The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation envisions a world in which all people have equal opportunity to fulfill their potential and succeed in life. The Foundation reflects the legacy of its namesake, the late Sarasota-area philanthropist who made a lasting impact on numerous entities and charitable endeavors.

Selby Gardens is now a prominent part of the list thanks to the creation of the Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship. The scholarship will provide a pathway for successful female leadership in the business and nonprofit world by providing mentorship, opportunities to observe leadership in action, and financial support to high-achieving juniors or seniors pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Sarasota, Manatee or Charlotte counties and holding a minimum GPA of 3.5.

In addition, the scholarship will be awarded in honor and partnership with a local female leader in the Sarasota community – and that inaugural distinction has been bestowed on Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki, who will serve as the scholarship’s first mentor.

“Mentorship is vital to the success of future leaders. I am honored to be the inaugural mentor for the Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship and to be presented with the opportunity to guide, motivate, and inspire, women seeking careers in the business and non-profit sector,” said President and CEO of Selby Gardens, Jennifer O. Rominiecki.

The scholarship will be managed by Selby Gardens with an initial gift of $25,000. The application, developed by Selby Gardens, includes an opportunity for applicants to share their connection with the mission of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

“Through Virginia’s legacy, we invest in causes that she – and we – believe in and most importantly trust in,” said lead Toulmin Trustee William S. Villafranco. “Selby Gardens is one of those causes.”  Villafranco paints a vivid picture of Toulmin. “Virginia was a strong woman of few words but what she did speak of was honesty and integrity,” he said. “During one of our initial meetings, I will never forget something she shared with me – four elements of trust that are important both individually and collectively: competency, consistency, integrity and compassion. We see those four elements exemplified by Jennifer and her work and could not imagine a better inaugural role model.”

The application deadline is March 24, with three finalists selected in April and the scholarship awarded in May (applied to the 2024-25 academic year).

The 2024-25 scholarship recipient will have a chance to be appointed to Selby Gardens’ Advisory Committee to observe Rominiecki in action, participate with local community, scientific and business leaders, and receive a one-year membership to Selby Gardens.

To apply to the Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship click here.

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December 20, 2023 | Sarasota, FL – The popular Rainforest Masks of Costa Rica exhibition will return to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus from January 6 to 21, 2024.

Highlighting the traditional art of the Indigenous Boruca tribe of the Costa Rican rainforest, the show will feature hundreds of colorful masks on display in the Museum of Botany & the Arts and available for purchase by visitors. A limited-capacity preview on January 5 will give ticketholders the first opportunity to view and purchase the artworks in the 2024 exhibition.

“We are delighted to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Rainforest Masks at Selby Gardens,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.  “The brilliant masks exhibited annually are highly anticipated and sought after, and we are thrilled to showcase the beautiful works created by the Boruca Tribe.”

The much-anticipated annual Rainforest Masks show is a collaboration between Selby Gardens and Lucuma Designs, a Sarasota-based wholesale fair-trade partner that represents artists and artist cooperatives in Costa Rica and Peru. The exhibition will run from Saturday, January 6, through Sunday, January 21. Access is included with general admission to Selby Gardens. A special ticketed preview event will take place on Friday, January 5, during which ticketholders will have the chance to see and purchase their favorite masks before the show opens to the public. Tickets for this limited-access preview will be available for purchase on the Selby Gardens website at selby.org starting on December 19. Please note that purchased masks will remain on display for the duration of the exhibition and can be claimed on designated pick-up days in late January.

The cultural practice of mask-making honors the heritage of the Borucan people and reflects the strong connection they maintain with the natural environment in their remote, mountainous area of southwestern Costa Rica. The Boruca tribe tells the story that its ancestors fended off Spanish colonizers in the 1500s by wearing traditional warrior masks decorated to represent animal and nature spirits, which scared away the conquistadors, enabling the tribe to keep its village and identity intact. Today, many of the villagers continue the tradition of making hand-carved and painted masks, with a growing focus on environmental sustainability in their work.

This year’s exhibition will highlight the history and tradition of Borucan mask-making, as well as celebrate the 20^th anniversary of displaying masks at Selby Gardens. Since it was first launched in 2004, this popular annual event at Selby Gardens has brought the beauty of a unique artform to a wider audience, while also empowering the artists to earn income from mask sales that helps support their village and their growing conservation efforts.  Proceeds from mask sales support the Borucan village and also benefit Selby Gardens’ education, research, horticulture, and scientific work.

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With more than $57 million raised and the Phase One Campaign Capping Challenge completed, the opening of the world’s first net positive energy botanical garden complex is set for January 11, 2024

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens announced today that Phase One of its three-phase Master Plan for its Downtown Sarasota campus will open to the public on January 11, 2024.

The project adds 188,030 square feet of new facilities and amenities to Selby Gardens’ iconic campus on Sarasota Bay, which is uniquely dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, ferns, and other tropical plants.

Phase One features the following components:

• The cutting-edge Morganroth Family Living Energy Access Facility (LEAF), which houses parking, a garden-to-plate restaurant, a new giftshop, vertical gardens, and a nearly 50,000 square-foot solar array that will make Selby Gardens the first net-positive energy botanical garden complex in the world;
• The state-of-the-art Steinwachs Family Plant Research Center, which secures irreplaceable scientific resources in a hurricane-resilient structure and provides a window into once behind-the-scenes world-class research. The facility contains the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Herbarium and Laboratory (housing preserved collections of more than 125,000 dried and pressed plant specimens and molecular scientific work), as well as a research library (with priceless volumes dating to the 1700s), spirit laboratory (with more than 35,000 specimens preserved in fluid—the second largest collection of its kind in the world), conference rooms, administrative offices, as well as a rooftop garden and solar array;
• The open-air Jean Goldstein Welcome Center consisting of a ticketing pavilion, welcome gallery, and welcome theater to properly accommodate and orient guests;
• a major stormwater management system to divert and clean millions of gallons of water each year before it is returned to Sarasota Bay;
• a publicly accessible multiuse recreational trail enabling multimodal transportation to the campus and the bayfront;
• off-site roadway improvements, which will also make access easier and safer;
• and a number of new garden and water features with more open space, including a Lily Pond Garden, Glades Garden, and the restoration of historic Palm Avenue as a pedestrian-only promenade.

Employing the latest green technology, Phase One is powered by Barancik Foundation and will embody many of the latest sustainability concepts. Going above and beyond LEED certification, Selby Gardens is seeking “Petal” certification through The Living Building Challenge of the International Living Future Institute.

A key component is the new restaurant, called The Green Orchid, which will be the world’s first net positive energy restaurant entirely utilizing solar power.  The restaurant will be operated by Michael’s on East and will feature a rooftop edible garden that will provide fresh produce for the menu. The edible garden is being planned, planted, and maintained by Operation EcoVets, a nonprofit organization that provides personal, educational, and professional growth opportunities for veterans.

Phase One of the Master Plan has been made possible by private contributions to Innovating A Greener Future: The Campaign for Selby Gardens chaired by Selby Gardens’ Trustees and leadership donors Jean Weidner Goldstein, Cornelia Matson, and Pauline L. Wamsler. More than $57 million has been raised, with $51.6 million being directed to the capital needs of Phase One.  The Phase One target was reached thanks to a Campaign Capping Challenge facilitated by a group of loyal Selby Gardens champions and Willis Smith Construction to provide a triple-match for the last contributions needed.  The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation made the final gift of $100,000 to complete the challenge.

Selby Gardens Board Chair Dr. Joel Morganroth said, “On behalf of Selby Gardens’ Board of Trustees, we want to thank the more than 3,500 contributors who have made this vital undertaking possible. More than 98% of the funding has come from private donations – making this project truly a gift to the City of Sarasota and beyond.  We are also grateful to all of our members, volunteers, and staff for their tireless dedication to seeing this project through to fruition.”

Attracting over 300,000 visitors a year, Selby Gardens is celebrating its 50^th anniversary and looking toward the future with this ambitious expansion for its Downtown Sarasota campus, which is one of the most biodiverse botanical gardens in the world. The Master Plan has been guided by the international landscape architecture studio OLIN, building architecture firm Overland Partners, and civil engineer Kimley-Horn. Willis Smith Construction serves as the construction manager.

Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer O. Rominiecki said, “The completion of Phase One aligns well with Selby Gardens’ 50^th anniversary. What better way to celebrate the last 50 years than by putting in the necessary infrastructure for the next 50? When we embarked on this journey, our priorities were to preserve our history, safeguard our scientific collections, and sustain our future – all while enhancing our campus for visitors, diverse stakeholders, and the scientific and educational communities we serve. These new sustainably designed facilities enable that and more as we continue innovating as The Living Museum®. We have the deepest gratitude for everyone who believed in this exciting vision for Selby Gardens’ future.”

In January 2022, Selby Gardens announced the successful execution of a $31.1 million bond sale through Baird to help finance the Master Plan as multi-year philanthropic gifts are received. High demand from investors reflected the institution’s strong financial position and the achievement of the rare ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) rating for the bond issue, demonstrating the project’s innovative sustainability and social-impact aspects.

A timeline for the second and third phases of the Master Plan will be announced soon and will include the following components:

• A hurricane-resilient greenhouse complex to house Selby Gardens’ world-renowned living collections;
• A learning pavilion offering expanded capacity for school programs and enhanced indoor and outdoor classroom space for children and adults;
• Restoration of the landmark Payne Mansion, which serves as the Museum of Botany & the Arts;
• Unification of all walking paths throughout the campus;
• Bolstering of sea walls surrounding the property and renovation of docks.

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Florida Trend Magazine has named president and CEO Jennifer Rominiecki to the Florida 500, a list of Florida’s most influential business leaders representing 500 candidates across major industries. The editors of Florida Trend selected the executives after conducting hundreds of interviews and months of research, culminating in a highly selective biographical guide to the leaders of Florida.

Since joining Selby Gardens in 2015, Rominiecki has been a visionary, bringing twenty years of experience at major New York City cultural institutions. After arriving, she repositioned the institution as The Living Museum®, enacting a new operating model that has yielded increases of 128% in membership and 135% in overall earned revenues. Rominiecki has also overseen the creation, fundraising, and Phase-One construction of a three-phase Master Site Plan for the Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus, for which more than $57 million has been raised.

By the end of 2023, with Rominiecki at the helm, Selby Gardens will complete construction of Phase One – including the world’s first net-positive botanical garden complex generating more energy than it consumes.

Phase One of the Master Plan will feature:
• a new open-air Welcome Center (includes ticketing pavilion, welcome gallery, welcome theater)
• a state-of-the-art Plant Research Center (includes a new herbarium, molecular laboratory, library,
conference rooms, and administrative offices)
• the Living Energy Access Facility (LEAF), which houses parking, a garden-to-plate restaurant, a new
gift shop, and a nearly 50,000 square-foot solar array that will make Selby Gardens the first netpositive energy botanical garden complex in the world
• a cutting-edge stormwater management system
• a publicly accessible multiuse recreational trail (MURT)
• off-site roadway improvements
• and numerous new garden features with more open space

In 2020, under Rominiecki’s leadership, Selby Gardens adopted Historic Spanish Point in the Osprey area of Sarasota County as a companion campus to its flagship Sarasota location. Together, Selby Gardens’ two campuses provide 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and regional history.

Rominiecki also serves as Chair for VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, serving as Florida’s official source for travel planning to visitors across the globe.

Rominiecki stated, “It is an honor to be named to Florida Trend magazine’s Florida 500 list of business leaders as Selby Gardens celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Selby Gardens is positioned to realize incredible potential – especially as Phase One of the Master Plan nears completion — while preserving our important history for the generations to come. We look forward to welcoming visitors from diverse communities across the United States and worldwide to join us as we embark on another 50 years of plant exploration, discovery, and celebration.”

The complete Florida 500 list can be found at https://floridatrend500.com.

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NO TITLE, 1993
Big Cypress Gallery

Selby Gardens is excited to present the extraordinary imagery of photographer and conservationist Clyde Butcher throughout the grounds of the Historic Spanish Point campus. Large-scale prints on aluminum of Butcher’s beautiful photographs of plants, animals, and habitats of Florida will be exhibited amid the natural landscape of the 30-acre waterfront preserve, enabling the public to engage with the artist’s work like never before.

Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, remarked, “Clyde’s ability to evoke awareness, appreciation, and activism for Florida treasures and awaken viewers to preserve our natural places for future generations is extraordinary. We are honored to partner with Clyde for this unique photographic exhibition of Florida’s natural beauty throughout Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus.”

In the tradition of earlier landscape photographers like Ansel Adams, Butcher captures the beauty and majesty of America’s natural treasures in dramatic black and white. The unique environments of Florida have been subjects of particular interest to Butcher since the 1980s, when he was first introduced to the magic and mystery of sites such as Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. Nature Through the Lens will include Butcher’s photographs of regional locales such as Myakka River State Park and Casey Key. This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Clyde Butcher Gallery & Studio in Venice, Florida.

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Marie Selby Botanical Gardens officially kicks off its 50th anniversary with a year-long schedule of special exhibitions, programs, celebrations, and the unveiling of a commemorative book, Orchid. As Selby Gardens continues its mission to provide bayfront sanctuaries that connect people with air plants of the world, native nature, and regional history, it invites visitors to engage in the exploration of the Gardens today and into the next 50 years.

“Starting with Marie Selby’s selfless gift to our community and enhanced by so many dedicated individuals over the past half century, Selby Gardens has become a botanical garden like no other,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “We are excited to present a season-long celebration of our world-class botanical science, unique horticultural beauty, and visionary leaders of yesterday and today as we mark this wonderful milestone.”

50th ANNIVERSARY HIGHLIGHTS:

The Orchid Show 2023: A 50th Anniversary Celebration | On view October 7 through November 26, 2023
Downtown Sarasota campus

Since its establishment in 1973, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has formed the best scientifically documented collection of living orchids in the world. The Orchid Show 2023, presented by Better-Gro, will celebrate Selby Gardens’ 50th anniversary and highlight spectacular orchids from the living plant collection for which it is known across the globe.

The Orchid Show 2023 will include a horticultural display in the Tropical Conservatory and an exhibition in the Museum of Botany & the Arts. Orchids of various shapes, colors, and patterns will abound in the Conservatory, illustrating the beauty and diversity of one of the largest and most beloved families of flowering plants. The Museum exhibition will present a selection of rare artifacts and historical images to help tell the rich story of Selby Gardens’ first 50 years, with emphasis on the plants and people who have made it such a special place.

Orchid | The Book

Published to celebrate Selby Gardens’ 50th anniversary, Orchid is a stunning coffee-table book featuring 150 photos of vibrant, elegant, sometimes other-worldly orchids in the Gardens’ unmatched collection. The 240-page volume pairs text by Selby Gardens botany and horticulture staff with intimate photographs of fine-art quality captured by talented Selby Gardens volunteers.

Orchid was produced in partnership with arts and heritage publishing house Scala Arts Publishers, with support from Selby Gardens friends Carol Miller and Virginia Miller. The book is an accessible introduction to orchids for a general audience and an essential resource for afficionados and experts. Set for release in conjunction with the upcoming Orchid Show, Orchid will be available for purchase in the Garden Shop at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus and through online and other retail outlets.

Clyde Butcher: Nature Through the Lens | On view November 11, 2023 through August 31, 2024
Historic Spanish Point campus

NO TITLE, 1993
Big Cypress Gallery

Selby Gardens is excited to present the extraordinary imagery of photographer and conservationist Clyde Butcher throughout the grounds of the Historic Spanish Point campus. Large-scale prints on aluminum of Butcher’s beautiful photographs of plants, animals, and habitats of Florida will be exhibited amid the natural landscape of the 30-acre waterfront preserve, enabling the public to engage with the artist’s work like never before.

In the tradition of earlier landscape photographers like Ansel Adams, Butcher captures the beauty and majesty of America’s natural treasures in dramatic black and white. The unique environments of Florida have been subjects of particular interest to Butcher since the 1980s, when he was first introduced to the magic and mystery of sites such as Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. Nature Through the Lens will include Butcher’s photographs of regional locales such as Myakka River State Park and Casey Key. This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Clyde Butcher Gallery & Studio in Venice, Florida.

The Return of Patti Smith | November 15, 2023

In the first event affiliated with the 2024 Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, Selby Gardens Artist-in-Residence Patti Smith will return for a special evening performance. Smith’s program will be tied to the soon-to-be-announced theme of next year’s Goldstein Exhibition, which opens in February. More details and tickets for the performance will be released in October.

Master Plan Phase One Nears Completion

From its beginnings in 1973, Selby Gardens has matured in tandem with the growth and cultural prosperity of Sarasota and the Tampa Bay region. As theinstitution celebrates its past, it also looks toward the future, with a focus on the Master Plan for the Downtown Sarasota campus. Completion of Phase One, expected by the end of 2023, will create the world’s first net-positive energy botanical garden complex. Features will include a new Welcome Center with Welcome Gallery and orientation theater, a cutting-edge Plant Research Center to house the Gardens’ priceless research collections, a new plant and gift shop, a net-positive energy garden-to-plate restaurant, and a nearly 50,000-square-foot solar array to power the complex.

“With Phase One of the Master Plan near completion, we are thrilled to begin to realize the full potential of our beloved gardens, while also preserving our important history for the generations to come,” said Rominiecki. “We look forward to welcoming visitors from diverse communities across the United States and around the world to join us as we embark on another 50 years of plant exploration, discovery, and celebration.”

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Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ 43rd Annual Juried Photographic Exhibition is now on view in a virtual gallery that can be accessed online here.

Best in Show Winner “Afternoon Repose” by Gary McNulty

The show includes over 300 photographs that were taken by visitors at one of Selby Gardens’ two campuses and selected for display by an expert panel of jurors. The jury awarded top photographs in the exhibition, with Best in Show going to Gary McNulty for his colorful photo of a red-bellied woodpecker in a silk cotton tree, titled Afternoon Repose. The web gallery will remain on view through September 30.

In addition to Best in Show, awards for first place were given in each of the five exhibition categories:

• Living Art: “Leaf” Imitating Art, by Christopher Harrington
• Make a Splash: Welcome to Selby Gardens, the Water Is Great!, by Betsy Roe
• Plant Portraits: Solitude, by Caryn Koffman
• The Birds and the Bees: Blue Dasher Dragonfly Portrait, by Christopher Harrington
• Black + White: Circle of Life, by Gonzalo Hernandez Jr.

The jury also selected second- and third-place winners in each category and recognized three additional photos with honorable mentions.

Selby Gardens received over 300 entries for this year’s juried exhibition. Entrants could submit up to three photos, which had to be taken at either the Downtown Sarasota or Historic Spanish Point campus of Selby Gardens within the past year. All submissions were reviewed by the panel of volunteer jurors, who were invited for their expertise in photography, art, and curation. The jury included:

• Olivia Marie Braida-Chiusano, artist and head of Selby Gardens’ botanical illustration program
• Christopher Jones, Stanton B. and Nancy W. Kaplan Curator of Photography and Media Art at The Ringling
• Keith Monda, philanthropist and Selby Gardens Trustee
• John Pirman, artist and illustrator
• Walter Gilbert, Selby Gardens vice president for diversity and inclusion and namesake of the Gilbert Mural Initiative public-art project

“Selby Gardens is so grateful to our jurors for their time and care in evaluating over 300 photographs for this show,” said Selby Gardens President & CEO Jennifer Rominiecki. “They were impressed by the talented artists who participated, and we are pleased to share these diverse and stunning images that illustrate why Selby Gardens is known as The Living Museum®.”

To view Selby Gardens’ Virtual 43rd Annual Juried Photographic Exhibition, go here. This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Observer Media Group.

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Marie Selby Botanical Gardens recently welcomed Dr. Uzi Baram as Director of Public Archaeology.

In this role, Baram’s focus is the interpretation and representations of the archaeological and cultural histories at Selby Gardens’ two campuses. There is a robust heritage across the region and, significantly, the Historic Spanish Point campus preserves a very ancient monument and evidence of the ancient peoples who lived by Little Sarasota Bay. Baram will manage the archaeological resources and guide educational efforts to better connect people with the region’s history, one of the pillars of Selby Gardens’ mission.

“With the adoption of the Historic Spanish Point campus, we knew that we had to enhance our team to help protect and share the amazing archaeological record there going back 5,000 years,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens. “Uzi is a tremendous addition to the Selby Gardens staff, and his expertise is just what we need to properly manage and increase understanding of the rich archaeological resources of our two campuses and the wider region.”

Awarded the 2019 Archaeological Conservancy Award by the History and Preservation Coalition of Sarasota County, Dr. Baram taught for 25 years at New College of Florida, where he was a professor of anthropology and created and directed New College’s Public Archaeology Laboratory. Baram’s professional career has focused on exposing and documenting local history through community-based projects. Much of his work has concentrated on nearly erased history in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Baram is best known locally for the community-based effort that revealed the early 19th-century settlement of Angola, a maroon community of people of African heritage along the Manatee River. Other public archaeology projects he has organized include archaeology at Philippi Estate Park, educational programs on the Cuban fishing ranchos of Florida’s Gulf coast, and surveys of the Rosemary and Galilee cemeteries in Sarasota. These projects included field work, research, scientific publications, lectures, tours, documentaries, and educational materials for use in local schools.

Beyond his Florida research, Baram is known for his work in the eastern Mediterranean and for understanding archaeology as heritage. He has published four edited volumes, written dozens of academic articles and book chapters, and lectured extensively on the social significance of heritage.

Baram expects to use the same community-based focus in his work at Selby Gardens. “Uzi brings a wealth of knowledge and a practice of engagement that is essential to understanding and preserving our regional history,” said John McCarthy, Selby Gardens’ vice president for regional history.

Baram earned his master’s and doctorate in Anthropology from University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He received his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from State University of New York at Binghamton. Baram has lived in Sarasota since 1997, where he raised three children. His family has enjoyed both the Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campuses of Selby Gardens for many years.

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Crystal Bailey, Esq., Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel of Selby Gardens

In her expanded role, Bailey will oversee the organization’s strategic operations, including implementing best practices in risk management, compliance, and governance. She will have responsibility for key areas including human resources, guest experience, administration, internal finances, facilities management, as well as all legal matters. Bailey also was elected Corporate Secretary of the organization by the Board of Trustees.

“Selby Gardens is on a phenomenal growth trajectory at both of our campuses, and Crystal will bring to her new role the skills and experience needed for our expanded success—especially as we realize Phase One of our Master Plan this fall,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens. “We look forward to all that Crystal will accomplish in her new position.”

Bailey joined the staff of Selby Gardens in January as Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel. She came from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, where she had served for eight years, most recently as general counsel on the Sheriff’s executive staff. Prior to her roles with the Sheriff’s Office, Bailey worked as a prosecutor handling all levels of offenses in Pinellas County. Bailey served on the City of Sarasota’s Charter Review Committee in 2021-22.

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Participation in CARD-USF’s “Autism Friendly” Business Initiative gives Selby Gardens access to technical support and other assistance to help it better serve neurodiverse members of the community. Making the Gardens an inclusive place for all, including those with autism-spectrum disorders, is a priority for Selby Gardens.

“Cultivating a culture and environment where everyone feels welcome at Selby Gardens, regardless of their abilities or other differences, is a pillar of our strategic plan,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “This designation tells us we are heading in the right direction with the programming we have introduced. With CARD’s expertise and support moving forward, we can ensure that our entire staff is empowered to make a difference.”

Last fall, Selby Gardens introduced “Tranquil Tuesdays” at its Downtown Sarasota campus. This periodic event offers complimentary, after-hours admission to neurodiverse and sensory-sensitive individuals and their families and caregivers. Guests can experience the Gardens without the usual daytime crowds, noise, and other distractions. Selby Gardens also offers participants customized sensory maps of the campus and free use of noise-canceling earmuffs and wheelchairs. The maps, earmuffs, and wheelchairs are available to all visitors during regular operating hours too.

“Everyone should be able to experience the beauty of Selby Gardens, and this sensory-friendly program broadens accessibility,” said Kristie Geimer, director of clinical therapy at Easterseals, an early partner in the Tranquil Tuesdays offering. “It’s been an honor to participate in Tranquil Tuesdays and to be part of a community that is expanding awareness, acceptance, and opportunities for all individuals.”

Since its creation in 2008, CARD-USF’s “Autism Friendly” Business Initiative has become a model for Florida and other states that want to create welcoming communities. CARD-USF assists businesses like Selby Gardens in optimizing the potential of people with autism-spectrum disorders through customized training, technical assistance, educational materials, and public visibility.

“Selby Gardens already has amazing sensory-friendly programming, including a sensory map and its Tranquil Tuesdays evening experience,” said Liz Burke, CARD Consultant and Autism Friendly Project Lead at USF. “By joining the ‘Autism Friendly’ Business Initiative, they are aligning with other leaders in building community by welcoming people with autism, and potentially growing their own visitor base in the process.”

Children and adults with autism have differences in their verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. These characteristics can make it difficult for an individual on the spectrum to successfully access and navigate the community. Yet, individuals with autism deserve meaningful opportunities to engage in and contribute to community life alongside their neurotypical peers, said Burke. CARD-USF established the “Autism Friendly” Business Initiative to address this need. By implementing best practice recommendations through the “Autism Friendly” program, businesses and organizations can foster a sense of safety, enjoyment, and belonging for guests of all abilities.

More information, including a directory of other “Autism Friendly” businesses in the region, can be found online here: http://card-usf.fmhi.usf.edu/.

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