SRQ DAILY Jun 26, 2023
Monday Business Edition
"County income will never be enough to cover all costs caused by growth unless impact fees are adequate."
Manatee County last week opened a month-long public comment period on potential changes to the impact fee schedule. It’s the first time since 2015 that the county government has looked at where fees should be set.
The county charges a one-time fee when development permits are pulled, with the revenue intended to offset the public cost of growth.
“Manatee County collects impact fees to pay for multimodal transportation (including new roads), parks and natural resources, law enforcement and public safety equipment and libraries,” reads a release. “Impact fees are restricted to funding growth-related capital improvements and may not be used for replacing infrastructure, maintenance or operations.”
The county earlier this year released a detailed analysis of the costs to government associated with the growth. It notes costs for building roads for the county went up about 38% between 2019 and 2022. The report examines costs related to all of the county’s fees and makes recommendations, including that the multi-modal transportation fee should rise 3.2% annually, public safety impact fees should jump 5.3%, and parks and recreation fees should jump 5.8%.
The report also compared fees to neighboring communities. It shows, for example, the Manatee charges higher public safety impact fees than Sarasota County does on homes, light industrial and office space, but a lower fee on retail construction. Manatee’s law enforcement impact fees are higher than Sarasota’s across the board. But Sarasota charges much high parks and recreation fees.
The staff analysis breaks down important data points and the public input period allows citizens to weigh in. Ultimately, the Manatee County Commission will vote on where to set fees.
Conservation groups have expressed concern commissioners may be sways by arguments the county must offer more competitive rates, but said fees need to keep pace with the rising costs of growth.
“Nearly everyone now recognizes that those who benefit from fast development should at least pay for it, rather than having the cost hidden in everyone's property tax bill,” reads an email sent by ManaSota-88 to supporters. “County income will never be enough to cover all costs caused by growth unless impact fees are adequate. Federal and state funds are diminishing and there is a limit to what can be raised by taxes.”
Residents can submit thoughts on the county website. Comments may be submitted through July 19. 
Image courtesy Pixabay
DutchCrafters, the leading retailer of Amish furniture at dutchcrafters.com, recently launched its Designer Trade Program to help designers offer clients exceptional service and maximized value. The program makes it easy for designers to select and order DutchCrafters furniture for their clients while providing a 2% to 4% commission, a 10% discount, and business recognition on social media platforms. The interior designers and decorators in the Designer Trade Program are supported by a knowledgeable DutchCrafters team of furniture specialists, in-house designers and skilled Amish woodworkers who craft fine American-made furniture, designed and built according to customers’ specifications. To join DutchCrafters Designer Trade Program, follow the steps noted in the online application: dutchcrafters.com/content/designer. For more information, please contact DutchCrafters Interior Designer Nancy Kirshe, nancy@dutchcrafters.com, 941.867.2231.
Pictured: DutchCrafters staff help customers handpick preferred wood types, finish colors, fabrics, furniture styles and innovative design options. Photo courtesy of DutchCrafters.
Coastal Orthopedics, a full-service provider of comprehensive orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, spine care, pain management, diagnostic imaging and physical therapy service, is celebrating its 50-year anniversary of orthopedic care in southwest Florida this month. After a career in the army, Dr. Horace Townsend came to Bradenton in 1972 to open his own practice, Horace D. Townsend, M.D., P.A., marking the origination of the health care organization. Originally born in Oklahoma, Dr. Townsend trained at Brooke Army Medical Center, located on joint base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. From 1972 to 1982, the practice grew, and three additional doctors joined him: Dr. Jim Rogers, Dr. Keith Lassen and Dr. Gary Dunlap. As doctors continued to join the team, the organization’s name underwent several changes before becoming Coastal Orthopedics in 2004. Throughout all the changes, Coastal Orthopedics’ mission to improve the quality of life for its patients and their families remained a common theme. Since its founding, the practice has also experienced exponential growth. Last year, the Coastal Orthopedics team celebrated the opening of two new facilities in West Bradenton and East Manatee in order to better serve its orthopedic and pain management patients in the rapidly growing Manatee and Sarasota counties, and now currently has three locations and one ambulatory surgery center for servicing Florida’s West Coast. With a primary goal of providing the highest quality of orthopedic care to the community, Coastal Orthopedics strives to offer the most cutting-edge technology available to its patients. In October 2021, Coastal Orthopedics became the first practice in the region to offer Stryker’s Mako Robotic-Arm assisted total and partial knee replacement procedures at an outpatient surgery center, and recently celebrated the completion of its 500th robotic knee replacement procedure. Today, the practice employs just over 300, many who have been with the company for over 20 years. Coastal Orthopedics is home to 20 orthopedic surgeons and pain management physicians who maintain hospital affiliations with HCA Florida Blake Hospital, HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and Manatee Memorial Hospital. To commemorate the 50-year anniversary, Coastal Orthopedics treated its entire staff and their families to a day at ZooTampa at Lowry Park. Additional celebration activities are planned throughout the rest of the month, including breakfast served by the management team.
Pictured: left to right: Debra Gregrich, MA; Heather Gillen, Doctors Assistant; Ashley Fowler, PA-C, Rob Nixon, PA-C and Dr. Alan Valadie at Coastal Orthopedics.
Lisa Scrafford has joined RE/MAX Platinum Realty as a Realtor in the Wellen Park office. A member of the Seaside Living Group team, she brings extensive knowledge of the Florida Suncoast, specializing in residential real estate from Sarasota to Punta Gorda. Scrafford lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for 35 years before moving to Venice, Florida, in 2013. “I’ve never looked back,” she says. “Our Florida lifestyle is unique, and it’s important to not just find a home, but a community you can enjoy. It takes knowing the area to help guide you to that perfect spot.” Prior to discovering her love for home design and real estate, Scrafford had a long career in nursing. She enjoys gardening, growing orchids, quilting, spending time with her grandchildren, and being involved with her local church. The Wellen Park office is located at 19503 S. West Villages Parkway, Venice, Florida 34293. Scrafford can be reached at (941) 356-9748 or lisa@seasidelivingfl.com.
Tammy Oakes has joined RE/MAX Platinum Realty as a Realtor in the Venice office. She has 35 years of real estate experience, specializing in residential resales, new construction, second homes and vacation properties. Oakes brings extensive real estate expertise and a customer service orientation, skillfully guiding her clients through real estate transactions from start to finish. Prior to her career in real estate, she worked in hotel group sales. Oakes said she joined RE/MAX Platinum Realty because it offers the best of both worlds, blending the international recognition and resources of the RE/MAX brand with the small boutique feel of RE/MAX Platinum Realty. The Venice office is located at 307 W. Venice Avenue, Venice, Florida 34285. Oakes can be reached at (443) 624-1204 or realtortammyoakesllc@gmail.com.
Coldwell Banker Realty is proud to announce that Roger Pettingell, a Sarasota real estate professional affiliated with the company’s Longboat Key office, has earned a prestigious spot on the 2023 Real Trends The Thousand, as featured in The Wall Street Journal. Real Trends ranked Roger Pettingell No. 198 on the list of the top individual agents in the U.S. based on achieving $130,120,500 in closed sales volume in 2022. As part of the distinguished Real Trends honorees, Pettingell ranks in the very top agents and teams in the United States. His sales also make Pettingell the No. 1 individual agent for sales volume in Sarasota and Longboat Key. He is one of the top 200 agents and as a comparison, the National Association of Realtors® has just over 1.5 million agents as members. A certified Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Property Specialist, Roger Pettingell specializes in residential luxury real estate in the Sarasota, Bird Key and Longboat Key areas. He has been the number one individual agent in the area for the last 12 years. The Thousand represents the top 500 individual real estate agents and top 500 real estate teams in the United States for the calendar year 2022, split between the categories of closed residential transaction sides and closed sales volume. Individual agents who ranked in The Thousand closed at least 40 residential transaction sides or approximately $16 million in sales volume. Teams are ranked by size: small (2-5 licensed agents), medium (6-10 licensed agents), large (11-20 licensed agents) and mega (21-plus licensed agents). To qualify, teams must have closed at least 60 residential transactions sides or $24 million in sales volume in 2022.
PGT Innovations (NYSE: PGTI), a national leader in the premium window, door, and garage door industry, unveiled its new corporate showroom this week, celebrating the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Located at the company’s corporate headquarters in North Venice, Fla., the new 2,400-square-foot showroom serves as an immersive experience that utilizes vignettes of various rooms in a home — a kitchen, office, and living room — to demonstrate how products from the company’s multiple brands look, feel, and function in a real-life environment. PGT Innovations dealers and other building industry partners will be able to use the space as an extension of their own showrooms and introduce homeowners to premium products from across the PGT Innovations family of brands, as well as the company’s new innovations. The new showroom and lobby renovation features more than 15 products from many of the manufacturer’s family of brands, as well as groundbreaking, next-generation glass technology resulting from recent collaborations with Corning Incorporated, and products with Dynamic Glass, which can shift between translucent and opaque with the touch of a button. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Monday, June 19 to commemorate the occasion. Dealers, architects, and builders heard from Jeff Jackson, along with Debbie LaPinska, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of PGT Innovations. The general contractor for the project was Venice-based JE Charlotte Construction, and the architect was G Todd Yeomans of Sarasota-based Yeomans Work Architecture, Inc. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, attendees had the opportunity to tour the new corporate showroom, view an impact test demonstration, and visit the 24,500-square-foot iLab, an innovative extension of PGT Innovations that serves as a product incubator and micro-factory. To ensure the best experience, the showroom is available for customers to visit by appointment only. Customers can go to PGTInnovations.com to find a dealer in their area and schedule an appointment.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital- Sarasota has received the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award for the third time from the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation for a demonstrated record of superior clinical outcomes resulting from evidence-based, guideline-directed degenerative mitral valve repair. Mitral valve repair is often the preferable treatment for patients with degenerative mitral valve disease because it is associated with improved survival and fewer long-term complications compared to valve replacement. The Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award was created in partnership by the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation to identify, recognize and promote the nation’s recognized medical centers for mitral valve repair surgery, and provide patients and referring physicians with the resources needed to make a well-informed choice regarding the best heart team for mitral valve repair surgery. Sarasota Memorial earned the award for the third consecutive year, demonstrating adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines as well as an ongoing commitment to reporting and measuring quality and outcome metrics specific to mitral valve repairs. Patients and physicians who are interested in learning more about Sarasota Memorial Hospital's mitral valve repair program can visit smh.com/heart. More information about the American Heart Association and Mitral Foundation Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award is available at on www.heart.org.
Every three years, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) undergoes a stringent voluntary process to maintain our coveted accreditation status through the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA). To achieve this, a team of assessors from the CFA meets with agency representatives to review several critical components within the sheriff's office to ensure compliance with the set standards. On Tuesday, August 1, 2023, CFA assessors, comprised of representatives from other law enforcement agencies, will meet with SCSO members to examine policies, procedures, management, operations, and support services. Once the assessors finalize their review, they will report to the CFA to determine if the agency will, once again, receive its accredited status. As part of the assessment, the general public and agency members are offered the opportunity to submit standards-related comments to the CFA directly at: CFA, P.O. Box 1489, Tallahassee, FL 32302, or via email at flaccreditation@fdle.state.fl.us. A copy of the standards manual is available on the CFA website at www.flaccreditation.org under the standards tab. The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office was Florida's first law enforcement agency to become fully accredited by the CFA in 1996 and currently holds 6 additional accreditations, including: Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC); Public Safety Communications Accreditation (CALEA); National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC); International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED); International Association for Property and Evidence (IAPE); American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).
Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman is pleased to announce the promotion of Deputy Matt Kostyal to the rank of Sergeant. Kostyal was hired by the sheriff’s office in November 2014 and assigned to the Patrol Bureau. He then transferred to the Traffic Unit in 2016 and was appointed as a member of the Emergency Response Team (ERT) later that same year.
A Light At The End Of The Tunnel | Bridge to the Other Side follows a widow's journey out of her grief and back into the turbulent world of post-pandemic America, as she works alongside a firefighter on a crisis response team, May/June 2023.
Beginning in the Living Lakewood September 2023 edition, SRQ Magazine will offer homebuilders in the community an opportunity to showcase their new model homes through a new special section dedicated to exploring the new dwellings of Lakewood Ranch.
In this online workshop, publishing expert Meghan Stevenson will discuss the intersection of entrepreneurship and book publishing. Specifically, she will explain three main ways that entrepreneurs and experts publish their books. She will explain what methods have proven to be the best fit depending on the author and subject matter of the book. She will also explain some do's and don'ts of writing, publishing and promoting a book and answer questions. https://www.score.org/manasota/event/how-writing-a-book-will-boost-your-business
In 1935 Depression-era Texas, two women from very different backgrounds discover the other holds the key to everything they have each been searching for. Susannah is an ambitious Library of Congress musicologist, determined to record undocumented slave songs. Pearl is an African American woman with a soulful voice, a steely spirit, and a sentence in a high-security female prison. Pearls memory is a treasure-trove of unrecorded slave era music, but can she hand over her ancestors’ songs without giving up something of herself? Black Pearl Sings tells the evocative story of an unlikely bond, preservation of musical heritage, and the human need for hope and healing. Florida Studio Theatre, Keating Theatre, 1241 North Palm Ave., Sarasota, floridastudiotheatre.org.
Maverick, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo painted 55 self-portraits in her short and tragic life. View the commemorative exhibit by artist Beck Lane of her work at UUCS Lexow Wing Gallery, her artwork merges extraordinary creative vision and innovative technique and has been collected and shown in pop-up galleries, solo shows, galleries, and private collections in Boston, California, New York City, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Miami, Brussels, Switzerland, South America, and Israel. On her YouTube Channel, Catalyst and Co., Beck records herself painting live, while offering encouragement to fellow artists, and sharing her experiences as an artist and her painting process and techniques. These mixed medium works pulsate with powerful, vibrant energy, fluid color and rare style. On Sunday, July 16, Lane will be painting live from 12-2 pm at the Lexow Gallery. UUCS Lexow Wing Gallery, 3975 Fruitville Rd., www.uucsarasota.com, www.becklaneartist.com.
Visit Fresh Harvest, the newly launched weekly farmers market in Downtown Wellen. Fresh Harvest offers a selection of local goods from nearly 40 local vendors. Fresh Harvest takes place every Sunday in Downtown Wellen from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees can peruse different vendor booths and stock up on a variety of goods. Vendors will offer a wide variety of locally grown and produced food, including herbs, spices, cut flowers, teas, canned and preserved fruits and vegetables, syrups, baked goods, pickled foods, fresh seafood, meats, poultry, eggs, milk and prepared food and beverages. A limited selection of craft vendors also participate in the farmers market. For a listing of participating vendors and more information on Fresh Harvest Farmers Market, visit wellenpark.com/events/fresh-harvest-farmers-market. Downtown Wellen, 19745 Wellen Park Blvd., Venice.
Realize Bradenton is pleased to announce the continuation of the Bradenton Public Market through the summer months. The summer Markets are scheduled once a month on the last Saturdays of each month, on June 24th, July 29th and August 26th on Old Main Street and 3rd Ave West in Bradenton. Our Market family is excited to see their customers throughout the summer while still enjoying some well-earned time off. The Market was founded in April of 1979 in a Downtown Bradenton parking lot. Over the past 44 years, the Market has grown and evolved to fill Old Main Street with produce, local artisans, and prepared foods. realizebradenton.com/market.
Florida Studio Theatre kicks off its Summer Cabaret Series with The Surfer Boys,an energetic tribute to the music of The Beach Boys. Featuring such hits as California Girls, Good Vibrations, Barbara Ann, and Surfin USA, The Surfer Boys is filled with the honey-tinged harmonies and unforgettable melodies that defined 1960s California and pop music. The Surfer Boys begins playing June 13 in the FST Goldstein Cabaret. Tickets are now on sale at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or at 941.366.9000.
At the Saltare Mortis In-Studio Series, come take a glimpse into our lives as detectives as we attempt to solve a mystery in a town where crime is next to none. Though detectives in training, we have many tools up our sleeve to help us solve the mystery. But we could use your help. Put your detective skills to the test to help us unmask the criminal. You never know what surprises we will run into along the way. Shows will run in person on June 9 and 10 and July 14 with virtual options on June 19 and July 17. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit sarasotacontemporarydance.org.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ 2023 Jean and Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature showcases the creativity and innovation of American artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933). The first exhibition of its type to be presented in a botanical garden, the exhibition highlights the inspiring connection between Tiffany Studios and the natural world through unique horticultural displays in the Tropical Conservatory and the Gardens, accompanied by seminal examples of Tiffany’s work on view in the Museum of Botany and the Arts. To learn more, visit selby.org. Selby Gardens Downtown Sarasota campus, 1534 Mound St., Sarasota.
The Ringling presents a solo exhibition of works by Lorna Bieber in May that includes two new pieces making their debut in the Keith D. and Linda L. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art. Her artwork first and foremost encourages us to indulge in the pleasures of looking and discovering anew the details of the visual world. Her artistic practice is grounded in appropriating, recycling, and manipulating imagery. The work reminds us of the image world that inundates our daily existence. Our experience of reality is mediated through a barrage of photographic digital images that supplants our connection to the natural world. Yet, Bieber is less interested in a critique of this condition than she is in offering her work as an antidote, a way to inspire viewers and reconnect with our shared sense of wonder. Included with museum admission. The Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, ringling.org.
Break out the big hair and acid-washed denim because Laser Light Nights are back at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night from May 25 through September 2, we are rocking out to some of your favorite artists in the Planetarium! A variety of food options and drinks are available for purchase onsite with cash or card. Tickets are $15. The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St W., Bradenton, bishopscience.org.
The artists at Art Uptown Gallery will present Small Works Show, showcasing small framed pieces of their original art. Meet the artists at the First Friday public reception on June 2 from 6-9 p.m. All of our award-winning artists are local, full-time residents of Sarasota. The exhibit opens on Saturday, May 27 and runs through Friday, June 30. Art Uptown Gallery welcomes patrons and friends at 1367 Main Street where the diverse work of regional award-winning artists is exhibited. artuptown.com.
The 2023 exhibition season continues with Identity, Exploring the Human Condition, which highlights the diverse talents of artists from across the southeast region of the United States and will be on display in all four gallery spaces. On view from June 1-August 5, the opening reception is Thursday, June 1, 6-8 p.m. The juror is Christy Paris, an art professor and PhD candidate in the College of Education at the University of South Florida. A Juror’s Critique, with Paris, will take place on Tuesday, June 6. Art Center Sarasota is located at 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For information, visit www.artsarasota.org or call 941-365-2032.
Circus fans of all ages, from near and far, can beat the heat this summer at reasonable prices while experiencing the best of the circus arts, thanks to the continued partnership of The Circus Arts Academy and The Ringling. The Summer Circus Spectacular returns this year, with exciting acts signed on for the one-hour, action-packed show. The 2023 Summer Circus Spectacular, which has become a seasonal highlight for locals, visitors, families and groups alike, takes place from June 9 through August 12. Tickets are $20 for adults, $13 for children 12 and under, and tickets for the 7 p.m. opening night performance and celebration on Friday, June 9, which includes a gala reception with the artists, are $50. To complete their circus experience, Summer Circus Spectacular patrons can enjoy access to the Circus Museum on the day they attend a show for an additional $5. Visit Ringling.org or call the Box Office at 941-360-7399 to purchase tickets and learn more. The Historic Asolo Theater at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota.
SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email |
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