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return trips to its clients. "I asked why there was no transportation," Normile continued, "and a sergeant said, 'We are not going to give the homeless back to the cities.'" The Pinellas facility can house about 500 people, and Normile said it serves about 400 meals per night — but only about 200 lunches, meaning during the day, about half the popu- lation is not at the facility. "During our visit, there were clearly less than 100 shelter residents, so 300 were somewhere else," she added. Her observations were indirectly supported at a meeting the following morning. Ernie Ritz, chairman of the Downtown Improvement District in Sarasota, said during a discussion about vagrancy and homelessness, "This is a life choice. I hire guys from Labor Finders all the time; they live in camps and the woods. They are perfectly happy. They get paid every day. They want to live like that. They don't want any help. We're not going to solve this." DID board member Dr. Mark Kauffman responded, "If it's somewhere in the county, [the shelter] will affect the city differently than if we put it in the city. It appears the commissioners fighting the location of this have a very valid reason." "I don't see why we can't take a vote to say if we want this in the city," added Ritz. "Us and the [Downtown Sarasota Association] and the Downtown Condo Association," replied Kauffman. DID Operations Manager John Moran sug- gested the organization "wait for Marbut to finish his job. Making an uninformed opinion could be what we're doing." Kauffman responded, "If everybody in the area is vociferously against it, he's wasting his time." Following the evening testimony before the City Commission, only the two commis- sioners who consistently have voted against putting the shelter in the city offered com- ments on the topic. "I continue to say this is too much of a burden to bear," Commissioner Susan Chapman said. Vice Mayor Shaw added, "Some are say- ing this will be done in 2014. We need further exploration." The other three commissioners, who support a shelter in the city, remained silent. % Neal Schafers E N H A N C E Y O U R S M I L E . E N H A N C E Y O U R L I F E . For a complimentary consultation call 941.923.5406 To view our extensive smile gallery, visit askdrkoval.com My interest in photography reminded me about how my smile made me unhappy. A childhood accident caused my permanent teeth to come in askew. I had seen how Dr. Koval restored the smile of a friend's father. With Dr. Koval, we discovered I also had cracked fillings and a shifted jaw – all which she corrected. I am 100% satisfied with Dr. Koval's meticulous work and sincere care to make my smile look natural and picture-perfect. Christine Koval, D.M.D. Awarded 20 Gold Medals for Smile Makeovers by the Florida Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Sarasota News Leader March 7, 2014 Page 23