SRQ DAILY Apr 21, 2022
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"The 'hand up, not hand out' philosophy of the Homeless Veterans Stand Down helps build resilience in our unhoused veteran population, providing long-term housing and income sustainability"
The Florida Senate on Wednesday approved a new congressional map that Gov. Ron DeSantis intends to sign. In addition to increasing the number of Florida U.S. House districts from 27 to 28, the plan will radically reshape Southwest Florida, placing Manatee County entirely in one district and Sarasota County wholly in another.
Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, defended the map passed by the Senate. “I think the maps are great,” he said.
Gruters, also the Republican Party of Florida chair, said he stayed out of early stages of redistricting when the Legislature passed its own map. He felt confident those maps would stand as constitutional in court. The Governor, though, vetoed the maps and proposed his own. Gruters also has confidence in those maps.
“I have no doubt they will withstand any type of judicial challenge,” he said.
Political ramifications, though, could shake out with consequence.
As proposed, U.S. House District 16 on the would encompass all of Manatee, as well as most of south Hillsborough County south of State Road 60 in Brandon. Meanwhile, U.S. House District 17 covers all of Sarasota and Charlotte counties, as well as northeast Lee County. Partisan performance analyses show both seats remain safely Republican. About 53.81% of District 16 voters favored Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, and 57.49% of District 17 voters picked Trump as well.
But both U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan, a Republican elected in 2006, and Greg Steube, a Republican elected in 2018, live in District 17 as drawn. There’s no requirement for Congressmen to live in their districts but it’s unclear where either will run. Buchanan’s district covers all of Manatee now, as well as north Sarasota. Steube’s district expands into the Florida Heartland, most of which ends up on the new map in U.S. House District 18.
Most likely, Buchanan and Steube will run in separate districts, but it hasn’t been settled where each will run.
Should the two somehow run for the same seat, that could likely set off dominoes in the region, with figures like Gruters and Reps. Tommy Gregory and Mike Beltran as potential candidates for an open congressional seat, along with figures like former Senate President Bill Galvano. For sitting lawmakers, that would also unexpectedly open seats for the state Legislature that would be sure to generate interest from prospective candidates. 
Botany and beverages meet in the first installment of a new series called “Noshing in Nature” at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. On Friday, May 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., the Gardens will host “Tequila Tasting and Succulent Science,” a program that delves into the tequila-making process and the resulting complex flavors, at its Downtown Sarasota campus. Senior director of gardens horticulture Christopher Elenstar will lead a dialogue on agave, cacti, and other succulents with tequila experts from award-winning distillery Hiatus Tequila. After learning about the key succulents that play a role in the distilling process, attendees can put their new knowledge into practice through a guided tasting of Hiatus Tequila varieties. Botany has never tasted so delicious! Cost is $65 for Selby Gardens members, and $70 for non-members. Advance registration is required, as capacity will be limited. Learn more and register online at selby.org/events/noshing-in-nature/.
Pictured: The Succulent Garden at Selby Gardens Downtown Sarasota campus. Photo courtesy of Sebly Gardens.
The Nissco Restaurant Dealer Group based in Denver announced that Fishman & Associates has received their Dealer of the Year Award for 2021. The award acknowledges Fishman’s robust growth, resiliency and active collaboration with Nissco vendors. Nissco is a nationwide network of independent, wholesale dealers of foodservice equipment and supplies. Bob Daly, the president and owner of Fishman & Associates, received the award at a recent ceremony. Fishman & Associates was established in 1986. The company provides food service design support to diverse clients nationwide, including assisted living and retirement centers, country clubs, resorts, clubhouses, healthcare facilities, hotels, hospitals, schools, restaurants, churches, and more. The Fishman team has supported more than 360 senior living projects in 25 states. Its expertise includes kitchen design, bar and dining room layout, equipment specification, cost budgeting, refrigeration, and fabrication for new and remodeled food service facilities.
Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center, as part of the Tobacco Free Florida AHEC Cessation Program, offers free tobacco cessation sessions to help individuals quit all forms of tobacco. These group sessions—held virtually and in-person—will assist you with developing your own customized quit plan. Free nicotine replacement therapy in the form of patches, gum or lozenges (if medically appropriate and while supplies last) and follow up support from a trained tobacco treatment specialist are provided with the session.
Contact us today at 866-534-7909 or visit our pageto schedule a class or learn more about the program!
JFCS of the Suncoast and more than 30 community partners are ready to stand up for veterans during this weekend’s Sarasota Homeless Veterans Stand Down. Around 100 homeless veterans are expected to attend the 11th annual Stand Down, which provides them with a day of respite, support, and assistance, from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 23. JFCS of the Suncoast hosts this free event and brings together dozens of local agencies, businesses, and government partners, to provide services needed to make veterans eligible for housing and employment, as well as give them opportunities to care for their physical and mental health. The morning begins with an opening ceremony. Then each veteran must visit at least eight social service agencies before participating in wellness activities such as free haircuts, dental care, legal assistance, and much more. The veterans are given large rucksacks filled with toiletries, clothing, boots, undergarments, personal items, and non-perishable foods to take with them. Gift cards are also given away during a drawing throughout the event.
"The Homeless Veterans Stand Down provides a day of respite to our veterans experiencing homelessness. The annual event focuses on bringing community partners together in one location to connect veterans with the services they desperately need,” said Shellie Legarsky, JFCS Director of Homeless and Prevention Services. “As the lead agency, we can provide respite care and resources to reduce/eliminate the barriers preventing permanent housing. The ‘hand up, not hand out’ philosophy of the Homeless Veterans Stand Down helps build resilience in our unhoused veteran population, providing long-term housing and income sustainability.”
Sarasota Homeless Veterans Stand Down, 8 a.m. – Noon, Saturday, April 23 (Registration closes at 11:30 a.m.), Sarasota Fairgrounds and Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. Transportation: SCAT and MCAT are offering free bus rides to and from the event.
Pictured: Annual Homeless Veterans Stand Down 2021. Photo courtesy of JFCS of the Suncoast.
Sarasota Youth Opera and Child Protection Center are proud to be partners for the 2022 Giving Challenge which is hosted by Community Foundation of Sarasota County. For the launch of this Giving Challenge, Sarasota Opera will host a Brown Bag Lunch & Learn in the Opera House Courtyard and lobby on April 26th at 12 noon. Everyone is welcome to attend and help #BeTheOne to give our children a voice.
At this event Sarasota Youth Opera’s Director of Education, Martha Collins, will share information about the opera’s arts education programs, year-round choral and performance training, and the activities planned for the upcoming summer camp. Child Protection Center’s Marketing Coordinator, Shelby Marsh will provide insight into the organization’s vital mission and programs centering on the protection, intervention, and treatment of child abuse. Sarasota Youth Opera has given thousands of young people ages 8 to 18 a unique and uplifting opportunity to experience opera firsthand through fully-staged Youth Opera productions, Sarasota Opera’s mainstage productions, summer camps, after-school choruses, and concert performances throughout the community. Youth Opera has helped young people gain confidence and a stronger sense of self, create life-long connections, and build leadership skills for now and on into their future life endeavors.
Child Protection Center has served children and families in its important work for 40 years. The mission of the prevention, intervention and treatment of child abuse is achieved through different programming. The prevention team offers training workshops for children, parents, and professionals on how to identify and report abuse. CPC also offers intervention services, performing forensic interviews and medical exams for children as evidential support. The Supervised Visitation Program helps foster healthy relationships with caregivers in an attempt to maintain the overall well-being for a child. Free therapy services are provided for children and families who have been victims of child abuse, in an effort to create a stronger, more resilient child.
Rosemary Mejia envisions a society in which more individuals—regardless of their financial or demographical barriers—have equitable access to healthcare. This is one of the keys to global transformation, Mejia believes, and she aspires to be part of that change. Now one step closer to pursuing her ambitions, the thesis student at New College of Florida has earned a Fulbright award to study epidemiology in Peru. Mejia will conduct research at the Sede Cusco Tropical Medicine Institute at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia for one year, beginning in mid-August. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia is one of the top medical schools in Peru, and one of the major producers and publishers of scientific research in the country. The Sede Cusco program focuses on epidemiological, clinical and translational research of neglected tropical diseases, specifically Fasciola hepatica (a parasitic infection that affects the liver). While researching this disease in Cusco’s rural communities, Mejia will use existing databases to perform a geographic information system (GIS) analysis of the spatial distribution of fascioliasis. Mejia is now finishing her senior thesis, How Universal is Universal? A Comparative Study of Refugee Access to Health Care in France and Germany, which is sponsored by Professor of Political Science Barbara Hicks, Ph.D. Mejia is comparing the universal healthcare systems of France and Germany, and how asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants access medical care.
Twelfth Night By William Shakespeare and Directed by Jonathan Epstein, will show from April 6 through 24, 2022 with a Preview on April 5, 2022. Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy begins with a young woman shipwrecked on the island of Ilyria. She disguises herself as a boy for her own safety but finds herself playing go-between for the beautiful countess Olivia and Count Orsino, with whom she herself has fallen in love! Full of some of Shakespeare’s most glorious characters, this masterwork is performed by the entire second year company.
Grab your cowboy boots and hat for a ride through the soundtracks of beloved TV and movie Westerns on Wednesday, April 20 at 5:30pm, Thursday, April 21 at 7:30pm, Friday, April 22 at 5:30pm, and Saturday, April 23 at 8pm at Holley Hall. Enrico Lopez-Yañez leads the musical caravan of selections from The Lone Ranger, Annie Get your Gun, Silverado, and more.
The Queue: Beyond The Surface, A Solo Exhibit by Nneka Jones. In this exhibition, Nneka Jones comments on topics such as identity, stereotypes and the digital age. Jones embeds and camouflages portraiture, making some of her subjects almost unrecognizable. Contrasting technological symbols, such as barcodes and QR-codes, with the soft edges and skin tones of the figure, Jones creates a timely discussion on humanism vs. futurism. She brings to light a growing struggle to maintain true identity in the face of our highly influential social media sites. Jones believes social technologies create a digital mask ultimately causing issues with mental health and social segregation. She aims to magnify these issues in the hope of starting conversations surrounding identity and unity. Opening Night Reception is Friday, April 15th, 2022 from 6pm to 8pm. Open Exhibition Dates are April 16th through May 7th By Appointment Only.
Sarasota High School Theatre's Footloose the Musical will show April 20-23, 2022. When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, he is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. But he’s not prepared for the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, who is determined to exercise control over the town’s youth. When the reverend’s rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren’s reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid. The heartfelt story that emerges pins a father longing for the son he lost against a young man aching for the father who walked out on him.
April 21, 2022, 11am, The Architecture of Mote’s New Aquarium – A Mote Marine curator and a member of the architectural design team will discuss the spatial and aesthetic requirements of the new Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA). Arts Advocates is keeping a close eye on the COVID-19 situation and will decide whether their monthly speaker programs will be in-person luncheons at Bird Key Yacht Club or held via Zoom as each event nears. These programs are open to the public. Visit ArtsAdvocates.org for more information.
Explore the Center for Asian Art will take place on April 21, 2022. The Ringling Museum of Art is known internationally for its extensive European collection, featuring famous artworks and artists from the Baroque period. But did you know The Ringling also has an amazing collection of art from Asia? Join us as we travel through the Center for Asian Art, discovering treasures from Asia’s past and present. Join us on the third Thursday of each month, for a special day designed just for homeschool families. Tickets are timed in order to avoid over-crowding; please check in at the Visitors Pavilion at the time noted on your ticket. Please note that this is a self-guiding program. Wristbands, a map, and a program packet with activities and information will be provided at check-in and families are invited to explore the museum at their own pace.
Musician and Hermitage Artist Retreat fellow, Kavita Shah will preform Music Around the World under the Banyan trees at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Arts. She will perform a selection of her works in a stripped down style to compliment the dreamy outdoor venue.
In The Greatest Little Show on Earth! audiences from near and far will be enthralled as the young athletes of the Sailor Circus Academy, ages 8-18, flip, fly and soar to new heights in a show that pays tribute to the origins and traditions of the circus arts. Nearly 50 students will be featured in traditional circus acts enhanced by gorgeous new costumes as well as state-of-the-art lighting, sound, and multimedia elements such as the LED big-screen. Performances are 7pm April 21-23, 2pm April 23, and 1 and 6pm on April 24. Shows take place at the Sailor Circus Arena (2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota).
Join The Ringling Art Library for Literati, a book group that discusses books about art and subjects reflecting the Ringling collections. The April 22 book club will take place at 10:30am: The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough. This program will be virtual via zoom until further notice. This program is free. For further information, contact the Art Library at 359-5700, ex. 2701 or elisa.hansen@ringling.org.
The Venice Symphony presents Fantasy, Firebird and Fabiola with guest violinist Fabiola Kim, 7:30 pm, April 22 and 3:30 pm, April 23 at the Venice Performing Arts Center, One Indian Ave, Venice. The Symphony will offer its free Meet the Maestro Pre-Concert Talks at 6:30 pm before evening concerts and 2:30 pm before afternoon concerts, featuring Maestro Quinn and guest artists
Join us in the PINC Popup Studio for a fundraiser and photography exhibit showcasing the powerful images captured by Allan Mestel, a local photographer who traveled to the Poland-Ukraine border to document the ongoing refugee crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Come and see exactly where all your support is going.
The most ambitious and expansive exhibition to date of contemporary artworks created with augmented reality (AR) technology will premiere at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, opening on September 25, 2021 and ongoing through August 31 2022, as one of 12 participating gardens across six countries. Seeing the Invisible features works by more than a dozen international artists such as Ai Weiwei, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Isaac Julien CBE, Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau, Sarah Meyohas, Pamela Rosenkranz, and Timur Si-Qin—including several artists’ first work in AR. Visitors will engage with Seeing the Invisible via an app designed for the exhibition downloadable to smartphones and tablets. Forging new links between botanical gardens located in diverse biomes around the globe, the exhibition fosters collaboration between institutions, artists, and audiences, highlighting the power of art to connect people around the world.
For the first time since its founding in 1969, Arts Advocates has its own gallery to display works from its collection of Florida artists. Located in the Siesta Mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 119, in Sarasota, the opening exhibit features works by Sarasota Art Colony artists. Docent-guided tours of the exhibit are open to the public from 11am to 11:45pm on the first Wednesday of each month: November 3, December 1, January 5, February 2, March 2, April 6, May 4, and June 1. Tours are $10 per person, or $5 per person for Arts Advocates members, and can be booked below. Attendance is limited to 10. Group and special tours can be arranged by contacting Stephenie Frasher, docent team leader, at docent@artsadvocates.org.
Your favorite weeknight hangout has arrived at its new home, Waterside Place, the newest town center in Lakewood Ranch. Ranch Nite Wednesdays will take place from 6-9pm, every Wednesday, starting November 10, 2021 and through May, 2022. It will feature New food trucks + dessert truck each week, Weekly live music from local artists, Night market every 2nd Wednesday hosted by Main Street Market LWR, Outdoor bar hosted by Waterside Place tenant Good Liquid Brewing & Scratch Kitchen, and The 2nd largest recreational cornhole league in the nation hosted by MVP Sports & Social.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to announce the opening of As long as there is sun, as long as there is light. Selections from the Bring Gift and The Ringling Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art. The exhibition will run Nov. 21, 2021 – Aug. 13, 2023, in the museum’s Searing Wing. In 2020, The Ringling received a significant gift of art from Murray Bring and Kay Delaney Bring, in support of the modern and contemporary collection. Highlights from the gift include an important minimalist work by Anne Truitt and a monumental work on canvas by Gene Davis, both artists affiliated with the Washington Color School, an art movement during the 1950s to 1970s in Washington D.C., made up of abstract expressionist artists Additional works in the gift represent a generation of prominent artists who work, or have worked, in abstraction, including Clement Meadmore, Jules Olitski, Beverly Pepper, Rebecca Salter, Kenneth Snelson, and Yuriko Yamaguchi, among others. Also on view are sculptures and paintings by distinguished African American and Latin American artists from The Ringling collection, including William Edmondson, Eduardo Mac Entyre, Omar Rayo, Baruj Salinas, and Joyce de Guatemala.
The Farmers’ Market at Lakewood Ranch is home to more than 90 curated vendors of the region’s best food and flavors, located at Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch. It takes place every Sunday from 10am to 2pm at Waterside Place. It’s your weekend destination for organic produce, meat, poultry, seafood, bread, pasta, juices and prepared foods. Stay up to date on vendors and events by visiting TheMarketLWR.com.
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