City of Sarasota commissioners unanimously appointed Doug Jeffcoat as the city's interim manager and Joe Polzak as the next city attorney during its regular meeting Monday.

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce has been named the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP) Chamber of the Year, which celebrates the chamber's innovation, operations and contributions to the local business community.

Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast has announced that it has protected more than 20,000 acres. The not-for-profit land trust’s recent protection of 58 acres in suburban Manatee County put it over the milestone marker for a grand total of 20,004 acres protected as its 20^th anniversary year ends. 

NOAA and the American Fisheries Society announced Oyster River Ecology's Damon Moore as the recipient of the 2024 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award at Restore America’s Estuaries’ Coastal & Estuarine Summit. 

Manatee Community Foundation has named Yolanda Mancha its vice president of development and Mac Schmitz its director of development.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast has announced that Kamala Martinez will be the organization's next president and CEO. 

Bradenton-based Bealls Inc. has named Roselle Thomas as senior vice president and chief merchandising officer for Bealls Florida.

The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation has named five area teachers as its 2024 Ripple Effect Award winners: Rob Rowe, North Port High School; Kevin Purcell, Heron Creek Middle School; Tarra Martello, Brentwood Elementary School; Julia Tilford, Alta Vista Elementary School; and Edgar Vazquez, Booker High School.

The Child Protection Center, Inc. (CPC) has named Nicole Estilow its chief financial officer.

Heather Van Wie, president and CEO of The Cottages On The Key, has joined the board of Visit Sarasota County for a two-year term.

Pine View School has been recognized at the Platinum Award level on the College Board’s 2024 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Roll for outstanding achievement in the categories of college credit, college culture and college optimization.

Safe Children Coalition (SCC) recently announced its 2025 Champions for Children: philanthropists Keith Monda and Veronica Brady, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation president and CEO Teri A. Hansen, and Bridge a Life executive director Jody Jester. They will be honored at SCC's third annual Giving Breakfast on March 27, 2025.

Art Center Sarasota has named Clara Reynardus de Villanueva to its board of directors.

Sarasota Memorial Nursing & Rehabilitation Center was recognized as one of “America’s Best Nursing Homes 2025” in national ratings recently released by Newsweek.

Lakewood Ranch and proptech firm Cecilian Partners announced that the recently launched resident lifestyle platform, Customer Blueprint, has been awarded the PropTech Breakthrough Residential Platform of the Year. 

The Community Foundations National Standards Board, a supporting organization of the Council on Foundations (COF), recently accredited Gulf Coast Community Foundation with the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. Community Foundations National Standards establish legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations everywhere.

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce has announced its 2024-2025 board of directors. They are Joe Hembree, Hembree & Associates, Inc. (chair); Jennifer Rominiecki, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (chair-elect); Teri Hansen, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation (immediate past chair); Taylor Aultman, Willis Smith Construction, Inc.; Jeff Benninghoff, WWSB/ABC 7; Ian Black, Ian Black Real Estate; Matt Brockway, Icard, Merrill, Cullis, Timm, Furen & Ginsburg, P.A.; Sinead Carr, Express Employment Professionals; Laura Cole, Lakewood Ranch Communities; Michael Crosby, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium; Dan DeLeo, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP; Philip DiMaria, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.; David Evans, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System; Kevin Gillen, Synovus; Tommy Gregory, State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota; Jennifer Grondahl, Baltimore Orioles; Brian Hersh, Arts & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County; Karen Holbrook, University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee; DeAnna King, King HR Services Inc.; John LaCivita, Willis Smith Construction, Inc.; Phillip Lanham, Gulf Coast Community Foundation; Erin McLeod, Senior Friendship Centers; Aude-Eureka Mondé, Community Foundation of Sarasota County; Dennis Murphy, Gulfside Bank; Janet Pogar, Florida Blue; David Polimeni, Rite Technology; Michael Quillen, Gecko’s Hospitality Group; Darrin Rohr, HH Staffing Services; Elizabeth Stamoulis, Williams Parker Attorneys at Law; John Stump, The Bank of Tampa; Larry Thompson, Ringling College of Art and Design; Jason Toale, Robert Toale and Sons Funeral Homes; Eric Troyer, Kerkering, Barberio & Co.; Chris Voelker, Beso/State Street Eating House + Cocktails; Emily Walsh, Observer Media Group; Carl Watkins, Mariner Wealth Advisors; Stephenie Whitfield, Bank of America; and Mya Widmyer, Tommy's Express Holdings.

The Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council has named its 2024-2025 board of directors: Elizabeth Stephen, Truist Wealth, president; Daniel Vigne, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, first vice president; Heather Williams, Kerkering, Barberio & Co., second vice president; Will Rodriguez, Vision Point Capital (treasurer); and Christopher J. Fowler, Norton Hammersley, secretary.