Republican National Convention Impact To Be Felt In Sarasota

1. The local visitors bureau hopes that the Republican National Convention's presence in Tampa will trickle down to Sarasota's economy thanks to hotel demands and other business trip opportunities.

Several initiatives are in play at both the convention itself and in the surrounding area to tell RNC visitors about Sarasota's business opportunities and leisure offerings, The Bradenton Herald reports:

In Sarasota, the tourism arm hasn't dedicated any marketing directly to the convention, but the county already focuses its summer advertising largely on Tampa's drive market, so officials are hoping to catch the interest of locals and party visitors.

"This is purely a business trip for the attendees," said Erin Duggan, communications director for Visit Sarasota. "But we know these groups like to stay together, and if they can't get a room block in Hillsborough, they may leak to Manatee and Sarasota."

A blog-based initiative created for the convention called Front Row Tampa Bay will also have a panel at the convention to tell visitors how good Sarasota and other counties are good for their business, The Bradenton Herald also reported.

The convention takes place Aug. 27 to 30 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

2. Trying to find reliable places to check how good a nursing home or a hospital is? The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services passed along two sites where you can enter your ZIP code and find star ratings for hospital and nursing homes in the area. The two sites – Hospital Compare and Nursing Home Compare – underwent a redesign for easier navigation and have added new comparison tools such as findings from nursing home inspections.

3. A new $15,000 grant from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee will support y’s efforts to partner with Israeli scientists to conduct cutting-edge marine and coastal conservation research. These research studies will be undertaken as part of the new Mote-Israel Cooperative Marine Research Program, which is designed to benefit marine environments in Florida and abroad. The grant will help support research on ocean acidification and the impacts it could have on the resiliency and recovery of coral reef ecosystems affected by global warming.

4. Thinking about starting a new business and need some tips? Check out a free workshop offered Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, 1845 34th St. 

It's called the Entrepreneur & Innovation Workshop and will be  conducted by Dr. Jean Kabongo, Assistant Professor of Management in the College of Business at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee.  Dr. Kabongo will discuss entrepreneurship, creativity and why innovation shapes the marketplace. To reserve a seat at the workshop contact Melanie Singletary in the Newtown Redevelopment office:  941-365-2200 ext. 3220.

5. Missed out on the Sarasota Improv Festival last weekend? Two of the troupes featured in the festival are local — FST Improv and Lazy Fairy. You can catch FST Improv at 8 p.m. Saturdays at the Florida Studio Theatre's Goldstein Cabaret. Tickets cost $12. Lazy Fairy plays at a variety of venues and are also for hire for lunch gigs and team building exercies. For more, visit lazyfairyimprov.weebly.com.