SIESTA KEY
Observer Formerly the Pelican Press
Bird Key residents worry about trouble in paradise. PAGE 6A
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 46, NO. 5
FREE
Questions arise on value of city trips
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015
SMILEY START
Sarasota leaders are visiting Kentucky to learn about ‘best practices’ — but what results do these visits produce? DAVID CONWAY NEWS EDITOR
For someone who’s been selected to go on a trip to Louisville, Ky., next month, John Moran isn’t exactly thrilled about his impending travel. Moran, chairman of the city’s Downtown Improvement District, is part of a delegation of Sarasota leaders who will visit Kentucky from Sept. 23 through Sept. 26. City and county officials, among others, have gone on similar trips five of the past six weeks, organized by the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County. But for Moran, a major question lingered regarding the visit to Louisville and the trips that came before it: What purpose did they serve? A conversation with Chris Gallagher, a member of the Downtown Sarasota Alliance board of directors and a regular attendee of the intercity journeys, did little to soothe his concerns. “I said, ‘What have we implemented from these trips?’” Moran said. “There was nothing — the only thing that was his response was, ‘Well, there was a
Amanda Morales
Emily Nelson hugs her mother, Shannon, at Southside Elementary on her first day of school Monday. SEE MORE BACK TO SCHOOL PHOTOS ON PAGE 17A
Coalition Building In an area crowded with specialized interest groups, how can the Downtown Sarasota Alliance work to achieve its goal of representing a broader constituency?
SEE PAGE 3A
ARTS+CULTURE
Four artists skip the frames and draw directly on gallery walls. INSIDE
DAVID CONWAY NEWS EDITOR
For anywhere between $35 and $300, you can become a member of the Downtown Sarasota Alliance — “the unified voice for the friends of downtown Sarasota,” the organization’s website touts. Over the past several years, though, various downtown stakeholders have bemoaned the lack of a unified voice within the heart of the city. Those stakeholders point to the proliferation of interest groups, most of which make a play for a specialized segment of the downtown pie. The Downtown Improvement District and Downtown Community Redevelopment Area are taxing bodies focused primarily on capital projects. The Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association and Sarasota Downtown Merchants Association advocate on behalf of a narrow set of members. In 2014, the Downtown Marketing Co-op was founded — another specialty group, focused on promoting the heart of the city. Co-founder Paul Thorpe, a longtime downtown activist, summed
David Conway
The DSA’s lightpole banners are one tool in the group’s arsenal.
YOUR TOWN
SEE PAGE 5A
Courtesy photo
Angie Hawthorne and Lisa Cherry
‘BRAVO’ TO ER NURSE Last month, resident Angie Hawthorne was treated at Doctors Hospital. She wanted to personally thank the nurse who helped her during her stay. Doctors Hospital arranged a surprise presentation last week, during which Hawthorne presented nurse Lisa Cherry with flowers and a “Bravo” award, which recognizes hospital employees who go above and beyond. “She took care of me,” Hawthorne said. “If she wouldn’t have done what she had done, I would have been dead.”