Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Opinion - The city is not a developer

The city manager wants Sarasota to develop an $80M affordable housing project. Good intentions, but this approach always fails. A voucher program would be better.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...t-a-developer/

Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown says that it is time for the city government to get into the housing business.

Brown is proposing to the -Sarasota City Commission a complicated proposal to develop 192 affordable housing units across the street from City Hall. The plan considers buying up two parcels of land to create the project; having a private partner manage the housing for the city; asking local foundations and others to help fund the project; and selling ground floor commercial space in the buildings.

Estimated cost: around $80 million.

I could not find any details on who would build the project.

Brown wrote to the commissioners: “While some might question the government’s intervention in these matters, solely relying on the private sector hasn’t yet yielded significant results. We cannot remain passive as the demand for affordable/attainable workforce housing surges.”

There are many problems with this proposal. It risks a lot of money; it’s an approach that has failed over and over again; and it’s trying to work around a problem the city itself creates.

[wondermint2]

Spotlight on Limelight Market

https://www.srqmagazine.com/srq-dail...melight-Market

This Saturday, April 20 from 10-3 the Spotlight is on Limelight Market! This fun, pop up market happens in the courtyard of The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime with rescue dogs, unique guest vendors, food, and live music.

Check out the 40+ local creators and curators inside. Great way to support local! Free, until you buy something amazing. Live music with the lovely and talented Sabrina Mcclenithan.

Guest vendors this month include TenderHeart Charities, Bread Bandits, Mystic Blooms, 85 Drips Coffee, The Tie Dye Nerds, Myakka’s Gold Apiary, Constant Choas Product, Great Joy Greeting Glamitupsis, and Yancy handmade. Sarasota Street Talk, a popular podcast with Mark Klecka and Scott Malouf, will be recording and broadcasting live.

Be sure to say hi to them and maybe you’ll end up being interviewed! For more information visit: https://www.BazaaronApricotandlime.com Located at 821 Apricot Ave in Sarasota.

[wondermint2]

Visit this Gem of Sarasota for free on World Circus Day


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFyxlzYZ-So

World Circus Day is on Saturday, April 20.

To celebrate, The Ringling Circus Museum is offering free admission that day, which includes the Historic Circus Galleries, the Tibbals Learning Center and the Bayfront Gardens.

The Tibbals Learning Center has also opened up a new space called The Greatest Show On Earth Gallery.

The new exhibit aims to celebrate around 50 years of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey history.

“Feld Entertainment acquired the circus in 1968 and had continued it up until 2017,” The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Executive Director Steven High said. “Just recently, they reopened the circus in a new reiteration.”

Visitors enter The Greatest Show On Earth Gallery through a lighted entryway.

Inside, costumes, artifacts and a theatre are featured as part of the new exhibit.

Interactive screens also help tell the stories of circus performers over the decades.

“We want to recognize all those people who came to make this happen,” High said. “It doesn’t happen overnight and it’s a culture and it’s an art form and it’s a way of life.”

For more information about The Ringling Circus Museum visit their website:

https://www.ringling.org/visit/venues/circus-museum/

[wondermint2]

Is this new Bradenton storefront an Amazon Fresh grocery store? Here’s what we found

For full article:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brade...095000707.html

There could be a new national grocery player coming to the Bradenton market, even though the parent company won’t say one way or the other.

Amazon Fresh seems to have earmarked the Cortez Commons shopping center, 5630 Cortez Road W., for a future store. The grocery would be among the first Amazon Fresh stores in Florida.

For several years, Cortez Commons has been billed as the future home of a “new national credit grocery chain.”

Work on the grocery space in recent months has all the trappings of an Amazon Fresh store, including the design of the 12-panel windows, the dark gray facade and the green paint on the entrance overhang. All that’s missing is the company’s official badging.

The Tampa Bay Times found a similar storefront that matches Amazon Fresh’s unique design but remains unopened. That store is in Safety Harbor, the newspaper reported in November.

But we didn’t want to just speculate about whether an Amazon Fresh was coming to Bradenton, so we reached out to those who know.

A landlord for the shopping center previously told the Bradenton Herald that he can’t divulge the grocer, leaving that to the tenant to make the announcement when ready.

Recent building permits filed with the city of Bradenton also revealed few details about the grocery store.

Is Amazon Fresh coming to Bradenton?

Jessica Martin, an Amazon spokesperson, responded in an email that she didn’t have any information to share on specific stores but offered a statement.

“We’ve invested a lot of time redesigning a number of our Amazon Fresh stores over the last year, offering a better overall shopping experience with more value, convenience, and selection — and so far we’ve seen positive results, with higher customer shopping satisfaction scores and increased purchasing,” Martin said.

[wondermint2]

Landmark Sarasota bar and restaurant sold, new owners to maintain 4/20 theme

Munchies 420 Cafe has gotten a facelift and the new owners are vowing to continue the Gulf Gate landmark's traditions.

For full article & photo:

https://www.businessobserverfl.com/n...sota-bar-sold/

It’s been a local landmark for decades, and if its new owners have their way, the Munchies 420 Cafe will continue to be the go-to place in Sarasota for late-night food and drinks.

At the corner of Gulf Gate Drive and Superior Avenue, in the Gulf Gate neighborhood of south Sarasota, the cafe has gotten a facelift and is planning a grand reopening Saturday on — you guessed it — 4/20.

New owner John Kirk acquired Munchies through RK Hospitality Group, which he calls "a restaurant management company … with the objective of acquiring and managing independent casual dining venues. We acquire venues with well established local brands as well as outstanding reputations for food quality that can be converted to sports and 'eatertainment' themed concepts." RK Hospitality Group was founded in 2023.

[wondermint2]

The Fresh Market supermarket to open in Lakewood Ranch

For full article & photo:

https://www.businessobserverfl.com/n...akewood-ranch/

The Fresh Market is opening a new location in Lakewood Ranch April 24.

A grand opening event will feature a Parmigiano Reggiano wheel-cracking, food samples and live music from international concert cellist Steve Kramer.

An opening ceremony will be at 7:45 am., while the actual store opening will be at 8 a.m. To encourage guests to arrive early, the first 500 people in line will receive free reusable bags.

[wondermint2]

More roundabouts are rolling out in an effort to curve the number of crashes

For full article:

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/r...ber-of-crashes

More roundabouts are rolling out across Manatee and Sarasota counties. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) said it is an effort to make roads safer.

"I think a lot of drivers don't know how to use them, so that makes it a little more difficult, but if you know how to use them, they can certainly get things moving more safely," driver David Pyle said.

FDOT said roundabouts can actually reduce fatal crashes by nearly 90%.

"When you're going around a roundabout, you're looking at sideswipe crashes and rear-end crashes, and those are the crashes that have a much less incidence of serious injury," Patricia Pichette, overseeing District 1 for FDOT, explained.

Pichette said roundabouts are relatively new to Florida but that decades of research prove they are a safer alternative to standard intersections.

"When you go to a standard intersection, single lane, four directions, you have 24 points of conflict or opportunities to crash into another vehicle. When you have a single-lane roundabout, four directions, you have four points of conflict or four opportunities to crash into somebody else. That's pretty amazing," Pichette added.

Pichette said roundabouts will continue to be installed across Manatee and Sarasota counties in hopes of reducing the number of crashes on the road.

"I think people will get used to them. If they want to drive, they'll have to use them, and it's a learning curve like anything else. Once you get good at it then you're more confident when you go in," Pyle said.

[wondermint2]

Celebrity chef’s first Sarasota, Bradenton area restaurant to open next month

For full article:

https://www.newsbreak.com/bradenton-...pen-next-month

An exciting year of restaurant openings in Sarasota and Bradenton continues with the area debut of a celebrity chef's concept, which is similar to his brand in downtown St. Petersburg.

Fabio Viviani, an Italian native perhaps best known for his appearances on the Bravo show "Top Chef," created a buzz last summer when he announced via social media that he was opening a Taverna Toscana in downtown Bradenton.

"Picture a modern Italian kitchen paired with the hearty allure of a top-tier steakhouse," reads Viviani's Instagram post. "And yes, we've also curated a selection of craft cocktails that will knock your socks off."

Taverna Toscana, which will occupy a large, standalone structure found in front of the SUNZ Insurance Company building at 1301 Sixth Ave. W., near other popular downtown Bradenton restaurants Chateau 13 and Sage Biscuit, should begin welcoming guests next month.

[wondermint2]

Sawfish deaths hit 40 as a rescued fish in Sarasota appears to be recuperating

With the cause of the deaths still unknown, officials say over 50 species have been affected. Meantime, a sawfish pulled from waters off Cudjoe Key this month is recovering at a Mote Marine facility.

For full article:

https://www.wusf.org/environment/202...s-recuperating

The number of rare dead sawfish in the Florida Keys continues to rise, reaching 40 this week, as a rescued fish pulled from waters off Cudjoe Key earlier this month recovers under veterinary care.

Florida wildlife officials said Tuesday the number of other affected species now includes more than 50, in mostly near shore waters.

Among those reported in distress are baitfish spinning in circles, Goliath grouper struggling to stay upright and snook thrashing in water, along with dead tarpon and sharks. Lower Keys residents say the number is likely higher.

The latest update, provided during an advisory council meeting for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, painted a gloomy picture: so far the cause remains unknown.

[wondermint2]

Bay Area father raising awareness after daughter diagnosed with rare disease (Video)

For full article & video:

https://www.fox13news.com/news/bay-a...re-disease.amp

A Sarasota single dad of twins is hoping to spread awareness about a rare disease his 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with.

Artie Phillips tries his best to take things one day at a time. His son, Kylo, was born with Ventricular Magali, which affects three ventricles in his brain.

"It’s quite large. It’s a 19 mm dilation. So, when you look at the x-rays, it looks like a butterfly," he said. "That causes spastic diplegia, cerebral palsy. He has a previous position of autism."

Kylo's twin, Bridgett, was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome before her second birthday. It's an extremely rare disease caused by a genetic mutation that impacts brain development. About one in 10,000 girls are diagnosed with it.

"You never know what symptoms you’re going to get. You have atypical, you have placid. There’s different forms, and she seems to have both," Phillips said. "At a year and a half, she stopped learning to walk and talk, feed herself unassisted."

Her symptoms also include seizures and frequent pneumonia.