Public-private partnerships
thrive in region
PHOTO PROVIDED
"Unconditional Surrender," a 25-foot, 6,000-pound statue by world-renowned artist J. Seward Johnson commemorating a famous World War II photo at war's end, stands tall at Marina Jack in Sarasota, attracting thousands of visitors each year. The city of Sarasota has a public-private partnership with the marina.
If it weren’t for the city’s partnership with the Salvation Army, more than 1,500 needy men, women and children in North Port — some of them homeless — wouldn’t be given groceries each month.
The Salvation Army doesn’t have a building here. Its leaders in Venice say there’s no funding for one. But instead of forcing North Port residents to go to the Venice facility for food and rental assistance, The Salvation Army worked with officials to open a satellite office inside the city-owned North Port Community Educational Center, along Pan American Boulevard. Last year, it served more than 29,000 residents.
