The Sarasota County School board experiences stream of controversies in recent years. Every District 3 School Board candidate, including the incumbent, believes voters can send a message that must stop.

School Board member Tom Edwards faces two challengers, long-time IT Management executive Thomas Babicz and former Sarasota Scullers executive director Greg Wood.

Edwards the last two years has been a lone member of a political minority, and said board meetings have been as trying for him as the public.

“I love being a School Board member. I hate the politics of this board from the last two years,” Edwards said. “If you think about it, from the time we terminated the superintendent until the vote on Bridger Ziegler’s Title IX resolution, it’s been 100% politics.”

He was a dissenting vote on firing former Superintendent Brennan Asplen (though he’s pleased with current Superintendent Terrance Connor) and on the district refusing federal mandates to provide student protections for transgender students. But he also stressed his work outside board meetings, including working with Sarasota Memorial Hospital to ensure continuation of a health care academy at Venice High after ShorePoint Health’s departure, and a partnership with the Gulf Coast Builder’s Exchange to establish trade academies in Sarasota schools.

Notably, both Babicz and Wood also favor providing education paths in school for students heading directly into the workforce.

Wood has coached students for decades and delivered lectures at Texas A&M University and leadership training at Fortune 500 companies. He supported much of the conservative School Board majority’s policies, including the recent Title IX stance he believes will be upheld in courts.

A father to three girls, two of them elementary age, he said quality schools are part of why he moved his family to Sarasota. But he’s concerned about political issues seeping into the classroom.

“We have been in Sarasota County schools, and we are supportive of public schools. I support school choice, and we had an experience that made us choose another,” Wood said. “We had to make the decision for our family. But one of my goals in running is to put our kids back in the school system.”

Babicz also strongly supports the recent Title IX resolution from the district, but said he’s upset how both political sides distract from the board’s core mission. He grew up poor in Soviet-occupied Poland, then fled to West Germany and moved to the U.S., where he climbed from janitor into the IT ranks and achieved his own “American Dream.” Now a grandfather with a grandson soon entering the local schools, he said he wants to strengthen teachers, reduce administrative waste and excise political activism from board meetings.

Reviewing contracts, he was stunned to see school renovations costing $18 million that should have been completed for under $3 million. While he wants to increase teacher pay, he believes all non-faculty costs in the budget could be reduced by 20%.

“We are more than lucky the current superintendent is a gift from heaven. I would give him an A-plus. He already started with education results that are better every month,” Babicz said. “I can also see he’s easy to work with to improve schools. The board is not doing that well. Maybe in the case of education, but in case of our dollars, I would give them maybe a C.”

Edwards holds a money advantage in the race. He has raised more than $162,000. Wood has raised north of $15,000 and Babicz has raised just under $15,000. All Sarasota County voters can vote in the Aug. 20 election. If no one wins a majority, the top two vote-getters advance to the General Election. While office is nonpartisan, the Sarasota County Democratic Party just included Edwards on its list of endorsed candidates. Wood serves on the Republican Party of Sarasota’s audit committee.  

Photos courtes campaigns: Tom Edwards, Thomas Babicz, Greg Wood.

Join us for a community meeting to review Sarasota County's Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan. This project, funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Resilient Florida Grant Program, addresses flooding and sea level rise risks and outlines mitigation projects. Registrants are welcome to attend in-person at the UF/IFAS Extension & Sustainability office at Twin Lakes Park or participate virtually. Light refreshments will be provided for in-person attendees. In the meeting, we will review the results of the Vulnerability Assessment, focusing on Sarasota County assets that are at risk from sea level rise and flooding. Attendees will have the opportunity to see these areas through maps and online visuals, as well as explore the strategies outlined in the adaptation and resilience plan. On May 12, 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1954 into law, establishing a comprehensive strategy for Florida’s coastal and inland resilience. This landmark legislation ensures coordinated efforts to protect Florida's waterways and coastlines against sea level rise. It represents the largest investment in the state’s history for preparing communities for rising sea levels, intensified storms, and flooding. The Resilient Florida Program offers grants to counties, municipalities, special districts, and regional resilience entities. These grants help eligible applicants analyze and plan for vulnerabilities, as well as implement adaptation and mitigation projects. Please register this event only at ufsarasotaext.eventbrite.com rather than any third-party websites, as they are not affiliated with our classes and events. For questions or further information, please call 941-861-5000 or email sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu. If you require special accommodations to attend one of our events, please contact us in advance at 941-861-5000 or sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu. 

To register, click here

The Sarasota Housing Authority & Executives of Fortis Development will host a ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony for Cypress Square a modern 84 unit affordablehousing community in Sarasota. Special guests include City of Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert, County Commissioner Mark Smith, and US Dept. of HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary Felicia Gaither.

Monday, July 8th, 2024 - 4:00pm, Cypress Square Clubhouse, (standalone 1-story building behind apartments). The property
address is 1672 21st Street, Sarasota. 

Creative Liberties Artist Studios and Gallery continues its season’s offerings with an all-packed July starting an exhibition of works by residents of the ARCOS Apartments, 340 Central Avenue in Sarasota, July 17-August 31. Meet the artists, learn about their process, and view and purchase their art. Open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. An opening reception is Wednesday, July 17, 5-7 p.m. 

Pictured: Family Art Day at Creative Liberties. Photo courtesy of Creative Liberties.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is pleased to announce a gift from Cheryl Gorelick and Jake Zeigler of $2,000,000 toward the FST Arts Plaza. This gift was made as part of The Maier Match Challenge in support of the “McGillicuddy Circle of Friends” through the “one-to-one match,” which brings the $2,000,000 gift to $4,000,000. The leadership gift helps FST surpass the Maier Match Challenge’s halfway goal after only two months of fundraising. 

This Dentist Runs More Than Just His Own Practice, July/August 2024.

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