Key Life Summer 2024

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Hannah Hillyard & George Myers | 941-744-7358

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Cathy Meldahl, Pa | 941-724-7228

Manasota Key | A4591935 | $3,650,000

Rachelle Golden & Peter Salefsky | 941-538-8998

Longboat Key | A4601866 | $3,759,000

Kathy Callahan | 941-900-8088

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Located adjacent and connected to Ritz-Carlton hotel by the day spa. The Tower Residences feature bay and city views and the legendary Ritz-Carlton service.

(941)

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4 beds 5 baths 5,811 SqFt.

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CONTENTS SUMMER 2024

62 DRINK UP

Sip your way into summer with these tantalizing concoctions.

FEATURES

70 PASS

DILEMMA

The decades-long debate over reopening Midnight Pass continues.

78 SECOND

ACT

In his retirement, Chris Sachs works on his new job: building community.

Photo by Lori Sax

832

3650

5322 SIESTA COVE DR | $3.595M

108 DEPARTMENTS

20

FROM THE EDITOR

27

HOT TOPICS

Sarasota Yacht Club plans its expansion, a familiar new owner takes over The Boatyard and this gymnast sets his sights on a national championship.

42

KEY PEOPLE

Artist Miriam Cassell doesn’t just dare to be different — she knows no other way.

46

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation’s new CEO knows what it will take to build a new performance space at The Bay — and it’s a lot.

50 CALENDAR

From farmers markets to Fourth of July parades, mark your calendars for the best things to do this summer.

56 STYLE

Get a fresh take on spring with these fresh fashions.

89

OASIS

This Longboat Key home combines the charm of Old Florida living with modern-day comforts.

100

ART AND ABOUT Productions and exhibits to catch before they’re gone.

108

BEHIND THE MENU

Lazy Lobster’s Michael Garey is anything but lazy.

114

KEY ENCOUNTERS

President and Publisher Emily Walsh

EDITORIAL

Executive Editor and COO — Kat Wingert

Managing Editor — Su Byron Design — Melissa Leduc and Nicole Thompson

Contributors

Lesley Dwyer, Marty Fugate, Nancy Guth, Mark Gordon, Ryan Kohn, Emily Leinfuss, Louis Llovio, Robert Plunket, Lori Sax and Eric Snider

ADVERTISING

Director of Advertising — Jill Raleigh Advertising Managers — Kathleen O’Hara, Penny Nowicki and Lori Ruth

Advertising Executives — Richeal Bair, Lexi Huelsman, Jennifer Kane, Honesty Mantkowski, Toni Perren, Laura Ritter and Brenda White

CREATIVE SERVICES

Director of Creative Services — Caleb Stanton Creative Services Administrator — Marjorie Holloway

Graphic Designers — Luis Trujillo, Taylor Poe, Louise Martin and Shawna Polana

To submit story ideas or calendar listings, contact Kat Wingert at KWingert@YourObserver.com. For advertising inquiries, call 941-366-3468.

LET IT FLOW, LET IT FLOW?

For more than 40 years, there has been a topic that recirculates more than the water in Sarasota Bay: Whether Midnight Pass should be reopened. From bumper stickers that proclaim “let it flow!” to the group heading up the current effort to reopen the pass (dubbed Midnight Pass Society II to reflect the past iteration of its efforts), the topic is a passionate one for those involved.

Although I’ve been in the area 20 years, my first time visiting the former pass was by kayak from the bay side last summer. As I stowed my craft on the bank and walked across the spit of sand separating Little Sarasota Bay from the Gulf of Mexico, I couldn’t help but think: This is it? This 30 yards of sand is what all the fuss is about?

The short answer is yes, but of course it’s much, much more complicated than that.

As a bystander watching the fight from the cheap seats, it can all be as murky as the bay water everyone wants to improve. In its simplest terms, on one side are people who believe reopening the pass would help cleanse the Intracoastal Waterway by reviving the flow of water with the Gulf Of Mexico. On the other are people who say dredging the sand between Siesta and Casey keys would do more harm to the environment than good.

Then there are the boaters and others who point out the recreational value of having a pass that allows ingress

and egress without having to go around both keys to access the gulf.

Dissenters point to possible unintended consequences and say natural tides could cause the pass to shift if reopened, which would bring us back to the reason it was filled in the first place — to protect homes in the area.

In our story on Page 70, contributor Mark Gordon outlines the arguments for both sides and the players involved on each. In addition to the question of if the pass should be reopened, even if everyone could agree, there’s still myriad issues with how, when and, of course, who should pay.

It’s a deeply complex issue mired in red tape, regulatory bodies and compelling arguments on both sides. But, as you’ll see in our story, there might be some room for compromise moving forward, something that’s been missing in the past.

Dave Tomasko, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, says if cooler heads can prevail, it might be possible to reach a consensus.

But getting there will require something there hasn’t been a lot of in this debate: listening and working together to make it happen.

Kat Wingert Executive Editor

Midnight Pass, shown above as the filled-in strip of sand between Siesta Key and Casey Key, has been closed off since 1983.

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LINDA REN

Originally from Michigan, I moved to Sarasota in 2005. I am a licensed real estate broker in Florida and a Certified Waterfront Specialist. Most of my career in Michigan was spent in the real estate and mortgage industry, managing our family-owned mortgage brokerage for over 20 years. Exceptional customer service is my goal!

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SUKI SCOLLO

I knew Siesta Key would be "home" since visiting my grandparents in 1975. As founder of a Wall Street consulting firm specializing in mortgages, my background has allowed me to combine my communication skills and practical knowledge to create an amazing client experience. I am a Global Luxury Specialist and continually one of Siesta Key's top real estate producers.

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©2022

| 5145 OCEAN BLVD, SARASOTA, FL

Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker®

which are owned by a subsidiary of Anywhere Advisors LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and

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System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.

JULIE PONDER

Sharing time between Park City UT and Siesta Key FL, I am uniquely positioned to help beach and mountain lovers find their perfect home or investment property. A decade in consulting and 30 years of real estate experience honed my distinct skill set to better serve my clients. I'm thrilled to be in the top 3% of CB agents worldwide, I would love to talk to you about your real estate journey!

714-675-0739 |

JULIE.PONDER@CBREALTY.COM

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CHRISTA SPALDING

Siesta Key’s Biggest Fan! After visiting many of Florida’s gulf coast towns, I decided to trade in the chilly Maryland winters for year-round sunshine and sparkling white sand beaches. I would love to share my experience and personal knowledge of the Sarasota area with you. Global Luxury Specialist • Resort, Second Home & Investment Property Specialist • Certified Waterfront Specialist

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COLE COLLINS

As a 4th Generation Sarasota resident, I was born and raised in this beautiful city we call Sarasota. I am here to offer expert insight and exceptional customer care to buyers and sellers. I'm known for my reliability, hard work, and 24/7 accessibility. I specialize in West of the Trail properties, Siesta Key real estate, and a variety of neighborhoods across the region, as well as vacation rental income properties.

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COLE.COLLINS@CBREALTY.COM

JENNIFER RUSSO

Truth be told, I am a tennis player, but pickle ball has drawn me in! Whether on the courts or off, connecting buyers and sellers, that's what I love to do. It is my pleasure to be a real estate professional, to be a local market guide and to help clients attain their real estate desires.

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Siesta Key

SERVING SARASOTA & ALL THE KEYS

George Balanchine‘s Emeralds

Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Las Hermanas

George Balanchine‘s Who Cares?

Erika Wise Borland, MA, Vice President; Susanne S. Wise, RN, MBA, CEO & Owner; Courtney Wise Snyder, MSG, CMC, President

HOT TOPICS

TIMELY PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS

While other high schoolers work on their tans, Benjamin Aguilar is working on winning a national championship.

PAGE 36

Photo by Ryan Kohn

Smooth Sailing

The Sarasota Yacht Club has set into motion an extensive program of expansions and enhancements.

BY EMILY LEINFUSS | CONTRIBUTOR

It’s been nearly seven years since the Sarasota Yacht Club launched plans for a complete upgrade of its marina, the last six of which have been spent waiting for permit approvals from city, state and national agencies.

Finally, the end of waiting is within SYC’s sightline.

“At this point, our consultants are telling us we have crossed off everything on the checklist and that we should have final permits within the next four to five months,” says SYC Commodore Harry Anand.

Once permits are in hand, the next step is to send out bids for a plan that’s designed to make this world-class facility “an even more phenomenal marina,” says Anand.

Those plans, first drawn up in 2016, call for expanding the size and increasing the number of slips on the club’s existing three docks and gaining the use of a fourth dock from SYC’s neighbor to the west, Plymouth Harbor. In addition, all the dockage, except for 10 boat slips held for Plymouth Harbor’s use, will be upgraded from fixed to floating. As a result, the total number of

Continued on Page 30

Photo by Emily Leinfuss Sarasota Yacht Club Commodore Harry Anand is a key player in leading the club’s expansion.

ONE LOCATION ENDLESS EXPERIENCES

Continued from Page 28

SYC slips will increase from 108 to 120, and total dockage will expand by 8,000 square feet to 33,000 square feet. The existing seawall will also be completely replaced.

While SYC won’t know the final cost of the project until it requests new construction bids, Anand re vealed that “the last bids we received [in 2023] were around $19 million for all four docks.” That cost “was signifi cantly more than what was estimated when permits were first sent out for approval six years ago,” he says. “The pandemic added to some of the delays. There was a period of almost two and half years when these agencies were really backed up.” Anand adds that the pandemic also significantly impacted construction and materials costs.

Both Sarasota city and county gov ernments, the Florida Fish and Wild life Conservation Commission (FWC), the Department of Environmental Protections (DEP), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are the permitting agencies the club is working with. “You can’t apply for the permits all at the same time. We have some and are wait ing for finals from DEP and the U.S. Army Corps,” says Anand.

Design tweaks may also be needed before new bids go out. As an example, Anand says that, in the current design, an area designated for boat lifts and small watercrafts may be too close to the side of the SYC clubhouse. “Some of our members have expressed that it may block the view from the club house.”

According to Anand, the marina ex pansion is only the first phase of Sara sota Yacht Club’s future expansion. A second phase calls for developing and upgrading the SYC campus and clubhouse.

“We just completed the outline of a master plan developed by Mark Sulta na of Sarasota’s DSDG Architects and presented it to the board of directors,” says Anand. He explains that a major aspect of this phase is the construction of a multistory building on the south side of the campus where the Sailing Center, which essentially serves as a storage facility for smaller crafts and boating gear, is now. The new building will provide increased parking on

SARASOTA YACHT CLUB PROPOSED DOCKS

Anand. It will also, potentially, house a bigger fitness center, additional dining facilities or a revamped version of one of SYC’s existing restaurants, as well as other services and amenities.

Anand says that a third phase could involve acquiring or expanding beyond

downtown Sarasota. “That’s always been something we’ve long sought, based on our members’ wish lists,” says Anand. “We don’t have anything definite to share, but we are always interested in evaluating and looking at the possibilities.”

The first phase of expansion will increase the number of boat slips from 108 to 120, and total dockage will expand by 8,000 square feet to 33,000 square feet. The existing seawall will also be completely replaced.

Dock 1

Dock 2 Fuel and transient dock

Dock 3

Dock 4

Dock 4

Sources: Turrell, Hall & Associates, Inc.; Google Earth

Above: A rendering shows SYC’s proposed dock expansion. Below: The existing docks set for expansion.

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On the Waterfront

A landmark Siesta

Key property is now under new ownership.

BY LOUIS LLOVIO | CONTRIBUTOR

Aprominent property on Siesta Key is in the hands of new owners and could be ripe for some significant changes.

The property, The Boatyard, sold Jan. 31 for $8.9 million. The new owner is Siesta Key entrepreneur Chris Brown, a prolific property owner, who is also one of the founders of Sarasota’s Above the Bar Hospitality Group. Above the Bar’s holdings include Summer House, The Cottage, The Hub Baja Grill and The Beach Club — all on Siesta Key.

Shortly after buying the 2.03-acre waterfront property, Brown was quiet about the future redevelopment of the site. “There’s not much I can tell you about The Boatyard without jeopardizing the businesses that are there,” he said in a voicemail. “And that’s the last thing that I want to do.”

The Boatyard has been around since the mid-1980s. Its tenants include several businesses, chief among them The Boatyard Waterfront Bar and Grill. While it’s on the mainland side of the bridge, it has boat access from Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway. And for those who prefer to travel by land, it’s about a half-mile walk to Siesta Key’s Crescent Beach.

Ann Frescura, executive director of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, calls the property “landmark” and says it is “a very favorable and desirable location.”

“I’m anxious to see what they’ll do,” she says. “I feel that Chris Brown and

Continued on Page 34

Photo by Lori Sax

As co-founder of Above the Bar, Chris Brown owns several restaurants on Siesta Key, including Summer House, The Cottage, The Hub Baja Grill and The Beach Club.

Continued from Page 32

his group have done a good job with other properties that they’ve purchased and maintained and redeveloped.”

There is little doubt that The Boatyard property — which a few years back was on the market for $14.5 million — is a prime piece of real estate, not simply because of its access to the water and its views but because of its potential. In the right hands it is “a generational asset for someone to own and develop,” says Kevin Robbins with the Sarasota commercial real estate firm Harry E. Robbins Associates, which helped broker the deal.

As such, Robbins, in the announcement of the sale, said the property had plenty of suitors when it first went up for sale and in the three weeks that followed. The firm says The Boatyard was “obviously a very, very sought-after location” and that it received hundreds

of requests for more information, was shown to multiple interested parties and received multiple offers.

Having Above the Bar as owner may be the best scenario for those who shop, eat or rent space at The Boatyard.

While the details were not publicly known as of deadline, it’s a foregone conclusion that some changes — possibly significant ones — are coming to the well-known and highly visible property.

In the news release announcing the sale, Robbins says Brown’s group was “finalizing plans to upgrade the complex and promote a more customerfriendly environment to benefit new and existing tenants, including the waterfront restaurant, boat rental, watersports facilitators and shopping boutiques.”

The Boatyard more closely resembles the faux-fishing village look of Tin City in Naples and John’s Pass Village

on Madeira Beach than a traditional Florida center. All three share that same aesthetic, with waterfront restaurants and shops that attract both locals and tourists.

Brown, who lives on Siesta Key, founded Above the Bar in 2006 with Sarasota entrepreneur Mike Granthon. In addition to the Siesta Key holdings, it also owns Mad Moe’s Sports Pub & Grill in Osprey and Joe’s on Main in downtown Sarasota. And if history is a guide, whatever its plans are for The Boatyard, Above the Bar will look to bring something unique to the property.

“We like the idea of the multiple locations being different,” Granthon told the Sarasota Observer last year.

“It’s like being on a cruise ship with different style restaurants you can visit in one week. It’s perfect for tourists. We offer one-stop shopping within walking distance.”

There is little doubt that The Boatyard property is a prime piece of real estate, not simply because of its access to the water and its views but because of its potential.

IF YOU GO

The Boatyard is at 1538 Stickney Point Road, Sarasota.

Courtesy Harry E. Robbins Associates

The new owners of The Boatyard plan upgrades, but aren’t releasing details for the property yet.

Visualize This

Eighteen-year-old Benjamin Aguilar will compete for the U.S. Military Academy next season. Before he goes, he wants one more crack at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in May.

BY RYAN KOHN | CONTRIBUTOR

Want to know what it takes to be a top-level gymnast?

On April 1, 2023, Siesta Key’s Benjamin Aguilar spent his 17th birthday in pain. At a qualifying event for the 2023 Men’s Development Program National Championships, Aguilar dislocated his finger.

Aguilar asked if he could petition into the championships; USA Gymnastics said no.

Bowing out and failing to qualify was not a real option in Aguilar’s mind. He was left with only one option: competing with a freshly dislocated finger.

“It was probably an 8 or 10 in terms of pain,” Aguilar says. “But I was told it couldn’t get any worse, so I sucked it

up and did what I had to do.”

It’s something Aguilar refers to as a “funny story” now. He fought through the pain to qualify for the championships. He did well there, too. In fact, it was a strong enough performance to qualify for the 2023 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships, held in San Jose, California, last August. There, Aguilar finished 22nd in the allaround category of the men’s junior 17 division. His best performance came in the pommel horse, in which he finished ninth.

Aguilar, who trains with EVO Athletics, is now in his final year of junior gymnastics. He will compete for the

Continued on Page 38

Benjamin Aguilar, who trains with EVO Athletics, is now in his final year of junior gymnastics.

Photo by Ryan Kohn

Continued from Page 36

United States Military Academy next season. Before he goes, he wants one more crack at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, held May 30-June 2 in Fort Worth, Texas. To get there, he’ll have to perform well at the Development Program Nationals again. That event will be held May 9-12 in Daytona Beach.

Aguilar trains six days a week at EVO Athletics for 3.5 hours per session. Every session is different, Aguilar says, which is one of his favorite things about the sport. If one day is about floor routines, the next may be about the pommel horse, or the high bar. All are equally important.

The amount of work is routine for Aguilar. He started in gymnastics when he was 2 years old during a “Mommy and Me” class with his mother, Sarah Winchell. Aguilar’s family put him in that class because of the way he bounced. Jumping off couches and climbing trees at a neighborhood park were common occurrences. Aguilar also tried his hand at karate, he says, but elected to stick with gymnastics. Why?

Because flipping around bars seemed cooler than breaking wooden boards. He never left the sport.

Aguilar has no regrets about the amount of time he has dedicated to the sport he loves over the last 15 years. But he does think about all the things he has sacrificed to get to where he is. His gymnastics schedule, combined with school, leaves little time for friends. It also limits the number of vacations his family can take because important competitions occur throughout the year. Still, he competes, because he has no other choice. It is the difference between motivation and discipline, he says. Motivation may get an athlete somewhere from time to time, but only when there is something tangible to gain. Discipline forces an athlete to work hard every day; longterm progression requires it.

There have been times where Aguilar wished he could skip practice to do something else, of course — he’s a teenager, after all. But in the end, he is thankful for where the sport has taken him.

“The sacrifices have given me an opportunity to go to college,” Aguilar

The sacrifices have given me an opportunity to go to college. That is going to benefit the rest of my life. I can create a career from this.

BENJAMIN AGUILAR

says. “That is going to benefit the rest of my life. I can create a career from this.”

Despite all his success in the sport, Aguilar is always learning and adding to his skillset. He’s currently trying to perfect a high bar maneuver called the Kovács, named after Hungarian gymnast Péter Kovács. The trick consists of a full backflip over the bar — plus an initial flip into the air — and a blind catch of the bar on the way down. Since a gymnast attempting the move has to flip twice, Aguilar says, many young gymnasts shy away from attempting it. They are fearful of missing the blind catch and landing in an awkward position. Aguilar is willing to try.

None of Aguilar’s work has come easy. Aguilar says he struggled with

the mental health aspects of the sport as a young gymnast before he took a class on psychology. In that class, he learned about the power of visualization. Now, he pictures himself completing each trick perfectly before he begins his routine. He speaks to himself in kind, encouraging words along the way. He still misses tricks sometimes, he says, and the nerves never completely go away, but they have become manageable.

That’s good: Butterflies in the stomach are a sign of excitement, too. Before moving into the next phase of his career, Aguilar is hoping he gets the chance to feel them at nationals one more time. Aguilar knows he can meet this goal — he’s done the work for it every day.

The young athlete pictures himself completing each trick perfectly before he begins his routine.

Photos by Ryan Kohn

HIGH TIDES

THE HEART OF COMMUNITY ON THE KEYS

In a world of red lipsticks, artist Miriam Cassell chose blue.

PAGE 42

Photo by Nancy Guth

Art of the Heart: Miriam Cassell

This Lido Shores artist and activist has been creating art with purpose all her life.

BY ERIC SNIDER | CONTRIBUTOR

Miriam Cassell’s artwork addresses injustice, hypocrisy, inclusivity, feminism and a host of other weighty social issues. Over the years, she’s created a series of multimedia pieces called “SCREAMERS,” which features images of people doing just that.

So, isn’t it only natural to expect her to be a tortured soul?

Um, anything but.

Miriam Cassell is a hoot. The 83-year-old can regularly be seen around town wearing wacky outfits that usually include a kimono, her hair dyed in a changing array of colors, each of her fingernails painted a different hue, temporary tattoos on her arms. And let’s not forget her signature blue lipstick. Back when she was living in her native New York City, she once won best costume at a fundraiser — even though she was sporting her everyday look. “I believe good taste is the enemy of creativity,” she declares in the New York accent she never lost.

Cassell’s vast trove of artistic creations has employed a variety of disciplines and techniques: paintings, photography, collage, jewelry, wearable art, silk screen, digital art and more — often assembled in large art installations. She once painted a nude portrait of her 70-year-old mother to show that beauty transcends age.

Cassell has built a formidable reputation, with regular one-woman and group shows in Manhattan and Long Island. Not long after arriving in Sarasota, she had a onewoman show called “Art as a Catalyst for Social Change.”

She was born Miriam Somer, the oldest of three daughters, to a truck-driver father and a stay-at-home mom. Her earliest years were spent in a mostly Jewish neighborhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. She says she started first grade speaking only Yiddish. The youngster was constantly drawing, dancing and singing along to opera recordings. The family then moved to Queens, where she attended high school.

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Photos by Nancy Guth

Miriam Cassell in front of the nude portrait she painted of her mother.

Continued from Page 42

Miriam wanted to be a professional artist but her mother insisted that she first establish herself in a proper profession. So, the dutiful daughter became a dental hygienist at a practice in Greenwich Village. Miriam arranged her schedule so she could study art at New York University.

In 1963, she married Stuart Cassell, who became a prominent personal injury lawyer. With their son, Lance, and their daughter, Bria, they settled in Sea Cliff on the Long Island’s North Shore, where they lived in a Victorian home a few blocks from Long Island Sound. Miriam’s art studio was close by, right on the water. In 1996, weary of snow and cold weather, the family moved to Sarasota. Lance earned his medical degree and is a pain specialist in town. Bria lives on the other coast. Miriam and Stuart have four grandchildren.

The Cassells — Stuart is now 85 — live in Lido Shores in what Miriam calls a “mid-century beach house” designed by Philip Hiss of the Sarasota School of architecture fame. True to form, she has painted the exterior in a variety of bold colors to represent the history of Sarasota, which she points out, “is the home of the circus.”

Here are a few of her thoughts, observations and remembrances:

My husband is my biggest supporter. He loves all the attention that I get. He doesn’t want any attention, but he gets the biggest kick out of me, and I’m very funny. I think that’s why the marriage lasted as long as it has.

When we first met, my husband had a Chevrolet that was really banged up — and it was stolen. The cops called and said, “We found your car but it’s in really bad condition.” We looked at it and we said, “Uh, no, it looks exactly the same.”

When I was younger, I worked around the clock. I had an art studio next to the beach. There were times that I didn’t come home at night. I just kept working. My husband didn’t get upset about it.

I have my art studio attached to my house so I can go in and work whenever I want. But I can’t work the long hours I used to. I’m 83 years old! Oh, no way. I try to do some work every day but if I don’t, it’s OK. I’m not getting fired.

Half my body of work, I’ve sold. I’ve been very, very lucky.

I always wanted warm climates and a lot of culture. And when I found out about Sarasota, I knew that’s where I wanted to live. One year, there was so much snow in New York, and next to my studio was a big parking lot and they used to [pile] it all there. I climbed up on the big mountain of snow and I announced to the world, “I’m moving!”

Our favorite thing to do here is to walk on the beach, and then afterward go to the New Pass Grill & Bait Shop and pick up dinner. It’s right on the water. I’ll say to myself or to my husband, “I can’t believe I live here.”

I don’t buy expensive clothes. I make most of my own clothes, anyway. And I love vintage. I like going to black tie events and telling people, “I’m wearing Goodwill.”

I remember, when I was about 13, sneaking on some lipstick. I didn’t like the way I looked in red lipstick, so I went to a costume store and I got blue lipstick. I started wearing blue lipstick, and I never changed it.

I’m an old hippie, but I never got into drugs. I’m not a drinker, either. I’ll have a martini on occasion. But I hate drugs. I can’t handle weed or any of that stuff. I’ve always been so afraid it’s going to take away my creativity.

I can honestly say I have the most wonderful neighbors. I love them. We’re all good friends. They’re all very cultural-minded and art-minded, and some of them collect my art.

It’s a small world here in Sarasota. You get to know people. You can’t cheat on your spouse in Sarasota. You’ll get caught. So don’t even try.

Miriam Cassell’s vast trove of artistic creations has employed a variety of disciplines and techniques: paintings, photography, collage, jewelry, wearable art, silk screen, digital art and more — often assembled in large art installations.

Miriam and her husband, Stuart Cassell, moved to Sarasota in 1996 and live in a vibrantly colored, mid-century beach house designed by Philip Hiss.

IS PERSONALIZED CARE RIGHT FOR YOU?

With over 30 years of experience in health care, Dr. Arne saw the growing need for personalized care and created a practice where he could better accommodate his patients’ needs.

Connecting with your doctor when you need them most is crucial. With concierge medicine at Gulfshore Personalized Care, it’s possible to meet your medical needs anywhere at any time. Thomas Arne Jr., DO, FACC, proudly offers patient-centered care through concierge services, such as 24/7 access and same-day visits.

Building Sarasota’s Next Stage

With Tania Moskalenko at the helm, the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation is spearheading the creation of a new performing arts center.

BY ERIC SNIDER | CONTRIBUTOR

When Tania Castroverde arrived in Miami from Cuba as a 6-year-old, she had little sense of the possibilities that awaited her. But her parents did. In 1968, the family of five joined the mass exodus of some 300,000 Cubans into the U.S. as part of the Freedom Flights, a Cold War program initiated by President Lyndon Johnson.

As a result of her parents’ life-altering move, the little girl who arrived in Florida knowing two words of English — pencil and monkey — has gotten to live her rendition of the American dream. Tania Castroverde Moskalenko — the latter name is her husband’s — took over as CEO of the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation (SPAF) in February.

“Although I was too young to realize it at the time, [the move] had a transformational impact on my life,” Moskalenko says. “I’m a risk-taker, so I can see the lineage.”

Moskalenko holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Memphis and a master’s degree in philanthropy from Indiana University. She has danced with Ballet Concerto, a storied Miami institution, and founded, directed, choreographed and performed in her own contemporary dance company. She has also served as chief executive for four performing arts centers in Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana, and was the executive director of the Miami City Ballet until 2022.

Heading up SPAF arguably poses her biggest challenge yet. The organization, long known as the Van Wezel Foundation, has run renowned educational programs at the iconic performing arts hall since 1987. The group changed its name in 2019 to better

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Photo by Lori Sax

Tania Castroverde Moskalenko took over as CEO of the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation in February.

By Courtney Anderson

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Continued from Page 46

reflect its new mission: spearheading the creation of a new performing arts center in The Bay park.

The price tag for the center will be somewhere around $275 million, according to SPAF’s board chair, Jim Travers. Because the project is a public-private partnership with the city of Sarasota, SPAF is responsible for half the cost. About $30 million has already been raised, Travers said in February, with $20 million in pledges from board members and $10 million from Paul Seed, founder of StarTech.com, who has a seasonal home on Longboat Key.

Travers stepped in as interim CEO when Cheryl Mendelson resigned in early 2023. A national search homed in on Moskalenko, and she went through an extensive round of interviews, including with a variety of stakeholders in the community. “We wanted thirdparty opinions,” Travers says. He cites the many reasons Moskalenko was the consummate fit: her experience running several performing arts halls; a track record of fundraising; a background in public-private partnerships; terrific references and the intangibles. “She’s somebody who doesn’t blink when it comes to challenges.”

The foremost challenge is raising money. Moskalenko is no stranger to shaking the trees for big-dollar contributions. Most recently, she led a fouryear, $55 million campaign for Miami City Ballet that ended up amassing $65 million. But Moskalenko and her team are not about to knock on doors just yet. “There’s a lot of work that has to be done in preparation for a campaign, so I’m hoping to launch this time next year,” she said in February.

At that time, a contract with architectural firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop had yet to be finalized, but Travers felt it was close at hand. He predicted that an artistic rendering of the project — a key tool for fundraising and community awareness — would be completed by early 2025.

SPAF’s strategic plan states that it will oversee the planning, design, construction and public communication for the new venue. Plus, the organization will continue to run and fund the Van Wezel’s long-standing education programs. If all that sounds like

IT’S COMPLICATED

The new Sarasota Performing Arts Center is projected to have a main theater that seats around 2,200, plus a smaller black box theater and spaces for administration and education. The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has a seating capacity of 1,741. But what will happen to the latter in light of the former has yet to be decided.

In one corner: The Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, the city of Sarasota and other proponents of building a new performing arts center at a cost of around $275 million. They say a new venue is necessary to draw top-tier acts and touring Broadway shows — and besides, a growing, arts-conscious city needs a state-ofthe-art building.

In the opposite corner: A groundswell of citizen activists who claim that a new center is unnecessary. They want to expand and update the Van Wezel. The city is responsible for half

a daunting task, Moskalenko doesn’t let on. “I like to say that leading a nonprofit is not for the faint of heart,” she says. Once the building opens, either Moskalenko will manage the venue or SPAF will hire a director who reports to her, Travers says.

The strategic plan calls for completion of the building in 2027 or ’28, although Moskalenko is more prudent with the timeline. “I would venture to say it will be 2029 and probably more like 2030.”

Moskalenko says she’s found a resi-

the cost of a new building, a burden that taxpayers should not have to take on, they say.

There’s an additional undercurrent of concern among Van Wezel backers: that the 54-year-old, city-owned landmark will be torn down. Proponents of the new building say no such plan exists, and that includes Van Wezel management, which issued a news release urging people not to be “misled by false information.”

The new, yet-to-be-named building, which will also be owned by the city, is set to be constructed on the opposite corner of the current Van Wezel parking lot as part of The Bay master plan.

Last summer, the city appointed a Purple Ribbon Committee — consisting of seven members with applicable expertise — to make recommendations on what to do with the Van Wezel. Their findings are expected in summer 2025.

Stay tuned.

dence downtown, a block from the office. Her family of four — including 15-year-old twins, a girl and a boy — will be reunited when the kids finish the school year in Miami, and she’s looking forward to walking to work. “We love the city lifestyle,” she says. During our interview, Moskalenko was visiting her daughter — one of three in their 30s, from a first marriage. The newly minted CEO was there doting on her first grandchild, a week-old girl. “When great things happen,” she says, “sometimes they happen all at once.”

File image

The Sarasota County Pop-Up Library comes to Longboat Key on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

SUMMER 2024

APRIL 1

SIESTA KEY FARMERS MARKET

From 8 a.m. to noon at Siesta Key Village, 5104 Ocean Blvd., the Siesta Key Farmers Market features a variety of vendors selling produce, rum, bread, wellness products, artwork, natural candles and more. Continues every Sunday.

n Visit SiestaKeyFarmersMarket.org.

2POP-UP LIBRARY

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of each month, the Sarasota County Pop-Up Library visits Longboat Key Town Hall, 501 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. The mobile library brings about eight full carts of books, story time for children, a hot spot to connect to the internet, technology tutorials, library cards and other traditional library services.

n Visit LongboatKey.org.

6RUN FOR THE TURTLES

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium hosts its 38th annual 5K and 1-mile races to support sea turtles at Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Road, Siesta Key. The 1-mile fun run begins at 7:30 a.m.; the 5K begins at 8 a.m. An award ceremony will follow the 5K. Registration details will be available closer to the event.

n Visit Mote.org.

BRADENTON GULF ISLAND CONCERT

Enjoy a concert by Al Jardine, a founding member of The Beach Boys, at The Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Doors open at 6 p.m. with an opening act at 7 p.m. and the headliner at 8 p.m. Tickets from $59.

n Visit CenterAMI.org.

6-7

COQUINA BEACH SPRING ART & CRAFT SHOW

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Coquina Beach, 2651 Gulf Drive, Bradenton Beach, browse jewelry, ceramics, mixed media, bath and body products, and other work from artisan vendors.

n Visit DaniellesBlueRibbonEvents. com.

7

‘LIGHT & GOLD: LUMINOUS AND LAVISH SETTINGS BY WHITACRE AND LAURIDSEN’

Key Chorale and Modern Marimba present an evening of beautiful work. The performance, which begins at 5 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, includes “Lux Aeterna” by Morten Lauridsen and the Florida premiere of “All Seems Beautiful to Me” by Eric Whitacre. Tickets are $35-$45.

n Visit KeyChorale.org.

13

ANNA MARIA BEACH CLEANUP

Help keep the beaches clean with The Center of Anna Maria Island. Meet at The Center, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria, at 9 a.m. Trash bags, gloves, water and a snack will be provided. Continues May 4.

n Visit CenterAMI.org.

‘RADIO WAVES’

Handbell ensemble Ring Sarasota performs some of the most popular songs across genres that have hit the airwaves. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key. Tickets are $20.

n Visit RingSarasota.org.

14

MORNING PADDLE

Start your day on the water with Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, City Island. Morning kayak tours, from 8:30-10 a.m., are guided through Sarasota Bay and across seagrass beds. Keep an eye out for dolphins, manatees and other wildlife that make up the bay’s ecosystem. Participants must be at least 12 years old. Cost is $45 or $40.50 for Mote members. Continues May 12.

n Visit Mote.org.

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File photos

CALENDAR

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15

THE MARKET ON LONGBOAT KEY

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, browse the wares of dozens of local vendors, including produce, art and home goods. Admission is free.

n Visit Facebook.com.

19-21SUNCOAST BOAT SHOW

Boat enthusiasts will assemble for the annual boat show in Sarasota Bay to admire cruisers, motor yachts and other types of watercraft on display. Admission is $18; military and children 15 and under are free. The show will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Marina Jack, 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota.

n Visit SuncoastBoatShow.com.

22

MOONLIT PADDLE

Take your kayaking adventures to the next level with Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, City Island. Explore the coastal waters while discovering the Sarasota Bay nightlife — wildlife, that is. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Cost is $45 or $40.50 for Mote members. Begins around 7:30 p.m., depending on sunset. Continues April 23 and May 23.

n Visit Mote.org.

MAY

4-5

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA SPRING CRAFT FAIR

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at 5 Points Park, 1 Central Ave., Sarasota, photography, paintings, clothing and more will be on display and for sale. Admission is free.

n Visit ArtFestival.com.

11AMI HOGFISH SWIM

The Speedo Salt Series returns to Anna Maria Island for the fourth annual Hogfish Swim.

Race in a 1.2-mile or 2.4-mile open water swim. The races are open to all skill levels — whether it’s your first open water swim or you’re training for a triathlon. The weekend also includes an unofficial meetup swim and a happy hour. Registration is $65 for the 1.2-mile or $70 for the 2.4-mile for adults, $50 or $55 for youths, and includes a swim cap and welcome gift.

n Visit SaltySportsSociety.com.

11-12

DIG THE BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Dig the Beach comes to Siesta Key Beach for a weekend of volleyball. Divisions include open amateur coed adults, amateur, semi-pro and professional, as well as various youth divisions. Details to come.

n Visit DigTheBeach.com.

25SRQ VETS 5K MEMORIAL HIKE

SRQ Vets returns for its eighth annual Memorial Day hike, in which veterans and civilians will

STAY TUNED: FOURTH OF JULY

n Longboat Key’s Freedom Fest and Hot Diggity Dog Parade kicks off the festivities with the annual 15-minute parade along Bay Isles Road.

n The Anna Maria Island Privateers bring swashbuckling fun to the Fourth of July with their annual public parade.

n Venice, Siesta Key and Sarasota host fireworks shows each year for the Fourth of July, typically launching around dusk.

n Keep Sarasota County Beautiful’s Liberty Litter Cleanup picks up litter July 5 from areas heavily used for Fourth of July celebrations.

Stay tuned at YourObserver.com for details.

honor those fallen with a 5K through Sarasota. The hike starts at 9 a.m. from J.D. Hamel Park, 199 Bayfront Drive, Sarasota. Details to come.

n Visit SRQVets.us.

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Maya Wutzer sells quilts at the Downtown Sarasota Spring Craft Fair.

Phone:

Email:

Email:

Email:

Email:

CALENDAR

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25-26

ST. ARMANDS FINE ART FESTIVAL

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at St. Armands Circle, browse jewelry, paintings, mixed-media, photography and more from artisans from across the U.S. Admission is free.

n Visit ParagonFestivals.com.

26

JAZZ ON THE WATER

Board the Marina Jack II for an afternoon cruise to hear Jazz Club of Sarasota perform throughout Sarasota Bay. The cruise leaves at 3 p.m. from Marina Plaza, 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota. Tickets are $35-$45.

n Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

JUNE 1

THE GRAND CARNIVAL

Project Pride SRQ kicks off Pride month with the return of its Grand Carnival fundraising gala. There will be an open bar and light bites. The gala, themed “Diamonds Are Forever,” begins at 7 p.m. at The Circus Arts Conservatory, 2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota. General tickets are $85, and VIP tickets are $125.

n Visit PPSRQ.org.

6

KIDS’ SUMMER BEACH RUNS, SIESTA BEACH

Kids ages 1-17 exercise on the

beach with the summer favorite 1-mile run at Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Road, Siesta Key. Participants receive a ribbon after each run and a T-shirt after their fourth run. The beach runs are free. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. and the race at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday through July 30. There is no beach run the week of July 4.

n Visit SCGov.net.

8

SILVER PRIDE SARASOTA

Project Pride SRQ and Senior Friendship Center celebrate the LGBTQ age-50-and-up community with its inaugural Silver Pride Sara-

sota event. Enjoy live music, local vendors, food trucks and more from noon to 5 p.m. at Senior Friendship Center, 1888 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota. Admission is free.

n Visit PPSRQ.org.

8-9

ST. ARMANDS CIRCLE CRAFT FESTIVAL

The 22nd annual Craft Festival returns to St. Armands Circle from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Browse jewelry, pottery and more crafts from artists from across the U.S. Admission is free.

n Visit ArtFestival.com.

15-16DOWNTOWN VENICE CRAFT FESTIVAL

The 31st annual Craft Festival returns to downtown Venice from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Browse photography, stained glass and more crafts from artists from across the U.S. Admission is free.

n Visit ArtFestival.com.

Drew Allan, a vendor at the St. Armands Fine Arts Festival in 2023 is a self-taught artist from Sarasota who utilizes mixed mediums on wood.

Melanie Barcley and Glo Hoeft prepare to depart on the trolley at the inaugural Silver Pride Sarasota in 2023.

Spring Flings

Life on the keys can seem like endless summer, but that’s no reason to skip over spring. Celebrate the season of budding flowers and vibrant colors by stepping out in style with fashions from these key boutiques.

BY LESLEY DWYER | CONTRIBUTOR

Rochelle’s Boutiques

386 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota 941-388-7389

RochellesBoutique.com

The New England-based chain Rochelle’s Boutiques opened its only Florida store two years ago on St. Armands Circle. Here you’ll find fashions and accessories from cozy chic to coastal calm — even wedding wear. Celebrate spring with a pop of pink with these tassel earrings. And for those cool April eves, throw on a light-knit Vintage Havana hoodie.

Tassell

Beach Bazaar

5211 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key 941-346-2995

Beach-Bazaar.com

While Florida weather doesn’t change much with the seasons, your wardrobe can. These OluKai flip-flops and Flomotion swimming trunks add a spring twist to two island staples. Beach Bazaar offers a huge selection of clothing, beach accessories and swimwear and funky Florida kitsch in the heart of Siesta Key Village.

OluKai women’s flip-flops: $75

Flomotion men’s swim trunks: $54.95

Vintage Havana hoodie: $90

earrings: $28

Driftwood Beach Home & Garden

6838 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key -217-5068

DriftwoodBeachHome.com

Driftwood Beach Home & Garden carries clothing, accessories, home goods and art by local artists, but one of the best reasons to stop by is for the flowering garden out back. It overlooks a canal so you might even see a manatee float by. Stroll through the garden in this Bria maxi dress from Holly Shae’s Botanical Library Collection that includes the scientific names of flowers. And carry your cuttings home in this delightful Squeeze de Citron X Molly Boyd tote bag.

Coconuts

1215 Old Stickney Point Road, Siesta Key 941-346-2954

Coconuts-SK.com

Coconuts has been selling “fun and colorful clothing” for the whole family on Siesta Key for over 40 years. The shop lives up to its tagline with wall-to-wall colors — except black. Options like the lightweight Lulu-B pink linen jacket will add some spring to your step for sure. And the super soft Original Flap Happy girl’s dress, with an empire waist and colorful flower print, is adorable — and contains UPF 50 sun protection.

Bria dress by Holly Shae: $198

Squeeze de Citron X Molly Boyd tote bag: $185

Lulu-B linen jacket: $94

The Original Flap Happy girl’s dress: $39.99

Lord’s Warehouse

6140 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key 941-383-6491

LongboatIslandChapel.org/ ministries/lords-warehouse-thriftstore

Looking for a spring fling? Head over to the Lord’s Warehouse before date night. The thrift shop offers both men’s and women’s apparel, along with furniture, jewelry, household items and more. (Proceeds benefit the Longboat Island Chapel’s charity outreach program.) This colorful French Connection minidress and spring green Jos. A Bank polo shirt will leave plenty of money left for a romantic meal for two.

Jos. A Bank polo shirt: $7

French Connection minidress: $12

Cosmetics, Implants and Bite Reconstruction

Burr Bakke, DDS

• Fellow of the American Dental Implant Association

• Fellow of International Congress of Oral Implantologists

• Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics

• Member of American Academy of Implant Dentistry

• Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction

Jill Morris, DMD

• Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (only 550 accredited dentists worldwide)

• Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics

• Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction

• Member International Academy of Oral Biological Dentistry and Toxicology

• Practicing dentistry for 33 years

• Member of North American Association of Facial Orthotropics

• Member of the American Orthodontic Society

• Member of the International Association of Orthodontics

• Member of American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine

• International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology

SIP THIS

The Jamaican Me Crazy the first cocktails on Cha Cha’s menu. Richard Gonzmart created it in 1987 with Coco Lopez, guava nectar, pineapple juice, Bacardi Black Rum and grenadine. Go ahead and get crazy!

Shake it Up, Baby!

| CONTRIBUTORS

he art of the cocktail takes many forms. It can be splashy, flashy, subtle, indulgent, or pyrotechnics for the senses. Shaken or stirred?

Unless you’re James Bond, it can hit the right spot either way. This aqueous art form is thriving throughout the keys. Here are some sips that are well worth the trip.

CHA CHA COCONUTS

The name itself puts a smile on your face. A nod to the 1929 Marx Brothers movie? Close, but no cigar. The restaurant was founded in the late 1980s by third- and fourthgeneration family members of the 1905 Family of Restaurants (which also owns Cha Cha’s St. Armands Circle neighbor, the Columbia Restaurant). The first location was on Harbour Island in Tampa. The restaurant’s name comes from a phrase uttered by Casey Gonzmart Sr., the great-grandson of Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., the founder of the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. According to local lore, company co-owners Richard Gonzmart and his father, Cesar, were fighting about the name: “I don’t care if you want to call it Cha-Cha Mambo Coconuts,” one said to the other. Cesar and Richard looked at one another and said, “What a great name!” Today, Andrea Gonzmart, the great-great-granddaughter of Casimiro Hernandez Sr., is Cha Cha Coconuts’ director of operations. She also comes up with most of the inventive cocktail names.

IF YOU GO 417 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota; 388-3300; ChaCha-Coconuts.com

“The Lido Beach Lemonade at Cha Cha Coconuts raises a toast to the sugary white sands of nearby Lido Beach.”

SIP THIS Lido Beach

Lemonade raises a toast to the sugary white sands of nearby Lido Beach. It’s made with freshly squeezed lemon juice and Tito’s Handmade Vodka in a sugarrimmed glass and is the perfect prelude to a sunset beach stroll.

CHA CHA’S BY THE NUMBERS

Average number of cocktails served per day: More than 300.

Average number of cocktails served per year: Nearly 63,000.

Most popular cocktail: The Perfect Patrón Margarita, featuring Patrón Añejo Private Barrel Tequila combined with Patrón Citrónge Orange Liqueur and finished with a splash of fresh lime juice.

Most popular mocktail: Cha Cha’s has a vast array of tropical fruit smoothies, including strawberry, mango, peach, berry, banana and piña colada.

Photos by Lori Sax

Above: Cha Cha’s bartender Kristi Peterson makes sure customers stay refreshed and hydrated. Left: The Jamaican Me Crazy was one of the first cocktails on Cha Cha Coconuts’ menu. Below: The Lido Beach Lemonade is made with freshly squeezed lemon juice and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

POP’S SUNSET GRILL

This Casey Key institution is an Old Florida dream come true. It’s home to picture-postcard views, flopping fresh fish, a lively bar scene and inventive cocktails. General manager Stephanie Brown is especially happy to announce that Pop’s is collaborating with the local Shark Tooth Distillery. Its handcrafted spirits include Blood Orange Vodka (which gives a kick in the butt to traditional syrupy sweet, artificially flavored vodkas) and its Shark Tooth Original Vodka (“born from the very heart of Florida,” to quote the company’s marketing materials). Shark Tooth co-owner Beata Dale likens it to moonshine, saying it’s “crafted to be a little more authentic and a little less refined.”

IF YOU GO 112 Circuit Road, Nokomis, Sarasota; 488-3177; PopsSunsetGrill.com

SIP THIS

Blood Orange Aperol Spritz is a newcomer to Pops’ cocktail menu. This upstart is a twist on the classic Aperol spritz. But they kick it up a notch with a dash of a local favorite — Shark Tooth Blood Orange Vodka. Aperol, prosecco and club soda are also in the mix.

DID YOU KNOW?

The history of cocktails is a saga of reinvention and rebellion. The libation was born in the early 19th century. Cocktails were originally defined as a specific type of mixed drink consisting of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. As time went by, cocktails evolved beyond these limited parameters. Prohibition-era speakeasies, globetrotting transportation and creative bartenders sparked this sea change. From the classic martini to the vibrant mojito, each contemporary cocktail has its own unique origin story.

SIP THIS

Pop’s Punch packs a punch all right. This signature island-style rum cocktail has been on Pops’ cocktail menu for over 30 years. The mix includes white rum, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine and is topped with Barcardi 151.

Photos by Lori Sax

Jill Jeffries serves up Pop’s Punch at Pop’s.

SIP THIS

The Oriole is a sensory jam session of flavors served up over ice. Bulleit Bourbon forms the bold foundation, intertwined with the bittersweet allure of Aperol. Fresh lemon juice lends zest in perfect tune with the subtly sweet agave nectar. A Tajin rim adds a tantalizing twist of spice to every sip.

DAIQUIRI DECK

The daiquiri stands at the cool end of the cocktail spectrum. This sweet symphony was born on Cuba’s shores. Amazingly, it’s crafted from just three ingredients — rum, lime juice, and simple syrup derived from sugar cane. This paradoxically dry and sweet concoction dissolves any thirst and instantly transports you. A single sip makes any night a Havana night. Where to find one in these parts? Daiquiri Deck, of course!

IF YOU GO 5250 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key; 349-8697; DaiquiriDeckSiestaKey.com

SIP THIS

The Pain in the A$$ cocktail has a cheeky name and is a two-tiered mix of piña colada and rum runner. The “pain” part comes as a nod to olden days when bartenders needed two blenders at once, equating time with money. Despite blender advancements, the name endures.

THE HAYE LOFT

At the top of the stairs above Euphemia Haye, you’ll discover a nocturnal oasis that elevates indulgence to another level. The Haye Loft awaits, a haven where night owls revel in piped-in jazz, a sophisticated lounge ambience and heavenly desserts. Its bar, a meticulously curated library of libations, boasts an array of whiskeys, wines, brews on tap, and bourbons to satiate every thirst. And behold, the pièce de résistance: bespoke cocktails crafted by bartender Jhon Zamora, a true magician of mixology. Prepare to be enchanted by his liquid wizardry.

IF YOU GO 5540 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key; 383-3633; EuphemiaHaye.com

The Haye Loft’s bar is a meticulously curated library of libations that boasts an array of whiskeys, wines, brews on tap and bourbons to satiate every thirst.

SIP THIS

Bat Sh*t Crazy The mad scientists at Daiquiri Deck formulated this mad cocktail. Their mission? Create the strongest combination possible. They achieved their batty objective with a mix of Deck Diesel, rum runner and strawberry syrup, all topped with Diesel 153 vodka. You’d have to be bat sh*t crazy to order this cocktail. (That said, it’s insanely popular.)

Photo by Lori Sax

Haye Loft bartender Jhon Zamora is a sorcerer of mixology.

Photos by Adam Westbay

SHORE AT ST. ARMANDS CIRCLE

The vibe is always relaxing at Shore on St. Armands Circle. By day, it exudes casual, coastal charm, while transitioning into an ambience of intimate sophistication as twilight descends. The menu is a masterpiece of locally sourced seafood and land-based dishes. But its creatively crafty cocktails sometimes also steal the show. Their crowd-pleasing secret? “We try to use as many

SHORE THING!

fresh ingredients as possible,” says Yvette Nguyen, manager. “Juice from a can is easier, but freshly squeezed fruit juice is always better. That’s why we squeeze our lemon and lime juices daily.”

IF YOU GO 465

John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota; 2960301; DineShore.com

Average number of cocktails served per day: 250-325

Most popular cocktail? The Blood Orange Margarita is its No. 1-selling cocktail with the Refresher and espresso martini tied for second.

Top three appetizers to sup while sipping? Try the Thai curry mussels with coconut milk, lime and chili, the crispy bao buns with shitake mushroom slaw, and the shrimp ceviche with guacamole and toasted cumin corn tortillas.

SIP THIS

The Blood Orange Margarita springs from a collaboration between Yvette Nguyen and a former colleague. Crafted with Corazòn Blanco Tequila, Solerno Liqueur, Natalie’s Blood Orange Juice, freshly squeezed limes and agave syrup, this concoction is a perfect balance of flavors. Each sip is a medley of citrusy notes and tequila’s smooth seduction.

Photo by Lori Sax

Yvette Nguyen is a co-inventor of the Blood Orange Margarita at Shore.

COMMUNITY CARE

Caring for our community means being a resource during challenging times. We are proud to respond to Emergency Needs & Disaster Relief and initiatives around Preventing Homelessness, that address Health & Hunger issues, provide care for Animals & the Environment, and assist with Placemaking through housing, transportation, and economic support.

BELONGING & CULTURE

To have a place or group where you belong inspires passion and creativity. By supporting organizations whose work Bridges Generations and Unites the Community around Cultural Development & the Arts, we are here to help build the community we all want to live in.

How will you Be The One to help build a community where everyone thrives?

EMPOWERMENT & SUCCESS

A fulfilling life comes from support, encouragement, wisdom, and experience that guide us to our dreams. We invest in Literacy Support, Student Enrichment, Scholarships & Mentoring, Career Development & Advancement, and opportunities to create Lifelong Connections so that everyone can be empowered to realize their potential.

TO FLOW OR NOT TO FLOW?

A big debate over a tiny body of water has gripped the region for some 40 years.

BY MARK GORDON | CONTRIBUTOR

From boaters to beachgoers, swimmers to sunbathers, most people of a certain age in and around Sarasota and Siesta Key have a story about Midnight Pass — a tiny waterway or “saltwater doorway” that separates Casey Key from Siesta Key.

1974 2023

Left: A pass has separated Siesta and Casey keys as far back as the 1840s.

Courtesy photo

Right: Midnight Pass was closed in 1983. A debate over whether to reopen it has continued ever since.

Google Earth

Midnight Pass was open for more than a century, and then, in the 1980s, it was closed — on purpose, not by nature — in a move that sealed off Little Sarasota Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. That closure, basically at the hands of a bulldozer, two Siesta Key homeowners and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, set off an on-again, off-again battle among dozens of Key residents, public officials and concerned citizens wrapped around one core question: Should Midnight Pass be reopened?

While that query has caused considerable consternation and controversy, stories about the Pass — and what to do with it — range wide and deep.

For entrepreneur and Evie’s restaurant owner Mike Evanoff, who owns Spanish Point Tiki Bar on Little Sarasota Bay, it’s a smell, not really a story. He’s referring to a foul, sewagelike smell wafting into the air over the outdoor tables that disrupts Spanish Point Tiki Bar customers ordering fried shrimp baskets and New England lobster rolls. Over the past year, Evanoff estimates customers have

called the Sarasota County Health Department at least 10 times, logging complaints and believing the smell is an internal plumbing issue.

“They have to shut me down for an hour and a half to figure out that it’s nothing to do with the pipes,” says Evanoff. He believes, instead, that it’s Midnight Pass causing the odor because water and fish can’t flow freely from Little Sarasota Bay to the Gulf. “It’s a really bad smell. It’s disgusting.”

For Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Neunder, meanwhile, the story is a memory. Of bumper stickers in his grandparents’ house in Venice. Back in the 1990s, during one of the various times a movement to open the pass heated up, Neunder says he “vividly remembers all the bumper stickers that said, ‘let it flow.’”

A chiropractor, Neunder was elected to the Sarasota County Commission in 2022, after two years on the Venice City Council. He says support for opening Midnight Pass was something he

Continued on Page 72

Continued from Page 71

heard often while campaigning, and he has since “made it my mission” to get the pass reopened, behind, he says, a reasoned, consensus-building, scientific approach and a “measure twice, cut once” philosophy.

“This is a water quality project,” he says. “There's a huge appetite in the community for this.”

WATER WORLD

Neunder is talking about people he’s spoken with while campaigning and in office. A leading organization with an appetite to reopen the pass is the Midnight Pass Society II, a nonprofit officially launched in 2021 with a Facebook group under the name Restore Midnight Pass going back a decade. The group, which Evanoff is part of, lists a large group of financial supporters on its website that includes longtime Sarasota residents and business owners. It even has a link to a merch page that sells everything from Midnight Pass hoodies and captain’s caps to boat flags and mugs.

Midnight Pass Society II is unambiguous about its goal: to restore the water quality of Little Sarasota Bay by opening up the waterflow “in and out of the bay to the sea.” In doing so, the group says on its website, it hopes to correct or reverse a litany of issues closing the pass brought, such as lower water quality; the demise of the oyster population; a loss of nearly 70% of seagrass beds; and a total decimation of the local fishing industry “due to the loss of easy access to/from the Gulf. Closing the pass has harmed this industry and has made sport fishing and recreational boating far less desirable.”

Support to reopen Midnight Pass, however, isn’t unanimous.

One group in particular, ManaSota-88, a Nokomis-based environmental preservation group founded in 1968, opposes reopening the pass for a multitude of reasons. Those reasons, says ManaSota-88 Chairman Glenn Compton, include high and uncertain costs, unintended consequences and unclear biological benefits.

“There’s a lot of ways to address the water quality issues in the bay. (Opening Midnight Pass) isn’t one of them,”

Continued on Page 74

Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Neunder says he has made it his mission to get the pass reopened.

Courtesy photos

Midnight Pass was an open passageway for decades before a pair of homeowners had it bulldozed in 1983.

Photo by Lori Sax

Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Neunder says support for opening Midnight Pass was something he heard often while campaigning. “This is a water quality project,” he says. “There's a huge appetite in the community for this.”

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says Compton. “If you dig a big hole in the sand, you will cause a lot of damage because it hasn’t been open for 40 years.”

Compton wrote three letters to the Sarasota County Commission in 2023 opposing reopening the pass, saying in one letter it could be an $86 million, taxpayer-funded endeavor. “Dredging Midnight Pass would not be an environmental restoration project,” Compton writes. “It would be an environmental destruction project.”

BOTH SIDES

Like many others on both sides of the pass debate, Compton has a personal history and memory of the pass — and the arguments for and against opening it up again. “It seems like every 20 years or so it comes back,” he says. “I don’t think it will go away anytime soon.”

There are some parts of the Midnight Pass most sides agree on, namely the history. The past of the pass, according to multiple organizations and documents, includes:

n A pass has separated Siesta and Casey keys as far back as the 1840s. That inlet has moved over time, according to the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, a government-funded organization that works to improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat and enhance natural resources of an area.

n The deepening of the Intracoastal Waterway in the early 1960s and “especially the improper depositing of more than 200,000 cubic yards of sandy spoil material had a major impact on the equilibrium of Midnight Pass,” Restore Midnight Pass states on its website. When the northern channel began to shoal in, the pass migrated, which led to more issues. Several Sarasota County initiatives to address the problem stalled.

n Then, in 1983, in a move that launched the 40-year open-it-orkeep-it-closed-odyssey in the first place, two Siesta Key homeowners, Syd Solomon and Pasco Carter Jr., applied for and received permits to close Midnight Pass. The pair of homeowners, according to Restore

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The name Midnight Pass stems from a 1921 hurricane. That storm hit land around midnight and partially opened a larger spot between Siesta and Casey keys. Prior to that, the gap there was called Musketeers Pass.

Midnight Pass, sought “to protect their Gulf-front homes from destruction due to erosion when the inlet migrated northward. They promised to safely re-establish it farther to the south.” But that didn’t come to fruition.

n Efforts from the Sarasota County Commission to obtain permits to open, or dredge, Midnight Pass have failed at least twice: once in 1991 and again in 2008. One effort at getting a permit was withdrawn, says Dave

Tomasko, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.

“They basically withdrew the permit because they knew it was going to be denied,” says Tomasko, who delivered a Midnight Pass presentation to county commissioners in April 2023.

While the history is mostly agreed upon, potential consequences of future actions at the pass are murkier.

Continued on Page 76

of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, says that efforts from the Sarasota County Commission to obtain permits to open, or dredge Midnight Pass have failed at least twice.

Courtesy photo

Dave Tomasko, executive director

WATERFRONT HIDEAWAY WITH BOAT DOCK, LONGBOAT KEY

COASTAL COTTAGE WITH BACKYARD OASIS & POOL, LONGBOAT KEY

Continued from Page 74

Supporters of opening Midnight Pass take a “build it and they will come” approach. Only in this case, they substitute dredge for build. But in the view of ManaSota-88, opening Midnight Pass, while on the surface looking like a good idea, is more like trying to squeeze the toothpaste back into the tube, given the environmental damage already done.

Compton says the first public meeting he attended on any issue in the region was a Midnight Pass meeting in 1983, so he understands both perspectives. Yet opening the pass, he says, won’t accomplish what groups like Restore Midnight Pass believe it will. Compton says that’s not just him saying that but an alphabet soup of regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Marine Fisheries Services, Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“Based on the review of the numerous regulatory agencies involved, there is no doubt that dredging open Midnight Pass would be environmentally destructive and fiscally irresponsible,” Compton wrote in one of the letters ManaSota-88 sent to the commissioners.

CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES

Tomasko, in his presentation to commissioners and an interview, says he believes there are four options for Midnight Pass. Those options are:

n Do nothing. Keep it the way it is. (Compton takes that option one step further, suggesting at least eight projects that would be more fiscally responsible and do more for longterm environmental sustainability.)

n Create a wild pass there by digging a new channel. The downside? Wild passes, like Clam Pass in Collier County, can shift and cause beach erosion. “Mitigating for seagrass or mangrove loss would be tough and potentially not doable,” the Estuary Program states on its website.

n Crate a jetty, like what’s in the Venice inlet. This option, Tomasko says, faces regulatory hurdles due to potential habitat loss for sea turtles and other species.

FISH TALES

Little Sarasota Bay, according to the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, has over 600 acres of seagrass. And, according to a 2020 fish sampling survey, it has the second largest number of fish among the five bay segments in the region. The fish, the SBEP reports, tend to be smaller, “showing the importance of this area as a nursery.”

n Build a culvert — a bridge-like structure — that has been used in places like Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County. This would allow water to pass, according to Tomasko, but not most boats.

Tomasko also laid out the pros and cons of reopening Midnight Pass. Improved water quality is an obvious pro — though the exact Estuary Program wording is opening it “might improve based on other areas that have restored historic tidal connections.” A less obvious con, the organization states, is opening the pass and fostering a direct connection to the Gulf of Mexico might lead to more “red tide events” because a closed pass can block it better.

Any changes to the pass begin with

the Sarasota County Commission, which would have to vote to approve it and fund it, and also get it approved and permitted by several agencies. To that end, commissioners, last October, unanimously approved the initiation of a feasibility study for reopening Midnight Pass.

Tomasko, in interviews and presentations, stresses he’s providing research, not making recommendations. He says one thing that could help is a lower temperature within the debate.

“People on both sides exaggerate the consequences of this,” he says, to score points and sway others.

Tomasko is also hopeful a consensus is within reach. “Can we find something everyone can agree on?” he asks. “I think it’s possible.”

Photo by Lori Sax

Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Neunder speaks with Mike Webster about Midnight Pass.

Courtesy photos

Whether to open Midnight Pass or keep it the way it is has been an on-and-off debate for the past 40 years. “It seems like every 20 years or so it comes back,” ManaSota-88 Chairman Glenn Compton says.

A Purposeful Life

After Chris Sachs spent six years at Men’s Journal, headhunters wrangled him to help start up National Geographic Adventure.

As president of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key, Chris Sachs has found a deeply meaningful way to give back.

BY ERIC SNIDER | CONTRIBUTOR

When Chris Sachs lived in New Canaan, Connecticut, and rode the Metro North commuter train to and from his corporate executive job in Manhattan every weekday, he joined his town’s Kiwanis Club because, “it was just something you did,” he says. “Kiwanis was a big organization in New Canaan in the ’90s. It was made up of mostly young professionals and was as much of a networking thing as a service organization.”

Back then, he worked in the business side of the publishing industry. His crowning career achievement came in the late 1990s as the founding publisher of National Geographic Adventure magazine. Prior to that, he was the first advertising director for Men’s Journal, launched by Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner.

Now that Sachs is 66, retired and living with his wife, Tammy, in a spacious home on Longboat Key, his membership in the local Kiwanis Club represents something far different. Six months into his term as president, his involvement adds an extra sense of purpose to an already purposeful life. A lifeline if you will. “I never imagined myself sitting around with my toes in the sand,” he says, referring to his retirement, now 11 years in. “Sitting on the dock of the bay isn’t me. Kiwanis is a way to stay involved, to give back. I know that sounds kind of trite and old-fashioned, but it’s still true.”

Sachs joined the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key shortly after moving to the island full time in 2017, sparked by Tammy’s chance encounter with former Town Commissioner Lynn Larson at a hair salon. The chapter was on the verge of folding due to lack of membership. Larson stepped in as president and corralled eight couples to save the club. Chris and Tammy Sachs were part of that core 16. From there, they were able to recruit enough folks to bring the roster into the 20s.

The Longboat Key Kiwanis’s primary beneficiary is the Children’s Guard-

Continued on Page 80

Photos by Rod Millington

THE LAWN PARTY

The Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key’s primary fundraiser is The Lawn Party, which is held in early December. The casual, openair event draws 800 to 1,000 people, who come to kibitz and sample food from 25 to 30 restaurants that set up tasting booths under a big tent. Anheuser Busch sends a beer truck and a few distributors provide wine. All the food and drink is donated. Between admission fees, matching grants and bonus donations, last year’s Lawn Party enabled the Longboat Key Kiwanis to donate roughly $120,000 to the Children’s Guardian Fund, says past president Lynn Larson. The event is typically held on the first Saturday in December, although this year’s date and venue had not been set as of deadline.

Continued from Page 79

ian Fund, which provides emergency financial aid to kids in foster and state care. The club’s main fundraiser is the annual Lawn Party, which Larson says, “is probably the premier event on the island each year.” In addition, the Kiwanis coordinates the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign at Publix during the holiday season. On any given day in December, you might see Sachs with a bell in his hand.

These are trying times for service and fraternal clubs like Kiwanis, Rotary, Knights of Columbus, Elks and such. Once a mainstay of American life, the organizations have not resonated with Gen Xers and millennials, and as a result, membership is dwindling. That’s especially true on Longboat Key, a haven for retirees and snowbirds with a population of 7,500 and a median age of 71. By Sach’s estimate, the club now includes four married couples, and the rest consists of single or widowed men. Its oldest member is closing in on 90.

Finding new recruits is tough. “People aren’t into service organizations like they used to be,” Larson says. “Even the older people are playing pickleball and the like. But Chris — ‘service’ should be his middle name.”

Sachs sees a silver lining amid the club’s membership struggles: Virtually everyone stays involved. “It’s a smaller group that seems to be doing more,” he says.

Kiwanis also provides the nexus of the Sachs’ social life outside of their extended family. And Sachs derives inspiration from his colleagues, regardless of their age. “I was immediately taken because they reminded me of the mentors that I had in my business life,” he explains. “They have the same sense of responsibility, duty, commitment, care, concern — you know, likeminded individuals.”

A CUP OF COFFEE AND A MOLESKINE NOTEBOOK

On a crisp day in mid-February, Tammy opens the door to the Sachs’ home just a few blocks from Gulf of Mexico Drive. She is Chris’s second wife, nine years younger. The native of St. Augustine greets me with cheery Southern charm. Chris approaches with a smile and an outstretched hand. He’s about 6-foot-3, with broad shoulders. His blue eyes manage to project both intensity

409991-1

and warmth. We sit at a table next to the kitchen. He opens a Moleskine notebook and sips coffee from a white cup.

Chris and Tammy did not choose Longboat Key at random. A couple of miles up Gulf of Mexico Drive stands The Diplomat Beach Resort, where Sachs’ father and business associate booked a block of rooms for their families during Thanksgiving and Easter

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Chris and Tammy Sachs love their life on Longboat Key.

Continued from Page 81

breaks. The tradition started when Chris, the youngest of four, was 11. He was part of a gaggle of kids who roamed the beach and meandered up to The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, where they’d hang out by the pool and grab a hot dog at the Monkey Bar. Sachs’ parents bought a condo nearby in 1970 and eventually became snowbirds.

Chris and Tammy did not. They live in Longboat Key year-round, although they take trips, mostly during the summer dog days.

Sachs’ father, John, was educated as a chemical engineer and became a highranking executive at Union Carbide and later the CEO of Great Lakes Carbon Corp. He and his wife, Mary K, raised their kids in Stamford, Connecticut, 10 miles from New Canaan. By Sachs’ account, it was an idyllic childhood. He played football, basketball and baseball, but says he didn’t excel at any of them, choosing participation over intense competitiveness. The Sachs clan went on ski outings nearly every weekend

during the winter.

Sachs attended Catholic grade school and high school, then went to Fairfield University, a small Jesuit institution 20 miles from home. Devout Catholicism is a family mainstay. One of Sachs’ brothers is a Jesuit priest.

Sachs started out as a psychology major, then switched over to the business side and earned a degree in marketing. He also served as news editor of The Fairfield Mirror, the student newspaper.

MANY LADDERS TO CLIMB

“As a people person, sales had a natural gravitational pull,” Sachs says. His first job out of college was selling business office equipment for 3M. But Sachs was a magazine aficionado, and soon joined the sales staff at Life, with a client list concentrated in consumer electronics.

On his commutes to New York and back — about an hour and 10 minutes each way — he read three newspapers, played the occasional round of bridge and spent time in the bar car (on the return home, that is). “Those train rides were important,” he recalls.

“You had your community buddies and your work buddies, but you had your train buddies, too. They made for some strong relationships.”

Sachs married Christina Forstl in 1986. His career success enabled her to stay at home and raise their four kids, which he’s quick to point out “is the toughest job in the world.” The couple divorced after 20 years but remained friends. Sachs stayed deeply involved in his children’s lives. “People would ask me, ‘Are you sure you’re divorced?’”

In 1992, Men’s Journal recruited Sachs to lead its ad sales team. Wenner has long been a controversial figure, but Sachs has nothing but praise for him: “He was turning 50 the year he launched the magazine, and his lifestyle was different from the Rolling Stone years. He had three children by then. Men’s Journal was about spending quality time. Time as currency. It spoke to men of a certain age who had already worked as hard as they could work. It’s like, ‘Well, what are the benefits of that?’ Nobody goes to the grave wishing they

Continued on Page 84

Kiwanis is a way to stay involved, to give back. I know that sounds kind of trite and oldfashioned, but it’s still true.

CHRIS SACHS

“It’s a happy place... we’ve never looked back!”

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Former Longboat Key Residents Find Happiness In Their New Life At Freedom Village Bradenton

Gary Wolf and Carol Vickers enjoyed living on Longboat Key for years before deciding to move to Freedom Village of Bradenton, a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).

“We lived on Longboat for 25 years and it was a real pleasure. But age has a way of catching up. Steps became difficult, simplemaintenancebecameachore,trafficwasanightmare, and hurricanes were a big problem. We looked at six or seven CCRCs and this is the best place for us, we have never looked back. We have everything we need: excellent food, plenty of activities, and convenient healthcare. We couldn’t have found a better place to live. It’s a happy place.”

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Continued from Page 82

had spent more time at the office.”

After Sachs put in six years at Men’s Journal, headhunters wrangled him to help start up National Geographic Adventure, a spin-off intended as a fun alternative to the august mothership. Sachs was not involved with editorial but nevertheless helped shape the magazine. “I was able to give ideas about what kind of publication people would want to subscribe to and advertisers would want to buy space in,” he says. Sachs is particularly proud of Adventure winning a National Magazine Award for General Excellence in its second year of publication.

Sachs stayed at Adventure for about eight years — it ceased print publication in 2009 — and with a few associates formed a company focused on developing adventure TV programing. In 2012, the firm was bought out and Sachs earned his golden parachute, providing him enough of a financial windfall to retire at age 55. He keeps his days full. Sachs serves on the board of his HOA and is vice president of the

Republican Club of Longboat Key.

All told, Chris Sachs’ story is a classic one — that of climbing the corporate ladder and building a comfortable, happy life for his family in suburbia, unburdened by the alienation and ennui that literature would have us believe is part of the package. He was able to retire early and devote much of his time to service and family.

Even Sachs’ divorce worked out well in the end. His first wife remarried a wonderful guy, he says, and both sides of the family have blended beautifully. “Tammy asks me, ‘How is it that your ex-wife and I are best friends?” he says with a smile.

Asked if he feels like he’s lived a charmed life, Sachs pauses. “You could say that, but I prefer to think of it as a blessed life. I’ve lived a very blessed life.”

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED: Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key meets the first and third Thursday of every month for an 8:30 a.m. breakfast at the Lazy Lobster restaurant. The meetings generally feature a guest speaker. Cost: $15 contribution; breakfast included. For information, contact Chris Sachs at chris.kiwanisbell@gmail.com.

File photo Chris Sachs shows off fundraising results at the 2023 Lawn Party with Michael Garey and Andrew Vac.

Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch Grades

Historic Siesta Key Campus Pre-K

STONE PAVERS

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This bungalow exudes the heart, and history, of Longboat. PAGE 90

OASIS

INSIDE THE ISLAND LIFESTYLE

VintageLongboat

This charming bungalow in Longboat Village is more than picturesque. It has all the prerequisites of an up-to-date vacation home.

BY ROBERT PLUNKET | CONTRIBUTOR

Photos by Nobles and Heroes

A spacious outdoor living area provides the perfect spot for evenings with family and friends.

Ellie and Evan Hirsch thought they knew Longboat Key. The couple had visited many times, and back in 2020, they decided it was time to buy something. They weren’t sure what. A condo probably or perhaps a single-family home. It was to serve several purposes. First of all, a weekend getaway for the family — three boys and several dogs — that was close to their home in Tampa. They also wanted a place they could possibly rent out and, this being Florida real estate, a property that would make a good investment. But most of all, Ellie says, “we wanted a place to make memories.”

What they found was something they never expected — an historic home that was over 100 years old. It was a piece of local history that also happened to be the perfect beach cottage.

“We walked in and fell in love,” Ellie remembers. “I had never seen anything like it.”

Indeed, the Hirsches’ home is one of the hidden beauties of the key. Tucked away in Longboat Village at the very northern tip of the island, it’s a reminder of what Longboat was like back when it was a barely inhabited barrier island and the glamorous mansions and penthouses of today were a far-off glint in the eye of some yet-tobe-born developer.

Longboat Village was the island’s earliest settlement. The first home — a long-gone wooden shack — dated from the 1880s; by 1913 more substan-

Continued on Page 94

“Tucked away in Longboat Village at the very northern tip of the island, the home is a reminder of what Longboat was like back when it was a barely inhabited barrier island.”

The interior of the home sports a coastal vibe that’s perfect for holiday weekends.

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tial homes were being built. A remarkable group of 10 or so are still there. Built of masonry block, thanks to a block-making machine ordered from Sears Roebuck, they have survived over a century of hurricanes, aerial bombardment (during World War II the island was used by the Army Air Corps as a training ground for bomber pilots) and the periodic economic boom and busts that punctuate life in the Sunshine State. Today they offer a rare glimpse of Old Florida, complete with a flock of wild peacocks that still wanders the streets at will.

The Hirsch family’s vintage cottage is more than picturesque. It has all the prerequisites of an up-to-date vacation home. Its versatility surprised them. There is plenty of room for everyone and it’s full of special touches, including a wood-burning fireplace, an L-shaped screened-in porch complete with old fashioned swing, and the shiplap that

“What they found was something they never expected — an historic home, over 100 years old — that also happened to be the perfect beach cottage.”

adds character to the interiors.

There is a guest bedroom off the porch, accessed through French doors. It has a shipshape look, with plenty of built-ins and a workspace for Ellie and Evan, both of whom often work at home. (Ellie is a freelance copywriter; Evan is in finance.) The primary bedroom is up a gracious staircase — the second floor was added around 1930 — and contains a surprise. The bath and bedroom form one large space, with an old-fashioned clawfoot tub inviting a deep, relaxing soak. A big plus for Ellie: “I’m a bath person.”

The home’s kitchen is cool and mod-

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The pool and spa are enclosed in a tropical garden. Various seating areas provide flexibility for relaxing and alfresco meals.

The home’s old-fashioned charm is evident in the simple, easy-to-maintain bedrooms, both in the main residence and guest house.

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ern, with plenty of cabinetry, a farmhouse sink and a gas cooktop. There’s an adjacent dining area complete with a bay window and built-in seating that overlooks the home’s enclosed courtyard. This is where much of daily life takes place. You’ll find a pool and spa, and plenty of places to hang out with friends and the boys. “We wanted to create different areas,” Ellie explains. A particularly beachy touch is a table made from a surfboard, perfect for an alfresco lunch.

In fact, furnishing the home was a major part of the fun. The style?

“I call it ‘funky coastal,’” Ellie says. “Each piece of furniture tells a story. We shopped everywhere — at antique stores, garage sales, even Facebook Marketplace.”

But it’s the guest apartment over the garage that really gives the home its versatility. It features a spacious living area, a separate bedroom and a kitchen, plus several porches and outdoor areas of its own. It can be rented or used for visiting family and friends;

these days it’s been taken over as a hangout for the teenagers.

Ellie attributes much of the home’s charm to the village it’s a part of. The northern end of Longboat dates back centuries as a special place. The Calusa Indians would paddle over for seafood feasts, as evidenced by the middens still in existence.

Many old-timers consider the location to be the most beautiful in the area. Mega-realtor Michael Saunders, who grew up there a couple of blocks from the Hirsches’ home, calls it “a wonderful, magical spot.” There are islands everywhere you look — Sister Key and Jewfish Key among them — and the beaches are extraordinary. Sailboats dot the water and the houses are a fascinating and architecturally significant grouping of all sorts of beach cottages from the past century. And best of all? No high-rises.

These days seafood feasting is done at several well-known restaurants, including Mar Vista, a classic, laidback

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The up-to-date kitchen opens to the garden and includes a farmhouse sink and a gas cooktop.

don’t have to use a car here,” she says. “I love that aspect.”

Florida eatery, and Shore, chic and modern. They are destination restaurants for most people in the area; the Hirsch family just has to walk two blocks. They can also walk to the beach in under five minutes. And the bay is pretty much right behind their house. In fact, Ellie walks everywhere, including to breakfast and Pilates. “You

The Hirsches are moving on, though, and they have put their beloved home on the market. Realtor Cindy Fischer, who found it for them, is now selling it for them. “It’s a paradise of its own, with all the amenities Longboat Village has to offer,” she says.

Just be sure and drive carefully. The peacocks have right of way.

Make A Plan.

It Makes a Difference.

Taking a few moments now can make a significant difference for your loved ones down the road. From removing the stress and financial burdens to fulfilling your exact wishes for your celebration of life, pre-planning is the best gift you can give your family.

We’re here to help. Give us a call today to start the conversation.

Spring into Spring!

What’s happening in the arts this breezy season? Read on for a sneak peek at five cool bets.

SU BYRON MANAGING EDITOR

LOVE ME, LOVE MY DOG

They say people tend to resemble their dogs. In today’s polarized America, that could lead to a few dogfights. Brenda Withers’ “Westminster,” directed by Summer Dawn Wallace, reveals the combative results at Urbanite Theatre. It all starts innocently enough. Pia surprises her old friend Krys with the gift of a rescue dog — a big dog. (The play doesn’t specify the breed, but it has a bad reputation.) The prejudice against the pooch taps into prejudices against the kind of people who love those dogs. From there, Withers’ biting comedy enters surreal territory. Bitter arguments follow. From a canine perspective, it doesn’t make sense. Why are the people I love shouting at each other? Why can’t they stop? Good questions. Withers’ play was the winner of Urbanite’s 2023 Modern Work Festival and this marks its world premiere. Through April 28; UrbaniteTheatre.com.

MURDER HE WROUGHT

Jeffrey Hatcher’s contemporary adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Dial M for Murder” (1950) speeds up the pace and cuts down on expository speeches but keeps all the gripping suspense. It’s still set in mid-20th-century London, and still revolves around a husband’s foolproof plan to murder his wife. When his foolish plot unravels with fatal consequences, he still ties himself up in knots to escape justice. But Hatcher’s stylish, 2022 update adds a few twists and turns that Hitchcock (or the original novelist, Frederick Knott) never imagined. Céline Rosenthal directs this Asolo Repertory Theatre production and notes that Hatcher’s revamped thriller is even more thrilling than the original — and promises

to dial up the suspense. Through April 25; AsoloRep.org.

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

The Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key offers contemporary artists a quiet place to create that’s far from the madding crowd. “Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat” at Sarasota Art Museum showcases the resulting creations of 10 of these artists. Curated by Dan Cameron, this exhibition features work by Diana Al Hadid, Sanford Biggers, Chitra Ganesh, Todd Gray, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Michelle Lopez, Ted Riederer, John Sims, Kukuli Velarde and William Villalongo. Their art spans the media spectrum, encompassing sculpture, painting, installation, video, photography, prints, ceramics, textiles and social practice. Work by the late John Sims is especially revelatory. This Sarasota-based

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Photo by Sorcha Augustine Dekyi Rongé with her canine companion in “Westminster.”

Courtesy photos

A work in wood by Sanford Biggers is part of “Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat” at Sarasota Art Museum.

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artist challenged prejudices and perceptions with his “Afro-Confederate Flag Project” and “AfroDixie Remixes” song collection. According to Cameron, his paradigm-shifting message is as relevant than ever. Through July 7; SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

Theater Latté Da World Premiere Production

INNER CHILD’S PLAY

“Lori Childers: Playgrounds” invites the viewer’s inner child to come out and play at Mara Studio + Gallery this month. Her series of oil-on-canvas paintings captures the icons of classic playground technology. “Twinkle” depicts a circus tent with rings; “North West East South” is a merry-go-round with multicolored seats; “Caterpillar” captures the sinuous s-curve of a caterpillar jungle gym. Childers’ playful paintings have a weightless, gravitydefying quality; they draw the eye with strong compositions, bold colors and an intoxicating sense of movement. “I’m mining my memories for what delighted me as a child,” the artist says. “I’d like you to imagine yourself in the corner of a playground with infinite possibilities.” Artist reception: 5:307:30 p.m. April 12; exhibit: April 4–30; MaraStudioGallery.com.

The Theater Latté Da World Premiere Production

LUSH LIFE

Clyde Butcher lovingly documents Florida’s few remaining wild landscapes with his stunning black-andwhite photography. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is showcasing his visions of Florida’s subtropical Eden with “Clyde Butcher: Nature Through the Lens” at its Historic Spanish Point campus. These large-scale, aluminum-panel prints capture Butcher’s vignettes on a massive scale in the setting of Spanish Point’s real-world natural beauty. These jaw-dropping Sunshine State vistas include scenes of the Big Cypress National Preserve, Myakka River State Park, Casey Key, and Everglades National Park. Seeing Florida’s lush life through Butcher’s eyes, you can’t help but fall in love with it. That’s the reason Butcher took these photographs in the first place, of course. He’s a passionate conservationist. While preserving Florida’s unspoiled landscapes on film, Butcher also fights to save the real thing. Through Aug. 31; Selby.org.

“Astronaut” by Lori Childers is on display in “Playground” at Mara Studio + Gallery this month.

Lori Childers’ “Playground” series is at Mara Studio + Gallery this month.

Photos by Lori Sax Lauren Christensen and Event Chair Jamie Becker

Jesse and Katie Biter

Right: Katie Rauch with Brent and Tricia Arslaner

Top-right: Tomeka Koski, Fayth Jenkins, Brittney Thigpen, Gloria Gladney and Lena Clark

2024 CIRCUS SEASON

Cirque des Voix

Friday, March 22 & Saturday, March 23

SAILOR CIRCUS ARENA

Circus of Voices in collaboration with Key Chorale

WONDERBALL

Saturday, April 13

SAILOR CIRCUS ARENA

One-of-a-kind electronic dance music concert featuring Alan Walker

Sailor Circus: The Greatest Little Show on Earth

Saturday, May 4 & Sunday, May 5

SAILOR CIRCUS ARENA

Showcasing the talent of America’s longest running youth circus

Summer Circus Spectacular

Friday, June 14 -

Saturday, August 17

THE RINGLING

An intimate circus performance in The Historic Asolo Theater

Photo: JonesInPhoto

GLOBALLY INSPIRED GLOBALLY INSPIRED CHEF OWNED CHEF OWNED

Mattison's Forty-One

South Sarasota

Downtown Sarasota

Mattison's Riverwalk Grille

Downtown Bradenton

Tracee Murphy, Grant Castilow and Ella Castilow

Right: Beth Sanchez and Dahiana Torres with Lynn Sky in her 100-pound octopus costume.

Photos by Janet Combs

BY MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Michael Garey of Lazy Lobster

This Lazy Lobster co-owner doesn’t have a lazy bone in his body. He loves his work and honors the mentors who got him started.

The Lazy Lobster, on Longboat Key, has a laidback name. Don’t let it fool you. There’s a hard-working team behind it. Co-owner Michael Garey is one of them. He credits his work ethic to his two mentors — Murf Klauber, founder of The Colony, and Titus Letschert, founder of Cafe L’Europe. Garey spent 22 years at Café L’Europe, working his way from busboy to general manager. As he puts it: “Their legacy touched so many people in the local restaurant industry, including Ray Arpke (Euphemia Haye); Harry Christensen (Harry’s Continental Kitchens); and Jean Pierre Knaggs (Bijou Café). As I see it, my mentors started me on my path. Now I try to pay it forward to the next generation.” Garey spoke to us recently about his life and work.

The Lazy Lobster origin story begins with…

.

. . John Horne and Dave Gibson. They opened the first Lazy Lobster restaurant in Sarasota in 1999. I bought it in 2007 with my three business partners — my wife Catherine, Bob Fracalossy and his wife, Kay Kivenski. We opened the second Lazy Lobster on Longboat Key in 2009. So, we’re coming up on our 15th anniversary. (The partners rebranded the original Lazy Lobster in Sarasota as Casey’s Seafood.)

My first lobster encounter was when… . . . I was maybe 12 years old. I remem-

ber it vividly. I was with my father in Pittsburgh. I asked, “Can I have the lobster?” He said, “Yes son, you can. But I have to ask one thing first: Can you finish it?” I nodded my head — and it wasn’t a problem. I ate every last bite. It was so delicious.

We get our whole lobsters from . . . . . . Boothbay Harbor in Maine. We have photos of the boat and know the fishermen who harvest them. They arrive fresh five days a week. They’re delicious, and so are our lobster tails. The tails are mostly cold-water Canadian.

Lazy Lobster is … … welcoming, accessible, consistent and reasonably priced.

My role is to . . .

… assist the Lazy Lobster team with welcoming and seating guests. I also help the bus staff and I walk around and talk to guests. I love my job.

We hire employees who are … … energetic, enthusiastic and want to serve.

Photo by Lori Sax

Catherine and Michael Garey with general manager, Mike Frashier, at Longboat Key’s Lazy Lobster.

BEHIND

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I don’t pull 90-hour workweeks anymore because . . .

. . . I’m 64 years old, and I’ve cut down to 60 hours or so. But I’ve got a great team in place and they make it possible.

Perfect for those times when you don’t want or have time to cook but still crave something delicious. Morton’s kitchen offers an amazing array of gourmet entrees and comfort foods, all prepared from scratch and packaged to go.

Save time, money and effort while savoring the city’s best take-out, hands down. Don’t miss our huge selection of freshly made salads too!

Serving the Sarasota area for over 50 years

1924 South Osprey Ave. Sarasota ∙ (941) 955-9856

MortonsMarket.com

My proudest recent accomplishment is … … our 2023 renovation. We’ve transformed our whole interior. My wife, Catherine, did a beautiful job on the redesign. Chad Salvino and Gabriel Garcia did the work on the build-out. Gabriel was one of our original employees, and he’s still on staff as a server in the evenings. Their craftsmanship and attention to detail are second to none.

When I’m not at work, I love to … … spend time with my wife, especially when we travel. We also love playing tennis and just being outside. My passion for golf was a casualty of the restaurant business. The good news is I’ve returned to my faith. Most mornings, you’ll find me at Incarnation Church.

Aside from Lazy Lobster, my favorite area restaurant is … … probably Maison Blanche. It’s a fantastic restaurant that deserves all its accolades.

Don’t leave Lazy Lobster without trying … … our lobster thermidor for dinner. If you’re here for lunch, you’ve got to try our lobster grilled cheese soup and sandwich combo.

IF YOU GO

Lazy Lobster

5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat

Key; 941-383-0440; LazyLobsterofLongboat. com.

Photos by Lori Sax

Not in the mood for lobster?

Try the Scallops Breanna.

The lobster thermidor is a favorite at Lazy Lobster.

CAFE GABBIANO

There’s an intimate dining getaway located on Siesta Key, Café Gabbiano brings a mix of classic and modern Italian dishes. Chef Paolo Di Costanzo, hailing from Ischia Italy brings you a diverse seasonal menu including local fish, handmade pastas, ravioli and Allen Brothers Meats. Certified sommelier, Marc Grimaud, has 200 wines on-site and specializes in pairing the perfect wine with your food. A diverse cocktail program including crated cocktails and bourbon and whisky tastings. Enjoy intimate dining in one of our wine rooms or choose outdoor seating in our climate-controlled patio. This is Italy’s best loved restaurant on Siesta Key.

5104 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key 941-349-1423 | www.cafegabbiano.com

CAFÉ L’EUROPE

Old World meets New World in a Five-Star-Fun hospitality experience.

Inspired by Europe’s finest bistros, Café L’Europe delivers outstanding hospitality and delicious shareable fare infused with classic technique in a historic setting.

Café is now home to The Wet Bar, our chic lounge where an award-winning wine list and friendly mixologists crafting cocktails greet you over a soundscape of funk-infused jazz.

Café L’Europe is owned by Oysters Rock Hospitality, whose vision of hospitality means ensuring that everyone at their table knows that they belong. Oysters Rock Hospitality also includes the nationally-awarded and locally-beloved Anna Maria Oyster Bars.

431 St Armands Cir, Sarasota (941) 388-4415 | cafeleurope.net

CHEF ROLF’S NEW FLORIDA KITCHEN Restaurant, Tiki Bar, Fine Dining & Ballroom

Chef Rolf offers the perfect location at the CASEY KEY RESORTS MAINLAND for your private event and can accommodate up to 200+ people.

Enjoy all of Chef Rolf’s Amazing Dining Experiences:

• The TIKI BAR serving lunch and dinner daily from 12-9pm, happy hour & live music.

• INSIDE DINING ROOM now open for dinner Thursday, Friday, Saturday & brunch on Sunday.

• CORAL ROOM FINE DINING now open Wednesday - Sunday.

• THE OSPREY CAFE serving Breakfast daily 8-11am and Sunday Brunch 11-2pm.

21660 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey 941.966.2121 | www.ChefRolf.us

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FUEGO COMIDA & TEQUILA INSPIRED | REIMAGINED | MODERN

At Fuego Comida & Tequila, our menu features bold flavors inspired by traditional recipes from the Coast of Mexico. We have reimagined a Fine Dining Sensory Experience, with our stunning restaurant design, craft cocktails, and enchanting menu items - which uses both local and sustainably sourced ingredients, when possible. Also featuring the Finest Tequilas and Mezcals as well as a global wine selection. We love that Mexico’s most treasured asset is family. Welcome to our family!

111615 Florida 70 E, Lakewood Ranch (941)751-5252 | fuegotequilalounge.com

Siesta Key Oyster Bar, or “SKOB” as the locals call it, is the hangout with the laid-back, beachy atmosphere that will put you in the Island Spirit. Our food is just one of the reasons we are #1 on the Key!

From Raw Oysters and Fresh Seafood to All-Natural Burgers and Chicken Wings, there is something for everyone on the menu. With over 21 beers on tap including Local Craft Beer, Domestic and Specialty Imports plus a variety of creative Specialty Cocktails you will not go away thirsty!

We have live music every day and night with some of the best local musicians around.

So, the next time you are in the heart of Siesta Key Village and want to relax with a frosty beverage, enjoy some fantastic food, or listen to great live music, stop by SKOB, the Hot Spot in Siesta Key. You’ll be glad you did!

NOW SERVING BRUNCH 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM every Sunday 5238 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key 941.346.5443 | skob.com

WOLVESHEAD

When Wolveshead opened in 2014, we dreamed of becoming the neighborhood hangout. Now, that dream has become reality - and we have grown year over year!

Whether you’ve come for our Hand-Tossed Pizzas, one of our 22 Ice Cold Draft Beers, or our signature Charbroiled Wings, you’re sure to be back for more. Thank you to our wonderful staff, as well as all of our regulars, for helping to create the Wolfpack Family - we appreciate each and every one of you!

Cheers!

1837 Lakewood Ranch Blvd, Lakewood Ranch 941-251-4028 | www.wolvesheadpizza.com

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KEY ENCOUNTERS

SIESTA KEY

PHOTO BY NANCY GUTH

Linked to the mainland by two bridges, Siesta Key is a barrier island with five miles of aweinspiring beaches. Lauded worldwide, Siesta’s beaches consistently win best-in-show for their sugary-white, sensationally soft sand. Siesta’s beaches are ideal for sunbathing, swimming, shell-collecting and soaking in the Gulf of Mexico’s postcard splendor. But some crave more extreme beach adventures. Aquatic athletes head for Siesta Public Beach where you

can rent anything that flies or floats, including Jet Skis, kayaks, sailboats, motorboats and surfboards. Parasail tours, windsurfing, fishing and diving expeditions, waterskiing and beach bike rentals are available, too. There’s also tennis and volleyball courts, a fitness trail, and a bustling concession pavilion. On Sunday evenings, the tranquil atmosphere of the beach is enlivened by a vibrant community drum circle, where everyone is welcome to join in the rhythmic celebration. Enjoy the sounds. Add your own if you like. How sweet it is.