from the desk of:
Tom Barwin
Sarasota City Manager
March 27, 2020
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It is a challenging time for us all. That being said, our staff remain at your service, doing their best each day for the community. Together we will endure this public health emergency and, as neighbors helping neighbors, rebound as a stronger, caring community.
Thank you for reading this week's edition! If you have questions, comments or suggestions for topics, please contact us directly: 941-263-6402 or
CityNews@SarasotaFL.Gov
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Resilience, caring and strength with COVID-19
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Few alive today have been through this before, but pandemics, while rare, are not new. Yet, the last one was so long ago, we are having to relearn lessons from the past.
Our world, country and community last faced a major pandemic in 1918, when the Spanish Flu cost 675,000 Americans and over 50 million around the world their lives, when the U.S. and world population was less than one-third of what it is now. The interventions then, as now with COVID-19, are isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene and severe limitations on public gatherings.
Like today's coronavirus, there were no pharmaceutical interventions in 1918. Although the world has made great progress preventing influenzas, people remain vulnerable to new strains of viral diseases.
Although America may have gotten off to a slow start, the good news today is that the lessons from the past are available and are now being applied to the COVID-19 pandemic. With our mass and fast communications systems and much better medical systems, there is hope that the loss of life associated with this pandemic will be less, hopefully much less. But it's really up to us, each one of us, doing our part individually, while also being a responsible member of the larger community.
The communities that act with unity and purpose will be the ones who experience minimal loss and will defeat the virus as quickly as possible. They also will be the resilient ones that will bounce back first. The good news is that the 95 percent of our community is doing what they have been asked to do: limit participation in social gatherings, stay at home as much as possible, practice good personal hygiene and look out for your neighbor.
This is going to be very difficult for many as self-isolation is tough. We are a social species. But unlike 1918, we now have cell phones, the internet, FaceTime, and all kinds of ways to stay in touch. Use them. Stay connected, especially with positive people and messages. One of my brothers hooked all six of us up last night on a group phone call, and it was great fun and lifted all our spirits. As my wife keeps reminding me, it’s also healthy to take a break from the news to enjoy and value each other and the natural beauty in our own backyard.
The economics related to temporary work slowdowns are going to be even tougher for many and is also a community issue. For those going through really tough times, please know the strength, resilience and caring of our community is beginning to take shape.
Most employers I know care about their employees and are doing what they can. And while the federal government is finalizing the largest economic recovery effort in the history of our country, our basic utilities are halting shutoffs for those experiencing reduced income. Food banks are ramping up. Our philanthropic foundations are setting up programs to help those most in need, facing the most critical challenges, and state and local governments are looking into ways they can prepare to help now and reboot the economy once the crisis passes and we defeat it, over however long it takes.
We've been very busy people, in a very busy world. Perhaps with the unexpected “at home” time we have now, we can and will figure out ways to come out of this wiser and smarter, for this and future generations. If any community can do it, it is ours.
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All City of Sarasota public meetings are suspended.
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The City of Sarasota has taken several important measures to help slow the spread of the coronavirus in our community and protect the health and safety of the public.
Working in regular consultation with officials at Sarasota County Government and the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County, and following the guidelines and latest information from federal and state officials, we remain in a local public health emergency, which has been extended through at least April 3.
This week we also issued
new emergency orders
: First, we are prohibiting gatherings of 10 or more in the city limits. We’re asking everyone to voluntarily comply with this regulation based on important Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, but those who insist on congregating in large groups may be subject to a second-degree misdemeanor citation from the Sarasota Police Department.
We are also strongly urging residents to stay at home through April 3, except for essential activities such as shopping for food or other necessities, going to work or taking care of others. Everyone should practice social distancing by maintaining at least 6 feet between themselves and others.
All City buildings, including City Hall, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, the Robert L. Taylor Community Center and our other recreation centers and auditoriums, remain closed to the public. We’ve also closed playgrounds, basketball courts and tennis courts at the City’s more than 50 parks. We’ve advised walkers, joggers and bicyclists using the John Ringling Causeway Bridge to go with the flow of traffic so as to avoid passing others face-to-face and reducing the risk of transmitting COVID-19.
Although the City’s facilities are closed, our dedicated City employees are still serving the community every day: collecting your trash and recycling, ensuring you have safe drinking water, repairing the roads, patrolling the streets of your neighborhood and more.
All of us have had to adjust to this new reality while still performing our duties - whether it’s our Building Division creating a drop box so that the general public and those in the construction industry can still submit or pick up important plans and documents, our Parking Operations Division designating curbside parking to make parking quick and easy for restaurants that now suddenly are providing takeout/delivery service only or our Parks and Recreation District staff
sharing on social media
some creative ways to keep citizens healthy, active and entertained. Many other dedicated City employees are standing by to help you conduct City business via phone (941-263-6000) or on the web at
www.SarasotaFL.gov
, and we are thankful for their public service.
As a reminder, news releases and COVID-19 resources are available on
www.SarasotaFL.Gov
. We are very active on our social media pages --
Facebook
,
Twitter
,
Instagram
and
Nextdoor
-- where we are seeing an increased number of people seeking information and we are providing it. In addition, when warranted, we're producing and disseminating a special COVID-19 newsletter with the latest information and resources. Subscriptions to the newsletter have jumped 13 percent in the past couple of weeks, and we appreciate the community's interest in obtaining timely, accurate information directly from the City of Sarasota. By the way, if you are currently subscribed to Weekly Briefs, you will automatically receive the COVID-19 updates, no need to re-subscribe.
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Stay at home: Grocery shopping options
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As we all do our best to adjust to social distancing, everyday tasks like shopping for groceries can present a challenge.
Many people are opting for grocery delivery options through online services and mobile apps such as
Instacart
and
Shipt
, which are affiliated with many of the popular grocery chains and other national retailers and will do your shopping for you. For those who may be unfamiliar with these services, Instacart recently
posted these helpful tips for shoppers
to get the best experience from these types of services. And remember to generously tip your delivery person!
If you're heading to your favorite local grocery store in person, be sure to call or check online first for updated opening/closing times or designated shopping times for seniors or those with elevated health risks. And for residents accustomed to buying fresh produce and other goods at the weekly Sarasota Farmers Market, you can visit their
website
for a list of vendors and contact them individually to see if they have pickup options available while the market is on hiatus.
We appreciate the many employees and merchants who are keeping the shelves stocked and who are there to help us with our essential shopping needs during these stressful times.
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Community Composting: On hold
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The continuing COVID-19 emergency has led to the suspension of our popular Community Composting program at our neighborhood parks due to public health concerns.
As you may be aware, the City supports this active program at three of our neighborhood parks in partnership with local nonprofit Sunshine Community Composting. Participating residents can drop off their food scraps at Gillespie, Arlington and North Water Tower parks to be transformed into rich soil amendment. Since the program’s inception in 2016, more than 40,000 pounds of material (nearly 20 tons) have been diverted from local landfills.
Signage about the status of the program is in place at the collection bins at all three parks. We look forward to the continuation of this unique partnership once the public health emergency subsides so that we can continue to elevate the conversation about sustainable practices while encouraging community building.
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Melodic surprise during COVID-19
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Music can be soothing, calming and help reduce the tensions of the day, something we all probably could use right now. Former Mayor Suzanne Atwell was pleasantly surprised earlier this week to encounter a special and unexpected scene with a singer on the balcony of the Sarasota Opera House serenading passersby. How delightful for our cultural arts-loving community! Not to mention, the social distancing was exemplary. The former mayor posted the video on her
Facebook page
and is kindly sharing it with Weekly Briefs. Enjoy -- volume up!
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The Ringling Bridge is now illuminated in red, white and blue following a lighting change request by Commissioner Hagen Brody to the Florida Department of Transportation, which maintains the bridge. The new color pattern is a way to show unified support during this public health emergency, while expressing gratitude to our local first responders, essential workforce members and medical professionals. Our thanks to Norm Schimmel for capturing the beautiful imagery in this week's "Sarasota Scene."
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"Sarasota Scene"
Norm Schimmel
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