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VOLUME 66 NUMBER 44 AN EDITION OF THE SUNWEEKEND EDITION, SEPTEMBER 24-25, 2011

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Anthony AlbanoBarbara HickeyDaniel Townsend

Social networking is one of the best ways to improve local business prospects, accord-ing to a cast of business and government officials.

That and better signs to find Venice and its local landmarks would go a long way toward attracting tourism dollars.

A forum hosted by Venice’s Economic Development

Advisory Board on what’s working and what’s not was held at city hall Wednesday, and attended by five of seven city council members.

In addition to the usual deep discounts to move inventory, Venice MainStreet’s Mindy Pieper said a pres-ence on Facebook is paying dividends for merchants in the area.

It helped get the word out for a recent family movie night

that attracted 450 people.“We didn’t spend a dollar,”

Pieper said.Advertising in Sarasota is

also working for local busi-nesses, she said, attracting day trippers who shop and dine in Venice.

Joan McGill, with the Sara-sota County Economic Devel-opment Corporation, said the city needs better “wayfinding.”

The city was recently secret-shopped, she said. One report

concluded that even regional tourists have a difficult time finding Venice’s hot spots, like Sharky’s on the Pier.

“When trying to find Venice (from parts north) they begin to give up around Oscar Sher-er Park,” McGill said. “There’s nothing to say you are headed in the right direction.”

Virginia Haley, president of the Sarasota Convention

As Bob Miles recalls it, the late Sonny Schulten was the person who suggested the name “The Venice Foundation.”

Both men were members of the board of Gulf Area Medical Programs Inc. when it decided to sell Venice Hospital and use the money to start a commu-nity foundation.

After several names had been kicked around, Miles said, Schulten threw out “The Venice Foundation,” in recognition of the hospital as the source of the funds and the legacy the foundation was to follow. The name was ap-proved with little more dis-cussion. And it remained the name for about eight years.

On Feb. 19, 2003, Venice attorney Andy Britton, who was also a foundation board member, filed with the Florida Division of Corporations an amendment to the founda-tion’s articles of incorporation changing its name to Gulf Coast Community Foundation Inc. The amendment states that it had been approved by the board of directors the previous day.

When word of the name change got out, the reaction was swift and almost entirely negative, partly because it came out of the blue and partly because “Venice” was no longer in the name. Area resi-dents were mad; former board members were incensed.

“We all felt it was the wrong thing to do,” said Miles, the founding board chair.

About a month before the

Forum: Signs, social media are key

What’s in a

name?

By GREG GILESNews editor

By BOB MUDGEeditor

SUN PHOTO BY GREG GILES

Venice City Council candidates for Seat 1 at Friday’s South County Tiger Bay Club forum. Bud Lefebvre, left, David Sherman, John Patten and Don Anderson. Incumbent Kit McKeon is running unopposed for Seat 2.

Local inventor Bob Rigby and physicist Milt Seiler unveiled their hydrokinetic wave technology this week at the Hampton Inn in Venice, attracting energy activists and writers, even representatives from Florida Power & Electric and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Rigby wasn’t willing to pro-vide a drawing or copy of his patent application showing the heart of the invention — which would convert salt-water to fresh water without using electricity — but he did provide data sheets outlining the basic process of pow-ering a desalination plant using only wave energy. He expects the patent process to take another three years to complete.

Seiler said the system will recover 20 percent of the wa-ter used, harvesting 3 percent of the wave’s overall energy.

The reverse-osmosis mechanism requires about 900 pounds of pressure per square inch to force seawa-ter through its filters. Rigby said that a single 14-square-foot float in the shape of a surf board, riding a 2-foot wave crest, could pump 893 gallons of saltwater a day, extracting 179 gallons of fresh water. Alternatively, the system could be used to pro-duce hydrogen or electricity, though the need for fresh water is greatest.

His idea is to string 640

floats together in two-tenths of one acre, anchored to the ocean floor, and pipe the fresh water to shore.

When Rigby acknowledged concerns about the num-ber of permits that might be required to test his system, Jeff Greenwell, a water facili-ties administrator with DEP in Tampa, said from what he’d heard it would only require a few: one from DEP to lease sovereign submerged land, a permit for a desal plant and

possibly some others.“I don’t see a lot of permits,”

Greenwell said.He said the DEP was there

to hear about his proposal with an eye on “marrying” Rigby’s system with some granting entity or agency that has a research component.

It was music to Rigby’s ears. He doesn’t have a proto-type yet, and is looking for a university or marine research

The struggling economy was the chief topic of discussion at Friday’s South County Tiger Bay Club forum. The forum featured the four candidates vying for Seat 1 on Venice City Council.

The candidates took turns dis-tinguishing themselves.

Three are pro-growth; one considers himself a slow-growth candidate.

Bud Lefebvre, 70, a marketer by trade, said the city needs bet-ter marketing to boost tourism. His motto is “increase revenues, decrease taxes.”

David Sherman, 64, a residential

contractor, said the city needs to turn around the building depart-ment, citing one new business that took 14 months to open.

Don Anderson, 61, agreed the city could do more to eliminate overregulation and change its im-age into a “business friendly” city.

John Patten painted himself as the only slow-growth candidate. He said “supporting residents” will automatically benefit businesses.

Tiger Bay member Ed Taylor wanted to know the candidates’ thoughts on consolidation and privatization to make the city more efficient.

Anderson advocated for more cross-training of police and fire de-partments to “get more done with

fewer people and less money.” Sherman agreed with that as-

sessment but opposed privatiza-tion, saying it’s a valid budget tool but he didn’t think it’s necessary at this time.

Lefebvre said consolidation is coming, given the economy, and suggested a more robust employee “dividend” program for those who come up with ways to cut the budget.

Patten doesn’t support either. Consolidation of police would lose its local presence, he said, adding that privatization always “ends up costing you money” and the “corporate wall” reduces accountability.

Rigby seeking partnership to develop wave energy

Candidates stake out political turf

By GREG GILESNews editor

By GREG GILESNews editor

WAVE | 7

POLITICAL | 6

SUN PHOTOS BY BOB MUDGE

Inventor Bob Rigby chats with representatives of the state Department of Environmental Protection prior to a briefing Thursday on his desalination technology.

FORUM | 7 NAME | 6

Milt Seiler discusses the science behind Bob Rigby’s desalination invention.