Sarasota News Leader
March 22, 2013
Page 60
SARASOTA COUNTY WEBSITE WINS ���SUNNY AWARD��� FOR TRANSPARENCY
Sarasota County���s website, www.scgov.net,
has been named a ���Sunny Award��� winner by
the editors of Sunshine Review as one of the
most transparent government websites in the
United States, the county has announced.
The county���s website scored an A- transparency grade on Sunshine Review���s transparency
checklist, a county news release says. Only 11
of 67 Florida counties received an A category
grade, the release adds.
a procedure for public records requests, as
well as local tax information and property tax
allocations,��� the release notes.
Sunshine Review is dedicated to state and local government transparency. The nonprofit
organization collects information and uses a
10-point ���Transparency Checklist��� to evaluate
the content of every state website and more
than 6,000 local government websites, the release points out. Additional information about
the rankings is available from the organization
online at http://sunshinereview.org.
���The website scored high marks for providing budget information, meeting schedules
and agendas, contact information for elect- For more information about the Sarasota
ed officials and administrators, online bids, County website, contact the Sarasota County
financial reports and audits, building permits Call Center at 861-5000 (TTY: 711) or visit the
and zoning information, public records and website at www.scgov.net.
NEW COLLEGE HOSTING PROGRAM ON SEA LEVEL RISE IN FLORIDA
On March 27 at 5:30 p.m., New College of Florida will host a program titled, Sea Level Rise
in Florida: Is it Time To Start Building the
Ark?
���Vellinga and Pollack will share their knowledge and experience with examples from the
Netherlands, Australia, Vietnam, the Mekong
Delta, the cities of Venice and London and
the East, West and Gulf coasts of the United
World-renowned climate scientists Pier Vell- States,��� the release notes.
inga and Henry Pollack will discuss the latest
Vellinga is a professor in climate change and
science and predictions for sea level rise in flood risk at Wageningen University and in
Florida, a news release says. They will include climate change and societal implications at
information about the factors that affect sea the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. Pollack
level and how those factors produce changes is professor emeritus of geophysics at the Unithat are different from place to place, the re- versity of Michigan.
lease adds.
The program will be in the Mildred Sainer Pa���If sea levels continue to rise in Florida as pre- vilion, located at 5313 Bay Shore Road. Tickdicted, how might we adapt to or mitigate the ets are $15 for the public; the program is free
risks to our natural and built environments? for New College students, faculty and staff.
What approaches are being tried in other parts Reserve space online at donate.ncf.edu/events
of the world?��� the release says.
or call 487-4888.
