Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 3.28.24

YOUR TOWN

Sounds like Zen

Sometimes, the sound of a blaring car horn is a sign that one’s mind may not be in the moment, a prompt to snap out of a trance and perform a lifesaving maneuver.

In other cases ignoring it may be the best option as Sarasota has added

Pretty in pink fur

When Myra Simmons, 5, attended the “Paint Your Pup” class at Beyond the Canvas Academy on March 26, accompanied by her family dog Hamish, her mother didn’t realize the class name was literal.

As Myra returned from class, her mother expected her to have a painting in hand. But Susie Simmons was shocked to instead find Hamish boasting a kaleidoscope of colors on his white fur.

“This was the best class ever, and Hammy is the best dog ever because he lets me paint whatever I want on him,” Myra said.

To create Hamish’s new look, the school used Puppy Pastels, an all-natural art and skin conditioning product that soothes dogs’ skin and prevents ticks with color. But the class came with a disclaimer: “Never paint your pet with any product not certified for use on your pet’s fur — except for when painting them on canvas.”

WEEK OF APRIL 1, 2024

BY THE NUMBERS

“When life gets heavy, people look for an escape. Commodore Cruises offer that. I think we give people an adventure without the hassle of an adventure.”

— Commodore Cruise CEO Merrill Stubing Read more on Page 4A

Sushi charter school approved

ing a sushi roll using the highest quality imported ingredients, the curriculum would fulfill all state requirements in subjects like math and English.

Yet, when Ginger offered his proposal at a school board meeting, he met resistance.

“How about spending our taxpayer dollars on some prac-

tical skills kids can use here in Sarasota, like tightrope walking and clowning?” said public commenter Kelly Reasoner. School board attorney Dave Diggin said recent legislation at the state level means the school’s application is already approved since it meets all state requirements.

“The applicant has clearly demonstrated its ability to adhere to FDA safety standards in the handling and freezing of raw fish,” said Diggin.

New city of Sarasota logo unveiled

There were months of heated debate and countless scrapped proposals followed by weeklong public protests after a design consultant suggested in January 2024 that Sarasota repurpose its 1902 city seal design for its new logo.

But the dust has settled and the city of Sarasota, at last, has a new logo, ending efforts to update the logo that since the 1990s featured an image of the replica David statue that stands at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

“This was one of the most heated issues the commission has considered during my career. The emails were shocking,” said City Commissioner Jim Halpert. “Reversing the direction of the roundabouts last year was nothing compared to this.”

The city contracted with Studio Hexagon in February for a flat-rate project fee of $350,000. The San Francisco design house has redesigned the logos of leading tech companies and Fortune 500 firms.

At Monday’s Sarasota City Commission meeting, representatives of Studio Hexagon unveiled the new logo, dubbed David 3.0 (shown above).

“As you can see, rather than imbue the spirit of the replica statue that stands at the Ringling, we’ve incorporated inspiration from Michelangelo’s original work, which will help position Sarasota as a global city on par with a Milan or a Paris,” said Morgan Banksie, Studio Hexagon art director. “You’ll also note that more of the statue’s pedestal is visible, which we think emphasizes the elevation and refinement that defines the Sarasota experience.”

Catch of the day

Former aquarium facility to be converted into family friendly interactive seafood restaurant.

SWRITER

arasota will soon be home to a new concept in the seafood restaurant industry.

Mote will begin construction on a state-of-the-art, fine-dining seafood restaurant called Fresh Catch as early as the end of 2024.

currently has will be moved to the new location in Lakewood Ranch. The ones remaining at the facility will be a part of a small aquarium exhibit located near the back of the restaurant, as something for guests to do after a meal.

Guests at the restaurant will be able to pay an extra $20 for the opportunity to catch their own fish, prepared in a variety of different ways by Executive Chef Sal Monk.

while bringing in the necessary elements of a fine-dining restaurant. Most of the expenses will be to add the necessary plumbing and electrical to run a large-scale commercial kitchen.

Monk and Carpp are also working on a specialty cocktail menu, which will include staple drinks as well as a seasonal rotation.

Get ready for a restaurant where you’ll be able to catch your own meal.

“From the start, Mote really wanted to figure out how to utilize the old facility in the best way possible,” said newly appointed Fresh Catch General Manager Janine Carpp. “That’s when the idea for a restaurant formed, and I was brought on board.”

The former Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium facility on Ken Thompson Parkway is undergoing preparations to become an interactive seafood restaurant with a literal take on the phrase “fresh catch of the day.”

Just as the former Sarasota Ken-

nel Club is meeting its fate with an excavator, another form of four-legged pari-mutuel wagering may soon be on its way to Sarasota, specifically to St. Armands Circle.

In 2018, Florida voters approved a referendum banning greyhound racing. They didn’t, however, say anything about dachshund racing. To fill the void, the National Association of Wiener Dog Racing is planning to propose the nation’s first permanent race track to occupy Circle Park.  Planned is a 500-seat, circular stadium for yearround races surrounding a 100-yard track on which wiener dogs will compete to win, place or show for both the amusement of spectators and the gambling public.

Although small, the seating bowl in Circle Park provides for an ideal length track for dachshunds.

“Their legs are pretty short and they don’t exactly have a lot of endurance,” said NAWDR spokesman Nathan Franks of the short circular track.

“Most wiener dog races are on a straightaway, so we think this is an ideal length.”

As an accessory, the NAWDR plans to occupy a nearby boutique retail location for betting and box office activities, but it also has its eyes on something larger.

“If we can get a very large restaurant space, we can also open a card

room with a dedicated space for closed-circuit broadcasting from inside the stadium and from races being held at other locations,” Franks said.

“We have our eyes on a very large restaurant space very close to the stadium that’s ideal. There is already a great kitchen there to prepare — what else? — hundreds of hot dogs per hour.

“It is our goal to make Sarasota the global headquarters for pari-mutuel wiener dog racing.”

According to NAWDR, dachshunds are deceptively fast despite their short legs. They have been clocked at 25 mph, just more than half the top speed of a greyhound.

“Getting them to run is easy,” Franks said. “Getting them to run where you want them to run is another matter altogether.”

Officials at Mote estimated that it will cost about $2 million to transform the courtyard and tanks into Fresh Catch. Most of the funds were raised through private donors interested in adding something new to the Sarasota culinary scene, according to Carpp.

The full scope of the restaurant is undetermined, but it will seat at least 400 people. The shark tank will be a focal point of the new concept and will house thousands of lobsters.

After Mote’s new Science Education Aquarium opens in early 2025, about 90% of the species the facility

A few tanks will house some of the fish likely to be on the menu, such as grouper, mahi mahi, red snapper and Spanish mackerel.  There will also be a tank full of blue crabs. For $10, guests can use a string and a piece of chicken to attract a crab for their meal.

“It’s an interesting concept,” Monk said. “Certainly nothing that I’ve seen before.”

Monk is planning menu items like grilled or fried fish, taco variations and homemade salsas and relishes.

Mote’s goal is to utilize as much of the existing structures as possible

Carpp said that, as of now, Fresh Catch will be offering only lunch and dinner. If the idea takes off as well as they hope, they might expand their hours to include brunch, she said.

The restaurant staff hope to do a trial run of the restaurant in late 2024 for Mote executives and families, before a soft opening shortly thereafter. Doors to the restaurant should open to the public the day of Mote SEA’s own ribbon cutting.

For more info or to get on the waiting list for reservations, call 941366-3468.

BELLS AND WHISTLES

Like greyhound racing, a mechanical lure will be used. Bred to hunt badgers, the dachshunds will chase a stuffed badger that will be mounted on a mechanical arm attached to a track in the center of the circular course. Starting in Australia in the 1970s, wiener dog racing has spread around the world. Since 1995, the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals have been held every year in Southern California. Franks said the plan is to move that weeklong event, held

every December, to the new track at St. Armands Circle. Franks said the NAWDR is coordinating with Commodore Cruise Lines, which recently announced plans to make Siesta Key a twiceweekly port of call.  At a minimum, races will

OBSERVER STAFF

Courtesy image

The Mote facility on City Island will soon reopen as a state-of-the-art, fine-dining seafood restaurant called Fresh Catch.

Some dachshunds have been clocked at speeds of up to 25 mph.

GOTCHA!

Happy April Fools’ Day from the Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer! The stories on pages 1 through 4 are not real news. Hope you’re as relieved as we are!

Gulf coast port of call

A cruise line plans to reopen Midnight Pass to bring thousands of passengers twice each week.

TLong-term

tenders will make back and forth throughout the day,” said Commodore Cruise Lines President and CEO Merrill Stubing. “Besides, we could never get a ship through the draw bridges. Today’s cruise ships aren’t like the Love Boat.”

them off at a new terminal at Nora Patterson Park.

From there, they may board any number of shuttles for shore excursions or simply travel to Siesta Village, enjoy the beach or head into downtown Sarasota or St. Armands for the day.

“We don’t need to dredge Midnight Pass deep enough for a cruise ship, just for the dozens of trips

To accommodate the passengers, a welcome center is planned at the park, including a souvenir shop and a bar. A rental car facility will be built at the former Southgate Mall as part of the redevelopment of that property. Passengers renting cars will be shuttled back and forth over the scenic north bridge at Siesta Drive.

“We’re looking to design a Tikihut style bar where passengers can stay and drink all day at the new terminal,” said Commodore Cruise Lines’ Food and Beverage Director Isaac Washington. “The park is ideally situated as a natural extension of

the cruise ship and its bar service. It will be outta sight, all right!”

Commodore plans to initially make Siesta Key a once-weekly stop for two ships sailing seven-day itineraries originating at Port of Miami. The company was attracted to Siesta Key because of the small-town seaside charm of Siesta Village, its world-renowned beaches and convenient access to Sarasota.

“We look forward to a win-win relationship between Siesta Key and our thousands of passengers and crew during our twice-weekly stops,” said Commodore Vice President of Hospitality and Entertainment Julie McCoy. “One thing we love about adding Siesta Key to our ports of call is how else can you visit Gilligan’s Island without embarking on an ill-fated three-hour tour?”

Other cruise companies are

“We look forward to a win-win relationship between Siesta Key and our thousands of passengers and crew during our twiceweekly stops.”

Julie McCoy, Commodore VP of hospitality and entertainment

watching. Siesta Key will be the only Florida Gulf Coast port of call for a cruise ship, but more may be on the way. If successful, Commodore plans to purchase and expand the park to make room for multiple ships that may be anchored off Siesta Key

on any given day.

“We don’t want to be accused of privatizing a public park, so instead we’ll just take it private,” Stubing said.

Siesta Key may not be the only Sarasota County destination for cruise stops. Absent docking in port, they require shore access from the ship via tenders, and another such facility could be on the way.

“We hear there is a plan to build some day docks on City Island that will accommodate a water taxi service,” said cruise industry analyst Gopher Smith. “That will be a great opportunity to accommodate thousands of passengers with direct access to all of the dining, shopping and recreation options St. Armands Key and Longboat Key have to offer.” For info and booking call Commodore Cruise Lines at 941-366-3468.

Courtesy renderings

Commodore Cruise Lines will soon bring thousands of passengers to Siesta Key.

Location for cruise ship tenders/lifeboats at Nora Patterson Park.

WEEK OF MAR. 28, 2024

BY THE NUMBERS

“I would encourage us as a board to not just accept it as a flat county millage rate, but to look for areas of improvement.”

Sarasota County Commissioner Neil Rainford Read more on Page 16A

Parent advisor Tonika Conaway and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation Senior Vice President Kelly Romanoff have been selected as co-chairs of the steering committee of the First 1,000 Days Suncoast initiative. First 1,000 Days Suncoast is a network of nonprofit agencies and health care providers that addresses system barriers, builds community partnerships and coordinates free and affordable services for families during pregnancy and up to age

3. The steering committee helps guide the initiative’s direction and expand the involvement of parents and partners.

“Partnerships are the pulse of our work,” said Chelsea Arnold, initiative manager of First 1,000 Days Suncoast. “Co-creating strategies with nonprofit professionals and parents who have lived experience is key to building effective, sustainable and equitable programs for families.”

Conaway is working to become a case worker with a men-

tal health and addiction treatment provider. After receiving life-changing support through First 1,000 Days Suncoast, she volunteered to serve on the initiative’s parent advisory committee. Romanoff was the Barancik Foundation’s point person in researching, developing and launching First 1,000 Days locally in 2018. More information about the program is available at First1000DaysSuncoast.org.

Centennial Park boat ramps closed April 1-5

The Centennial Park boat launch at 1059 N. Tamiami Trail, also unofficially known as the 10th Street boat launch, will be closed for emergency repairs Monday-Friday, April 1-5.

Underwater damage to the concrete ramp has created an invisible hazard for boat trailers. The lane known to have significant damage is currently closed. All three doublelane ramps will be temporarily closed starting Monday as scuba divers inspect the ramps. Divers will clean and prepare all confirmed damaged areas, then crews will make the necessary repairs.

The boat ramp is expected to reopen to the public by Saturday, April 6. Meanwhile, the boat launch at Ken Thompson Park on City Island remains open to the public.

Affordable housing

ZTA hearing set for Monday

The second reading and public hearing on a zoning text amendment to incentivize the development of affordable and attainable housing in suburban areas will begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 1.

The special meeting will be held in the commission chamber at City Hall, 1565 First St.

The proposed ZTA, which was approved by a 3-2 vote in the first reading, will provide density and height bonuses to mixed-use developments along commercial corridors and in commercial centers on parcels identified as future land use of mixeduse in the city’s comprehensive plan.

Incentives include a residential bonus density of three times base density, heights of four or five stories, reduced parking requirements and more on parcels primarily along North and South Tamiami Trail, Fruitville Road and other main arteries.

To qualify, developers must include a minimum of 15% of the bonus density as affordable units priced at 80% or less, 100% or less, and 120% or less of the rent and utilities threshold of the area median income. Those units must be maintained as affordable for a minumum of 30 years.

Courtesy image Kelly Romanoff (left) and Tonika Conaway are steering committee co-chairs of First 1,000 Days Suncoast.

Single-span solution

FDOT prefers a single span to replace the Little Ringling Bridge, at a cost of $59.1 million.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

With the Little Ringling Bridge now in the project development and engineering phase, the Florida Department of Transportation has shared its preferred alternative to replace the twin spans between Bird Key Drive and Sarasota Harbour West.

Even as westbound traffic was backed up from downtown Sarasota to St. Armands Circle early Thursday evening, the FDOT revealed its plan to build a single bridge, choosing that over a two-bridge or a no-build option.

The latter option, over the next 30 years, would cost more than half that of a new bridge with a service life of 75 years. Afterward, the bridge would still need to be replaced, likely at a much higher price.

Selecting the preferred option now allows for further PD&E, although construction remains unfunded and the earliest work would begin is 2028.

According to the FDOT study, rehabilitation projects in the nobuild option would likely include partial or complete deck replacement, substructure and beam repairs, and replacement of structural pile jackets plus corrosion protection to slow deterioration. Maintenance repairs would be ongoing and larger rehabilitation projects could be expected approximately every five years.

The total estimated no-build cost is $38.8 million compared to $59.1 million for the single bridge preferred option. A rejected two-bridge alternative was estimated at $63.7 million.

During the workshop held at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, Project Manager Patrick Bateman showed a video that provided details about the project. It was not a question-and-answer but rather an information-gathering exercise to receive public comment.

Only three residents offered that

The

input, two in person and one via Zoom, including Columbia Restaurant and St. Armands Circle property owner Casey Gonzmart.

While he endorsed the single bridge concept, he was concerned about access to St. Armands and even more traffic congestion as a result of the construction.

“We would like to take this opportunity to understand what access will be to the keys for safety and otherwise during the period of construction, and an estimate of how long the construction may take,” Gonzmart said. “This is something that’s going to make everyone anxious for a period of time.”

Gonzmart said a marketing plan should be developed to inform visi-

The Players’ growth stage

The Stage at Payne Park submits plans for tripling the size of Payne Park Auditorium into a performance venue.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

After withdrawing its request for a pre-application meeting with planners late last year, a new application for The Stage at Payne Park has been received by the city.

Received on March 20, the preapplication proposes to triple the size of the city-owned building on the edge of Payne Park from its current 8,100 square feet to 24,770 square feet and convert what is essentially a dance hall into a performing arts venue primarily for The Sarasota Players plus upwards of 16 other community performance organizations.

The Sarasota Players, formerly The Players Centre for Performing Arts, spun off The Stage at Payne Park as a subsidiary to raise funds, oversee the expansion and operate the facility. That organization is led by CEO Brian McCarthy, who also sits on The Sarasota Players Board of Trustees. McCarthy is also CEO of The Pickleball Club LLC, which last year opened an indoor club just south of Lakewood Ranch on Sarasota Center Boulevard.

The proposed site plan has evolved since the concept was first introduced during a community workshop in September 2023. The existing building now serves more as an auxiliary structure to the performance space. In addition to lobby and backstage areas, the existing building would also house two rehearsal halls and administrative space. The plan shows circulation leading from the current building into the new structure to a second lobby and an

THE DESIGN

From the application:

The existing auditorium is defined by its roof overhangs, pitched roof and the rhythm of the exposed columns on the exterior. Retained are the front three sides of the original design features, adding wood panels above the Ocala block at the entry.

The addition front façades are clad with a block veneer to match the original Ocala block. The canopy of the addition entry is set away from the existing building, the detail of the canopy taking cues from the Sarasota School of Architecture.

The new design embraces principles of the Sarasota School of Architecture with sharp-edged geometric forms, canopy detailing and large transparent façade. These characteristics create an indoor-outdoor connection inside the foyer through light and nature.

auditorium of approximately 300 seats. The seating would be flexible to allow for performances staged in multiple configurations.

Documents submitted to the city describe a plan to “revive the existing Payne Park Auditorium into a vibrant performing arts incubator for the Sarasota Players and other local performing arts organizations.” According to the documents, through the schematic design phase the design team held weekly workshops with various stakeholders to identify the priorities, goals and limitations of the project. The consortium of 17 organizations includes a wide range of performing arts groups. They are:

■ The Sarasota Players

■ Artistic Series Concerts

■ Azara Ballet

■ Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota

■ EnsembleNewSRQ

■ Jazz Club of Sarasota

■ Key Chorale

■ Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble

■ Pops Orchestra, Ring Sarasota

■ SaraSolo

■ Sarasota Contemporary Dance

■ Sarasota Jewish Theatre

■ Sarasota Rising

■ Squeaky Wheel Theatre Troupe

■ The Arts & Cultural Alliance

■ The Hermitage

■ Theatre Odyssey

“The flexible theatre is a multiform space designed to host a variety of events and performances, from dance to cabaret, to fully produced dramatic theater and musical theater productions,” reads the submission.

“The two rehearsal halls will be used for rehearsals, but also as performance spaces, classrooms, development and banquet spaces as well as a host of other functions. The administrative spaces include offices for personnel from The Stage, the Players and touchdown spaces and conference rooms to be used by the different theater organizations. The foyer is intended to be an open, flexible, welcoming space to host a variety of functions such as pre-function events, intermission, banquet, or simply a hangout space.”

In May 2023, the Sarasota City Commission unanimously approved entering into a 10-year lease with The Players for the auditorium with two subsequent 10-year optional renewals. The building is currently used for Parks and Recreation Department

THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

What began as a capital campaign of $9 million to build the project has grown to a $17 million effort, seeded by a pledge of $4 million by The Sarasota Players. A mailer recently distributed from The Stage at Payne Park provides a description of the plan, including:

■ 5,000-square-foot theater with flexible seating of up to 300.

■ State-of-the-art audio and visual equipment.

■ Multiple flexible rehearsal and event spaces.

■ Green room private dressing rooms, laundry, wardrobe and maintenance facilities.

■ Box office and reception lobby.

■ Event catering facilities.

■ Well-appointed restrooms.

■ Can be converted into a 300seat ballroom.

“The flexible theatre is a multiform space designed to host a variety of events and performances, from dance to cabaret, to fully produced dramatic theater and musical theater productions.”

The Stage at Payne Park proposal

offices. The Players will pay the city $100 per year plus $1 per ticket sold for each performance. All renovation and expansion expenses, with the exception of the storm-damaged roof, will be funded by The Stage. That lease will not be executed until The Players and The Stage at Payne Park receive site plan approval.

The Stage at Payne Park has chosen Fleischman Garcia Maslowski Architecture of Sarasota and Tampa to design the renovation and expansion. It has also contracted with Stages Consultants of Highland Park, New Jersey, to serve as the project’s theater, AV and acoustics consultant.

THE RISING STARS OF DANCE

The Stage proposal would include a 16,670-square-foot expansion connecting the existing Payne Park Auditorium to a new space where the main theater and special event space will be located.

New lease on life

Airport approves sales agreement to New College. Pending FAA and state funding approval the deal secures the school’s future.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

With Monday’s unanimous vote of the Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority Board of Directors, both the authority and New College of Florida have entered into an agreement for the college to acquire the nearly 31 acres it rents from the airport for a purchase price of $11.5 million.

The New College Board of Trustees approved the purchase agreement at its Feb. 22 meeting.

Although there’s now a willing buyer and seller, the deal isn’t done yet. The airport authority must first secure permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to sell the property, and the college must secure the funds from the state.

“We’ve received neither yet,” SRQ President and CEO Rick Piccolo told the airport board. “This is just a conceptual approval of the agreement. The pricing was arrived at school appraisals done by both New College and the airport.”

HOW $11.5M EQUALS $29.5M

According to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport figures, the sale to New College of 30.94 acres will result in a present-day value of nearly $30 million to the airport.

Here’s how:

■ Direct proceeds: $11.5 million.

■ Interest savings on $11.5 million in capital project borrowing: $18 million.

■ Total: $29.5 million

The FAA has authority over the disposition of airport land because it is a portion of what was granted to SMAA’s predecessor and is subject to property restrictions imposed by the federal government. The site was a World War II Army Air Corps base until it was transferred to civilian use in 1947, a result of the Surplus

Property Act of 1944. The funding for the purchase must be approved by the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida Board of Trustees.

Despite the need to expand what is now the fastest-growing airport in the country, Piccolo and the SMAA say the site adjacent to the west end of airport property sandwiched between University Parkway and General Spaatz Boulevard is not needed.

According to SMAA documents, the 2021 Airport Master Plan Update Land Use Map identifies the land as nonaeronautical; and the short-, medium- and long-term projects map, which extends to 2040, show

PLEASE RE-LEASE ME

the campus as not needed for future airport use. The Master Plan Update also shows all future parking needs being met by using existing areas, and among the long-term plans is a parking structure on the current short-term lot.   “We’ve had no problems with parking. Our overflow lots are more than adequate,” Piccolo told SMAA Board members. “The (overflow lot) on U.S. 41 continues under construction and should be done sometime early summer to late fall. We have nine major projects going on, and I expect all of them to be done in time for the December/January opening of the terminal.”

A recent review of future park-

Written in 1957, before the existence of the FAA and well before regulatory standards requiring consumer price index and periodic reappraisals, New College presently has a 99-year lease on 34.82 acres from the airport. Because the lease was not tied to consumer price index adjustments, the annual rent is currently $108,072. The current fair market value rental rate for undeveloped airport land generally is 85 cents per square foot, which, if charged the general rate, would equal nearly $1.3 million per year. That comes to nearly $37.8 million in unrealized revenue over the remainder of the lease period.

APPRAISAL COMP

Unlike home appraisals, there are not many comparables available for 31 acres of airport property. Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, though, has a neighboring comp across University Parkway from its southernmost boundary. In early 2023, the 25-plusacre Sarasota Kennel Club sold for approximately $365,000 per acre. The proposed New College sale price is approximately $383,000 per acre, or $18,000 per acre more.

ing and terminal needs to the year 2050 shows that the current college footprint does not impact future development except for a small portion located on its northern edge of the site, known as the Pei Campus, and a small portion on the Bayfront Campus which impacts the runway protection zone. Control of those parcels will be transferred to the airport, protecting in perpetuity the approach to Runway 4.

That is in addition to 3.88 acres the airport will reclaim along and including the right of way for General Spaatz Boulevard.

Should New College rent the site for the remainder the lease period through 2056, at today’s rate it would pay the airport just less than $3.5 million, $8 million less than the purchase price. Not bonding that $11.5 million for 30 years at the present rate of 7.73% rate for capital purposes, which comes to $18 million, equals $26 million of net financial benefit to the airport.

“I believe the proposed agreement provides a fair and equitable financial return for the airport and provides restrictive easements that protect the future aeronautical viability of our crosswind runway without impacting the airport’s ability to adjust to future levels of demand,” Piccolo told the Observer. “It ensures that New College will remain an important educational asset in the community and allows the college to do some long-term planning.”

File images

The site

also available at dioceseofvenice.org/tvmass

The costs of defeat

County Commission approves nearly $300,000 in settlement agreements for attorneys fees for Siesta Key hotel opponents.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

Defending Sarasota County’s decision to permit two hotels to be built on Siesta Key will cost taxpayers more than $270,000.

On Tuesday, the Sarasota County Commission unanimously approved, without discussion, settlements to pay attorneys’ fees for two plaintiffs who prevailed in litigation against the county, challenging that commission approval of two hotels violated the county’s 1981 Comprehensive Plan.

Commissioners approved reimbursing Siesta Key resident Lourdes Ramirez $170,000 and 222 Beach Owners Association $101,278.20 for legal fees associated with their opposition.

In August 2023, 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Hunter Carroll ruled in favor of Ramirez that the planned 170-room Calle Miramar in Siesta Village and a 120-room hotel planned near Old Stickney Point Road in southern Siesta Key violated the comprehensive plan in both density and intensity. Ramirez’s case was specifically against Calle Miramar, but Carroll’s ruling applied to both approvals.

In December 2023, Carroll ruled Ramirez, as the prevailing party, was entitled to an award of reasonable attorneys’ fees from Sarasota County. A similar ruling was received in the 222 Beach Owners case.

According to County Manager Joshua Moye’s report, Ramirez is being compensated for 419.75 hours billed to her by Richard Grosso, 144.7 hours by attorney Martha Collins and 86.2 hours by attorney Pamela Jo Hatley. Although salaried, Deputy County Attorney David Pearce spent 401.39 hours and paralegal Rachel

Carr 182.98 hours of county time on the case.

The 222 Beach Owners Association capped its attorneys’ fees at $75,000 plus a $15,000 bonus and $6,200 in contributions received by others. Had it not capped its attorneys’ fees, the amount billed would have been $201,950.62 for 493.90 hours. In representing the county, Pearce spent 212.25 hours and Carr 134.1 hours on that case. In total, the county’s legal department spent 930.72 hours unsuccessfully defending the lawsuit.

After winning her case last August, Ramirez told the Observer, “The important thing is to send the message to the county that Siesta Key has the highest residential density in all of Sarasota County, except for downtown Sarasota, and I really want to send a strong message that we don’t have the capacity out here. We don’t have enough infrastructure to handle all these people, and that will hopefully preclude them from constantly going after trying to increase density out here.”

It has not.

In October, Benderson Development applied for a privately initiated comprehensive plan amendment that would allow it to build a 210-room hotel in Siesta Village at a height of 85 feet on the site of a strip center at 5221 and 5239 Ocean Blvd. On Nov. 28 the County Commission voted 3-1, with Mark Smith opposed and Joe Neunder absent, to allow Benderson’s comprehensive plan amendment to move through the county’s vetting process.

422088-1

The proposed Calle Miramar hotel violates Sarasota County’s Comprehensive Plan, according to a ruling by 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Hunter Carroll.

Courtesy rendering

Sarasota commercial portfolio on the market for $77 million

One

same Harpers Wood, Michigan, address belonging to Ibis and lists Carrie Kaminski as manager. (Harpers Wood is about nine miles northeast of downtown Detroit.)

Carrie Kaminski is listed as the company’s CFO on LinkedIn and as the company’s treasurer and secretary in Michigan’s online corporation filing system.

sits on 11 acres in the Live Oak Corporate Center and can be bought for $27.56 million.

Another building in the portfolio is notable for the street it is on: Paramount Drive. From 1997 to 2013, that road was Arthur Andersen Parkway, named for the accounting giant that occupied several buildings in the complex. Arthur Andersen had some 1,000 employees there, but the company, infamously the auditor for energy firm Enron, went out of business in 2002. Sarasota County officials changed the name to Paramount Drive in 2013.

An SVN spokesperson said in an email that “the sellers prefer not to be mentioned here,” but according to Sarasota County records and the state’s Division of Corporation’s database, the owner is Ibis Investment Co.

According to state and local records, Ibis owns all the properties through several LLCs.

All but one of those LLCs list the

As for the one LLC that doesn’t have shared information, it is linked to one of the LLCs that does.

Ibis was profiled in a 2018 Business Observer story that talked about how it came to own properties in the area after an acrimonious split with a former partner following the 2008 economic collapse.

The story states that in 2011 the partners of Osprey Real Estate Services split the company and its assets, selling more than a dozen buildings. That included the 17-story First Central Tower in downtown St. Petersburg, sold in 2014. Ibis kept several Sarasota properties.

The six properties on the market are:

„ 100 Paramount Drive „ 2201 Cantu Court „ Three buildings at 2601 Cattlemen Road „ Two buildings at 2801 Cattlemen Road „ 2801 Cattlemen Road „ 2821 Cattlemen Road

Elections: Liberty, slavery?

The candidates’ political philosophies matter. Are they capitalists or statists?

For Christians throughout the world, come this Easter Sunday, we will celebrate Jesus Christ’s glorious resurrection and the opportunity he gave us to achieve our own salvation from eternal damnation.

Rejoice and be glad.

At least try, because a form of that damnation is about to begin. We are about to enter our own Passion for 2024 — the full-on, political election cycle, our Stations of the Cross, the incessant media and mail onslaught of the lead-up to the Nov. 5 national elections.

That onslaught already has been underway through the presidential primary season. It’s going to get worse. We will be barraged with even more text messages from political parties and candidates seeking money and your vote.

Now, it’s easy to ignore the texting; type “stop.” Indeed, out of frustration and disgust with what has occurred nationally over the past eight years, it’s tempting just to block out all of the campaigning and go on with your life.

But don’t. During these election cycles, we often think of the famous quote from the famous Greek philosopher, Plato: “If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools.”

To a great extent on the national level, we have been living under the rule of fools for a long time, especially the past four years.

Look at any national marker — war, immigration, crime, public policy, social mores and, especially, your economic well being. Every one of these markers has declined precipitously nationally under the current administration.

To that end, one of the economic markers that always catches our attention is the Heritage Foundation’s annual Index of Economic Freedom. For 30 years, Heritage has been scoring and measuring 170plus nations in 12 areas of government policy that affect individuals’ freedom and economic well being.

DECLINING ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN U.S.

Historical scores of the United States’ economic freedom in the Heritage Foundation’s annual Index of

Freedom

Early on in its scoring, the United States typically ranked among the top-performing nations. But as you can see in the graph, the U.S. has fallen to its lowest level in 30 years — all because of fiscal failure in Washington.

In this year’s rankings on government spending, the U.S.’ score was 48.7; on fiscal health, 0.0. Anything below 50 in Heritage’s index is considered “repressive,” which, by the way, puts us in the company of China, Iran and North Korea.

Thankfully, for us in Florida, conditions are entirely different. Florida over the past decade is the top economic performing state, according to the Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, compiled and published by the American Legislative Exchange Council.

In terms of economic outlook, based on recent legislative actions, the ALEC-Laffer index drops Florida to ninth, but still among the top-performing states. For 11 of the 16 years of the ALEC-Laffer Competitive Index, Florida has ranked among the top 10. Its lowest ranking came in 2008 (the start of the Great Recession), when it fell to 16th.

The overall message that comes from these two indexes is what economist Arthur Laffer, one of the authors of the states’ competitive index, has learned in the 16 years of tracking states’ economic performance: States that spend less and tax less always outperform states that spend and tax more.

Likewise, as the authors of the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom note: “The standard of living measured by per capita incomes, is much higher in economically freer countries. Countries rated ‘free’ or ‘mostly free’ in the Index generate incomes that are more than double the average levels in other countries and more than six times higher than the incomes of people living in … ‘repressed’ countries.”

So let’s be clear here: The underlying (and overriding) point of citing the two indexes above is this: The key to everyone’s well being hinges on individual liberty and capitalism, not on Statism and col-

lectivism.

In the spring edition of the Objectivist Standard, Andrew Bernstein, a former philosophy professor at Marist College and author of “Capitalism Unbound: The Incontestable Moral Case for Individual Rights,” authored a must-read essay entitled, “Capitalism in One Lesson.” Among the overwhelming evidence of the virtues of capitalism that he presents, he writes: “Statist systems are those in which the state largely controls the individual’s life. Under statism, the government might decide one’s career, require that individuals gain permission to live in a given area, prohibit travel without government approval, restrict criticism of government policy, control the exercise of religion and more.”

Sound familiar?

“Under full-blown Statism,” he continues, “the state controls nearly every aspect of an individual’s life, so one lives by permission … “The state comes before the individual. The government does not serve the people; the people serve the government.

“Under capitalism, an individual lives freely, not by permission but by right. As long as he does not initiate force or fraud against others, an individual is free to live as he chooses. The government exists to protect the rights of individuals.”

As the election campaign season gains momentum, and as you read, hear and see the candidates seeking your vote, stay attuned to what they say. In the case of those seeking reelection, stay attuned to how they have voted.

Do their fundamental beliefs side with bigger government; more government intervention into our lives and businesses; more government programs; more regulation? All of that leads to less freedom, less economic growth, less wealth, more socialistic collectivism.

And listen closely to their speeches and slogans. If you have the opportunity, ask them: What is more moral and practical — capitalism or altruism?

Overwhelming historical evidence favors the former.

TOP 10 NATIONS FOR ECONOMIC FREEDOM

3. Ireland 82.6

4. Taiwan 80.0

5. Luxembourg

6. New Zealand

7. Denmark

8. Estonia

9. Sweden

10. Norway

25. United States 70.1

BY THE NUMBERS

■ 80 or higher = economically “free.” Four countries earned that designation.

■ 70.0 to 79.9 = “mostly free.”

22 countries.

■ 60 to 69.9 = “moderately free.” 55 countries.

■ 50.0 to 59.9 = “mostly unfree.” 62 countries.

■ Below 50 = “repressed.” 33 countries. To see the full report, go to: Heritage.org/index.

Source: Heritage Foundation

ALEC-LAFFER STATE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE

From 2011-21. Rankings are based on each state’s growth in gross domestic product, absolute domestic migration and nonfarm payroll employment.

1. Florida

2. Utah

3. Arizona

4. Idaho

5. Colorado

6. Washington 7. Texas

8. Georgia

9. South Carolina

10. North Carolina

STATE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK, 2023

Rankings are based on each state’s standing in 15 legislative policy areas. Generally, states that spend less — e.g. on income transfer programs — and states that tax less — e.g. on working or investing — experience higher growth rates.

1. Utah 2. North Carolina 3. Arizona

Oklahoma

Wyoming

Indiana

North Dakota

Florida

Nevada

Source: American Legislative Exchange Council

Thomas Aquinas’ 5 reasons Christ rose from the dead

Which Christian feast is greater — Christ’s birth or resurrection?

In the secular, material world, clearly, it’s the former — Christmas. But in Christianity, you can say they are equal. To be sure, Christ’s resurrection would not have occurred without his birth.

So, you could say Christ’s birth was the first of God’s two-step plan for man’s salvation from our first parent’s sin.

Theologically, St. Thomas Aquinas, regarded as the Catholic Church’s foremost theologian, ascribed five reasons for Easter (Christ’s resurrection from the dead). Here they are, translated by the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Ohio.

The five reasons are straightforward. But to understand Aquinas’ explanations, you probably should read them at least twice.

Happy Easter. He is risen. —MW

1. It reveals God’s justice. Because Christ humbled himself as a man and died on the cross out of love and obedience to God the Father, God lifted up Christ by a glorious resurrection.

2. It was necessary for the confirmation of our faith in Christ.

Aquinas cites St. Paul, who explains that the resurrection attests to the power of God (2 Corinthians 13:4).

“For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.”

3. It gives us hope for the resurrection of our bodies.

This, of course, is the whole point of 1 Corinthians 15. As Paul writes, “Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how do some among you say, that there is no resurrection of the dead?”

4. It means death to sin and new life in Christ for us.

Since we are united with Christ, we have not only died with him, but been raised with him to newness of life. Aquinas cites Romans 6:4, 11: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life … So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in

Christ Jesus.”

5. It completes the work of salvation. Christ’s death is not the only aspect of his work for our salvation. Again, Aquinas cites Paul, who explains that Christ was “put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25). Most people forget about this verse and simply profess that Jesus died for our salvation — but that’s only part of it.

As Aquinas explained, salvation involves two elements: 1) the payment of the debt due to sin, which is

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

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accomplished on the cross (he was “put to death for our trespasses”); and 2) he is raised for our sakes as well (e.g., “for our justification”) Ultimately, Jesus’ resurrection wasn’t for his sake but for ours. The goal of salvation was not simply to save us from sin, but to unite our humanity to God.

Christ’s resurrection, then, is the cause of our sharing in the new life of grace — the unity of our humanity with divinity. Salvation isn’t just a matter of being delivered from the punishment due to sin, namely, hell; it also means being delivered to life in God.

MATT WALSH

Dialogue needed on park project

Proposed projects often stir diverse reactions. The activation of Ken Thompson Park is just one example, reflecting the diversity of opinions that is a cornerstone of healthy communities.

Every voice, regardless of its volume, is vital, as this diversity enriches the dialogue and ensures the project ultimately reflects our community’s needs and aspirations.

A minority of citizens, perhaps well intentioned, have started to present opinions not grounded in fact as undeniable truths. This approach, often amplified by its loudness, obscures the dialogue with misinformation, creating a situation where the most vocal, rather than the most informed, seem to dictate the story. The misalignment between volume and validity is disheartening and the silent majority loses out.

We will be initiating a series of town halls for all residents to learn the facts, express their views and partake in meaningful discussions about our project. This initiative underscores our commitment to transparency and inclusivity, aiming to bring our community together in a spirit of collaborative decision-making.

We need to seek out accurate information, challenge our assumptions, and approach discussions with openness and a willingness to understand different perspectives.

Let us not be adversaries but collaborators, united in the shared goal of improving our city.

— JEFF

KOFFMAN PARK GOLF SARASOTA

Renters need

housing too

I would like to address the speakers at the recent public hearing for the Sarasota Square Mall property redevelopment who during the public comment period suggested, “bringing a high concentration of renters into the development on the edge of single-family neighborhoods and Palmer Ranch

will invite crime, noise, and other nuisances.”

Stop it already. Stop it.

Many of the renters in Sarasota are young people with full-time jobs, families and college degrees, working in the private sector and/ or for the state or local government. They can barely afford to live here due to rents skyrocketing in the past few years.

Many rent rooms in private homes because they can’t afford market-rate apartments. Some have two jobs. They are newly hired teachers, classroom aides, state employees, restaurant servers and office managers. Many were fingerprinted for their jobs to ensure they do not have a criminal record.

These are your local renters. And they deserve to live here too.

It is long past time for people to stop assuming that renters are criminals, noisy and people who will create “nuisances.” They are not. Older, wealthier homeowners need to stop publicly making false and stereotypical assumptions about our working-class people who work for you. Think about the kind of community you are creating! We need young people living here too, to keep Sarasota vibrant, to work here, and to keep the local economy moving.

The Sarasota Mall property is exactly the kind of location where new apartments should be built. It’s not that close to Palmer Ranch. It’s in an already developed area near businesses. The mall is dead anyway, and apartments are desperately needed here. My only hope is that some units would be affordable, not just market rate.

— AMY BENTLEY SARASOTA

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Have something to tell us? Send your letters to James Peter at JPeter@ YourObserver.com.

LETTERS

Bank building sells for $5.75M

The Fruitville Road building is the site of a new Chase bank that will consolidate two branches across from the Aster & Links project.

LOUIS LLOVIO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A3,723-square-foot downtown

Sarasota building where Chase will consolidate two local bank branches has sold.

The property, according to the Miami commercial real estate firm Berlin Group, traded hands for $5.75 million.

Berlin did not disclose the buyer, described as a private investor, and Sarasota County property records, as of Wednesday, had not been updated.

The seller, according to the county records, was Brightwork Real Estate, a Tampa developer that bought the 1.3-acre parcel at 1836 and 1850 Fruitville Road in 2022 for $4.4 million.

The newly developed building is at the intersection of Fruitville Road and Links Avenue, across the street from the Aster & Links development.

A sales listing on the commercial real estate website Crexi said Chase has a 15-year ground lease in place. The listing shows the property had been on the market for $6.25 million.

Benedict Gutierrez, founder and broker for Berlin, said the branches that are moving into the new building are on Washington Boulevard and Fruitville Road. He could not immediately confirm the addresses, though.

Chase did not respond to an email, but an online listing for its downtown branch at 240 N. Washington Blvd. shows it is moving April 26.

The listing for the branch at 5341 Fruitville Road said it is only offering modified services at this time.

Gutierrez said the bank’s plan is to consolidate the two existing branches into one “state-of-the-art” location with double drive-thru lanes. According to the listing, the branch

will have $253 million in deposits

It is expected to open next week.

The new Chase building is just the latest example of the impact the Aster & Links project — along with several other downtown projects — is expected to have as it brings new life and people to downtown Sarasota.

The development, currently under construction along Main Street and Links Avenue in Sarasota, will be made up of two 10-story residential towers with 424 apartments. There will be 778 parking spaces, and on the ground floor there will be more than 650,000 square feet of retail space.

Sprouts Farmers Market will occupy 23,000 square feet of that retail space.

Aster & Links, which many local residents know as One Main Plaza, is being developed by Connecticutbased Belpointe, a private equity company formed in 2019 to develop properties in federally designated Opportunity Zones.

Belpointe acquired 8.6 acres of the roughly 10-acre Main Plaza site in December 2019 — its first acquisition since its creation and initial public offering earlier that year — for $20 million. The lead contractor on the project is Suffolk Construction.

Belpointe recently obtained $56 million in financing for the project.

Flat millage rate falls flat

Some commissioners tell county staff to look toward reducing the property tax rate for the next fiscal year.

If the opening session of the Sarasota County budget season is any indication, discussions in forthcoming workshops may center on reconsideration of keeping the county’s ad valorem taxes at their current rate.

During the May 20 budget workshop the Sarasota County Commission’s newest member, Neil Rainford, challenged the notion that, given the rapidly growing residential and commercial property base and resulting tax revenue, staff should consider lowering the millage on homes, land and commercial properties.

Although it was the first budget workshop for fiscal year 2025, among the preliminary assumptions were that there are no new revenue sources for existing services and making no change to the countywide millage rate except for any fluctuations to the voter-approved Legacy Trail debt millage.

“From a flat county millage rate standpoint, I know we’ve operated under that kind of thinking for a long time due to the increased property values and so forth over the last many years,” Rainford said. “I think that we should look at where the options are for us to potentially find reductions and at least be prepared over the next course of budget hearings to see if there’s opportunities to lower that.”

Rainford, who represents District 3, was appointed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the remainder of

BUDGET SCHEDULE

May 15: Workshop

June 1: Preliminary property values

June 19-21: Workshops

July 1: Final property values

July 10: Set tentative millage rates

Aug. 23: Budget workshop (if needed)

Sept. 12: First public hearing

Sept. 26: Second public hearing and budget adoption

the late Nancy Detert’s term, which expires this year.

“Due to property value increases and inflationary increases on our constituents, I hear often about the cost of living here in Sarasota,” Rainford said. “I would encourage us as a board to not just accept a flat county millage rate, but to look for areas of improvement.”

Commission Chairman Mike Moran — who is participating in his final budget session before mandatory retirement as he completes his second four-year term this fall — expressed support for Rainford’s position, sending a message to staff as it develops spending plans compared to the fiscal year 2024 adopted budget.

“In my industry, we’re seeing cost reductions — obviously we’ve seen inflation at all-time highs for the last several years  — so I would think that we are able to reduce in certain areas,” Rainford said.

“Obviously, our taxable base is increasing as well.”

Since fiscal year 2020, the county’s taxable property value has grown from $60.4 billion to $91.36 billion, an increase of 51%.

That corresponds with ad valorem tax revenue of $197 million in fiscal 2020 and $294.4 million in 2024, also a growth of 51%.

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Cattleridge

complained

an officer that his husband was following him and trying to force him to come home when he did not wish to do so. The concerned spouse said he was trying to make his betrothed go home because he was concerned for his welfare, adding that he had a habit of running off when they went out and refusing to come home, opting instead to sleep on the streets.

According to the police report, there is an open case involving domestic battery between the two; but there’s no court order prohibiting contact. The habitual wanderer said he just wanted his concerned husband to leave him alone.

The officer explained that, as an adult, the complainant possessed the latitude to make his own decisions about his well being. The subject responded that if the complainant did not come home with him that “it may not be an option later.”

When the officer asked him to explain, he advised he would lock out the complainant when he returned later on his own. Finally, the officer stood watch as the two parties left on foot in opposite directions.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

RANDOM ACTS OF CRIME

4:55 a.m., 800 block of Central Avenue

Criminal mischief: A woman told police her car was damaged by a man she had recently met. She said she was conversing with the man and others when two unknown men approached the suspect and began talking to him. During the conversation he became aggressive and, while she was going through items in her trunk, an action that was not explained in the report, he brandished a knife and slashed one of her tires, also for reasons unknown.

The victim provided police with a description of the suspect. One of the two who had approached the suspect identified him as committing an earlier crime. Officers canvassed the area but didn’t find him.

SUNDAY, MARCH 17

FIGHT PLAN

4:54 p.m., 2200 block of Benjamin

MONDAY, MARCH 18

PARKING DISPUTE RESOLVED

5:53 p.m., 2700 block of Palmadelia Avenue

Disturbance: An apartment parking dispute resulted in law enforcement responding to a verbal disturbance between two women. An officer met with woman No. 1 who advised that woman No. 2 parked in her assigned spot and, in response, she parked directly behind her vehicle, blocking her in.

Woman No. 2 responded that this has been an ongoing issue and that they normally park in each other’s spots, but on this occasion woman No. 1 became confrontational. A maintenance worker for the apartment building arrived on scene and told both subjects that he would relabel the parking spots to accommodate both tenants. Satisfied with this solution, both

Franklin Drive

Fight: In what was determined to be a “mutual combatant physical altercation” that started on South Lido Key Beach no arrests were made because the two women involved agreed to move their dispute off the beach and into the parking area because of the law enforcement presence on the beach.

However, while a fight between two other individuals was being controlled on the beach by one officer, another witnessed the second scuffle break out in the parking lot before physically separating two women, guiding one to the ground and handcuffing her.

The officer then escorted the combatant to the back of a patrol vehicle, where she said she was with friends on the beach when the dispute erupted between her and the second subject, who fled on foot after the officer intervened. The captured woman was transported to the police station where she was released into custody of her mother.

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HOLY

HOLY

Have

BASKET CASE: Lucy from Sarasota waiting for the laundry to finish.

Riverview High softball junior pitcher Allison Cole threw a no-hitter in the Rams’ 5-0 home win against North Port High on March 20. Cole walked three batters while striking out 21. She holds a 1.36 season ERA as of March 26, helping the Rams to a 9-3 record.

Sarasota High baseball senior pitcher Bernard Barnes Jr. threw a complete game shutout in the Sailors’ 1-0 home win over the Imagine School at North Port on March 25. Barnes allowed two hits and a walk while striking out 10 batters. The win brought the Sailors’ record to 7-9.

Riverview High boys track and field junior Ben Skaggs finished third out of 54 runners in the 3,200-meter run (10:03.23) at the 2024 Guy Thomas Memorial Classic, held March 23 in Fort Myers.

Sarasota Christian baseball freshman Evan Poznanski went 2-for-3 with two walks and four RBIs in the Blazers’ 11-1 road win over Bayshore High on March 19. Poznanski is hitting .500 with 10 RBIs as of March 26. The Blazers are 3-4 as a team.

“Honestly, I kind of fell in love with it that first time. I had played football since I was a kid. Weightlifting was so different. I didn’t have to rely on my teammates to do anything.”

— Mark Monchecourt, senior, Sarasota

The Sailors have sputtered at the plate, but believe better days are ahead with more experience.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Sarasota High baseball head coach Greg Mulhollen took his time, trying to find the right words.

“We are putting the work in,” Mulhollen said. “The results just aren’t there. I don’t know. Sometimes that’s just the way baseball is.”  Mulhollen punctuated his thoughts with a tap of his hand on the padded fence at Ronald K. Drews Field, the home of the Sailors. There was nothing left for words to convey. The tap said it all: Mulhollen was disappointed.

Minutes before, on March 26, the Sailors (7-10) had lost 3-2 to Hollins High (5-8). The Sailors’ offense generated three hits, two of which came during the sixth inning — the only inning in which the team scored. For the rest of the game, the team struggled to create hard contact; on the occasions it did, balls flew right at Hollins defenders for routine plays.

It was the continuation of a trend for the Sailors. The team entered the contest as winners of three straight games, but those wins came after a six-game losing streak. Since March 1, Sarasota has averaged 3.16 runs per game. The team is hitting for a .238 average on the season.

“We’re just not squaring balls up,” Mulhollen said. “We’re not striking out too much. We’re hitting balls. They’re just caught. There have been a lot of ‘at ‘em’ balls.’”

Mulhollen said the youth of the team’s lineup has something to do with that. The more experience they get, the more their approaches at the plate will improve, swinging at the right pitches in the right counts. Then those slow ground balls will turn into scorching line drives.

Sarasota senior Juan Perez is proof of Mulhollen’s theory. Perez, a catcher, earned his first varsity roster spot as a sophomore and hit .154 with four RBIs over 39 at-bats. Last season, Perez earned more playing time and hit .319 with 11 RBIs over 72 atbats. In 2024, Perez leads the Sailors with a .474 average and nine RBIs.

Against Hollins, it was Perez who

kickstarted the Sailors’ offense in the sixth inning, smashing a standup double over the heads of the Hollins outfield to straightaway center. He would go on to score one of the team’s two runs on a sharply hit single from another Sailors’ bright spot: freshman Johnny Lackaff. Lackaff has just 15 at-bats this season, as he came to the baseball team only after the school’s basketball team had finished its season. But he’s used his limited plate opportunities to make an impact.

On March 21, Lackaff knocked in the tying run, then the winning run, in the Sailors’ 5-4 eight-inning win over Manatee High. His sixth-inning RBI single tied the game against Hollins, too, before Hollins retook the lead in the seventh. Mulhollen said Lackaff is a “spark plug” and a gamer: no matter the situation, he approaches things the same way. It’s what allows him to come through in big spots. Mulhollen said the team’s other young players have the same potential as Lackaff, which is why he’s excited for the future.

“It’s going to happen,” Mulhollen said of an offensive turnaround. “I’m just hoping it happens soon.”

As of March 27, the team has eight games remaining before the district playoffs begin, and two of those games are against Venice High (131). The rest of the opposing teams are no slouches. The Sailors are second in Class 7A District 8 behind Venice, according to MaxPreps standings, but Lakewood Ranch High (6-5-1) and North Port High (6-7) are close behind. The final stretch of the season will go a long way in determining seeding for the district tournament.

Mulhollen said the lack of offense has forced Sarasota’s pitching staff to be mistake-free, an expectation that cannot be realistically met for an entire season. Still, the Sailors’ arms are trying their best: they have a 2.80 ERA as a staff.

If the Sailors want to keep their position, the offense has work to do, Mulhollen said.

Against Hollins, it was sophomore Cesar Garmendia who kept the Sailors in the game. Garmendia pitched 4.2 innings and allowed one unearned run on six hits and zero walks, striking out two batters. He has a 1.91 ERA on the season. Junior Aidan Young (2.21 ERA in 19 innings) and junior Luke Verwey (1.70 ERA in 12.1 innings), among others, have also been strong.

But even the best pitchers need run support. Mulhollen will explore every option to make it happen.

Before leaving the field following the loss to Hollins, Mulhollen called to Garmendia in the dugout.

“Cesar, another great outing,” Mulhollen said.

He took a beat, then added a follow-up question:  “Can you hit?”

Sarasota High baseball sophomore pitcher Cesar Garmendia has a

as

March 27.

Sarasota High baseball freshman Johnny Lackaff has shown an ability to get clutch hits this season.

Photos by Ryan Kohn

Sarasota High baseball senior catcher Juan Perez is hitting .474 as of March 27.

Road to the big show

The area has several candidates for big-league breakouts this season, with an MLB debut a possibility.

aseball is back.

BAs the MLB season kicks off March 28 — and other leagues elsewhere have already begun — fans in the Sarasota area have reasons to keep an eye on several organizations outside of their favorite teams. As much talent as the Sarasota area has amassed in sports like football and basketball, it is baseball where the city’s athletes seem to shine the brightest.  Here are five players at various levels of professional baseball, and a rundown of how close they are to breaking through to the top levels of the sport.

ORION KERKERING, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Orion Kerkering is a Venice High

graduate, but since his father, Todd Kerkering, is the emergency manager for the city of Sarasota, I think we can adopt him as our own.  Kerkering, 23, made his MLB debut in September, just as the Phillies were preparing for the postseason. Kerkering, a right-handed bullpen pitcher who is known for his devastating slider, showed enough to make the team’s postseason roster. Kerkering held a 3.38 ERA in 51/3 playoff innings, striking out five hitters and walking three.  Kerkering will start on the Phillies’ roster this season, too, but his season debut will be slightly delayed. The Phillies said March 23 that Kerkering will begin the season on the injured list. Kerkering missed much of spring training while deal-

ing with the flu, which set back his preparation. But he’ll be back to tossing those sliders of his before long, which is good news for the Phillies and for people who appreciate lights-out pitching.

VAUN BROWN, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Other than Kerkering, Sarasota High grad Vaun Brown is the closest area alum to making it to the show in 2024. The right-handed Brown, a 25-year-old outfielder, had a breakout 2022 season in which he hit .346 with an OPS of 1.060. Brown then regressed a bit with the AA-level Richmond Flying Squirrels last year, hitting just .246 with a .752 OPS. He also played in just 50 games while dealing with injuries.

Still, an early rebound for Brown — who wears a face gaiter when hitting, giving him a distinctive appearance at the plate — could

mean a quick rise through the ranks. The organization still has faith in him, evidenced by his call-up to the team’s major league spring training camp on March 21. The call-up does not mean he will make the MLB roster when the season opens this week. It’s instead a way for him to get experience against legitimate MLB talent before finding his groove in the minors.

If all goes well, Brown could find the major leagues later this season.

SATCHELL NORMAN, MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Norman, a former catcher at Sarasota High, played for the Brewers’ Arizona Complex League rookie team in 2023 after being drafted in 2022 out of Florida SouthWestern State College. Norman hit .308 with an .898 OPS and 20 RBIs in 30 games. He also added eight stolen bases, which is impressive for a catcher, and held a .989 fielding percentage.

At just 21 years old, Norman has plenty of development time left. It’s unclear where Norman will begin the 2024 season, but it will likely be around the A-level. He won’t see the MLB this season, but continuous improvement will keep his arrival on track for seasons down the road.

BEN MCCABE, COLORADO ROCKIES

McCabe is the newest name on the list. The former Sarasota High and University of Central Florida catcher was drafted by the Rockies in the ninth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He only got 18 at-bats for the Rockies’ ACL rookie league team after signing, but he got two hits and three RBIs.

In all honesty, those stats don’t mean much. The real test for McCabe, 24, will begin this season. Now that he’s had a full offseason to settle into being a pro, how will he fare? Like Brown, McCabe was an older draftee. That could mean his track to the MLB is accelerated — but it also means the time Colorado gives him to develop will be much shorter. However McCabe ultimately fares, this season should

give a strong indication.

CASEY KELLY, LG TWINS (KOREAN BASEBALL ORGANIZATION)

Kelly continues to be one of my favorite stories in all of sports. The former Sarasota High pitcher and first-round draft pick of Boston never made it work in the MLB, but as he has demonstrated, the MLB is not the only way for a professional baseball player to forge a career.  Kelly re-signed with the LG Twins for the 2024 season in November. It will be his sixth season with the team, making him the longest-serving foreign pitcher in the club’s history. Kelly has found a niche in the KBO and become one of the team’s top pitchers. Last season, Kelly held a 10-7 record and a 3.83 ERA, helping the Twins win the Korean Series championship against the KT Wiz, even getting the clinching win in game five.  Kelly is also a reminder of how difficult it is to reach the MLB at all. On his Instagram page on March 2, Kelly posted a photo of a bottle of Field of Dreams bourbon, a special release with only 22,860 bottles created in its first run. That number represents the number of people who have played in the MLB; Kelly, who made his MLB debut in 2012, holds No. 20,287. Considering that the MLB has existed since 1903, it gives you perspective on how small the number of players is.

It’s why the players on this list are worth following. They’re attempting to do something that few athletes can do. Baseball is hard; by design, you fail a lot more than you succeed. Yet the best find the strength to keep going.

It’s one of the most beautiful sports on Earth, and it’s back. Enjoy it.

Ryan Kohn is the sports editor for the Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer. Contact him at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

Courtesy image

Former Sarasota High outfielder Vaun Brown was called up to the San Francisco Giants’ major league camp on March 21, giving him a taste of top-level pitching before the season begins.

Mark Monchecourt is a senior boys weightlifter at Sarasota High. Monchecourt won the 219-pound weight class at the Sarasota County Championships on March 21 at Venice High. Monchecourt hit 320 pounds on clean and jerk and 370 pounds in the bench press for a total 690 pounds, the highest mark at the championships.

When did you start weightlifting?

I started my freshman year. I used to play football here. Our strength coach at the time put me on the team because he thought I looked good (with my technique). I just went from there.

Mark Monchecourt ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

What was the first actual weightlifting session like?

Honestly, I kind of fell in love with it that first time. I had played football since I was a kid. Weightlifting was so different. I didn’t have to rely on my teammates to do anything. It was all on me to do it, and I liked that.

When did it become more than a hobby to you?

My sophomore year, I started winning a lot of competitions, even against juniors and seniors. That’s when I realized I could compete for states. By the start of my senior year, I was focused on that.

What is the feeling of a weightlifting competition like?

It’s nerve-wracking, especially the opening lift. If you don’t hit it, you scratch all three other lifts, you’re done. The last lift (is pressure-filled) too, because that one is going to be the heaviest you go. I try to go 20 pounds lower than my max on my first lift, just so I know I can hit it. On the second lift, I add 10 pounds. Same with the third lift. On my last lift, I try to hit a new personal record.

What can you do to lower the pressure of a competition?

I just focus on my form.

That’s all I’m thinking about. I want my back arched, my

If you would like to make a recommendation for the Sarasota Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Ryan Kohn at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

butt down, my head up. You want to make sure you’re squeezing the bar and that it is locked into place. If anything is off even a little bit, it can cause an imbalance. For me, it’s almost an instinct at this point.

How did it feel to take the county championship?

Proud. That’s really it. I was just proud of myself for doing it.

What are your goals for the postseason (which begins March 28)?

Well, I looked at all the results from last year, and the state winner in my weight class had a 705-pound total. Right now, my best is 690, and that was pretty easy for me. I think I can add the last 20 points to beat last year’s winner. That gives me confidence as I go for the title. Also, in the bench press, I want to hit 405 pounds. That’s something I have been dreaming about since my freshman year.

Finish this sentence: “Mark Monchecourt is … ” … Quiet, unless I’m with friends and people I know well.

More than meets the eye

‘Watermelon Regatta,’ an 18th-century painting by the artist known only as the ‘Master of the Fertility of the Egg,’ is on display at the Ringling Museum.

IF YOU GO

What’s wrong with this picture?

The world in “Watermelon Regatta,” an 18thcentury painting created in Italy, is strange enough as birds, crustaceans and other animals race down a Venetian canal in gondolas cut from the crust of watermelons, cheered on by dwarfish, caricatured humans.

Yet, over the past few years, even more was off-kilter about this painting than its world of reversed roles, as conservators at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art worked to restore what began as an image defined by grime, discolored varnish and overpainting.

It wasn’t a level of effort they would have given to just any ordinary painting, but the strangeness of the artist’s satire took hold of them, just as it now has a chance to do for museum visitors.

For the first time, the painting has found a place on the museum walls, in a devoted room that also features a slideshow on the restoration process.

It will remain on display there temporarily and eventually will join the larger collection, although no plans are currently set.

MENAGERIE OF MESSAGES

The identity of the artist behind the 70-by-96-inch oil painting on canvas may not be known, but the 18thcentury painter still made a name in the art world as “Master of the Fertility of the Egg.”

Active in northern Italy around 1700, the painter was responsible for painting “Fertility of the Egg,” which is at the Milwaukee Art Museum, and created multiple works with the same figures and creatures.

“The subject matter is just really unusual and quite delightful,” said the Ringling’s Chief Conservator Barbara Ramsay. “Today, we see all kinds of strange things, but probably in the early 1700s, there was not much else like this around. So it’s amazing it survived, and it’s been through a lot.”

No consensus exists among scholars as to the artist’s identity, although according to Chief Curator Sarah Cartwright, possibilities have

“Watermelon Regatta” is on view in Gallery 12 of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art from March 16 through May 19. The gallery is included in regular museum admission. Chief Conservator Barbara Ramsay will offer a public talk on April 23 to discuss the restoration at 11 a.m. on April 23, at 5401 Bay Shore Road.

been suggested, including that the artist was Flemish. She noted this type of satire is associated in some ways with northern countries.

What is more easily apparent is the message the painting conveys.

“The artist has taken a satirical view of human life and human folly, poking fun at how arrogant humans can be, and how they’re so superior to the animals, and he’s turned everything upside down, so here it’s actually these other creatures that are involved and engaged in a race,” Ramsay said.

Although guests of all ages find something to enjoy in the painting today, for many years after it was donated to the museum in 1951 by its first director, Everett “Chick” Austin, it was largely illegible.

While it received a partial treatment decades ago before entering storage, much more extensive work was required before it could find a place in the museum.

IN THE MASTER’S FOOTSTEPS

At the Ringling, the staff of conservators is small, but Ramsay still had to find a path for moving the work on the unique painting forward.

These conservation efforts, which began in 2017, had been the focus of the Ringling’s 2016 Giving Challenge, and were more recently supported by the David A. Straz Jr. Foundation.

Over the past year, Ramsay began hiring private conservators to help finish the project.

A crucial part of the answer was found in the museum’s interns; the museum trains conservation interns, fellows and junior conservators, and “Watermelon Regatta,” with its extensive damage, made an ideal

BEFORE RESTORATION

AFTER RESTORATION

teaching tool. Don’t be fooled into thinking that such a restoration is a task for all skill levels, though.

The background of a conservator must include plant science and organic chemistry, along with art history and studio art. Furthermore,

the process at Ringling follows a strict ethical guideline of respecting the artist’s original intent, adding no more new material than necessary.

A restoration begins with a thorough examination to distinguish between original and nonoriginal paint, a process that includes photographing the painting and viewing it with ultraviolet, fluorescent and infrared light and X-rays.

As the work began, conservators had to set down paint that was lifting from the canvas and remove surface grime and discolored varnish, before removing overpaint by testing different combinations of chemicals.

It was those areas where paint was missing entirely where artistic skills became especially relevant.

When it comes to blank areas, conservators must paint over the area using the exact structure of what is found around it, while also mixing paints until they find a perfect color match.

“You have to be an artist. But normally, you don’t,” Ramsay said. “In most situations, you don’t want to add anything; you don’t want to let your artistic self take over and do more than you should.”

This inpainting work involves the use of extremely small brushes, and either dry pigments or synthetic resins developed for the conservation field. To help keep the canvas texture consistent, some areas of the painting were filled using silicone molds of the paint surface.

The painting’s repeating animal figures were helpful; Ramsay was able to reference one monkey in the painting to fill in the head of the same animal in another area. Other paintings by the same artist also provided reference points for human figures.

“It’s amazing,” Cartwright said of the talent on display.

Photos by Ian Swaby

Chief Curator Sarah Cartwright

“Watermelon Regatta” after the restoration

“Watermelon Regatta” before the restoration

Will Your Retirement Last 30 Years?

Here’s what you should know about planning ahead for today’s average retirement from age 62 to 92.

We all dream of a happy, healthy retirement. But when most people envision this, they think of a beautiful snapshot—not an epic, decades-long journey. Of course, your journey can be as enjoyable as you imagine it, but you’ll still need to find some way to finance it.

“We often describe today’s retirement experience as a marathon,” said John B. Leeming CFP®, president at JL Bainbridge. “You need pacing and preparation. And the last thing anyone wants is to run out of gas along the way.” In financial terms, this is called “outliving your money.”

Embarking on a 30-year retirement marathon requires careful planning, disciplined saving, and strategic decision-making. Yet many reach their 50s without noticing how quickly their retirement years are approaching. While it’s not too late at this point to adopt a longterm investment strategy (one that typically avoids overreacting to market swings), specific financial situations and retirement goals require even greater attention and expertise at this stage.

For example, those nearing retirement age should be aware of how to take full advantage of optimizing their contributions to retirement plans. The IRS allows catch-up contributions and recently introduced new contribution limits and other related changes. But the requirements and options for making adjustments are affected by several factors. In other words, it’s complicated.

Let’s go back to the marathon analogy. By starting early, creating a comprehensive financial plan, diversifying your investments, and staying flexible, you’ll improve your chances of pacing yourself for financial success with confidence— even for a thirty-year retirement. But if you feel like some personal “coaching” would help you along the way, consider talking to your financial advisor and tax professional for guidance.

JL Bainbridge family wealth advisors are fiduciaries, required by the SEC to act first and foremost in their clients’ interests.

JL Bainbridge offers free hourlong financial reviews with one of their advisors. To reserve a time for yourself, visit their website, call, or scan the QR code below. 1582

Burden of the cross

The annual Stations of the Cross walk, held along Main Street is anticipated to draw over 1,000 people.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Alex Dorr has belonged to the Church of the Redeemer for 27 years, having grown up in its congregation.  He remembers a time that the Stations of the Cross walk, held each year on Good Friday in conjunction with the Sarasota Ministerial Association, simply circled the church grounds, before it grew to involve the hundreds of pilgrims journeying down Main Street that it does today.

“It has grown very organically, so it didn’t go from 10 people to 1,000 people overnight,” said Dorr, who is serving on the event’s planning committee. “I think once, I was walking behind the group a bit, just observing, seeing the size, and it hit me.”

When Redeemer’s Men’s Breakfast Prayer Group began the Stations of the Cross in 1996, about 15 people participated.

In 2023, by contrast, it involved nearly 1,000 people. This year, it will include congregations from across Sarasota, including 14 denominations and 27 ministers.

Chaplain Tom Pfaff of the Sarasota Ministerial Association anticipates over 1,000 attendees this year, and it is easy to understand the reason why the event holds such significance for the Christian community.

The walk is a tradition practiced in over 200 countries on Good Friday that grew out of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. Including 14 different stations, the journey represents the path of Jesus from his arrest, to his Passion to his death.

Pfaff said the walk brings an experience centered on Jesus’ crucifixion that complements the Easter celebrations.

“It’s the entire experience of the cross, and then the Resurrection, that Holy Week is all about,” Pfaff said.

“There is, I think, a more personal connection to the burden that Christ had carrying his cross in actually walking it, if you will,” Dorr said.

Craig Burness, leader of Men of the Redeemer, said the event’s impact on participants can be seen in the faces around everyone on the walk.

Although the event’s setup is simple, there is a significant team effort involved.

That includes staff at the church, who work on aspects from bringing out coffee in the morning, to obtaining permits and a police escort.

IF YOU GO

Pilgrims will begin to gather at 7 a.m. in front of Regal Hollywood, 1993 Main St. Participants will reach the final station at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave., about 8:30 a.m.

Parking is available at the last station. Trolleys will offer free transportation from Redeemer to Regal Hollywood starting at 6 a.m. At that time, pilgrims will be invited to attend a brief morning prayer service inside the Church of the Redeemer.

However, a key part of the effort is the Sarasota Ministerial Association.

“SMA really helps us coordinate and get the word out, and communicate with the other congregations to pull this together, as far as logistics for that many people,” Burness said.

Pfaff said one aspect of the work is distributing booklets to participants, which makes one aware of the size of the event and its significance to Christians in the community.

“Each time you have that wonderful exchange with the minister and oftentimes with their staff, who greet you with the love of God and are excited about the upcoming event,” Pfaff said.

Burness is looking forward to a walk that is even larger than last year’s and said maybe the group will even pick up some other pilgrims along the way.

Pfaff said as the crowd comes down the street, the noises of construction stop, and workers come to the edge of their scaffolding to watch. Burness noted that people who happen to be near one of the stations simply having breakfast or engaged in another activity, may join in the walk.

File image

The Rev. David Svihel, priest associate for Christian formation and outreach at Church of the Redeemer, leads the 2022 walk.

J.L.

Empower breakfast

About 500 people gathered at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota for the 2024 Annual Chamber Breakfast on March 22, and according to Heather Kasten, the president and CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, they all had something to take home as well.

Delivering the keynote address was Kyle McDowell, a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who has held leadership roles in corporations including United Health Group, CVS Health and Bank of America.

The event also featured additional speakers including Patrick Duggan of the sponsoring firm Shumaker, and included the presentation of the Spirit of Sarasota Award to Charles D. (Dan) Bailey Jr.

Bailey has served as general counsel to the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority for the past 39 years and currently sits on the governing board of The Patterson Foundation, in addition to many past leadership roles with major organizations.

McDowell discussed creating a positive workplace culture through steps he calls the “10 WEs.”

“It started to become very clear that the questions I had been asking throughout the course of my career were not the right ones to ask, and when I started to find the right questions to ask, I stumbled across something that I now kind of refer to as my epiphany moment,” he said.

— IAN SWABY

Photos by Ian Swaby Omar Guevara-Soto and Chris Voelker

Chair of the board Teri Hansen, of the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, offers a speech. Keynote speaker Kyle McDowell, Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Heather Kasten and Sarasota City Manager Marlon Brown

petitive with other sellers, she said.

With the help of volunteers at organizations like Community Harvest SRQ, she hopes to turn the tables — and fill plates.

Rescuing produce that would otherwise go to waste has always been the focus of the organization, which announced its decision in early March to rebrand from its original name of Transition Sarasota.

more clearly convey the work the organization, an independent nonprofit as of 2015, performs in Sarasota, including its recent initiatives of working with farmers markets and picking fruit from the backyards of local residents.

Community Harvest SRQ helps prevent unwanted produce from going to waste, offering the items to

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Browsing the stands of a farmers market, you’ll find a feast for the eyes, with produce of many varieties set out on display.

But a great deal of that food will

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“Dr. Massey was very thorough and spent a lot of time with me explaining my hearing aid options. I would highly recommend him!”

never make its way into stomachs, according to Joyce Norris, executive director of Community Harvest SRQ. Food vendors stock their stands with extra produce they do not plan to sell, something that is necessary to attract customers and remain com-

That name was established by Don Hall when he founded the organization as a branch of Transition Network, a national organization that aims to transition from fossil fuels to increase sustainability and selfsufficiency, in 2010.

CORNUCOPIA OF PROJECTS

The new name, Norris said, works to

It was due to a grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation that the organization was able to create the Farmer’s Market Produce Recovery program, something Norris was inspired to establish after she visited a market and saw fresh produce being loaded into a truck to either be composted or fed to animals.

As of the program’s founding in November 2022, the organization

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has rescued 15,000 pounds of farmers market products.

“It’s opened up a whole new layer of partnerships with food banks and food pantries, people serving meals to people in need, like the Salvation Army’s program, so it’s really been exciting,” Norris said.

The nonprofit partners with vendors, who will fill boxes from Community Harvest SRQ, just before the closing of the markets, with any items they cannot use.

So far, the nonprofit has worked with the Philippi Creek, Lakewood Ranch and Englewood farmers markets.

“(Vendors) don’t want to take things back to the farm. It’s just extra work for them,” she said. “And also, they spent all this time, money and energy growing something and they’re thrilled to see that people are enjoying and eating it, so it’s been a win-win all the way around.”

When the organization was starting out, it focused on gleaning, or harvesting leftover produce.

But Hurricane Ian left many farms damaged, with crops reduced and fruit trees lost, which meant that the amount of gleaning that was needed in the community was reduced.

They’ve since begun exploring another arena of leftover produce that is found right in residents’ backyards.

As of 2021, they have operated the Suncoast Fruit Rescue.

Residents who have an abundance of fruit they cannot use for reasons such as being physically unable to harvest it or being too busy to do so, are invited to sign up their trees.

The last summer, for instance, saw an abundance of mango trees and star fruit.

Volunteers will head out to pick the fruit, or pick up fruit harvested by the owners if they prefer to pick it themselves, before taking it to a food pantry.

“We’re keeping it directly out of the landfill because all of this fruit that would be raked up out of a back-

yard, gets tossed in the trash can,” Norris said.

However, that doesn’t mean there’s anything amiss with the product. The taste is actually better than what you’d expect from your local supermarket, she said.

“It’s better, the taste is unbelievable,” she said. “If you’re at the food pantry picking up a mango that was literally on the tree that morning, it’s unbelievable. You cannot match the taste.”

When volunteers are collecting produce, she offers a simple rule for judging its quality.

“My advice to the volunteers is if you don’t want to eat it, don’t put it in the box,” she said.

There’s one exception to that rule that volunteers must consider.

Some fruits and vegetables, while they may look unappealing due to issues like being misshapen or the wrong size, are actually just as worthy of the food pantry shelf as any other.

“We love those. We’ll take them in a heartbeat,” she said. “They call them ugly fruit and vegetables, but I’d like to say they’re cosmetically challenged.”

All produce, which has a shelf life of a few days, must be moved quickly to a predetermined location, for the organization does not have the means to refrigerate it during transportation.

She said since the start of the program, Community Harvest SRQ has collected over 5,000 pounds of fruit, with 2,300 just last summer — or, as she likes to say, “as much as a buffalo weighs.”

Every year, she said, the amount collected is growing as more people learn of the program and sign up.

Although Community Harvest SRQ has also performed some rescue of packaged food, its focus is on produce.  Norris often hears that food banks, and by extension food pantries, become low on produce in the summer months, when farmers stop growing.

“It’s an incredibly different type of food in that it’s fresh, healthy food, it’s not been packaged, and that’s very expensive for people to buy sometimes and more difficult for the

food pantries to get,” she said. “So, we’re really filling a niche that isn’t being filled otherwise.”

While

“They’re all life or death,” he said. “But doing it in my hometown is doing it in my hometown.” He expects that his performance will be enhanced by being in front of

When Nik Wallenda steps onto the tightrope, it isn’t about feeling fear or an adrenaline rush.

On the contrary, it’s an escape from the worries of everyday life.

He has walked on the tightrope since he was 18 months old and traces his family’s performances back to the 1780s.

“I do it because it’s in my blood,” he said. “My grandfather said life is on the wire. Everything else is just waiting. That’s why I get on the wire. That’s life. That is freedom. When I get on the wire, all my troubles go away.”

Although at first, Wallenda did not understand the impact of his performances on other people, he began to change the way he thought of his acts, as he heard testimonials from audience members.

Today, he performs with a focus on inspiring others to believe that nothing is impossible.

He notes that the qualities needed to walk the tightrope are endurance, training, skill, lots of practice and “nerves of steel,” and he said that if he can make it from one point to another on a rope no wider than a nickel, others will be inspired to make it through their own life challenges.

“I love entertaining and performing and inspiring, and to do it in my hometown is always exciting and an honor, and I have such an incredible support system with my hometown. And to do it downtown at Payne Park — there are so many special things about it,” he said.

Adding to the event’s important qualities for him is that it is being held on Good Friday.

“I believe that our ultimate hope is in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that is where I find my purpose,” he said.

Wallenda said he is eager to meet the members of the public who come out to the event, which also features other offerings such as face painting and a helicopter Easter egg drop.

The event is the first such event held by First Sarasota.

“For over a century, our church has been sharing Jesus in our beautiful city and beyond,” said Senior Pastor Dr. John Cross in a media release. “As our team was dreaming and planning Easter weekend, someone mentioned that it would be great to have a Good Friday gathering in beautiful Payne Park. Easter’s message of God’s love is truly Good News, and we’re committed to sharing it with as many as possible.”

Wallenda hopes his role in the day’s celebrations will create more than just thrills.

“It’s not about the round of applause, or the standing ovation or the people screaming. It’s about that one message, that one email that I get in my inbox the next day or that evening of ‘Thank you.’”

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Rosemary Laird

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome on Idle Lane tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Dennis and Melissa Jensen, trustees, of Highwood, Illinois, sold the home at 1601 Idle Lane to Michael and Debra Thomas, of Sarasota, for $3.5 million. Built in 1958, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,189 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,075,000 in 2020.

Other top sales by area

SIESTA KEY: $3.02 MILLION

Cocoanut Bayou

Jennifer Crooks, of Asheville, North Carolina, sold two properties at 4165 Higel Ave LLC for $3.02 million. The first property was built in 1969 and has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,187 square feet of living area. The second property was built in 1969 and has one bath and 960 square feet of living area. They sold for $1.12 million in 2010.

PALMER RANCH: $1.15 MILLION

Esplanade on Palmer Ranch

Lisa Sidlow, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the home at 5468 Manchini St. to Barbara Cording, of Sarasota, for $1.15 million. Built in 2018, it has two bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 2,129 square feet of living area. It sold for $692,900 in 2018.

OSPREY: $1,275,000

MARK SARASOTA

Patrick

OLD OAKS

Rosemarie Gschwendtner and Dally Rudicel, trustees, of Newton, Massachusetts, sold the home at 924 Indian Beach Drive to Stephen Manrose, of Sarasota, for $2.2 million. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,974 square feet of living area. It sold for $720,000 in 2018.

CONDOMINIUM ON THE BAY

Rhonda Penn and Sharon Penn, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 1008 condominium at 888 Boulevard of the Arts to Leisa Deutsch, of Sarasota, for $1,525,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,642 square feet of living area. It sold for $492,700 in 2009.

SARASOTA BAY CLUB

Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold the Unit 621 condominium at 1299 Tamiami Trail to Valerie Gill, of Sarasota, for $1,475,000. Built in 2003, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,052 square feet of living area. It sold for $901,900 in January.

Sarasota Bay Club LLC sold the Unit 1106 condominium at 1301 Tamiami Trail to Maria Georgiev, of Sarasota, for $1,275,000. Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,546 square feet of living area. It sold for $851,000 in 2019.

RIVO AT RINGLING

SUNSET TOWERS

Jonathan Leven, of Atlanta, sold his Unit 607 condominium at 11 Sunset Drive to Stephen George Spurr and Rita Ohannessian, of Sarasota, for $1,125,000. Built in 1980, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,420 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.01 million in 2023.

TOWN OF SARASOTA

Michael and Deborah Bangser, of Bloomfield, Connecticut, sold their home at 200 Cocoanut Ave. #4 to Donna Beck, of Sarasota, for $975,000. Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,554 square feet. It sold for $585,000 in 2014.

DESOTA PARK

Caroline Dunn sold the home at 1879 Hibiscus St. to Equine Real Estate LLC for $837,500. Built in 1950, it has two bedrooms, one bedroom and 978 square feet of living area. It sold for $255,000 in 2008.

SCHOONER BAY

Thomas Gordon and Melanie Saunooke, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 6732 condominium at 6732 Schooner Bay Circle to Julie Napolitano, of Sarasota, for $765,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,738 square feet of living area. It sold for $565,000 in 2021.

PHILLIPPI LANDINGS

Jean Robin Murphy sold the Unit 2101 condominium at 1916 Monte Carlo Drive to Karen and Raymond O’Toole for $690,000. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,778 square feet of living area. It sold for $513,000 in 2022.

GULF GATE WOODS

Benjamin Franklin McGill and Amanda Jeanne McGill sold their home at 2906 Tuckerstown Drive to Leslie Gray, of Sarasota, for $649,000. Built in 1973, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and

J. Robert and Maria Thacker, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 901 condominium at 1771 Ringling Blvd. to Suzanne Erickson, trustee, of Sarasota, for $1.15 million. Built in 2006, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,808 square feet of living area. It sold for $590,000 in 2016.

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

1,773 square feet of living area. It sold for $615,000 in 2022.

RUSTIC LODGE

Martin Kunkel and Deborah Gillett, of Aurora, Illinois, sold their home at 2522 Temple St. to Trent Andrew Bowers and Christine Girod Bowers, of Sarasota, for $567,500. Built in 1976, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,204 square feet. It sold for $259,900 in 2017.

Southbay Yacht and Racquet Club

Sarah Mary Hazel and Stephen Paul Morris, of Osprey, sold their home at 1474 Landview Lane to William and Amy Dunn, of Osprey, for $1,275,000. Built in 1977, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,246 square feet of living area. It sold for $780,000 in 2020.

NOKOMIS: $700,000

Calusa Lakes Michael Murray, trustee, and Maureen Cooper, of Timnath, Colorado, sold the home at 2151 Muskogee Trail to Judith Tomb, of Nokomis, for $700,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,353 square feet of living area.

Ian Swaby

A home on Idle Lane tops all transactions in this week’s real estate at $3.5 million. Built in 1958, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,189 square feet of living area.

YOUR CALENDAR

SATURDAY, MARCH 30

REPTIDAY

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 600 N. Beneva Road. Adults $10; children ages 5-12 are $5; free for children 5 and under. At this family oriented event, you will have the chance to learn about animals not seen in local pet stores, experiencing everything that Repticon’s two-day shows offer in a single day. Visit Repticon.com.

MY HOMETOWN FEST

Noon to 5 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle. $30-$40. Advertised as Southwest Florida’s “biggest and best neighborhood block party,” this event brings together food, music, craft beer and spirits from across the nation. Visit MyHometownFest.com.

SUNDAY, MARCH 31

CHAPEL ON THE BEACH

9 a.m. on Siesta Key Beach at Patriots Pier at Sunset Point, 10 Beach Road. Free. Worship God and hear the Gospel preached in the natural setting of Siesta Key Beach, with Siesta Key Chapel, on Easter morning. Visit SiestaKeyChapel.org.

SUNDAYS AT THE BAY: SHERI

NADELMAN

4-5 p.m. at The Oval, The Bay Park, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Sheri Nadelman, the lead singer of the band, soulRcoaster, known for her vocal skills and ability to engage crowds, offers a performance on Easter Sunday at The Bay Park. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3 NOT YOUR TYPICAL TRIVIA

Doors open at 5:45 p.m., event starts 6:30 p.m. at Hamlet’s Eatery, 821 Apricot Ave., The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime. Free. Sarasota Street Talk Podcast co-hosts Mark Klecka and Scott Malouf test guests’ knowledge, as well as keep them entertained throughout the night. Visit BazaarOnApricotAndLime.com.

2024 GRAND EXPO AT ROBARTS

ARENA 4:30-7 p.m. at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd. Free for attendees. The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce invites the public to learn more about the local business landscape, with lite bites from local

BEST BET

SATURDAY, MARCH 30

SIESTA KEY EASTER EGG HUNT

9-11 a.m. (Egg Hunt times approximately 9:20, 9:40, 10, 10:20 and 10:40 a.m.) at Siesta Key Chapel, 4615

Gleason Ave. Free. The Siesta Key Chamber and Siesta Key Chapel host the annual Siesta Key Easter Egg Hunt featuring games and activities, live animals and photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny. Participation in the Egg Hunt is limited to 200 children ages 1-6. Bring a bag or basket for your child. Registration required. Visit My.SiestaKeyChamber.com.

File image Alex Martinez participates in Easter coloring in 2023.

restaurants, door prizes, raffle items, a complimentary beer and wine bar and 80 member booths. Visit Web. SarasotaChamber.com.

BETTER TOGETHER BLOCK PARTY

4-7 p.m. at State Street Block. Free This block party celebrating the ways in which the community can be collectively transformed, hosted by Gulf Coast Community Foundation, will feature fun activities, live performances including live music by Jah Movement and food and drink for purchase from vendors including Zildjian Catering and Brick’s Smoked Meats. Visit GulfCoastCF.org.

EVENING NAMASTE AT THE BAY WITH DAN BUE

6-7 p.m. at Common Ground, The Bay Park, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Free. Dan Bue, a U.S. Navy veteran known for sharing his knowledge of yoga with veterans and the local community, closes out the day with this yoga session at The Bay Park. Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

FORECAST

RAMSHACKLE by Jeff Chen, edited by Jeff Chen

By Luis Campos

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in