Mark Smith has designed buildings that make up the community for years. Now the architect wants a voice on the Sarasota County Commission on what the community looks like as a whole.

The chair-elect for the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce has filed as a Republican running for the Sarasota County Commission in District 2. “A good deal of what the County Commission deals with is planning, construction and development projects,” he said. “This is what I do for a living.” 

Right now, Smith could face incumbent County Commissioner Christian Ziegler, though he’s hoping the incumbent retires instead of running in a single-member district. Ziegler has yet to file for re-election. Of course, the change in how commissioners win election could impact Smith as well. District 2 has more Democrats than Republicans.

Regardless, he’s faced challenging odds before. He ran against Sarasota County Commissioner Nora Patterson in a GOP primary in 2010.

And he feels with single-member voting in effect, his leadership within Siesta Key should make a difference. Smith led a group of individuals who sought a compromise text amendment on hotel planning earlier this year before a controversial plan for a 170-room hotel was approved. The text amendment would have allowed for a smaller hotel with about 50 rooms, resulting in a much less intense development than the one now in the works.

“With commercial zoning, your highest revenue is a bar or a restaurant. The question is, do we need more restaurants and bars on Siesta Key?” Smith said. “Our thought was that a boutique hotel would support existing businesses.”

Smith said he’s looking forward to a campaign where he doesn’t need to reach voters throughout the county and can focus on District 2.

The Republican primary in District 2 right now includes longtime controlled growth activist Lourdes Ramirez, who previously challenged Maio in countywide races. Democrats in the race include former Sarasota Mayor Fredd Atkins, Sarasota City Commissioner Hagen Brody and beach activist Mike Cosentino.

The deadline to qualify is June 17 at noon. 

CoolToday Park, the Spring Training Home of the Atlanta Braves, has launched their new website, www.CoolTodayPark.com. This website will be a resource for anything happening at CoolToday Park, whether it be during the Spring Training season or the remainder of the year. CoolToday Park hosts a multitude of events year-round, including weekly live entertainment at the Superior Pools Tomahawk Tiki Bar & Grill, which is open six days a week. If you’re looking for Braves gear, CoolToday Park has the Clubhouse Team Store which is also open six days a week year-round. The website will also host information on Spring Training Season Ticket memberships, how to plan your visit, available hospitality areas for your special group, and much more. For more information on CoolToday Park, visit cooltodaypark.com or email springtraining@braves.com. 

“I'm only doing laundry ONCE this ENTIRE SUMMER,” says narrator Eddie as he explains his perfectly devised plan for the best summer ever.

In It’s The End of The World and I'm In My Bathing Suit, a tonally dark story is paired with humor to show that any situation is what you make it. Eddie speaks directly to his audience as he describes his plan to wear every item of clothing in his wardrobe– yup, even that ugly Christmas sweater– until the day of Beach Bash, the biggest party of the year. He plans to wear his last clean item, his pineapple print swim trunks, to enjoy the beach breeze at Lake Erie until his mom uncovers his pile of stinky laundry that's been building up for half the summer. Eddie's plan culminates in a devastating defeat as his mom and step dad leave to enjoy the best day of the year and leave him behind to do the unthinkable: laundry. When the power suddenly goes out mid cycle, Eddie searches for anyone he can find, assembling a team of the last five kids left in the neighborhood, and for all they know, the last people anywhere, all while wearing his last clean piece of clothing.

Together, the neighborhood kids battle with emotions, longing for their families they once craved space from, and survival. This comedic journey draws in readers as Eddie navigates his life with ADHD and his now missing family, all the while remaining honest with himself and readers about his most eventful day of summer. And what happened to every other person on Earth? You'll have to wait for Eddie to tell us more in the next book!

Publication Date: April 2022 by Scholastic Press, Hardcover ISBN: 9781338740226. Ages 8-12. 

Five distinguished Florida public school arts teachers have been selected as the winners of the 2022 State Teachers Artist Residency program (STARs) – now in its twelfth year – presented by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Florida Alliance for Arts Education (FAAE). This year's recipients were selected from dozens of impressive applicants, and the five teachers selected from across the State of Florida include three visual arts educators, a band leader and music theory teacher, and a dance instructor. The five will receive a residency at the nationally renowned Hermitage Artist Retreat, where they can focus on their own work and craft as creative artists. These five teaching artists will present a hands-on, family-friendly showcase of their work on Friday, July 15 at 2pm. This special event will be held outdoors at the Hermitage’s beachfront campus on Manasota Key; entrance at 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood, FL 34223. The program is presented in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. This Hermitage community program will be free and open to the public with a $5/person registration fee. Due to capacity limitations and safety protocols, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

The five recipients of this honor, selected among dozens of impressive applicants, include: Brooke Adkins, a dance instructor at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange; Charles Eady, a visual arts instructor at Belleview High School in Belleview; Jessie Leasure, an art instructor at D.S. Parrott Middle School in Brooksville; Jennifer Rodriguez, a ceramics instructor at the J.M. Tate Senior High School in Cantonment; and Zoe Stayman, a music instructor at the LaVilla School of the Arts in Jacksonville. 

Pictured: Aerial View of an Outdoor Program on the Hermitage Beach. Provided by the Hermitage Artist Retreat.

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Florida Studio Theatre (FST) presents Maytag Virgin, an uplifting Southern love story by Audrey Cefaly, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright. Called “Touching” and “A real joy to see” by DC Metro Theatre Arts, Maytag Virgin is a heartfelt comedy about love, loss, life, and laundry. Maytag Virgin will begin playing in FST’s Keating Theatre on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Maytag Virgin is part of a three-show subscription package. Also included in the Summer Mainstage subscription package is the rousing musical biography Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash, and the comedic murder mystery Smoke & Mirrors. Subscriptions for all three Summer Mainstage shows can be purchased for as little as $49, and single tickets for Maytag Virgin range from $25-39. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or at 941.366.9000.

This light-hearted comedy is centered on Lizzy Nash, a quick-witted high-school English teacher taking a break from the classroom, and Jack Key, her new next-door neighbor. Jack is a nearly unflappable high school physics teacher who recently moved from Biloxi, MS. Over the course of a year, the two discover that they have a lot in common—they have both lost their spouses and love homemade comfort food. They are also looking for the answer to the same question: how do you know you’re ready to love, and live, again? Directing this unconventional love story is Kate Alexander, FST’s Associate Director At-Large, who most recently directed Matthew Lopez’s The Legend of Georgia McBride. FST’s production of Maytag Virgin is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The production is also supported by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues. 

Key Chorale will present the US premiere of “The Legend of Bijan and Manijeh” by Iranian composer Farhad Poupel for piano, choir, and orchestra with pianist Jeffrey Biegel in February 2024. This evocative work is based on an ancient Persian love story taken from the Shahnameh (The Book of Kings), an epic poem by Persian poet Ferdowsi written between 977 and 1010 CE. The friendship between artistic director Joseph Caulkins and pianist Jeffrey Biegel led to this opportunity for Key Chorale. They have done numerous projects together, including one memorable performance of Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy” in 2018 with the Chorale. Farhad Poupel initially approached Jeffery Biegel regarding his solo piano music, and conversations led to Biegel inquiring if Poupel would compose a new work for piano, orchestra and chorus based on a Persian theme. As a result, “The Legend of Bijan and Manijeh” will have its World Premiere in November 2022 with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Robert Franz conducting, and, the US Premiere in February 2024 with Key Chorale and Orchestra, Joseph Caulkins conducting. The story of 'Bijan and Manijeh' is about two lovers from rival countries. As typical for many Shahnameh's stories, it helps us see the humanity beyond nationality, religious, gender, family ties or political wars. 

The Here4YOUth Initiative of Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation have awarded JFCS of the Suncoast a $50,000 grant for the expansion of the Adolescent Diversion and Assistance Program (ADAP). ADAP provides prevention and intervention services to Sarasota County residents ages 11 to 17 who have been charged with a crime or are at risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system. Educational courses help guide youth who have been involved in theft, violence, criminal mischief, substance abuse, gangs, and bullying, and teach them better coping skills, anger management, and social skills to reduce the risk of repetitive destructive behaviors. ADAP is offered at an affordable rate to families needing support. Currently, ADAP is staffed by a program director who works with 60 children and teens a year. With the support from the Here4YOUth Initiative, JFCS will add a second therapist and hopes to double its reach to 120 children and teens each year. ADAP is critical in helping troubled youth have a better future since the likelihood of reoffending increases as youths are further processed into the juvenile justice system. The program has a 76% successful completion rate and only 6% of participants reoffended six months after successfully completing it. In order to expand its reach, JFCS is seeking a therapist with a master’s degree in social work and a focus on youth. The agency hopes to hire and train the new employee this summer so that he or she is ready to work with students once the new school year begins this fall. Referrals to the program are provided by many sources, including Juvenile Probation Officers, School Resource Officers, and Bays Florida Juvenile Diversion Alternative Program (JDAP).

This summer, as students lose access to meals at school, 40,000 children in Sarasota and DeSoto counties may be at risk for hunger. All Faiths Food Bank’s Campaign Against Summer Hunger was created nine years ago to fill the “hunger gap” for children who lose access to meals and food pantries at school as well as to raise awareness of the issue of child hunger in our area. All Faiths Food Bank is, again this year, organizing more than 200 partners with the shared mission of providing food to children over the summer months. The Campaign includes a quiet fundraising period to raise matching funds as well as a community campaign, and then the use of those funds to build necessary infrastructure, solidify partnerships, and secure and distribute food. Organizers expect this summer to be particularly challenging as the pandemic, continuing supply chain impacts, rising labor costs, and soaring inflation hit the most at-risk in our community hard – especially children. Since its inception nine years ago, the Campaign has raised tremendous awareness of the issue of child hunger in our community as well as the gratifying total of more than $14 million. This year’s lead investors are the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation and The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Chairing the effort this year is All Faiths Food Bank’s immediate past board chair, Nelle Miller.

“For the past nine years, it has been our honor – and we feel it is our responsibility – to make sure kids have enough to eat over the summer months,” said All Faiths CEO Sandra Frank. “We are so grateful to our lead investors as well as every community member who contributed to the Campaign for their invaluable support in these turbulent, challenging times. Thanks to their generosity, tens of thousands of area children will have access to food, in convenient locations, throughout the summer.” 

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