News Briefs

+ SMH honors two of its employees with awards
Sarasota Memorial Hospital has given out its two most prestigious employee awards.

Of the 3,500-member workforce, physical therapist Mark Moore was named the “EXCEL Employee of the Year.” His co-workers describe Moore as a dedicated and compassionate employee, who “loves what he does and believes in working to create miracles.”

Moore broke the record for the most nominations ever submitted for the award.
Pamela Ramhofer, director of clinical-information systems, was named Sarasota Memorial’s “Leader of the Year.”

Ramhofer oversees the both the clinical and business-information systems and is known as an excellent communicator, role model and mentor, who has “successfully bridged the worlds of information systems and clinical care.”

+ Pedestrians ignore Five Points crosswalks
Commissioner Suzanne Atwell asked that the city do something about the fact that many people are walking through the Five Points roundabout instead of using its crosswalks.

“I continue to run into people abusing the roundabout walking through it,” she said.

Atwell requested barriers or signs be placed at the roundabout to direct pedestrians to the crosswalks.

The city commissioned a study on Five Points pedestrians, and it was due to be complete this month.

Its findings will dictate what kind of action the city will take to encourage crosswalk use.

+ New EPA standards could cost the city millions
The City Commission has adopted a resolution opposing new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines that could cost the city millions of dollars.

Scheduled to take effect in 15 months are new and much stricter EPA water-quality guidelines.

The new federal criteria comes in response to a lawsuit that claimed the state’s current water-quality standards don’t meet the guidelines in the Clean Water Act.

If the program goes into effect as planned, all of Florida municipalities could be responsible for costly modifications to their current programs.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has estimated that it could cost municipalities more than $21 billion.

The Florida League of Cities adopted the same resolution and urged all municipalities to adopt it as well.

Meetings & agendas
Bird Key Improvement Association — 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, Bird Key Yacht Club, 301 Bird Key Drive, Sarasota
Criminal Justice Commission — Noon Friday, March 25, County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota
County Commission — 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 29, County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota
Charter Review Committee — 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, City Hall, 1565 First St., Sarasota
County Commission — 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 30, County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected]