Races for the Manatee County Commission continue to turn increasingly acerbic. As County Commissioner Misty Servia faces mortgage broker Mike Rahn in a Republican primary, the focus often has turned to insults about party loyalty and even family matters.

Servia earlier this year sent a cease and desist letter when Rahn accused the incumbent of calling Gov. Ron DeSantis a racist. More recently, Rahn employed the help of his ex-wife as he demanded ads stop that alleged he fought paying child support. 

“Misty Servia is a serial liar and absolute fraud,” Rahn wrote on Facebook. That came after a political committee released a mailer accusing him of trying “to dodge paying spousal support.”

Servia stood by ads, pointing to 1997 court filings from Rahn’s divorce where he argued he should not have to pay spousal support when h made $100,000 a year and his wife made $25,000.

Rahn’s ex-wife, Sharon Jobe, released a video this week saying her ex never tried to shirk parental duties. “It is a lie and a low blow,” she said. “Mike is a wonderful father.”

But not long prior, Servia had her own critique of the honesty of Rahn’s campaign messaging. The Rahn campaign leaned into a Fox News piece during 2021 when Servia criticized a pop-up clinic in Lakewood Ranch for being set up to benefit “the whitest demographic, the richest demographic” in Manatee County.

The comments have been used to suggest a divide between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican county commissioner. But Servia said she supports DeSantis, and her comments were always aimed squarely at County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, who is still fighting ethics findings that she abused her position of power to bring the vaccine clinic to her neighborhood and put herself on a VIP list to receive shots.

“The state Ethics Commission investigated it and agreed with me that what she did was an abuse of her power,” Servia said. “Baugh has a real problem with the truth. And my opponent has nothing to run on, which is why he hasn’t told anyone what he wants to do on the Manatee County Commission.”

With write-in candidates qualified in the race, the Republican primary between Servia and Rahn will be open only to registered Republicans in District 4. The election will be held Aug. 23. 

Our community is filled with many incredible young people doing such amazing things. This summer, we are featuring some of these young people in our Thursday Family & Education edition. Each of the students we are highlighting has been chosen as one of this year’s SRQ Magazine’s top youth leaders based on their values, determination and outstanding achievements in different aspects of their lives in and out of school.

Last fall, Quinn earned her Cambridge AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) Diploma through her studies at Sarasota High School, where she is a current senior in the top 10% of her class. A proud member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, Quinn serves on behalf of The Club as the STAR Youth Leader for the Sarasota County Human Services Advisory Council. Quinn is President of La Sertoa Female Leadership Club, the Vice President of Student Government, a member of National Honor Society and the Science National Honors Society, has been inducted into Rho Kappa. She has also participated in the Florida House of Representatives Messenger Program and is an active volunteer in Sarasota County. In 2020, Quinn took first place at the Engineering Regional Stem Fair and received the Yale Science and Engineering Association Award and the Florida Power & Light Excellence in Engineering Award. Quinn will attend Barnard College in the fall.

We asked Quinn to tell us about her role model.

"My role model is my grandmother who was a nurse. She wanted to attend Barnard but was unable to pursue that dream due to her personal circumstances," she told us. "I will be attending Barnard in the fall with the ultimate goal of becoming a pediatric oncologist. Having spent some time at Seattle Children's Hospital, I was able to see the way doctors work with children. It was inspiring and I’d like to be able to do that for children one day." 

Pictured: Quinn, O., a senior at Sarasota High School. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

In the July/August 2022 edition of SRQ Magazine, we interviewed Philip Tavill, President & Chief Executive Officer, and Kathleen Sullivan, Vice President of Programs for Children First as part of our In Conversation feature about nonprofit leaders. Below is an excerpt published in the magazine in which Tavill and Sullivan share their insights with SRQ readers on community growth and changes.

As a result of so many people coming to Sarasota the housing prices have gone through the roof. What is the immediate challenge? And what kind of pressure is that putting in the community?

This impact is not only felt by our families that we serve, because they're coming to us typically, if not below the federal poverty level, at 130% of the federal poverty level. And believe me, that extra 30% does not get you Napa Valley and caviar, it's brutal. And, while folks may assume that many of our people live in the housing authority or have section eight vouchers, what many people don't know, even though we have a phenomenal housing authority, is that the waiting lists for housing authority units and section eight vouchers at times over the years has been so long you can't see the end of the line. So, it's a mechanism that helps a certain number, but it's brutal on our families, particularly when you have 70% single head of household, primarily women, many of them working two jobs. If they're lucky enough to have one full-time job, typically they have no benefits. So, rent consumes such a huge portion of what they make, and it's one of the reasons we exist, so they can be with us free of charge. Their children are doing well in excelling, we've got family strengthening support systems, and they can make rent, hopefully. 

Children First, 1723 N Orange Ave, Sarasota. 941-953-3877. https://www.childrenfirst.net/

To read the full article, click here.

On August 1, 2022, the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) was awarded the 2022 Commercial Service Airport of the Year Award by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). This award recognizes outstanding achievements in airport aesthetics, safety, and airport management in the State of Florida. The Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is the fastest-growing commercial service airport in the state of Florida. For 2021, SRQ processed 3,163,542 passengers, a 155.7% increase over 2020 and a 61% increase over 2019. Over the past 4 years, the airport has grown from 6 airlines and 12 nonstop destinations to 11 airlines and 53 nonstop destinations. SRQ utilizes modern technology on its air carrier runways and takes great care to ensure the airfield is maintained in compliance with all federal standards and regulations. SRQ places a high value on security with a recent installation of a new access control system and a digital CCTV system. The airport is regularly inspected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) with outstanding results. In 2020, an airport gateway project upgraded the airport entrance signage and landscaping. Parking lots were expanded to accommodate the rapid growth in traffic and the security checkpoint was increased from 4 to 6 lanes. To support the continued growth of the airport, more than $200 million in construction projects have been approved for airport expansion and improvements. Projects include a new five-gate passenger terminal, an apron expansion for aircraft parking, an updated baggage handling system, a new consolidated rental car facility, a new Customs facility for general aviation, a new ground transportation area, and a revamped cell phone lot. “We are honored to be named FDOT’s Commercial Service Airport of the Year for 2022,” stated Rick Piccolo, President, and CEO. “This award acknowledges the outstanding efforts of our employees, contractors, and concessionaires, as well as the strong support from our governing board. Their enthusiasm and commitment help improve the travel experience for our passengers and the desirability of SRQ as the airport of choice.” 

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is pleased to welcome former United States Congresswoman Susan Molinari as a new member of the Mote Board of Trustees. In addition to her time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ms. Molinari’s public service includes a term as a member of the New York City Council. Outside of elected office, Susan has held positions including Vice President of Google’s Public Affairs for the Americas, as leader of multiple offices for international public affairs and lobbying giant Omnicom, and as a respected media communicator on multiple networks, such as CBS, Fox, PBS and CNN. Mote's Board of Trustees provides critical support for the Lab to achieve its mission of advancing marine and environmental sciences. This support is central to the organization’s ability to achieve the goals and objectives of Mote’s 10-year Beyond 2020 strategic plan, which includes the completion of the new, state-of-the-art Mote Science Education Aquarium (SEA) at Nathan Benderson Park. Susan and her husband, Bill Paxon, met while serving together in Congress. They have two daughters, Susan Ruby and Katie Mary, and they are all marine science enthusiasts. 

School Board Members, Superintendent Cynthia Saunders and district leadership will continue a first day of school tradition, the school bus send off. Buses will depart from Matzke Support Complex beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, August 10, 2022. The group will wave and cheer for our school bus drivers as they get rolling for the 2022-2023 school year. Matzke Support Complex is located at 1 Matzke Way in Bradenton. In addition, if you want to visit one of our schools on the first day, we ask that you visit one of the schools below when Superintendent Cynthia Saunders will be on those campuses. The Superintendent will be available for interview outside the schools’ front offices. Members of the media should arrive 15 minutes before the estimated times below: 8 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. – Southeast High School: 1200 37th Avenue East in Bradenton; 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. King Middle School: 600 75th Street NW in Bradenton; 10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. – Braden River Elementary School: 6125 River Club Blvd. in Bradenton.