Could a former IT director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign hack into voter frustration and pull an upset in a local congressional race? Andrea Doria Kale, a North Port Democrat, filed this year to challenge U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican seeking his third term in Congress.

The long-time New Yorker spent 37 years working for a health care-focused nonprofit and bought a home in North Port in 2015. She initially thought it would be a vacation home but moved here full time in 2016 when National Institutes of Health funding was cut for her employer and she was laid off; the organization ultimately went under. 

Since that time, Kale became increasingly politically interested and involved.

“I haven’t turned off cable news since 2015,” she said. “It’s on in my house and in my car. I live and breathe it.”

She volunteered for Clinton’s presidential campaign and became the state-level IT director and deputy operations director for the campaign’s Florida headquarters in Tampa. But that didn’t go as expected. Donald Trump won, and Republicans running on similar agendas, including Steube, won seats in Congress soon enough. She did volunteer briefly for Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020, and now hopes in Congress to support an agenda close to the Democratic president’s.

She’s no fan of Steube, and took issue when he fought gun legislation in Congress aimed at limiting access to firearms. At at one point, Steube attended a remote congressional committee meeting and showed his own collections of guns and which would be illegal to purchase under a Democratic bill. When someone questioned if the guns were loaded, Steube replied, “I'm at my house. I can do whatever I want with my guns."

With the legislation proposed in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas where 19 children died, Kale found the exchange offensive. “I tweeted at him, ‘What’s wrong with you? Have you any shame?” Kale said.

But it’s unclear if a run for Congress will attract more attention than a Twitter notification.  Under a new congressional map in place this year, U.S. House District 17 includes all of Sarasota and Charlotte counties and part of Lee County. Around 57.49% of voters in the 2020 presidential election supported Trump, compared to 44.95% who backed Biden.

Kale hopes she can attract independent voters and disaffected Republicans into the fold with her personal story and demeanor. She also hopes for some voter outrage over federal actions, including the Supreme Court overturn of Roe v. Wade, will generate enthusiasm.

As an 18-year-old, Kale shortly after her father’s death had a child she put up for adoption and did not see again until the girl was 22. The two now have a good relationship as adults. She tells the story even as she supports a woman’s right to choose. And while she wants further gun control, she has owned a firearm since 2020. “I’m a woman alone and I’m in a state where people carry guns,” she said. “I have to learn how to protect myself and my home. So that’s where I am at. I am for responsible gun ownership.”

No-party-affiliate Theodore “Pink Tie” Murray also appears on the general election ballot. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 8. 

Image courtesy Facebook

Today, Visit Sarasota County (VSC), in collaboration with the Sarasota County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) launched “Careers on the Suncoast”, a national, week-long blog series to encourage relocation tourism to Sarasota County. It features new and innovative Sarasota County amenities, and profiles its residents by highlighting their careers and quality of life living in the community.

“Our goal is to encourage relocation tourism to national markets by showcasing the diversity and breadth of career opportunities in our area, while highlighting what the value of living in Sarasota County is to visitors,” says Virginia Haley, President of Visit Sarasota County. “This series is a part of our broader strategy to lure working-age adults to visit and consider permanently relocating to the region, while also finding local job positions to support our area businesses.”

“Careers on the Suncoast” comes as Sarasota County ranked #3 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of 2022/2023 Fastest-Growing Places in the nation. It is a vertical under its national Work Where You Want to Live campaign with the Sarasota County EDC, which was created to attract working-age adults to move and work in the community.

The series is being promoted through a national media push to reach key U.S. audiences and will additionally exist in the relocation section of Visit Sarasota County’s website and on social media. Scheduled releases will feature Sarasota County residents including Isabelle Smith (ESE Teacher, Sarasota County Schools); Jon Goetluck (Major, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office); Tina Taylor (President, HR Elements); Natalie Wiess (Nurse, Sarasota Memorial Hospital); and Paula Wiggins (Engineer, Sarasota County Government). 

For more info.

JobGraze, the company that's revolutionizing the healthcare staffing industry with its online platform that's connecting licensed healthcare workers, healthcare students, and healthcare employers, are proud to announce they've been accepted into the Tampa Bay Wave TechDiversity Accelerator Program. The TechDiversity Accelerator, powered by Nielsen Foundation, is a unique 90-day program designed for early-stage tech companies that are 51% owned, controlled, and operated by a minority, woman, veteran, disabled person, or LGBT person or persons. Companies that are part of the program will work in a collaborative, non-competitive environment. Accessing invaluable resources, including mentoring, pitch coaching and sales training, curated workshops and networking events, significant savings from various perks partners (such as AWS), and media exposure.

With JobGraze, you'll stop googling and start grazing. They gather all the job openings in one place, with reputable companies you can trust. Choose the jobs you want to take when you want to take them in their easy-built platform that is friendly to navigate and that will help you find the professional with the skills and the personality you're looking for, all in one swipe. It's like matchmaking, but for work. Building connections with healthcare colleges around the nation to help healthcare students find credit and paid internships while still in school and paid healthcare jobs upon graduation.

JobGraze's platform is open to all licensed healthcare professionals, with specialties that include RNs, psychologists, physical therapists, physicians, and more. They have lots of job candidates ready to work now, and the best; you can filter candidates by experience, geographic location, and pay rate. They will provide you with a template to use, but in general, you will need to list your facility information, the role, and responsibilities, start and end dates, and shift length. Additionally, once you have sent out a booking request, they will have 24 hours to respond.

About Tampa Bay Wave TechDiversity Accelerator Program: For over a decade, the Tampa Bay Wave TechDiversity Accelerator Program has supported the growing tech-enabled ecosystem with its accelerator programs, incubator space, events, and more. They're an innovative community for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of their organization and its programs and services.

 

For more information.

Professionally decorated single-family model homes are now open with sales underway in Northridge, the fourth Pulte Homes-exclusive neighborhood located in Babcock Ranch. Northridge offers 322 homes with sought-after features, flexible home designs, and enhanced livability that makes Pulte one of the nation’s most recognized and trusted brands in homebuilding for 70 years. Northridge’s choices of nine one- and two-story floor plans include a selection of quick move-in homes available in time for the holidays, and homesites overlooking lakes, nature preserves, and landscaped areas. Homes feature 1,850 to 4,600 square feet of living space, two to six bedrooms, two to six baths, and two- or three-car garages.

“Homebuyers are excited by the opportunity to move in and enjoy the lifestyle Pulte offers at Babcock Ranch with our current selection of quick move-in homes,” said Danielle Calamela, vice president of sales for PulteGroup’s Southwest Florida Division. “They love our two new, beautifully decorated models in Northridge, the variety of home designs, and the quality and attention to detail Pulte is known for.”

Reminiscent of an elegant beach cottage or countryside retreat with light sun-bleached finishes, white paneled accent walls, and rustic planked furniture, the two-story Whitestone suits families of all sizes. The model has four bedrooms, two full baths, and a powder room in 2,894 square feet under air. Its open floor plan is enhanced by pale tile flooring recalling wind-swept beaches and a palette of white, sand, and driftwood with gray and blue-gray undertones. Lighting throughout offers soft shimmers of silver, polished nickel, glass, aged bronze, and wrought iron. 

For more.

Just in time for the Labor Day holiday, Manatee County is bringing more parking to the popular Ft. Hamer Park boat ramp in Parrish. An additional 30 spaces will be accessible at the Hidden Harbor Park truck and trailer parking lot (adjacent to Fort Hamer Boat Ramp) when it officially opens Friday, September 2, 2022. The project has been ongoing “across Ft. Hamer Road” from the boat ramp for months. “This will provide much-needed parking for boaters at the county’s easternmost boat ramp,” said Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes. “We are pleased to bring this added amenity to completion for the holiday weekend.” 

For more about the boat ramps.

Cadets at Sarasota Military Academy (SMA) found a new addition on campus when they arrived for the new school year—through a partnership with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, a Student Success Center is open and staffed with two Student Success Coaches. At the Student Success Center on SMA’s campus, students will work one-on-one with a Student Success Coach to identify their purpose and interests and to map pathways for potential college, military, and career pursuits after high school. Individualized services that help cadets plan for their futures include workshops on paying for college, writing essays and resumes, and more. 

Jennifer Vigne, Education Foundation president and CEO, said, “We believe we have a responsibility to support each and every student as they develop their plans beyond high school, and we are building relationships in the community to identify those who need extra support and to meet those students where they are.” Located in downtown Sarasota, SMA serves approximately 700 students in grades 9 – 12.

“Having seen firsthand the difference made at our community-wide LaunchPad4U located in downtown Sarasota, this agreement with SMA is exciting because it gives us the opportunity to customize our Student Success Center model for SMA students and to connect directly with students. Expanding students’ options will prepare them to seize the opportunity to go further in life,” Vigne said.

SMA-COL Christina Bowman, interim head of school and CEO, said, “We are excited and proud to partner with the Education Foundation in bringing this level of comprehensive support to our students and families. We believe the benefits will expand their opportunities and have a positive multi-generational impact.” 

For more information.

New Director of Operations, AV Engineer and Interim Artistic Director join The Players’ team on cusp of 93rd season. With the retirement of longtime Director of Operations, Jolie Schroeder, The Players secured the experience and expertise of Jill Franxman. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without the unbelievable amount of care, effort, and joy Jolie has given The Players over her 26 years with us,” says The Players CEO William Skaggs, “and we look forward to Jolie enjoying our shows as an audience member during visits back to Sarasota.” 

Franxman, a long-time Sarasota visitor who recently became a full-time resident, joins The Players after an illustrious 24-year career with Procter & Gamble as a Senior Director in Finance & Accounting. Following her time at P&G, Jill earned an MA in Arts Administration from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and an MBA with a marketing concentration from the same school’s Lindner College of Business. She served as the National Program Manager for two groundbreaking programs of The Educational Theatre Association followed by service as a marketing professional in secondary education. “I’m really excited to hit the ground running and help move The Players toward its centennial and beyond,” says Franxman.

The Players also welcomes Paul Mathias II as its new Audio Video Engineer. Mathias, originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, joins the community theatre after a diverse background in retail operations, audio-visual production and theatre production. Mathias has worked as an audio-visual engineer for the past seven years with various organizations locally and across the state. Notably, his experience with the renowned Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will help ensure The Players continues to bring the professionalism and accessibility it’s become known for. About his new role, Mathias says, “returning to a theatre full time is an exciting opportunity to grow individually while helping an historic theatre blossom following the pandemic.”

Finally, longtime regional theatre standout Scott Keys will join The Players as its Interim Artistic Director. Keys’ distinguished career began with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from Syracuse University, which preceded an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from the illustrious NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He has directed over 150 plays and musicals in professional, civic and educational theatres locally and throughout the country. Most recently, Keys directed “Falsettos” and “Some Enchanted Evening” during The Players’ 92nd Season. “The Players was the first theatre I directed for when I moved here in 1993,” says Keys, “I’m overjoyed to be helping raise the curtain on their 93rd Season.” Keys also served more than two decades as teacher, director and Chairman of the prolific development programs in the Booker Visual & Performing Arts magnet school, overseeing the development of musicians, actors and other creatives that have gone on to distinguished careers of their own. 

For more.