On May 8th, the South Poinsettia Park Neighborhood Association brought its neighbors, businesses, and even its local officials together for an evening filled with both great fun and an important agenda. The group celebrated its recent revival with a delightful social gathering of 130 at the new local Samurai Japanese Fusion Restaurant, located on Hillview Avenue in our very own Southside Village. This was the first social event in quite a while, with its last in April of 2022 at McClellan Park. This year’s event was a huge step up!

 

Owners of Samurai, “Chef Chen” and his wife Aline, along with their friendly staff, served a variety of Japanese menu items. These included delicious ginger salads, noodles, teriyaki fried rice, sushi and sashimi, shrimp tempura, and fun Japanese street food items, just to name a few. The spread was adorned with creative garnishments and table settings. The newly purchased and renovated space boasted a beautifully modern interior with big windows open to the breeze. Its bright dining room with full bar and cozy booth seating was just the perfect spot to gather.

           

Mayor Liz Alpert and her opposing Candidate for Commissioner of District 2, Ron Kashden, both addressed the lively crowd with speeches. Karen Pariser, Chairperson of the SPPNA Lighting Committee, asked questions of Mayor Alpert and Mr. Kashden. Considering new zoning text amendments that will result in major development to the area, assistance from the politicians was requested to protect the residents’ interests and to prioritize and secure funding from the city of Sarasota for several important neighborhood initiatives. Some current, major efforts described by outgoing President Myles Tobin are those geared toward adequate street lighting, street paving, traffic calming measures, and neighborhood preservation and beautification projects. He was interviewed by ABC 7 news cast on the night of the event.

 

SPPNA hosted a 50/50 cash raffle and gave away an array of generous door prizes. Neighborhood businesses donated everything from gift cards and tangible goods to healthcare and lifestyle services. Donors included: Samurai, Libby’s, Osteria Southside, Flemings, Morton’s Market, Sarasota Facial Aesthetics, Unwind, Rodan & Fields, and Tropical Telemedicine. A new panel of officers was slated to begin their 2024-2025 administration in June, with roles by name as follows: President (Alan Pariser), Vice President (Holly Barbour), Secretary (Jaime Elliott McPherson), Treasurer (Abby Guirguis), and Member-At-Large (Cathy Duffy).   

 

The association was reactivated just last year, with a Board and Committee Members who volunteered their time and efforts to make the voice of the neighborhood both spoken and heard. A team of Street Captains was also put in place, with one dedicated to each street. These members are the liaisons between their street’s residents and the Board. SPPNA itself serves as the liaison between its neighbors and the city of Sarasota, county and state officials, planning committees, utility companies, and local developers. Terry Iacono, Street Captain Chairperson, stated: “All projects will directly benefit and enhance the quality of life for each and every person who lives in South Poinsettia Park. Our goal is to maintain a peaceful, safe, and wonderfully historic part of the community, even as Sarasota continues to experience unprecedented growth.”

           

The South Poinsettia Park Neighborhood encompasses all streets between Hyde Park Avenue and Jasmine Drive, beginning immediately west of 41 and ending at Osprey Ave. With no official HOA or fee structure in place, the Board and its Committee Members are making great efforts to reach out and secure membership of residents and businesses of SPP through informative emails, social media, marketing materials, as well as the efforts of individual Street Captains who frequently advocate for neighbors on each of the 19 streets. This aims to keep the entire neighborhood as informed and involved as possible, and in real-time.

           

Speaking of Street Captains, each went door-to-door, up and down his or her street to spread the word throughout the month of April. They delivered letters, door hangers, and introduced themselves. The recent membership drive and fundraising yielded close to $6,000 worth of donations from only 26% of households in 3 months’ time! Their goal is to get at least half of the total residents to hop on board with sponsorship to the organization by the upcoming holiday season. The Board hopes to foster continued support and increase the enthusiasm and participation in SPPNA. They are working to expand association membership to businesses and professional offices in the neighborhood as well.

 

Myles Tobin expressed his appreciation for the accomplishments of the Board and Committee Chairpersons in revitalizing the association during this past year. He stated: “We have been regularly meeting on the second Wednesday of each month, usually at the CinéBistro close by, to address various concerns raised by our neighbors. We frequently engage with city officials to identify solutions for the issues at hand. We have formed several committees that are actively focused on these matters at hand, and we are actively addressing them one by one. Perhaps most importantly, we have established better communications with our neighbors to involve them in the association. The incredible turnout of neighbors at our spring social is a great example of this involvement.” Incoming President Alan Pariser is honored to build upon the great efforts and recent progress led by Tobin.   

 

The association would like to extend a big thank you to Myles Tobin for his service. They would also like to thank Martin Welch, outgoing Treasurer; Terri Glasser, outgoing Member at Large; and the SPPNA Events Committee. These people have been instrumental in revamping the organization with their dedicated efforts. Welch used his years of financial experience to develop a new financial reporting structure and working budget. He has managed SPPNA financial affairs, including the bank account, donations, and fundraising campaigns and events. Glasser has served as a longstanding Board member, taking on many different positions. Of those roles, she was Chairperson of the Traffic Calming Committee. Terry Iacono, Jamie McPherson, and Linda Vilardo of the Events Committee are praised for their hard work in organizing the recent event and making it such a success. The organization looks forward to many more events like this in the future. This will allow neighbors the chance to meet and socialize, as well as receive updates from the Board at least twice per year.

If you happen to reside in South Poinsettia Park and would like to become involved in the growing association, e-mail sppnasecretary@gmail.com. You can also stay connected through Facebook and Instagram at www.facebook.com/southpoinsettiapark and instagram.com/the_sppna. Contributions from neighbors, businesses and other surrounding community members are the only means which make projects and improvements possible. SPPNA is gratefully accepting these necessary donations from any persons or businesses in Sarasota who wish to contribute. All contributions will be put to good use and make the neighborhood's ongoing goals achievable. You may send your contribution to: SPPNA, P.O. Box 5264, Sarasota, FL 34277, or through Zelle to sppnatreasurer@gmail.com.