5A Identifying Local Opportunities
5A- Identifying Local Opportunity
1. Title: Sarasota County Seeks to Have Redistricting Lawsuit Dismissed
Description: When Sarasota county decided to reshape the commission district boundaries in November, three African American residents filed a class action lawsuit claiming that the county and its commissioners did so to discriminate against black voters. The lawsuit accuses the county of violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because they shifted the boundaries of somewhere up for election in 2020, removing a significant number of black voters and a candidate. The county is arguing that there is no evidence that supports the redistricting was racial, and that it was only done to even out the population in districts. Still, the redistricting is looking a lot due in part to a combination of racial discrimination and gerrymandering, as the restricted voting county was primarily Democratic, while the Sarasota County is Republican- posing a threat to the upcoming election.
Problem: The problem here is Sarasota County redistricting right before an election comes up. They did so to benefit the members of the Board of County Commissioners and did so in a way that proved to be discriminatory towards the African American residents. This has now resulted in a lawsuit against the county, which they tried and failed to have dismissed.
Who has the problem: Sarasota County and it’s Commissioners are primarily the ones with the problem as they are being sued. However, the African American residents and candidate who feel as though they have been discriminated against, and their voting rights infringed also have a problem in this situation.
2. Title: Florida Man Hunting Iguanas with Pellet Guns Puts 2 Schools on Lockdown
Description: A man was hired to remove invasive iguanas from an area and was doing so with two pellet guns. He was spotted near an elementary school doing this, and that resulted in that school as well as a nearby school being put on lockdown, and the man detained by the police. He was released by the police and they released a statement talking about the safety precautions and training they have to deal with these situations, as the schools went on lockdown right around the time students were being dismissed.
Problem: I think one of the main problems here is the iguanas. They are not native to Florida and get pretty large and have been known to do a significant amount of property damage. Many iguana-removal experts have been hired across Florida to deal with the issues, but I am not sure if using pellet guns is the proper way to do so. An alternative option being used could have seemed less threatening, especially around a school, and not lead to a lockdown.
Who has the problem: Florida residents have the problem here, as they not only have to deal with damage caused by the iguanas, but they have to deal with the removal process, which in this case caused a lockdown for two schools.
3. Title: Court Documents Tell Story of Demise of Lucky’s Market in Florida
Description: The grocery store Lucky’s plans to close 20 of its 21 stores, including the Sarasota one. This comes after the company filed for bankruptcy. This was coming for a long time, as when Lucky’s was founded, they relied on loans from Kroger to open. Since opening, the company has gotten over $300 million in loans from Kroger. In 2017 Lucky’s sales were up a lot and it was doing good, but more similar style chains moved into Florida, after this the stores sales continued to drop and was operating at a net loss of about $100 million in January. Because of this they have started liquidation and will be closing majority of its stores.
Problem: Lucky’s despite seeming like a great running fresh grocery store, selling things like bath bombs, a ramen bar, and beer/wine bar, still could not stay on top. They could not effectively manage their business in a way that kept them ahead of their competition and are now having to close their stores.
Who has the problem: The owners and workers of Lucky’s have the problem. The owners having to file bankruptcy and liquidate their assets, but there are also around 3000 workers that will be out of jobs once the stores close.
4. Title: EPA to conduct hearing on offshore aquaculture project near Sarasota
Description: The Environmental Protection Agency held a hearing for a discharge permit for Kampachi Farms. The permit will allow them to build an aquaculture pen net off the coast of the Gulf in Sarasota. The project is expected to produce 75,000 pounds of fish a year, and because the fish are treated with antibiotics and other chemicals, they need a discharge permit. A lot of other companies have come out against the EPA for granting the permit because the chemicals from the pen could pollute and harm the ecosystem.
Problem: The problem being addressed by this is the fact that they are currently importing a lot of fish from other countries, which is both morally and economically not the best option. However, the installation of this pen and the chemicals are not beneficial to the ocean and the surrounding marine life in it at all. It has potential to seriously disrupt the ecosystem.
Who has the problem: A few people have the problem in this case. Firstly, the EPA and Kampachi Farms, as they are the ones approving/getting the permit and the infrastructure. Second are the local fishermen in the Sarasota community, as the pen is actually expected to not only draw more fish in. Lastly who has the problem are the activist that are supporting the marine life in the ocean as they feel as though this does more harm than good.
5. Title: Sarasota Schools to Review Sexual Harassment Policies
Link: https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20200123/sarasota-teachers-union-reach-deal-on-teacher-pay-raises
Description: Last year the Sarasota County schools were filled with scandals, with multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. The districts had done terrible jobs at following through with complaints and never did so in a timely matter. With multiple complaints against top-level administration throughout the year, the board hired an outside company to review and set policies and standards for these types of allegations.
Problem: The problem is the school board and district officials, and how they handle allegations of misconduct. Last year a deputy was fired after speaking out about harassment claims in the school. It seems as though many people do not know how to appropriately deal with these allegations when they are involved people in powerful positions.
Who has the problem: The problem here falls on the school board and the district officials as it’s their job to not only protect students and faculty against harassment, but react in an appropriate way.
Hi Maddi. I liked how you were able to isolate most of your stories to a specific area, Sarasota County, which covered a diverse set of topics. In my post, I chose stories that took place in parts of North Florida and South Georgia. Your descriptions of all the articles were very detailed and captured the major points of each story. When deciding who has the problem, I liked how you took into account multiple "whos" instead of just one.
ReplyDeleteHi Maddi,
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read the article about Lucky's Market because I recently heard they were closing! I was so surprised because I used to shop there all of the time and it had such a great vibe, kind of like a mix between Whole Foods and Trader Joes. It's unfortunate they couldn't figure out how to get out of their debt. My question for you is though, how do you see this as an opportunity that you could fix?