Although it is customary for individuals to make their own New Year’s resolutions, we at the Pelican Press would like to offer some suggestions for 2010:
• For the Florida Department of Environmental Protection: after turning down Sarasota County’s long, drawn-out application for a permit to reopen Midnight Pass, a rethinking of the situation. May FDEP officials suddenly realize that the bay really could use another outlet to the Gulf of Mexico, to improve the quality of water – and life – for all the critters that call the bay home.
• For the Police Advisory Panel appointed by the Sarasota City Commission: a very busy six months of delving into every nook and cranny of Sarasota Police Department’s operations. May the members produce a well-thought-out list of recommendations that not only are workable but will prove to make the police highly respected once again in this community.
• For area Realtors: a quicker-than-expected bounce-back for the economy as a whole. May the season bring a torrent of tourists looking to snap up the vast majority of homes for sale, enabling sellers once more to get real value for their properties.
• For the Sarasota County Commission: the realization that it needs to act on the recommendations of the Budget Task Force it appointed in 2009. May the commissioners take the astonishing step to stop hoping and praying for staff to continue "finding" money to plug budget holes and instead make hard decisions on fiscal policy that will keep the county comfortably in the black, regardless of future economic gyrations.
• For the Sarasota City Commission: stiff spines and sound thought processes. May the city commissioners require City Manager Robert Bartolotta and staff to give them plenty of information on every big decision well in advance before they take adequate time to study the issue themselves; allow ample opportunity for public comment; discuss thoroughly the various ramifications that could be expected from voting "Yes" or "No"; and then vote and stick to their decision.
• For the beach-nesting birds on Siesta Key: plenty of human intervention to help them produce viable chicks. May the Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Department work closely with volunteers from the Audubon Society and other groups to find creative ways to protect the birds at the same time the county expands parking at Beach Access 7, a favorite nesting spot for the snowy plovers. Fun, interactive educational opportunities at Access 7 would be a good start.
And finally:
• For the Baltimore Orioles, Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota: excellent follow-through on the feel-good attitudes evidenced at the team’s "Fanfest" at Ed Smith Stadium on Nov. 14. May the Orioles find this the best community they could possibly imagine for spring training baseball and, in gratitude, find many ways to give back to the community.