The architecture firms still in the running to design the new Sarasota Performing Center will make public presentations this week to the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation.

“The Architect Selection Task Force assigned with the architect design selection process for a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center at The Bay will host live in-person interviews and presentations with the three finalist firms,” explained Samantha Dourney, a spokesperson for the foundation. “The forums are open to the public.”

Representatives from Foster & Partners Limited, Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Snøhetta will all present their visions for the new facility, a centerpiece of The Bay redevelopment. Foster & Partners, based in London, England, designed the Gherkin in London. RPBW, based in Genoa, Italy, is responsible for the Parco della Musica Auditorium in Rome. Snøhetta, created vision for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet.

The multi-year project is projected to cost between $275 million and $300 million. Much of the funding will be privately raised, and the city in March announced a $10 million contribution from the Paul Seed Fund at KBF CANADA.

Presentations and live interviews will take place through the day Wednesday between 9am and 4:30pm at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Grand Foyer.

The following day, the Architect Selection Task Force will meet at City Hall, in Room 112, for final deliberations and to select the firm that will receive the design contract. The task force making the decision is made up of three foundation board members — Ocwen Financial Corporation director Jenne K. Britell, Sarasota construction mogul Mark Famiglio and The Director's Council President and CEO Michele Hooper — and one city-appointed official — Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall executive director Mary Bensel. The deliberation process will also be held in public.

The Architect Selection Process has unfolded over six months. A request for quotes resulted in 43 submissions from firms across the country, and then 18 qualifying firms provided complete proposals. The Task Force winnowed entries to six semi-finalists and then four finalists; Gehry Partners ultimately withdrew from the competition.

The construction of the venue is part of the Bay Park Master Plan approved in 2018. The Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, formerly the Van Wezel Foundation, is leading the process for creating the new center in partnership with the city, and has invested $2 million in private dollars already to the planning process.

The new performing arts center is envisioned as a replacement for the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, though the future of that facility has been determined yet. A blue ribbon commission is expected to meet in mid-June to discuss the fate of the Purple Cow. But with less than 2,000 seats and risks of flooding, city officials have said a new venue is needed to stay competitive attracting national tours.

The new center will be a 230,000-square-foot venue with 2,250 seats for the main stage, as well as a 400-seat flexible performance space, a 10,000 square-foot education and lifelong learning center, a 90-foot fly tower to “meet the demands of artistic innovations in the future, and multiple outdoor public performance spaces. 

Photos: While designs for the Sarasota PAC have not been released, finalists have submitted relevant sample work.

Fifth Third Bank, National Association, has announced Stephanie Green as South Florida region president. As region president, Green is responsible for the growth and strategic direction of the Bank’s commercial, wealth and asset management, business banking and treasury management businesses. Green has spent her career with Fifth Third, having progressed through multiple leadership positions in retail, business banking, human capital, mortgage and wealth and asset management. She most recently was managing director, Fifth Third Private Bank, in the Bank’s Central Ohio region. Over the last 30-plus years, Green has built and sustained quality relationships with clients, employees and communities. She has a track record of performance, accountability and business development – and of recruiting and cultivating talent.Fifth Third South Florida has 76 full-service banking centers and more than 550 employees. 

FOR OVER 60 YEARS, SARASOTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL has offered a distinctively Christian, academically rigorous education for students with the goal of raising future generations for Christ. At the heart of the SCS experience, you’ll find a team of caring, highly qualified, and passionate faculty and staff. Dedicated to equipping each of our almost 600 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students with a love for Christ, a passion to learn, the courage to lead and a commitment to serve, our faculty teaches both in the classroom and by example. The love for Christ can be seen in all that we do. Our students enjoy daily prayer and devotions, weekly chapel, spiritual emphasis days and biblically-infused curriculum. Academic opportunities from the Scripps Spelling Bee to AP and dual enrollment classes through Southeastern University help fuel a passion to learn in our students. The courage to lead is cultivated through a host of opportunities like student council, National Honor Society, and FHSAA athletics. The commitment to serve is developed as students strive to meet our 150 service hour graduation requirement and participate in service projects, worship team and community events. Character development continues outside of the classroom through a host of extra-curricular offerings including Odyssey of the Mind, Mock Trial Team, National History Day, annual Chalk Festival, Art Show and more. Established in 1958, SCS has been infusing faith and igniting minds for over six decades. Sarasota Christian School has been fully accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools since 1990. FCIS accreditation is the seal of educational excellence for families seeking an independent school education, placing SCS among the very best schools in the nation. Visit our beautiful 25-acre campus and see what an SCS education has to offer your student.

School's Mission

The mission of Sarasota Christian School is to equip students with a LOVE for Christ, the passion to LEARN, the courage to LEAD and a commitment to SERVE. 

Sarasota Christian School 5415 Bahia Vista Street Sarasota, Fl 34232 (941)371-6481 sarasotachristian.org

Check out more on this feature!

With a staggering number of local veterans dealing with mental health issues and loneliness, Memorial Day can be especially hard. While most people are enjoying the long weekend at the beach or with friends at a BBQ, veterans are left with painful memories of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. This is not just challenging for the veteran who is experiencing this, but it often puts strain on their spouse and children. Operation Warrior Resolution is honoring those who paid these sacrifices in a different way—to heal veterans so they can live life to the fullest in honor of their battle buddy who is no longer here. Veterans are provided with access to resources, innovative therapies, and programs so the whole family can begin to successfully heal and thrive in civilian life. One couple that Operation Warrior Resolution helped was Eric and Laura Tomlinson. Eric left the military after two deployments and was struggling with depression and anxiety. It spiraled out of control, so he enrolled at the VA in various counseling programs and traditional talk therapy but hadn't
made much progress. It was taking a toll on his marriage. Eric took part in a program with Operation Warrior Resolution. “I noticed a huge change in Eric after the retreat and ever since. OWR saved him and saved our marriage,” Laura explained. It helped Eric through his struggles, and he was able to address the underlying issues that were causing him to spiral out of control. Laura received her own therapy sessions, and at the Couple’s Retreat, they were able to relearn how to communicate with each other while working through the issues he had been dealing with during his service. “I love how OWR also takes care of the spouses,” Laura expressed. Since 2018, Operation Warrior Resolution has been helping veterans heal by providing innovative therapies and specialized brain-based healing to resolve PTSD. The nonprofit was started by veteran therapist and wellness expert Kendra Simpkins, who saw an immense need for this type of support in the veteran community. Operation Warrior Resolution has helped over 100 veterans through their retreat program and almost one thousand veterans and their families through other activities and events in the Sarasota area. The organization is funded through grants, donations, and fundraisers so everything is at no cost to the veteran and their family. Operation Warrior Resolution also partners with local businesses to provide discounts on services for veterans. The organization can be found online at www.operationwarriorresolution.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OperationWarriorResolution. 

Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner  was recently sworn in as president of the Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE). As an organization, FSE represents all 67 supervisors of elections in Florida who collectively serve more than 14 million registered voters statewide. In his role as president, Turner will support FSE’s mission to conduct fair, honest and accurate elections in Florida and continue the important work of past FSE presidents. A native Floridian, Turner has the distinction of being the only person to serve as supervisor of elections in two counties in the state. Turner served as supervisor of elections in DeSoto County before moving to Sarasota County in 2001. Later serving as chief of staff for the Sarasota County elections office, he was elected in 2016 to his current role in Sarasota County. Per FSE bylaws, Turner’s term begins Monday, May 29 and he will hold the office of president until May 2024. FSE was founded in 1964 with the goal of conducting elections with transparency and integrity that are accessible to all voters. Learn more about the Florida Supervisors of Elections by visiting myfloridaelections.com. 

After an extensive review of every aspect of its trauma program, Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Sarasota campus has been recertified as a Level II Trauma Center. Sarasota County’s first and only trauma center, SMH-Sarasota is a Level II facility, meaning it is equipped with advanced treatments, technology and highly skilled trauma surgeons and subspecialists who stand ready 24/7 to provide lifesaving care to critically injured people in the Suncoast region. The recertification process is an important step Florida trauma centers undergo every seven years to demonstrate compliance with state rules governing higher levels of care that trauma centers provide. In its first renewal survey since opening, the SMH-Sarasota trauma team met or exceeded all national benchmarks, with no deficiencies noted by the team of American College of Surgeons trauma experts who performed the in-depth, on-site assessment. The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board approved the funds and resources necessary to open the local trauma center in 2015, as part of the public health system’s ongoing commitment to provide top-quality, comprehensive care to the growing community. In its first year, the trauma team cared for more than 1,000 patients. Today, it treats about 4,800 patients a year, with survival rates that are significantly better than national benchmarks. National studies have found that care provided in a trauma center decreases the chance of death following injury by 25 percent compared to care in hospitals without trauma centers. Level II centers like SMH address the needs of injured patients across the entire spectrum of care, providing not only emergency and acute hospital care, but also post-hospital care and rehabilitation. SMH also provides important injury prevention programs, such as its ongoing Stop the Bleed classes, which encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency while waiting for professional help to arrive (visit smh.com/calendar for monthly class schedule). The SMH trauma center includes specially equipped trauma bays, operating rooms, a trauma intensive care unit, trauma step-down and progressive units, and specialty nursing and rehab units that ensure optimal care for trauma patients as they recover from their injuries. In 2016, the hospital’s state-of-the-art Rehabilitation Pavilion opened, further promoting the recovery process for trauma and other patients recovering from injury, illness or disease. The quality and scope of care it provides to patients has earned SMH-Sarasota recognition on a number of best hospital lists in recent years, among them the “World’s Best Hospitals” by Newsweek and “Best Hospitals” for Rehabilitation and multiple other specialties by U.S. News & World Report.