Publisher’s Letter: July Summer Beauty Edition

By John Knowles | July 2024

Beauty & healthy living are everywhere we look in our magnificent town. In this month’s issue, we showcase beautiful and giving people, cool fashion, and health and beauty tips and treatments by local experts. We also feature a brand-new organization—Women in Philanthropy.  More on that later!

We start off with our annual season-wrap up.  It was yet another great season of fabulous events, generous people, and amazing entertainment.  As usual, we were there to cover much of it as you will see in this issue.  I encourage you to read about each event and think about which ones you would like to participate in next season. 

July also brings the celebration of the birth of our nation. July 4th in Sarasota is always exciting. There are terrific fireworks in so many locations!  (We tell you where in this issue). We had lots of fun showcasing red, white, and blue fashion from local stores, and we love our cover photo taken by photographer Jordan Kelly-Laviolette. 

In “Around Town”, we feature a name widely known in our town—Les McCurdy.  Les, and the comics that grace the stage at McCurdy’s, have kept us laughing for many years.  Plus, he does lots to help our town in other ways.  He’s an all-around great guy you will enjoy getting to know.

Sarasota is renowned for being home to some of the world’s most generous philanthropists, currently holding the distinction of being the number one city in charitable giving per capita in the nation. A significant portion of these benefactors are women, whose contributions often go unrecognized in the broader community. 

“Women in Philanthropy of Sarasota” is a new initiative dedicated to celebrating and acknowledging these women who make a profound impact through their philanthropy. Its leaders, Katherine Harris and Margaret Wise, are passionate about the organization’s mission and there will be an inaugural soiree in November.  You can read all about it in this issue. 

This summer, Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast is holding its annual photo contest.  The submissions of photos that capture nature are incredibly beautiful, and we are thrilled to showcase the winners in this issue. 

Three local prominent doctors share some interesting health insights you’ll want to read. From toxic pollution to body image to skin protection, there’s important information for all.  

Speaking of skin, I most definitely have a dangerous relationship with the sun. After a referral from my primary care doctor to check a rough patch on my forehead, I chose a dermatologist in Venice since I live in South Sarasota.  I thought it might be easier traffic-wise to go south to avoid the construction hold-ups. 

My dermatologist experience was good. They looked at my forehead and told me one spot looked precancerous (scary for me), and the others were less concerning. They then did a full body examination and finally three significant chunks were sent to the lab. I am happy to report two out of three are fine but one has a possible pre-melanoma cell structure. I will go for the surgery, and I have indeed changed some of my skin and sun prevention regiments to accommodate life here in Florida. Despite these scares, it’s a life I would not trade!

I would be remiss if I did not share recent news about funding for Florida’s arts and culture organizations—something near and dear to my heart. 

The recent decision to eliminate nearly $90 million in state funding for cultural programs by the State of Florida from the annual budget is a significant setback for Florida’s arts and culture organizations, many of which are still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This budget cut affects 669 different arts and culture projects, marking the first time there will allocate no money to these programs.

Sarasota’s arts groups, like many others across Florida, are particularly hard-hit. The pandemic has already strained these organizations, leading to reduced revenues, canceled events, and layoffs. The lack of state funding exacerbates these challenges, leaving these groups to find alternative funding sources to sustain their operations and continue contributing to the local cultural landscape. Many of these groups will need to turn to their patrons to increase donations. A tough ask given that most patrons support multiple organizations. The domino effect of choosing one group over another will be devastating.

The impact of these cuts extends beyond the arts community, potentially affecting tourism, local economies, and the cultural vibrancy of our local cities. Arts and culture are integral to community identity and cohesion, and the absence of state support may have long-term consequences for the cultural sector here in Sarasota and Manatee. This will be particularly hard felt here, since Sarasota is one of the state’s top cultural meccas. 

The situation has a familiar ring. In 2020 the arts and culture community and their supporters came together to voice their concern regarding recognition by Sarasota County CARES. The voices grew louder as the county mulled over its strategy on how to spend the federal money. Discussed by the community were the significant economic impact of the arts and cultural sector. The people impact. The influence on mental health and sense of community. The importance of maintaining the identity of our cities. The decision by the state is no different in its impact. The county came through with an economic recovery arts and culture program. The state needs to reverse itself and maintain its investment in our communities.

I encourage you to invest in the local scene, let your voices be heard, and support the arts and culture organizations that bring us so much joy.

Until next month!

H John Knowles
Publisher
john@scenesarasota.com