Every December, reindeer descend upon the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Campus. Unlike the fluffy, hooved creatures that may or may not possess the ability to fly, these bright pink Florida reindeer, aka giant wooden flamingos, don twinkly antlers and symbolize Selby’s annual Lights in Bloom, which brings a Floridian flair to the holiday season.

Lights in Bloom, which runs most days this December and into early January, is a favorite local event. “USA Today named us the sixth-best botanical holiday light show in 2022, and we have over two million lights on display,” says Jennifer Rominiecki, the president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. As the flocks of Florida reindeer that roam around the gardens to delight visitors illustrate, Lights in Bloom has become emblematic of the Gulf Coast. In a region where holiday celebrations are spent outside on the lanai in 80-degree weather and you’re more likely to see a “sandman” than a snowman, it’s easy to feel a bit left out in the cold while our northern friends go sledding and sip hot cocoa in ugly Christmas sweaters.

But Lights in Bloom reminds both Florida residents and visitors that even tropical destinations can get into the holiday spirit. As you stroll through the garden, festive tunes play in the background like a soundtrack to a Christmas movie. There’s no shortage of lit-up paths to explore, like the magical mangroves and cactus garden. Glowing flowers in a rainbow of colors sprout up across the garden, and along the way, you’ll happen upon blue dolphins leaping from the water, butterflies and toothy alligators sporting Santa hats. Stop for a meal from Michaels On East and other vendors, and once you’re refueled, try your hand at the fun activities spread throughout the garden, like giant chess and connect four. In years past, the event has featured face painting and a wishing tree, where visitors can tie a biodegradable wishing paper to the tree while reflecting on the past year and the new one to come.

“We add to the installations every year, and there will be some new treats this December,” Rominiecki adds. Whether you’ve been to Lights in Bloom since you were a child or will experience it for the first time, prepare for a magical wonderland that captures the spirit of the season. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a carrot for the Florida reindeer too.

Lights in Bloom will run this December and early January at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Downtown Sarasota Campus. Visit the website for exact dates and to purchase tickets. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St., Sarasota, 941-366-5731, selby.org. 

Pictured: Twinkling butterflies soar overhead at Lights in Bloom. Photo by Cliff Roles and courtesy of the Marie Selby Botanical Garden.

Lights in Bloom at the Marie Selby Botanical Garden

A very special pre-holiday event will take place Friday, November 17, 2023, when the Manatee Church Women United host the annual Migrant Tea, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Bradenton. The Manatee Church Women United is a cross-denominational group that represents more than 40 churches, and the Migrant Tea is an opportunity for that group to provide local migrant families with donations of handmade goods such as blankets, quilts, baby clothes, and other items families may need. Kindergarten students from Myakka City Elementary School are scheduled to perform during the event. The Trinity United Methodist Church is located at 3200 Manatee Avenue West in Bradenton. For more information, please contact Mario Mendoza, Migrant Coordinator at 941-751-6550, ext. 43333. 

Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman is pleased to announce the agency’s 5th Annual Open House on Saturday, December 9, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Citizens are invited to visit the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) headquarters to enjoy a free, family-friendly event with food, music, demonstrations, and giveaways. Members of the agency’s SWAT, Corrections Emergency Response Team, Mounted Patrol, K-9, and Aviation units, among others, will display their equipment, offering attendees an inside look at what they do. Human Resources will provide information about career opportunities, and the agency’s Animal Services Section will bring adoptable animals. Santa Claus will also fly in for a visit. The annual open house coincides with the agency’s 7th Annual Holiday Toy Drive benefiting the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida’s Guardian ad Litem program, Teen Court of Sarasota, and All Star Children’s Foundation. The sheriff’s office headquarters is located at 6010 Cattleridge Boulevard in Sarasota. Parking is limited, so attendees are encouraged to carpool, if possible. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact the agency’s Community Affairs Office at 941.861.4005.

In Conversation with Richard Corcoran, President of New College of Florida, on higher education.

FOR YEARS BIG THINKERS TALK ABOUT HOW OUR SCHOOLS SHOULD SHOULD PRODUCE INNOVATIVE STUDENTS, BUT THE SYSTEM ALWAYS GRINDS BACK TO PRODUCING WORKERS. WHY DOES THE SYSTEM NEVER SEEM TO REACH THIS GOAL?

This is going back to the formulation of public education in America and the roots with Dewey. They had two huge events that occurred at the turn of the 19th century. One, we had a massive influx of Europeans who didn’t speak our language and they came through Ellis Island. The other is the Industrial Revolution. The Dewey school of thought was, “we’ve just got to take these people”–it’s almost demeaning and demoralizing in a way– “and make them widget makers. If we can teach them just enough skills to get on the assembly line and help us with this Industrial Revolution, everything will be great.” And that line of thought–it’s also what you saw in Eastern Europe in the last 100 years or so–still exists today. Even the great thinkers were saying, “no, we need to get these kids out of school and they need to get a good job.” And it’s just completely missing the forest for the trees. History’s replete with these great stories [of success born of a liberal education]. The one I tell often is about a mathematician who started at University of Michigan. She became one of the first females involved in the Apollo mission. She worked with other scientists, mathematicians, engineers on Apollo 11. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are there trying to land on the moon and all of a sudden it has a breakdown and everything’s collapsing. They weren’t going to land. The mathematician comes and she solves it in two seconds. She anticipated the problem could happen and then she solved it when it did happen. [This is what is possible] if you’re not just training people to be engineers, but giving them a broader education-this skill set of wrestling with the great questions of all time; what does a just society mean? What does it mean to be a citizen in a free market? If you don’t wrestle with those thoughts, you’re not prepared to make the intellectual leaps when innovative thinking is needed. Keep in mind, all the other scientists, mathematicians, engineers, all credit her with resolving this near catastrophe. And guess what? She was a double major–mathematics and philosophy. That’s it, the intersection of technology and liberal arts. 

Check out more on this feature!

The State University System Board of Governors appointed Sarasota resident Don Patterson to the New College Board of Trustees at its meeting November 9. “The Board of Governors has made an excellent selection by adding a strong local leader and supporter of New College to our Board of Trustees,” said New College President Richard Corcoran. “I look forward to working with Don to achieve our goal of positioning New College as the nation’s top liberal arts school.” Patterson has a long history of both business success and notable philanthropy, and recently co-chaired the New College Foundation’s Annual Clambake. Patterson spent 40 years in the communications industry, culminating in his role as co-founder and CEO of Ascend Wireless Networks, taking the business from startup to acquisition by a private equity firm in less than 10 years. Patterson has a long track record of supporting the underserved in the Sarasota community, holding numerous high-level roles with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Suncoast. He led the creation of “Stay Safe” in partnership with the Salvation Army, an initiative that serves as an emergency alternative for women victims of abuse as a result of being homeless. He attended the first conference by the Department of Justice to address the emerging Human Trafficking crisis, and “Stay Safe” continues to work in Sarasota to this day. As a community leader in Sarasota, he funded the creation of the “Thursday Night Market” in the Rosemary District, reviving traffic flow to businesses in the area post-pandemic. He is also an accomplished marathoner and Ironman. 

New College of Florida, in coordination with Architecture Sarasota, invites the press and public to participate in a design preview of the future as the college concludes its Reimagining Pei architectural competition. After months of creative work, the finalist firms will present their designs on Wed., Nov.15 at 5:30pm at the Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243. The competition was launched to honor the work of renowned architect I.M. Pei who designed the iconic brutalist-style dormitories on New College’s East Campus (a.k.a. Pei Campus). New College tasked the firms with boldly transforming the structures as it develops an innovative and comprehensive future campus plan to include an athletic complex, retail and entertainment. A distinguished committee of local and national members of the architecture community narrowed down exceptional portfolios of entrants in early September to land on the three: Brooks+Scarpa (Los Angeles, USA), STUDIOS Architecture (France and USA), and Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors (Sarasota, USA). All received a $10,000 honoraria from the New College Foundation, Inc. to develop their design concepts for the adaptive use of the dormitories on the Pei Campus. Their designs will provide inspiration as New College continues development of its comprehensive master plan for the campus. After Wednesday’s presentations, New College of Florida in collaboration with Architecture Sarasota will select a winner to be announced November 17th. Among the three finalists are firms with diverse practices based in sustainable and equitable design. Brooks+Scarpa is a Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award-winning firm in Los Angeles, California, known for its multidisciplinary ethos and innovative approach to material application in environmentally responsive designs that stretch across a variety of sectors; STUDIOS Architecture, recipient of one of eight Honor Awards at the 2022 GSA Design Awards, is an international architecture firm with six offices in France and the USA (the “Reimagining Pei” competition entry was submitted by the firm’s Washington, DC office), known for campus-scaled corporate, educational, and residential projects which boast original approaches to material sourcing, focused on upcycling and recycling; Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors is a multi-award-winning Sarasota-headquartered firm with a two-decade track record of designing for the climate challenges specific to the city, specializing in community, commercial and residential architecture. The press and public will be invited to meet and greet these architects as well as ask questions of the teams after each one presents designs during the Nov. 15 finals.  

In a move for educational excellence, the School Board of Sarasota County, together with the Sarasota Classified/Teachers Association, is thrilled to reveal a proposed contract settlement for the 2023-24 school year, cementing our teachers as the best-paid educators in Florida. The generous package includes a 2% one-time supplement for all educational and support staff, distributed before the winter holidays, ensuring a joyful season for our dedicated team. Following this, a retroactive salary increase of 4.25% awaits instructional staff rated as highly effective, with a substantial 3.5% raise for all other instructional staff. Our committed classified employees (non-instructional) will receive a 4.0% increase, honoring their invaluable service. Including the 0.5% increase provided at the start of the school year, the total increase in compensation for the 2023-24 school year amounts to the following: Instructional, rated Highly Effective = 4.75% + 2% one-time supplement; Instructional, rated Effective = 4.0% + 2% one-time supplement; Grandfathered Instructional, rated Highly Effective = 4.0% + 2% one-time supplement; Classified = 4.5% + 2% one-time supplement. "Our educators are the backbone of our thriving school community, and this proposed settlement clearly reflects our deep appreciation for their unwavering dedication. Ensuring that Sarasota County remains the gold standard for teacher compensation in Florida is not just about maintaining a title; it's about recognizing the invaluable investment our teachers make in every student, every day. Our School Board truly understands and supports setting the stage for an even brighter future for our educators and students, one where excellence is not only expected but also supported in every way possible," said Superintendent Terry Connor. This year's negotiations have set a new standard for collaboration and mutual respect, focusing on upholding our district's prestigious status for teacher compensation. The settlement, exceeding $37 million, accounts not only for salary enhancements but also for the rise in health insurance and retirement contributions, reflecting our holistic commitment to our staff's welfare.The minimum salary for teachers with a bachelor's degree will rise to $55,000 and $60,000 for those with a master's degree, a testament to our investment in attracting and retaining top talent.In addition to financial benefits, the agreement empowers teachers to expand their expertise through professional development for up to 15 hours, compensated at their hourly rate. "This agreement is a testament to the strength of collaboration and shared vision between the Sarasota County School Board and our association. It's more than just a contract; it's a commitment to our educators and staff, recognizing their extraordinary contributions and their pivotal role in shaping our students' future. This settlement goes beyond numbers - it's about valuing our people, supporting their growth, and ensuring that Sarasota County remains a beacon of educational excellence where every member feels valued, respected, and empowered," said Rex Ingerick, President of Sarasota Classified/Teachers Association. As we celebrate this proposal, we remain engaged in ongoing dialogue to address and enhance various aspects of our educational environment. The future shines bright for Sarasota County Schools as we continue to foster a nurturing and prosperous space for our educators and students alike. 

SRQ Magazine is calling home builders, architects, landscape architects and interior designers to submit their projects from the past year. The winning entries are awarded Home of the Year Platinum, Gold, and Silver Awards and the winning entries are published in the March 2024 awards edition of SRQ Magazine. 

Enter Here!

PIECE BY PIECE | Judy Pfaff is set to unveil her site-specific installation Picking Up the Pieces at the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College, November 2023. 

Read Here!