It’s interesting how one drip, one leak of the right story can unleash a flash flood over Facebook, causing the media to stir, petitions to circulate and the public to cry out. Who would have thought a social media outlet could scoop the traditional news sources, releasing a story about an inconspicuous “special events” meeting called to discuss the future of activities in Sarasota’s downtown core, including Five Points Park? But on to the real question: What’s so special about such a nondescript meeting? Several concerned citizens such as Greg [...]

I know what some of you are thinking. Oh, great. Another amateur writer thinks her music taste is totally the greatest and feels compelled to enlighten the rest of us culturally-starved chumps. I also thought the last thing Sarasotans needed was another “Song of the Week” column. Then I asked the almighty Facebook what it thought, and it turns out you guys actually want this crap. (You also want more band photos, but I am even worse at photography than I am at thought-vomitus, so that’s that.) There’s one thing I [...]

Sarasota police chief to retire in October → Sarasota Police Chief Mikel Hollaway is a member of the state’s Deferred Retirement Option Program, which mandates that an employee receives additional pension dollars for five years before they must retire. Interim City Manager Terry Lewis announced at Monday’s Sarasota City Commission regular meeting Monday that Sarasota Police Chief Mikel Hollaway will retire in October. Hollaway, hired to replace former police chief Peter Abbott, has served two years as police chief and has 30 years of service with the department. Hollaway, 52, [...]

The Special Meeting of the Sarasota City Commission meeting scheduled for May 24, 2012 to discuss zoning enclaves and special events has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 6, 2012 at City Hall at 3 p.m. According to a press release signed by Public Information Officer Jan Thornburg, the meeting’s discussion “will center on developing a mutually agreeable special events plan for downtown merchants, residents and the City.” The release further states, “The city commission has no intention of banning special events in Selby Five Points Park.” Still, the question remains: [...]

City commission approves downtown projects → The Sarasota City Commission unanimously approved a list of downtown projects Monday that include a Main Street streetscape projects. AThe Sarasota City Commission unanimously approved a $4.7 million Main Street streetscape project for downtown Sarasota Monday with one stipulation: Commissioners must sign off on projects before they start to monitor construction timelines and make sure they don’t coincide with season. The project includes wider sidewalks, improved lighting and brick accents in certain parts of Main Street, with brick sidewalks planned from the Five Points [...]

** UPDATE:  The Special meeting has been changed to June 6, 2012 at 3:00pm in the Commission Chambers. ** Whew!  For those of us who believe strongly in equality and inclusion, this has certainly been a whirlwind couple of weeks!  First, the Vice President and the Secretary of Education both affirmed their belief in the legality of same sex marriages on May 6. Then, North Carolinians voted to prohibit those marriages (again—going for the suspenders-and-belt approach) on May 8. At a breakfast meeting I had the day of the North Carolina vote [...]