The Florida Ethics Commission found probable cause that Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh abused her office when she helped select a vaccine pop-up site in her district and recommended a VIP list for shots that had her name on it.

The commission on Wednesday released a round of findings on complaints filed against public officials around the state. Baugh’s case, which earned national attention at the time, was among the most prominent.

“Probable cause was found to believe Ms. Baugh violated the constitutional amendment prohibiting the abuse of office to obtain a disproportionate benefit by placing her own name at the top of Manatee County’s randomly selected list of recipients to receive a COVID-19 vaccination,” the Ethics Commission release states.

“In addition, probable cause was found to believe Ms. Baugh misused her position or public resources to assign vaccine distribution priority to serve specific individuals and zip codes, contrary to Manatee County’s COVID-19 vaccination policy.”

Notably, Baugh never received a vaccine at the pop-up site, which was opened in February in Lakewood Ranch. The fact the site, located within Baugh’s county commission district, only served residents of two wealthy Manatee County ZIP codes at the time generated significant controversy over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ use of the short-term sites to serve populations not obtaining vaccines at a fast rate compared to the state as a whole.

Baugh issued a public apology when news broke in February of the VIP list. But she brushed off calls for her resignation as a county commissioner or as chair of the county board. She could face a fine of up to $10,000 or suspension from office, but that’s unclear as the finding of probable cause is just an early step in the evaluation process, something counsel for Baugh noted.

“The Commission’s decision to find probable cause is not an adjudication of guilt, but simply a decision to allow the matter to proceed to the next phase,” said Baugh attorney George Levesque.

“It was by no means a unanimous decision, which speaks to the real concerns as to whether any law was violated and the complex nature of these types of cases. Some Commissioners noted the clear political nature of the attacks, expressing significant reservations with moving forward. We look forward to this next phase of the proceedings to bring truth and perspective to the allegation and to demonstrate that Commissioner Baugh did not violate any law and did not violate any of her ethical obligation to her constituents.”

To all the fashion lovers and shopping addicts out there, you can add to your collection of favorite boutiques with the grand opening of Surge Style. This Friday, December 10, join the glam team of Surge on Main Street, downtown Sarasota to shop the latest and cutest clothing trends and accessories. Starting an online boutique was only the first step for Chloe Canterbury. Opening her first brick-and-mortar shop is the next. “My love for fashion, and the satisfaction I get from making women feel beautiful inside and out, is why I love what I do. But I didn't want to open a boutique just to open a boutique,”she says. “I wanted to inspire and encourage other women to go after their dreams as well, no matter what they may be.” 

Surge Style carries everything from apparel, swimwear, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses and more. The Hillary Heels and the Celine Ribbed Dress make for a perfect date night while the matching Eyelet Smocked Shorts and Eyelet Off-Shoulder Top are a go-to for a beach hangout. “Whether you’re looking for a beautiful flowy beach dress, or a sexy silhouette for a night out on the town,” says Chloe, “we have you covered.”

Surge Style Boutique, 1440 Main St., Sarasota, 941-552-8432, shopsurgestyle.com, @shopsurgestyle 

Click here to shop

Sarasota-Manatee Originals (SMO), a community of the area’s homegrown, independent restaurants, is launching its fall/winter Discount Certificate Sale, inviting fans to save 30% on local dining while checking off their holiday shopping lists. The Originals’ dining certificate sale starts at 7AM on Thursday, December 9, 2021. Certificates from over 60 SMO Member Restaurants - from the tip of Anna Maria Island to the southern beaches of Venice and every neighborhood in between - are included. The sale is offered online only at www.eatlikealocal.com.

“Our mission is to promote our community's diverse, locally-owned dining establishments,” said Sarah Firstenberger, Executive Director of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals. “And we offer our guests the opportunity to purchase these restaurant certificates at a significant savings as an illustration of our appreciation for their support.” The quarterly dining certificate sales program also supports the significant, ongoing marketing efforts of the SMO organization as they work to preserve and celebrate the unique culinary legacy of the area. The restaurant-specific dining certificates are offered in several price categories depending on the Member Restaurant’s menu and offerings, and range from $50 Certificates for $35 to $15 Certificates for $10.50. Favorites sell out fast. The vouchers are immediately emailed to the purchaser to be printed for use, with a  promotional value valid for six months. For more information on the SMO fall/winter Discount Certificate Sale, contact the Sarasota-Manatee Originals by email at info@dineoriginal.com or by calling (941) 365-2800. 

To see a full listing of restaurants click here

Forestar Group Inc. ("Forestar") announced D.R. Horton as the first homebuilder in Star Farms, a multigenerational lifestyle community in Lakewood Ranch. D.R. Horton, America’s Builder, plans to build nearly 300 homes in Phase 1 of the resort ranch community. With 25 distinctive floorplans in Phase 1, D.R. Horton plans to feature single-family homes, townhomes and villas ranging from approximately 1,500 to over 3,100 square feet, showcasing its D.R. Horton, Emerald and Freedom Homes brands.  This will be the first community to offer the Modern homes series in the Sarasota area. As part of Phase 1, potential homebuyers will have the opportunity to tour nine models. Construction is currently underway with the projected opening in early 2022.

“Being part of this new community enables us to provide additional homebuying opportunities with an enhanced lifestyle in Lakewood Ranch," Tarak Patel, D.R. Horton Tampa South City Manager. "Our future homeowners can explore an array of single-family offerings, including our very popular Modern Series, paired villas, carefree one-story single-family homes and townhomes.  As the largest builder in the nation, D.R. Horton truly provides homes for every stage in life, which is something that will be resoundingly true at Star Farms.”

Surrounded by the natural beauty of Southwest Florida, Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch will offer a unique experience tailored to meet the needs of today’s diverse homebuyers. The thoughtfully designed, 700-acre, gated village that Forestar is developing will be a resort ranch hometown featuring 1,500 single-family homes, paired villa retreats and townhomes with a variety of amenities, clubs and hospitality services. Positioned within the award-winning master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch, Star Farms is minutes from dining, shopping, cultural activities and top-rated beaches. 

Visit starfarmslwr.com and join the VIP Club for the latest information.

 Sarasota Memorial Hospital – Sarasota Campus earned the highest possible award for maternity care in U.S. News & World Report’s first “Best Hospitals for Maternity” list released today. To make the list, hospitals had to demonstrate superior performance on 5 quality metrics that matter to expectant families, including: newborn complication rates; C-section rates in low-risk women; the number of births scheduled too early in pregnancy; whether hospitals gave women the option for vaginal births after cesarean; and how hospitals supported mother-baby bonding and breastfeeding. SMH received high marks in all areas evaluated, and is the only hospital in the region to be make the list. Less than 10% of the more than 2,700 hospitals delivering babies received high enough marks across the board to be recognized in the national “High Performing” list for 2021-2022. This is the first time U.S. News has published a list of Best Hospitals for Maternity. Participating hospitals responded to a voluntary survey from the U.S. News health analysis team in the spring of 2021, reflecting clinical and quality data from 2019. Earlier this year, U.S. News awarded SMH “high performer” ratings in 15 other procedures and conditions common among Medicare patients, including heart and stroke care; hip, knee and spine surgery; cancer surgery; and more. 

To view the full listing click here

Blake Medical Center is pleased to announce the hospital’s new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) R. Lee Biggs, DO, MPH, CPE, FACOG.  Dr. Biggs joined the hospital Monday, December 6. Before joining Blake, Dr. Biggs served as the CMO of Trident Health in Charleston, South Carolina in HCA Healthcare’s South Atlantic Division. Prior to Trident Health, he served as CMO for HCA Healthcare’s Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Indiana. Dr. Biggs is a native of Asheville, North Carolina, and had a 26-year career as a Captain in the U.S. Navy and practicing Obstetrician and Gynecologist before joining HCA Healthcare. Dr. Biggs has maintained professional certification with the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology (FACOG) and the American Association for Physician Leadership/American College of Physician Executives (CPE). In his clinical and leadership roles he has served as a Chief Clinical Officer, Medical Staff President, Director for Surgical Services, and Department Chair of Obstetrics. He has championed and led innovation in physician development, process improvement, quality, and patient safety. In 2010, he received the Department of Defense Patient Safety Award for advances in Obstetrical and Team-Centered Care. Dr. Biggs recently relocated to the Bradenton area with his wife Marie and their 12-year-old Airedale Terrier Aires. 

The Van Wezel Foundation (Foundation) is pleased to announce that it has received a $10,000 grant from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation to support virtual Bilingual Family Art Nights. Virtual Bilingual Family Art Nights serve to align children, caregivers, and families in the Hispanic/Latinx communities with targeted learning objectives, while providing them with tools and lessons they can continue at home to expand learning. During virtual Bilingual Family Art Nights, children are exposed to an artistic discipline alongside an academic or social-emotional learning competency, providing multiple means for understanding, strengthening learning in both arenas. It is designed to pair a variety of artistic disciplines (dance/movement, visual arts, drama, and creative writing) with English Language Arts and STEM subjects, with all materials now translated in Spanish. 

The School District of Manatee County is hosting two Hispanic Resource Community Fairs in December to assist Spanish-speaking families with much-needed services. The fairs are taking place from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15 and from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Thursday, December 16 at the Wakeland Support Center, located at 1812 27th Street East in Bradenton.Volunteers are helping families with important information such as school or transportation registration, accessing student grades, applying for job opportunities, filing for rental assistance, learning about financial aid and opportunities, answering questions about healthcare access and more. Free coats and clothing will also be available. 

Community partners who are participating include: MCR Health, Manatee County Government, Manatee Literacy Council, Manatee Technical College, Project HEART and Unidos Now. For more information, families are encouraged to call the School District of Manatee County ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Program at 941-909-1999.