SRQ DAILY Nov 2, 2020
Monday Business Edition
"Music played a huge role in the cultural experience of the African American community but I think all viewers will find the themes to be relatable and inspirational."
Early voted has wrapped and in Sarasota and Manatee counties, and most voters in the region have already cast their ballots for the 2020 election. But there’s plenty of votes still to be cast before now and 7pm Tuesday evening.
Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner stressed the opportunity still exists to vote safely in this high-profile election. But he said it’s important voters know where to go before heading out to polls.
“If you are one of the thousands of voters who have not yet voted, and plan to cast your ballot on Election Day, please don’t wait until the last minute to find out the location of your election day polling place,” Turner said. Several poll locations have been moved or closed, so check with the local supervisor’s office if you need to shift plans.
In Sarasota County, 135,671 voters had already voted by mail as of Sunday morning, as had 82,728 who early voted at locations in the state. That includes (46,169 Rep, 17,495 Dems) 93,964 Republicans and 76,554 Democrats.
Another 99,513 mail-in votes had been received in Manatee County and 66,614 voted early in person. In that county, 75,263 Republicans and 54,832 Democrats.
Of course, much of that turnout comes courtesy the presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Florida’s 29 electoral votes could determine the winner of the election.
But there’s also several key local races that will be decided. U.S Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, faces a solid challenge from Democrat Margaret Good earning national notice. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, is in a heavily GOP district but faces a challenge from Democrat Allen Ellison and independent Theodore “Pink Tie” Murray. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, faces a challenge from Democrat Katherine Norman and independent Robert Samuel Kaplan, and an open Senate seat in Manatee sees Republican Jim Boyd and Democrat Anthony Eldon on the ballot.
There’s an open race in House District 72, where Democrat Drake Buckman and Republican Fiona McFarland battle. Reps. Will Robinson, Tommy Gregory and James Buchanan face respective challenges from Democrats Andy Mele, David Fairey and Lisa Stortstrom
Both counties will be part of a State Attorney’s election between incumbent Ed Brodsky and Democrat Betsy Young.
Meanwhile, Sarasota has three County Commission races happening, with Republican Mike Moran facing Democrat Mark Pienkos in District 1, Republican Nancy Detert against Democrat Cory Hutchinson in District 3 and Republican Ron Cutsinger battling Democrat Alice White in District 5.
In Manatee County, there’s two significant County Commission races. Democrat Dominque Shauntel Brown faces Republican James Satcher in District 1, while independent Matthew Bower faces Kevin Van Ostenbridge in District 3. There’s also a School Board race between incumbent Dave “Watchdog” Miner and challenger Mary Foreman.
In the City of Sarasota, Willie Shaw faces Kyle Scott Battle in District 1, Commissioner Liz Alpert is up against Terry Turner in District 2 and Dan Clermont goes against Erik Arroyo in District 3. In Bradenton, Gene Brown, Harold Byrd, Jr. and Dimitrie Denis are all running for an open Mayor post, while Pamela Coachman and Keenan Wooten face off in District 5. In North Port, David Iannotti and Richard Suggs run in a District 1 runoff, Barbara Langdon and Jacqueline Moore remain in District 2, and Debbie McDowell and Jerry Nicastro are running in District 3. In Venice, Brian Kelly and Bill Willson run for a District 2 seat. 
Gail E. Farb, a labor and employment attorney with Williams Parker, recently participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Sarasota County Bar Association concerning the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, that clarified protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 related to LGBTQ+ employees. The panel discussed implications of the decision including ensuring compliance, addressing workplace issues, and revising policies.
In early October The Bay opened up the western portion of the restored Mangrove Bayou. Complete with a 10-foot rubberized walking path, this walkway will be connected by the bridge over the bayou, ready for walking, jogging and biking through the park. In addition, they're planning for the eastern section of the bayou to be complete in early 2021 with a canoe/kayak launch and wonderful viewing places. None of this is possible without the support of donors. Please consider becoming a Friend of The Bay today.
Sarasota Military Academy High School hosted on-campus blood drives for the SunCoast Blood Centers on October 21 and 24, 2020. Scott Bush, SunCoast Blood Centers CEO, was on-site to congratulate cadets and administration especially SMA Clinic Supervisor Leslie Collier, RN who has held blood drives at SMA for over 15 years. “SMA is helping save lives by supplying local hospitals much needed blood for the community,” said Bush. Blood donations are at an incredible low with blood needs outpacing supply. According to the SunCoast Blood Centers, historically 20% of their blood supply comes from high school students, now they represent only 2% due to COVID restrictions on high schools.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America presented Meghan O. Serrano, Sarasota partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, with the 2020 Southeast Board Member of the Year award during a regional virtual conference on October 28. This award recognizes Serrano’s unwavering commitment to youth at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. “This award means everything to me,” said Serrano. “I am so honored to have a small role in helping our community’s future leaders realize their full potential. I know that our kids are seeing our example and are learning resilience and other leadership qualities that will help them succeed.”
Due to community response, the streaming video of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and Key Chorale collaboration, “American Roots: The Gospel Experience,” is being held over. The presentation, which is available in open-captioned and non-captioned format, will now be available through November 30. "It was truly a thrill to be able to put a program of this magnitude together, in partnership with the skilled singers of the Key Chorale , and perform it in area churches," said WBTT Founder and Artistic Director Nate Jacobs. "Gospel music was born in churches, where African Americans could find release from the pressures of everyday life. This music played a huge role in the cultural experience of the African American community but I think all viewers will find the themes to be relatable and inspirational."
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has established a new scholarship fund in honor of the late Sam Mossler, a beloved playwright, actor, and teaching artist who passed away unexpectedly on October 21, 2020. “Sam was the essence of Florida Studio Theatre,” shared Kate Alexander, FST’s Associate Director At-Large, who led Mossler’s early theatre training. “He was more than the philosophy, more than the actor on stage, and more than the teaching artist. He is part of the very fiber of what Florida Studio Theatre means—his heart, his courage, and his kindness. I have never met a kinder or more beautiful soul.”
Dishonest Gabe is at it again—Don't believe the accusations by Dishonest Gabe Hament in his letter appearing in this past Saturday's OpEd Edition of SRQ Daily. His musings are not altruistic but pandering to the Developer Cabals and wealthy Special Interests who want to take control Sarasota away from the neighborhoods. Always ready to wag a finger when is Dishonest Gabe going bring us something positive and constructive.
Equality Flordia withdrew its request for the ordinance against conversation therapy due to it's unconstitutionality. The City Attorney advised the Commission against the ordinance that other Florida cities had been sued, which was the real reason it did not carry forward. Dishonest Gabe Hament has no credibility whatsoever; he has never worked for community residents' greater good always serves the sinister elitist's greedy agendas.
The Developer Class & Special Interests who want to control the city recruited an Empty Suit candidate to run in District One. This candidate did not even bother to vote in the 2020 Primary; his website has no bio on it still; he's only about money and platitudes. After six months on the campaign trail, the public knows nothing more about him than it did initially.
He has run on a 100% anti-incumbency platform; there are no visions and nothing about how he plans to accomplish the taxpayers' goals or protect our quality of life. Don't turn District One over to a 52-year-old man with no service record and not one item on his resume that qualifies him to be a City Commissioner. We all will pay for his on the job training.
If the Empty Suit candidate has never worked to achieve a higher ideal at this stage of life, what makes you think he will now?
Virginia Hoffman is a long-time activist based in Arlington Park.
The City of Sarasota has extended its declaration of a local citywide public health emergency through November 6 following a weekly review, as required by the City Charter, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Face coverings are strongly encouraged in all indoor and outdoor public spaces in the City limits, whenever proper social distancing cannot be maintained in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. The face covering ordinance is in effect through December 27.
Florida Division of Emergency Management relocated the COVID-19 test center in Palmetto from Lincoln Park to the Bradenton Area Convention Center today. The site will operate daily from 7-11:30am and 12:30-4pm (or until they reach the max. of 500 test kits/day).
The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall announces the following changes to the 2020-2021 season:
- The Israel Symphony Orchestra’s performance on January 19, 2021 has been canceled.
- An Intimate Evening with David Foster: HITMAN Tour on Sunday, January 31, 2021 has been rescheduled to December 9, 2021. Details on Katharine McPhee’s availability for this performance will be announced at a later date.
- Neil Berg’s 112 Years of Broadway on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 has been rescheduled to March 9, 2022.
- The Simon & Garfunkel Story on February 12, 2021 has been rescheduled toFebruary 12, 2022.
- A Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul on February 18, 2021 has been rescheduled to February 9, 2022.
It's time to celebrate safely, joyously, and with great food all while being entertained between meal courses with skillful, artistic cirque performers. Glow Table DInner, presented by Lamborghini Sarasota, will highlight its first of several magical dining experiences utilizing their chic, colorful dining tables with tempered glass on Friday, November 6, 2020 in Lakewood Ranch, FL, just off Main Street, in front of Grove's restaurant and ballroom.
Thanks to the pandemic, the United States plunged from a record-breaking economic expansion to a severe recession. What choices do we need to make to reverse that trend and secure our economic future? William Dudley (’71-’74) is a senior research scholar at Princeton University’s Center for Economic Policy Studies. He served as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 2009 to 2018 and was also the vice chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee. In 2019, Dudley spoke about our nation’s record-breaking economic expansion. Shortly after, the pandemic cut that short. With breathtaking speed, the United States economy has plunged from its recent heights to the deepest recession in decades. The American economy is sick. What is Dudley’s prescription to bring the patient back to health? What choices must we make to jump-start a recovery? How long will it take to turn things around? Depending on our choices, Dudley will define the best-case and worst-case scenarios.
Join celebrating the 20th Anniversary of our annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser. While the luncheon this year will look very different, the purpose is the same, uniting to show support for the critical work of Meals on Wheels PLUS through The Food Bank of Manatee. With a generous sponsorship, you can treat your staff/organization to a socially-distanced appreciation luncheon with an assortment of soups, fresh-baked bread, and dessert delivered from our event to your location. Show your support for Meals on Wheels PLUS and The Food Bank of Manatee. The fundraiser will be held from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on November 12, 2020 at Manatee Performing Arts Center 503 3rd Avenue West in Fowntown Bradenton and on November 13, 2020 at Main Street in Lakewood Ranch.
Manatee Performing Arts Center, Nov 12: 503 3rd Avenue West, Downtown Bradenton Nov 13: Main Street, Lakewood Ranch
This digital exhibition features recent work by accomplished faculty currently teaching at Ringling College of Art and Design. Featuring a dizzying array of media and artistic styles that reflect the breadth of art practices, this exhibition provides an important opportunity for art faculty members to share their work with students, colleagues, and the community.
Ringling College Galleries, Online—this exhibition is being hosted online.
Sarasota Opera's first live-streamed performance will take place on Friday, November 13 at 7:30 PM at the Sarasota Opera House, featuring favorite opera selections by Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, Wagner, and Mozart, accompanied by piano. A limited number of tickets will be available for an in-person, distanced audience at $25-45. Tickets for the live stream are $10. The live stream will be available for viewing for two weeks.
Join your Lakewood Ranch Ambassador, Greg Spring, on the third Saturday of each month from 8am to 9am October-March for a 10-mile, 1-hour casual bike ride through Lakewood Ranch. We will meet at the fountains on Main Street. This is a great way to see the Ranch. Don't forget to bring your helmet.
The Downtown Sarasota local book shop, Bookstore1 is now open for browsing with masks and gloves and payment by credit card only from 10 am – 4 pm, Monday – Saturday. Side-door pick is also still available. Upcoming Virtual Book Clubs will also continue to be held throughout October 2020 and throughout November, 2020. All book clubs presented via Zoom, registration is required. Ticket purchase required for Zoom link. Please feel free to contact Andrea Ginsky, Web Editor/Public Relations, if you have any questions. For the featured authors and books for each meeting, visit the link below.
Bookstore1 Sarasota
The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has just announced a premiere outdoor concert event, Bay Music Live. On Saturday, November 14, Jah Movement's signature sound will electrify the lawn and terrace outside of the Van Wezel in this socially-distanced, sunset show. The event kicks off at 4pm with music starting promptly at 4:30pm Lawn spaces and tables will be arranged for social distancing, and guests can enjoy fresh air and a stroll on the newly developed Mangrove Bayou Walkway. Food and beverage by Mattison's will be available for purchase, with beer by Michelob Ultra & Gold Coast Eagle Distributing.
Taiwanese American violinist Max Tan has been praised as “eloquent” by the New York Times and as a “warmly rhapsodic player” by the Boston Globe. As a winner at Artist Series Concerts’ 2018 National String Competition, an alumnus of the Perlman Music Program and a member of the Sarasota Orchestra, Tan is a welcome and familiar presence on Sarasota’s arts scene. He has also been the recipient of numerous other awards, most recently the 2019 Foote Prize from the Harvard Musical Association. He has been featured on WNYC/WQXR and on Belgian radio Musiq3 as a semifinalist in the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition. He has performed as a soloist with many orchestras including the Juilliard Orchestra, New Juilliard Ensemble, Longwood Symphony, Boston Philharmonic Youth, and Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestras. Tan performs on the 1701 “ex-Franko” Stradivarius on generous loan from the Juilliard School. Pianist, arranger and conductor Joseph Holt is director of artist programs for Artist Series Concerts and artistic director of Choral Artists of Sarasota. Dr. Holt served more than 20 years as principal pianist with the United States Army Chorus, performing for U.S. presidents, military officials and dignitaries from around the world. Doors open at 10:30am and Luncheon following at 12:15pm. Tickets are $53.
Michael's On East, 1212 South East AvenueSarasota, FL, 34239
Co-chairs Ariane Dart and Pauline L. Wamsler cordially invite you to the in celebration of Selby Gardens' 45th Anniversary Orchid Show: Women Breaking the Glasshouse Ceiling. While we cannot be together in-person, all attendees will enjoy a delicious lunch while creating a unique floral design led virtually by one of Washington, D.C.’s most sought-after floral designers, Sarah von Pollaro, Founder, of Urban Petals Floral Design.Proceeds from Lunch in the Gardens support Selby Gardens' community outreach education programs; international research and conservation; and beautiful, world-class horticulture displays. It is their hope that they can help children and families develop an appreciation for nature.
Online
Back by popular demand, SCD continues to bring their collaborations to a nuevo level with renowned harpist, Ann Hobson Pilot. This performance is originally choreographed by Leymis Bolaños Wilmott, inspired by la música of Astor Pantaleon Piazzolla. Pilot’s arrangement for the harp, violin, and bandoneon, inspired by Piazzola’s compositions, infuses the composer’s melodías into a contemporary mix of música de tango with jazz and classical influences. Through an invigorating visual and emotional experience, SCD brings a passionate and poignant performance to the Historic Asolo Theater with Piazzolla from November 19, 2020 until November 22, 2020. Performances at 7:30pm, except Sunday at 2pm.
The Florida Cultural Group Inc will produce Starlight Movie Night, sponsored by the Bradenton Area Arts & Culture Department, on the heels of the destination's month-long National Arts and Humanities celebration. Four family-friendly films will be shown on big screens set up at four outdoor locations (on land and water) found throughout the Bradenton Area. Attendees must reserve a free viewing spot at the location of their choice to secure their space and ensure a safe and socially distant movie night under the stars.
Holmes Beach Community Park:
“Dolphin Tale” (rated PG) will be featured at Holmes Beach Community Park at 5900 Flotilla Drive in the City of Holmes Beach. Reserve a spot and bring your own chairs, blankets and coolers. This screening also includes a guest speaker from Clearwater Aquarium starting at 6:30 p.m., presented by The Center of Anna Maria Island. Masks are required when not in your viewing section.
Manatee Performing Arts Center: This community hub for arts and culture at 502 3 rd Ave W in Bradenton will transform into an outdoor movie theatre, showing “Swiss Family Robinson” (rated G). At this location, attendees can reserve a section and set up their own lawn chairs and blankets outside, or reserve a parking spot and enjoy the movie from their vehicle. Coolers are allowed, and Manatee Performing Arts Center will be providing popcorn.
Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch: These sprawling fields located at 5895 Post Blvd in Lakewood Ranch provide plenty of room for guests to set up their lawn chairs and blankets and get comfortable for an outdoor showing of “Pelé: Birth of a Legend” (rated PG). Concessions will be available at this location, and guests are welcome to bring coolers.
Palmetto on the Manatee River: Cruise over and anchor your boat for a unique movie experience on the water. “Peanut Butter Falcon” (rated PG-13) will be shown from the big screen on the west side of the Palmetto Pier and the north side of the Manatee River. There are no reservations at this location, so be sure to arrive early and anchor boats 10’ apart to maintain
social distancing.
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