Sarasota Livin'

Great guest column in todays Sarasota Herald Tribune by Tim Dutton the Executive Director of SCOPE

"In recent months, a number of national experts have come here to talk about how communities work or how to make them better. Their names are not important, because it's not about them. It's not even about what they say as much as it's about why they came and why so many of us who live here gather around and want to have a conversation that we have not had before.

Why Sarasota County? Why do they come and why do we invite them? We have an unbelievable intersection of assets that are dedicated to civic connection -- the sense of ownership that builds power in community. What are some of those assets? Our elected officials are honest, committed and progressive. Government administrators are thoughtful, engaged and often "cutting- edge." There is a concentration of philanthropic resources here that is unmatched around the country. This includes forward-thinking and generous foundations."

Sarasota is a great place and will keep getting better just as long as the above is true.