Super Boat Grand Prix Raises $120,000 For Charity

1. The numbers are in from the , and the event raised $120,000 for Suncoast Charities For Children.

That number comes from Lucy Nicandr, the vice president of special events for Suncoast Charities. Nicandr went over a few numbers Monday for the City Commission both from Suncoast and from a company hired to study the event's impact.

The event was held during the last week of June, leading into the Fourth of July weekend, and the 28th annual event left a huge economic impact on the area.

The total economic impact is estimated at $14.3 million, Nicandr said. That's a 12.1 percent increase from last year. Of that, $7.8 million came from out-of-county attendees, she said.

From June 28 to July 1, 107,000 estimated visitors came for the event, and one out of every five people were under 18, she said. About 47 percent were year-round county residents and out of those coming from outside of Sarasota County, 65.7 percent lived elsewhere in Florida and 21.5 percent were from out of state.

Hotels saw a big boom, too. More than 13,600 room nights were generated, with the average stay being four nights in Sarasota.

2. Did you check out how charitable Sarasotans are? The Chronicle of Philanthropy unveiled an easy-to-use interactive map on Monday showing how much people give to charity in each ZIP code in America. Sarasota checks in at 468, but we have to give it up to our neighbors in Longboat Key. The town ranks 251 out of 11,522. But, Longboat Key is also known for its luxurious properties, and folks there have plenty more to give. How much? The median discretionary income is $285,395 — ranking 35th in the nation.

3. While Sarasota County is removing seaweed from area beaches, county officials are telling folks, if you don't like the seaweed, go find another beach in the county.

"It's a problem happening all along the Gulf Coast", said George Tatge, Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Manager in a news release. "We are doing everything we can to keep the beaches clean in rapidly changing conditions."

Working in partnership with Visit Sarasota County, the county is providing updates to local hotels and resorts.

"We realize that seaweed on the beach is an inconvenience for hotels, resorts, visitors, residents and beachfront property owners," said Tatge. "We have 35 miles of beaches in Sarasota County, so if you encounter seaweed on one beach, we encourage you to visit one of our other beaches."

4. How did your kid's first day of school go? ! Check out these photos posted by the school of students strutting down the carpet for their first day. Have awesome back-to-school photos? Post an Announcement or Blog to let everyone know!

5. Bird Key Park visitors are saying drats to rats. WWSB reported over the weekend the influx of rats to the park after the sun sets, even getting footage of them scurrying about. City officials told the station they're looking at ways to control the rat population and believe the rats are going after food in trash cans. Watch your step if you walk through the park tonight!