The Nilon Report

If anyone should feel Peer Pressure, it should be Dr. Swier

2011-07-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

I was sent this article a few weeks ago to cover on my show. Currently, the writer of the article, Dr, Richard Swier, is a talk show host on another station in Bradenton. The last thing I want to do is give this man an opportunity to spew the hate that I see written in his post. I am not even certain that my show is the right vehicle to talk about this because I don't want it to be percieved as a war between to talk show hosts. And yet, to not address this article is a crime within itself. So I am doing it here. Where my words will be on record.

I have listened, read, and tolearted many things in order to find the core of who we are as a nation. We are often dissatisifed with our accomplishments and are quick to find fault in each other due to the frustration that we find within ourselves. And yet, when we look globally at other nations, it is easy to see that what seperates us from the rest of the world is our humanity. When all else fails, it is our ability to empathize with the pain and hardship felt by those around us. This is our bottom line.

So when I read an article written by a man who lives in my town and feels self-righteous enough to condone and justify hate crimes against our children, I am beside myself. And I do consider bullying in our schools a hate crime.

In his article, he writes:

"This is not bullying. It is peer pressure and is healthy. There are many bad behaviors such as smoking, under age drinking and drug abuse that are behaviors that cannot be condoned. Homosexuality falls into this category. Homosexuality is simply bad behavior that youth see as such and rightly pressure their peers to stop it." - Dr. Richard Swier

I won't even address his argument about homosexuality being a choice as this writer obviously believes. What scares me even more is the statement that "peer pressure is healthy" and that students "rightly pressure their peers to stop it."

In all of my years, I have yet to see any peer pressure received as a healthy way to stop a behavior. I worry about the children in school who are subjected to a wide array of taunting by their peers because of their obvious differences. I worry about the young men and women who are uncertain of themselves and look for acceptance and validation only to receive ridicule and disdain.

In a child's mind, what separates the bullying of another child who is perceived to be gay, from one who is perceived to be a "geek" or a "square" or just different from the rest? At the Annual Christmas Pageant of my son's school there was one young man in choir out of 25 girls. When I asked why there were no other boys in choir, a young man told me that no other boys wanted to be considered "Gay." It was the "peer pressure" perceived by this young group of boys that kept them from of learning how to sing.

I went for a parent visit and passed a young girl who was sitting alone at a lunch table, when all other tables were crowded. I learned that it was decided by her group of girlfriends that she could not longer sit with them because she was no longer deemed as popular. They went even further to not allow anyone else to sit with her so everyone would know that she was no longer accepted in that group. It was the"peer pressure" that taught this little girl that she had no value to those she cared about. And it was the same peer pressure that kept anyone else from coming to her rescue.

My son came home one day upset after wearing a pair of Converse sneakers to school. Apparently, Converse basketball sneakers have become popular among young girls. Because of that, my son was called a "girl" all day for wearing "girls shoes." Sneakers, that we clearly get out of the boys shoe department, and the same sneakers that have been worn for decades by basketball players. Who knew that all of those men were setting a trend for a teenage girl's fashion? So thanks to that "Peer Pressure" my son was subjected to ridicule all day because he thought Converse Sneakers were cool.

Kids have a hard enough time as it is fitting in even in the best of schools and the best of families. Whether a child is gay or straight, smart or dumb, good looking or funny looking - the last thing that they need is an adult to say it's okay to provoke, ostracize, or punish anyone for being different.

How can we be okay with this? How can we stand by and allow this man to use our children to further his career and push his message? This is a man who represents our veterans? This is a man who represents the Republican Party of Sarasota and The Tea Party of Sarasota? He stands with politicians and with parents? His show is supported by local leaders and advertisers? Do they agree with what he says? Is this message okay by them?

If anyone should feel peer pressure, it should be this man. It is time for his peers to show him that his views of hate towards another human being must stop. It is time for us to demand that he cease from telling parents that it is okay to let their children pressure each other for what he calls a "bad behavior."

2011-06-15T04:44:00.000-07:00

My last post here was January 7th, 2011. To say the least, I have been delinquent in keeping up with my posts, and yet I have been incredibly busy in keeping up with all that is happening in Sarasota and beyond.

Since May 2, 2011, I have been broadcasting a new show on a new radio station. Sarasota Talk Radio is the place I call home - WTMY radio 1280 AM. You will find me there weekdays from 3pm - 6pm talking to not only the people that make Sarasota everything it is, but everything it is going to be.

My new co-host is Lauren Rudd. Most of you know him from the newspaper where he has had a syndicated column for the past 24 years called - Street Wise. Locally, he his column appears every Friday in the Sarasota herald Tribune. Now you can hear him everyday with me. He is on between the hours of 4pm-5pm, where he covers Wall Street and how it impacts our daily lives.

The great thing about my job is that I get to see a part of our community that doesn't lie among the headlines or is enveloped in the talking points. I get to meet people that bring their own unique twist to what makes us great. I also get to talk to the people who politically shape the framework of our community.

So tune in and follow along. Or call in and participate. Open dialogue is always encouraged.

www.SarasotaTalkRadio.com is also broadcast on the Internet.

It's a new adventure for me. I hope you follow along.

ELEPHANTS STROLL MAIN STREET IN HOLIDAY PARADE

2010-12-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

Sarasota, FL: For the first time in three decades, elephants will stroll down Main Street in the annual Downtown Sarasota Holiday Parade tomorrow Saturday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. The parade starts at U.S. 301 and Main Street and travels southwest along Main Street to Gulfstream Avenue. Two Indian elephants will participate in the parade.

As a way to recognize Sarasota’s deep roots with elephants, tigers, clowns, trapeze artists and more, this year’s theme for the holiday parade is the circus. Many community members, including Mayor Kelly Kirschner<http://www.sarasotagov.com/InsideCityGovernment/Content/Commissioners/Commissioners/Kirschner.htm>, the Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary, Circus Sarasota, the PAL Sailor Circus and Downtown Sarasota Celebrations, Inc., joined forced months ago to coordinate the circus theme. The participation of the pachyderms was just confirmed this week. They reside in the Gainesville area, and Westfield Southgate Shopping Mall is picking up the transportation tab. Besides the two elephants, the circus section of the parade also will include clowns and a big top van. “Sarasota and the circus are irrevocably linked,” said Mayor Kirschner. “It’s these little things that differentiate cities from one another; create a unique sense of place; and reinforces what home is for all of us.”

Historically, a circus parade was held every winter in Sarasota when the circus returned to the area for the winter. The last time an elephant walked down Main Street as part of the holiday parade, in 1974, famed animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams was riding atop it with a live tiger wrapped around his neck.

A total of 85 units will participate in this year’s parade including marching bands, floats, and local dignitaries. And, of course, a jolly old elf from the North Pole is expected to make a special appearance -- after the pachyderms. The parade is organized by Downtown Sarasota Celebrations, Inc.

The family fun will begin prior to the parade, with an inaugural tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. at the newly renovated Five Points Park in downtown. Plan to arrive in downtown early as Main Street from U.S. 301 to Gulfstream Avenue will close to vehicular traffic at 5:00 p.m.

For more information contact Paul Thorpe with Downtown Sarasota Celebrations at 941-356-6646 or the Downtown Sarasota Alliance at 941-366-7040.

Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirschner decides not to run for re-election to City Commission

2010-11-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

November 16th, 2010 by Susan Nilon in News, Politics, Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirschner has decided not to run for re-election. After serving just one term, he made history as the youngest mayor in Sarasota history. CL met with him what to discuss what led to his decision and what he will do next.

CL: There has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not you will seek a second term. It is my understanding that you have decided not to run for re-election. Can you tell us why?
Kelly Kirschner: When I ran for office, it was just my wife and I. We were children-free and my ability to commit to something like the City Commission was an easy decision to make. Since then, we have had two children and things have obviously changed dramatically. My life right now, my family’s personal and financial balance and well-being are paramount in our lives. That is what I need to focus on.

Was it an easy decision to make?
No. No, it wasn’t an easy decision to make. Certainly, I have enjoyed the job and the challenges it brings. There have been some difficult losses, but I certainly have enjoyed the job.
The FPL decision and the way that it went was unfortunate. Had that gone on and we had a longer conversation, I think that this decision would have been much more difficult to make because it was something that I was putting a lot of pressure on. I was very interested to see it through as successfully as possible. But by virtue of the fact at our last meeting the (FPL) decision was made, it made this decision that much more “easy” — if that’s the way to put it — for me.

Is there anything that you would like to see through before you leave office?
Yes. I think there is a tremendous amount of work that is left to be done. I think there are a number of families and individuals, particularly in my district, that are hurting. Working families, like mine, that are going through really difficult decisions on whether they can continue to stay in this community. Whether they want to raise their children here — even though they love this place. Things have to get better. Jobs need to be created and we need to find a stabilized place for our entire market here locally. That is probably one of the biggest challenges for the city right now and for our residents.

Do you know what your plans are after your term is up?
Right now, I have been working for the past few years with my brother and his partner in a Spanish-language firm. So we will continue to grow that. I will certainly be looking again at the full-time opportunities that, obviously, for the past four years I have not had that luxury to do. Until now, I have been working on a project to project basis with my brother’s company.

The job of City Commission is a part-time position that requires your full amount of time. It is also a low paying position. If those things were different, would you reconsider?
I think we can talk about a thousand different variables. I don’t know if it is necessarily productive and realistic. It would certainly change my mind. We have some issues with my first son. He was in the hospital for close to a half a year. And we have our own family issues that we need to address and deal with in a responsible fashion. There was a guy at a ribbon cutting ceremony this past week in Newtown who recited a quote from Martin Luther King that I thought was really appropriate for that groundbreaking. It’s certainly appropriate for me. From my own personal life and from all of our own personal lives, “I can’t be what I ought to be unless you can be what you want to be and you can’t be what you want to be until I can be what I ought to be.” It’s part of the interconnected reality of all of this. I certainly need to get back to what I ought to be for my family. I hope that it will continue to be good and have areas for participation to continue to create the best place for my children to grow up in this community too.

The position of City Commissioner is traditionally held by someone who is retired from business. Do you see a way that we can continue to attract people from a younger generation to fill the position?
I guess the first half is that I have been able to do it for four years and it is not impossible. Historically we get individuals who run and fill the post who are retired. I certainly appreciate that there is a lot of merit in that And because of that, we get some great individuals who chose to run and help us guide our city. I do, however, think that there has got to be a consideration and conversation on how we can ensure that there is balance at the table. Not only in age, but race. I know that we have a charter review committee that is actually discussing these things right now. Hopefully part of their deliberations will continue to be about what they think, what we think as a community, is the optimum mix for what a commission should look like. Ideally, it should be the most talented, prepared, and diverse body that will represent all interest of the city and continue to move us forward in the right direction.

What was the biggest challenge that you faced during your four years in office?
The biggest challenge was time and balancing that with another job — all of the demands of raising a family with young children. More than anything, it’s time. The opportunity to constantly be forced to address a completely new issue — issues that you would not have necessarily studied or looked at before — is certainly is one of the great things of the job. You are constantly forced to learn new things and read new things. In many ways, challenge yourself that otherwise in your daily life you don’t get to have that type of experience. That is one of the great things about the constant learning from being a public servant.

Would you consider running for a higher office?
At this point I really haven’t thought about it at all. I am more focused on getting myself and my family back to where we need to be and regain that balance.

Will you endorse another candidate for your position?
I haven’t really thought about it. I believe that there are competent candidates for District Three and I hope that they will step up.

Do you have any regrets?
Yes, there are a number of regrets. Unfortunately I have been on the losing end of a number of votes. I have regret on those votes that I was not able to either mobilize citizenry or be more persuasive at the table to win and claw back two additional votes to change an issue. I think some of these issues that have been on the losing side were really significant to our city and how we project ourselves to the world, how we get to the place that we should, and want to be in the years to come for our children to inherit. Yes, there are a lot of votes that I regret that weren’t won.

After the four years, is there anything that you carry with you that make you proud of the work you have done?
There is a lot to be proud of. For the four years that I have been on the commission, the number one priority of the city has been that we have engaged other governmental agencies (including the school board, the hospital board, and the Sarasota County Commission) to collaborate on as much as possible to ensure that we are all thinking about decades of failed public investment and our changing realities — having the transformational affect that we have to have in North Sarasota. Hopefully, getting ourselves on a path and into the place that we can have the conversations across the community and across the governmental bodies to make the impact that needs to be had.

Is there any advice that you would offer to the person who would take your place?
Talk to as many people as you can before you go into a commission meeting, and listen.

Any final words?
Nothing in particular. I am happy that I ran for the City Commission on a platform of inclusiveness and that the table at City Hall is for the entire community. I think there is a period of time, particularly during the hay day of the real estate boom, where a lot of our citizens, middle and lower classes, felt that that was not the case. I think that there was a large sense of disenfranchisement by some of the less affluent neighborhoods in particular on being able to have a sense of ownership of the City that they belong to — where they pay taxes — and how they create the vision and the future shape of the city. I certainly hope that everything that I initially campaigned upon and spoke about when I ran for office that I not only talked the talk, but walked the walk. I don’t really have any regrets. It is unfortunate that I was not on the winning side of all of these votes, but certainly that I do feel confident that I have represented my constituents well. I look forward to speak to those issues when I am back on the other side of the table again at the end of this coming spring.

Reprinted from Creative Loafing

Mayors' Feed the Hungry Thanksgiving Food Drive 2010 Sarasota

2010-11-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

Local Rally Emphasizes Get Out the Vote Message

2010-10-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sarasota Rally to Restore Sanity

Open to all

Island Park, downtown Sarasota near Marina Jack

Saturday, October 30, 2010

10:30 a.m.

This Saturday, October 30, when Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and tens of thousands of Americans gather in Washington, D.C. for a rally to restore civility to politics, a local, satellite event is being held at Sarasota’s Island Park for those who cannot travel to D.C.

It is an inclusive event for any group or individual who interested in more civility in politics. It is not coincidental that it will occur during the final weekend of Early Voting. Organizers hope to motivate more people to exercise their right to vote.

Brief remarks from community members about current events, skits, music and poetry will be featured in the one hour rally which begins at 10:30 a.m.

The Rally to Restore Sanity in Sarasota will be held Saturday, Oct 30^th from 10:30am to 11:30am at Sarasota’s downtown Island Park, next to Marina Jack’s.

TO REGISTER: http://www.meetup.com/rally4sanityandmarch4fear/33204/

Top 10 Reasons NOT To Sign Another 30-Year Contract With FPL

2010-10-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

By Don Hall, Transition Sarasota

In advance of the Sarasota City Commission Meeting on Monday, November 1, where there is likely to be a vote on whether or not to renew a 30-year franchise agreement with Florida Power & Light, it makes sense to bring together in one document the most salient arguments against signing this highly problematic contract:

10. Eliminate a hidden tax on the public: The 5.6% franchise fee that the city is given in exchange for its loyalty is fully paid for by a surcharge on your electric bill. If local government really needs that $5 million a year now provided by the franchise fee, they should find another way to create this revenue that will be openly approved of by the public. One option is to cut our currently oversized $24 million police budget by $5 million a year. If we did this, we would still have one of the highest per capita rates of police spending in the state.

9. Create a more equitable tax structure: Because the city's franchise fee is paid for by what is essentially a flat tax on those who purchase energy from FPL, and because those who are the least fortunate in our community naturally spend a higher proportion of their income to meet basic needs, such as electricity, this hidden tax hits poor people hardest. Furthermore, families that are just scraping by are less likely to be able to afford energy-saving appliances, home weatherization, solar PV, or solar hot water heaters.

8. Declare our independence: Thinking that signing a new 30-year agreement with FPL is our only option is just plain wrong. In fact, we have several viable options. We can continue with FPL without a franchise agreement (as many communities do, including Manatee County), we can buy electricity from another investor-owned utility, or we can decide to create our own municipal electric utility (for more information about this third option, please visit the Florida Municipal Electric Association's website:http://PublicPower.com).

7. Spur innovation by increasing competition: Signing a new franchise agreement with FPL is effectively giving one company a monopoly over energy production in the City of Sarasota for the next 30 years. If we really want to lower energy prices and encourage innovation, we should make it possible for other companies (as well as homeowners who decide to put solar on their roofs) to compete on a level playing field with FPL.

6. Refuse to give in to fear: FPL wants you to believe that they are the only reliable source of electric power and that we couldn't possibly run an electric utility ourselves. However, you just have to take a look at our municipal water, sewer, trash, and recycling utilities to see that we are fully capable of doing the same with energy. We aren't talking about building and operating power plants here in Sarasota. A municipal electric utility would instead purchase power freely on the open market.

5. Keep wealth circulating locally: In 2002, the consulting firm Civic Economics did a case study of booksellers in Austin, Texas that showed for every dollar spent at a chain store, only 13 cents was reinvested locally. But for every dollar spent at a locally-owned, independent business, the number was 45 cents, a three-fold increase! In our case, FPL operates like a chain store, continually siphoning our community's wealth away to foreign investors and back to corporate headquarters. A municipal electric utility, on the other hand, would operate more like a local business, keeping more of our community's wealth circulating within the local economy.

4. Lower taxes or provide more government services: It is true that if we choose to create our own municipal electric utility there will be significant upfront costs estimated at $90 - $120 million to purchase our electric infrastructure back from FPL. However, we currently give FPL $87 million dollars a year to pay for our electricity, money that could otherwise be redirected to local government. In contrast, Gainesville currently derives approximately 1/3 of its annual budget from profits from its electric utility. We could do the same here, choosing to use those profits to lower taxes, increase government services, or, as is most likely, a mixture of both.

3. Get serious about renewable energy: Despite trying to cultivate a public image that they are a “green” company, FPL's own website, as recently as a month ago, stated that less than 1% of their electricity derives from renewable sources. They might think we will be satisfied with their “Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Agreement,” but what FPL offered in their first draft is only a token gesture, a drop in the bucket (to read this document and learn more about this and other related issues, please visithttp://SarasotaPower.org). We need to demand more.

2. Help the city meet its sustainability goals: One of the City Commission's “Top Five Priorities” is Environmental Sustainability, and its first and second “Measurable Objectives” are an “Energy/Utility Conservation Program” and “Carbon Emissions Reductions.” In 2007, our commissioners formally adopted Resolution 07R-1963 in support of the US Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to reduce carbon emissions to 7% below 1990 levels by 2012. However, a Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report that was published just last year showed that from 2003 – 2007, citywide carbon emissions actually increased 2.55% despite the fact that population only increased 2.17% over the same period.

1. Provide resilience in an age of energy uncertainty: The International Energy Agency, in the opening paragraph of the Executive Summary of their 2008 World Energy Outlook report, unequivocally stated: “The world’s energy system is at a crossroads. Current global trends in energy supply and consumption are patently unsustainable — environmentally, economically, socially [...] It is not an exaggeration to claim that the future of human prosperity depends on how successfully we tackle the two central energy challenges facing us today: securing the supply of reliable and affordable energy; and effecting a rapid transformation to a low-carbon, efficient, and environmentally benign system of energy supply. What is needed is nothing short of an energy revolution.” 30 years is a long time and a lot will surely happen between now and 2040.

Whatever we ultimately decide to do, we would be wise to keep our energy options open at this time and ensure that we will have the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. Remember, this is a once-in-a-generation decision. Please show up and speak out this coming Monday at City Hall, 1565 1^st Street in Sarasota. The FPL agreement is the last item on the agenda, so plan to arrive when the meeting reconvenes at 6 p.m. All members of the public are entitled to speak for five minutes each.

In the meantime, please call or write your commissioners and let them know what you think about this most important issue. Their contact information can be found below.

* * * * *

Mayor Kelly Kirschner (District 3): Kelly.Kirschner@sarasotagov.com

Vice-Mayor Fredd Atkins (District 1): Fredd.Atkins@sarasotagov.com

Commissioner Richard Clapp (District 2): Richard.Clapp@sarasotagov.com

Commissioner Suzanne Atwell (At-Large): Suzanne.Atwell@sarasotagov.com

Commissioner Terry Turner (At-Large): Terry.Turner@sarasotagov.com

You can also reach all commissioners by calling 941-954-4115 and asking for each one by name.

Election 2010: Q&A with Mark Hawkins, Democratic candidate for Sarasota County Commission, District 4

2010-10-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

October 22nd, 2010 by Susan Nilon in News, Politics, Sarasota-Manatee

A 50-year resident of Sarasota, Democrat Mark Hawkins sits down with Creative Loafing to talk about how he plans to improve Sarasota County.

CL: What inspired you to run for office?
Mark Hawkins: Sarasota County building department put out an ordinance that — for the most part — shut down all remodel and construction of existing building on all barrier islands. It put Realtors, contractors, architects, and everyone that was involved out of work. It also limited what homeowners could do for their homes. After two years of working on it, we had that ordinance thrown out. Being involved with that process, I could see that there was a need for someone to be on the county board that had a background in business and a background in construction.

Do you feel that you have that?
I think my experience in life puts me in a unique position where I have 50 years of experience in Sarasota and 30 years of business experience in the areas that I believe a commissioner needs to have on a daily basis. They are constantly delaying with developers, contractor’s issues, procurement issues, construction of baseball parks — you name it. A lot of their time is spent deciding if things can get constructed or not and if it gets constructed — how?

Do you feel that the Commission is lacking someone with experience in construction?
I think it is lacking someone with current business knowledge. With the person that I am running against (Nora Patterson); she ran a small nursery in 1973 and worked that for a few years. She taught school for a few years in the 1970’s, and she worked in real estate for a few years. Even though she has business experience, I believe that her experience is not at the level of my business experience. My experience is on a more current and more useable for what our business situation is in Sarasota County at this point.

Currently we have what Jon Thaxton calls an “anti-business climate.” In a report done by the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) given to the County Commissioners on April 27th, the report stated: “The overall business owner’s managers dissatisfaction with the overall business climate in Sarasota County seems to be at an all time high — growing to about 84 percent. 44 percent of the business owners are very dissatisfied with Sarasota County and 40 percent are somewhat dissatisfied.” So we have a climate that is 85 percent unhappy here. 19 percent of business owners are considering moving their businesses out of Sarasota County. And they are not doing that because they are going out of business. They are doing that because they don’t like the business climate in Sarasota. We over-regulate, over-permit, over ordinance, and over code enforce. We don’t give them the opportunity for growth.

My opponent doesn’t seem to think that we have a negative business climate, but we do. As a small business person, I can identify with that because I have had to deal with the same issues and what we need to do is have a climate in Sarasota County where small businesses feel that they are a part of the answer. Not just a part of the problem.

How would you change the business climate in Sarasota County?
We need to get everyone together to solve the issues; not just finding and imposing ordinances — working out the problems. Coming from corporate America and being a general contractor, what I do every day is solve problems. And I think I can solve these types of problems by doing that kind of interaction with everybody.

Considering that you are a contractor, how will you deal with criticism or fear of over-growth and urban sprawl?
I’m a general contractor, but I am not a developer. I never have been a developer. My thought on Sarasota County is that we should keep the 2050 plan in place. I am for that. I don’t believe in urban sprawl. I think we should infill first all of the vacant lots and vacant property on this side of I-75.
In my election I am not backed by one developer or one builder. So when I sit down with a Pat Neal or I sit down with a Benderson or a Rodriguez — these people that are big developers in this area — I can look across the table from them and they haven’t given me any money.

How do you feel about projects like the Fruitville Initiative?
My concern is that the people that live out in this area are out there because they like the rural area and they like the rural concept of where they are living. We have to do this in such a way that these people don’t feel that all of a sudden that they are in the middle of an industrial park or some other high end area. We have to protect the residents that are already there.

It has been quoted in the paper that your opponent, Commissioner Patterson, feels that you are just an echo of her Republican opponent in the primary, Mark Smith. How do you respond to that?
Mark Smith is a good friend of mine. He is also someone in business at this time whose beliefs are similar to mine. I believe in a smaller government and I believe a pro-business economy. If that makes us echoes, then that makes us echoes. And I am okay with that.

How do you feel you are different than your opponent, and what is it that you feel you could bring to the table that she couldn’t?
Let’s just talk about the differences between our two campaigns. Nora is a 20-year incumbent and wants four more before she will retire. I am a first time politician that sees things differently because of my business background and my life experiences in Sarasota County. Those new ideas and that new insight will help Sarasota County government. Secondly, her campaign has spent $175,000. She is backed by special interest, all of the major developers, and all of the major builders. In the primary, she was backed by PAC money.

If elected, what is the first thing you want to take on?
Well, I don’t think there is one particular thing. But I will say that we have 21,000 people out of work. My first issues will be to get these people back to work. The EDC — we have paid them $4.5 million since 2007 and they have only been able to bring around a 1000 jobs. And those aren’t guaranteed. So, part of our problem is that we have so many people out of work and we have a construction industry that is flat. We only issue 30 permits in Sarasota County a month and in Manatee County they issue about 300 a month. The difference is that they have softened the impact fees and have made it easier for builders to build and buyers to buy. I have said through out my campaign that I would like to see impact fees suspended for a couple of years.
When you couple our construction being flat, 21,000 people out of work, and we have an anti-business client, you have a bad situation. We want to bring in new business. We have to diversify. We can’t just keep living off of our service industry. We have to diversify. We have never done it. It’s time. And those are the things I would work on.

Last words?
I think I have a good overview of what this community needs. I’m an environmentalist. I am concerned about our water. I am concerned about our beaches. I am concerned about our green areas and our parks. I would like to do more for the arts because there is not enough of that being promoted through our tourism board. I would like to increase our budget for the tourism board so we can do more advertising for Sarasota.
Even though I love the idea of Benderson Park, I am really disappointed that our tourism board and our EDC, over the last two years, weren’t able to work with Manatee County and get them to buy in on Benderson Park. They (Manatee County) are going to get huge amounts of money because of Benderson Park and yet Manatee County isn’t putting up one dime. I think it’s a real failure of our tourism board and our EDC. I think it speaks to — that Sarasota County Government seems to take things on by itself and I think that environment needs to change. I know I can change that.

Q&A with Cathy Antunes, independent candidate for Sarasota County Commission, District 2

2010-10-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

September 16th, 2010 by Susan Nilon in News, Politics reprinted from Creative Loafing
Cathy Antunes found herself in the public eye in 2008 when she challenged the Sarasota County Commission to openly discuss all aspects of the Ed Smith Stadium arrangement between Sarasota and the Baltimore Orioles. I met with Ms. Antunes to discuss why she decided to run for Sarasota County Commissioner. “The public needs a representative who will look for public input. We need to make sure we avoid special interest controlling the show,” Ms. Antunes explained.
On Ed Smith Stadium:
I found it appalling that you had commissioners openly discussing at public meetings how to get around a legally required referendum because they thought we would not approve the spending plans of the stadium. I think when you have public officials on the public record talking about ways to get around the laws that they are elected to uphold and disenfranchise the voters — to not give people a voice — it’s time for those folks to go. However people feel about the stadium, this has far broader implications than that particular project. You don’t get elected into office and then decide to do whatever you want. You must operate within the law. In 2008, we should have been going to the polls not just for the School Board, not just for the primaries, but we should have been approving or denying stadium spending plans.
We are not talking about small things. The land development of the north lot next to Ed Smith Stadium was given away for thirty years. The contract is silent about who owns the improvement on that land. The Orioles get to develop and the city of Sarasota has to pick up the environmental cleanup costs. If you look at what happened behind the scenes, the Orioles blindsided the County and the County blindsided the City. And yet we are the ones who are going to be footing the bill.
On her opponent, Joe Barbetta:
I think a lot of people expected, given his history as a planning commissioner, that his land use decisions would have been a lot more conservative, smart, sensible growth decisions. The people were very surprised how he voted because it wasn’t consistent with his prior voting record.
On what she would bring to the Commission:
I think it’s healthy for there to be fresh people on the commission with new ideas. I can see the value of experience, but it’s also good to have people from different backgrounds. I bring a sales and marketing background to the role. We are a tourism economy. As long as we have our beaches, the arts…all of the amenities that we have, we are going to be a tourism economy. Our County Commission does not fund tourism promotion at a competitive level. Lee County spends 13 million dollars on promotion, Naples spends 9 million dollars, and Sarasota County only funds promotion at less than 4 million. Our tourism offerings are better. They trump what is down there. Siesta Key is the number two beach in the United States. Why isn’t Siesta Key a household name? You have got to start with a strong base if you are going to have good economic development… and promotion is key. People need to know your product.
Another huge missed opportunity is health care. Sarasota is the top city for healthcare in Southwest Florida. If you look at the rankings of our hospital, this is the place. From Tampa down to Naples, this is the best city. That has been the case for 6 years now. When families go to a realtor to choose a house, it is typical for a realtor to pull up test scores of schools. The county should be partnering with the real estate community, providing them with the tools that they need to distinguish Sarasota from other counties for our health care. So, just as a family would look for top schools, people looking to relocate here — the hospitals are something that everyone should know about.
On Sarasota’s Comprehensive Plan:
Good developers are an important creative force in the community. Having appropriate smart development is good for us. At the same time, we are in a situation where we have an oversupply of housing and empty commercial buildings. It doesn’t make sense altering our comprehensive plans to allow for more when we have an over-supply. I don’t understand why you would modify the comprehensive plan to allow for more building when people are suffering right now, not able to sell their homes because of the glut. You have people stuck in their houses and we are adding to inventory? There is plenty of space in the comprehensive plan for growth. To be maximizing growth at a time where we are already maxed out on inventory seems…it doesn’t make sense.
On the Fruitville initiative and the public interest:
There have been two years of meetings with the five land owners. Yet we, the people of Sarasota, own a piece of that land. The sixth land owner is the people. The County had two years worth of meetings and the public wasn’t represented. The lack of regard for public input is a huge problem. When you look at what happened with the stadium, the public is the primary stakeholder in any deal that the county transacts and they, by law, are supposed to have a seat at the table. Why do we do that? These resources belong to all of us. The Sunshine Amendment passed overwhelmingly in the state of Florida to avoid special interest controlling the show.
Final thoughts:
We are all capable of thinking that we know best and it’s just a lot more efficient to have fewer decision makers. Democracy is messy. A representative republic can be messy if it’s transparent and will take a little longer if you are going to have people weighing in. You need to balance it a little bit, but you have to have an intention of including the public.

Election 2010: Q&A with Nora Patterson, Republican incumbent for Sarasota County Commission, District 4

2010-10-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

October 12th, 2010 by Susan Nilon in News, Politics reprinted from Creative Loafing

Republican Nora Patteron is running for her 4th term as Sarasota County Commissioner against newcomer Democrat Mark Hawkins. She served on the Sarasota City Commission (1991-1998) before she gained her County seat.

CL: Are there any things in particular from your time in the commission that you can say, “I want to see it through?”
There are positive things that I want to see through, but there are also negative things that I want to see turn the other way around, that I have confidence will turn the other way around. One is the economy of the area, which is a big job. Anybody who says that if they are elected they are going to single-handedly make things change is basically taking on, not just the west coast of Florida, but the state of the economy in Florida, and in the country, and maybe the world. But Sarasota County, like the rest of Florida, has a pretty unstable economy and the recession is the perfect illustration of that. We depend on tourism and construction far too much. The state has only marginally stepped up to the plate and we have been working for the last few years to try to diversify our economy. This current recession is the perfect poster child as to why those efforts need to be stepped up.

Are there any projects in particular that you think would help turn the economy around in Sarasota?
You should pick up the new book that the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has put together, in partnership with the County, on all of the incentives that we have now for bringing businesses into the community and for encouraging expansion of businesses. The icing on the cake was the referendum that has just passed by a goodly margin allowing us to offer county, as well as the municipalities who are partnering with us on this, property taxes to be mitigated for up to ten years along with the equipment — which is especially important to manufacturing. To me, that showed me that not only were the public willing to step up to the plate, but they supported what we were doing in general, which is terrific.

We have, since last fall, put several million dollars out as a fund to offer extra incentives … we haven’t really had a fund to dip into for requests from companies that don’t fit the mold. And since that time in using that fund, we have brought in 950 some jobs since last fall. Those jobs are not all on the table right now, but they are starting and the incentives are only given as the jobs are produced. They should be a reality within the next couple of years. Now that is not a solution to the problem; the problem is much bigger than 950 jobs. But it’s a really good start and it shows that we can do that even in the face of this deep recession.

When you say that our economy is currently based on tourism and construction (and land development), what would you see replacing it with?
A combination of some industry, some manufacturing — although the U.S. is peculiarly lacking in manufacturing trade right now. Intellectual properties should really be our strong point, but we are competing for the same industries that everybody else wants: the high-tech industries, the people who have a new service to sell out of the area. That is really the key — businesses that bring outside dollars into the community.

Commissioner Jon Thaxton has been a large opponent of Amendment 4. How do you feel about Amendment 4?
I think all of the County Commissioners oppose Amendment 4. To me, Amendment 4 is hanging a “closed for business” sign out in the front of the state of Florida. And while proponents say we are exaggerating the expansive nature of the proposal, the perception is going to be that we really don’t want to do business. We would be putting folks that might, for their business, need any change on the comprehensive plan (which could be something as small as upgrading a road that would be needed to make their business viable) … would have to be taken to a popular vote. Referendums cost nearly a half of million dollars to put out. So you would have to ask the one proposing that to pay the half a million dollars, or they would have to wait for a regular election cycle, or the community would have to foot the bill for multiple half millions dollar referendums. There is no way that an entrepreneur wanting to move their business here could depend on the outcome on the referendum.

How can the proponents of Amendment 4 be satisfied that we are not going to over-develop the land or that business interests are not going to dictate how decisions are made in regard to our comprehensive plan?
Here in Sarasota, while we are sometimes accused of being development-friendly, we are also accused of being development unfriendly. So maybe we walk down a reasonable path. I don’t think the majority of the population believes that we have fostered uncontrolled growth. In fact, if they did none of us would be in office. I feel Sarasota County has a pretty good handle at sticking to reasonable levels of growth — what I hope would be euphemistically called “Smart Growth” as opposed to just anything that comes along gets approved.

Let’s talk about your opponent, Mark Hawkins. How do you see yourself set apart from who he is or what he has to offer?
I worked full time when I was on the City commission. I also found time to serve on a lot of non-profit boards. I was very involved in community service long before I ran for elected office. I don’t see that in Mark’s record. I have experience in dealing with very large budgets. I have experience in the art of governing — which is not a simple art. I am the person on the commission that is normally looked at to do the math. I can look at a budget presentation and understand it. I am interested in it. I follow the budget. I am a fiscal conservative. And I think I have the experience to know when a risk is worth taking for the betterment of the community, and when something is just not practical.
Mark has no government experience. He has never even served on a county or city board — well that’s not true, he did serve on the home Remodeler’s Board which is his own line of work. But that’s it. I have never seen him at a budget meeting. When we go to debates, his quotes are not accurate. He seems to be a nice guy, but I would say that my background and my experience serves me well.

What are most proud of in your work as a County Commissioner?
When you have been in office a long time you can almost drive around in the community and say, “I’ve had a little hand in that and a little hand in that.” I am really proud that we have cut county taxes during the time that I have been in office by just about 25 percent. And did it while adding new parks; adding new libraries and improving older ones; while building out portions of the road grid system; while investing in transit. When I came onto the county board, there were no reserve policies and we have established reserve policies and we have put together a $50 million hurricane disaster fund. We would have had to dip into that if we would have had oil on our shores, but we would have had money to do it. Plus another $90 million dollars that we put aside knowing that the bubble would burst.

Q&A with Joe Barbetta, Republican Sarasota County Commission incumbent, District 2

2010-10-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

October 19th, 2010 by Susan Nilon in News, Politics reprinted from Creative Loafing

Joe Barbetta (R) is running for re-election, for his second term as Sarasota County Commissioner in District 2, facing a surprisingly strong challenge from independent Cathy Antunes. I had a chance to sit with Commissioner Barbetta to gain some insight on the issues that are important to him.

CL: What made you want to run for a second term?
Joe Barbetta: These are some tough economic times and I think it’s tough to leave a position like this in an economy when we are starting to get things done. And we (the commission) are gelling pretty well together. I wouldn’t want to upset that applecart.

Are there any projects that you would like to see through to the end?
Yes, I would like to get our unemployment rate back down to where it used to be at 3 percent. It skyrocketed to 12 or 13 percent, now it’s about 11 percent. I would also like to get more diversification in the economy rather than just tourism. I would like to see the Benderson Park Rowing facility done in the next couple if years. The Institute for the Ages is something that we have been working for several years — which is basically taking advantage of our aging population as an asset.

One of the issues that came up recently due to the oil spill in the gulf is energy. Our citizens want to be on the cutting edge of renewable energy. How do you feel that plays into what you are trying to accomplish?
Well, we have been pushing hard for that. We have our sustainability institute, and the Florida House — all places that are mini incubators of energy related ideas: energy efficient homes, solar hot water, air conditioning, energy grants, and energy start appliances. We have been promoting all of that. Unfortunately with FPL, we have another 30 year agreement. I was the lone “no” vote on that. It was a 4-1 vote. I didn’t want to give them another 30 years. I couldn’t get the support to what I was willing to do, which was six five-year agreements. I suggested to the City that they might look at that since they are now going through the same thing. But we were able to extract a few things from FPL to help us with energy savings.
We should be selling power back to the grid when we do solar power — solar hot water heaters, solar air conditioning — where we generate more energy than we are using. The state of Florida has never had a good energy policy, so we have to create it from scratch on our own. Here we are, the Sunshine State, and we are not taking advantage of it because FPL is pretty powerful. It’s tough to get things through. I admire the city for trying to at least — whether they can afford to set up their own utility is another thing, but at least negotiate with FPL to get some benefits relating to today’s technology.
Of the programs that you mentioned, such as the Florida House and the EECBG grants, I am aware that they are experiencing problems where they are not able to move the process along like people were expecting. Are there things that the county can do so the people don’t become discouraged in the process?
We have encouraged our sustainability department to speed things up, however part of the funding is coming from the state. We are pushing as hard as we can and we don’t want to frustrate anybody. Unfortunately, government works a little slow. And when we are in the process of being reimbursed; that’s where the bottlenecking occurs.

You were elected as a slow growth candidate. In your first term, it didn’t seem to be like that. You said it was because of the economy and the need to create jobs that led to some of your decisions.
I wish you could tell me what those are, because I have asked that question of Lobeck and Zolar and everybody that has accused me of that, but I haven’t changed one bit. As I said to Dan Lobeck, put my votes alongside of Jon Thaxton for the past four years, and if we differ in more than one or two votes, I would be amazed. I know the one vote we differed in was the one down in Englewood on the Gottfried Stewardship district. My reason for that vote was the developer was going to front $90 million to build up River Road. It’s an evacuation area that has been on the books for 20 some years, and I felt that the trade-off of him fronting the $90 million to build the road and the 20-year build-out of his residential development at a time when the economy needed jobs justified my vote. Now, it didn’t pass. It was a 3-2 vote. So it didn’t get done. River Road didn’t get done and now we are looking for money for River Road. That’s a vote I have lost and that is a vote that they said that I have changed.
The only other vote that Jon [Thaxton] and I voted the same on this is the Lakewood Ranch Village. I was the lone “no” vote on 2050 [ the Comprehensive Land Management Plan] back when I was on the planning commission. It was an 8-1 vote (on the planning board) and the vote on the County Commission was 5-0. But I was on the planning commission at the time and I voted against the 2050 because I didn’t want anything to happen in that rural area. I didn’t think that you could airlift a village of 10 thousand people 8 miles out east and have it work. So I voted against that.
To this day, people say that I have changed, but I have yet to get anyone to say it was because of this vote or that vote. The only one I can think of — because Jon and I vote the same otherwise — the only vote that Jon differed on, and it was the other way, was Billy Springer’s huge development out Bee Ridge and the Bee Ridge extension. I voted against it and Jon voted for it. But that never was built either.
I think I have been continuously slow growth. I think the change may be in perception, because the business community that fought me in the past, at the last minute when I was up for election, now understands that what I was arguing for was a diversified economy. I have always campaigned on re-development and infill. I have always felt that west of I-75 is where we should be doing our development — from I-75 to the water, re-developing our urban core vs. building out east. I campaigned on that the first time around and I still am campaigning on that today.

Can you see anything that will help promote that kind of development?
We have come up with regulations that are encouraging re-development. We had a recent comprehensive plan that assists developers to go in and look at stale shopping centers, office buildings, and apartment complexes and re-development them at slightly higher density and not requiring as many parking spaces. I have been a transit person. I have pushed hard for transit. I think that helps on any re-development where you don’t need as many cars along the transit route.

Would you still cast a “no” vote on the 2050?
Yes. I think it’s a bad plan. And I think I have been proven out, not that I am happy about it, but I have been proven out. Because for 8 years now since 2050 — $4 million dollars later — and we don’t have on stick in the ground. And we never will. It’s too tight — number one — and its way out. People don’t want to live 8 miles out, expect to be captive, and do all of their shopping there. They are going to come to the beach. They are going to come to Ringling. They are going to come to St. Armand’s. That was always my argument. It may be beautiful, but it’s not going to work. Consequently the developers have found out that they can’t build out there. I did say on my “no” vote on 2050 that we should do a test village at Lakewood Ranch and low and behold — 7 and 1/2-8 years later, we are finally doing the Village at Lakewood Ranch. I felt that way because I was watching Lakewood Ranch North (the Manatee County side) being built out and it made a lot of sense because it’s up against I-75, it’s not 8 miles out. And Rex went about it the right way — slow, 10-15 year build-out. I think that is what we are going to see on our side. Plus we were really are out of quality new housing in the north part of the county, other than re-sales.

How does that affect the Fruitville initiative…?
The Fruitville Initiative came about back in early 2000 when I was on the planning commission. The same guys who did the Florida House came up with a plan called the Fruitville Initiative. It was studied for a couple of years. Then in 2004, it was killed and nothing was done. So when I was elected in 2006, I said we need to reactivate that. I was hearing rumblings from the property owners that they were going to put another shopping center out there. So I said to myself that this is the only exit left in Sarasota County that hasn’t been stuck with a couple of huge shopping centers. I went into it knowing that all five properties owners (who own hundreds of acres), plus us (we own 42 acres out there next to our library), could each go in and build a major employment center. They could build light manufacturing, office buildings; they could apply to build a big box. I didn’t want that to happen. So I went around on my own. I got the board’s authority to talk to them without committing to them to see if they were willing to participate in a process to master plan 325 acres rather than have 5 piece meal developments — which will probably hurt the 42 acres that the citizens own. It took me 2.5 years to talk with the property owners and say if we all get a master plan, then we probably will get a better value. And that’s what it was all about. My opponent [Cathy Antunes] and [Dan] Lobeck have said that these were secret meetings. There was nothing secret about them. It was me, on my own time, talking to the property owners to see if they were willing to show up. Once they showed up at the table, all the meetings were open to the public. We brought in a Master Planner from California. And we reactivated the old Fruitville Initiative of 2003.
I stepped back because I did my part in it. I show up at the meetings, but I don’t have any input on it. My theory is when you have 300 undeveloped acres there, you want something nice there ? not just three ugly boxes. There were no secret dealings made.

The County Commission has been under criticism of late about transparency. How do you feel transparency fits within the government?
It’s there every day. I am one of the biggest proponents of it. We actually win awards for it. I guess that is one of the most frustrating thing about this whole lawsuit [Sunshine lawsuit regarding the negotiations between the County and the Baltimore Orioles] — a small handful of people feel that we haven’t been transparent. Yet, the rest of our community says we are doing a fantastic job. 90 percent says they love the quality of life. 89 percent says they love their neighborhood. So it’s confusing when you have a small handful of people bring up a lawsuit claiming that we weren’t transparent. All of our hearings were public. When we finally knew that we were going to lose the Cincinnati Reds, I got really concerned — and so did Kelly Kirschner from the city. After 84 years of the tradition of baseball, we were going to lose spring training. So Kelly and I went on our own to Ft. Meyers and initiated discussion with the Red Sox to say that “if you are ever interested, you can come up and talk to us.” We encouraged staff to talk to the Red Sox. All of the emails are public. We didn’t have any public hearings because there weren’t any negotiations that were going on where we were going to commit anybody. Then we had 14 public meetings, all advertised, all open to the public. And the very people that sued us were at those meetings. We lost the Red Sox. Then the Orioles contacted us. Discussions happened with the Orioles that started off at $65 million. I fought hard and got them down to $31 million. I think we got a hell of a deal for the community. I thought everything was fine and then this group sued us. It was unfortunate. Fortunately, we won the case and now we are on appeal. We don’t think we did anything wrong.

Didn’t the judge rule, even though the case was dismissed, that there were Sunshine Laws broken?
He said there were a couple of unintentional violations. But the reason that no one is able to interpret the Sunshine Law is because it was written before emails. He acknowledged this — because it was written before emails and that there is no law on any electronic or strictly dealt with verbal communications. I don’t think it’s a sunshine violation. There is no law that says it’s a Sunshine violation. The judge says it’s borderline.
I changed. If you send me and the four other commissioners an email and I respond to you, I am not going to copy the other commissioners. I am going to automatically delete them. Which is a little bit unfortunate because then there is 4 different conversations going on with one constituent. It’s tough.
I can appreciate people wanting transparency, but this has become almost like a vendetta and also a launching of a campaign. That’s what I am hearing out in the community: “Who does your opponent think she is – suing the county and running at the same time?”

It is my understanding that your name was taken off of the appeal that was filed for the Sunshine lawsuit against the County.
No, I think we are all still on the appeal — the county and the three commissioners. I am off it as an individual defendant. But I am on it as the chairman if the commission.

I had heard that it was because of a settlement that you had reached with the group that had filed the appeal.
That’s a separate lawsuit. What happened was, after they filed the lawsuit against the county and the three of us at a public meeting, our legal counsel was talking to us about the lawsuit. And I said it was unfortunate and that it was a frivolous lawsuit. It was costing us a lot of money and it was extremely unfortunate. Two days later I was sued personally. I heard that Mogenson [the attorney who filed the lawsuit] got very upset; Antunes got very upset; [Jim] Lampl got very upset and said that “we are going to fix Barbetta.” And they sued me personally.

On what grounds?
That I violated the Sunshine laws. They just repeated the lawsuit. It was a vendetta lawsuit. I had to hire a lawyer, Morgan Bentley, which I did. It came down to spending another $20-$25 thousand in legal fees or the insurance company said, “Settle it for $5 thousand dollars.” And that is what I did. There was no admission of liability. In fact, it wasn’t supposed to be discussed. In fact, I have never discussed it, until today. They brought it up; they had a press release the night that the thing was signed — which shows you their motive. It’s unfortunate. What people really don’t understand is that because of this appeal, we can’t issue bonds by the end of this year. In fact, we have to issue them by November 1st at the latest. If we don’t get them issued by November 1st, we lose about a 35 percent rebate from the federal government. These are federal bonds. Which means the county is going to lose between $4 and $6 million and the City is going to lose $2 million. All because of this appeal.

What are the things that you are proud of that you have worked on in your time as County Commission?
I think expanding our economic development possibilities with the economic incentive fund that we have created. Getting the Economic Development Referendum passed recently by 66 percent of the vote. Obviously retaining baseball, spring training. I guess sports tourism is what you can call it: baseball, the rowing facility, additional soccer fields, and the Legacy Trail, Urfer Family Park, Rothenback Park, the fertilizer ordinance to help clean out bays. And better city/county relationships. I think we have turned the corner on our relationship with the city and the town of Longboat Key. I champion sports tourism and economic development a lot. I think its’ a good board and we have done a lot for the community. I would also say no tax increase during my entire term, no property tax increases, and no pay raises my entire term. I am pledging that I won’t raise taxes while I am in office.

How do you compare yourself to your opponent, Cathy Antunes? How do you separate yourself to what you bring to the table as to what she brings to the table?
I think business experience, legal background, four years of elected office, 18 years of public service, and 20-some years of volunteer work throughout the community. I have been with Habitat for Humanity and several other organizations that have rebuilt Sarasota. I am involved in scouting — I am an Eagle Scout. I grew up as a scout and became an Eagle Scout at a young age. Then, I would guess my track record for what we have accomplished in a tough economy.

Last words?
Sarasota is a great community. I have been here 28 years. I love it. I will probably be here the rest of my life. And my goal has been to stay on the cutting edge of everything out there — whether it’s energy-related, tourism-related, and economic development-related — in this day and age the only thing that separates us from the rest of society in a mobile age is a great place. And Sarasota continues to be that great place.

Help design a 30-year energy plan for our city.

2010-09-08T02:32:00.000-07:00

Design our energy future

Sarasota Power needs you to help design a 30-year energy plan for our city.

Right now, the City of Sarasota has to decide whether or not to renew a 30-year agreement with Florida Power and Light (FPL). In addition to the FPL franchise agreement, the city of Sarasota is also considering owning and operating a municipal utility, purchasing our energy from some other source, or just operating without a franchise agreement.

With energy changing so rapidly, local control over electricity promises faster and better adaptation. At Sarasota Power, we know the importance of having a smart, comprehensive plan in place before the city makes this long-term commitment. We feel that before the City can go any further, there has to be an opportunity that promotes forward thinking ideas and a well-rounded discussion to come up with an energy blueprint that will help us transition into the future.

Sarasota Power is asking for ideas that will enable us to implement our own electrical policy. This plan has to work at a local level. It must be locally controlled and locally managed, and it cannot depend on state legislation to make it happen.

We ask you to design what that plan should look like.

Our goal is to answer these following concerns:

How can we best develop a system that allows us to control what kind of electricity we use, foster savings, reduce our carbon footprint, improve reliability, and continue to produce a stream of revenue for our city that will enable us to keep one foot into the future? How do we foster the use of renewable energy and ensure the use of best practices when new technologies become available? And how can we keep ourselves in the best position when renewable energy achieves grid parity - which is predicted to occur within the next few years?

From September 6th, 2010 to October 6th 2010, we will be accepting entries for a comprehensive energy plan for the city. Plans must be well-rounded, all inclusive, and consider not only technical aspects, but what institutions will oversee and run it, and how we will pay for it. As entries are submitted, they will be posted on the website – www.SarasotaPower.org for everyone to see.

Visitors to the site will then have the chance to vote on the top 25 entries. At the closing of October 7th, 2010, those 25 entries will be submitted to a panel of experts to determine the top 5 entries. These 5 entries will then be submitted to the City Commission for consideration at the City Commission Meeting of Oct 17th, 2010 when they will also consider the next draft of FPL’s franchise agreement.

For more information and complete guidelines, go to: www.SarasotaPower.org or SarasotaPower@gmail.com

30 years is a very very long time when it comes to energy!

2010-08-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a story that I like to tell to help put things in a new perspective:

30 years ago, the pinnacle of computer technology was a company with three initials - let's call them XYZ. With their computers that filled large rooms that required air conditioning along with dozens of fans to cool these giant pieces of equipment, everyone knew that XYZ was the company to work with when it came to the information highway. After all, XYZ had been around for decades with a proven track record. Companies from around the world referred to them as a model of the future.

So if XYZ came to you and asked for a 30 year agreement to stay with them, and only them - you would be hard pressed to say no. Especially if they gave you a few little extras in their contract and maybe even a signing bonus. Where could you go wrong? For the next 30 years, you could be rest assured that your company would be in good hands with XYZ.

Then one day you are sitting in your office and Mango Computers comes knocking on your door. They tell you about a new product that will help you gain the same information and reach the same amount of people as with XYZ, except that instead of having to warehouse these massive machines that required an incredible expense, you could have it all sitting right in front of you on your desk top...for less money, no overhead, no extra employees, and no large electric bills to gain the same access to the Internet. Wow! What a great deal. So you quickly grab your pen and say, "Sign me up!" However, you are quickly reminded that, although the smart thing to do is to go with Mango Computers, you have a 30 year deal with XYZ.

So for the next 30 years, your company has to sit by and watch the advent of the desk top computer, the laptop computer, the wireless computer, the Ipad computer, and many many other forms of technology that have occurred over the last 30 years.

Yes, it's true...XYZ eventually started to catch up to Mango Computers, but you had to wait for them to get there while your competition rode that wave into the future.

Now think of it in these terms: The City of Sarasota is your company and FPL is XYZ Computers of the 1980's. Would you sign that 30 year agreement?

Should the City of Sarasota consider leaving FPL to start their own electric utility company?

2010-08-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Take the Poll

Should we give FPL another 30 years...to do what?

2010-08-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

Retrofit your Home - Get Energy Smart Retrofit Program

2010-08-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sarasota County and the Cities of Sarasota, North Port and Venice are proud to announce the launch of the Get Energy Smart Retrofit Program for interested homeowners.

You can go to www.GetEnergySmart.net or call the Program Administrator at 1-800-863-1794 to learn about what is available and how to apply to participate. Once you receive notice of approval of your application, you will be able to get started on your home energy retrofits. Additional information is included below and on the Program website.

This Program is made possible by funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

U.S. Senate Candidate Jeff Greene in Sarasota

2010-08-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

For all of you how want to have the chance to see Mr. Greene in person and hear why he wants to be our next Senator - here's your chance.

U.S. Senate Candidate Jeff Greene

invites you to a
Meet and Greet at the South Gate Community Center

3145 South Gate Circle, Sarasota, FL 34239
Thursday, August 5th
6:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served

Energy Town Hall for Sarasota - Save the Date!

2010-07-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

Energy Town Hall for Sarasota

WSLR, Sarasota Power and Transition Sarasota are co-hosting a town hall that will specifically cover the FPL franchise agreement.

It will be an informal forum for the public to ask questions of a panel of experts regarding the issue of how we get our electricity and what the options will be for the city of Sarasota to signing another 30 year agreement with FPL.

This is an extension to the one held by the city commissioners at city hall in June. We want to build on that platform and allow the public more interaction and open the floor for more discussion. It is our intention to allow the public to take lead in this issue and help educate everyone in all of the options.

When: August 17^th, 2010

Where: The Sanctuary at First Congregational – Bahia Vista and Euclid, Sarasota Fl

Time: 7pm – 9pm
If you have any questions or would like to make suggestions as to who should appear on the panel, please feel free to contact me here: Sarasota Power

Campaign Kick-Off Party for Nancy Feehan - Candidate for House District 70

2010-07-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Campaign Kick-Off Party

You are cordially invited to attend the Campaign Kick Off Party for

Nancy Feehan

for Florida House District 70

July 28th, 2010

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

We will be celebrating at Bentley’s Resort Hotel!!

Bentley’s Resort Hotel, Osprey Florida

1660 S. Tamiami Trail
Osprey, FL 34229

(Light Bites & Cash Bar)

Suggested donation is $30.00. Contributions are limited to $500 per person or corporate entity.

Please make checks payable to “Nancy Feehan for House District 70.”
To contribute online, click here or mail your donation to P.O. Box 111, Osprey,
Florida 34229

To RSVP, please contact Nancy’s Campaign office at 941-244-2266 or email
Susan@NancyFeehan.com

Special session to ban drilling is in serious trouble

2010-07-16T09:54:00.001-07:00

"Looks like the Governor's special session to ban drilling is in serious trouble. One of the most important things you can do today is to place calls into Rep. Dean Cannon (850) 488-2742 and Sen. Jeff Atwater (850) 487-5100 and tell them that enough is enough. People, economies and wildlife in the Gulf are suffering and they must not pass up this historic opportunity to ban offshore drilling in state waters forever." - Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

Let the sunshine out: City Commissioners wish for a better way to plan the FPL negotiations

2010-07-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

Reprinted from Creative Loafing

July 12th, 2010 by Brian Ries in News, Politics

At the end of last week's Sarasota City Commission meeting, an offhanded comment by Commissioner Terry Turner illustrated some of the problems with the city’s ongoing negotiations with FPL over how electricity will flow to businesses and residents. The real question appears to be: How's the power flowing in the negotiations?

Commissioners have a few minutes at the end of the meetings to talk about whatever they like, and Turner decided to repeat something he had heard from FPL representative Rae Dowling questioning who was in charge of the negotiations. “She said something that was troubling to me,” said Turner, “she thinks Mr. Wright is in charge of negotiations for the city.” Turner confirmed with Schef Wright — the attorney hired by the city to assist in the negotiations — that he wasn’t negotiating, but “the fact of the matter is that we have some ambiguity in the minds of FPL and some of the public.” Commissioner Susan Atwell had heard similar things from FPL representative Nick Gladding.

Get past the point that Gladding was recently appointed by Governor Crist to the Florida Energy and Climate Commission, seemingly in conflict with being paid to assist FPL in these negotiations, the real meat of the issue came next when Mayor Kelly Kirschner asked if the commissioners could hold a meeting about the negotiations outside of public view. City Attorney Robert Fournier said that would not be possible because of Florida’s Sunshine Laws. Trying to skirt pass Sunshine Laws might seem both a little nefarious and somewhat dangerous — considering the recent spate of lawsuits against local governments — but all of the commissioners seemed to support Mayor Kirschner’s attempt.

“It puts us at a disadvantage that FPL can go in one on one with commissioners, but we commissioners cant strategize and discuss as well,” explained Kirschner at the meeting, while Turner said “this is a particularly awkward time to be in that position.”

Later, I asked Kirschner why he wanted to skirt the Sunshine Laws in this case. “If you look at the communities that have tried to negotiate with FPL, they start off strong but a bunch of stuff takes place in the background,” he explained. “FPL finds weak points.” For him, it’s common sense that being able to have a discussion with his fellow commissioners about the City’s goals and tactics would be helpful, but only if FPL wasn’t able to listen in. As Turner said: “If you’re in negotiation with someone and they know everything you’re thinking and your complete strategy it gives them an advantage.”

Beyond that, a non-public meeting would allow the commission to present a unified front. “FPL’s meeting with everyone one on one and I think that is slowly biting and nipping at what would otherwise be a significant unanimous agreement on what we need to pursue,” Kirschner says. Case in point: Turner’s comment about public perception of who’s in charge of the negotiations.

I asked Turner if he suspected that FPL’s Rae Dowling was purposely fomenting trouble when she claimed not to know who was in charge of the negotiations — after all, the utility has a lot of experience dealing with negotiations like this and surely knows who has the final say. “I take people at their word,” said Turner.

Creative Loafing - Sarasota

Should the Sarasota City Commision close out the public from franchise talks?

2010-07-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

The Sarasota City Commission is asking the city attorney to find a way for them to meet in private to discuss the FPL franchise agreement. I took issue with that the other day. Here is a further explanation as to why:

We all realize the beauty of being able to speak freely in a closed room without an audience. It gives us the chance to be able to speak out loud without great penalty and then formulate our message without creating more damage then doing good. It also gives us the ability to lay our cards on the table and still have the ability to take them back when necessary. It is also the fastest way to get things settled. These reasons are all understandable in the realm of negotations..at least if the playing field was leveled.

The problem the commission has with a workshop being opened to the public is that, along with the public, FPL will also have access. So the last thing that any of them want to do is strategize on behalf of the city and have FPL taking notes.

My problem with the closed workshop now is that this should have been done prior to their first public meeting. My concern is that even though it would be a closed workshop, FPL will still be in that room.

As it stands now, FPL is allowed to have personal, one-on-one, meetings with each commissioner. The information that they gain from one commissioner is used to formulate the next discussion...giving FPL full advantage over each commissioner. Now, the only thing each commissioner has to go on is what FPL is telling them. FPL definitely has the advantage. However, now, when the commissioners enter into that closed meeting they are already influenced by their discussions with FPL. Meanwhile, the public is left out in the dark.

For me, the commissioners have not spent enough time with the public in order for the public to have a position in that room. They are the civil servants whose obligation is to represent us. But how can they truly represent us when so little time has spent with us? 90 people were in the room at the first and possibly only town hall last month. Out of the 90 - were officials from FPL, people who were invited by FPL, officials from the Municipal Utility industry, solar business owners, reporters, and so on. Only approximately half of the audience was made up of the public. And then only a portion of that number spoke to the commission. It did not help that the town hall was held in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week.

Is the public really served in these proceedings? The purpose of the town halls was to educate the public so they can not only make an informed decision, but also be confident enough to be able to communicate their wishes. The purpose of the second town hall was to further explore the additional alternatives to the FPL franchise agreement. With commissioners questioning the merit of a second town hall leaves me to believe that they have already formed their answers and now they just want to expedite the process.

FPL should have been prevented to have any private discussions with the commissioners. They definitely have the upper hand. I would go further to say that the activities of FPL and their talks with each comissioner should also be of public record. That way not only would be public continue to be educated on the negotiations, but so would the other comissioners.

If any issue should be taken with the proceeedings, it should be that it is not held in the proper format. While nicely done, the public was not allowed to ask questions. All the public is ever allowed to do is make statements during a three minute alottment of time at the end of the meeting. Getting no feed back from the comission or the other participants on the panel only leaves one feeling very placated. But how much do we really learn? I know a lot about energy...way more than a girl with a background in threatre could have ever imagined. But I have been spending the past several years educating myself on the topic. From sitting with lawmakers, attending conferences, interviewing business owners, etc - I have more hours than I care to count on learning about energy. But how many other people can invest that kind of time? I feel that it is the responsibility of the commission to open the doors and make it easy for the public to become involved. It is the duty of a civil servant to serve the public and provide the opportunity for the public to brought up to the same level of knowledge that they have when making those decisions on behalf of the public.

The one thing that really got my goat was not that the commission requested to have private meetings, but that Commisioner Turner questioned the need for another town hall. We are not operating under a deadline when it comes to signing the franchise agreement. We no longer have a franchise agreement. Time is truly on our side. If nothing else can be to our benefit, is this opportunity that we have been granted to learn more about the power that we have in our hands.

I, for one, will not accept this to be swept under the rug so we can move onto the next issue at hand. The public will be allowed the opportunity to be educated on this matter,with or without the City's help. They can choose to either be the exception or the rule. But the lesson will be learned.

To express your interest to the City Commission, you can find their information here.

A citizen speaks up for keeping the FPL franchise agreement negotiations in the PUBLIC eye

2010-07-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Reprinted from City Email:

Dear Commissioners,

I myself met with Mel Kline and Rae Dowling yesterday to discuss the franchise agreement. The meeting was initiated by Rae and was in response to an email inquiry I had sent FP&L via Nick Gladding. The questions posed can be seen below in the attached email.

In discussing the issue of the franchise agreement with FP&L, the issue became more clear to me than ever. In my opinion, the conversation should be focusing around questions 1 and 2 below.

1. What is the benefit to the citizens of Sarasota in signing a Franchise Agreement with FP&L?

o The fact is we the citizens receive no benefit. It ties us into a contract that we have no incentive to initiate. In the short term not renewing the franchise agreement would actually mean my electric bill would be decrease by around 6%.

o The government does receive a benefit in signing the agreement in that it makes their duties a little easier because they can continue to tax the citizens in our area through the franchise fee and continue to pursue a "business as usual" mentality. In my opinion, this is not a good reason for signing the agreement. An as a city resident, I will not vote in the future for any commissioner who accepts a 30 year franchise agreement from FP&L.

o FP&L on the other hand has great benefits from the city signing such an agreement. It guarantees that for the next 30 years we will continue to allow them to have exclusive rights to providing power to our community...now that they can "take to the bank".

2. Isn't FP&L required by DCA (via the PSC) to provide power to us whether or not a Franchise Agreement is instated? The answer to that question is yes, FP&L will still be providing us with power and the same level of service whether or not we have a franchise agreement (just like Manatee County has no agreement). I would like to point out if there is no franchise agreement, we would have the opportunity to consider becoming a public utility at any time we feel it is an appropriate avenue to pursue.

My understanding in listening to comments by Commissioner Turner at the recent commission meeting is that you (FP&L) are unsure of "who is running the show"? Well, I hope the show is being run by concerned citizens that are using their rights in a democratic society to voice their opinion and bring about real change. I am very hopeful the ability to execute this right will continue.

At the request of Rae Dowling and Mel Kline, I looked at the back of my bill for how the Franchise charge is defined. "Franchise Charge: A fee to local governments that we have an agreement with in order to provide electricity to their area". I would venture to say this is a severely limited statement and almost deceptive. The agreement has nothing to do with the fact that the fee is needed "in order to provide electricity to their area". The electricity would be provided regardless of whether the Franchise Agreement, or associated fee, was in place. That is not obvious from the statement description.

I see no reason for the City Government, as my representative, should enter into a franchise agreement. If they were to enter into an agreement, I feel the only acceptable term would be a 5 year agreement. With market conditions changing almost daily, I cannot feasibly see how we could commit to a 30 year agreement. If FP&L truly wants to "partner", they should understand this position and welcome the implied challenges in having a shorter term agreement. Let's look at history, 30 years ago when the last franchise agreement was initiated there was a huge push from the White House to diversify our countries power production and switch to forms of renewable energy. FP&L has had 30 years to make changes to the way they have been producing and distributing power in our area and I am disappointed with many of the choices they have made. Maybe we can facilitate change by taking a stand now and causing FP&L to wake-up and realize the "business as usual" mentality has no place in our community!

Thank you for taking the time to review this email and my concerns. I look forward to seeing you at the next PUBLIC meeting.

Sincerely,

Roger Landry, LEED^® AP

FPL is turning down the sunshine in Sarasota

2010-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

It is a sad day in Mudville folks when one of our City Commissioners questions the point of holding another town hall for the public to explore the remaining options for the city when it comes to alternatives to signing the FPL franchise agreement. It's even sadder when the city attorney is instructed to find ways around the Sunshine Law.

It appears that Commissioner Turner, the same man who was the first to lead the quest in finding alternatives to the city's energy supplier, is now having second thoughts about even going through the process. After receiving a call from Rae Dowling, representative of FPL, Commissioner Turner is now calling into question Schef Wright, the attorney the city hired to help negotiate the franchise agreement, wondering what influence he has in these negotiations. "It's troubling to me. She (Ms. Dowling) thinks that Mr. Wright is in charge of negotiations for the city." And now Mr. Turner is questioning other things that Ms. Dowling took issue with. Commissioner Turner goes on to say that he is "not very comfortable" with the thought of having another public meeting or a feasibility study on the alternatives. Commissioner Atwell said that Nick Gladding and Mel Kline asked, "Who's running the show?" during their meeting.

Yes. I, too, would like to also know who is running the show?

It was only less than two months ago that Commissioner Turner was challenging the integrity of FPL and their offer to the city. He brought up points that most people wouldn't have the guts to even talk about. That evening, he was asking the same questions that they people would have been asking if they too had a chance to read the new franchise agreement offered by FPL to the city. Now it seems that it was all a ruse. There was no meat on that bone. There was never any intention of any real follow through other than a small offering to the public. Now, the same Commissioner is asking the city attorney to see how they can get around the Sunshine Laws and hold a closed workshop for the Commission.

What is going on here?? Is everything that we do a charade? When will the people stand up and not just take notice but actually demand a better government. "Just wait until November" I am told over and over again. November? Really? Is that when it's gong to happen. I'll be sure to make it down on my calendar. And if you believe "November" is the date when the message is going to be heard loud and clear...well I've got a bridge I want to sell you. And that bridge is available now.

Why is it that you think change is going to happen each time there is an election?? Every time an opportunity arises we pass on it, thinking that someone else will take care of it for us?? This mantra of CHANGE is really wearing thin on me. Change will never happen when the majority spends most of their time waiting for someone else to drive the bus.

"THE GOVERNMENT IS BROKEN" is what I hear all of the time. Well I have a more honest assessment - CORPORATE AMERICA is KILLING US! I will say it again. CORPORATE AMERICA is KILLING US! And yet we have made the government the evil-doers . We continually give Corporate America a pass because we all find ourselves sitting on the sidelines hoping that the coach will take us off the bench and put us into the game. So we allow them to be above the law when it comes to crimes against the people. We scream about injustice when our President doesn't go and punch someone out over the BP Oil Spill...and yet, where the hell is Haliburton or Transocean in all of this? Why aren't they down cleaning the beach???

Just last week two different articles were written about how FPL continually controls the Public Service Commission like the strings on a marionette. And yet our City Commission is still thinking that they can trust FPL when they are told that negotiations can be done outside of the franchise agreement. Well, I'm thinking I now have a few more customers for the bridge that I need to unload - and fast!

When are we, the people, going to stop lining up like cattle? When are we going to stand up to those who are standing in our way to the future that we know is possible for us? When are we going to say, "We are not going to stand for this anymore!"

Just recently a lobbyist was heard to say FPL will decide who the winners and losers are going to be. We need the Sunshine now more that ever. Don't let FPL run our city like they are running our state. Write the City Commissioners and let them know that we are tired and we are not going to take it anymore!

I pledge that I will take the 6% that FPL collects from me for the franchise fee and give it directly to the city.

How about you? Will you take that pledge?

For video on the July 6 commission meeting -- Commissioner Comment section 1:44-1:52 of the recording --click here

Florida House debuts first solar powered air conditioning system

2010-07-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Already known for innovation in energy conservation and sustainability, Sarasota County government is partnering with a local HVAC contractor to use the energy of the sun to cool the Florida House.

Representatives from Tri County Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. will join Sarasota County Commissioners at 10 a.m., Wednesday, July 7, at the Florida House, 4454 Beneva Road, Sarasota to announce plans to install a state-of-the-art Lennox solar powered air conditioning system that will be the first of its kind in Florida.

Air conditioning accounts for 56 percent of an average household’s electricity consumption. The new system could decrease electric bills as much as 50 percent. An additional benefit of the system is that when the unit is not operating and the sun is shining, it will produce energy for additional household demands.

Tri County Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. has been in business for over 33 years and is one of the largest HVAC installers and service providers in the state of Florida. “When we learned in December of 2009 that Lennox was developing an air conditioning system that runs on solar power, we thought the Florida House would be the perfect place to introduce it to the public,” said Bill Swanson, President of Tri County Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc.

Lennox has just begun production of the new unit and, according to John McCarthy, head of Sarasota County Parks and Recreation the timing could not be better, “We’re celebrating our independence as a country on July 4^th and now we’re announcing the next step to our ‘energy’ independence thanks to technology and local business partners like Tri County. Sarasota County government considers it and honor and a privilege to showcase yet another watershed event in the effort to become a more sustainable community.”

Tri County Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. will also install indoor air quality products and a separate photovoltaic system that will provide most of the energy needed to operate the rest of the house. The total retail value of the donation of all material and labor to install the products is approximately $65,000. It is the single largest donation to the Florida House renovation project by any local business.

Photovoltaics, new air conditioning, and indoor air quality products are just a few of the new additions to the Florida House, which plans to re-open in the fall. “We’re very excited about the cooperation we’ve received updating the Florida House,” says Nan Summers, executive director of The Florida House. “It has been a community project and we’re looking forward to sharing the results of the efforts of our partners with the public.”

The Florida House is a demonstration home and landscape featuring readily available environmentally friendly materials and methods for new and existing Florida homes and yards. The Florida House is a public/private partnership featuring Sarasota County Government, The University of Florida/IFAS Sarasota County Extension, The Florida House Foundation of Sarasota, Inc., and Sarasota County School District.

For more information, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 or visit www.scgov.net

Reprint of Press Release