “Arpeggione” Sonata, D 821, which showcases Foley’s vast range, utilizing every bit of the bass’s vast sonic capability; their phantasmagorical take on Glière’s Intermezzo and Tarantella; and original compositions by Foley.
Historic Asolo Theatre, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243
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