Voters in Sarasota County on Tuesday will decide whether to keep on the books a sales tax funding numerous public needs. Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman, a vocal supporter of the levy, said it’s critical voters vote yes.

“We have a dire need for capital improvements at the Sheriff’s Office,” Hoffman said. “Hopefully the penny sales tax will help with that.”

The sheriff has become somewhat of a face for the sales tax referendum on the ballot Tuesday. He points to a study that shows his office needs to more than double its physical facilities by 2035 to handle projected growth in the region. The revenue generated by the tax could make it painless to taxpayers to fund such an expansion with the county’s first dedicated public safety complex, Hoffman said.

The penny sales tax notably stands for renewal this year. It has been in place since 1989, and it only applies to the first $5,000 of any purchase made in the county. Supporters note it covers any purchases made by tourists and visitors to the region. If the tax isn’t renewed this year, it could expire at the end of 2024. If the referendum passes, the tax will be renewed through 2039. A quarter of the money goes to the Sarasota County School Board, with the rest of revenue being divided among Sarasota County government and local municipalities based on population.

Critics have grumbled about whether infrastructure funded by the tax addresses needs created by growth or helps spur those challenges, pointing to road expansions in Lakewood Ranch and East Sarasota County funded by the tax that opened regions to higher population densities, thereby creating need for more roads, schools and public safety facilities.

Hoffman, though, said the tax isn’t about whether the growth should happen but how to respond when it does.

“We can’t turn off the sunshine in the Sunshine State,” Hoffman said. “We won’t make Siesta Key a less popular place to go. We also have a political climate people want to gravitate to.

“I don’t think we will stop people from coming to Florida. The question is, are we going to have good quality water? Are we going to have the necessary public safety infrastructure? If the tax went away, all the things we are looking at coming would still be on the table.”

Hoffman stressed the use of surtax revenues remains carefully restricted. Beyond elected officials who are held to account for spending, the county must have a citizen tax oversight committee that conducts an annual review of expenditures. The funding can’t go to paying staff.

Hoffman noted any number of factors from inflation to material scarcity and supply line challenges continue to make the cost of infrastructure go up. “I could make the argument we are saving taxpayers money by not impacting the general fund and by getting started on projects a little sooner,” he said.

Screenshot courtesy Common Cents for Sarasota campaign.

On November 2nd, Sarasota Memorial celebrated its 97th anniversary! On this date in 1925, Sarasota Hospital opened its doors. A modest 32-bed facility, it was the county’s first modern hospital. Sarasota Memorial has grown significantly over the past 97 years, expanding to meet the region’s evolving health care needs. Today, with two hospitals (the nationally ranked flagship medical center in Sarasota and new acute-care hospital that opened last year in Venice), a freestanding ER in North Port, and network of urgent care clinics, outpatient centers and physician practices that stretch from North Port to east Manatee County, SMH is one of the most comprehensive health care systems in the nation, and one of the most respected. The health system manages more than a million patient visits a year, caring for 951 inpatients between its two hospitals and 544 patients in its ERs yesterday alone. As SMH looks forward to its 100th anniversary in 2025, more plans are in the works, including a new hospital and healthcare campus in North Port and Wellen Park, expansion of the SMH-Venice hospital, a new behavioral health pavilion and outpatient cancer pavilion on the Sarasota campus, and continued growth of outpatient services throughout the county. 

Click here for historical timeline.

Honeyside Farms is a local certified organic farm that offers customers a weekly (or every other week) box of freshly harvested organic produce. Customers can choose from several pick up locations or have their box delivered to their home. Spots are limited so be sure to sign up now by visiting Honeyside Farm's Store (barn2door.com) Honeyside Farms also works with local business that purchase the subscriptions (or cover a portion of the subscription) as a unique benefit for their employees. Hiring and keeping great employees engaged is a challenge form many businesses and this is unique way to appreciate employees and connect local businesses together. The farm will deliver the veggie boxes right to the local business. 

To learn more click here.

A new farm-to-fork restaurant serving locally-sourced, seasonal food, is coming to University Town Center (UTC) in Sarasota. Tampa-based Naked Farmer is opening its fourth location in the West District at UTC in a 2,300-square-foot space between Blaze Pizza and Crumbl Cookies. The growing chain is on a mission to build a better food system. Scheduled to open this summer, the fine-casual restaurant offers a healthy menu that is unique and flavorful, changing with the seasons for optimal quality and ultimate taste. Diners can choose from one of the rotating chef pairings or build their own harvest bowls filled with the freshest, most seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients. Naked Farmer has become known for its creatively prepared vegetable-forward menu. The restaurant partners with farmers they know on a first-name basis, like Black Street Farms in St. Petersburg, FL, which means vegetables are harvested as little as 24 hours before being served. Meals are made with farm-fresh food cooked from scratch daily and reasonably priced, starting at $12. Naked Farmer has a mission to become 100 percent local in the sourcing of its food. The company has built a direct-to-farm supply chain with farms in the Tampa Bay region and throughout Florida. The menu is developed in direct conversation with small and medium-sized farmers nearby, brought in from the fields, and cooked with care by chefs who know their vegetables. Some of the fall menu items currently available include roasted sweet potatoes, charred broccoli with lemon and garlic, and roasted carrots with spicy vegan ranch. Naked Farmer is among an exciting lineup of new businesses coming to UTC. Other new shops and restaurants opening soon include Florida’s first Homesense; Christmas Tree Shops; Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar; Yard House, a modern American restaurant and bar with more than 100 beers on tap; Orlando’s famed Foxtail Coffee Co; 3Natives Acai and Juicery; locally owned Anna Maria Oyster Bar; Kelly’s Roast Beef, a Boston-area staple for more than 70 years; Post Kitchen & Bar; and The Breakfast Company. 

To learn more click here.

Breeze Airways, the Seriously NiceTM low-fare airline founded by aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman, celebrated its newest destinations from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport to Westchester County and Norfolk on November 2nd. The routes are on sale from just $74* one-way if purchased by November 30 for travel from January 8, 2023, through May 16, 2023. Guests on Breeze may choose from three price bundles that are offered as ‘Nice’, ‘Nicer’, and ‘Nicest’. Nice and Nicer bundles are across Breeze’s fleet of Embraer 195 e-jets and Airbus A220s, while Nicest – including a First Class seat - is only available on the A220s. Guests may also choose a Nice or Nicer bundle and add a First Class seat as well. Breeze has ordered 80 brand new Airbus A220-300 aircraft, with options for 40 more. Breeze doesn’t charge change or cancellation fees up to 15 minutes prior to departure and offers other benefits such as free family seating and a la carte pricing. With seamless booking, no change or cancellation fees, up to 24-months of reusable flight credit and customized flight features delivered via a sleek and simple app, Breeze makes it easy to buy and easy to fly. Flights are now on sale at www.flybreeze.com and via the Breeze app. 

Sarasota Memorial Hospital is among a select group of world-class heart institutions participating in an international clinical trial of the world’s first true dual-chamber, leadless pacemaker for people with slow and irregular heart rhythms. One of 80 research sites globally testing Abbott's Aveir DR dual-chamber leadless pacemaker, Sarasota Memorial’s electrophysiology team -- led by cardiac electrophysiologists Dilip Mathew, MD, and Robert Eckhart, MD -- implanted the investigational device in patients at SMH in July and September. All of the patients are doing well and will be monitored by their physicians and the Sarasota Memorial Research Institute team at regular intervals until the study period ends next year. Abbott’s Aveir VR single-chamber, leadless pacemaker received FDA approval this spring after a pivotal, multi-center trial found it safe and effective for certain patients with abnormal heart rhythms. The Aveir VR leadless pacemaker, which is now commercially available at Sarasota Memorial, was designed for expandability and potential upgrade to a dual-chamber system with regulatory approval in the future. Like traditional pacemakers, Abbott’s VR and DR leadless pacemakers use pulses of electricity to trigger the heart to beat. But instead of using lead wires to send electrical pulses through veins into the heart, doctors implant the leadless devices directly into the heart. The FDA-approved Aveir VR pacemaker is implanted in the right ventricle, while the DR dual-chamber device includes a second implant in the right atrium of participants enrolled in the current trial. The devices communicate wirelessly, providing beat by beat synchronization based on each patient’s condition and unique needs. For more information about Aveir’s leadless pacemaker study or other clinical trials, contact the Sarasota Memorial Research Institute at (941) 917-2225. For a physician referral or information about cardiac care at Sarasota Memorial, call (941) 917-7777 or visit smh.com/heart.

Tarah H Green comes to Manatee County and the team at A Paradise Realty from upstate New York, splitting her time between New York and Florida. As a successful business owner for the past 25 years, Tarah brings with her trust and dependability to A Paradise Realty, one of the premier real estate companies on the west coast of Florida with convenient office locations in Holmes Beach and Ellenton. New York State Dance Challenge Inc. and Florida State Dance Challenge Inc. are two sister
dance competitions that Tarah is the director and president of as well that bring dance competitions dancers from across the East Coast together to compete in a friendly, nurturing atmosphere! When not working on real estate endeavors and dance-related events, Tarah enjoys spending time with family and friends, thrifting and traveling. With affordable homes, a zero-income tax policy and warm weather, let Tarah help you find your dream home. 

As our Southwest Florida community has recently experienced, trauma touches the lives of so many and in so many different ways. Studies have shown that as many as 70 percent of Americans have experienced some form of trauma, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing.

Located on 84 acres of conservation land on Fruitville Road, new non-profit Resilient Retreat is helping to heal those impacted by trauma with free and fully confidential programming, ranging from day-long and virtual programs to multi-day, overnight intensive retreats. The research-based, holistic, interdisciplinary programming includes support groups, neurofeedback, animal and equine therapy, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, time in nature, art and music therapies and more. On the heels of its grand opening, the organization has been busy supporting the local community, first responders, helping professionals and survivors of abuse. The non-profit also provides trainings to corporations, businesses, non-profits and non-governmental agencies.

Alongside the non-profit, a one-of-a-kind event space for corporate retreats, weddings and milestone events was created. The Retreat Sarasota serves as the “venue that saves lives,” with all proceeds from rental fees directly benefiting Resilient Retreat’s mission. Accommodating groups up to 500+, the venue encompasses an 18,000-square-foot Retreat Center, a 5,000-square-foot Community Center, overnight accommodations for up to 30 people and multiple breakout rooms and outdoor venues.

Resilient Retreat’s trauma-informed staff also operate a Kind Line at 941-343-0039. 

For more information on programming or how to donate or volunteer, click here.