State Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenon, has never been a firebrand. The Senate President since taking the gavel in 2018 elevated civility among lawmakers as a part of his agenda as central as toll roads and low taxes. Basically, he’s not the guy you expect to engage in a flame war on Twitter. 

That’s why it seemed so strange to see Donald Trump, Jr., who covets controversy more than any member of America’s First family (even that one), deliver a largely unsolicited attack on the state lawmaker. But this is politics. What really drove the tiff was a years-old controversy because Galvano, around the time of passage of the Parkland bill, raised money off groups tied to Mike Bloomberg. That irritated the National Rifle Association then. Now that Bloomberg is running for president, it irritates the Trumps.

But the nature of the attack seemed the most curious to me. The presidential progeny told right-leaning pub The Daily Wire, “The last thing Florida Republicans need is a liberal, gun-grabbing Bloomberg minion leading them in the State Senate.” I imagine Florida Republicans who control the Senate and selected Galvano to lead the chamber would be quite shocked if he turned out to be a liberal.

But while the modest notion people selling AR-15s in parking lots should, at the very least, make sure the buyer can legally own the merchandise is debatable, it still seems quite the leap to release Galvano into the RINO preserve.

Of note, Galvano this year also cleared a path for a parental consent abortion bill. This is one of those conservative issues that tend to make it through the House but die in the upper chamber, but thanks to the Senate president, this time the legislation will likely reach the governor’s desk in 2020.

Another bill like that? A ban on sanctuary cities, which until last year couldn’t gain traction in the Senate. Now, legislation sponsored in 2019 by state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, has been signed into law.

And while it’s not such a neat fit when it comes to Florida Politics, the pro-business president officer through almost singular will won approval for a Heartland Parkway project. That’s set to revitalize commerce just east of Sarasota and Manatee, surely bringing an economic windfall here. But it also has environmentalists spooked. Galvano has offered assurances state officials will protect the Florida Panther and other wildlife. Still, Galvano’s advocacy arguably puts him to the right of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, he raised some alarms about the panther population just this week.

Those who watched the 2019 Legislative Session know Galvano, without typing a singular caustic tweet, successfully advanced a stridently conservative agenda in Florida despite the Senate having a smaller GOP caucus than seen in years. School choice. Amendment reform. Sales tax holidays. All advanced under Galvano’s leadership.

I promise you this. There aren’t Democrats in Tallahassee who consider Galvano a secret liberal.

Of course, Second Amendment advocates can often be single-issue voters. That Galvano wants gun control measures considered, just two years after the Parkland bill raised the gun-buying age in Florida, upsets a share of GOP voters. And the younger Trump, who likes to pose in social media pics with custom-made rifles and magazines, knows his audience has its share of firearm enthusiasts.

Galvano already issued a statement reminding her supports President Donald Trump over Bloomberg. And maybe the elder Trump isn’t so worried. Remember, Galvano was among a handful of Republican leaders (along with Gruters) invited in December to a special flight on Air Force One to talk strategy with the President.

And I doubt that seat would have gone to a RINO.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ MEDIA. 

So far in this series, we have talked about the critical roles of creativity to advancing medicine, addressing environmental challenges, and solving issues facing our communities. With the incredible strides in technology that have happened over the last 30 years, during the Technology Age, the world has become increasingly small. From telegrams to telephones to email to text, our ability to reach people on the other side of the world nearly instantaneously has exploded. The impact is not just personal; nearly every sector has capitalized on this ability to reach far beyond the local to expand their areas of influence, creating a truly globalized economy.

Globalization has impacted every part of our lives, from our politics, to our businesses and economy, our culture and our education. While breaking down these geographic barriers opens us to new opportunities for economic and social interaction, it also drives a need for cultivating the ability to work across cultures, languages and societal norms. It expands markets, making product or service distinction even more critical to success. Constantine Passaris, professor of economics at the University of New Brunswick, sums it up nicely: “The new economy is built on a culture of innovation, with an emphasis on creativity. … Indeed, the signature mark of the new global economy is new ideas, new technologies, new products and new directions and initiatives.”

This global economy requires thinking in new ways, and that, as I have said so many times, is creativity. Creativity is about innovation, problem-solving, holistic thinking. According to the National Education Association’s (NEA) Preparing 21st-Century Students for a Global Society, creativity and innovation, previously perceived as secondary skills to develop in our national curriculum, are now recognized as key drivers in the global economy. The report states that “In today’s world of global competition and task automation, innovative capacity and a creative spirit are fast becoming requirements for personal and professional success.” Author Daniel Pink summed it up nicely when he asserted that, “In a world enriched by abundance, but disrupted by automation and the outsourcing of white-collar work, everyone must cultivate an artistic sensibility. We may not all be Dali or Degas. But today, we must all be designers.”

In 2018, Phil McKinney stated during his talk at TEDx Boulder that “Being creative keeps businesses flexible and able to produce innovative solutions to a wide range of problems. Whether this involves changing a business strategy, inventing new technology, or changing business practices in order to stay relevant, creativity can keep companies afloat in an uncertain economic climate. … Let’s never lose sight that today’s creativity creates tomorrow’s industry.”

Higher education has also become increasingly global. At Ringling College of Art and Design, for example, nearly 20% of students hail from more than 60 countries. Our students live, dine, learn, and socialize with peers from around the world with life experiences and world views that often differ from their own. Through their Ringling experience, our students live in a microcosm of today’s global economy, learning to respect and value differing perspectives and viewpoints. The result is a broad world view that equips them to be creative and to work successfully and meaningfully with colleagues from across the globe. A Ringling College education teaches them to collaborate, to have respect for novel ideas, to be open to diverse cultures and backgrounds, and to see joy in partnership. And these are the factors needed for creative thinking. 

As Anna Powers states in Forbes, “Since technology is only going to advance, the question is what will be the most coveted skill of the future? In my opinion, it is creativity. Ultimately a computer lacks the imagination or creativity to dream up a vision for the future. We must embrace and develop our creativity, and then use technology creatively to solve the problems of the world.”

So, whether running a multinational corporation, launching a start-up with colleagues on four continents, or looking to find your niche in today’s global economy, one thing is clear: Creativity will be a critical corporate asset for success in our globalized world.

Dr. Larry R. Thompson is president of Ringling College of Art And Design. 

I know two things about Sarasotans, # 1 – we eat, and #2 - we care about our environment. Of course, there are 7.7 billion other people on earth who also eat and impact the environment, with another 2 billion expected by 2050.  So, we are going from around 8 billion people now, to 10 billion people on the planet soon. That’s a 25% projected population increase, which means we will also need well over 25% more food in the years ahead.   

When it comes to feeding the masses, the best ancient and social wisdom we had may have been the Chinese Proverb: “If you give a man a fish, he will eat today, but teach a man to fish and he will eat forever.”   Well, today’s reality is that there aren’t enough fish left to catch to feed everyone who eats fish, as evidenced by 50% of the worlds fish supply now coming from fish farms, with caught fish and farmed fish being shipped every which way around the world.  I’ve been paying attention to this for some time because I try to cook fish at least a couple of times a week. It’s my best dish, but it is getting harder and harder to find “wild caught” fish in our local markets. Nonetheless, America's annual fish consumption continues to rise.    Hence, companies are striving to provide more fish to respond to market opportunities.  

Now for the environmental and Sarasota part. The EPA is currently taking public input on whether or not to permit the very first aquaculture fish farm in America, proposed to be located in the Gulf of Mexico, just 45 miles west of Sarasota Bay. Kampachi Farms seeks to experiment in the open waters of the Gulf by penning up and raising 20,000 fin fish each year called Almaco Jack. Up until now, most of the worlds fish farms have been inland pond like operations.  Some countries have tried open water fish farms but now ban them. It is possible to raise fish in land-based systems where the water is recirculated and filtered, reducing the risk of disease transfer, pollution, and escapes. 

While it sounds like fish farming in open and natural waters is logical, many fear that the concentration of fish in netted pens, will create more problems than it solves by dumping large amounts of fish food into the fish farm pens, disrupting the natural order of things.  Another concern is that large amounts of concentrated fish waste from the fish pens will pollute areas of the gulf. An additional concern is that dousing the open water fish pens with fish antibiotics is akin to opening pandora's box in the gulf, and we haven't even factored in RED TIDE yet.    

The EPA will take Public Input on the Fish Farms Industrial Waste Permit application next Tuesday, January 28th, from 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. at Mote Marine on Lido Key. You can also email your comments, pro or con, to the EPA at  wahlstrom-ramler.meghan@epa.gov  

That plant-based diet my sister in law keeps pitching is starting to sound like it might be worth a try.

Tom Barwin is Sarasota City Manager. 

Hop aboard Discover Sarasota Tours’ air-conditioned trolley for the New Boutiques & Bubbles shopping tour on Saturday, February 1 from 1-3 pm. Sip complimentary champagne in the Tiki Bar at the Trolley Cottage, while you shop in the Vintage Sarasota gift shop, then enjoy a neighborhood tour with DST owner and guide Tammy Hauser, while you visit The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, and Sarasota Architectural Salvage. Tickets $35, ages 21+. Book Now at discoversarasotatours.com, 941-260-9818.  

https://www.discoversarasotatours.com/

DOGPerfect, a locally-based independent pet retail company, will host Myths of Pet Food Formulation and the Pet Food Industry on Monday, January 27th, from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM at the company’s The Landings of Sarasota location. Rob Downey, CEO & President of Annamaet Petfoods, will provide an insight into the variation of ingredient quality and sourcing, the formulation and processing of pet foods, and concerns around dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and your dog’s diet. This seminar will be both informative and entertaining, including stories of his life with dogs and encounters with wildlife during his winters in Alaska. The dog food seminar is open to the public but space is limited. 

Dog Perfect

Join The Bishop’s new Mosaic Backyard Universe every weekend for Tales Under the Tree, a story time especially for children and their grown-ups. Gather under the Mighty Oak for the story, then join in the family fun with a craft, game, song or cool natural object such as a fossil or shell. No reservations are required and Tales Under the Tree is included in the price of admission. 3pm every Saturday & Sunday. 

The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature

Manatee Memorial Hospital became the first hospital on the Florida West Coast to perform a new procedure on January 15th in the Cath Lab, using the WavelinQ™ 4 French (4F) EndoAVF System (WavelinQ), a device that offers a new non-surgical way to prepare patients for kidney dialysis. General Surgeons, Jenna Kazil, MD and Howard Hermans, MD, will be performing this outpatient, non-surgical procedure at the hospital. The WavelinQ increases procedural flexibility for physicians while reducing risk of scarring or arm disfigurement for patients compared to open surgical arteriovenous fistula creation. 

Manatee Memorial Hospital

The Fire Frogs, who play in the Florida State League, will play their home games in the Atlanta Braves new spring training facility, CoolToday Park for the 2020 season.  The Atlanta Braves Florida operations staff will oversee operations of the team. The move is subject to final approval by Minor League Baseball. The team is the Braves’ High-A minor league affiliate and had previously played its games at Osceola County Stadium. CoolToday Park will host its inaugural Atlanta Braves spring training this year with pitchers and catchers reporting on February 12th and position players reporting on February 17th.  To christen the ballpark, the Braves played their final 2019 spring training game at the park versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Information on the Fire Frogs home schedule with first pitch times, ticket prices, etc. will be released on a later date.  

CoolToday Park

Donate your gently-used designer handbags, jewelry, artwork, or other items to Designing Women Boutique's GroundWorks Program and support Selby Gardens' education programs. All donations can be dropped off in the Selby Gardens Welcome Center on January 28th, 29th, and 30th, from 11am to 2pm. GroundWorks’ primary objective is to create a unique, continuous, community-wide scholarship and educational advancement program building upon Designing Women Boutique's local philanthropic impact. Since 2001, DWB has granted more than $4 million to 75 local non-profits.  

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens