A federal qualifying deadline drew few surprises in Sarasota-Manatee congressional districts, though Democratic contests do look different than expected.

Still, U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan and Greg Steube appear to have little to worry about as the Republicans seek re-election.

In U.S. House District 16, Buchanan’s biggest threat, as it was last cycle, appears to be in the Republican primary. Eddie Speir, founder of Inspiration Academy, qualified to run against him in an Aug. 20 vote open only to Republicans in the district. But the weeks leading up to that milestone were marred by negative headlines that made Speir look less capable of a credible challenge that it even initially seemed.

By the time Speir filed last year to challenge Buchanan, he already bore the distinction of the one New College trustee appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis who was too fringe and crazy for the Republican supermajority in the Florida Senate to stomach. Lawmakers’ refusal to confirm his nomination seemed only to stoke Speir’s anti-elitist attitude and agitate him into a run.

But since then, he’s shown himself utterly incapable of running a decent campaign. Put aside the taxation issues some have raised about him recruiting school staff to work for the campaign and the nepotism charges that inevitably come up when his children and in-laws accept salaries from his campaign payroll. Relying on family and friends may be a way to raise money, but it will take professional expertise for Speir to unseat a nine-term incumbent in a GOP Primary. My guess is that’s such a ridiculous mission against Buchanan no professional consultants will take his calls.

On the Democratic side? Buchanan has faced nationally backed challenges before, but redistricting that recentered this race in Manatee County and a general rightward shift in the local electorate almost make this a moot question. But Jan Schneider, Buchanan’s most frequent Democratic opponent, has qualified. So has Lakewood Ranch political donor Trent Miller. That means there could be a costly contest in August just to see who faces Buchanan in November.

As for House District 17, Steube, an America First conservative who fits well in Donald Trump’s version of Republicanism, made it through qualifying without attracting a Republican opponent. That means he gets a pass straight to November. But again, multiple Democrats jumped into the race and will have to fight for the right to challenge Steube with a clear disadvantage.

United Nations program administrator Matthew Montavon and former Whitney, Texas School Board member both qualified for an August Primary.

Having two Democrats already in the mix urged Andrea Doria Kale, who challenged Steube in 2022, to shift her candidacy and challenge U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin in the Florida Heartland.

Considering Donald Trump won Buchanan’s district in 2020 with almost 54% of the vote and Steube’s district with more than 57%, the races for Democrats would be uphill regardless. But the particular dynamics of these contests mean there’s little to see here.

Still, it means something so many Democrats are trying to fight the incumbents here. Florida Democrats for the first time in years will field candidates in every congressional district in Florida. Most will likely still lose in the fall. But maybe these Democrats, including the ones who win local primaries, can help turnout for Joe Biden in the presidential contest. That may start turning Florida around and back into purple state territory. That could be valuable for Democrats who try to run in future cycles.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ MEDIA. 

Photos: Vern Buchanan, Greg Steube.

Twenty-five years. I can hardly believe it. To say that I feel honored and proud to have served as President of Ringling College of Art and Design for a quarter-century is indeed an understatement. 

In 1999, when I first arrived at Ringling College—or the “Ringling School of Art and Design,” as it was called until we changed the name in 2007—it was a small but vibrant campus of about 800 students. The majority of buildings you see on campus today were not yet built. But what was true then and has remained the same since, is the quality of student instruction by the faculty and the nurturing environment created by the staff.  

Fast-forward to 2023 and this past fall, the College achieved its highest enrollment of all time totaling 1,722 students. In addition to steady enrollment growth, the institution has been able to grow its physical footprint to 60-plus acres, including opening Sarasota Art Museum and the Ringling College Museum Campus in 2019. And that domain continues to expand, outward and upward. In the last 25 years, we have erected 14 new buildings across our campus and renovated several others. 

Ringling College has also experienced a terrific surge in diversity and inclusion, with increased Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programming and a robust international student population: 22 percent of our students come from 60 countries outside of the U.S. Our faculty numbers are at their highest of all time, too. Our 129 full-time and 64 part-time faculty members have allowed us to uphold the College’s intimate 11-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, in line with our growing student population. Ringling faculty have been industry professionals and leaders in their fields prior to their teaching roles and still maintain their professional standing.

One of my favorite things about Ringling College is that we always look forward. So the question I often ask myself is, how can we continue to succeed AND progress even further? 

For many years, I have discussed the onset of the Creative Age and what it will mean for the future of art and design in a world of automation. 

When I think about the power of (and great need for) creative leadership, I often think back to an article I came across in 2017, 7 Ways Academic Leaders Can Cultivate Creativity. Many of the concepts have remained with me. Among them are that creativity and curiosity go hand-in-hand as habits to be nurtured, rather than innate qualities awarded at birth. And that one of the ways to nurture these habits is by normalizing failure, a practice I explored in a column earlier this year. Another way to cultivate creativity is by having many varied firsthand experiences by exploring outside our homes and classrooms, and by traveling outside of our own cultures.

But perhaps most profound to me was the author’s revelation that creativity often manifests not as a brand-new concept, but as a previously overlooked connection between existing ideas. And that we, as institutions of higher learning and creative leaders, must translate this inherently elusive skill into a structured discipline. Our responsibility is to build lessons that exercise and strengthen our students’ curious, connection-finding “muscles.”

Drawing a line between our successful past and a prosperous future is one such connection we, as an institution, can pursue. I believe we can find it in the many facets of creative leadership built into Ringling College’s past, which will continue to be our way forward in our rapidly automating, forever-changing society.

As I reflect on my tenure—the achievements, the setbacks, the silver linings—I remember that it’s all of YOU—alumni, students, faculty and staff, extended family and friends, donors and community members—who have made Ringling College into what it is today. Your success is our shared success, and I am grateful to be part of it. Here’s to another 25 years of continued creativity!

Dr. Larry Thompson is president of Ringling College of Art & Design. 

Photo: Dr. Thompson poses with a student team of President's Award winners at the 2024 Best of Ringling awards ceremony.

Gulf Coast Builders Exchange (GCBX) members build hospitals, schools, libraries, the places where you go to work, cool things like Mote SEA and all types of other commercial projects. The costs for these projects have increased significantly over the past several years for many reasons. Many GCBX members also provide residential services and the cost do work at your homes has also increased. We’ve all seen the impact of inflation over the past several years, but another contributing factor is the inflationary effect caused by the lack of affordable housing.

Many years ago, employees at companies could afford to live in or near their places of work. That changed over time and employees were forced further away to more affordable housing.

The increased commute times for these employees not only affected the quality of life for their families, ie. less family time to spend with children, increased stress due to long commutes and less time for life’s more enjoyable activities such as hobbies or walks and exercise, it also increased costs for their employers which have to be passed on to the end user. 

Careers in commercial construction are good paying jobs. According to Talent.com, the average contractor salary in Florida is $70,000 per year and the range is $38,000 to $127,000. According to ZipRecruiter the average hourly wage is $35 an hour or $73,000 per year. Recent data (2023) from the Federal Reserve reports that construction wages in Florida reached a record high. These are good salaries, but housing costs in Sarasota are 34% higher than the national average according to Best Places.com and 25% higher than the average Florida home.

Another significant cost to businesses affected by this issue is the cost to purchase company trucks which has almost doubled in the last several years. Additionally, when employees lived closer to work and their service areas the life of a company truck was approximately five years. That has now been reduced to three years due to increased mileage and wear and tear on the vehicles. I’m told by GCBX members, the cost to insure one of these vehicles has jumped from $3,400 a vehicle to $5,600 a vehicle. The annual cost for auto insurance for one GCBX member recently jumped from $200,000 a year to $230,000 a year. These costs continue to be on an upward trajectory with no signs of diminishing in the foreseeable future. 

These are all costs to the business that contribute to increasing project costs for businesses moving to the area, fire and police stations being built and also to service calls to your home or place of business. These increased costs impact all of us. 

It goes without saying that there are many variables that impact these increased costs, but the lack of affordable housing is certainly one of those variables. Affordable/Workforce/Sustainable housing (whichever term is most applicable) has been an item for discussion in the community for a very long time. It’s important to ensure that people who work (including Police Officers, Teachers, Nurses and yes construction workers) can afford to live in the community.

There have been several articles recently talking about different proposals to address this problem. These seem more concrete and sustainable than many of the discussions over the years. It is critical to the health of the community that we stop talking about this issue and start implementing solutions. This issue is having an inflationary impact on the cost of doing business in the area and that impacts all of us.

Mary Dougherty is executive director of the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange. 

Image courtesy Pixabay.

As Superintendent of Schools, I am sincerely invested in our youngest citizens' academic and personal success. The significance of early childhood education, particularly prekindergarten (Pre-K), cannot be overstated in its role in setting the stage for lifelong learning and achievement.

Research consistently demonstrates that children participating in high-quality Pre-K programs significantly improve their overall development. These students are better prepared for kindergarten, show enhanced performance in reading and math, and are less likely to require specialized education services or retention. The long-term impacts of early education include higher graduation rates, increased earnings, and lower rates of crime and delinquency.

In the early days of my transition into the district, our team recognized the critical juncture at which these Pre-K programs stood. Initially funded by grant revenue, these Pre-K early learning programs faced the looming threat of discontinuation as the grant period neared its end. Understanding the pivotal role of early childhood education, we took decisive action to safeguard the future of our Pre-K initiatives.

Transitioning from temporary grant funding to a sustainable financial model was imperative to integrate Pre-K programs into Sarasota County's educational fabric. Our team examined existing resources, budget allocations, and potential funding streams to identify a solution to secure the continuity and expansion of our Pre-K programs. We were able to braid several funding opportunities and maximize the resources allocated to Sarasota County through our team’s diligent work.

Sarasota County Schools currently offers 19 early learning programs across 10 elementary schools, accommodating around 247 general education preschool students and 95 students who receive Exceptional Student Education (ESE) support – a total enrollment capacity of 342 students. Additionally, the district hosted 40 ESE preschool programs at 15 school sites, leading to 59 total classrooms across 16 elementary schools.

The district is set to expand its offerings with 23 early learning programs in the 2024-2025 school year. This will enable 13 elementary schools to accommodate up to 299 general education preschool students and 115 ESE-supported students, increasing the total potential enrollment to 414 preschool students. The number of classrooms will rise to 62, spanning 17 elementary schools.

Sarasota's kindergarten readiness rate – based on the Florida Assessment for Student Thinking (FAST) Star Early Literacy Assessment results for fall 2023 – was 57%, compared to the state's average of 51%. Students enrolled in Sarasota County’s early learning programs showed evidence of increased gains and performance based on district progress monitoring data. Sarasota students completing a Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) program within the community stood at 68%, highlighting the positive impact of early learning and VPK programs.

Our Pre-K programs are not just surviving; they are poised to thrive and now expand to include VPK programming. We will affirm our commitment to the youngest learners in Sarasota by ensuring that more children have access to high-quality early education. Our actions now lay the groundwork for a future where every student in Sarasota County can achieve their full potential.

Terrence Connor is the Sarasota County Superintendent of Schools. 

Image courtesy Pixabay.

On Friday, April 12, Sarasota County completed the acquisition of the 5-acre property at 3905 E. Venice Ave., Venice. The property is within a priority conservation area of Sarasota County's Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP). It is located near Snook Haven Park and Sleeping Turtles Preserve South and in close proximity to another recent purchase along E. Venice Avenue. Notable wildlife sightings on the property include gopher tortoises, red-shouldered hawks and great horned owls. Diverse plant life inhabits the property as well, including southern red cedar, cabbage palm and pond cypress. The property consists of mesic flatwood and remnant scrubby flatwood habitat. The newly acquired property was secured through Sarasota County's ESLPP, a voter-approved and taxpayer-funded program designed to acquire and protect natural lands and parklands. Community members interested in nominating land to be considered for county acquisition may complete a land nomination form. The completed form can be sent to landnominations@scgov.net or mailed to: Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, Attn: Land Nominations, 1660 Ringling Blvd., 5th Floor, Sarasota.