SRQ DAILY Jan 28, 2020
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"We dont get a second chance once a species becomes extinct."
Environmentalists long sounded alarms about whether the planned Heartland Parkway puts the Florida Panther population at risk. Now, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, has echoed their concerns in a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The congressman called for further assurance from the state the endangered species will be considered. In doing so, he added to scrutiny for the signature achievement of state Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton.
“Modernizing our infrastructure to deal with continued population growth is important,” Buchanan wrote in his letter, “but so is ensuring the survival of an endangered species that also happens to be the Florida state animal. We don’t get a second chance once a species becomes extinct. One of the best ways to protect the animal would be to create over-passes or under-passes that provide a safe way for the animals to navigate a highway.”
Construction is expected to begin on the Heartland Parkway in 2022. The 140-mile toll road will span from Polk to Collier County, spanning a pathway just east of Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Galvano made the expansion of three toll roads, the Heartland Parkway the most notable in this region, a top priority of the 2019 Legislative Session. In an interview ahead of the just-started 2020 Legislative Session, Galvano said he’s confident the roadway will not destroy the environment.
“The net effect could be a more stable and more environmentally friendly infrastructure,” he asserted. “That's why the swaths where they were are large enough to allow this type of planning.” He’s also frequently noted planning for a parkway in the Wekiva Springs area of Central Florida, which has called for overpasses to keep wildlife there out of the road.
Buchanan noted a U.S. Wish and Wildlife Service biologist last year warned “this project would have very serious impacts on the Florida panther.” “That is why it is important that you take this into consideration and plan accordingly as you construct the state’s largest highway expansion in more than half a century.”
Buchanan does not call for the plan to be stopped, but stressed DeSantis must make sure panthers are not put at further risking, noting just 250 of the big cats are thought to be alive today, and that 23 of 27 known panther deaths last year were caused in vehicle collisions. 
Photo courtesy office of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan.
Forget pad thai, red and green and panang curry, ginger pork and fried spring rolls. Disremember also drunken noodles and Thai fried rice. These dishes are safe choices for an average night out to a Thai restaurant, but safety has ever been the refuge of the boring. Let’s talk about a dish consumed daily in Thailand that does not get enough credit outside of the country—pad krapow gai.
The name translates literally into fried holy basil chicken, and though the name seems honest enough, it does not include an unexpected ingredient (more on that later). At Spice Station, which owes its meteoric rise in the Rosemary District to its shockingly inexpensive lunch menu, diners will find it listed as Bangkok basil chicken. As the menu states, the dish is “famous in the streets of Bangkok,” a statement whose subtext accurately implies that it can be made quickly. It begins with ground chicken sautéed with bell peppers, onions and holy basil leaves in a light garlic-chili sauce. Holy basil, unlike Thai basil or ordinary sweet basil, has a more robust and bolder flavor, with hints of cinnamon and cloves. When combined with the garlic-chili sauce, itself tasty if a bit familiar, the flavor profile pops into something deliciously different, with almost a medicinal essence. And, the unexpected ingredient that tops it off? A fried egg. When the yolk breaks, it drains through the ground chicken and binds it together to give some heft to what would otherwise be a light, simple meal.
From 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, the dish will only run guests $9 and includes a choice of salad or soup. Holy krapow!
Photo of the Pad Krapow Gai, taken by Andrew Fabian.
Spice Station, 1438 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, 941-343-2894.
Photo courtesy of Kim Livengood.
Allegiant Private Advisors announces that its founder and chairman, Martin (Marty) J. Kossoff, CFP®, AIF®, has been named to Forbes’ Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list for 2020. The list has been published on Forbes.com, and a condensed listing will be available in the February issue of the magazine. Kossoff was recognized with the highest ranking of Sarasota-based advisors included on the 2020 list and holds the 11th ranking in the North Florida region. Kossoff founded Allegiant Private Advisors and was president of the firm from 1998 through 2018. In his current role as chairman, Kossoff focuses on enhancing the company’s performance, growth, and efficiency. He enjoys advising local non-profit organizations and currently serves on and consults with several non-profit boards. Marty continues to lecture at national conferences for the industry.
To view the full list and for the full methodology from Forbes
MarineMax Sarasota announces plans for a grand reopening party to celebrate their newly renovated marina and brand-new members lounge. “We recently finished a multi-million-dollar renovation project to update our marina and add a brand-new state of the art members lounge,” begins Jason LeFevre, MarineMax Sarasota General Manager. “Our customers have been very patient over the last few months, and now that the construction dust has cleared, we wanted to say thank you!” The public is invited to meet the MarineMax Sarasota team and fellow boating enthusiasts as they celebrate the updated facility and explore a luxurious lineup of boats and yachts available from Azimut, Galeon, MJM, Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, and Aviara. LeFevre continues, “This event is an opportunity for the boating community to come together and celebrate what we love about the water. As a bonus, proceeds from the event will benefit the Apple A Day Foundation – and we’ve already raised almost $3,000 from in-kind donations from Tommy Bahama!”
The MarineMax Sarasota Marina Grand Reopening Party is sponsored by Wealth Strategies Partners. The event will take place on Thursday, February 6th from 4:00 to 8:00 pm at 1601 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236. Guests will delight in light appetizers from Tommy Bahama and craft beer from The Beer Box pop-up bar while they enjoy live music from Tasa + Rob.
For more information on this event and MarineMax, or to RSVP
Governor Ron DeSantis announced Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to a remarkable, record low of 3.0 percent in December 2019. Additionally, the labor force continued to increase with 220,000 Floridians entering the workforce over the year. Florida businesses created 198,200 private-sector jobs over the year and the state’s annual private-sector job growth rate of 2.5 percent continues to outpace the national job growth rate of 1.5 percent. The year is beginning with more private sector jobs coming to Florida as well. Just this month, Governor DeSantis announced Made In Space was relocating its corporate headquarters from California to Florida and Spirit Airlines was expanding into a new headquarters in Dania Beach.
To view the December 2019 employment data by region, click here.
Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources announces the return of the popular One Book, One Community program for 2020 with the selection of Kate Moore's "The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women." The book details the true story of unsafe and deadly workplace conditions for female workers during World War I who painted radium on watch dials, and later military equipment at factories in New Jersey and Illinois. Many experienced painful, disfiguring and fatal cancers as a result of their exposure to radium. These young women began a race-against-time fight for justice that would forever change US labor laws. The program has recognized local authors as well as world-renowned writers. A committee selects the One Book title and then hosts a public event with the author and readers. This celebration includes follow-up programs at county libraries and other venues. Anyone can participate in One Book, One Community by attending a library event or hosting their own book discussion.
Suncoast Technical College ; Selby Public Library, 4445 Career Lane, North Port; Downtown Sarasota
A young woman from Israel, Ayelet, reluctantly joins her grandmother on a trip to the United States. Circumstances both absurd and tragic bring Ayelet, who has little command of the English language, together with Josh, a young American man who has little command of romance, on Christmas Eve. Is their inevitable love an accident…or is it destiny, generations in the making?
Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 North Palm Avenue Sarasota, FL 34236
Join Leah Verier-Dunn from Sarasota Dance Company, Moving Ethos, as she leads an open round table talk on Contemporary Dance in the Perret Family Studio Space. It is recommended that visitors attend the performance, Peony Dreams: On The Other Side of Sleep by Yin Mei on January 17th or 18th in the Historic Asolo Theater in preparation for the discussion.
Perrett Studio at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota
Members are invited to join Ringling staff on a Newtown Alive Trolley Tour. This two-hour historic, interactive guided tour through Newtown and Overtown will highlight historic markers along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Personal stories and accounts will delve into the early history of Sarasota, the role African-American played in the desegregation and development of our community, and the history makers who were instrumental in community transformation. $40 per member, tickets are limited, registration ends January 24. Please park in the main visitor parking lot and check-in at the John M. McKay Visitors Pavilion.
The Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota
The Venice Area Orchid Society will present their annual orchid show and sale at the Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice, FL on February 1-2. Show hours: 10am-5pm on Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday. Admission is $5.00, children under 10 free.
Thousands of blooming orchids will be for sale and on display in 11 artistically designed exhibits. Orchid art, accessories and supplies will also be for sale. Free classes. Widely regarded as the most popular orchid show on Florida's west coast.
Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice
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
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
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
The Sarasota Ballet launches the 2020 Winter - Spring Season with the January 31st opening of Redefined Movement, at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. The triple bill includes Sir Frederick Ashton’s dazzling Les Rendezvous, an early example of the intricate and nuanced choreography present throughout Ashton’s career; the Company Premiere of Paul Taylor’s Brandenburgs, a display of Paul Taylor’s signature approach to modern choreography choreographed to Johann Sebastian Bach’s "Brandenburg Concertos"; and Dominic Walsh's robust and vivacious celebration of Neapolitan culture and charm, I Napoletani.
FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243
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 third performance series, "Dance Makers" features new imaginative dance pieces by nationally acclaimed contemporary choreographers. This year’s crop includes Terrence Henderson, Bliss Kohlmyer, Maria Bauman-Morales, and Adele Myers. SCD is proud of the caliber of choreographers gathered for this performance. These works are hand-picked by SCD's Artistic Director to present the strength, power, charm, and diversity of the company and its mission of presenting a range of contemporary dance for multi-generational and multi-cultural audience in our community. The choreography is diverse, the impact profound, and the dancers utterly captivating.
Jane B. Cook Theatre, FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34243
Hugh and Buffett, resident manatees at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, have been predicting the winners of the Super Bowl for the past 11 years. Since the manatee habitat is currently undergoing renovations, with the manatees living in a behind-the-scenes area right now, Mote will be doing their Super Bowl selection with resident North American river otters, Huck, Pippi, & Jane! Each otter will make their selection through the use of positive reinforcement and target training. Each otter will make their selection individually, giving attendees three chances to get a great shot.
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium , 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota
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