A sold out crowd gathered Sunday night for the Kennedy-King Dinner, organized by the Sarasota County Democratic Party. There, the most prominent Democrats running for statewide office all made their pitch to party regulars to turn out votes in November.

U.S. Rep. Val Demings, the leading Democrat running against Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, accepted the “Champion Award.” Christine Jennings, a former Sarasota County Democratic Party Chair, noted the congresswoman is only the second recipient of the award behind former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a difference from the Republican Party of Sarasota’s Statesman of the Year Award.

Demings happily accepted the award while encouraging Democratic voters to prepare for a hard campaign season. “Things are a little challenging now,” she said. “We’re trying to save the state. We’re trying to save the nation.”

Three major candidates for Governor all took their turn at the microphone as well.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a former Republican Governor now running his second campaign for Governor as a Democrat, said he’d be happy to stand his own record as Governor against sitting Gov. Ron DeSantis. “Val and I and my wonderful competitors, we are calling people all over the country asking for help,” he said. “Every time I talk to someone outside of Florida, I hear, ‘Oh my god, you are from Florida? How do you do that.'”

Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner, said she’s been combating DeSantis from the Cabinet as Florida’s only Democrat holding statewide office. She argued her record of success winning in 2018 when all other Democrats on the statewide ballot lost makes her the best choice for standard-bearer in 2022. “I’ve been the only person standing in the way of the DeSantis autocracy in the state,” she said.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Annette Taddeo, D-Miami, said she would be the best person to push back against Republican messaging that Democrats are socialists. That will be especially important in South Florida, she said. Taddeo grew up in Colombia but fled terrorists there after her father was kidnapped from the family’s farm. She went on to run a business for 30 years. “Don’t hang the label of socialist on me,” she said.

The Monday evening event was the first major one for the county party since before the pandemic, and had 690 tickets sold. At the event, more was raised, including a $10,000 check from talk show host Jerry Springer and thousands more from other donors. 

Photo by Jacob Ogles: Val Demings with Sarasota County Democratic Party leaders JoAnne DeVries and Christine Jennings

Representatives of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals (SMO) are thrilled to announce the continued partnership of premier wholesale restaurant distributor Sysco for 2022. Regional management of the trusted broadliner worked closely with SMO staff and Executive Board Members to design a program that was relevant and sustainable in its support of locally-owned, independent restaurants by offering discounts and buying incentives to SMO’s Members. Sysco is also providing the SMO organization meaningful rewards used to underwrite the not-for-profits’ marketing initiatives. 

“Since its inception, the SMO restaurant collective’s primary mission has been to provide its Members with tools to help compete with the national and multi-unit chains in their communities,” said Marc Grimaud, Owner of Café Gabbiano and SMO Board President, “and Sysco has been a steadfast and gracious partner and ally from the beginning of the journey. Working with Sysco to provide ‘buying power’ in the form of competitive purchasing opportunities of foods and products for our Members is one of the strongest pillars of support we can offer our local restaurateurs.”

“At Sysco we have a purpose statement: Connecting The World To Share Food and Care For One Another,” states Antonette Palacios, Vice President of Sales, Sysco North Florida Region. “Together, we are excited to partner with the Sarasota Originals to help them serve their customers and teams each and every day.” 

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JFCS of the Suncoast celebrates the grand opening of its new office in Venice. Based in Sarasota and serving clients in six counties, JFCS is one of the Florida Suncoast’s preeminent mental health counseling and human services providers. The agency opened its new office to better serve clients living in the Venice and North Port area and to address the growing need for assistance in the local community.

“During the course of providing services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw that an increasing number of clients came to us from south Sarasota County, specifically from Venice, North Port, and Englewood,” said Dr. Stacy Lang, JFCS Chief of Behavioral Health Services. “This new office will allow us to meet our clients where they are, and to continue to provide quality mental health and human services to the growing community.”

Like JFCS’ other offices across Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties, the Venice location offers a variety of human services, including mental health counseling, relationship classes, homelessness prevention, financial assistance, caregiver meetings, community education, bereavement support groups, and much more.

“We are thrilled to be opening a new office in Venice,” said Lang. “This will allow us to expand our work with children, teens, adults, and seniors in a variety of ways to help empower our clients to live full, healthy lives. The new office is located at 2167 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice. To reach JFCS representatives there, please call 941-366-2224 ext. 637, 638, or 639. 

Premier Sotheby’s International Realty (PSIR) announces the recognition of Moriah K. Taliaferro in the 2022 30 Under 30 class of the National Association of REALTORS®. The annual awards identify the rising stars of real estate under the age of 30 from a competitive pool of nationwide applicants. Honorees are chosen through a selective nomination and vetting process that prioritizes both professional achievement and community leadership. Taliaferro is one of only two Florida agents chosen from among the hundreds of nominees, and she is the only representative of a Sotheby’s International Realty brokerage. The 30 honorees represent 20 different states and the District of Columbia. The National Association of REALTORS® is one of the largest professional associations in the United States, representing nearly 1.6 million real estate professionals. The 30 Under 30 Awards have been granted since 2000, honoring young professionals who are accomplishing extraordinary things in their businesses, associations, and communities in every part of the country. Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, established in 1983, is a leader in luxury real estate market share with 40 offices throughout Florida and western North Carolina and an annual sales volume exceeding $10.7 million.

 

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The Education Foundation of Sarasota County announces new staff members Amber Post, chief development officer and Trish McNamee, grants administrator; who joins Jen Champion, director of development and Carla Weiland, director of development, donor relations. Carla Weiland is the director of development, donor relations. She has worked in fundraising for over 20 years, including at the State of New Jersey University system and the State of New York University system (SUNY). Carla moved to Port Charlotte from New Jersey full time three years ago. Amber Post is chief development officer. She serves on the senior leadership team as the primary team member responsible for the management, planning, and implementation of all philanthropic strategies. Amber hails from the Florida State University Foundation, where she has worked for the past eight years in development roles with increasing responsibilities, most recently serving locally as the senior development officer representing the Sarasota regional campus at the FSU College of Medicine. Jennifer (“Jen”) Champion is the director of development. Jen has over 20 years of fundraising experience, managing teams and working with donors and corporate leaders from throughout southeastern Michigan. A native of Michigan, she moved to Sarasota a year and a half ago to be closer to her mother and to enjoy the beautiful weather. Trish McNamee is the grants administrator and is responsible for securing philanthropic revenue with foundations and other grant-making organizations. Trish comes from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, where she managed a grants administration team to administer grant-making from donor-advised and designated funds; database processing for interfund grants, discretionary grants, and scholarship grants awarded; and the gift processing team for Season of Sharing. 

Pictures: Carl Weiland, Amber Post, Jen Champion and Trish McNamee.

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The Otto Group, a wealth management firm that provides holistic and advanced planning solutions to a select group of families, individuals and business owners, today announced it has hired two seasoned professionals and promoted a third to optimize the firm for its continued growth while delivering an enhanced client experience. This investment in talent will enable The Otto Group to continue its growth trajectory while staying true to meaningful outcomes for its clients and professional partners.

The Otto Group welcomes: Kimberlie Buchanan, Client Relationship Director. A Certified Public Accountant and professional advisor for nearly 30 years, Buchanan oversees business development and community activities through partnerships with centers of influence, philanthropic organizations, and clients. A key member of the leadership team, Buchanan collaborates with the firm’s advisors to deliver boutique, personalized wealth management services and solutions.
· Hannah Starr, Private Wealth Advisor. Highly focused on financial planning and servicing the investment needs of the firm’s clients, Starr works with the team to help find appropriate financial solutions for each investor based on their long-term goals and predilection to risk. Starr provides a multi-generational perspective, helping demonstrate to high-net-worth families and individuals that the firm can advise not just existing clients, but their children and grandchildren, as well.

The firm celebrates the promotion of: Laurel Corriveau, Client Experience Officer (CXO). With 30 years of professional service experience in banking, legal, and finance, Corriveau now guides practice management for the firm, focusing on daily operations along with business plan creation and execution of marketing, growth, fiscal, and organizational plans. Corriveau is responsible for ensuring that the firm’s advisors are equipped with the meaningful resources, solutions, and support they need to meet the needs of their clients.

“As we look ahead to the increasingly sophisticated needs of our clients, we recognized that it was important to expand the firm to provide a new level of service while strengthening our partner relationships and seeking new business,” said Matt Otto, Managing Director of The Otto Group. “Laurel, Kimberlie and Hannah bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their distinct roles. Kimberlie is a seasoned professional service firm business development executive and Hannah is a savvy social media influencer with insights and experience in multi-generation wealth management. Laurel is the lynchpin of our firm, having served as client relations director for a number of years, and we recognized the importance of elevating her role. We are excited to see what we can accomplish with this team.” 

Pictured: Client relationship director Kimberlie Buchanan, private wealth advisor Hannah Starr, and client experience officer Laurel Corriveau of The Otto Group

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The Friends of the Florida Maritime Museum has received a $1,000 grant from the Ed Chiles Charitable Fund of the Manatee Community Foundation. The Friends of the Florida Maritime Museum's mission since its inception in 2012 has been to support the Museum through community outreach, education and financial support. In 2021, FFMM extended that mission to bring the Museum's historical perspective full circle by educating the public on the transformations facing Florida's present day commercial fishing industries. The website and social media share photos, videos, and education about the current commercial fishing industry in Cortez and throughout the state of Florida. Mr. Ed Chiles has been a board member of the Friends of the Florida Maritime Museum since its beginning. His volunteerism, financial support, and passion for maritime heritage and sustainable seafood has given Friends a dynamic perspective as the non-profit has grown. Friends wishes to extend their gratitude to the Ed Chiles Charitable Fund of the Manatee Community Foundation for this generous grant.

Pictures, Ed Chiles.