Health Matters
SIESTA KEY
MARCH 2015
Observer
EAST COUNTY
Observer
Formerly the Pelican Press
COLOR CODED
New nutritional guidelin
es focus on a variety
UPPING THE BARRE The latest fitness trend borrows from ballet.
FREE
Residents pledge to lose a ton of weight.
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YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 45, NO. 33
of unprocessed foods.
THE WEIGHT IS OVER
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PICTURE OF HEALTH Dr. Chris Sforzo promotes a healthy lifestyle. PAGE 10
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015
PARTY CRASHERS City Commission races may be nonpartisan, but the local Democratic and Republican parties say they’ll fight to give their runoff candidates a fair shot of winning May 12. SEE PAGES 4-5A
YOUR TOWN MISSION ACCEPTED Pam Kelly and her daughter, Shelby, will be making a trip in April to Honduras to help out at the Mision Miqueas orphanage. Along with providing medical help, Pam Kelly, a registered nurse, is collecting supplies. Donations can be dropped off at Beneva Family Practice, 921 Beneva Road. For a complete list of supplies needed, call 320-4623.
Affordable housing What does that mean?
Of the 10 most common occupations in Sarasota County ...
SUPPLIES INCLUDE: n Women’s toiletries n Boys’ and girls’
undergarments n Chewable, non-gummy vitamins n Backpacks n Deodorant n Hair ties n Socks
ARTS+CULTURE
The Sarasota Folk Club’s annual festival bridges the generational gap.
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Current construction of the beach improvement project could provide the perfect opportunity to update signage. JESSICA SALMOND STAFF WRITER
... only ONE makes more than $32,000 annually. As the city takes aim at addressing its lack of affordable housing, officials examine the origins of the issue and search for solutions. DAVID CONWAY NEWS EDITOR
MUSIC OF THE PEOPLE
County explores wayfinding options for Siesta
Listening to recent discussions among elected officials, there is a strong belief that the city of Sarasota’s affordable housing supply is sorely lacking — though it’s not for a lack of trying. At a January workshop, city commissioners honed in on affordable housing as a big-picture issue that the board needed to address. The discussion came on the heels of a November decision that waived a developer’s required contribution to an affordable housing trust. That trust was part of an earlier effort to address the issue, incorporated SEE HOUSING PAGE 3A
After winning its second No. 1 beach award, Siesta Key Beach can expect more visitors flocking to its famous powder-white sands. More visitors, however, can mean more confusion. Sarasota County is investigating a possible wayfinding campaign to help tourists navigate the beaches and adjacent county parks and help them remember where they parked. Tricia Wisner, an operations coordinator for the county, presented the idea at the Parks Advisory and Recreation Council’s March 5 meeting. “It’s a big park; we need to help people get around,” she said. The new beach improvements, such as multiple picnic and concession areas and playground, along with 143 new parking spaces, can be overwhelming to visitors, Wisner said. Wisner said the wayfinding plan will likely centralize around the lifeguard towers. The stations SEE WAYFINDING PAGE 3A