SARASOTA 

The University of South Florida system came in second overall in the State University System’s performance-based funding results and will receive $45 million from the state.

Eleven universities are eligible for the performance-based funding. Each school contributes a portion of it’s budget.  Schools that earned 51 points or higher, received back at least their full contribution. USF contributed $39 million to the pool and will receive that contribution back as well, for a total of $84 million.

A spokesman for the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus said USFSM did not know how much it would be receiving, however, it would be benefiting from the system-wide influx of cash

New College of Florida came in sixth and will receive $2.4 million in new money.

“Student success continues to be the No. 1 priority for the USF system, a focus that has led to sustained excellence in performance-based funding,” USF system president Judy Genshaft said. “We remain incredibly grateful for the investments we have been able to make as a result of performance-based funding over the past several years and will continue to stay laser-focused on our commitment to meeting the needs of our students while maintaining our unmatched upward trajectory.”

The system uses 10 metrics to determine the number of points each school receives, including the number of students receiving degrees in areas of strategic emphasis, on-time graduation and student employment after graduation.

The USF system finished first in the state in the percent of bachelor’s and graduate degrees awarded in programs of strategic emphasis and the percent of graduates employed.

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SARASOTA, FL (WWSB) –On Saturday, Nathan Benderson Park will host its first annual Fourth of July holiday celebration. The gates open at 4:30 p.m., parking on Regatta Island is $5, and admission is free.

From 5-7 p.m., rentals will be available for kayaks and paddleboards. You are allowed to bring your own as well.

“We always enjoy welcoming the community to Nathan Benderson Park and hope families from all over the area will come out for this special evening of fun and holiday fireworks display. We hope to make this a yearly tradition for the community,” said Robert J. Sullivan, president and CEO of SANCA.

Guests can bring their own food and drinks. However, no glass containers of any kind are allowed.

There will be music and games also available.  Feel free to bring some chairs and blankets for the event!

Dogs will not be permitted on Regatta Island for safety reasons.

Anna Maria Island SUN Trail deemed a priority

The Sarasota Manatee/Metropolitan Planning Organization voted to prioritize the Anna Maria Island Trail on Monday.

As the board was voting to adopt the 2017 Project Priorities, the trail segments at Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach found themselves on several lists for funding, according to Colleen McGue, principal planner at MPO.

MPO recently submitted the trail to be considered for the Florida Greenways and Trails System Priority Map, which is updated every five years.  According to Zachary Burch of the Florida Department of Transportation, the AMI Trail Loop is but one option in FGTS’s potential selection of a North-South priority through Manatee and Sarasota counties.

 McGue sees this as a necessary addition and points to a study done by Smart Growth America entitled “Dangerous by Design,” which ranked the Bradenton/Sarasota/North Port area as the 10th most dangerous metro area for walking in the United States.

“The MPO is actively working on improving bicycle and pedestrian safety in Sarasota and Manatee counties, having safe and accessible trails to ride and walk on like the Gulf Coast Trail is part of improving safety in our area,” she says.

The greenway, if built, would be a Shared-Use, non-motorized Trail System extension that would loop from Holmes Beach on State Road 798, to the Marina-East Bay Drive and from Longboat Pass Bridge on Gulf Drive to 27th Street North, in Bradenton Beach. According to McGue, the trail would fit within the existing right of way on Gulf Drive, with an 8-foot wide sidewalk on one side and 10-foot wide, bi-directional cycle track on the other side of the road. Travel lanes would be 11 feet wide versus the existing 12-foot wide lanes.

According to recent estimates submitted by Bradenton and Holmes beaches, the project is expected to cost approximately $13 million.

McGue says that the funding for the project is likely to come from a combination of sources. The engineering, design and permitting costs have already been funded by a grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, as the project design includes a storm water component that will help address the flooding on Gulf Drive during heavy rain. The remaining support will likely come from state and federal resources.

The final priority alignment, which will ultimately determine the AMI Trail Loop’s fate, is slated to conclude around December 2017. If selected as a priority trail, AMI Trail Loop would be added to the SUN Trail Map. According to FDOT’s website, the state allocates $25 million annually to the SUN Trail network from the redistribution of new vehicle tag revenues.

The Florida SUN Trail network is a statewide system of multi-use trails for bicyclists and pedestrians. The program, which is administered by FDOT, produces trails that are physically separated from vehicular traffic.

McGue says that if the Florida Department of Environmental Protection approves their requested alignment change from US 41 to the loop they will start to get a better sense of when they can expect funding. As it stands, she says that the earliest they could expect to see additional funding for the project beyond, the amount that SWFMD allocated would be in the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

The Florida SUN Trail network is a statewide system of multi-use trails for bicyclists and pedestrians.

As part of the 2017 Project Priorities, the Holmes Beach segment ranked #11, while the Bradenton Beach portion of the trail ranked #17 on the Congestion Management System Priority List. On the Transportation Alternatives Project Priority List, Holmes Beach is #6 and Bradenton Beach is #13, while on the Regional Trails Priority List Holmes Beach ranks #2 and Bradenton Beach #3.

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota treats hundreds of patients for stroke, heart attack and heart failure every year and has made a commitment to follow specific quality measures by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology Foundation. 

The hospital was recently recognized with several quality awards, including:

• ·      Stroke Gold Plus Target:  Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus.  The Honor Roll Elite Plus award recognizes facilities that give lifesaving clot busters in less than 60 minutes and additionally, in less than 45 minutes in at least 50% of the time. 
• ·      Heart Failure Silver Plus
• ·      Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center –Silver

·       These awards are earned by meeting specific quality measures for the diagnosis and treatment of patients, proper use of medications and before patients are discharged, receiving information on managing their conditions and a follow-up appointment.  The goal is to reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their overall quality of life. 

“Doctors Hospital is dedicated to providing quality care for all our patients.  These programs track and measure our success in meeting internationally respected guidelines.  I am extremely proud of our team for all they do each day, putting our patients and quality first,” said Robert Meade, CEO of Doctors Hospital of Sarasota. 

“We are pleased to recognize Doctors Hospital for their commitment of heart failure, heart attack and stroke care,” said Paul Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University.  “Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted these guidelines.”

Floridians' consumer sentiment went up another half point in January to 97.8 from the 97.3 it was in December. This is the highest reading since March 2002. Perceptions of one's personal financial situation now compared to a year ago showed the greatest increase, growing 5.4 points to 88.2. Many Floridians expect their personal finances to continue to improve and agree that it is a good time to buy a big-ticket household item.

In addition, the national consumer sentiment index is at the highest level since February 2004. 

According to several economists, Florida's 2016 economy outperformed the nation in part because of better job creation.

Dr. Elliot Eisenberg, a nationally known economist and former senior economist with the National Association of Home Builders, has said Florida/the south is the right division to be in as the economic recovery has been much more robust. Foreclosures are diminishing, unemployment is okay, and the division is doing well economically. 

The overall home sales across the country in 2016 reached a 10-year best of 5.5 million and leaves room for continued growth to meet the 2006 peak of 7.2 million home sales.

The 2017 VA loan limit for all loans closed January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 increased from $417,000 to $424,100. There are 238 high cost counties where the limits are even higher, including Collier County FL with a $450,800 limit and Monroe County FL with a $529,000 limit.

The maximum conforming VA loan limits are determined by The Federal Housing Finance Agency. These increased limits are intended to allow military borrowers in more expensive loan markets to borrow more without having to put any money down. 

The 25-basis-point reduction in Federal Housing Administration premiums that was previously announced by the outgoing Obama administration has been suspended by The Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The reduction in annual premiums was expected to go into effect January 27th, but the incoming Trump administration seemed opposed to the idea of the cut as soon as it had been announced and the decision to put a halt on it was announced shortly after Donald Trump was sworn in as president on Friday. 

National Association of Realtors President William Brown said Thursday that a suspension "leaves the door open to implement the cut in the near future."