Each year, SRQ Media invites the community to nominate individuals with hearts of giving who have made a significant impact with local nonprofit organizations — from volunteers and board members to individual staff members and donors. This year, attendees were thrilled to be together as we recognized our annual Good Hero Philanthropic Award recipients at the SB2: Philanthropic Agenda Luncheon and Good Hero Philanthropic Awards Luncheon on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. In the coming weeks, we are happy to feature each of the twelve honorees in our Wednesday Philanthropic edition of SRQ Daily.

Lee DeLieto is the third honoree we are featuring. Lee's devotion to the youth in our community is unparalleled and it’s clear that the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties holds a very special place in his heart. He’s not only a dedicated and visionary leader but a true ambassador for kids— and his sense of duty to them is tireless. During his 30 years of service, he has done everything in his power to ensure that every child has the support to achieve their full potential.  Lee’s passion for the Club and his belief on its return on investment is clear—simply by his personal giving and advocacy, which has been significant—as well as his roles as Chair-Elect and as Board Chair.  His leadership ensured not just the smooth run of operations, but the expansion of the organization and a commitment to safe, continuous service during the pandemic. Lee’s steadfast leadership has helped the Club to truly be a trusted local institution. Congratulations Lee for staying the course and being a visionary on behalf of our future leaders. 

Pictured: Lee DeLieto (center) with Wes Roberts, SRQ Media Vice President and Executive Publisher (left) and Arthur Lerman of JFCS (right). Photo taken by Wyatt Kostygan.

Plans for making Siesta Key into Sarasota County’s fifth city fell apart Tuesday. The Sarasota County Legislative Delegation at a special meeting split 3-3 on a local bill incorporating the community as a municipality, effectively killing the legislation a week ahead of the regular legislative session.

State Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton and delegation chair, said he had serious concerns both about adding a layer of government with taxing authority. He also worried about potentially unrealistic expectations about the “government-lite” model proposed by civic leaders on the Key.

“Are we setting up for failure?” he asked.

Save Siesta Key, the group behind the incorporation effort, has defended it’s proposal to form a city for the less than 7,000 living on Siesta Key south of the Sarasota municipal limits. The organization said thanks to high property values, a low property rate of 0.25 mills could generate enough to fund a city government with just five employees— at least for the first five years of existence. The plan would be to focus city hall on infrastructure needs and planning, the latter a hot-button issue after the controversial approval by Sarasota County Commissioners of new hotels on the island.

State Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, had sponsored the bill and expressed disappointment in the vote. She noted any legislation in front of lawmakers would not be the final say on incorporation. Rather, the legislation if approved would put the matter to a vote by residents of Siesta Key.

“The question as to whether this is the city we would design for ourselves is a separate conversation,” she said.

McFarland and state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, voted for the legislation, as did Rep. Michele Rayner-Goolsby, D-St. Petersburg. But Robinson voted no, along with Reps. James Buchanan, R-Venice, and Tommy Gregory, R-Sarasota. Without a majority, the local bill died at the county delegation level.

But Gregory said he may support future iterations if a proposal comes forward that has more fiscal limitations, such as capping the city tax rate. 

Photo courtesy Save Siesta Key

Gulf Coast Community Foundation has awarded The Bay Park Conservancy an additional $300,000 grant to support the development of the first 10 acres of park on Sarasota bay, bringing Gulf Coast’s cumulative contributions to more than $1 million in direct donations. The funding will help transform land that is mostly a parking lot into a blue-and-green oasis, celebrating nature and promoting environmental sustainability and accessibility. In addition, Gulf Coast has provided vital leadership, fundraising support, and fiscal administration to help guide this project from initial inspiration to the current Phase 1 of development. Generous Gulf Coast donors also have recommended over $1 million in direct grants to the project from their funds at the foundation. Gulf Coast has served as The Bay Park Conservancy’s fiscal agent since early on. In addition, Jon Thaxton, Gulf Coast’s senior vice president for community leadership, has been a passionate leader, advocate, and supporter of The Bay from the beginning. His leadership has been valuable to the project since the original inspiration during a 2013 inter-city chamber of commerce visit to Nashville, TN. 

“The vision to transform the Sarasota bayfront into a world-class park, accessible to all, inspired me from the first time it was discussed,” said Thaxton. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to correct numerous environmental mistakes of the past, provide jobs, and offer future generations a sustainable asset that will benefit the community in perpetuity.”

One of Gulf Coast’s unique contributions to ensuring the environmental legacy of the park included a $100,000 grant to provide an innovative water-quality tool. This tool, a “denitrification trench,” diverts rainwater through the trench to neutralize excess nitrogen before it seeps into the groundwater and ultimately flows into the bay. 

“Gulf Coast’s vision is a thriving community with opportunities for all,” said Thaxton. “When I think of the future of this region I see The Bay, and I see future generations enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime oasis.” 

For more information about The Bay Park Conservancy, click here

The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County (ELC) has been awarded a $6000 grant from PNC Bank to help create a new STEAM Machine mobile classroom that will increase ELC's educational fleet to six vehicles. The new STEAM Machine will have disabled access and be constructed from a school bus donated to the ELC by the School District of Manatee County. The PNC Bank grant will contribute towards interior buildout and STEAM program materials. The STEAM curriculum focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. ELC's STEAM curriculum engages early learners in real projects within authentic environments and lays the academic groundwork for math and science.  

To learn more, visit

St. Armands Circle has announced the event dates for its upcoming 2022 “Sol of the Circle – Cold Days, Warm Hearts.” Experience life on the circle and visit an assortment of some of the best merchants in the region. Sol of the Circle, a joint effort by the St. Armands Circle Association and St. Armands Business Improvement District, invites locals and tourists alike to enjoy weekly events happening throughout the month of January. 

St. Armands Circle is set to kick off the new year with a handful of events for one to enjoy in January. The first event features a soothing way to wind down the weekend with Sunset Yoga. This free event will take place on Jan. 9 and 23 from 5 to 6 p.m. Led by instructor Liana Sheintal Bryant. Songs on the Circle will return with a mix of several smooth genres. Each quadrant will feature a different musical act providing a soundtrack to your evening as you stroll around the circle. This special event will be held on Wednesday, January 26from 6 to 9 p.m. St. Armands Circle Association’s Sol of the Circle will also include Ladies Night, which will be held on Thursday, January 20 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Shop and dine out on the Circle with a festive atmosphere for a special night of fun. The final event will conclude on Wednesday, January 26. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Circle encourages you to enjoy St. Armands Family Day which will include great activities for the whole family to participate in.  

To learn more, visit

Manatee County Government will be distributing 7,500 at-home COVID-19 testing kits on a first-come, first-served basis at all Manatee County libraries on Wednesday, January 5. The rapid COVID-19 test kits — which have been provided by the Florida Department of Health — will be available at all branches when they open. Palmetto & South Manatee branches open at 9 a.m. The Braden River Branch opens at 10 a.m. The Downtown Central, Island and Rocky Bluff branches open at noon. Some key points on using at home tests are: COVID-19 self-tests — also referred to as home tests or over-the-counter (OTC) tests — are one of many risk-reduction measures, along with vaccination, masking, and physical distancing, that protect you and others by reducing the chances of spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; If you test positive, you should isolate and inform your healthcare provider, as well as any close contacts; Consider using a self-test before joining indoor gatherings with others who are not in your household; A positive self-test result means that the test detected the virus, and you are very likely to have an infection and should stay home or isolate for 10 days, wear a mask if you could have contact with others, and avoid indoor gatherings to reduce the risk of spreading disease to someone else;  A negative self-test result means that the test did not detect the virus and you may not have an infection, but it does not rule out infection. Repeating the test within a few days, with at least 24 hours between tests, will increase the confidence that you are not infected. Four (4) test kits per person will be available at the front desk area of the library. 

For more information click here

A pair of new leaders started their supervisory roles with Manatee County Government Monday. Courtney De Pol takes over as the Director of Building and Development Services and Andrew T. (Drew) Richardson is the new head of Information Technology Services. While Drew’s title is new, the job is not. He has been working with the County in a Virtual Chief Information Officer consulting role since August, managing the IT team of 75 and annual budget of $18 million. Over the past five months, he has been developing strategic plans, implementing cyber-security enhancements and providing vision and direction for the future of the department. Prior to his interim position with Manatee County, Mr. Richardson served as Chief Operating Officer for the Department of Management Services – Florida Digital Service in Tallahassee. He also served in IT leadership roles for Florida’s Department of Management Services and Department of Health. He sees his role as the County’s Chief Information Officer as integral to the support of the community – and the people who live here.

Ms. De Pol takes over the Building and Development Services Department after 14 years combined experience with the Federal Government, Department of the Navy, local government, and the private sector. She earned her Civil Engineering degree from Vanderbilt University and has graduate coursework in engineering management from Pennsylvania State University.  She is relocating to Bradenton with her family from Corpus Christi, Texas. 

For more information click here

GrowFL, Florida’s only organization dedicated exclusively to supporting second-stage businesses, today announced that its Board of Directors has named Jennifer Taylor as President and Chief Executive Officer.
As a seasoned economic development professional, Taylor managed lead generation and business recruitment efforts for the Central Florida Development Council and the EDC of Sarasota County.

Prior to this, she spent more than 15 years as Vice President of Business Development for the Tampa Bay Partnership – an eight-county, regional economic development organization.
Throughout her career, she has worked with corporate and industrial expansions and relocations such as McDonnell Douglas, Bristol Myers Squibb, Publix Super Markets, McKinsey Consulting, Depository Trust & Clearing, Nucor Steel Florida, Valmont Newmark, Amazon Air, and others that resulted in more than $1.8 billion in new capital investment and the creation of 8,500 new full-time jobs in Florida. Taylor’s appointment comes as the organization’s former President and CEO, Tammie Sweet, is pursuing a new career with Florida-based technology company, Coastal Cloud. 

To learn more, visit