It wasn’t long ago conservatives railed against cancel culture. Now, a Republican leader would rather put a small business under than tolerate an opposing point of view.

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, startled many with a social media post urging conservatives to boycott Stottlemyer’s Smokehouse. It wasn’t overcooked meat that turned his stomach but campaign signs in front of the restaurant promoting School Board member Tom Edwards and School Board candidate Liz Barker.

“Calling all conservatives, no more @StottlemyersBBQ,” he posted. “Can’t have our money going to support liberals! Guess it’s Mission BBQ and Roger’s Market for gas!”

Steube has the right to choose mediocre chain barbeque if he chooses (at least Mission carries a mustard sauce). But it’s more than startling when political leaders encourage others to punish entrepreneurs over voting habits. This may even leave a voter who didn’t support Steube in the last election concerned where to turn to if they need a passport expedited.

Edwards called the post “deliberately divisive.” “Our community is tired of this angry rhetoric, with I’m on this side and your on that and we’ll fight to the death,” he said. “Why not have us sit down and find solutions to free lunch for students in Sarasota County?”

Yet this feels utterly predictable. A sad facet of human nature is many who fight against censorship of their point of view care little when the other side is silenced; they may cheer it.

That never felt so baked into public discourse as during the unmissable hypocrisy decrying speech suppression while preaching “go woke, go broke.” People denouncing the deplatforming of extremists now pull largely benign books from school shelves.

Three years ago, Steube filed federal legislation to hold Big Tech responsible for censoring certain points of view.

“The American people should all demand equal treatment, especially in the public square,” Steube said then. “Our country’s founding and entire system of government prides itself on our ability for citizens to have different views without being suppressed or censored.”

The cause of protecting extreme points of view online seemed dampened once Elon Must bought X and restored it as a home to crazed nationalists and conspiracy weavers. All’s good with Big Tech, I guess. Barbeque, though, may be a different story.

I, for one, can’t imagine walking away from a restaurant serving smoked ribs for any reason, so maybe my convictions aren’t the best test.

But from my work talking politics with folks of all walks of life is that restaurateurs as a rule, like most small business owners, skew Republican. Maybe Sarasota smokehouse are the exception. But on a whole, I’d guess liberals who boycott every restaurant whose owners vote another way will need to cook a lot of meals at home.

One could certainly argue conservatives choosing a different smoke pit hardly constitutes censorship. But it’s as much cancellation as liberals refusing to watch a Vince Vaughn or Jon Voight movie. What’s strange is just a few years ago, when Steube and many conservatives vocally opposed vaccine mandates and other policies, the Republican Congressman stood up for a business with a differing point of view.

A restaurant known for hosting events encouraged vaccinated employees to wear pins denoting their status, irritating certain political groups who felt no conservative should speak at a restaurant with such a policy.

Steube spoke there anyway, saying he disagreed with the policy, but that being a conservative meant allowing businesses to run shop as they see fit. He was correct. You wouldn’t expect anyone arguing against over-regulation saddling a company with a philosophical purity test.

Voters choose elected officials based on philosophy but dining establishment based on flavor. Fortunately, most people understand that. I reached out to Stottlemyer’s for comment, but management declined. Someone answering the phone said owner’s “were aware” of Steube’s post. But a day after Steube’s post, the restaurant was too busy to talk politics.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ MEDIA.  

Photo courtesy Pixabay.

As we enter the final weekend of the 2024 Olympic Games, the world’s eyes remain fixed on hometown heroes – locals who have so mastered their sport that they’ve become not only champions but ambassadors for their communities. 

Competing on the global stage, however, starts with dedicated training at home. And that’s where our team at Visit Sarasota County comes into play. 

Here in Sarasota County, we are privileged to feature high-caliber athletic facilities that attract talent from across the state, country, and beyond all year long. From Nathan Benderson Park to Selby Aquatic Center, these venues are where athletes at all levels – professional, amateur and recreational – come to play and stay. 

One such competitor is 2024 Olympic Swim Team Member and Sarasota native Emma Weyant. Just last month, we signed our first-ever Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with Emma to highlight our commitment to promoting local talent, fostering community pride through sports tourism and showcasing our home as a training ground for champions.

As Emma has competed this summer, we have featured her local story – from swimming for the Sarasota Sharks to her favorite places around town to unwind – across our digital marketing efforts. All these have come together to position Sarasota County as a premier destination for visitors, sports enthusiasts and sporting events. 

We’ve learned a great deal from our partnership and view this as a precedent for future initiatives with local athletes and personalities. Because after all, sports tourism is a pivotal driver of visitation in our community. So much so, in our 2023 fiscal year, we welcomed more than 264,000 attendees who generated nearly $80 million in economic impact at sporting events supported by VSC grants that come from Tourist Development Tax Dollars.

These numbers are only possible thanks to our Sports team’s close collaboration with the Sarasota County Parks and Recreation department. Every year, under their direction, we facilitate over 75 sporting events – and this portfolio is ever expanding. 

We’ve seen such success by leaning into our 365 days of sunshine. Rowing, swimming and baseball are strong attractors for us, as are beach volleyball, beach soccer, equestrian, tennis, pickleball and dragon boat races to name just a few. 

Even more “niche” sports, when taken in totality, generate substantial impact. You may not know that some of your fellow neighbors moved down here to utilize our croque facilities, which have drawn both national and international tournaments. Or that we have the oldest ongoing BMX track in the United States right along Tuttle Avenue. We’re constantly bringing in new sports – from the widely known to those just emerging – to enrich the experiences for our spectators and athletes alike.

This summer and all year long, we’re committed to keeping Sarasota County top of mind and first in line as a preferred place to train and compete – for coaches, athletes, and, of course, future hometown heroes.

Erin Duggan is president and CEO of Visit Sarasota County. 

Photo courtesy Visit Sarasota County: Emma Wyant.

As the summer season wanes and the academic calendar resumes, the recent months have proven pivotal in reinforcing New College's status as a distinguished liberal arts institution, poised to reassert its place among the nation's elite educational establishments.

This summer witnessed the matriculation of a record-breaking total of more than 370 new freshmen and transfer students, eclipsing last year’s record of 323. Our proactive in-person engagement with students included four Welcome Wednesday events, designed to facilitate a smooth transition. These gatherings allowed approximately 200 incoming students to commence course registration and familiarize themselves with the campus environment. Concurrently, the campus has begun to buzz with activity, notably with the return of our fall athletes, who are gearing up for the inaugural season of Mighty Banyans athletics within the esteemed Sun Conference.

Our graduate program recruitment for the newly established Marine Mammal Science master's degree continued successfully this summer and the inaugural cohort is now in place. Next week we will see the New College Board of Trustees deliberate on the proposal to create the Florida Institute of Marine Mammal Science, a venture that will include an innovative partnership with the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

More than 40 new full-time faculty will begin their duties next week. These accomplished scholars have come from around the nation because of our steadfast dedication to providing a classical liberal arts education.

Bolstering New College’s relationship with the surrounding community has been integral to restoring the College’s stature, locally and nationally. In the past month, we had the honor of hosting the School District of Manatee County leadership, including principals and assistant principals from all K-12 schools. Earlier this summer, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce held its inaugural “Spark: Interns Summit” on our campus, engaging numerous aspiring professionals in workshops and networking activities.

We also welcomed exceptional middle and high school students from across the country to Incubate Debate’s Summer Debate Institute. Our partnership with Incubate Debate includes hosting local and regional competitions, further laying the groundwork for high-achieving students with a firm belief in civil discourse and vigorous debate to get early exposure to New College.

The summer has also been a period of logistical refinement, with extensive efforts to enhance and beautify the campus. Returning students will find significant improvements, including restoring several buildings, newly paved roads, and flourishing natural spaces. Major projects, such as the Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center renovation and the construction of a new greenhouse, have progressed notably in recent weeks.

The year ahead will serve as a testament to the progress New College has made in the last 18 months. The summer's dedicated efforts have propelled us closer to our goal of becoming America's preeminent liberal arts college.

Richard Corcoran is president of New College of Florida. 

Photo courtesy New College Facebook: Incoming freshman students.