Leading Question

Has downtown Sarasota's crime rate risen along with the redeveloped skyline?

If you're a criminal, you're probably not happy with the changes brought about by the spiffy, bustling new downtown. "It's definitely getting better," says Lt. Paul Sutton, central district commander of the Sarasota Police Department, who's been working downtown streets for 23 years.

If you look at index crimes (those are the eight crimes the FBI measures: murder, forcible sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, burglary, grand larceny and motor vehicle theft), crime in the city of Sarasota has declined 6 percent a year from 2002 to 2005. To date in 2006, crime has decreased another 6 percent.

In the downtown core (U.S. 301 to the bayfront and from Fruitville Road south to Mound Street) index crimes declined 8 percent from August 2005 to August 2006 and 14 percent when you look at all incidents. (Remember, however, that we're talking about small numbers of crimes to start with, so a reduction of two or three aggravated batteries a year can reduce the index crime rate significantly. Sutton says that means two or three fewer battery victims, "which to me is significant.")

Why has crime been waning? Credit growth and development. Tax increment financing (TIF) and the real estate market have encouraged new condos and business, bringing more people downtown. The city added more foot patrol officers, and the Salvation Army moved from just north of Fruitville Road to 10th Street. (Interestingly, crime has gone down 13 percent in this neighborhood-known as the Rosemary District-as well, which Sutton attributes to the Salvation Army's cooperation in installing on-campus cameras, hiring a security guard and instituting the city's trespass enforcement program. "Out of the 1,059 citywide crimes, less than 3 percent are in the Rosemary District," Sutton says.)

Downtown today is unrecognizable from 1985 when city commissioners declared the area blighted and formed a TIF district to spur development. The stately old Maas Brothers department store, at the site of Hollywood 20, had closed, replaced by a weekend flea market. Prostitution and drug dealing were more common, says Sutton, while Main Street was deserted and businesses were leaving.

"We used to investigate twice as many crimes. Now it's completely reversed," Sutton says.-Susan Burns

CRIME WATCH

Downtown Sarasota's crime rate fell 14 percent (3,081 incidents to 2,640 incidents) between 2005 and 2006 for the eight-month period from Jan. 1 to Aug. 13. Citywide, crime has been falling 6 percent a year since 2002.

BUZZWORDS

I-mail: E-mail sent to peers, subordinates or superiors that frequently uses the pronoun "I," generally extolling the virtues of the sender.

To make a skilling: The well-timed stripping of assets so as to furnish a getaway. Named for Enron COO Jeffrey Skilling, who made "a skilling" by cashing in $66 million in stock before resigning.-Buzzwhack.com

MIND YOUR MANNERS
Business etiquette from national restaurant consultant Judi Gallagher.

Casual Friday dressing seems all over the place. What's truly appropriate? Although we live in a resort area, most offices prefer or require an office dress code, even on casual Fridays. A standard practice for men and women is khaki pants or skirt with a linen shirt or blouse for a clean and crisp look. According to attorney David Band, (one of the best-dressed attorneys in Sarasota) Able Band draws the line at jeans and shorts and requests an "upscale casual appearance." So mind your manners: no sandals, sneakers or loud, clicky shoes. Casual still means professional. www.judigallagher.com

MY FIRST JOB

The Shoe Fits
Blab TV owner Don Guercio was one of the original Nike salesmen.

By Abby Weingarten

Soon after Blab TV owner Don Guercio launched Don Guercio Sports Sales Inc., he paired up with Nike founder Phil Knight and began peddling the new shoe. The experience catapulted the Bird Key resident into the world of athletics, which he now discusses in his Blab TV show, Let's Talk Sports, at 7 p.m. every Thursday on Channel 21.

"Don Guercio Sports Sales served the western half of New York, Pennsylvania, and some of West Virginia and Ohio. At the time, in 1976, a friend in California told me about a little Oregon footwear company. The owner, Phil Knight, said he was going to have the biggest shoe company in America. For some reason, I decided I would take this shoe line and I became one of about eight or nine guys who were the first Nike salesmen.

"I went out door-to-door and there was very lukewarm reception. At the time, Adidas, Puma and Converse were the big lines. But somehow we just prevailed. The great baseball player Carlton Fisk said, 'I'll wear your shoe' and that gave us a little bit of legitimacy. After a while, they allowed grammar school kids to wear jeans to school, and this made them more likely to wear sneakers. It became the uniform of kids in America around 1979.