Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/116876
Sarasota News Leader March 22, 2013 Of the estimated 107,000 people who attended the 2012 event, the report says, about 46.6 percent were year-round Sarasota County residents. Of the out-of-county attendees, 65.7 percent traveled from other parts of Florida, 21.5 percent from other states and 12.8 percent from foreign countries, according to the study. Page 17 ���Outside of the World Championships in Key West [each November],��� she said, ���Sarasota is the premier race site.��� In fact, Nicandri added, Super Boat International representatives had approached her recently to talk about moving the World Championships to Sarasota. ���I can���t even have that conversation with them ��� because we don���t Moreover, the 2012 boat race was streamed have the funds ��� for the regular race,��� she live to 103 countries, Nicandri said. said. Eighty percent of the events associated with When Barbetta asked whether other Florida the Grand Prix, including the boat race itself, cities were vying to host the summer race are free, she pointed out to the commission. ��� which is always scheduled close to July Last year, Nicandri told the board, Suncoast Fourth ��� Nicandri confirmed that. ���July Charities realized a profit of about $57,000 Fourth weekend is a prime weekend, because they can wrap so many events around the ��� from the festival. holiday and have that economic impact inAccording to its website, Suncoast Charities crease even more for their city,��� she said. has constructed facilities at an expense of about $14 million to serve children with spe- When Barbetta then asked about the sponsors cial needs in Sarasota County. ���Suncoast Char- for the festival in Sarasota, Nicandri replied, ities continues to maintain these facilities, and ���With Sarasota, we don���t have a huge corposupports special project requests from these rate base like a lot of other cities do.��� agencies, with proceeds raised through spe- Her three biggest sponsors are Gold Coast Eacial events and festivals held throughout the gle Distributing, FCCI Insurance Group and year,��� the website notes. Sarasota Ford, she added. ���The next tier down PAST AND FUTURE is really small businesses,��� she pointed out, most of which are family-owned. Nicandri explained the festival has experienced a decrease in the value of in-kind ser- When the festival began in the mid-1980s, Nivices over the past several years, but its costs candri said, ���It was just a race and it was heavily supported by the construction industry. So continue to increase. you can imagine over the years how that fiThe Florida Sports Commission this year also nancial support has waned ��� because of the declined to give the event the $10,000 grant it economic climate.��� had provided in the past, she added, saying it DIVERSE VIEWS no longer would fund boat races. This year would mark the 29th year for the fes- Patterson told Nicandri she admired her pertival, she noted. sonally. ���Nevertheless,��� Patterson said, ���I