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Additionally, spring break weeks have been more staggered across the country this year, he noted, unlike 2013, when many schools were off at the same time. And while this March has been a better beach month so far than March 2013 — when an arctic oscillation brought unusually cool temperatures to the area — Kay Rosaire, president and founder of Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary, told the News Leader on March 12, "We've been having pretty good crowds, actually. … I think [attendance is] up a little bit from last year." A greater number of people tend to come to Big Cat Habitat's daily show if the weather is not good at the beach, she pointed out. "We're open rain or shine," and the tent where the acts perform has heating as well as air condi- tioning to make sure guests are comfortable, she noted. Referencing the traffic around the commu- nity, Rosaire added, "There's a lot of people in town … but it's great having them here." FIGURES TELL THE STORY The latest "dashboard" numbers provided by the county's tourism office, Visit Sarasota County, show the community is on track to have another record-breaking year. A chart shows the percentage of Tourist Development Tax that has been collected at various locations in Sarasota County since the start of the current fiscal year. Image courtesy Sarasota County Tax Collector's Office Sarasota News Leader March 14, 2014 Page 55