Data released by the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corportation shows that the avergae annual wage for employees in the county circa 2011 was $35,633. The graph above, updates more recently, shows the breakdown of what sectors employ the most Manatee County workers and which fields offer the ebst quarterly wages. 

Ever since the Sarasota County Commission opened the process to revise Sarasota County 2050, the most hotly debated issue on the horizon has been fiscal neutrality. As the matter prepares for an airing in front of county commissioners again on Aug. 27, groups on both sides of the issue are rallying support.

The fiscal neutrality requirements in the 2050 plan as approved in 2007 require developers to show they are paying the necessary offsets for infrastructure improvements associated with new growth. Developers say phasing requirements have made it impossible to get financing for projects east of Interstate-75, while conservationists feel changes in the requirement will inevitably short more costs onto the shoulders of taxpayers.

Dan Lobeck, president of Control Growth Now, said changing the timing elements in fiscal neutrality will effectively open the east county up to overdevelopment. "The proposed changes would effectively do away with the fiscal neutrality requirement that the huge developments allowed under the Plan pay their own way," he said in a mass email encouraging supporters to attend the Aug. 27 meeting. "Now, the deal is off, with the developers getting everything and giving nothing." 

But business leaders said that was an exaggeration. Kevin Cooper, vice president for public policy and Sarasota Tomorrow initiatives at The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, said the impact of proposed changes is far less. "The misconceptions, misunderstandings, and disingenuous half-truths floating around out there about fiscal neutrality are staggering," he said, noting no organizations are pushing for elimination of neutrality, just a change in how it works. "What has adjusted is the acknowledgement of a long-standing fundamental business concept.  Specifically, as posited by staff, 'most developments are not uniformly fiscally neutral.'  In some instances of development, this might not happen before the end of the first phase.  So, requiring all 2050 development to demonstrate fiscal neutrality for each phase has, to a large degree, acted as a moratorium on village development."

Sarasota County's Planning Commission in July voted 5-0 in favor of those changes, recommending the county commission approve a change in language. The changes drafted by county planners would allow for development in its early phases now be neutral, and allow that future phases of development will compensate for early shortfalls. Staff said that change was in recognition that many developments take decades to complete. The changes also would establish monitoring procedures of actual revenue to detect any significant deviation from projected areas, something to make sure the process allows development to move forward but which does not, as critics fear, allow all burden to shift to the taxpayer.

“This is a journey we have to keep at,” said Planning Commissioner John Ask, but stressed the matter needs to carefully watched in the future.. “Nobody wants to pay more taxes because of this.” 

 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday will host a ribbon-cutting celebration for its regional ticket office in Sarasota, an event which will bring Chamber of Commerce leaders and elected officials together to celebrate the sports team’s arrival. We spoke with Christopher Spano, the Bucs’ group sales manager, about the decision to open shop this side of Tampa Bay.

Why did you elect to open an office in Sarasota? We identified this as a good place for a regional office because we know our fan base extends well beyond Tampa. It is important to ownership that we be face-to-face with fans and businesses here, and we wanted to be able to do networking events. Having a physical presence and office makes it easier. We are members of the Sarasota Chamber, Venice Chamber, Manatee Chamber and the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, and we want to attend any networking functions they put on. We also have one [a regional office] in Orlando. We have passionate fans in Southwest Florida and Central Florida. 

Do you expect to be involved in local sports efforts? We definitely want a presence as it pertains to youth football and will do a big school fundraiser. We are working with Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts. We’re trying to get as involved as we can. We actually opened our doors two months ago, and with the season quickly approaching, we are cultivating relationships with organizations. 

Manasota Beach Club has become a partner with Visit Sarasota County, the county’s tourism-promotion bureau. Visit Sarasota County works closely with its more than 400 partners as extensions of its marketing team, increasing the business’ visibility with visitors, Florida residents, meeting planners, media and travel professionals worldwide. 

Manasota Beach Club

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in September will embark on a new school-year partnership with Forty Carrots Family Center. One Saturday a month, Forty Carrots will bring its “Partners In Play” program to the Ann Goldstein Children’s Rainforest Garden. “Partners In Play” is a parenting education program that provides parents with support and information about early childhood development, while creating an enriching learning environment for children. The sessions held at Selby Gardens will be garden-themed. They will give children and their parents a chance to explore the rainforest garden and learn about the environment. 

Selby Gardens

Gordon Food Service, a grocery chain that distributes primarily to restaurants and caterers, will open its first retail store in Sarasota County on Sept. 28. The company will open a new 12,600-square-foot site in the former home of Sound Advice, 6307 S. Tamiami Trail, near Stickney Point Road. GFS Marketplace stores range from 15,000 to 25,000 square feet—smaller than a typical Walmart Neighborhood Market or a Trader Joe's outlet—and sell bulk foods and other items to the public. No membership is required at GFS Marketplace. 

Gordon Food Service

The constituents of the City of Sarasota have long wrestled with the topic of an Elected Mayor: from a directly elected mayor to a change from the city manager form of government to a strong mayor form of government. Join SRQ | The Magazine for a discussion on the issues revolving around this controversial topic to deconstruct the why, the who, and the what now, on Thursday, September 25, 2014 from 7:3-9am at The Francis. Symposium tickets are $35/person and include breakfast buffet.  

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