The Sarasota County Commission next year will have one woman. Republican voters in District 1 will decide on Aug. 20 if that’s Teresa Mast or Alexandra Coe. That’s when a GOP Primary will effectively determine who succeeds term-limited Commissioner Mike Moran on the board.

For Mast, the coming election marks a culmination of more than a year and a half of campaigning for the opening on the board. She’s lived in the community since she was a teenager, and wants to play a role in ensuring its economic vitality, she said.

“The biggest thing for me is leaving a legacy,” she said. “The community I live in and call home, where I live and work and play, I want it to continue to be a conservative county that cares for the health, wealth and safety of its citizens.”

Coe, a member of the County Charter Review Board, has been active for years in historic preservation and founded the more libertarian-leaning Republican Liberty Caucus of Sarasota. She has focused on conservation during her campaign and expressed frustration at years of development influence on county government. She ran for commission previously in 2018 and sees little change.

“The overall tone of the County Commission is pretty much same, very developer-centric,” she said. “It has always been a part of it. But we cannot continue to elect people from the development sector to office and think that we won’t get overdevelopment. Just like if you elect lawyers you get more laws, when you elect developers you get more development.”

That’s an unmistakable jab at Mast, president of the Davin Group, a remodeling and renovation firm. Mast is also married to Jon Mast, CEO of the Suncoast Builders Association. This draws constant criticisms the candidate will value the needs of development firms ahead of other residents.

But Mast said her own background doesn’t suggest she will only vote in favor of developers. She chaired Sarasota County’s Planning Commission, and supported conservation of agricultural areas in rural east Sarasota County. She also stressed her own contracting work, leading a business for years with female-majority ownership, supports businesses in rural and metropolitan areas.

“Whether it’s a dairy farmer or someone who is selling hand-made jewelry, or its doctors, lawyers and teachers, all have an impact on the quality of life in Sarasota County,” she said.

Both candidates expressed infrastructure concerns. Coe noted flooding concerns in the district and county, much of that tied to development.

“If we end up with Lakewood Ranch-style development all over east County,” she said, “that water has to go somewhere and gets pushed into the urban core.”

Mast noted other weather concerns, notably the need for better transportation routes during evacuations. She said the community needs to improve east-west corridors like Bee Ridge and Fruitville roads, and to have better north-south paths like Lorraine Road.

Both candidates made unsuccessful runs for county office before. Coe lost a District 2 race (before redistricting) six years ago to Christian Ziegler. Mast, meanwhile, ran unsuccessfully for Sarasota County School Board in 2016 and lost to Carolina Zucker. In both cases, the candidates’ last major run was county-wide, but they now seek votes only in their district.

Mast doesn’t care for the change to single-member voting. She believes all voters should weigh in on every commission race.

“I’ve worked for years at polling locations and every single election since this change was made, I’ve heard people say, ‘Why isn’t everyone on the ballot? I didn’t understand this would happen,’” she said.

Coe, though, feels happier campaigning in one-fifth of the county.

“It’s much nicer because I can really focus on the community,” she said. “With a district-specific race, you are really able to connect with neighborhoods, and that was the whole reason for single-member districts, so people could actually have a relationship with their county commissioner.”

Lili Kinsman, owner of Butter Curated Thrift, has a story about resilience, creativity, and passion. Butter was born out of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic after Lili lost her business as a professional chef—a career she had pursued for 37 years. With a love for organization, design, and staging, Lili transitioned her skills to the thrift store industry. Her journey is filled with unique experiences, from helping snowbirds prepare their vacation rentals to using her extensive inventory to create a vibrant and curated thrift store. Join us as Lili shares her insights and advice on navigating the world of thrift stores, the importance of community, and the creative process behind Butter Curated Thrift.

SRQ: What was the inspiration behind Butter Curated Thrift?

Kinsman: Butter was born out of the pandemic because I had another business I had been doing for about six years. My mom was a contractor so I knew how to do wallpaper, painting and decorating because staging is my real love–something I became passionate about as a professional chef. With my culinary background, I had gotten good at organizing and decorating so with the big influx of snowbirds that come to Florida every year, I would help them prepare and open their homes up as vacation rentals when they would go back north. When the owners would come they'd have their things. Then, if they had renters during the offseason, I would oversee the process of putting the vacation renter stuff in the houses. A lot of my clients began selling their homes leaving me with an excess of inventory. I had a whole bunch of inventory in storage and I didn’t know what to do with all this stuff. I thought I could either Facebook or Marketplace myself to death or start my own business selling the extra inventory. It took a while because, during the peak of COVID-19, I couldn't get an inspection on the rental space I had found in Gulfgate. While no one was coming, I was busy painting and decorating the space. The name “Butter” came from my time as a young chef in culinary school. I was one out of two women in a class of 122. My mentor, Julia Child, was one of the only female celebrity chefs during that time and that's where the name came from. It is an homage to butter.

SRQ: What book are you reading now that expands on your business acumen?

Kinsman: I keep up with fashion magazines to be up-to-date with all the latest trends. I found a church sale not too long ago that had a stack of 150 fashion magazines. Some of them were Vogue and some of them were older from the eighties and nineties.

SRQ: What podcast are you listening to that is inspiring you in your business life?

Kinsman: My business is so fluid that it would be hard to find any podcast that directly correlates but lately, I have been actively listening to podcasts about climate change and sustainability. I listen to Heather Cox Richardson who addresses climate change quite often from a very practical standpoint. That helps me with my business practices as I try to make it as sustainable as possible. While I am not in a position where I can change the building and make it smarter, I can change my own practices on how I shop and how to not consume so much stuff.

SRQ: Share one of your business bucket list items.

Kinsman: I guess my business bucket list item is to become less dependent on things like air conditioning and find ways where I can use less manufactured energy and more sustainable energy.

SRQ: What strategies or best practices have you found most effective in sourcing quality items for your thrift store, and how do you maintain a diverse and appealing inventory for your customers?

Kinsman: Unlike a consignment shop, we do not accept donations. It’s almost disingenuous to say we’re a thrift store because it’s more like a boutique and we do have some new things in there. The only time that stuff comes in is when we sell artwork, especially female artists because we like to support them. Everything else is collected from state sales, church sales, or even yard sales. When we find items we want to sell, our process begins by taking these items to our storage unit on Stickney Point Road. It stays there for a bit and then goes through a thorough cleaning process. During this cleaning process, every button, zipper and stitch gets inspected. If it is not good, it gets donated to one of the women’s shelters here. We prefer to donate it to local people who can use it instead of re-donating it to Goodwill. Lastly, it goes to the store where it gets priced. Our inventory includes items for all kinds of weather so if you come in June or July, we’ve got a lot of Grandpa sweaters, vests or cool leather jackets that you wouldn’t see in normal stores. Half of our demographic is made up of younger people like Gen Z or Millennials because they know this thrifting game inside and out and understand it is better for the planet.

For more information, you can visit Butter Curated Thrift SRQ on their Facebook here! https://www.facebook.com/butterlivingsrq/

SteeleHarbour Capital Partners (“SteeleHarbour”) is  pleased to announce that John Lapins has joined the firm as Executive Managing Director to lead all development and construction activity.  Mr. Lapins brings more than 30 years of design and development experience as an architect and developer. Prior to joining SteeleHarbour, Mr. Lapins led private hospitality development teams at Rockbridge Capital, Auro Hotels and Geolo Capital. Prior to that he spent 10 years at Starwood Hotels & Resorts where he ultimately led their North American Divisional Architecture & Construction team on over 300 new build, conversion and renovation projects annually. Mr. Lapins began his development career at the New York City office of Hines working on large scale commercial  developments for almost 10 years after pursuing an MBA from the Columbia Business School. Mr. Lapins is a  registered architect and spent 5 years practicing Architecture after earning B.S. and M. Arch degrees from the  University of Michigan. “I am excited to join Chris McGrew and a very talented SteeleHarbour team as we look to expand the platform”,  said Mr. Lapins. “My professional relationship with Chris dates back 25 years when we worked together at Hines  in New York City. Chris and I grew up in the business together and have maintained a close relationship as our  respective careers have evolved. SteeleHarbour is capitalizing on many opportunities and I am eager to join such  an experienced and innovative team.”  “We are pleased to add John to our senior team at this stage of SteeleHarbour’s expansion,” commented  Christopher McGrew, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SteeleHarbour. “John brings an impressive  development and construction track record to SteeleHarbour, and a deep network within the real estate  investment community. John and I have established a high degree of mutual trust through our longstanding  relationship, and his strong alignment with the firm’s values makes him an excellent cultural fit and a trusted leader of our growing development and construction activities.”  

Sarasota Paradise, a USL League Two team based in Sarasota, recently announced that the family who owns Nicholas & Associates has purchased an interest in the team. Nicholas & Associates was a jersey sponsor for the 2024 season. With the purchased interest in the team, the Papanicholas family will provide extensive knowledge and resources to design and develop short-term and long-term facility strategies and capital improvements that will benefit the team and community. “We love sports and have executed dozens of large-scale athletics projects, so this was a natural fit for us,” said Nick Papanicholas, Jr., president of Nicholas & Associates and managing member of the new entity the family created to join the Sarasota Paradise ownership. “Marcus has done a great job and has the vision and skills to bring something very special to the greater Sarasota area. We’re excited to be part of what he’s already accomplished and what’s to come.” Launched in 2023, Sarasota Paradise is a men’s pre-professional soccer team that aims to bring high-level soccer to Sarasota and the surrounding community, with a commitment to nurturing local talent and providing a platform for aspiring players. Owned and operated by Audigr Group Inc., a global sports and entertainment enterprise founded by Marcus Walfridson, Sarasota Paradise came to fruition when Walfridson, a devoted soccer entrepreneur from Sweden, fell in love with Sarasota and recognized the need for a local soccer team. Since then, the team has seen much success, including being named New Organization of the Year by the USL in 2023 and having its first player in the team's history be drafted into the MLS. “We are extremely grateful for this partnership with the Papanicholas family as it will help the team continue building a foundation as we develop our team for 2025,” said Walfridson. “We started at the pre-professional level so that we could educate the community about the game, as well as bring unity, and we’re excited to see how Sarasota Paradise will transform over the next few years.” This season, for the first time in the team’s history, Sarasota Paradise was named division champions and attended playoffs in Asheville, North Carolina, a remarkable achievement for the team, organization and the City of Sarasota. To learn more, visit SarasotaParadise.us. 

Pictured: Sarasota Paradise during the 2024 season with Nicholas and Associates as a jersey sponsor.

S-OneHoldings Corporation, a global company headquartered in  Sarasota with a focus on the digital imaging industry, is honored to announce Its recognition as one of  Florida's Best Companies to Work For. The annual Best Companies To Work For In Florida list ranks 100 companies in small, medium, and large employer categories. S-One ranked third as Best Midsized  Companies. To participate, companies or government entities were required to have at least 15 workers in Florida  and to be in operation at least one year. Companies that chose to participate underwent an evaluation of  their workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The process also included a  survey to measure employee satisfaction. The combined scores determined the top companies and the  final ranking. The Best Companies To Work For In Florida program is managed by Florida Trend and Workforce Research  Group and is endorsed by the HR Florida State Council. Workforce Research Group managed the  registration, survey, and analysis and determined the final rankings. For a list of the 100 Best Companies To  Work For In Florida, go to FloridaTrend.com/BestCompanies. 

This week, OneBlood, an Orlando-based blood center, experienced a cyberattack that has brought some of their systems offline. During this time, the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota (DOH-Sarasota) encourages Floridians to consider donating blood to alternative blood centers to help boost Florida’s blood supply. Donating blood saves lives!  Florida is partnering with LifeSouth, SunCoast, and other local blood centers to receive blood donations and help distribute them appropriately across the state. Locations for these community-based blood centers can be found at FloridaDonates.com.DOH-Sarasota encourages residents and visitors to make an appointment with alternative providers to support the blood supply for Florida’s hospitals and fellow Floridians. 

To learn more, visit.

Trinity Custom Homes is proud to announce its outstanding performance at the 2024 SEBC Aurora Awards. The prestigious awards, recognizing excellence in the home building and design industries within the Southeastern United States, celebrated the remarkable achievements of professionals in various categories of residential and commercial construction. Trinity Custom Homes' Achievements: Golden Aurora Winner – Best In Show Overall, Half Light House; Grand Aurora Award Winner - Best Custom Home Under 5,000 sq. ft., The Origami House, Sarasota, FL; Grand Aurora Award Winner - Best Custom Home 5,000 to 10,000 sq. ft., The Half Light House, Sarasota, FL; Grand Aurora Award Winner - Best On-the-Boards Custom Home, Casa Encanto, Sarasota, FL; Grand Aurora Award Winner - Best Interior Detailing for a Home priced Over $1,000,000, Coastal Classic Retreat Wine/Billiards Room, Longboat Key, FL; Grand Aurora Award Winner - Best Innovative Use of Technology, Trinity Custom Homes; Grand Aurora Award Winner - Best Video, Trinity Custom Homes by Trinity Custom Homes; Silver Award Winner - Best Renovated or Restored Single House, Transitional Luxury, Osprey, FL;  Silver Aurora Winner - Best Renovated or Restored Residential Project, The One, Sarasota, FL; Coastal Classic Retreat, Longboat Key, FL; Silver Aurora Award Winner - Best Kitchen Design for a Custom/Spec/One of a Kind Home, Half Light House Kitchen, Sarasota, FL; Silver Aurora Award Winner - Best Website, Trinity Custom Homes by Trinity Custom Homes. These nominations and awards underscore Trinity Custom Homes' commitment to excellence in custom home building, renovation, interior design, and the innovative use of technology. The SEBC Aurora Awards Gala, where these honors were celebrated, took place on July 26, 2024, in Orlando, FL. 

Catching up with Dr. Melissa Chiu, the director of the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C, July/August 2024.

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