Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Wellen Park hosts inaugural wellness event featuring mini-triathlon, yoga, fishing rodeo

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/oth...e434cff2&ei=49

Wellen Park will host a daylong wellness and well-being event for residents and visitors on May 18.

Wellen Wellness will showcase multiple facets of health and well-being from fitness and finances to nutrition, motivation and more. The experience features informative workshops and activities for all ages, including a fishing rodeo, a mini-triathlon, yoga, doggie Olympics, live music, raffles and a silent dance party.

The fun begins at 7:30 a.m. and continues until 9 p.m. in Downtown Wellen, 19745 Wellen Park Blvd. The inaugural Wellen Wellness event is free and open to the public. Several activities require pre-registration online at:

https://wellenpark.com/events/wellen-wellness.

[wondermint2]

The best things to do in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat for May 2-8

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...anch-longboat/

Don't miss these arts and entertainment events around Sarasota and Manatee counties this week.

[wondermint2]

Residents fed up with construction dust

Manatee County considers additional requirements for developers clearing land to control dust from their construction sites.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...truction-dust/

Imagine homeschooling three children and not being able to have any kind of recess in your backyard because of airborne dust and debris.

The Alvarez family lives on two acres of land off of County Road 675 in Parrish. But if they want to play outside, they have to drive somewhere else because the air surrounding their home is filled with orange dust from a construction site.

Lennar Homes is clearing more than 1,300 acres of land across the street from the Alvarez home for a development in Rye Ranch.

While Parrish and west Bradenton developments have brought attention to the issue of construction dust over the past six months, East County resident Mark Van DeRee said the problem started near his home on Waterline Road two years ago.

Manatee County staff gave a presentation to commissioners on April 23 that included additional requirements for the developers to control the dust blowing off construction sites.

[wondermint2]

Get Your Margarita on at One of These Cinco de Mayo Celebrations

Bring on the tacos, too!

For full article:

https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/eat...-sarasota-2024

Cinco de Mayo is coming at us this weekend—and based on the number events happening around town, it promises to be the biggest one Sarasota has ever seen. Whether you’re looking for an enormous block party or an Old Florida spin on the holiday, we’ve got you covered.

[wondermint2]

Trailblazing city housing plan enters uncharted legal waters

Sarasota Deputy City Attorney Michael Connelly warns of potential legal hurdles as no Florida city has yet to build its own workforce housing development.

For full article & graphic:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...-legal-waters/

Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown wants the city to get into the apartment business, and the discussion at their April 15 meeting indicates city commissioners agree.

The idea is to use a small city parking lot and purchase two other parcels across First Street from City Hall. There, the city would spearhead the construction of two 10-story towers for 192 workforce and affordable housing apartments with ground-floor commercial space the city would sell to help offset some costs.

The city would own the building, perhaps in partnership with other companies and organizations that have an interest in making residences in the downtown area accessible to the workforce class.

As lawyers looking out for the best interests of their clients are prone to do, though, Deputy City Attorney Michael Connelly told commissioners not so fast. There may be valid reasons no other municipality in the state has attempted such an ambitious endeavor.

Commissioner Erik Arroyo quizzed Connelly, who was filling in for City Attorney Robert Fournier at the meeting, about whether he knows of any government entity that has created a limited liability corporation to insulate itself from liabilities incurred in a specific project.

“Is it because government entities can't do that, or it's just because the government part of the public sector just doesn't think about stuff like that?” Arroyo asked.

“It's because I've never seen a governmental entity own and operate an apartment complex yet,” Connelly responded. “Under the Florida Constitution, local government, a city in particular, only has authority to operate for a municipal purpose. And so what is the municipal purpose? All I can tell you is, to my knowledge, it has never happened.”

[wondermint2]

Balancing the Pressures and Needs

School superintendent Terrence Connor speaks about balancing the pressures of the job and the needs of Sarasota's students.

For full article:

https://www.srqmagazine.com/articles...ures-and-Needs

As a Hillsborough County School District administrator, Terrence Connor knew he wanted to run things. Then a political sea change in Florida school board elections across the state created more opportunities than ever. Sarasota County’s high-performing school district offered him the chance to serve as superintendent of schools for the first time in his career. The catch? He joined the district after the controversial firing of former Superintendent Brennan Asplen to work for a deeply divided School Board at a moment when scrutiny of schools at the classroom and district levels reached an all-time high.

[wondermint2]

30-plus small flying insects found in Sarasota restaurant, other inspections

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nut...ns/ar-AA1nYk5l

Sarasota - Manatee restaurant inspections for April 21-27.

[wondermint2]

Lee Gundersheimer grabs spotlight with wide range of productions

The former artistic director of The Players is a commanding presence in Sarasota theater.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...t-productions/

[wondermint2]

Florida Studio Theatre receives $4 million gift for Arts Plaza

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...-theatre-gift/

Florida Studio Theatre has received a challenge gift of $4 million from Ed and Susan Maier to provide funding to build the FST Arts Plaza, a mixed-use building that will include theater space, parking and apartments for short-term and long-term housing of actors.

The Maiers have proposed that their challenge gift be used as a dollar-for-dollar matching grant to create a “circle of friends” to name the Arts Plaza in honor of Dennis and Graci McGillicuddy. All pledges toward the McGillicuddy Circle of Friends received after April 1 will be matched.

The challenge gift serves to help complete Phase 1 of the Arts Plaza project, which includes construction of the eight-story building, parking garage and opening three stories of artist housing. The challenge grant will position Florida Studio Theatre to break ground in December 2024. The completed project is projected at a $57 million investment.

The Arts Plaza will be built on property currently owned by Florida Studio Theatre near its current downtown facilities, which will remain.

Arts Plaza features include:

[wondermint2]

New College Foundation Approves Corcoran's Bonus

Funding approval comes despite board members' worries about the potential misallocation of restricted funds.

For full article:

https://thebradentontimes.com/storie...ns-bonus,85885

New College President Richard Corcoran recently got a $200,000 bonus from the board of trustees. This is on top of the over $1 million annual pay the trustees have already promised him. The catch? New College can’t legally pay most of that salary, so it falls on the New College Foundation to cover the biggest share.

Faculty Trustee Amy Reid raised this question at the New College of Florida Board meeting on April 11, "Has anyone consulted with the Foundation about whether or not they have sufficient funds?"

New College Counsel Bill Galvano responded, "Yes, that was an issue that had come up earlier, and so I confirmed that the Foundation does have the funds and has set these funds aside. "

The agenda item the board was discussing was the $200,000 in incentive compensation for New College President Richard Corcoran. This incentive compensation was outlined in his employment contract with the college; it’s something the Board of Trustees could pay Corcoran annually should they find his progress toward specific goals satisfactory. Evidently, a majority of the trustees found his performance during the past year satisfactory, as they overwhelmingly voted to approve this additional compensation.

Corcoran’s employment contract calls for a salary of $700,000, but through additional benefits such as this annual incentive compensation, Corcoran can expect at least $1.3 million a year — more than four times the salary of his predecessor. The problem is, that Florida law dictates that only two hundred thousand dollars can be paid to a public university president using public funds.

As such, the Board of Trustees put a significant burden of Corcoran’s compensation on the New College Foundation. The foundation is the fundraising arm of the college, its purpose is to seek funding from things like public state and federal grants, or from private individuals, such as New College alumni, in order to further the mission of the college.

The key concern is that the foundation raises funds from both public and private sources. The public funds are often restricted, which means they are given to the college on the condition that they only be put towards specific things, such as scholarships or construction; these restricted funds are not known to go towards presidential salaries.