No More State Farm For Florida

State Farm announced today that it's pulling out of the property insurance market throughout Florida. Regulators have 90 days to approve the move, and State Farm cannot drop policies for at least 180 days after that, so current customers face no immediate threat. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty calls the move disappointing but not a surprise.

Read the full story:
http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/n1-012709.cfm.

Contact me if you need to find another company. I have some highly recommended referrals from past clients.

Sarasota's 5 Year Economic Development Strategic Plan Survey

Always complaining for ways to have your voice rise above the crowd? Here's your chance. Take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Read the letter from the EDC below and follow the appropriate links:

As a neighborhood leader you may know that the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County is working with local and regional partners to update a five-year economic development strategic plan for the community. The purpose of this plan is to identify targeted opportunities that would diversify our economy, and increase the competitiveness of our existing businesses so they can continue to be a vital part of our region. We recognize that this will require us to assess and build on our own assets, as well as explore new ideas.

To help develop this plan, we need your thoughts. The following links will connect you to a 15-minute survey that will ask you to identify the region's strengths and weaknesses in key areas that support a strong economy. We recognize that this survey may be a bit long, however, it collects an array of valuable information and serves as a foundation for a multi-year platform for the economy. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to take the time to provide your input.

This survey information will be combined with other quantitative data and information to create a community assessment and narrow down options that the economic plan will explore in more detail. At the end of the survey you will see how your answers compare to others who have taken the survey-real time feedback.

If you are a member of multiple business or community organizations, you may receive this request more than once, but you need only take the survey once. If you own or manage a business and also belong to a community organization, please take the survey as a business participant.

• If you own or work in a private sector business please select this link www.starassessment.com/survey/sarasotabusinesssurvey.
• 
  If you lead or serve a nonprofit business group (e.g. chamber), a community organization, neighborhood group, public agency or other similar group, or are an elected official or citizen please select this link www.starassessment.com/survey/sarasotacommunitysurvey.

We appreciate your feedback by November 18.

If you have any questions about this survey please e-mail questions@starassessment.com. Thank you for your participation - your input is greatly valued.

Regards,
Emily S. Sperling
Community Relations Manager
Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County
Live Oak Corporate Center
2601 Cattlemen Road Suite 201
Sarasota, FL 34232
(941) 309-1200 ext. 106 Fax (941) 309-1209
esperling@edcsarasotacounty.com

Smart Growth VS Smart Growth

About a month ago, I had the opportunity to meet both Carolyn Mason and Jono Miller at the Sarasota Association of Realtors Annual Meeting where they and John Mullarky were invited to join a panel interview by Laura Benson before all of our members.

Personally, I was impressed with the opinions and approaches of Carolyn Mason and Jono Miller because, I must admit in case you don't know me, I'm a firm supporter of both 1) actions to support and keep the working/middle class in Sarasota and 2) making sure Sarasota keeps its reputation for being one of the best LITTLE cities to work and play. Regarding John Mullarkey, I think the name of his boat is funny--that's about it. And he's Irish(ish).

I still don't know which way I'll vote but I did think Doug Sword's article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune today did a pretty good job of summarizing the positions of the candidates. Read below.

"At first blush, it is a straightforward contest, a pro-business Republican running against an environmentalist Democrat for an open seat on the County Commission.

"But the obvious comparisons end there.

"Carolyn Mason, a former Democrat turned Republican, is a widowed mother of three who worked her family's way out of public housing, bought a house and eventually became Sarasota's mayor. She would also be the first black to win a seat on the County Commission in its 87-year history.

"Jono Miller is the head of New College's environmental studies program and has long been a favorite of slow-growth and neighborhood activists. But he seems to have convinced much of the business community that he would not be a slam-dunk vote against growth if he gets on the commission."

For the full article, click here: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081024/ARTICLE/810240368/2055/NEWS?Title=County_commission_race_still_surprises

7th Best State To Do Business Too

Florida is one of the best places to do business, ranking seventh in the 2007 listing of business-friendly states by Forbes.com. Criteria considered included job and income growth, living costs, and educational achievement, as well as projections of job, income, and gross state product growth.

Full story:http://click.email.floridarealtors.org/?ju=fe5b11747c67017e7412&ls=fe3211727667077e711171&m=feff1070756103&l=fecc177274660379&s=fe5f1d777365047c7215&jb=ffcf14&t=

Sarasota Memorial Rocks Again!

"For the past three years, Sarasota Memorial Hospital has trumpeted the release of a national magazine's rankings of top hospitals.In 2006, Sarasota Memorial was heralded as being among the nation's top 50 hospitals in six different specialties, including high-profile programs like heart surgery and orthopedics. This year's rankings, though, have hospital officials quietly poring over the numbers.U.S. News & World Report released its 'America's Top Hospitals' rankings on its Web site Friday.

Sarasota Memorial ranked among the top 50 hospitals in two specialties, cancer and geriatrics. Officially, the hospital calls it an achievement just to make a list dominated by big-name facilities like Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic....


For more info: http://heraldtribune.com/article/20070717/BUSINESS/707170599.

Sarasota's 2nd Best In US For New Small Business!

10 Best Places for Starting a Small Business

Florida is the best state to grow a small business, according to a new study by Bizjournals, the Web site of American City Business Journals Inc. Bizjournals used a 12-part formula to rate the vitality of small-businesses in the nation's 75 largest metropolitan areas. These 75 markets, taken as a group, had 179 million residents as of mid-2005, accounting for 60 percent of the nation's total population. They also included 4.5 million small businesses, a number that rose by 7 percent between 2000 and 2005. The study's objective was to identify those metro areas that are most conducive to the creation and development of small businesses.

The highest scores went to areas that have prosperous economies, are expanding rapidly, and are densely packed with small businesses. The top 10 are:


Orlando, FL
Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
Las Vegas,NV
Jacksonville, FL
Raleigh, NC
Washington, DC
Salt Lake City, UT
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN


For a more complete results, see how all 75 markets ranked for small business growth.

Source: BizJournals, G. Scott Thomas (07/10/07)

Sarasota Is 7th Best Spot For Young Retirees

STAFF REPORT

SARASOTA -- Money magazine named Sarasota as one of the "Best Places to Retire Young." Money lauded the city of 53,000 for its architecture, beaches and culture, though it took a mild shot at Sarasota's house prices. Sarasota was the seventh city on the list of 10. "While you're not going to realize a lot of housing bargains in this Gulf Coast spot, you will discover some of the most splendid architecture anywhere in the Sunshine State," Money writers said. "It also boasts pure white sands, exotic birds and plants, boating, water skiing, opera, ballets." Sarasota was among nine other cities around the nation that were praised for being a good spot to hang up your work hat while you still walk without a cane.

No other Florida cities made the list, but four other Sunshine State communities were finalists for the top 100 on Money's spots to retire young: Boca Raton, Coral Springs, Miramar and Pembroke Pines.Only one state -- Virginia -- claimed more than one spot on the list. The other nine cities among the top 10 were -- in the order of the list: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Charlottesville, Va.; Logan, Utah; Blacksburg, Va.; Burlington, Vt.; Anacortes, Wash.; Hanover, N.H.; Manhattan, Kan.; and Ames, Iowa. Money listed Sarasota with a population of 53,477, a 15-year population growth of 2.6 percent, a median house price of $423,400, and a home price forecast for the next two years of a 6.3 percent increase.

How did Money make the call for what communities would be on the list? The magazine's writers figured that young retired people were still active and would have a need for travel and recreation. They also are not likely to want to fight major-city congestion. Each city chosen for the list had to be near a major city or "urban cluster" to provide a major airport, shopping and dining and other amenities.In cases where a metropolitan area was not within 100 miles, the magazine "looked for an outdoor lifestyle compelling enough to overcome the relative isolation."

The magazine's writers also looked for places with healthy economies -- they looked for low unemployment and long-term job growth -- and a cost of living measured by home prices that were near the average in the United States. Unemployment in Sarasota County during February was 3 percent, down from 3.1 percent in January and slightly higher than the same month last year. Sarasota, obviously, had some difficulties in the latter housing category given its $400,000-plus median." In some cases, we were willing to include those places that are worth their higher price tag through their unique mix of resources," the magazine writers said.