Eric Ernst's blog

• More Ernst blogs...

• More about Venice's roundabout
• Lovebug begone
• Sign up now to vote on oil wells
• And how is this a good thing?
• New translation for sign language
• Everyone suffers, almost
• Let's get to work: Emulating Texas
• Left lane bill passes muster
• Let's get to work gutting parks
• Getting creative with creative class

Latest columns from Eric...

• Ernst: Orioles' promise of youth facility looks hollow

  February 4, 2012
  It turns out that all the talk about the synergy to be created between the Orioles and Sarasota County's youth was just that, too. Talk.
  

• Ernst: Art is a respite for seniors with dementia

  February 2, 2012
  Weekly gatherings stimulate cognitive skills for Alzheimer's patients through physical activities, socializing, bingo, art and music
  

• Ernst: County's vanishing emails raise questions

  January 31, 2012
  The county on Tuesday announced a new mailbox site designed to prevent further manipulation after emails disappeared from a public mailbox.
  
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  Ernst: Gardener's project moved and helping others

  January 28, 2012
  The last time I visited Vincent Dessberg, he faced Sarasota County code enforcement fines for erecting a wall-like container garden in his front yard.
  

• Ernst: Experts agree that Sarasota's fertilizer law is good

  January 26, 2012
  Sarasota County's fertilizer ordinance is once again under attack.
  
• 

  Ernst: Changing the law won't prevent DUI deaths

  January 24, 2012
  Along with the grief, anger has erupted over the death of Donna Chen, a mother of three killed by an out-of-control suspected drunk driver on Jan. 7 as she jogged on Siesta Key with her dog.
  

• Ernst: On Dearborn plan, leaving well enough alone

  January 21, 2012
  Vacant lot in Englewood has become something of a community gathering point.
  
• 

  Ernst: Put six lanes and roundabouts on U.S. 41 Bypass

  January 19, 2012
  The MPO is set to vote on the future of the road that has needed work for years.
  
• 

  Ernst: Remembering Don Platt, 'Mr. Englewood'

  January 17, 2012
  I didn't know Don Platt that well, but I'm sure going to miss him.
  He died last week at 91, most of those years spent in Englewood — the town he loved.
  

• Ernst: Does South County need a new courthouse?

  January 12, 2012
  The southern portion of Sarasota County has the largest city, North Port. It's also the area most likely to grow the fastest in the future.
  

• Ernst: Government benefits aren't what they used to be

  January 10, 2012
  A number of years ago, a rich aunt and uncle made a promise to my wife and me: They were starting a trust fund for our children's college education.
  
• 

  Ernst: An epidemic of government leadership carnage

  January 8, 2012
  At least former North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis seems to be able to run government agencies
  
• 

  Ernst: 'Raising the ante' on Florida gambling

  January 5, 2012
  Even if you oppose legalized gambling, it's hard to get too worked up over a proposal before the state Legislature to allow three big casinos in Broward and Dade counties.
  
• 

  Ernst: Business buzz from unlikely source -- a farmer's market

  January 3, 2012
  Business districts love a buzz, and Englewood's Dearborn Street area has had one going for about two months.
  
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  Ernst: Don't let Florida Forever fade into oblivion

  January 2, 2012
  It's gone by several names. In the 1980s, it was CARL, the Conservation and Recreation Lands program. In the '90s, we called it Preservation 2000. Then it became Florida Forever, and we thought that it, and its name, could last, well ...
  

• Ernst: Seniors' safety net at Christmas and beyond

  December 29, 2011
  Englewood United Methodist Church served dinner on Christmas afternoon.
  Guess how many people showed up?
  One thousand, eight hundred.
  
• 

  Ernst: Walk off the beaten path at Cedar Point

  December 27, 2011
  As the ripples spread out on the surface of the pond, veteran nature guide Margaret Dunson challenged her small tour group.
  "Take a look," she said. "See how many of you can identify that bird when it comes up."
  

• Ernst: A good Christmas, with lots of laughs

  December 24, 2011
  Karen and I were a bit worried about Christmas this year, not about the presents or the celebration but whether our family would be together as we have been for the past 26 years.
  
• 

  Ernst: A great garden idea, but someone had to ruin it

  December 20, 2011
  Vincent Dessberg thought he had a great idea, but wouldn't you know, someone had to ruin it.
  Last summer, Dessberg constructed a somewhat novel garden in his front yard along Phillippi Creek off Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota.
  Video

• Ernst: For working people, this is no time to celebrate

  December 20, 2011
  In another time, the news might call for celebration: The unemployment rate in Southwest Florida has dropped to its lowest level since September 2010.
  

• Ernst: On Venice U.S. 41 Bypass, just make a decision

  December 13, 2011
  On Monday, plans to widen the road from four to six lanes were delayed at least another month.
  

• Ernst: Englewood lot has potential to spark debate

  December 10, 2011
  People in Englewood always appreciate a good public debate, and one is sure to erupt soon over what to do with a 1.5-acre vacant lot on Dearborn Street.
  
• 

  Ernst: In defense of the phone book

  December 8, 2011
  Lined across my desktop — by that I mean the top of my physical desk, and not a computer — I have a collection of phone books from each city in the Herald-Tribune circulation area.
  

• Ernst: Florida gardeners can do well with pots

  December 3, 2011
  Thanks to a master gardener's tips, these tomatoes may stand a chance
  

• Ernst: Sprawl comes with a high price tag

  November 29, 2011
  Residential construction may have slowed, but before any city or county commissioners permit another subdivision, they should take a look at a new website.
  It's called www.priceofsprawl.com.
  
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  Ernst: Legacy Trail fight might cost millions

  November 21, 2011
  The federal government may be forced to pay for the "taking" of 122 properties along the trail.
  
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  Ernst: Legacy Trail lawsuit could cost taxpayers millions

  November 18, 2011
  The federal government may be forced to pay for the "taking" of 122 properties along the trail.
  
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  Ernst: Conservationist's success lies in work with people

  November 17, 2011
  James Powell's Sea to Shore Alliance works on a grass-roots level to protect and save sealife across the globe.
  

• Ernst: For state workers, 'above average' benefits are too good

  November 15, 2011
  They haven't gotten a raise in five years. They've lost retirement benefits, and they're paying more for what they've got left. Now, we're thinking about raising their costs for health insurance.
  

• Ernst: Term limits have a downside, too

  November 12, 2011
  One shortcoming to the "throw the bums out" approach is that today's fresh candidate, if elected, will by definition become tomorrow's bum in two years or four simply by being the next incumbent.
  

• Ernst: It's not bias; I just made a mistake

  November 8, 2011
  You're about to read what might be the longest newspaper correction ever written.
  

• Ernst: No roundabouts for U.S. 41 Bypass?

  November 1, 2011
  Back to the future we go with the review of the review of the review concerning the improvement of the U.S. 41 Bypass in Venice.
  

• Ernst: In Venice, even a 'yes' vote might as well be a 'no'

  October 29, 2011
  Venice city councilwoman Jeanette Gates stayed home Wednesday. She said she was on the phone much of the day, shopping for health insurance.
  Gates can see the writing on the wall, or in this case the writing on the ballot.
  

• Ernst: Rick Scott's veiled threat to university professors

  October 27, 2011
  Parade magazine publishes an annual article looking at what people earn in a variety of jobs across the country.
  Each entry includes a thumbnail photo, the subject's yearly pay and a notation of where he or she lives and works.
  

• Ernst: Troubled veterans deserve more help

  October 25, 2011
  He joined the 101st Airborne a strapping young man. His officers, looking for the epitome of military manhood, chose him to guard the Tomb of the Unknown soldier in Washington.
  

• ERNST: Building height rule change a step backward

  October 18, 2011
  "Growth management" doesn't stop the construction of new houses and businesses. It doesn't cost anyone's job. It doesn't throw the economy into a tailspin.
  

• Ernst: Local attorneys join Rick Scott email suit

  October 15, 2011
  Remember the search for Gov. Rick Scott's missing emails, the ones generated during the transition between his election in November 2010 and his inauguration in January? They're public record, but when the media requested them in January, they were...
  

• Ernst: Leave education to those who understand it

  October 13, 2011
  'We're from the government, and we're here to help."
  

• Ernst: Plain vanilla in Venice election

  October 11, 2011
  This year's City Council election in Venice has turned into a bit of a snoozer.
  

• Ernst: No surprises in airport audit

  October 8, 2011
  The sentence wasn't hidden within the audit from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General.
  It was in the title.
  

• Ernst: At the least, protests start conversation

  October 6, 2011
  The Occupy Wall Street movement has captured a sense of powerlessness and the suspicion that those who do wield the power do not have the interests of the little people at heart.
  

• Ernst: Sarasota company isn't local enough to win a contract

  October 4, 2011
  No one cries "Hire local!" any more vehemently than civil engineer John Minder.
  

• Ernst: Venice Police phones eyed for cuts

  October 1, 2011
  As a cost-saving measure, the Venice City Council has been studying whether to ask the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office to take over the police dispatching service.
  

• Ernst: Conservatives don't care about conserving

  September 29, 2011
  They may call themselves conservatives, but they have little interest in conserving.
  That pretty much sums up the plan of Florida's leadership to sell off thousands of acres of public land.
  

• Ernst: Dreaming of economic home runs, but hitting singles

  September 22, 2011
  Statistics show that we're making 10 percent less than we did four years ago, and we have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.
  

• Ernst: Will we live to see Venice Bypass improved?

  September 20, 2011
  When it comes to relieving the congestion on the U.S. 41 Bypass in Venice, people have a lot of ideas.
  

• Ernst: Sarasota County workers need tough ethics code

  September 17, 2011
  The hiring of an ethics coordinator for Sarasota County government goes a long way toward addressing evidence of cronyism and corruption, as well as retaliation against those who questioned the first two. If nothing else, it formalizes the admission...
  
• 

  Ernst: An easier way to get farm-fresh produce

  September 15, 2011
  It's difficult to build a market for fresh, locally grown crops.
  

• Ernst: In Belize, balancing nature and business

  September 13, 2011
  It's funny how you can go almost anywhere in the world and run into something close to home.
  I experienced the phenomenon last week when I joined my daughters in Belize to celebrate their graduation from college.
  

• Ernst: Iowa redistricting sets good example

  September 3, 2011
  It's not often we get a chance to say, "Let's do it the way they do it in Iowa."
  
• 

  Ernst: Youths suffer when adults lose their cool

  September 1, 2011
  Spending time in referees' shoes could breed compassion
  Video
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  Ernst: Officials pretend red-light cameras are for safety

  August 30, 2011
  The devices are really about making money, the columnist writes.
  

• Eric Ernst: Venice has chance to back off bad call

  August 27, 2011
  The Toscana Isles project calls for 70 feet of buffering. Though the project has already unanimously passed two readings by City Council, there's still time to do something about it.
  
• 

  Ernst: At Venice High, learning and building

  August 26, 2011
  School is getting a $90 million makeover while classes are in session.
  

• Ernst: Redistricting talks are a lot of hot air

  August 23, 2011
  Talk about a waste of time and money.
  
• 

  Ernst: Volunteer helps smooth sidewalks

  August 18, 2011
  Remember the rhyme, "Step on a crack, break your mother's back?"
  Nowadays, cracks provide more than the framework for a children's saying.
  
• 

  Ernst: Clyde Butcher jumps in to save piece of Florida

  August 16, 2011
  The deadline loomed. It was last Tuesday. And, the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast had until midnight two days later to raise about $115,000.
  

• Ernst: Scott's liaison not an ally, but diligent

  August 13, 2011
  When it comes to politics, Tea Partier Robin Stublen and I rarely agree on much of anything.
  

• Ernst: Volunteers key in tough budget times

  August 11, 2011
  Retiree Laurel Rhodes is the new face of Lemon Bay Park in Englewood — even though she doesn't work for Sarasota County Parks, doesn't get paid and doesn't even live in Englewood.
  
• 

  Ernst: Charity, remember, Venice is in your blood

  August 9, 2011
  The story is all too familiar. A struggling couple: He's going to law school; she's working two jobs to pay for it. He graduates, passes the bar and starts work at a prestigious firm. But this story does not end with "they lived happily ever after."...
  
• 

  Ernst: Smooth test ride through Venice roundabout

  August 6, 2011
  The new two-lane roundabout at Venice Avenue and Jacaranda Boulevard opened Monday morning, and given all the dire predictions I couldn't resist jumping in the car and giving it a try.
  
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  Ernst: Breeding tiny sea horses at Mote

  August 5, 2011
  Aquariums and zoos that buy the little creatures don't have to harvest them from the ocean.
  
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  Ernst: Turtle patrol isn't a walk on the beach

  July 5, 2011
  Turtle patrol is not quite the glamorous beachside jaunt some of us imagine.
  I learned that on a recent Sunday morning when I walked with Michael and Andrea Shlasko on a stretch of Manasota Key beach in Englewood.
  

• Ernst: Airport plan looks solid; now to make it happen

  July 2, 2011
  It's not what everyone wants, but it's reasonable.
  Venice and the federal government appear to have put together a plan for the municipal airport. Finally.
  

• Ernst: In North Port chemical spill, EPA is at fault

  June 28, 2011
  North Port city workers responded decisively and quickly last year to a bleach spill at a water pump station.
  Even so, the federal Environmental Protection Agency levied a $11,505 fine.
  

• Ernst: County residents want respect, not sludge

  June 25, 2011
  The plan sounds great. Sarasota County will decommission a sewage treatment plant on Siesta Key, freeing up valuable waterfront land for a park.
  

• Ernst: Retirees pay for Venice budget woes

  June 22, 2011
  A generation ago, no one paid much attention to health care insurance costs. But that changed when health care bills began to rise as much as 12 percent a year.
  

• Ernst: A way to make a small business smaller

  June 16, 2011
  Here's a somewhat humorous, and perhaps sad, story about a small business losing a customer.
  
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  Ernst: Englewood business prevents digital pickpockets

  June 14, 2011
  Here's a scary thought: without touching you, thieves can pluck the information from a credit card in your wallet, transfer that information to a blank card and start spending, spending, spending before you ever realize what's happened.
  

• Ernst: Planning celebration for Englewood

  June 11, 2011
  To the casual eye, it was just 10 guys sitting around a table, laughing, drinking beer and planning a party.
  

• Ernst: County screws up voting districts

  June 9, 2011
  Sometimes it's not what you do but how you do it that raises an uproar. There was a touch of both as the Sarasota County commissioners realigned the voting districts for their offices this week.
  

• Ernst: Gov. Rick Scott wants consumers to protect themselves

  June 7, 2011
  The door mechanism broke in my daughter's car. She called from Atlanta, where she's been going to college, wanting to know what to do.
  "Call a mechanic," I said.
  "Who should I call and how much will it cost?" she asked.
  
• 

  Ernst: Charlotte's Skidmore may face battery charges

  June 2, 2011
  He was reportedly in a fight with friend and mentor Richard Holden.
  

• ERNST: A better plan for Sarasota's homeless

  May 30, 2011
  An outpouring of emails from readers followed a column last week about the city of Sarasota removing benches at Five Points Park so homeless people would not sit there.
  Apparently I was not alone in my misgivings about this approach.
  

• ERNST: In Ley severance, lessons for county

  May 25, 2011
  The finale of his 14 years as Sarasota County administrator played out as expected Wednesday morning. He lost his job, but he did not get fired. And he will receive some $300,000 to soften the blow.
  

• ERNST: Childish to remove Sarasota park's benches

  May 24, 2011
  It doesn't feel right.
  The city of Sarasota has removed the benches at Five Points Park so homeless people, who periodically congregate there, have no place to sit.
  The idea is that if they can't sit, they won't stay.
  

• ERNST: Time to clear U.S. 41 Bypass bottleneck

  May 21, 2011
  On July 1, the Florida Department of Transportation will start buying right-of-way land to improve the bottleneck known as the U.S. 41 Bypass in Venice.
  

• Ernst: Jim Ley is a dead man walking

  May 17, 2011
  There's an idiom to describe Jim Ley's status as Sarasota County Administrator: dead man walking.
  
• 

  Ernst: Questions for Robinson? He doesn't want to hear them.

  May 13, 2011
  Attorney turns to name calling during meeting
  

• Ernst: Legislature sticks it to all but Big Business

  May 12, 2011
  Politicians often have a higher opinion of their body of work than their constituents hold.
  A good example surfaced last week when state Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, issued the last of his regular reports from Tallahassee.
  

• Ernst: County bid was rigged, ex-worker says

  May 10, 2011
  During his last few years working for Sarasota County, Tim Brown didn't like what he saw.
  However, with a 30-year pension at stake, he did not speak out, and it's been eating at him ever since.
  Now, he's talking.
  

• Ernst: Neighbors oppose park for the disabled

  May 5, 2011
  Nobody in their right mind would try to stop the construction of a baseball field for special needs children, right?
  
• 

  Ernst: Plenty of hate for lovebugs

  May 3, 2011
  The fecund insects don't bite, sting or spread disease, which in that context might make them preferable to some humans.
  

• Ernst: County should follow these purchasing rules

  April 26, 2011
  Each year, Sarasota County government spends millions of dollars on goods and services. Its expense budget represents a sizable chunk of the local economy, and creates jobs for those who do the selling or the work.
  

• Ernst: County purchasing inquiry leaving no stones unturned

  April 23, 2011
  The reputation of Sarasota County government has definitely slipped in the public's eye following recent revelations from corruption and sloppy oversight to arrogance.
  

• Ernst: Pulitzer board took notice, not lawmakers

  April 19, 2011
  Last week, I shared a byline with a future Pulitzer Prize-winner.
  The article was about a local insurance agency that had charged mobile home owners for coverage, but had never bought the policies to protect them.
  

• Ernst: North Port citizens deserve a better deal

  April 15, 2011
  He calls it a "witch hunt."
  During a meeting April 12, City Commissioner Mike Treubert made that claim about reports in the Herald-Tribune showing how North Port is spending too much of its precious revenue on legal bills.
  

• Ernst: Venice water bills unfair to condos?

  April 14, 2011
  Nobody likes to pay bills. But they particularly dislike it if they believe they are paying different rates than their neighbors.
  That may be happening with water and sewer bills in Venice.
  
• 

  Women build Habitat for Humanity homes

  April 11, 2011
  Women Build is nothing new for Habitat. Other chapters have done it. But it's a first for the South County affiliate.
  
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  Ernst: Gov. Scott looks out for big businesses, not us

  April 9, 2011
  Gov. Rick Scott and the state Legislature aren't too popular these days. About 35 percent of Floridians think they're doing a good job, according to the latest Quinnipiac University polls.
  

• Ernst: Full circle on growth planning

  April 2, 2011
  It's been a real kick lately to read in the newspaper about the latest wheeling and dealing of state government in Tallahassee. Now that the governor and the Legislature have launched assaults on the poor, the sick, the elderly, the unemployed, the...
  

• Ernst: Bribe scandal business as usual?

  March 31, 2011
  Corruption charges against an employee in Sarasota County government have unleashed a flurry of promises to investigate further.
  

• Ernst: Venice rental ban was wrong; here's why

  March 29, 2011
  Interim Venice City Manager Nancy Woodley showed the right instincts last week when she suspended enforcement of a city ban on short-term rentals.
  

• Ernst: Good news about Murdock Village, at long last

  March 19, 2011
  It's been about eight years since the words Murdock Village and good news appeared in the same sentence.
  

• Ernst: In pension debate, don't forget private sector

  March 17, 2011
  I just received an e-mail from the New York Times about my pension.
  It was good news.
  

• Ernst: Golf in state parks? What's next?

  March 15, 2011
  In a normal world, this would have qualified as "News of the Weird." In Florida, it's just more of the same.
  

• Ernst: Partisan smog, memory fog threats now

  March 12, 2011
  At a Republican function several years ago, a woman seated next to me at the table leaned over and confided that she was an environmentalist. She whispered that she was new in town and wanted to know if there were any good conservation organizations...
  

• Ernst: Jackson Lab wants to gamble with our money

  March 10, 2011
  It's easy to get caught up in the Jackson Laboratory euphoria. I mean, geez, a world-renowned research facility has chosen Sarasota County for a new venture that will use genetic science to combat afflictions such as Alzheimer's disease.
  

• Ernst: Win against city hall feels a lot like a loss

  March 5, 2011
  They say you can't fight city hall, but Tom and Janet Nikla did — and they "won," although their victory has taken more than two years and has come at a price to them and to taxpayers.
  

• Ernst: City paying $160 an hour to gather paperwork?

  March 3, 2011
  Public records may be public but they're not necessarily cheap or easy to get.
  

• Ernst: Florida is the nation's pill mill

  March 2, 2011
  Prescription drugs are killing people. We think we know how to stop a lot of it, and yet we're doing little.
  

• Ernst: No home for chamber in City Hall after all

  February 20, 2011
  When North Port city commissioners first considered the idea of moving the Chamber of Commerce into City Hall, most folks in town probably viewed it as a done deal.
  

• Ernst: Hoping common sense takes root with law

  February 18, 2011
  Most people in Punta Gorda probably don't know whether the plants in their yards comprise any of the nine invasive trees and 27 other exotics that the city prohibits. But, anyone who does have them is breaking the law.
  

• ERNST: School volunteer earns deserved recognition

  February 16, 2011
  Bobbi Fogo made about $40,000 last year, and the year before that, and each of three years before that.
  
• 

  ERNST: Interested in gardens? Learn from masters

  February 13, 2011
  Please excuse John Liddy if he's getting a little tired of broccoli. He's been picking two to three pounds a week, and if this year is anything like last year, he'll harvest for about eight weeks. It's a nice problem to have.
  

• ERNST: Study finds slow pace wins the growth race

  February 11, 2011
  Growth brings jobs. We've been hearing a lot of that talk lately as state and local governments try to concoct policies to stimulate the economy.
  And by growth, these talkers mean more people.
  

• ERIC ERNST: Bill would take teeth from local fertilizing rules

  February 6, 2011
  Contrary to popular belief, or perhaps wishful thinking, a legislative bill in Tallahassee would negate the most important parts of fertilizer rules in Sarasota and Charlotte counties.
  

• Ernst: Solution's root lies in keeping outlawed trees

  February 4, 2011
  Peggy Keen's java plum tree lived through a Category 4 hurricane in 2004, but it may not survive the Category 5 attitude of Punta Gorda's code enforcement officers.
  

• ERNST: Fee forgiveness puts tax burden back on us

  February 2, 2011
  My taxes just went up. So did yours if you're a property owner in Sarasota or Manatee counties. It happened last week when the Sarasota County Commission voted to lower the tax on those who construct new buildings, as Manatee County did...
  

• Ernst: Evaluate Venice city manager, but fairly

  January 28, 2011
  A good public firing can draw a crowd. And sure enough, about a hundred showed up Tuesday at the Venice City Council meeting, many lured by the political theatrics surrounding the future of City Manager Isaac Turner.
  

• ERNST: Englewood Rotary leads on disaster relief

  January 26, 2011
  It started in November as a conversation in Englewood. Kenn Visser pitched an idea to David Dignam.
  The idea has since evolved into a Rotary club project with potential worldwide impact.
  

• Ernst: To its workers, Venice drives a hard bargain

  January 23, 2011
  About a year ago, I was driving along a street in Venice when I spied a large palm frond lying by the curb. As I got closer, an oncoming city truck stopped, and the driver climbed out, picked up the debris and threw it into the back of his...
  
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  ERNST: County adds 82-acre, Palmer Ranch park

  January 21, 2011
  Rick Barth stopped his SUV, turned off the engine and rolled down the windows. "Now, just listen," he said.
  

• ERNST: Paving time is near, but which way is best?

  January 19, 2011
  Rod Warner never had a chance with the Venice City Council. His message was all wrong.
  People in Venice have waited almost 20 years for the money to widen the U.S. 41 Bypass. While other projects came and went, still they waited.
  

• Ernst: Fowl factions' final face-off Tuesday

  January 16, 2011
  When Master Chief Rick Ellis heard the charter bus would cost $4,400, he knew there was no way Lemon Bay High School's ROTC cadets were going to make the trip to Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville.
  

• Eric Ernst: Non-profit campaigns for land conservation

  January 14, 2011
  Maps on the table. Maps on the walls. Maps rolled up and leaning against her desk.
  

• ERNST: To save animals, ensure fewer will need saving

  January 9, 2011
  The call came to Theresa Foley on Christmas Eve. Miss Bliss, a cat in Englewood, had delivered seven kittens, two stillborn. Now she was bleeding, lethargic and unable to nurse. Her owners were frantic.
  

• Ernst: Dig deeper to pay for property insurance

  January 7, 2011
  Reporter Paige St. John's excellent series about property insurance in Florida should be mandatory reading for the state Legislature.
  Judging by recent statements, some lawmakers must have been on junkets when the stories ran.
  
• 

  ERNST: Babcock plan may be key to panther survival

  January 5, 2011
  Frank Jackalone of the Sierra Club and Sid Kitson, developer of Babcock Ranch, on stage together, laughing at each other's quips and nodding in agreement. Now we've seen everything.
  
• 

  ERNST: Many opinions on intersection cameras

  January 2, 2011
  Last Friday's column about Sarasota County's plans to install cameras at select intersections hit a nerve with readers. Some loved the idea of photographing red-light runners and issuing $158 tickets. Some groused. Others came up with good...
  
• 

  ERNST: Phillippi market makes buying local easy

  December 29, 2010
  Buy local. We often pledge we're going to do just that. Then we trot down to the nearest Walmart and purchase a product made in China.
  

• Eric Ernst: Cameras at traffic lights may not promote safety

  December 24, 2010
  I watched someone run a red light the other day. We were traveling about 45 mph on State Road 776 in Englewood. The light was red for some time as we approached. The driver must not have seen it at all. The vehicle just passed through the...
  
• 

  Eric Ernst: Beach fines are taxation by misrepresentation

  December 22, 2010
  The letters of outrage used to appear regularly in the newspaper. They came from people who got tickets for staying too long at Englewood Beach in Charlotte County.
  

• Poor solution for what isn't much of a problem

  December 19, 2010
  Sometimes doing nothing is the best option. Venice City Council members came close to taking that approach last week toward a proposed mooring field in Roberts Bay.
  

• ERNST: Fire ant has become our unwelcome visitor

  December 15, 2010
  Years ago, on my parents' first visit to our new home in Florida, my father decided to mow the lawn while I was at work.
  

• Ernst: A harsh punishment for Venice team

  December 12, 2010
  People have to be allowed to make mistakes. When they understand their errors, show contrition and try to make amends, we have to be able to forgive them.
  
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  ERNST: Beach skydiving ban goes overboard

  December 10, 2010
  This year, there will be no skydiving Santa Claus on the beach because of a clause in a months-old county law that bans parachuting as a beach activity.
  
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  ERNST: A case where cronyism could be good

  December 8, 2010
  She's been on the board of trustees for State College of Florida. She's supervised the south Sarasota County branch of the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office. She's served two years and 10 months on the county Sarasota county Planning...
  

• ERNST: There is public interest in official's notes

  December 1, 2010
  Just when Venice thought its problems with open records and the Police Department were finally put to rest, here comes a new one.
  

• Ernst: Checking what $5.7 million bought

  November 28, 2010
  Some people cried "ripoff" in 2008 when Charlotte County spent $5.7 million to buy 30 acres of overgrown land on Thornton Key in Lemon Bay.
  
• 

  ERNST: My plants show off, for a local cause

  November 25, 2010
  When the Lemon Bay Garden Club asked to feature my family's yard as one of the stops on its annual garden tour, I thought someone was playing a joke.
  

• ERNST: Venice coach gets second chance

  November 21, 2010
  Anyone who hasn't read the sports section for a few days may have missed the morality play covering the Venice High School volleyball team and its mercurial coach Brian Wheatley.
  
• 

  A plan's in place to bring better seafood to your table

  November 19, 2010
  Next time you order seafood at a restaurant, ask your waitress about its origin. Chances are she won't know.
  

• ERNST: Restore reason on code enforcement

  November 17, 2010
  Robert Smith received a notice from the town on Aug. 25. His grass was taller than the 12-inch limit.
  

• Ernst: Nude beach fight puts human nature on display

  November 14, 2010
  Read the sign.
  At Caspersen Beach in Venice, right below the Adopt-A-Park logo, it says, "Adopted by the Suncoast Naturists Inc."
  
• 

  ERNST: 13-year-old builds veterans memorial

  November 10, 2010
  It's funny how small things can change the course of lives. For Paul Evers, it might have happened at the funeral of his maternal grandfather.
  

• Ernst: Venice aims to simplify permitting system

  November 7, 2010
  When Venice started reviewing its permitting procedures, the city enlisted "secret shoppers." They posed as contractors and homeowners to see how customers seeking permits were treated.
  

• ERNST: Venice election tops politics' dark side

  November 5, 2010
  Setting aside philosophical differences, John Holic's election as mayor of Venice is cause for celebration on two fronts.
  

• Ernst: Worst election ever for negative ads

  November 3, 2010
  Whew! We've made it through another election. Almost. We still have the legal challenges and the recounts, of course.
  

• Ernst: Worst election ever for negative ads

  November 2, 2010
  Whew! We've made it through another election. Almost. We still have the legal challenges and the recounts, of course.
  

• ERNST: A never-ending story of some unpaid taxes

  October 29, 2010
  It started as one of those typical, behind-the-scenes campaign whispers.
  Psst: How can Marshall Happer run for mayor of Venice when he's operating a business from his home without paying the required city tax?
  

• ERNST: No sympathy for Nadel, thief of dreams

  October 27, 2010
  He's 77 years old. His health is failing. He's headed to prison for 14 years.
  Save your tears. Art Nadel hasn't earned them. He's hurt too many people.
  

• ERNST: Former outsiders get to defend from inside

  October 22, 2010
  What a difference three years makes.
  In 2007, Sue Lang, Ed Martin and Ernie Zavodnyik surged onto the Venice City Council by a 2-to-1 ratio, promising to protect the city from overdevelopment.
  

• Eric Ernst: Rowing destination could be unique

  October 17, 2010
  We recognize the genre of art in which the artist takes discarded materials, such as rusted tailpipes or plastic bags, and creates a visual masterpiece that sells for thousands of dollars.
  
• 

  Ernst: In Venice, roundabout work worries retailers

  October 15, 2010
  Sarasota County is installing a $3.2 million roundabout at busy intersection of Jacaranda and Venice Avenue.
  

• ERNST: Ponzi victims now face a cruel twist of fortune

  October 13, 2010
  Being cheated once in a Ponzi scheme is bad enough. Now, it appears some victims are being hit twice, first by the crooks, then by the attorneys supposedly trying to help.
  

• Eric Ernst: In stories of animals, human compassion

  October 10, 2010
  A former Herald-Tribune editor once issued an edict: no more animal stories.
  

• ERNST: Go native, with drought re-emerging

  October 8, 2010
  By now we should all know the routine when it comes to landscaping our yards: First, get rid of the grass, maybe not all of it, but as much as practical. Then, plant trees, bushes and ground covers that do well naturally in Florida's...
  

• ERNST: They came to praise Crowell... and bury him

  October 6, 2010
  As public firings go, this was less ugly than some. North Port City Manager Steve Crowell sat at the City Commission dais silently while everyone said what a great guy he was.
  

• ERNST: Work-study program gives students an 'Inn'

  October 3, 2010
  When Kimberly Rubino applied for a job at the Pink Elephant restaurant in Boca Grande, she had an advantage. A friend works there. In a tight job market, contacts mean a lot.
  

• Ernst: Why Amendment 4? To empower the public

  October 1, 2010
  Amendment 4 supporters like the idea of having a final say in whether a developer can change their local government's carefully conceived comprehensive growth plan to put, say, a 3,000-unit subdivision near their home.
  

• ERNST: Watchdog role shifting to citizens

  September 29, 2010
  Florida has a wonderful public records law. You and I have the right to inspect and copy any government document, even if that document might embarrass someone in power.
  

• Eric Ernst: 'Community' is absent in this theater dispute

  September 26, 2010
  Trouble started before the meeting. "Members only," the sign said. No public. No press. If Lemon Bay Playhouse president Sheri Ragan had her way, no outsiders were going to witness the discord that permeates the Englewood theater company...
  

• Ernst: Saying baseball lawsuit is frivolous is an insult

  September 24, 2010
  Someone must have a twisted sense of humor.
  

• ERNST: In recreation, could region find recovery?

  September 19, 2010
  It sounds almost frivolous, but now that condos and houses are not selling, at least two local governments are tying their economic development hopes to water parks.
  

• ERNST: Residents question rising home park values

  September 17, 2010
  A few years ago, people at Bay Indies in Venice built custom homes that cost as much as $200,000.
  Sarasota County's largest mobile home park -- 1,309 lots, three clubhouses and three pools on 200 acres -- was booming.
  

• ERNST: Give all candidates a closer scrutiny

  September 15, 2010
  One good thing about having seven seats on the Venice City Council: No single member can disrupt anything too much.
  Generally, it takes four votes.
  

• ERNST: Wildflower battle royal has a happy ending

  September 10, 2010
  On land-use maps, the 80-acre Wildflower Golf Club in Cape Haze was always called a park.
  Now it actually is one.
  
• 

  ERNST: Where there's smoke, douse the fire early

  September 8, 2010
  There are problems within the Venice Police Department. Let's admit it and address them.
  

• ERNST: Finding common ground on Manasota Key

  September 7, 2010
  Charlotte County Commission pledges to work with advisory board
  
• 

  ERNST: What can we do to keep skate park open?

  September 3, 2010
  By most accounts, Englewood's skate park is the best in this region -- better than Cape Coral's, Punta Gorda's, North Port's, even better than Sarasota's, where skateboarders and inline skaters have to pay $8.
  
• 

  ERIC ERNST: Action before the flood eases what comes later

  September 1, 2010
  As the Federal Emergency Management Agency releases its newest flood maps, properties that have never been under water may suddenly be classified as flood-prone.
  

• Ernst: Concession stand plan ill-conceived

  August 29, 2010
  The modest business district on Manasota Key in Englewood has suffered this year through an unseasonably cold winter, an unusually hot summer, the oil spill threat and the continuing economic slump.
  

• ERIC ERNST: A political lesson: Money matters ... or not

  August 27, 2010
  Now that the dust has settled, we can draw a few conclusions from Tuesday's election.
  

• ERNST: Humane Society offers a solution

  August 20, 2010
  If you value the lives of domesticated pets, you will appreciate the work being done by the Humane Society of Manatee County.
  During the last year, the society has spayed or neutered 5,024 dogs and cats.
  
• 

  Ernst: Redundant park work the best of a bad situation

  August 15, 2010
  A few years ago, Sarasota County wanted to repave a number of residential streets in north Englewood. The contractor was ready, but the county held off the project to allow the Englewood Water District to install sewer lines.
  

• Ernst: A charming program to help needy children

  August 13, 2010
  As the anticipation mounts over the start of another school year in Sarasota County, sometimes we forget the anxiety many families suffer.
  

• Ernst: Keeping away people by taxing machines?

  August 11, 2010
  A story making the rounds says that when PGT Industries of Venice expanded production in 2006, the jobs went to North Carolina.
  Why? One big reason was taxes -- not income or real estate taxes but taxes on machinery.
  

• Eric Ernst: Charlotte County plan imperils Manasota Key

  August 8, 2010
  Manasota Key as we know it is in danger, and not from the infamous oil spill. Charlotte County government has mounted its own threat with a plan to inject new commercial districts and high-rise condominiums on a barrier island whose residents are...
  
• 

  Ernst: The long road to common sense

  August 6, 2010
  The first question that comes to mind after reviewing the Venice airport plan to be submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration: What was all the fuss about?
  

• ERNST: For my summer break, a little time traveling

  August 4, 2010
  No matter how long summer vacation lasts, it's never long enough.
  Many of us go through this every year. As we pack the car to leave, the time off work looks nearly endless. Then, suddenly, it's over and we're back to the routine.
  

• Ernst: To fight obesity, look to community

  July 6, 2010
  Here's a job most people would not want: sending a notice to parents telling them that their child is fat.
  

• Ernst: North Port spends while city bleeds

  July 2, 2010
  When it comes to money, crazy is the new normal in North Port.
  Let's start with Warm Mineral Springs, the health spa/archaeological tourist attraction the city commissioners decided to buy for $6.3 million.
  
• 

  Ernst: Millions for Orioles, pennies for children

  June 30, 2010
  Sarasota County is spending $31 million to renovate a stadium for the Baltimore Orioles, a professional baseball team.
  

• Ernst: Color clash is resisting recovery

  June 27, 2010
  Some of us can barely wait for the new Pineapples Island Grille in Venice to open so people can start talking about its food rather than the exterior color.
  
• 

  Ernst: The protest was silly, but the message wasn't

  June 25, 2010
  At 7:30 a.m. Thursday on the beach in Englewood, one caricature faced another.
  

• Ernst: Rebuilding economy along with Lemon Bay

  June 20, 2010
  The word got around pretty quickly. At $12 an hour for untrained labor for a summer job, it would.
  A local contractor was hiring local students and recent graduates to work on the $80 million replacement of the Englewood school.
  

• Ernst: Let's put an end to pens for coyotes and foxes

  June 18, 2010
  They may call it hunting, but that's an insult to real hunters.
  In this case, wild coyotes or foxes are trapped, packed and shipped to fenced areas where they are turned loose to run for their lives, day after day, from a pack of dogs.
  
• 

  Guides' gab turns weeds into wildflowers

  June 16, 2010
  To the untrained eye, the plants at Manasota Scrub Preserve are nothing but weeds. With Denny Girard and Al Squires, they become wildflowers.
  

• Ernst: To improve Placida Road, finish what was started

  June 13, 2010
  Charlotte County's controversial plan to four-lane part of Placida Road brings to mind two old axioms:
  If a job's worth starting, it's worth finishing; and
  

• Ernst: Reassuring voices don't keep the oil away

  June 11, 2010
  On one side of Englewood, a crowd gathered to mourn the loss of marine animals, a way of life and the Gulf of Mexico they love.
  On the other side of town, people met to hear local government announce there's nothing to worry about.
  

• ERNST: Old age inevitable, but good preparation?

  June 9, 2010
  We're all getting older. The question is, are we ready for it? The answer: Probably not.
  About 40 percent of us will outlive our self-sufficiency. We will need help eating, bathing, going to the bathroom or just getting from room to room.
  

• Ernst: Finding a care home that is really a home

  June 6, 2010
  Last week's column about my mother's final months struck a chord with readers. It discussed our family's pleasure in finding a private home, rather than a nursing home, where she received one-on-one care in a loving environment. When we went to...
  

• ERNST: Why is public transit such a difficult thing?

  June 4, 2010
  As the bus approached, I saw the No. 60 on the front panel. "That's our bus!" I yelled to my companions, who while sightseeing, had lagged a half-block or so from the bus stop and seemed in no hurry to make up the difference.
  

• Ernst: Agonizing process of finding elder care

  June 1, 2010
  My mother was 91 in September when family circumstances forced my sister and me to move her to Florida.
  

• Ernst: Crazy North Port fines are a thing of the past

  May 28, 2010
  Kudos to North Port city government.
  When it comes to code enforcement, that phrase has a strange ring to it.
  

• Ernst: Plan raises concerns about industrial park

  May 16, 2010
  During an economic downturn, the creation of a major employment center would likely be met with a universal embrace. Or so it would seem.
  
• 

  Eric Ernst: Widower took his pain and made a difference

  May 13, 2010
  In most ways, Nathan Lee is an ordinary person. He's a salesman at Best Buy in Sarasota. He represents no special interest group. But this year he accomplished something unusual; he got a bill passed through the state Legislature.
  

• Ernst: It is time for Florida to ban offshore drilling

  May 12, 2010
  If you want to draw some dark humor out of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, look no further than the fickle Florida public.
  

• ERNST: At long last, a new Lemon Bay

  May 9, 2010
  For years, Lemon Bay High School was treated like an old, beat-up car.
  You know you have to invest a little to keep it running, but you don't want to spend too much because you're going to replace it as soon as you have enough money.
  

• Ernst: A true investigation looks at all possibilities

  May 7, 2010
  Tyler Spann, 20, reportedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.216 on April 16 when he was shot and killed by an off-duty Sarasota County sheriff's deputy.
  

• Ernst: A different view of the offshore oil mess

  May 5, 2010
  Talk about a sign of the times. Mote Marine Laboratory's twice daily online coverage of Gulf Coast beach conditions will now include observations of oil spill impacts.
  Sarasota's research facility has started small on its website.
  

• Ernst: Police log doesn't paint pier as hotbed of strife

  May 2, 2010
  To hear the regulars tell it, Venice police don't do much to quell problems at the Venice Fishing Pier. People call the police. The police respond, but nothing happens to the wrongdoers.
  

• Ernst: Tallahassee makes local power grab

  April 30, 2010
  When it comes to representing the will of its constituents, local government is the best thing going.
  

• Ernst: Possible street changes have the public's focus

  April 25, 2010
  People were waiting at the door last week in Englewood when Sarasota County unveiled a draft for a drainage project believed to be the first in the state to use cutting-edge, low-impact design for drainage in an existing business district.
  

• Ernst: Venice pier problem is easily solved

  April 23, 2010
  The Venice Municipal Fishing Pier doesn't need more rules. It has plenty. All it needs is someone to enforce them.
  

• Ernst: Long chain of choices led to this tragedy

  April 21, 2010
  One life ended with a bullet. The shooter's life will be scarred. The lives of family and friends will be altered forever.
  

• Ernst: To protect sea turtles, target people's wallets

  April 18, 2010
  Venice has one of the highest rates in the state for sea turtle disorientation. Lights at night from parking lots, streets and homes along the beach dissuade mother turtles from laying eggs. They also lure hatchlings inland where they wear out and...
  
• 

  Ernst: Fighting Mother Nature isn't cheap

  April 16, 2010
  Lagoons on Knight Island have come and gone, waves have wiped out the Gulfside beach on southern Manasota Key and inexperienced boaters have started to run aground.
  It must be time to dredge Stump Pass ... again.
  
• 

  ERIC ERNST: Legislature wants to let foxes guard henhouse

  April 14, 2010
  Test question: Knowing that fertilizer is a potential pollution source, you are in charge of writing rules to govern its sale and application. To establish the best standards, you should rely on:
  
• 

  Ernst: Florida is home for living fossil No. 17718

  April 12, 2010
  Wollemi pine? Never heard of it. The sign at the plant fair called the small tree a "living fossil." I figured this was hyperbole, Mitch Armstrong Nursery of Palmetto trying to sell a product. And, $50 for a 30-inch tree in a 6-inch pot seemed a bit...
  

• Eric Ernst: GOP for local control, except over teachers

  April 9, 2010
  A teacher's husband called the other day. He wanted to complain about some of the so-called education reforms making the rounds in Tallahassee these days.
  
• 

  ERNST: New neighbors want old business gone

  April 7, 2010
  Newcomers in million-dollar homes don't like the view of a decades-old land-clearing company on Clark Road.
  

• Ernst: After logging outcry, guarantees in writing

  April 4, 2010
  Loggers will still cut trees in four of Charlotte County's nature parks, but not as many as once envisioned. And the county will take precautions to protect endangered species such as eagles and gopher tortoises.
  
• 

  Butler fan with no voice invited to inspire team

  April 2, 2010
  Matt White would like nothing better than to let out a cheer for his beloved Butler University basketball team.
  He can't.
  

• Eric Ernst: The greatest rewards come from taking risks

  March 31, 2010
  Why, she should write a book. And, actually she has.
  After three years of traveling around the world with her husband on a 37-foot sailboat, Mary Gottschalk has plenty of stories.
  

• Ernst: Tiny park tactics could be preservation key

  March 28, 2010
  It used to be a sports bar. It almost turned into a Dunkin' Donuts. Now it's a park.
  A small one to be sure: Michael Biel Park takes up all of 75 by 100 feet near the Hatchett Creek Bridge in Venice.
  

• Eric Ernst: When the rains come, don't overlook the trees

  March 26, 2010
  Thunderstorms aside, if you're stuck outside and it starts to rain, you know you can duck under a tree and stay relatively dry.
  Why?
  Leaves, branches and even tree trunks hold water. They absorb some. The rest evaporates.
  

• Ernst: An amendment to quiet Chicken Little

  March 21, 2010
  The sky is not falling in Venice, despite the recurring claims we hear every time the city's comprehensive growth plan comes up for discussion.
  

• Ernst: Sarasota school tax passed -- and here's why

  March 19, 2010
  Nine reasons Sarasota County's 1-mill school property tax passed on Tuesday:
  

• Eric Ernst: Don't mourn the death of the 911 records bill

  March 17, 2010
  Now that the Florida House speaker has withdrawn his support, a bill that would have blocked public access to 911 recordings will presumably die.
  Good riddance.
  

• Ernst: Region abounds with places to witness wildlife

  March 14, 2010
  When most of us think of watching birds, we imagine ourselves in a remote, wooded area, far from the crowds. We assume this is the ideal spot to watch animals doing what they normally do.
  

• Ernst: Fireworks threatened by an unlikely source

  March 12, 2010
  Englewood's Fourth of July fireworks show is in jeopardy. Yes, you've heard that before.
  Not enough money, right? Wrong.
  
• 

  Ernst: All Nathan Lee wants is for 911 to get it right

  March 10, 2010
  In an ironic twist, Nathan Lee of North Port will travel to Washington on Tuesday to receive a national citizen advocacy award from the E9-1-1 Institute.
  

• Ernst: North Port. Eco-center. Odd couple. Good match.

  March 7, 2010
  Environmental center. North Port.
  When it comes to word association, the two don't exactly roll off the tongue. Maybe that's because they've never been seen in the same sentence.
  

• Ernst: Do you think 911 gets better with less sunlight?

  March 5, 2010
  Every so often on the evening TV news or Internet, we hear a harrowing 911 tape, someone in the throes of despair reaching out for help.
  

• Ernst: Harnessing power from a landfill's decay

  February 28, 2010
  Talk about recycling. This will make curbside collection of newspapers and aluminum cans look downright primitive. Charlotte and Sarasota counties are poised to create electricity from banana peels -- rotting banana peels. Rotting everything,...
  
• 

  Ernst: Control, not death, for feral cat colonies

  February 26, 2010
  At the municipal mobile home park in Venice, the cats were yowling at night and walking on cars. The park's tenant agreements prohibit cats from running wild, so out came the traps, and off went the cats -- four of them -- to Sarasota County's...
  Gallery

• Ernst: The rules do not apply to these septic owners

  February 24, 2010
  I don't usually write about the Englewood Water District, because my wife, Karen, is the lab director. I offer these observations not as the husband of an employee, but as a water and sewer customer dismayed by last week's action by the elected...
  

• Ernst: Two unanimous votes show changed times

  February 19, 2010
  As commercial developments go, this one wouldn't have amounted to much: two one-story buildings, 15,000 square feet total, on a three-acre lot.
  
• 

  Ernst: Australian pines' fans actually have a point

  February 17, 2010
  Sarasota County has pledged $10 million for removing exotic species on several spoil islands.
  

• Ernst: On rowing, a thin line splits vision and fantasy

  February 12, 2010
  Next time Paul Blackketter wants to take a trip, someone please stop him. His cross-country and cross-Atlantic jaunts over the past eight months could end up costing Sarasota County $20 million or more.
  Just kidding, sort of.
  

• Ernst: New focus needed to solve algal blooms

  February 10, 2010
  As some of the brightest minds in red tide research gathered at Mote Marine Laboratory, one acknowledgment permeated every presentation:
  We are nowhere near solving the puzzle of harmful algal blooms.
  

• Ernst: Training dogs to hunt, or just watching them kill?

  February 7, 2010
  The press release from the Humane Society of the United States sounded implausible.