A technology CEO living in Sarasota filed for City Commission and will self-fund. Don Patterson, a candidate in District 2, said he’s ready to spend $100,000 on the district level race. “I’m putting skin in the game and not expecting anything in return,” he said.

Patterson, the co-founder and CEO of Ascend Wireless Networks, said he’s been frustrated by the city’s failure to live up to its potential. Most recently, he’s questioned decisions made during the coronavirus crisis. “It seems the city is working against businesses and not for businesses,” he said. “There are some opportunities for new ideas.”

Specifically, he felt frustrated when city officials kept Lido Beach closed for weeks longer that nearby beaches in the county and in neighboring Manatee. Sarasota County officials opened Siesta Key and other shores in unincorporated areas on April 27 while the city did not reopen Lido until May 19.

That’s just the most recent frustration Patterson has felt since relocating to Sarasota in 2015. While he finds Sarasota to be a “fantastic city” with cultural assets, he’s been surprised at the number of obstacles facing business owners here. He put much of that on the shoulders of incumbent city officials.

“I don’t think they’re doing a very good job,” he said. “I hope people step back and look at the incumbents and realize there are a lot of super capable, talented people in this city and we should enroll them to participate in elections because they have the time, talent and resources to do a great job.”

Patterson plans to set an example. He’s challenging City Commissioner Liz Alpert in the District 2 seat in an increasingly crowded field. Former City Commissioner Terry Turner, retired commodities trader Jerry Wells and Gulf Business Systems President Martin Hyde have also filed for the seat. Candidates have until noon on Friday to qualify. This year marks the first time in decades Sarasota will hold its elections on the general cycle, with a first election in August and the top two advancing to a November runoff. 

Patterson, who has worked on a number of efforts helping homeless youth, expects all of the significant candidates will raise and spend similar resources on the election this year. He comes in less well known than some competitors but plans to break through the noise. “I will see through all of it,” he said, “and I am going to win.” 

Centauri Specialty Insurance Holdings and its subsidiaries are excited to welcome Tom Brady as their new Vice President of Claims. He joined the team in April 2020 and is responsible for all facets of the claims operations, including setting policies and procedures, TPA oversight, coordination of adjusters, and management of Centauri’s catastrophe preparedness program.

Brady brings over 30 years of insurance industry experience to his role. Prior to joining Centauri, he spent 10+ years at IMS Claim and Catastrophe Services, a large regional catastrophe adjusting company, where he directed internal managers and field staff to meet operational, financial, and service requirements. In the event of a catastrophe, he would establish and deploy a field office with all essential resources to meet and/or exceed client expectations. Early in Brady’s career, he was “in the field” where he managed a portfolio of property, casualty and catastrophic insurance claims from filing through resolution for the state, region or nation, depending on the event. In addition to handling property claim files, he also represented carriers, alone or with counsel, in various pretrial hearings and mediations. He parlayed his early success in claims to a successful agency career where he was an agency owner in the state of Florida on both the captive and independent agency side.

Brady holds a Bachelor of Science in Risk Management & Insurance form Florida State University and has been a licensed General Lines Agent in the State of Florida since 1989. 

For more info.

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Prosperity Initiative today published a series of maps that outline the childhood poverty numbers and rate for every zip code in every county in the state of Florida. The maps are intended to provide business leaders, elected officials, and community leaders with valuable data to identify areas where the highest cases of poverty exist. The maps are available at www.floridachamber.com/ProsperityMaps.

“Florida has 870,505 children living in poverty; that’s 21.3% of all of Florida’s children,” said Florida Chamber President, Mark Wilson. “half of those children live in just 150 of Florida’s 983 zip codes. The Florida Chamber Foundation’s 2030 Blueprint goal is to reduce the number of children in Florida living in poverty to less than 10 percent in the next ten years. To accomplish that goal, Florida’s business community will lead the way, working with elected officials, and non-profit agencies to create pathways to prosperity for all Floridians.”

“No child in Florida should go to bed without knowing if they will eat tomorrow. Sadly, for too many children in Florida, that is a reality.” said Karen Moore, CEO of The Moore Agency and Florida Chamber Foundation Trustee. “Through the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Prosperity Initiative, Florida’s businesses have the opportunity to lead in helping Florida’s children move from poverty into prosperity.

“Finding long lasting solutions to poverty is not an easy task but identifying the zip codes who could benefit the most is a great first step,” said Michael Williams, Director of the Florida Prosperity Initiative. “These maps can be used by business and community leaders to show where the root causes of poverty are affecting the lives of young Floridians.”

The Florida Chamber Foundation uses data available from the American Community Survey conducted annually by the U.S. Census Bureau; the source for detailed population and housing information about our nation.

To request zip code specific data, please contact Michael Williams at mwilliams@flfoundation.org. 

Click for more info.

Co-owner and CEO of Sarasota based Crystal Clean Green Cleaning, Steven Pajevic, completed the prestigious Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program in the National Cohort held at Babson College in Boston. Pajevic, also participating in 10KSB Voices and will be speaking to The House of Representatives and Members of The Senate.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. During these uncharted times, especially, having a peer network to seek and give guidance to is unmeasurable. I made great lifetime friendships, and I look forward to applying the knowledge gained to overcome current and future business obstacles," says Steven Pajevic.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is a program for small businesses that links learning to action. Through the masters level program, scholars gain practical skills in topics such as negotiation, marketing, and employee management that can be immediately be put in action. Participants also receive tools and professional support they need to develop a strategic and customized growth plan that aims to take their company to the next level.

Designed by Babson College, the nation's top-ranked entrepreneurship school, the 10,000 Small Businesses curriculum engages scholars. It provides the skills needed to recognize new opportunities, embrace practices that increase business growth, and ultimately develop a customized growth plan for their business.

Amid participating in the 13th National Cohort, Pajevic was not able to travel to Boston for the program's second face-to-face session. The leadership, and pivot, of the program, was swift and efficient, allowing the approximate 150 scholars to focus on their businesses during the Coronavirus outbreak, then returning to complete the additional weeks of the program virtually.

As an alumnus, Pajevic volunteered to participate in 10,000 Small Business Voices – Virtual Capitol Hill Week. The program gathers small business owners across the US and provides a platform to advocate for legislation and policy changes.

Pajevic is selected to speak and voice concerns on Wednesday, June 10th, 2020, related to his business and local economy as effected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Although legislation has passed to lessen the burden to business owners, I believe there is still room for improvement. There is no better way than to speak directly to decision-makers." 

Click for more info.

Circo is a spot for rare and/or interesting bourbons and mezcals, fun cocktails and classic margaritas. Born from the marriage of two deeply interconnected cultures; Mexican & American, taco slinging & craftsmanship is what they say they do best. The Circo Brunch Experience has arrived Saturdays 11am to 3pm and Sundays 10am to 3pm. Brunch items include Chilaquiles, Biscuits and Gravy, Huevos Rancheros, High Steak Quesidillas and The Notorious Pig Burrito. 

1435 2nd Street in Downtown Sarasota; 941-253-0978.

Click for the brunch menu.

SCD is excited to announce that we will re-open our home studio for in-person dance classes today. We have implemented new safety guidelines in order to the studio as safe and as clean as possible. Classes this summer run from June 9 to July 9, 2020 and include Advanced Contemporary, Beginner Contemporary, Intermediate/Advanced Contemporary Jazz and Mixed Levels Contemporary 

In partnership with the DOH Sarasota County, CenterPlace Health is hosting FREE drive-up testing, by appointment, at three sites in Sarasota County. This community based COVID-19 testing is for anyone who is currently experiencing symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell) or who works in a health care setting. No prescription is needed.

All patients must have an appointment to be tested. Please call one of the locations below to be evaluated and scheduled for an appointment.

Child Health Center
(at the Glasser Schoenbaum Human Services Center)
1750 17th St., Bldg E, Sarasota
941.529.0100, then select option 3

Ringling Health Center
2200 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota
941.529.0200, then select option 3

North Port Health Center
6950 Outreach Way, North Port
941.529.0300, then select option 3

For more information about CenterPlace Health, visit www.CenterPlaceHealth.org 

Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is excited to announce it has been selected by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to be the forever home to a new rescued male dolphin. The new dolphin will provide a companion for CMA rescued resident Nicholas, another male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin.

In July 2019, the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin stranded in shallow waters off Fiesta Key, Fla. When he was rescued, the dolphin was weak and was found to have severe pneumonia. After several weeks of treatment, the dolphin’s health improved but further testing indicated he had hearing loss. Due to his ongoing health issues and hearing loss, NMFS ultimately determined the dolphin was not a candidate for release.

“Like all the rescued animals at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, we are looking forward to providing the best care possible for this dolphin,” said CEO Frank Dame. “He will have a loving and enriching home here at CMA and we’re so proud to be selected by National Marine Fisheries Service to care for him. I’d like to thank the teams at NMFS, SeaWorld, and Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder for rescuing and caring for this incredible animal.” Dame continued, “We’re especially excited to invite our guests to help us in welcoming him and naming him. To encourage locals to come see him, we are extending our Florida resident reopening special until June 7!”

Estimated to be approximately 26-years old, the dolphin weighs 700-pounds and will join Nicholas at CMA’s Dolphin Terrace.

“Clearwater Marine Aquarium has a history of providing excellent care for rescued marine life and their team has expertise with dolphins who exhibit hearing loss, like Panama and PJ,” said Dr. Erin Fougères, NOAA Fisheries Marine Mammal Stranding Program Administrator.

Home to the famous rescued dolphins Winter and Hope from the Dolphin Tale movies, Clearwater Marine Aquarium also cares for two other rescued dolphins, Nicholas and PJ, as well as sea turtles, pelicans, otters, and nurse sharks. All dolphins are deemed non-releasable by NMFS due to injuries and the lack of survival skills. In the Fall, CMA will open an expanded facility with a brand new dolphin habitat, tripling its current habitat space.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium reopened to guests on Friday, May 15 after being closed for 60 days. CMA implemented significant additional safety precautions to protect staff, animals, and guests while ensuring a fun and educational visit with limited guests. The Florida Resident Reopening Special provides $19.99 admission for adults and just $15.99 for kids.  

Click here for more info.

This Monday, June 8, Art Center Sarasota will be hosting the fourth Book Club event via Zoom from 2-3pm to read Chapter 5 from Jerry Saltz's new book, How to be An Artist. After reading the chapter they will discuss, share a few stories and maybe even some book and artist suggestions for to look into during the week. Everyone is welcome. Please try and login about 10 minutes before 2pm to work out the technology bugs and please remember to keep the microphone muted unless  speaking.  

Click here to register in advance for this meeting.