SRQ DAILY Jun 20, 2022
Monday Business Edition
"The people there know me and know I have been standing up to politically connected developers."
Candidate qualifying closed at noon on Friday, establishing the battle lines for elections in August and in November throughout the region.
A number of incumbents won election unopposed, including state Reps. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, James Buchanan, R-Venice, and Michael Grant, R-Port Charlotte. James Cramer was the only one to qualify for a Bradenton City Council seat in Ward 3. Pete Emrich secured a North Port City Commission post with no opposition. Daniel Murphy won re-election as Anna Maria mayor unopposed, as did Commissioners Doris Sebring and Mark Short. Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Tilsworth also secured another term. Harold Smith automatically won re-election on the Palmetto City Commission, and the same goes for Bradenton Beach City Commissioner Marilyn Maro.
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, will face Republican Martin Hyde in an August Republican primary in U.S. House District 16, and the winner faces Democrat Jan Schneider in November. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, faces Democrat Andrea Doria Kale and independent Theodore “Pink Tie” Murray in the general election.
Both state Senators in the area face primary opponents. Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, faces a rematch with Republican John Hauman, who has promoted civility in politics. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, faces a Seminole County political activist with a history of disruptive tantrums In his local party. With no other candidates running, both the District 20 and 22 race will be decided in Aug. 23 primaries open to all voters. State Rep. Tommy Gregory, R-Sarasota, faces Democrat Roberts Dameus and Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, faces Democrat Derek Reich, both November matchups.
In Manatee County, County Commissioner Reggie Bellamy faces a rematch with former Commissioner Charles Smith in a Democratic primary, with the winner facing Republican Amanda Ballard in November. County Commissioner Misty Servia faces Mike Rahn in a Republican primary closed by write-in candidates. Similarly, County Commissioner Carol Whitmore faces James Bearden and Carol Ann Felts in a closed Republican primary. For School Board, incumbent Chad Chaote faces Sean Conley in a nonpartisan August primary, while incumbent James Golden faces Richard William Tatem and Chantal Wilford in a race that could go to a November runoff.
In Sarasota County, County Commissioner Christian Zigeler opted against seeking re-election, so both county commission races are open. In District 2, Democrats Fredd Atkins, Hagen Brody and Mike Cosentino qualified, as did Republicans Lourdes Ramirez and Mark Smith. In District 4, Republicans Mark Hawkins and Joe Neunder qualified, and the primary winner faces Democrat Daniel Kuether in November. For School Board, incumbent Bridget Ziegler will face Dawnyelle Singleton in a high-profile August race. For two open board seats, Lauren Kurnov and Robin Marinelli will run for the District 4 seat and Nora Cietek and Timothy Enos will battle for the District 5 job.
For Sarasota City Commission, candidates for two at-large seats include incumbent Jennifer Ahearn-Koch and candidates Dan Lobeck, Sheldon Rich, Terrill Salem, Carol Shoffstall and Debbie Trice. For a North Port City Commission District 5 post, Victor Dobrin, David Pankiw and Philip Stokes all qualified. Venice won’t close qualification until August.
In Bradenton, incumbent Marianne Barnebey faces David Levin in Ward 2, while Kurt Landefeld, Lisa Gonzalez Moore and Bill Sanders face off in Ward 4. In Palmetto, Sunshine Matthews and Kurt Mattingly compete for a Ward 2 Commission seat and incumbent Brian Williams faces Lynn VanDaalwyk Daniel for a Ward 3 post. Ralph Cole and David Galuszka will battle for a Ward 4 job on the Bradenton Beach Commission. In Holmes Beach, incumbent Jayne Christenson will vie with Daniel Diggins and Gregory Kershner in a City Commission race where the top two vote-getters win seats. 
Lourdes Ramirez for years has been somewhat an anomaly in Sarasota Republican politics. A strong party regular and leader of local clubs, she’s also been a controlled growth activist and critic of many of the developers who prominently support the party.
Now she’s making another run for County Commission in District 2, under very different circumstances. She submitted her final paperwork to qualify at the same time she was dealing with depositions for a lawsuit against the county regarding a decision to allow a hotel development on Siesta Key.
“I’m running because I’m frustrated, as much as a lot of people in Sarasota County, with having a county commission that doesn’t seem to be listening to citizens,” Ramirez said.
While she twice ran against County Commissioner Al Maio, the situation this year will be markedly different. Maio won’t run again thanks to term limits, for one. Perhaps more importantly, she will run under single-member elections for the first time. That means only people within District 2 will vote, reducing the potential cost of the race substantially and potentially amplifying the local development decisions that have long been the bread-and-butter of Ramirez’s agenda.
At the same time, she’s now running in a district that leans blue. About 1,700 more registered Democrats reside in District 2, a contributing factor to incumbent Commissioner Christian Ziegler’s decision not to run. Ramirez fought hard in favor of the switch to district voting, and against a commission-led effort to reverse the change earlier this year, and she’s confident voters who stood with her in chambers to fight against development approvals in Siesta and elsewhere in the district will remember her leadership on those matters during an August primary against contractor Mark Smith and later against the ultimate Democratic nominee. Former Sarasota Mayors Fredd Atkins and Hagen Brody and beach activist Mike Cosentino qualified as Democratic candidates.
“If you look at my district, the people there know me and know I have been standing up to politically connected developers,” she said. “They know I stood up to the county when they decided to make a new hotel on the Key.
“I think I have broad support when it comes to local issues like housing that are impacting them in their backyard,” she said. “Those parties are very concerned about the election, and even though there are slightly more Democrats than Republicans, everyone sees what I have done for the community.”
Gail Bowden and Mark Bower, Investment Advisors for SVN Commercial Advisory Group, have managed the $1.1 million sale of a used car lot in Bradenton, Florida. Developed in the 1960’s, the property on 4004 Cortez Road consists of 1624 square feet. The .64 acre lot also possesses 149 of frontage on Cortez Road which sees over 30,000 cars pass daily. Bowden and Bower represented the buyer, OKCarz, in this transaction. This will be the sixth OK Carz location in the greater Tampa Bay area. “I have been working with OKCarz to find a suitable location for their expansion for quite awhile, '' Bowden stated. “The Cortez corridor is a high-traffic area and an ideal location for their entry into the Bradenton market." Mark Bower went on to say, “The property had been owned by the seller's family
for 60 years and had been a used-car dealership for that duration. OKCarz is excited to acquire this legacy property and add to their portfolio of secondary car dealerships."
Nautilus Homes is honored to be named Florida Builder of the Year from the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The AIA Florida/Caribbean Honor and Design Awards is Florida’s most prestigious award program for this region’s architectural profession. Each year, AIA celebrates the best buildings and spaces – and the people behind them – who contribute to the advancement of the profession. The AIA Florida Honor Award for Builder of the Year recognizes one company or firm out of the entire state of Florida who has exemplified a sincere and genuine interest in encouraging and affecting outstanding craftsmanship and workmanship and a substantial body of work.
“I am honored to be recognized for this award,” says Ryan Perrone, President of Nautilus Homes. “Reaching such a goal at this point in my career is only achievable with having amazing people surrounding me. I would like to thank my staff, my mentors, my wife and kids for their support, and my parents for their guidance. I look forward to what we can achieve and hope to be a beacon of success for our community.” Nautilus Homes will receive the 2022 Florida Builder of the Year award at a ceremony on July 30 held at the Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida. In addition to the Honor Awards, the AIA Florida Gulf Coast chapter was also well-represented in the latest winners list for AIA’s Florida Design Awards categories, including:
Halflants + Pichette Studio for Modern Architecture
Merit Award for New Work: Risdon on 5th, Sarasota, FL
Citation Award for Interiors: Architecture Studio, Sarasota, FL
Seibert Architects, P.A.
Honor Award for Renovations/Additions: Lido House, Lido Key, FL
SOLSTICE Planning and Architecture
Citation Award for Sustainability: St. Armand's Parking Garage, Sarasota, FL
Carl Abbott FAIA Architect Planner
Citation Award for Test of Time: Triangle House, Florida Keys, FL
[STRANG] Design
Honor Award for Historic Preservation/Restoration: The Gene Leedy House, Winter Haven, FL
The AIA Florida/Caribbean Design and Honor Awards program encourages excellence in architecture, elevates the public awareness of good design, and recognizes those architects whose work enriches our communities and architecture at large.
Every spring, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall announces a new subscription season filled with exciting shows, and this year’s lineup is one not to be missed! The 2022-2023 Subscription Series is now available and features nine Broadway musicals, three amazing dance shows and four subscriber specials.
This season has something for everyone, from timeless favorites to new blockbusters. The Broadway Series includes the Sarasota premieres of Disney’s Aladdin, the long-awaited performance of Blue Man Group, the ridiculously clever Tootsie, and Tina Fey’s Mean Girls. The thrills of Broadway continue with the universal tale of fame, fortune and murder with Chicago, the adored classic My Fair Lady, the beloved movie turned musical Legally Blonde, the powerful reinvention of Riverdance 25th Anniversary Tour, and lastly, the beloved multiple Tony Award®-winner Cats.
Subscribers receive special discounts and priority seating. For more information, visit VanWezel.org.
On Tuesdays in July, the Manatee County Agricultural Museum is bringing back “Make It Take It.” These are parent/self-guided learning activities for children to have hands-on fun, complete projects, and learn new things. This is an opportunity to help children learn more about agriculture and spend some quality time with parents or other adults. The Ag Museum’s address is 1015 6th St. West, Palmetto. The program is free but requires pre-registration. Reserve your space for a 1-1/2 hour experience on Tuesdays at 9:30am or 11:30am in the museum. Craft and activity stations will be spaced out around the museum, reservations are limited.
Tuesday, July 5th - Garden Helpers
Tuesday, July 12th – Farm Animals
Tuesday, July 19th – Ranchers & Farmers
Tuesday, July 26th – Underground Agriculture
Six candidates fulfilled election requirements and qualified by the noon deadline this past Friday for the 2022 City of Sarasota Commission election for two at-large commission seats. The following individuals qualified: Jen Ahearn-Koch, Dan Lobeck, Sheldon J. Rich, Terrill L. Salem, Carl Shoffstall, Debbie Trice Candidate qualifying information is available online via the Office of the City Auditor and Clerk webpage. In accordance with the City Charter, since at least four candidates qualified for the at-large seats, a first election will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 23. The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes in that first election will have their names placed on the ballot for the general election on Nov. 8.The two candidates receiving a majority of votes on Nov. 8 will be sworn into office Monday, Nov. 14, to serve four-year terms.
Help keep Florida's Gulf Coast healthy! As summer rains fall, fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus are carried into waterways leading to unhealthy algal blooms that kill marine life. From June 1 – September 30, use of fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus is prohibited in Sarasota County. “This protects our waterways and keeps our beaches beautiful,” says Forest Hecker, Community Outreach Specialist for the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program of Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability. Continue enjoying a Florida friendly landscape this summer by choosing plants that are adapted to the climate and resources available in Florida; these plants will require less fertilizer, water and care in the summer heat. Using Iron products with micronutrients and rich soils with added compost will help your landscape thrive. When cutting grass, it is recommended to trim high and leave the clippings in the lawn. This will help your lawn be less vulnerable to drought, pests and disease. Making sure your landscape is Florida friendly will reduce maintenance needs and ensure pollinators, wildlife and Florida waterways are healthy.
Join The Florida Center for Early Childhood for a full-day, virtual course on understanding and supporting early childhood brain development and mental health on Wednesday, June 22 from 9am to 3pm. Learn to identify brain differences, their implications, and strategies to address them.
The Women Contemporary Artists Members Spring Exhibition 2022 will take place at Ringling College of Art & Design Lois and David Stuhlberg Gallery, 1188 MLK Way, from June 3 – 24, 2022. The exhibition is open to active WCA members who may submit two entries only, $30 for one entry and $35 for two entries. Art specs are 2D - 36” x 36” max, mid-sized and smaller works preferred. All media. Diptych and Triptychs allowed, but must fit into size requirements and sold as one painting. 3D work 72” x 20” max. Pedestals are available. If accepted into the show, be prepared to sit for one sitting in the gallery, if needed, from 9-12 or 12-3 on Monday through Friday for the length of the show. You can do this with a friend. Awards are $600 for 1st, $400 for 2nd, $300 for 3rd, and 5 Merit Awards $100 each. Receiving on Tuesday, May 24 between 10 AM and 2 PM and Jurying on Tuesday, May the 24th at 3 PM.
Ringling College Galleries + Exhibitions invites you to attend two opening receptions for: Petticoat Painters, exhibiting June 3 - June 24 in the Willis A. Smith Construction Inc. Gallery and Women Contemporary Artists, exhibiting June 3 - June 24 in the Lois + David Stulberg Gallery. Join us on June 10th, 5-7 pm for the opening reception in each gallery and meet the artists. Both galleries are on the Ringling College campus and are open M-F 9-3 pm. While you're on campus don't forget to stop by Valetta's exhibition in the Thompson Gallery. Valetta will be exhibiting June 3 - August 12.
The 6th Annual Bob Rizi Memorial Golf Classic will take place on Friday, June 24 at The Meadows Country Club course only. Player check-in and breakfast will be from 7:30am to 9am, with a shotgun start at 9am. $800 per foursome, which includes continental breakfast, tee sign, and lunch. The tournament is limited to 36 foursomes on a first come first served basis and two golf carts will be provided to each foursome. For more information and registration, visit suncoastsummerfest.org or call 941-706-3685.
The July Gallery for Art Uptown will exhibit "MOXIE by Rita Rust." Rust's watercolor action portraits capture the feeling of joy that can be found even in the darkest times.
This winter, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Selby Gardens) will spotlight the work of Robert Mapplethorpe, one of the most significant photographers of the 20th century, together with the poetry of legendary singer-songwriter and poet Patti Smith in a special exhibition on view throughout the garden’s 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus. Marking the sixth edition of the Gardens’ annual Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series, which explores the work of major artists through the lens of their connection to nature, this immersive exhibition puts a selection of Mapplethorpe’s photographs of orchids, hyacinths, and irises, and excerpts of Smith’s poems and lyrics on flowers and nature, in dialogue with new horticultural installations inspired by the two artists’ work. On view from February 13 through June 26, 2022, Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith: Flowers, Poetry, and Light is curated by Dr. Carol Ockman, Selby Gardens’ Curator-at-Large and the Robert Sterling Clark Professor of Art History Emerita at Williams College. The Gardens will host an Evening with Patti Smith, on Tuesday, February 15, a lecture and performance with Smith that will shed new light on this body of work.
The world’s sexiest thief. A pair of history’s greatest lovers. The Merry Band that made redistributing wealth cool. Here, finally, is the real story of the disgraced nobleman, forced into the wilderness, who seeks revenge not only for himself but against an unjust system. He rescues the damsel, or perhaps along the way, discovers she doesn’t need any rescuing. Five-time Tony-nominated playwright Douglas Carter Beane–who re-invented Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella so deliciously–reunites with Lewis Flinn, his Give it Up/Lysistrata Jones collaborator, to bring to life this hilarious and stirring new musical adventure. Contains mature themes. Recommended for age 14+. Hood will take place June 11 - June 26, 2022 with Previews June 3-10, 2022.
The Ringling is pleased to present an exhibition that celebrates the life and artwork of Eleanor Merritt from February 18, 2022 to August 21, 2022. Eleanor was a dedicated volunteer at The Ringling for many years as a docent and Board member. She also served as president of the Venice Art Center and was active in other arts organizations as well. Eleanor passed away in 2019 leaving a legacy of art and public service. This exhibition is dedicated to her spirit and creativity and represents a small sample of a significant body of work the artist created over her long career. Beginning with an early work from the 1950s Untitled (Seated Figure) and concluding with her last painting Blue Embrace of 2018, the exhibition highlights her creative use of materials, movement between figuration and abstraction, and her commitment to women’s rights. The works in the exhibition come from the artist’s estate and from a few prestigious private collections. The artist’s daughter, Lisa, and artist Mike Solomon were critical guides in the development of this exhibition.
Creative Voices will take place on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 7:30pm at Holley Hall. Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane, two of today’s most sought after composers, come together for an evening of chamber music and song. The concert includes music from Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part, Shaw’s acclaimed collaboration with Sō Percussion, and excerpts from Kahane’s recent albums Magnificent Bird and Book of Travelers (hailed by Rolling Stone as “a stunning portrait of a singular moment in America”). The experience will showcase Shaw and Kahane in an intimate duo setting, as well as buttressed by a string quartet of Festival fellows. This concert promises a rich palette sonically and emotionally, and features an exploration of the role of the composer, including a Q&A segment.
Holley Hall
The Rising Stars Concert – 3 will take place on Friday, June 24, 2022 at 2:30pm at Holley Hall. Program: Mozart III. Allegretto from Piano Quintet in E-flat Major; Francaix Quatuor II. Andante and III. Allegro molto; Brahms II. Andante, un poco Adagio from Piano Quintet in F Minor; Schubert III. Scherzo from String Quintet in C Major; Brahms II. Scherzo from Horn Trio in E-flat Major; Barber Summer Music; and Schubert IV. Allegro moderato from Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major.
Holley Hall
The Mix and Mingle Festival Friday will take place on Friday, June 24, 2022 at 7:30pm at Sarasota Opera House. Festival faculty and fellows share the stage in this program featuring works that intermingle wind and string instruments. Amy Beach’s brilliant Theme and Variations is an early 20th-century Romantic treasure from the first American woman to publish a symphony. Jean Françaix’s superbly crafted music is bracingly witty and always entertaining. His Dixtuor for 10 players brings together the rarely seen combination of wind and string quintets. Beethoven’s Septet was an immediate success at its premiere in 1800 and quickly became one of his most popular works. This luminous piece is scored for a mixed ensemble with a notably challenging violin part, taken on in this performance by faculty violinist Martin Beaver.
Sarasota Opera House
The From America to Italy Festival Saturday will take place on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 7:30pm at Sarasota Opera House. The 2022 Sarasota Music Festival culminates with a program full of orchestral flair. The concert opens with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker’s tribute to his grandmother, a formerly enslaved person. Festival alumna and faculty violinist Francesca Anderegg, whose “virtuosic panache” has been hailed by The New York Times, performs Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. The slow movement of the concerto gives rise to one of the composer’s most unforgettable and ravishingly beautiful melodies. The Festival concludes on a joyous note with Felix Mendelssohn’s beloved Symphony No. 4, a high-spirited tribute to Italy’s sunshine and warm breezes.
Sarasota Opera House
The exhibition features work from the past decade by an international selection of artists and visual activists that are working to make palpable the unseen information, or metadata, that undergirds the image regime. This includes not just the tags or descriptors attached to image files, but the power relationships, biases, and economic interests that are not always visible in the image itself. The exhibition emphasizes an expanded concept of photographic practice that includes research-based projects, installation, conceptual work, and activism as well as analog and digital photographs. Artists featured are Mohsen Azar, Viktoria Binschtok, Mladen Bizumic, Joy Buolamwini, Jason Lazarus, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Lilly Lulay, Trevor Paglen, and Penelope Umbrico. Metadata: Rethinking Photography in the 21st Century will be held at The John and Mable Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida from March 6 through August 28th, 2022. The exhibition is curated by Christopher Jones, Stanton B. and Nancy W. Kaplan Curator of Photography and Media Art.
Sarasota Opera is pleased to announce the lineup for the 2022 summer movie series: HD at the Opera House and Classic Movies at the Opera House. HD at the Opera House featuring filmed performances of opera and ballet from around the world will open on Sunday, May 22nd at 1:30 p.m. with Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London, with tickets at $22, and $20 for Sarasota Opera subscribers. The Classic Movies at the Opera House series will open with In the Heat of the Night on Friday, July 8th at 7:30 p.m. with tickets at $12. (Tickets will go on sale starting Monday, May 2nd.)
Athena by Gracie Gardner Directed by Summer Wallace will run from June 10 to July 10, 2022. Mary Wallace and Athena are brave young fencers training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together, they compete against each other, they spend their lives together. They just wish they were friends.
Circus fans of all ages, from near and far, can beat the heat at reasonable prices while experiencing the best of the circus arts. Some of the circus world’s most exciting acts have signed on for the annual show - a longtime partnership of the Circus Arts Academy and The Ringling - with performances presented over nine weeks this summer. The lineup for the Summer Circus Spectacular includes a wide range of acts, including duo lyra, adagio, hand balancing/contortion, rolla bolla, and more. Show times are 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets are $18/adults, $12/children 12 and under. To complete their circus experience, Summer Circus Spectacular patrons can enjoy access to the Circus Museum on the day they attend a show for just an additional $5 – an incredible value for a full day’s entertainment. Go to Ringling.org or call the Box Office at 941-360-7399.
Historic Asolo Theater at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota
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