SRQ Magazine | July/August 2025 and Home+Design, Fall Edition
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If you’re missing the hustle and bustle this summer and searching for fresh ways to enjoy the season until it returns, we’ve got just what you need. With everything from refreshing drinks and mouthwatering snacks to cultural events and açai bowls, our 2025 Summer Sizzlers will help you escape the heat and embrace the joy of the quiet season. WRITTEN BY BY BARBIE HEIT, KATE WIGHT, DYLAN CAMPBELL, CECILIA MOULD AND JENNIFER VILLAGOMEZ. PHOTOGRAPHY BY WES ROBERTS, WYATT KOSTYGAN AND CECILIA MARTY.
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After announcing her retirement from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Teri Hansen reflects on her lifetime of philanthropic work and her plans for the future. WRITTEN BY BARBIE HEIT | PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
spring awakenings 44
Every spring, the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves touch down in Sarasota to prepare for the coming season. For most players in the Grapefruit League, their performance in these fleeting six weeks has significant implications for not only their seasons, but their careers. WRITTEN BY DYLAN CAMPBELL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY WES ROBERTS
This page: Golden Pineapple, Poppin Boba Tea, photography by Wes Roberts.
july/august 2025
7 BRANDSTORY HOMES BY WESTBAY
49 BEST OF SRQ LOCAL WINNERS SHOWCASE FEATURING WINNERS OF THIS YEAR’S BEST OF SRQ LOCAL READERS COMPETITION
87 STAY SAFE GUIDE TO PREPARING FOR THE HURRICANE SEASON — FPL
— STORM SMART
— BLUE COLLAR ROOFING
— GRAY HAWK ROOFING
— BULLDOG CLEANING
— FLORIDA SHORELINE
— SHEPHERD INSURANCE
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The fifth annual Spring Fling Skim Jam brought some of professional skimboarding’s biggest names to Nokomis Beach this past May. The Taste and Toast Gulf Coast celebration at the Palmetto Marriott brought eyes to the area’s eclectic culinary scene. Shelby Van Pelt, author of the bestselling book Remarkably Bright Creatures, touched down in Sarasota to share how she broke into the literary world. Legendary black and white photographer Clyde Butcher returns to film. Matt Venuti’s distinctive AmeriCosmos performance offers a look into the mind of a unique creative force. Shopping is stylish and simple at the new CITY Furniture at UTC.
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Now 80 years old, renowned sculptor and cartoonist Jorge Blanco still has the same enthusiasm for his artwork that he did as a child. Giancarlo Guerrero steps into his first full-time season as the music director of the Sarasota Orchestra. The 27th annual Sarasota Film Festival continued a long-standing heritage of creativity on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
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The Beach House Waterfront Restaurant is stronger than ever after weathering the storm surge of last fall.
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Chuck Johnston has made a lifelong commitment to first responders and community recovery.
This page: SRQ Magazine’s Good Hero Chuck Johnston, photograph by Wyatt Kostygan. The Beach House, photograph by Wyatt Kostygan. Spring Fling Skim Jam competitor, photograph by Wes Roberts. Cover: Mojo Risin’ Coffee Co.’s Açai bowl, photography by Wyatt Kostgan.
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ORIGINS OF “SRQ”
The “SRQ” in SRQ magazine originates from the designated call letters for the local Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. “SR” was the original abbreviation for the airport before the growth in total number of airports required the use of a three-letter code. Letters like “X” and “Q” were used as filler, thus the original “SR” was revised to “SRQ,” much as the Los Angeles airport became “LAX.” As a regional publication committed to the residents of and visitors to both Sarasota and Manatee counties, SRQ captures the place that we call home.
PUBLISHERS OF SRQ MAGAZINE, WELLEN PARK LIVING, LIVING LAKEWOOD, SRQ TOP DOCTORS MEDICAL RESOURCE GUIDE, SRQ ELITE TOP ATTORNEYS PROGRAM, SRQ HOME & DESIGN, SRQARTS: ANNUAL GUIDE TO FLORIDA’S CULTURAL COAST AND SHE ROARS MAGAZINE.
Known for their distinctive designs and commitment to quality craftsmanship, Homes by WestBay has earned a reputation as one of Tampa Bay’s premier homebuilders.
SINCE LAUNCHING IN 2009, HOMES BY WESTBAY HAS GROWN steadily by offering stylish, energy-efficient homes tailored to modern Florida living. This award-winning builder is now expanding into the Sarasota and Manatee area, bringing their signature blend of innovation, personalization and upscale finishes to a new audience along the Gulf Coast. Homes by WestBay was founded in Tampa in 2009 by Willy Nunn. At the time, the housing market was in the midst of a financial crisis and many private custom home builders were closing their doors. Nunn knew there were still people looking to build high-quality homes in the area and they decided to fill that void. Within the first year, Homes by WestBay had built and delivered over sixty homes. As the company grew, they began expanding their team, bringing on experts like Dee Crescini, who had a background in the design world and had built design studios for builders across the state. Originally brought in as the Design Studio Manager, thirteen years later Crescini serves as the company’s Vice President of Design and is also the Division Manager for the company’s new South Division
Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch
Dee Crescini, Vice President of Design and Division Manager, South Division
ONE OF THE REASONS HOMES BY WESTBAY IS ABLE TO deliver custom-quality homes on a production timeline and budget is the versatility built into their home designs. In every community, they offer a variety of floor plans tailored to different lot sizes, giving buyers the flexibility to choose a layout that fits their lifestyle. Many of these plans also include structural options—so a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home might easily become a three-bedroom with a dedicated home office instead. What’s more, WestBay continually updates and refines its offerings. Longstanding favorites like Homes by WestBay’s Key Largo and Biscayne floorplans have evolved over the years in response to changing homeowner needs, with features like reimagined laundry rooms or more functional work-from-home spaces reflecting today’s way of living. Beyond offering a wide variety of floorplans, Homes by WestBay also distinguishes itself with an impressive range of design options that allow buyers to tailor their home to fit their personal style. “When I started in this industry twenty-five years ago, the kind of design studio experience we have today simply didn’t exist in our area,” says Crescini. “Back then, it was challenging for builders to offer homebuyers a variety of choices, and even harder to communicate those selections accurately to trade partners. That often meant, products weren’t installed as expected, and homeowners ended up with a space that didn’t fully reflect their vision. Many had to take on home improvement projects after moving in—just to get the home they truly wanted. Simply because the builder couldn’t provide the investment options buyer desired.”
“Through partnerships with our preferred manufacturers, we’ve been able to develop a process that creates the look of a custom home with the price and build time of a production home.” Crescini says. “Today if you are building a custom home in this market it could take up to 24 months to complete. We accomplish this in seven to eight months.”
Homes by WestBay’s Design Studio
The Key West II Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch
The design studio experience at Homes by WestBay is a true evolution from the traditional approach—thoughtfully curated and personalized every step of the way. Open Monday-Friday by appointment only for contracted clients, the 6,200-square-foot Design Studio showcases an extensive range of materials and finishes, allowing buyers to explore endless possibilities to create their dream home. From today’s most popular and distinctive flooring styles to cabinetry, countertops, and more, the Studio features everything in one inspiring space. Multiple kitchen and bathroom vignettes highlight how each selection works together, helping buyers visualize the full impact of their design choices in real-life settings.
Before their in-person appointment, buyers can begin the process at home by exploring options online through their personal design portal, Wishlist. When they arrive at the Studio,
Giving Back
they’re welcomed by their dedicated design consultant, who has thoughtfully arranged the samples they saved on Wishlist for review—setting the stage for the creation of their future sanctuary.
Over the next eight hours, buyers work closely with their consultant to refine every detail. Together, they explore how light plays across the countertops, making them sparkle from every angle. How the countertops enhance the beauty of their chosen cabinetry and flooring, while the backsplash ties it all together into a polished, cohesive look.
“One item to note that sets us apart from many production builders,” says Crescini, “is that everything you see in our model homes can be replicated in our buyers’ homes. Giving you the opportunity to create the features that had you fall in love with the home in your own home before you move in.”
HOMES BY WESTBAY ISN’T JUST BUILDING COMMUNITIES THEY’RE INVESTING IN THEM . The company has made philanthropy a core part of its mission, partnering with local nonprofits to make a meaningful impact beyond the homes they build. Through their WestBay Gives initiative, they support organizations focused on education, housing stability, and family services, helping to strengthen the very communities where their homes are located. Whether it’s sponsoring fundraising events or encouraging employee volunteerism, Homes by WestBay is deeply committed to giving back. It’s a philosophy that reflects their belief that strong communities start with more than just quality construction—they’re built on compassion and connection. “In Tampa, we have a group of nonprofit organizations that we partner with and have supported with our time, talents and treasures over the years, including A Kid’s Place, Metropolitan Ministries, AMI Kids and Meals on Wheels,” says Crescini. “We’re expanding this in the Sarasota-Manatee area. We have been working with Resilient Retreat, a trauma recovery center in Sarasota. Our team has participated in workdays, sponsored charity events and donated needed supplies. We want to give back to the community and partner with local agencies that have an impact on our community.”
The Islamorada II Crosswind Ranch
Homes by WestBay Communities
THE LEVEL OF FLEXIBILITY AND PERSONALIZATION THAT MAKES A HOMES BY WESTBAY RESIDENCE feel like a custom build comes from their wide range of floorplans and curated design selections. That attention to detail doesn’t stop at the front door—it extends into the planning of each neighborhood as well. Understanding that no two homebuyers are exactly alike, Homes by WestBay creates neighborhoods that are as diverse as the people who live in them. Whether you’re seeking walkability, resort-style amenities, natural surroundings, or family-friendly features, there’s a community designed with you in mind. This approach is especially clear in their recent expansion into the Sarasota-Manatee area, where their newest developments showcase a thoughtful blend of home design and community planning—making it easier than ever to find a place that truly feels like home.
“We have many families moving to the Sarasota-Manatee area— not just from other states, but from other parts of Florida too,” says Crescini. “They’re asking themselves, ‘What will my life look like here?’” says Crescini. “Often, people first experience the area while on vacation and start imagining what it would be like to live that lifestyle every day. The big question becomes: how can I build a new life here that feels like an extension of that vacation—and how can the community I choose support the hobbies and activities my family and I love?” Each of our communities has its own unique personality and energy. They don’t just offer a house—they tell a lifestyle story that helps residents feel truly at home in their new community. In the upand-coming neighborhood of Parrish, Homes by WestBay is proud to
build in a diverse selection of new home communities, each with its own distinct identity. First, there’s Crosswind Ranch, which Crescini describes as WestBay’s gateway into the Sarasota-Manatee market. A master-planned community, Crosswind will include amenities like a resort-style pool and pickleball courts, and it’s designed for people who enjoy a quieter, more independent living experience. People interested in a more amenitized neighborhood might be better suited for Longmeadow at North River Ranch, this community features miles of nature trails and bike pump track, the “Bark Park” for your 4-legged family members, pickle ball courts, Camp Creek clubhouse and cafe to socialize at and Headwaters Swim Center to cool off and relax. Finally there’s Oakfield, a community featuring a private, membersonly club. This gated community will have it all, from the resort pool to pickleball and tennis to casual dining options, complete with a lifestyle director. This is the community for the people who want to be involved in their neighborhood and play where they live.
Moving farther south, Homes by WestBay also builds in Star Farms in Lakewood Ranch another highly amenitized property with the newly opened Palm Bar and grill, beautiful resort pool, pickleball and basketball courts, trails and dog park that’s ideal for active families. And for families who want to experience luxury living in a community of single-family homes with a private, amenity rich gated neighborhood – Everly at Wellen Park is for you. This community is a quiet enclave of just over 200 homes with a social hall featuring a kitchen and reception area, resort pool, spa and private cabanas, fitness center, yoga deck, pickleball courts, fishing area and much more.
STORIES ABOUT THE LOCAL PEOPLE, PLACES AND EXPERIENCES THAT DEFINE OUR HOMETOWN
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SKIMMING THE SURFACE
The fifth annual Spring Fling Skim Jam brought some of professional skimboarding’s biggest names to Nokomis Beach. Dylan Campbell
Below: Professional skimboarder Mason Broussard catches air at the fifth annual Spring Fling Skim Jam on Nokomis Beach.
Below, left to right: A rider steels herself for her run. Reigning world champion Gerardo Valencia performs a spin trick. ZAP Pro team rider Casey KiernanMcCullough lines up the perfect wave. Zap Skimboards, 101 Pond Cypress Rd, Venice. To learn more about the world of skimboarding visit skim-usa.com
WHEN ASKED WHAT THEY LOVE MOST ABOUT THEIR SPORT, professional skimboarders don’t often talk about the dazzling array of tricks they can do or the exotic beaches in places like Mexico, Brazil and Japan that their craft has taken them. They talk about the community they’ve found. “You get a second family when you start skimboarding,” says Sydney Pizza, a professional skimboarder for ZAP Skimboards. “You fall in love with the sport and you meet a bunch of people who are just as in love with it as you are. I met my best friends at contests.”
For most people, a 50-some-yard strip of shoreline on Nokomis Beach may not look like much. For the hundreds of skimboard aficionados who flocked to the beach from May 16-18, however, it was much more—a proving ground, war zone and haven all rolled into one. The crowd and competitors were there for the fifth annual Spring Fling Skim Jam, hosted by local skimboard manufacturer ZAP Skimboards and Skim USA, one of the three North American skimboarding contest organizations.
The event, which included a skimboard camp from the organization Alley Oop Skim, a free skimboard clinic and a Pro/Am contest, is more than just one of the stops on Skim USA’s East Coast Tour, which culminates in the Pro/ Am World Championships in August. It’s a declaration from the community of surfing’s smaller, more niche cousin that the sport, which has been around since the 1920s, is alive and well. It’s a testament to the strength of Venice’s skimboarding community, propelled by ZAP Skimboards, which has grown into one of the industry’s leading manufacturers since its inception in 1986.
“Skimboarding is still a smaller, niche sport, but there are hot pockets of it around the world,” says Max Smetts, vice president of ZAP Skimboards and a professional skimboarder himself. “I’d consider Nokomis Beach the mecca of skimboarding on the Gulf Coast.”
There are two styles of modern competitive skimboarding, each dependent on the type of waves encountered at the shoreline. With larger wave breaks, riders will sprint headlong into the water, mounting the board just in time to pump onto an incoming wave, do a maneuver and ride it back to the beach. The other is more akin to skateboarding—when the waves aren’t as big, such as the glassy-flat break on Nokomis— riders engage in a more technical style, running parallel to the shoreline and popping the board off small waves to get airs and perform tricks such as 540s and pop-shove-it variations.
The plan of attack? “To run as fast as you can,” says longtime pro and local Dave Armstrong-Morehead. “When it’s flat like this, trying to go big might not work as well. You want to link tricks together like big spins, shove-it variations to get the most out of it.”
Fellow ZAP professional rider Mason Broussard echoed his teammate’s sentiments prior to the finals. “I’m definitely going to try to hit a couple of three-shoves (where the board spins 360 degrees) and a few airs,” says Broussard, who beat out reigning world champion Gerardo Valencia for first place. “Skimboarding is a mixture of surfing and skateboarding—you want to do cool tricks, but you also want to have long rides as well. On a day like this with very little waves, it’s definitely more of that skateboarding style.”
Although the waves were miniscule, the action was not. Underneath the blazing sun, riders of all ages and skill levels from beginners to the best in the world battled each other in 10 minute heats to prove their mettle. “As a skimboarder, everyone wishes the waves are always great,” says Broussard. “The most important thing, however, is that we’re all out here having fun and putting on a show for the people. That’s what it’s all about.” SRQ
Below, left to right: The Taste and Toast celebration included a Kentucky Derby hat contest. Sweets such as these were just some of the offerings at the inaugural Taste and Toast celebration.
SPARKING A NEW TRADITION
The Taste and Toast Gulf Coast celebration at the Palmetto Marriott brought eyes to the area’s eclectic culinary scene. Dylan Campbell
EVERY CITY WANTS TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT IT IS KNOWN FOR. A tradition, a scene, even a vibe—every city would like to have something to build its identity around. The city of Palmetto is trying to build a new calling card for itself—on May 3 it hosted the first ever Taste and Toast Gulf Coast event, a celebration of local culinary and mixology excellence held at the Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa. “You have your Bradenton, you have your Sarasota, you have your St. Pete, but to bring a good, fun, food and beverage festival like this is something that we felt that Palmetto needed,” says Greg Ciacco, general manager of the Palmetto Marriott. Taste and Toast was held at The Yard at the South Bay Center, a 35,000 square foot outdoor venue adjacent to the hotel that housed over 20 local food, beverage and artisan vendors that took part in the event. The venue links the Marriott, which opened last July, to the Bradenton Area Convention Center, creating a larger shared space that can be used for concerts, festivals and gatherings of all kinds. “We have a unique property here and we had a vision for doing an event that could showcase to the community what we can do,” says Tony DeRusso, managing partner and minority owner of the Palmetto Marriott. “We chose to do a partnership with the culinary field, because here on the west coast of Florida we have a lot of great culinary talent and wanted to give them the chance to showcase their skills as well.” The tasting and toasting of Taste and Toast wouldn’t have been possible without those local food and beverage vendors which included everything from desserts from Bradenton’s Sweet’s Bakehouse to savory bites from Anna Maria Oyster Bar to fresh beers from Motorworks Brewing and more. Taste and Toast was designed to be a culture builder, a festival that could promote all of the culinary traditions that the region has to offer for years to come. With that in mind, 100 percent of the proceeds went to the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Suncoast Chapter’s Education Initiatives, which fund mentorship programs and scholarships for young students in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. “The money we raise here goes to scholarships for students and chefs and we need those kids to stay in Sarasota and Manatee County,” says Susan Kopstead, board member of the Suncoast Chapter and co-founder of local distributor Sea Breeze Coffee and Tea. “Hopefully if we can support that younger population, then they’ll stay in our community and help us grow and get to the next generation.” The fun didn’t stop at the food and drink, however. In addition to a special Kentucky Derby watch party and hat contest, the event was headlined by rising country-rock artist and Florida native Rob Langdon. Langdon, who has reached over a million streams on his debut single Shine, played his first headline show at Taste and Toast, rocking out underneath the stars with all those who attended. Taste and Toast may have been the first of its kind, but it certainly won’t be the last event that continues to put Palmetto on the map. “When we were building this property we always said that we were going to be the entertainment district of Palmetto,” says Ciacco. “Taste and Toast was a big part of our identity when we were building the hotel and it’s going to continue to be a big part of our identity and hopefully a staple in the city of Palmetto.” SRQ
WRITING HER OWN STORY
Shelby Van Pelt, author of the bestselling book R ema R kably b R ight C R eatu R es , touched down in Sarasota to share how she broke into the literary world. Dylan Campbell
EVERYBODY CAN FEEL OUT OF PLACE AT TIMES, including bestselling authors. Just ask Shelby Van Pelt, author of the smash hit Remarkably Bright Creatures Remarkably Bright Creatures is Van Pelt’s debut novel, written in her home in the Chicago suburbs during the pandemic and has been on the New York Times bestseller list multiple times. The novel was so successful that Netflix has commissioned a film adaptation with Sally Fields set to star in the lead role. And yet, even for an author such as Van Pelt, who has gone from an unknown writer to one of the hottest names in the literary world, those feelings of self-doubt still remain. “What I would like to say is that I have more confidence in my writing now than I did before the book was published,” says Van Pelt. “I don’t know if that’s actually true. What I do know is that I certainly still have my days where I struggle and stare at a blank page and think that everything I put out is worthless—I don’t know any writer who doesn’t have those days once in a while. I am, however, more confident in the fact that I know it will get there than I was before.”
On March 14, Van Pelt came to Sarasota for the Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources One Book One Community event to speak on Remarkably Bright Creatures and her career path. Van Pelt’s journey is particularly inspiring for emerging writers—a 2002 graduate of Claremont McKenna College, Van Pelt worked as a financial consultant for the majority of her career, dabbling in flash fiction and short story writing before taking the creative plunge during the pandemic. Van Pelt advises emerging writers looking to break into their first major project to seek out the help of others.
“I don’t know that anyone ever does it alone, whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction. When I was working on my query letter to send to publishers for this book, I was working really closely with a group of writers who were also querying their own novels. We supported each other through the second, fifth, tenth versions of these query letters,” says Van Pelt.
“I had two major communities along the way—one from a continuing education class and the other was an online group from short story contests. Having that community, in addition to being necessary, just makes the whole process a lot more fun.”
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story born out of the mundane, rooted in Van Pelt’s upbringing in Tacoma, Washington. The novel follows Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus languishing in his detainment in the fictional Sowell Bay Aquarium off Puget Sound, and the unlikely friendship that he strikes up with Tova, a 70-year-old widow who works as the night janitor at the aquarium. Remarkably Bright Creatures explores the lives of characters that are all stuck in some way or another. Tova remains stuck in her grief over the disappearance of her son Erik, some 30 years before,
Marcellus is, despite his best efforts, stuck in the aquarium and Cameron, a 30-something ne’er-do-well finds himself stuck in life, searching for his estranged father in Sowell Bay. Van Pelt, who spent significant time at her local aquarium as a child, was inspired to create Marcellus from a viral video of an octopus escaping its tank. “I don’t know that I’ve ever gotten a story idea by searching for one,” says Van Pelt. “The idea for Remarkably Bright Creatures popped out at me from a random YouTube video and the idea for the book I’m working on now came out of a newspaper article. There’s some sort of spark that just happens where you go, ‘Wow that’s a great story. I’d like to take that and tell that story.’” While Van Pelt had a certain level of familiarity with the fictional world of Sowell Bay and life on the Puget Sound, there were less overt ties to that of Tova, a widow paralyzed in grief or Cameron, a young man who just couldn’t seem to get his life on track. Creating the interconnected, smalltown familial web of Remarkably Bright Creatures came from Van Pelt looking inwards.
“The adage of write what you know works, but you can also swap it with write what you’re curious about or write what you fear. When I think about where these plot lines and characters come from, so much of it comes from my own anxiety,” says Van Pelt. “I always have this little part of my brain that’s looking for the worst case scenarios and sometimes you just let them sit in the driver’s seat for a while and explore them. Obviously I’m not an octopus. I’m not a 70-something woman or a 30-year-old man, but at the same time I’m like all of them in some way in how they process their loneliness, their fears, their anxiety.” SRQ
COMPOSITIONS OF CHAOS
Legendary black and white photographer Clyde Butcher returns to film. Dylan Campbell
“WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF NATURE?”
ASKS CLYDE BUTCHER. The legendary large-format photographer, now 82-years-old, is sitting in the middle of his Venice studio and gallery, surrounded by the black and white landscape photography that has defined his career. “You have to realize that nature needs to work in chaos. It is all of the same importance—the sky, the trees, the grass, the water—there is a oneness of it all. Color photography separates the picture into different parts. Black and white gives you oneness.”
For those who might not know Butcher’s name, there is a higher likelihood that they have seen his work. In the pantheon of American landscape photographers, Butcher’s name stands alone, on a similar echelon to that of Ansel Adams. He is best known for his black and white landscape photography of Florida’s interior, dramatic, sweeping images from the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve that have earned him international acclaim and spearheaded conservation efforts in the area. Butcher is regarded as a pioneer in his craft, having built out custom darkroom and printing equipment to create the largest, highest resolution prints possible. He hopes that by doing so the viewer will want to “walk into” his images.
Butcher is also an artist who has gone through shifts throughout his career. There was a shift from black and white to color film in the early 1970s, which took his burgeoning landscape photography business to new heights. There was a shift from California to Florida, where he moved with his family in the late ‘70s after selling the business. Then the biggest shift of all came in 1986, when his son Ted was killed by a drunk driver, after which Butcher eschewed color film entirely and retreated into the primordial swamps of the Big Cypress National Preserve, where he would begin to create the work that has defined his legacy.
“There are not many places in the world that are very primeval,” says Butcher. “I try to find places that are primitive, that have not been touched and replanted. In the Everglades it looks like a dinosaur might come from around the bend.”
Butcher is now in the midst of another shift. After a decade of working with digital cameras, he is now transitioning back to working in large format film, this time with a new camera. The camera, an Alvandi Camera Systems Panoral 45 Ver. III, is a 4 x 5 inch large format camera with tilt and shift capabilities that essentially allows Butcher to do everything that he typically would with a 4 x 5 or even larger format camera, but in a tighter, more streamlined package. It’s essential for the continuation of his artistry—after battling health scares, including a stroke, Butcher walks with the aid of a walker. Even still, he keeps going out into the wilderness, oftentimes in Myakka State Park, searching for that feeling he gets when he knows that he’s found a shot he likes.
“People say that I’ve taken a walker where no man has taken a walker before,” chuckles Butcher. “I’ll sit on the walker in two feet of water—it’s actually worked out nicely, because it’s a lot easier to sit for two to three hours at a time than it is to stand. I think I’ve been taking more pictures with the walker than I did before and it’s been pretty exciting getting back into film.”
Although he’s done it from time to time, Butcher seldom goes into nature searching for a specific shot. Instead he’s ingesting the world around him, the rustling of the pines, the gentle lapping of the water around his walker. He’s searching for a feeling, a moment of truth privy only to him, captured through the lens of his camera, one sheet of film at a time. SRQ
Left: Clyde Butcher in his Venice gallery and studio.
MUSIC THROUGH SPACE AND TIME
Matt Venuti’s distinctive AmeriCosmos performance offers a look into the mind of a unique creative force. Dylan Campbell
THERE IS BEAUTY IN THE UNEXPLAINABLE. Matt Venuti understands this. For as much as the natural world has been explained, how the formation of the atmosphere and the geological metamorphosis of the ground beneath our feet has been detailed, Venuti understands the inherent mysticism and beauty that is found in nature. It’s a dynamic that the national touring musician and multi-media artist explores in his latest musical experience, AmeriCosmos, which touched down at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature this April. AmeriCosmos pairs Venuti’s unique, ethereal music with footage of the natural wonders of the United States and visuals of the cosmos from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The performance, which is in essence an improvisational concert featuring a variety of remarkable instruments such as the Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI), the Hang, guitar, the Waves and his voice, is just a window into the career of one of the most distinctive musical artists of our time.
Venuti hails from the Finger Lakes region of New York state, where music coursed through his bloodlines like the rushing water of Taughannock Falls, the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains and a visual feature in AmeriCosmos. The son of a jazz pianist, Venuti spent his childhood playing the piano and brass instruments like the trumpet, before stumbling on the EVI at a club in Boston.
“The EVI is a MIDI wind synthesizer and I use it with a looper so that I can create all kinds of arrangements and then dissolve them into something else. It’s basically a perfect instrument with a looper to create a soundtrack on the spot,” says Venuti. “It’s a very complicated instrument in a lot of ways, but it’s incredibly versatile in terms of what you can do with it. I can make any sound with breath expression, with eight octaves of range.”
The EVI became Venuti’s main calling card for his band, The Venusians, in San Francisco, where the group became a hit in the festival scene and amongst corporate entities. The Venusians with their distinct, ethereal, space-rock sound, would often make the soundtrack to an event, improvising music to the mood of a room. Throughout the band’s progression, however, Venuti found himself yearning for a more acoustic sound, an instrument that he could bring out into nature. Enter the Hang. “Someone told me about this instrument that looks like a flying saucer—you put it on your lap, play it with your hands and the sound is ethereal and amazing,” says Venuti. “Something went off in my head, just like with the EVI. I became obsessed with it.”
“It took me so deep into another expression of myself that I had not experienced before, but had always wanted to, and that is to bring people into a deep, peaceful place. I’ve always wanted my music to have a deep effect on
people, like a medicinal effect and I felt like the Hang could do that,” says Venuti. Venuti burrowed even deeper into nature after the death of his wife, Yolanda Bain, in 2008. Armed with his Hang, Venuti would venture out into the wilderness, seeking some way to heal his heart. “I started to basically download these motifs, these patterns that I felt were somehow coming from her. I started to compose that way, not by doing it in front of people, but by going out into nature alone and feeling what’s going on all around me and recording compositions to that,” says Venuti.
These experiences are what provided the inspiration for AmeriCosmos. Venuti returned to playing the EVI, with a deeper appreciation for the instrument—its ability to create a looping soundtrack fits perfectly with the visuals of AmeriCosmos—and began weaving in footage from his travels across America. Shots of Taughannock Falls and winter in the Finger Lakes are mixed in with visuals from the southwest, the Badlands and the Cascade Mountains. Venuti also looked to contacts of his at NASA, who steered him towards obtaining footage from the James Webb Space Telescope.
The result is a visually and sonically stimulating piece of performance art. Aside from the spoken-word introductory piece, Desert Dreams, Venuti’s music is all improvised to the visuals of AmeriCosmos. “It’s a live music and visual journey through the heart of nature, the depth of sound and the vastness of space,” says Venuti. “I’ve heard that there’s something about this, both musically and visually, that calms people and gives them a deeper appreciation for nature, which I feel like we’ve lost as a culture. It also, in a sense, might be one of the things that we can all agree on—that we live in a beautiful country.” SRQ
Right: Matt Venuti’s AmeriCosmos performance employs experimental instrumentals and stunning visuals of the country’s varying landscapes to create an enthralling sensory experience.
THE INSTRUMENTS
To produce the distinct, celestial soundtrack of AmeriCosmos, Venuti needs a particular set of instruments, many of which most audience members have never even heard of. Here is a list of all the tools that Venuti has at his disposal for the improvised performance, not including his voice.
Electronic Valve Instrument
A MIDI wind synthesizer that allows Venuti to produce an array of different sounds.
Looper
A device that Venuti accesses by foot while playing the EVI, allowing him to record a musical section and play it back instantly, creating multi-layered improvised musical arrangements.
The Hang
Shaped like a flying saucer, the Hang (pronounced Hung) sits on Venuti’s lap and he plays it with his hands. The Hang produces a unique tonal sound, not unlike that of the steel pan drum, yet distinct from the line of handpan instruments.
Guitar
Easily the most conventional of all the instruments Venuti plays.
Gemini Bell
An “instrument of sound”, the Gemini Bell is a creation of Venuti’s close friend Richard Cooke, who also created the Waves. The Gemini Bell consists of two bells connected by a rod—Venuti plays each bell with a mallet creating dream-like, celestial sounds.
Waves
A percussion instrument, the Waves are most easily compared to that of a xylophone—aluminum keys shaped like hour glasses are played with a series of mallets, all creating different notes.
Huaca
A rare wind instrument, the Huaca is the first of the triplechambered Ocarinas—a type of hand-held vessel flute that belongs to a family of instruments dating back to over 12,000 years.
Below, left to right: At CITY Furniture, you can find items that are stylish, comfortable, and affordable. Right: Free onsite designers can help you pick items that fit your style, like these contemporary coastal pieces. CITY Furniture, 145 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota, www.cityfurniture.com/sarasota.
WELCOME TO THE CITY
Shopping is stylish and simple at the new CITY Furniture at UTC. Kate Wight
WHETHER YOU’RE FURNISHING A NEW HOME FROM SCRATCH or giving your current space a style refresh, shopping for furniture and decor can feel like a daunting task. With the opening of CITY Furniture at University Town Center, residents of the Sarasota area now have a stylish new destination that makes the shopping process not only simpler, but genuinely enjoyable. CITY Furniture started in 1971 as a waterbed store before expanding into a full furniture store in the nineties. This family-owned furniture business is local to South Florida and is known for its wide range of affordable home furnishings, sustainable building and shipping practices and a giving pledge that puts five percent of its annual profits into the communities they serve. “Sarasota is such a vibrant community with a really strong appreciation for quality and style,” says Caitlin Maribona, CITY’s senior PR manager. “What we offer from a shopping experience is, I think, right on par with what the community is looking for. We want to make a positive impact wherever we go, whether it’s through creating jobs or getting involved in local causes, and Sarasota’s energy and growth and community spirit really spoke to us.” When you walk into a CITY Furniture, one of the first things that stands out to you is the abundance of choice. You can find furniture for every room in your house in a range of styles, from modern to cozy to traditional and everything in between. CITY Furniture also offers an extensive selection of seasonally-changing home decor accents including rugs, lamps, chandeliers, florals and pillows, so it truly is a one-stop shop. Worried about getting it home? That’s not a problem—just use their in-house moving company, CITY Moves. There are also some exclusive items available. CITY has created a Florida King bed which is even wider than a California King—and also recently launched the CITYMOD line of highly-customizable modular furniture. Maribona also teases that in the near future, the company will be dipping its toes into closet spaces beginning with the Sarasota location. And there are a few other things that make the CITY shopping experience so unique. “In all of our showrooms we have our KC Cafe & Wine Bar where you can get wine, coffee, snacks, appetizers. We always have our fresh and free cookies that are the most delicious cookies you’ve ever had in your life,” Maribona says. “Making decisions while you’re shopping can take a little while. So while you’re mulling over your choices, you can go grab a drink while you think about it. We just want to make sure we’re creating really great experiences for our customers.” And if you’re struggling with design choices, CITY also has in-store free designers that can help customers with everything from mood boards to color palettes to floor plans. It’s an invaluable service that is truly unparalleled. At press time, CITY Furniture was expected to have its soft opening at the end of June, with a grand opening weekend scheduled for July 17th. “We love to have a big to-do with our grand openings,” Maribona says. “We’ll have food trucks, DJs in the showroom and thousands of dollars in giveaways all weekend long. It’s really a big splash in the community.” SRQ
Summersizzlers
If you’re missing the hustle and bustle this summer and searching for fresh ways to enjoy the season until it returns, we’ve got just what you need. With everything from refreshing drinks and mouthwatering snacks to cultural events and a çai bowls, our Summer Sizzlers will help you escape the heat and embrace the joy of the quiet season.
ON THE MENU Leopard “Paper” Plate 6” $20, Leopard “Paper” Plate 9” $32, Leopard & Bird Napkin $6, Simply Jo’s Boutique, 1950 Main St, Sarasota, 941-3613213, Prime Beef Burgers $10.99/lb, Italian Sweet Mild Sausage $9.99/lb, Terra Real
BY BARBIE HEIT, KATE WIGHT, DYLAN CAMPBELL, CECILIA MOULD AND JENNIFER VILLAGOMEZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN, WES ROBERTS AND CECILIA MARTY.
Vegetable Chips Original With Sea Salt $3.79, Red Onion $1.99/lb, Scallions $.99/lb, Morton’s Gourmet Market, 1924 S Osprey Ave, Sarasota, 941-955-9856, Art Boozel Hard Cover $18.95, Wood Stove Kitchen Mimosa Tangerine & Mango Natural Cocktail & Mocktail Mixer $16, Wood Stove Kitchen Mimosa Sangria Natural Wine & Mocktail Mixer $16, Cocktail Stirrers $9, Blu Home, 1830 S Osprey Ave #101, Sarasota, 941-364-2900.
BEYOND THE BUBBLE
With its vibrant colors, unique texture and endless opportunities for personalization, boba tea—also known as bubble tea—has become one of the trendiest drinks around. Originally from Taiwan, this playful beverage blends tea, milk, or fruit with sweet toppings like popping boba, jelly, or the classic tapioca pearls. Part treat, part drink, boba is as fun to sip as it is to customize. Its popularity has skyrocketed thanks to its Instagram-worthy appearance, creative flavors and the satisfying chewy texture of the pearls. Cool, customizable, and just the right amount of sweet, boba tea is the ultimate refreshing sip for hot summer days. Here are a few Sarasota spots where you can pop in and try this tasty treat for yourself. —
K.Wight/C.Mould
Kam’s Bubble Tea & Sushi
There’s no better business than a family business, unless it’s a family boba business—then it’s even better. Kam’s Bubble Tea & Sushi is named after Ramli Kam who runs the enterprise with wife Yemi Tan, daughter Delia Ermina and son-in-law, Novan Makapedua. Originally from Indonesia, the family moved to Chicago, where Kam and Tan took up positions in a local sushi restaurant while Makapedua worked at a bubble tea shop. After Ermina was accepted to Lecom School of Pharmacy in 2015 to study Pharmaceutical Science, the family moved to Sarasota. Putting their experience together, the family opened a joint bubble tea and sushi restaurant in the heart of the historic district of downtown Sarasota. Kam’s Bubble Tea & Sushi are one of the few boba shops that craft their own tapioca pearls in-house. The pearls are created by blending tapioca starch and hot water to create a doughlike substance, before it is placed into a specialized machine that creates the perfect tapioca pearl. “We started to make our own boba when Covid started,” says Ermina. “We didn’t want our quality to suffer because it was getting harder to import some of our ingredients from Taiwan.” Not only does Kam’s Bubble Tea & Sushi have exceptional quality, but they also have unconventional boba tea options like Ermina’s favorite, Avocado Milk Tea, made from creamy avocados, black tea and milk. This earthy drink is perfect for those who enjoy rich textures with hints of subtle fruitiness. Kam’s Bubble Tea & Sushi, 5131 N Tamiami Trl Ste B, Sarasota, 941- 277-3707.
Serenity Sips
Serenity Sips, owned by husband and wife Hiep Nguyen and My Hieu Doan, offers a variety of coffee, milk teas with tapioca pearls, fruit teas with popping boba and pastries for customers. After owning a salon for seventeen years, Nguyen and Doan made the decision to open the coffee shop just three months ago. “I love community, and I love seeing people come to the coffee shop to relax … and have fun,” Nguyen said about their decision to shift professions. The shop imports coffee from the highlands of Vietnam for a distinct and high-quality flavor. The coffee milk tea offers customers the opportunity to taste this special coffee while also enjoying the tapioca pearls which draw many to boba shops. Nguyen also noted that the couple decided to incorporate boba drinks into their menu to serve a wider variety of customers, even those who don’t enjoy coffee. The cafe offers a selection of other milk tea flavors, including Taro, Thai and fruit milk tea options, as well as espresso drinks and pastries. Those in search of a refreshing pop of flavor can choose one of three fizzy fruit drinks with popping boba at the cozy cafe. Serenity Sips, 1880 S Tamiami Trl., Venice, 941-310-4477
Serenity Sips, Taro Milk Tea
Funky Fresh Boba Tea
Murat Yavas moved from Los Angeles to Sarasota and bought Funky Fresh Boba Tea just a few months ago. He’s new to the boba business, but said over the past few months he’s worked hard to make high quality drinks. “It’s been wonderful because it’s a good place and our team members are wonderful. It’s like a family, and all the customers are like family,” Yavas said as he reflected on his first few months of owning the shop. Those looking to create their own customized boba drink should look to Yavas’ shop, as he offers a ‘Build-a-Boba’ menu from which customers can choose their drink’s size, ice and sugar levels, drink base, flavors and toppings. Not sure what to choose? This shop’s menu also offers a surprise drink option, with which customers can ask an employee to choose a drink for them. Other options include classics such as the Tiger Sugar Milk Tea, as well as specials like the Funky Monkey—a Thai tea with coconut flavor, coconut milk and tapioca pearls. Delicious specials don’t stop there—Peach Gardenia offers a matcha tea with peach syrup and peach popping boba, and the Honeysuckle Latte includes a cold brew with honey, condensed milk and tapioca. Funky Fresh also offers a variety of fruity teas, specialty coffees and sweet treats for those looking for a quick refreshment. Funky Fresh Boba Tea, 265 S Tamiami Trl., Nokomis, 941-412-4538
JaRamen X Ding Tea UTC
JaRamen X Ding Tea UTC has been delighting boba lovers for the past two years with a flavorful selection of milk teas, fruit teas, fresh juices and slushies—all served from their cozy spot at 5231 University Parkway, in the same plaza as Mission BBQ. Customers enjoy customizing their drinks with fun toppings like tiramisu foam, rainbow jelly and more. One fan favorite is the Monster Boba Latte—a rich, indulgent drink served cold (without ice), made with fresh milk, brown sugar and heavy whipping cream. The result is a perfect blend of sweet and salty that keeps customers coming back for more. Beyond their drinks, JaRamen is also known for its satisfying ramen bowls and hearty Japanese curry dishes, making it a go-to destination for both sips and savory bites. JaRamen X Ding Tea UTC, 5231 University Pkwy #105, Sarasota, 941-702, 6066.
Stardust Cafe
Like all good stories, this business began with romance. Owners Jay and Marina Vongphachanh were attending Temple University in Philadelphia when they met, bonding over their shared affection for boba. “It was everywhere, especially in Chinatown,” Marina said. “You couldn’t walk a block without seeing a boba shop.” Moving to Sarasota in 2022, the couple was surprised at the utter lack of boba cafes in the city, and Marina took the opportunity to open the business of her dreams. She began making boba drinks for family members, friends and household events with the help of her brother. It wasn’t long before she was vending her boba products at farmers markets in Venice and Englewood alongside her family friend’s business Lumpia N More. Following their success, the couple opened Stardust Café in November of 2023. “We really wanted a space that would allow us to broaden our menu, and store our fresh ingredients,” the couple explained. Marina’s personal favorite is the Strawberry Green Tea. Made from their homemade organic syrup and premium jasmine green tea, this sweet, pulpy drink can be paired with tapioca boba or crystal boba, a jelly-like alternative made from agar powder, sugar and fruit juice. Stardust Cafe, 6517 Superior Ave, Sarasota, 941-413-7264.
Twilight Sparkle Lemonade, Funky Fresh Boba Tea
Monster Boba, Ding Tea
Poppin Boba Tea
Poppin Boba Tea owner Andrew Hua’s family has been in the boba business for 15 years, so when he moved to Englewood in 2020 and saw that there were no boba stores in the area, he decided it was time to open his own. With Poppin Boba, Hua hopes to create a space where children and teenagers from Englewood can gather and spend time together, while also discovering the wide variety of boba drinks the shop offers, which includes milk teas, fruity popping boba drinks, fruit teas, slushies and smoothies. “In a small town like this, nobody really knows about boba, so I just want to introduce the community to boba. I also wanted to have a place for high school kids to come and hang out, because there’s not a whole lot of places for kids to do that around here,” Hua said. He encouraged newcomers to try popular options such as the Taro Milk Tea and Tiger Milk Tea, as well as the refreshing variety of fruit teas. Poppin Boba Tea, 2828 S McCall Rd, Ste 34, Englewood, 941-307-6050
Kyuramen X Tbaar Sarasota
At Kyuramen X Tbaar, customers can enjoy high quality ramen meals as well as a boba treat as dessert. Customers can choose from a selection of milk teas, bright and flavorful fruit teas with milk foam or one of several smoothies. In addition to the traditional brown sugar milk tea, this restaurant also offers a similar drink with a twist—a brown sugar bubble matcha with tapioca pearls. The matcha options don’t stop there—the restaurant also offers a special matcha smoothie along with other smoothie flavors such as coconut, taro, or mango and orange. For a particularly hot Florida summer day, customers can choose a more refreshing option from the fruit teas menu, which includes the popular fresh passion fruit and lychee lime green teas. Kyuramen X Tbaar Sarasota, 3232 N Tamiami Trl., Sarasota, 941-359-6646
Mia’s Vietnamese Cuisine
After years of running a successful Vietnamese restaurant in Franklin Park, New Jersey, Mia Ha brought her treasured family recipes to Sarasota when she opened the second location of Mia’s Vietnamese Cuisine in 2022. Ha shares treasured family recipes that have been carefully passed down for generations. In addition to dishing up a wide variety of authentic Vietnamese food and flavors, Ha has a thoughtfully designed selection of boba tea options. “We tried to narrow down our boba options to our customer’s taste,” says Ha. “We want our customers to know that when they come to Mia’s, they are going to expect an elevated level of service.” This includes a Boba Tea Slush, a specialty drink that you won’t find at most boba shops. Their one-of-a-kind Honeydew Slush is carefully concocted with flavored powder and mixed with a base of black or green tea, before it is blended to icy perfection. Customers have the option to add popping boba and fruit jellies made from lychee, strawberry and mango boba or tapioca pearls. Mia’s Vietnamese Cuisine, 2720 Stickney Point Rd, Sarasota, 941-923-9899
Sweet Krunch restaurant’s mission is to create a warm and inviting atmosphere to customers, who can choose from a variety of milk teas, fruit teas and slushies with a free topping included. Many flavorful options are offered, including coconut, rose, jasmine, white peach or mango milk teas —as well as more traditional options such as the classic milk tea. Those looking for an energy boost can order a mocha latte or Blue Mountain coffee with tapioca pearls, and those in need of a refreshing drink on a warm day can choose one of the many fruit slushie flavors. Beyond their boba options, Sweet Krunch also offers signature Korean Fried Chicken dishes as well as traditional dishes such as Korean Fried Rice and Chicken Katsu. Sweet Krunch, 5605 Manatee Ave. West, Bradenton, 941-666-8008
Sweet Krunch
Mia’s Vietnamese Cuisine
Golden Pineapple, Poppin Boba Tea
The sun isn’t the only thing that heats up in our region during the summer. From fine art to ball games, from the circus arts to community theater, here are some of the must-do events for those touching down this summer.
GO CULTURE
Journeys Through Light
THE RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART |
A different world awaits inside the doors of The Ringling Museum of Fine Art. One of the exhibitions ready to transport viewers out of the sticky summer months is Yoshida Hiroshi: Journeys Through Light. Sourced from The Ringling’s holdings and local private collections, the exhibition is an exploration of the work of Yoshida Hiroshi, a 20th-century Japanese painter and woodblock printer. Yoshida was an artist looking to escape into a different world himself—known for his lush and ornate landscapes, Yoshida would travel across the globe sourcing inspiration, before transposing his ideas onto polychrome woodblock prints. Journeys Through Light focuses particularly on Yoshida’s betsu-zuri or separate printings. Using the same set of wooden printing blocks in different pale es of color, Yoshida and his artistic associates would print the same design in multiple colors, with each piece portraying a different time of day, emotion or tonality. June 21-January 11, 2026, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, 941-359-5700, ringling.org
A Circus-Filled Summer
CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY | The circus will always come home to Sarasota. This summer, head on over to The Ringling Museum’s Historic Asolo Theater for the return of the Summer Circus Spectacular, the annual collaboration between The Ringling and the Circus Arts Conservatory that brings some of the top circus
performers in the world to Sarasota. From June 13 through August 9, the action-packed, one-hour show offers the chance for families to experience the circus at an affordable price. Showtimes are on 11am and 2pm Tuesdays through Fridays and 2pm and 5pm on Saturdays—Summer Circus Spectacular patrons can also be admi ed to the Circus Museum for an additional $5. This year’s lineup of performers is an eclectic bunch with all different types of skillsets. One of the most prominent names is self-taught aerialist Aiden Bryant. In 2020, Bryant was an aerialist in season 16 of the reality television series America’s Got Talent finishing the competition in second place and won America’s Got Talent: All-Stars in 2023. Nilson Escobar is a speed juggler who has performed around the world. Sarasota native Sian Espana is 6th-generation circus artist that performs a number of acrobatic acts including the Flying Trapeze, the Globe of Death, the Wheel of Destiny and the German Wheel. Summer Circus Spectacular, June 13-August 9, Historic Asolo Theater at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota. 941-360-7399, ringling.org
FST 15th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival
FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE | For those in need of a laugh, FST’s resident improv team is serving up the comedy, 52 weeks each year! FST Improv celebrates the full spectrum of Improvisational disciplines, going beyond game-focused Short-Form, to also incorporate Long-Form, Musical, and Free-Form styles. With a wide range of styles and shows, no two performances are ever the same. Freedom! The Musical, July 5 to July 12, 2025. Available Cupholders, July 25 to July 26, 2025. July 5-12; July 25-26. Florida Studio Theatre, Browne’s Lab, 1241 N. Palm Avenue, Sarasota, floridastudiotheatre.org
Hot Off the Press
SARASOTA ART MUSEUM | Personal to Political: Celebrating the African-American Artists of the Paulson Fontaine Press is a nationally traveling exhibition featuring an eclectic mix of work from 17 African-American artists that includes fine art prints, mixed-media sculptures, a selection of Gee’s Bend quilts and a largescale basketball pyramid. Creatives from all different backgrounds have
worked in the Paulson Fontaine Press, from internationally renowned artists like Kerry James Marshall to the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, who learned their cra from their mothers and grandmothers. Personal to Political not only highlights the historical and technical significance of the Paulson Fontaine Press, but adds another layer to the show with the inclusion of real Gee’s Bend quilts and mixed-media sculptures from the artists represented in the Press. May 4 to August 10, 2025, Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, sarasotaartmuseum.org
Sarasota Opera House
The Silver Screen
SARASOTA OPERA | Some things just go perfectly together. Peanut bu er and jelly. Hot dogs and baseball games. Going to the movies and summertime. This summer, beat the heat with the Sarasota Opera’s summer movie series: Classic Movies at the Opera House and HD at the Opera House. All summer long, from June until October, guests can see
quintessential Hollywood films and award-winning high definition-filmed performances of opera and ballet from companies around the world.. HD at the Opera House will take place at 1:30pm on Sundays and feature eight different performances, starting with Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Bu erfly June 8, the Royal Ballet’s performance of La fille male gardee, L’elisir d’amore July 13, Cinderella by the Royal Ballet July 27, Theodora August 10, Starstruck–Gene Kelly’s Love Le er to Ballet August 31,
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Journeys Through Light
The Apartment
Ariadne auf Naxos September 14 and Otello September 28. The classic movies will play on Fridays at 7:00pm and kick off with Amadeus June 27, Foul Play July 11, The Birdcage July 25, Chinatown August 8, The Apartment August 29, The Last Picture Show September 12 and Beetlejuice October 3. 61 N Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, 941-328-1300, sarasotaopera.org
Walls Come to Life
SARASOTA ART MUSEUM | This summer, come see the walls of the Sarasota Art Museum come to life in Chris Friday: Where We Never Grow Old. The show is the first solo museum exhibition of the multi-disciplinary artist who has made a name for herself as one of the most talented dra smen of her time. In Where We Never Grow Old, Friday will showcase part of what she is best
known for: intricately detailed, larger than life chalk drawings, typically of Black figures. Friday will also be bringing a newer aspect of her artistry to the exhibition: ceramics. Friday has sculpted ceramic works of pieces of her upbringing, everything from charm bracelets to her favorite comfort foods, before hand-gilding each piece. “Her hand-gilding these ceramics is a form of reverence. She’s opening up and sharing parts of herself with the world,” says Shearer, SAM Executive Director. “I think that she’s trying to give us a li le bit of a window into the Black experience, especially around what is sacred to Black familial culture, by li ing up what might be stereotyped or feel really mundane to others.” May 4 to August 10, 2025, Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, sarasotaartmuseum.org
Revamping a Classic
THE SARASOTA PLAYERS | One of the advantages of living in Sarasota is that the arts scene never stops. It’s par for the course for a town built on
the circus—rain, shine, or unbelievably hot weather—the show must go on. It makes sense then that the town’s oldest community theater, the Sarasota Players, continues to uphold that tradition. One of the organization’s mainstage summer productions is the iconic, award-winning musical Cabaret. Set in postWorld War I Berlin, Cabaret follows struggling American writer Clifford Bradshaw, whose quest for inspiration leads him into the sensuous and captivating world of the cabaret. Bradshaw strikes up a romance with cabaret performer Sally Bowles, but as time passes, a once-thrilling stay in Berlin turns sinister as the Nazi party begins to take hold of Germany. “Our director is Brian Finnerty, who directed the sold-out production of Into The Woods this past season. He never copies what has been done before,” says Marketing Director Amanda Heisey. “A lot of places will produce a show like Cabaret the way that it was produced on Broadway. That’s not what we do, not only because we have a different stage in the round, but we like to be able to put a different spin on shows.” July 31-August 10, 1400 Blvd. of the Arts Suite 200, Sarasota, theplayers.org
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
LECOM PARK | There is perhaps nothing more quintessentially “summer” than a night out at the ball park. Although Sarasota is not home to a Major League Baseball team of its own, it does have plenty of baseball in its midst. Nearby Bradenton holds LECOM Park, or as many around the game refer to it, the Floridian Fenway. Originally constructed in 1923, LECOM Park is the Spring Training home of the Pi sburgh Pirates. Once the big league team breaks for the Steel City, however, LECOM becomes home to the Pirates’ minor league affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders. While the talent level alone of the athletes is enough to make the Marauders a draw—the Florida State League is where the stars of the future get their start. The oldest of the Spring Training stadiums, LECOM Park feels like a time portal to the 1970s. A Spanish Mission-style facade, reminiscent of the Old Bradenton railroad station, wraps around the exterior of the park. At a fraction of the cost of a ending a Major League game, fans can come see the Marauders. Bradenton Marauders, LECOM Park, 1611 9th St West, Bradenton, 941-747-3031, milb. com/bradenton
Laser Light Nights
THE BISHOP MUSEUM | Rock out at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature this summer with Laser Light Nights. From May 23-August 30, the crowd favorite concert series returns for three nights a week. Laser Light Nights take place in the Bishop’s planetarium, blending mind-bending visuals and projections with music from iconic artists that span across genres and generations, featuring legends of rock n’ roll like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles to 80s favorite likes Queen and
Journey to pop stars like Taylor Swi and Billie Eilish. “When you go into the planetarium, you have a great surround sound system and then it will be a performance of laser lights that will either throw shapes on the screen and graphics that go along with the music or sometimes even recreate the artist playing in lasers,” says Andrew Sandall, CEO of the Bishop. One of the highlights of the season is July 4’s Red, White & Boom show, where the Bishop opens up its Riverwalk Plaza. May 23-August 30, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 7pm and 9pm. 201 10th St West, Bradenton, 941-746-4131, bishopscience.org
Soccer Paradise
SARASOTA PARADISE | The Sarasota Paradise jumped onto the scene in 2023 as Sarasota’s pre-professional soccer team. Ever since, the team has only grown in scope, from winning the United Soccer League 2 (USL2) South Florida division title in 2024 to hosting a game in the country’s oldest ongoing national soccer competition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this past spring. The Paradise’s new 3,000-plus seat home field at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch will feature new digs and fan amenities, such as a team store, concessions, food vendors and a beer garden/DJ area. 5895 Post Blvd, Lakewood Ranch,sarasotaparadise.us —D. Campbell
Chris Friday: Where We Never Grow Old
Laser Light Nights
CREATIVELY COOL
School’s out, the sunscreen is on and summer is in full swing. But if your kids are already starting to utter the dreaded phrase “I’m bored,” don’t panic. That early-summer thrill might be wearing off, but there’s still plenty of time to make the most of the sunny days ahead. Whether you’re looking to spark their imagination, help them burn off some energy, or just try something totally new, these cool and creative kidfriendly activities are here to save the season. Let the summer adventures begin. —K.Wight
Arts A Blaze Studio
Located in Lakewood Ranch, Arts A Blaze is a paint-your-own pottery studio catering to crafters of all ages and abilities. Owner Joann Kavanaugh changes selections with the seasons, so in the summer, kids can choose from pottery designs like surfboards, sharks, mermaids and more. Just bring the kids in, let them choose their pottery and paint, and leave it at the studio to be fired, then come back to pick it up when it’s done (typically within a week). “We just kicked off our Kids Club Membership, which is a yearlong program you can sign up for on our website that saves you 25% or more off the shelf price,” Kavanaugh says. On Wednesday nights during the summers, Kavanaugh also holds kid-friendly movie nights with themed pottery that ties into the film. 8111 Lakewood Main Street #107, Bradenton, 941-306-5840, artsablazestudio.com
Robinson Preserve Canopy Zone
Robinson Preserve in Bradenton has long been a great place to kayak, hike and enjoy scenic views. In 2018, the preserve added an additional 150 acres and in that space built a classroom/event space called the Mosaic Center for Nature, Exploration, Science and Technology (NEST) and youth outdoor and play area called the Canopy Zone. The Canopy Zone is a two-story structure with an array of adventure park elements, including boardwalks, climbing nets, rope bridges and slides. Though there’s plenty of room for kids to run around and play, it is self-contained. While much of the Canopy Zone is all ages, some areas are better suited for kids aged 5 and up. The sturdy structure is also more than able to accommodate adults who may want to supervise younger children. 840 99th Street Northwest, Bradenton
Children’s Rainforest Garden at Selby
Built around Selby’s iconic banyan grove, the rainforest garden offers ample shade and you can often feel the breeze coming off of nearby Sarasota Bay. Even on a hot summer day, kids can stay cool under the shade of the banyans as they explore pathways and huts that simulate the rainforest experience. They can also enjoy the sound of rushing water and the refreshing mist that comes off of the twelve-foot waterfall feature. There are interactive and educational activities throughout the rainforest garden, including the popular and dynamic collection of carnivorous plants. On Saturdays in July, Selby also offers a program in the Rainforest Garden called Bubbles Under the Banyans— visit their website or social media pages for more information. 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, 941-366-5731, selby.org.
Sarasota Children’s Garden
The Children’s Garden is an utterly unique experience. Founder Joan Marie Condon’s sons, Ray and Roy Fulk, built a series of one-of-a-kind features. There are the oversized sculptures–an octopus named Isabel and a giant green dragon called Snuffy—and a massive pirate ship play area. Kids can dress up, put on puppet shows and plays, make mud pies in Hobbitsville and so much more. Condon’s daughter Robin Fulk now teaches garden classes to kids and holds summer camps and other events geared toward kids. But it’s not just the kids who end up having a blast. “It’s fun here because adults can act like kids,” Robin says. “I hear the dads come in and ask, ‘Oh, what’s this all about?’ and by the end of the day I hear them being the Big Bad Wolf.” 1670 10th Way, Sarasota, 941-330-1711, sarasotachildrensgarden.com.
PHOTOS BY WES ROBERTS AND CECILIA MARTY.
Arts A Blaze
Selby Gardens’ Children’s Rainforest
Robinson Preserve NEST
SUMMERTIME PET LOVE
School’s out, schedules are lighter and life moves at a slower pace in the summer—making it the perfect season to welcome a new pet. With so many amazing animal rescue organizations in our community, it’s a great time to bring a little extra love into your heart and your home. Saving lives, four paws at a time, is the passion and commitment of the Humane Society of Manatee County (HSMC). With over 50 years of service, HSMC operates a no-kill shelter and veterinary clinic in downtown Bradenton. Their Second Chance Adoption Center rehomes over 800 dogs and cats annually, many of whom have special medical or behavioral needs. “Summer is ideal for adopting,” says Executive Director Rick Yocum. “Families often have more time to bond and train a new pet. The longer days also support outdoor play, which helps both pets and owners stay active.” From 60 adoptions in its early days to more than 2,000 a year today, Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue provides a safe haven for abandoned dogs and cats. “Summer naturally supports pet transitions,” says Marketing Manager Lacy Landers. “With more free time and daylight, families can focus on bonding and establishing routines, which can be critical in building trust and connection, especially for rescue pets who may be adjusting from uncertain pasts.” Cat Depot specializes in rescuing and rehoming homeless cats. Claudia A. Harden, senior director of advancement explains that summer allows for more time to form lasting bonds. “It’s not just about rescuing an animal—it’s about building a relationship that brings joy every single day.” Humane Society of Sarasota County (HSSC) is a no-kill shelter that sees an influx of puppies and kittens in the summer. While the young ones often get adopted quickly, older pets can be overlooked. Chief Lifesaving Officer David Morton believes that summer is a great time to adopt a pet but notes, “if you’re planning to travel, think ahead about who will care for your pet and how to keep their routine consistent during that important adjustment period.” Focused on pets with special behavioral or medical needs, Satchel’s Last Resort Animal Shelter offers a second chance for animals that others might turn away. “Many shelters often see an increase in the number of animals during the summer,” shares Executive Director Michal Anne Vander Woude. “This period is typically known as kitten season, as it is when the highest number of kittens are born. Adopting an animal during this time helps alleviate overcrowding in shelters and enables them to assist more animals in need.” B.Heit
GRILLING Leopard “Paper” Plate 9” $32, Leopard & Bird Napkin $6, Simply Jo’s Boutique, 1950 Main St, Sarasota, 941-361-3213, Shish Kebabs $10.99/ lb, Morton’s Gourmet Market, 1924 S Osprey Ave, Sarasota, 941-955-9856, Oasis Blue Original Towel $39.95, Lazy Daisy Gold Original Towel $39.95, Palms Coral Original Towel $39.95, Compound Boardshop, 3604 S Osprey Ave, Sarasota, 941-552-9805.
FUN IN THE SUN Sierra one piece $200, Striped Terry Shirt $140, St. Tropez One Piece, RAREBIRD 1282 N Palm Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236, 941-362-4196, Soild Sea 18.5” Boardshorts $64.95, Compound Boardshop, 3604 S Osprey Ave, Sarasota, FL 34239, 941-552-9805, The Wild Blooms bikini $102, Lava bikini $112, Siesta Bikinis, 2095 Siesta Dr, Sarasota, FL 34239, 941-993-1837 STACK N’ SNACK Red Grapes $3.99/ lb, Cacio Roma Cheese $30.99/lb, Morbier Cheese $17.99/lb, Moliterno With Truffle Cheese $22.49/lb, Etorki Cheese $26.99/ lb, Morton’s Gourmet Market, 1924 S Osprey Ave, Sarasota, 941-955-9856, Prairie Large Cutting Board Acacia Wood $42.99, Blu Home, 1830 S Osprey Ave #101, Sarasota, 941-3642900. BEACH IN THE REARVIEW Striped Terry Shirt $140, RAREBIRD, 1282 N Palm Ave, Sarasota, 941-362-4196, Sun Stones Ring Brazilian Bottom Multi $112, Hat HH2450 Tan $39, Siesta Bikinis, 2095 Siesta Dr, Sarasota, FL 34239, 941-993-1837, World Cocktail Adventures $23, Blu Home, 1830 S Osprey Ave #101, Sarasota, 941-364-2900, Soild Sea 18.5” Boardshorts $64.95, Compound Boardshop, 3604 S Osprey Ave, Sarasota, 941-552-9805, Tote $52, Simply Jo’s Boutique, 1950 Main St, Sarasota, 941-361-3213.
AN AÇAÍ OF RELIEF
Cool, colorful and packed with feel-good fuel, açaí bowls are having a serious moment. Açaí (pronounced (ah-sigh-EE) is a small, dark purple berry native to the Amazon rainforest that is loaded with antioxidants, fiber and natural energy. In an açaí bowl, this nutrient-packed superfruit blended into an ice-cold creamy puree (typically with other ingredients like bananas or berries) and topped with an endlessly customizable assortment of toppings. Striking the perfect balance between healthy and indulgent, açaí bowls are the ultimate summer treat. Here’s where to find some local favorites well worth digging into. Anny and Warley Scarabelli launched their food truck in 2020 and this past November opened a brick and mortar location. Purple Bol make their own açaí base inhouse with bananas and a little apple juice for sweetness. In the Wanny’s Bowl, that base is topped with banana, blueberry, strawberry, granola, chia seeds, flax seeds and a honey drizzle. Passion Roots freshly blends açaí with other fruits and doesn’t use any seed oils. “I took everything I didn’t like about what I call the commercialized açaí bowl and we did our own spin on it,” says Passion Roots owner Jamie Walsh. “We freshly blend açaí with other fruits. It’s all whole foods and if it’s possible to get an ingredient that’s organic, that’s what we use. We don’t use any seed oils. What you see is what you get.” BARE Blends got its start in Albany, New York five years ago as a fast-casual healthy food cafe focusing on gluten-free, vegan fare. It has now expanded to ten locations, including the Sarasota franchise owned by Sue Collet. One of BARE Blends’ bestselling bowls is the Açaí Overload. Mojo Risin’ Coffee Co. is first and foremost a coffee shop, with a full array of drip coffees, espresso-based drinks and blended frappes. But because of its proximity to Siesta Key they also do a brisk business in fresher, fruitier fare like smoothies and smoothie bowls. “We don’t have an açaí base or smoothie bowl base that we scoop out of a container,” says Mojo Risin’manager Nicole McCartney. “We have all the ingredients here and we blend the bowls to order.” Jie Chen of Siesta Poké gained her passion for healthy food living around the globe in places including China, Spain, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. After her Siesta Key home sustained severe damage in last year’s back-to-back hurricanes, she had a hard time finding the food she liked to eat. Last November, she had the opportunity to buy Siesta Poké and now she’s there nearly every day, sharing her enthusiasm for deliciously clean eating. K.Wight
Is there anything more iconically Florida than savoring a frozen cocktail under the blazing summer sun? When the heat is at its peak and the humidity clings like a second skin, there’s no better way to cool down than with a frosty, flavor-packed drink in hand. Whether it’s a tropical twist on a classic or a creative new concoction these frozen delights are the ultimate way to chill out. K.Wight
Anna Maria Oyster Bar UTC, 5405 University Parkway Unit 110, Bradenton, 941-491-2662, oysterbar.net. Columbia Restaurant, 411 St Armands Cir, Sarasota, 941-388-3987, columbiarestaurant.com. Daiquiri Deck Siesta Key Village, 5250 Ocean Boulevard, Sarasota, 941-349-8697, daiquirideck.net. The Old Salty Dog, 1601 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, 941-388-4311, theoldsaltydog.com. Sharky’s on the Pier, 1600 Harbor Drive South, Venice, 941-488-1456, sharkysonthepier.com. Siesta Key Oyster Bar, 5238 Ocean Blvd, Sarasota, 941346-5443, skob.com. Whitney’s, 6990 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, 941-383-4606, whitneyslbk.com.
FROZEN AND FANCY-FREE
Invented by Harry Yee in 1957, the Blue Hawaii cocktail has plenty of panache thanks to its vivid blue hue and retro appeal. “People just love that drink,” says Taylor Escobar, marketing coordinator at Oysters Rock Hospitality. “It’s like tropical vibes in a glass.” Made with Don Q Coconut Rum, pineapple juice, housemade pina colada mix, and the blue curacao that gives it its signature color, the Blue Hawaiian at Anna Maria Oyster Bar is reminiscent of a pina colada, with lots of coconut flavor balanced by bright citrus notes. Cool off with Columbia Restaurant’s Tango Mango frozen cocktail. “When we originally put this drink on the menu you didn’t see mango in many places,” recalls Andrea Gonzmart Williams, a fifth-generation member of the Hernandez/Gonzmart family who originally founded the restaurant. “My parents were vacationing in Spain and my father said, ‘We have to replicate this.’” You can’t talk about frozen drinks in the Sarasota area without talking about Daiquiri Deck. They’re so good at making daiquiris, they’ve patented their systems. The result is frozen flavorful drinks that are consistently high-quality—and highly in-demand. “We have caffeinated daiquiris, we have creamy daiquiris,” adds Matt Grover, Daiquiri Deck’s President and co-owner. “My favorite is the Beach Coffee, which is a blend of roasted coffee, coconut and chocolate with gold rum.” “You don’t have to chase the ice cream truck anymore!” says Amy Blair, manager at The Old Salty Dog of their frozen Dreamsicle cocktail. Made from Tippy Cow Orange Cream Rum, Wicked Dolphin Vanilla Rum, and homemade pina colada mix, this frosty blended treat has the nostalgic appeal of an orange Creamsicle ice cream bar with a grown-up twist. If you’re the kind of person who always has trouble deciding which drink to get, Sharky’s on the Pier is the destination for you. They have a fantastic frozen cocktail program, with drinks like the tart Lemonberry Razzonade, the tropical Mango Bango, and a traditional Pina Colada, and they’re making it easier than ever on those of us who are chronically indecisive. “We’re now offering frozen flights, where you can choose your three favorites from behind the bar,” says Michael Gross, Director of Operations. “You can kind of mix it up, do a little bit of everything.” What could be more quintessentially Florida than a slice of key lime pie? Perhaps a Key Lime Colada. Siesta Key Oyster Bar’s take on this frozen drink features Captain Morgan Rum. Blue Chair Key Lime Rum and pina colada mix. Served in a coconut-rimmed tulip glass, this sweet drink is as pretty as it is tasty. Located a short walk from the beach, Whitney’s in Longboat Key is a stylish yet casual eatery serving creative takes on American fare. One of their bestknown menu items though may be their Frosé, a light and refreshing wine-based slush with a silky-smooth texture. Garnished with a palm leaf umbrella and a dehydrated orange slice, this picture-perfect blush-pink cocktail is made for sipping outside on a summer day. K.Wight
SUMMER READING
Whether you’re soaking up some sun at the beach or pool or staying inside where it’s nice and cool, summer is the perfect time to slow down and savor a great book. Roxanne Baker is a bookseller at Bookstore1, an illustrious independent bookstore in downtown Sarasota, and she put together a list of some of her favorite recommendations for readers to enjoy. As a bonus, all these titles are available in paperback so they’re perfectly portable. K.Wight
Big Swiss
“Big Swiss is about a woman who has her heart broken and moves across the country from California to Hudson Valley in New York which has a very interesting mix of artsy people and well-to-do people,” says Baker. “She becomes a transcriptionist for a sex therapist and it’s laugh-out-loud funny.” If you like Big Swiss , Baker also recommends Vacuum in the Dark by the same author.
Anna Maria Oyster Bar
Daiquiri Deck
Old Salty Dog
JEN BEAGIN
“Hotel Silence isn’t your typical frothy beach read, but Baker appreciates it for its thought-provoking qualities. The novel centers around a middle-aged man who feels lost and alone and moves from Iceland to a war-torn country planning to commit suicide. At his rundown hotel though, his handyman skills come in handy and he finds an unexpected sense of purpose and community.”
Lessons In Chemistry
BONNIE GARMUS
“Chances are you’ve heard of the wildly popular Lessons in Chemistry. It was the most borrowed book of the year in public libraries all over the country in 2023 and 2024, and was adapted into a miniseries starring Brie Larson. Set in 1960s Southern California, this feminist tragicomic novel tells the story of chemist Elizabeth Zott who becomes a beloved cooking show host. ”
EASY AND ELEVATED BEACH EATS
“Love Like That is a short story collection about imperfect women wrestling with complicated relationships, whether they are familial or romantic in nature. Baker compares author Emma Duffy-Comparone to George Saunders in that she’s not afraid to get real with characters, but she’s not dark like Saunders.”
The Pole J.M. COETZEE
“The story centers around Witold, a 72-year old Polish pianist and Beatriz, a middle-aged Spanish woman who responds to his devotion with a polite detachment. The novella explores themes of desire, aging, loneliness, cultural difference, and the difficulty of truly connecting with another person. ”
It’s easy to work up a good appetite at the beach, but when hunger hits, an uninspired bag lunch can kill the vibe. Fortunately, some beachside spots are leveling up the snack game with quick, flavorful bites that go way beyond the basics. From handheld seafood delights to fresh, creative takes on beachfriendly fare, these local gems make it easy to eat well without missing a moment in the sun. For over forty years, Sandbar Seafood + Spirits has been one of Anna Maria’s most beloved local landmarks. The iconic eatery recently underwent a renovation under the new ownership of Beachside Hospitality Group and added some exciting new amenities including Beachside Bites, a walk-up window for beachgoers and early risers. Open from 8am to 3pm, Beachside Bites offers a balanced mix of ready-to-go and made-to-order meals and snacks, including breakfast sandwiches, fresh pastries and sweets. Justin Bloomquist owns Shark Tooth Concessions which has two locations, one on Nokomis Beach and one on the North Jetty and while you still get the friendly and efficient service you want from a walk-up beach place, the menu is anything but ordinary. “We go to different seminars with different chefs and we look at food trends,” Bloomquist says. “We don’t just sell what everyone else is selling.” As a result, you can expect the unexpected at Shark Tooth Concessions. A perfect example of this is the super-popular Chicken and Waffles dish featuring a pickle-brined chicken filet in a zesty breading paired within white pearl sugar waffles imported from Europe. While some beach concession stands are independently owned, that’s not always the case. Siesta Beach is part of the Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources department, and the onsite concession stands are owned by the county who contract out the operations. Siesta Beach Eats is under the purview of Venice Pier Group, a restaurant group behind several local hotspots including Sharky’s on the Pier. “We still do the favorites that everyone loves like burgers, hot dogs and chicken tenders,” says Michael Gross, Venice Pier Group’s Director of Operations, “but we’ve also added things like blackened mahi sandwiches, grouper fingers and lobster rolls.” K.Wight Beachside Bites, 100 Spring Avenue, Anna Maria, 941-778-0444, sandbardining.com. Shark Tooth Concessions, 208 Casey Key Road (Nokomis Beach) and 1000 South Casey Key Road (North Jetty), Nokomis, .sharktooth.biz. Siesta Beach Eats, 948 Beach Road, Siesta Key, siestabeacheats.com. SRQ
Beachside Bites at Sandbar Seafood + Spirits
Siesta Beach Eats
Earlier this year, Teri A. Hansen, the president and CEO of Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation for the past 10 years, announced her plans to retire. With decades of experience in philanthropy, Hansen reflects on her most memorable experiences and her plans for the future.
WRITTEN BY BARIBE HEIT | PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
REFLECTING ON YOUR TEN YEARS AS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE BARANCIK FOUNDATION, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
TERI HANSEN That’s easy. I am most proud of putting together an amazing team—a team of high-performing professionals with passion for our community who work tirelessly to figure out how to make it a better place.
YOU’VE ENJOYED A SUCCESSFUL CAREER OF MORE THAN 30 YEARS IN PHILANTHROPY. CAN YOU SPEAK TO YOUR 13 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF GULF COAST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND HOW THAT HAS SHAPED YOUR EXPERIENCE AT THE BARANCIK FOUNDATION?
I would say my two biggest accomplishments in the community are helping to start two big powerhouse foundations. When I was recruited at Gulf Coast, it was late 2001 and the Foundation was five or six years old. It had been a hospital conversion foundation, and the board was still finding its way to what it meant to be a community foundation. Having had experience at the Cleveland Foundation and two community foundations in Indiana, I was able to bring that knowledge and work with the board to create a fully articulated community foundation. Gulf Coast rooted itself in being a community change agent, therefore attracting donors, which then helped them build their charitable prowess, so to speak. Then, when Chuck and Margie, who were donors of ours at Gulf Coast, decided they wanted to activate their private foundation, they asked me to come and start it up. It had money, it had a name and it had a board, but nothing else. So, I was the first staff member and built it to what it became. Before Chuck and Margie passed, the biggest compliment Chuck Barancik ever gave me was to say that he never in his wildest dreams could have imagined having the impact that we had already had. That was the first five years of my tenure. The second five years were then spent getting the money in from the estate and building up the governance and the board, the grant-making, strategies and initiatives. Now it’s time to turn it over to the next generation.
LOSING CHUCK AND MARGIE BARANCIK IN THE TRAGIC ACCIDENT OF 2019 MUST HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. HOW DID YOU NAVIGATE LEADING THE FOUNDATION THROUGH SUCH A LOSS AND HOW DID THEIR LEGACY CONTINUE TO GUIDE YOU DURING THAT TIME? Their legacy will always continue to guide me as long as I am leading this Foundation. On the evening of the accident, I was at the Sarasota Yacht Club at a cocktail party and heard sirens that went on for a very long time. I knew it had to
be something serious. Before dinner was over, I excused myself, walked downstairs to my car, and got a call from one of my board members who had heard there had been an accident and that the Baranciks were involved—one of them was gone and one of them was in the emergency room trauma center. I headed from the yacht club straight over to the hospital and spent the night there. I think I may have gone home at 3am. I guess the good news about me is I’m the person you want when there’s a crisis because I just go into crisis management mode, and so that’s what I did. I remember the following Sunday was their funeral, and then Christmas was right after that. I told people who weren’t in town for the funeral that we would celebrate Chuck and Margie’s philanthropy later, not knowing what that was going to be. I then spent the next couple of months working on that celebration. I told my staff that after that, things would go back to normal, but a few days later, we were working from home because of COVID, so nothing went back to normal. Looking back, I was probably one of the only people in town, let alone the world, who was almost grateful for the world stopping for a little bit because it gave me a chance to grieve and I hadn’t had that chance because I was in crisis mode, trying to keep staff going and motivated and working with the family.
“In the beginning, there was a general sense among the nonprofits that this would be shortlived—like a hurricane. They thought, ‘Give it three weeks, and we’ll be back to normal operations.’ I had never lived through a global pandemic—most of us hadn’t—so while I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had a gut feeling this would be more long-term.” —Teri Hansen
THE BARANCIK FOUNDATION’S RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND HURRICANES IN THE REGION WAS SIGNIFICANT. CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE CHALLENGES AND REWARDS OF LEADING DURING THESE CRISES? One of the most interesting things about the pandemic was how quickly we shifted into action mode—our focus became: how do we help our nonprofits continue serving their communities? Right away, we started organizing group calls and Zoom meetings with them—first daily, then weekly—to understand their needs and figure out how we could support them.
In the beginning, there was a general sense among the nonprofits that this would be short-lived—like a hurricane. They thought, “Give it three weeks, and we’ll be back to normal operations.” I had never lived through a global pandemic—most of us hadn’t—so while I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had a gut feeling this would be more long-term. Our support covered everything from keeping child care centers open—so parents, especially hospital workers, could continue going to work—to helping organizations meet the most basic needs in a rapidly changing environment. And the rules kept shifting. For example, child care centers couldn’t even open without taking everyone’s temperature at the door. One child care center couldn’t open because they couldn’t find a thermometer—they were all sold out, but there was one down in Venice, and so we figured out how to get it from Venice up to Sarasota. That’s how the community pulled together. I remember some organizations were doing their counseling and case management in person, and all of a sudden needed to go virtual but didn’t have the laptops or technology to do so. We were able to get the technology that they needed, and we did this over multiple organizations. We worked with All Faiths Food Bank and Sandra Frank was amazing in getting the food out where it needed to get and working with the school system, which has a summer food program, but all of a sudden it was like summer in March and for those kids, school is where their only real meal came from.
As for the hurricanes, one thing I’ve learned about hurricanes is that each one has its own distinct personality. It makes sense that we give them human names—they vary just as much as people do. Depending
on the storm’s impact and the specific kind of damage it caused, our response ranged from providing gift cards for groceries or new mattresses to launching larger initiatives supporting organizations and childcare centers. For instance, many childcare centers lost their fencing, making it unsafe for kids to play outside, even though we all know how important fresh air is for children. We were finalizing our grant docket to present to the board when the hurricane hit. Suddenly, we had to pause, set that docket aside, and create an entirely new round of grants focused specifically on hurricane recovery. The original plans just weren’t feasible anymore. Rather than saying, “Sorry, we can’t do that right now,” we chose a different approach. We reached out and said, “Tell us what you need to get back to your aspirational program—because right now, we know you’re just trying to stay operational.” That level of responsiveness requires a lot of flexibility, and I’m proud to say our team excels at that. They’re quick to pivot, focused on solutions, and never complain about wasted work. The same goes for our board—I can send a quick email explaining the situation and the amount we need approved, and they respond without hesitation. In the end, we supported everything from replacing mattresses to rebuilding playgrounds. It’s about meeting people where they are and helping them get back on their feet—however that looks.
WHAT DOES RETIREMENT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
I want to be a better friend and a better relative. My husband was very ill and ultimately died during my first year at Barancik Foundation. My friends would come into the hospital and sit with him when I couldn’t be there, and I want to be able to give back to friends like this, and to my relatives who’ve been so supportive all these years. That’s my plan.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU GIVE TO THE PERSON WHO STEPS INTO YOUR SHOES NEXT? It’s a job that needs a great amount of humility. Trust the amazing staff that we have. They can do anything. They’re running their own little businesses, and they just know what to do, when to do it, when to pull a lever, when to push a button and when to pull back. They’re just brilliant. So, just let them run. Let them do what they do best. SRQ
Above: As President and CEO, Teri Hansen has honored Chuck and Margie Barancik’s belief in the power of philanthropy to make a meaningful difference.
Spring Awakenings
Every spring, the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves touch down in Sarasota to prepare for the coming season.
The Dugout
THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES FLIT AND FIDGET AROUND THE ROAD DUGOUT OF COOLTODAY PARK, like horses at the gates of the race track. Some crack jokes and chat with staff members, others prepare for battle in silence. All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman trades his face mask and shin guards for a batting helmet and gloves. Starting pitcher Charlie Morton paces back and forth, his right arm covered in a jacket. It’s the same arm that has been throwing fastballs to Major League batters since 2008. It’s March 23, 2025, the final Grapefruit League game of the Orioles’ Spring Training and for the 41-year-old Morton, who signed a one-year contract with the Orioles in free agency, perhaps the final Spring Training game of his career. There is the same nervous energy found in every dugout of every ball game across every level of the sport and it’s here today. For although the outcome of the game is inconsequential, the action, what happens in it, is not. Major League Baseball’s regular season will stretch out over six long months, but the six weeks of Spring Training prior set the tone for the rest of the season. Positional battles are won and lost, big league rosters made and cut. For some players, like Rutschman or Morton, Spring Training is a place to merely perfect their craft. In today’s start Morton will only pitch two innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits while striking out just one batter—a disastrous affair in the regular season, but an afterthought in Spring Training.
WRITTEN BY DYLAN CAMPBELL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY WES ROBERTS
This spread, left to right: Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins launches a fly ball; Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday rounds the bases; an Atlanta Brave signs autographs pre-game at CoolToday Park; an Atlanta Braves pitcher fires a fastball.
On the Field
FOR MOST PLAYERS IN THE GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE, their performance in these fleeting six weeks has significant implications for not only their seasons, but their careers. Professional baseball is, per capita, the hardest sport to make it to the highest in level. To be signed to or drafted by a MLB team is not to be anointed to the big league squad, but rather to be invested in, with varying degrees of hope that one day, you might be able to contribute at the big league level. To make it to the Major Leagues, a player must surpass all five levels of the Minor Leagues, each becoming successively more and more difficult. Out of the thousands of minor league players, roughly 10 percent will ever play a single game in the Major Leagues. Even fewer will stick. Top prospect Jackson Holliday is hoping that this year he will be one of the few to stick. If pressure makes diamonds, well, then Holliday is hoping that it’ll turn him into a Swarovski crystal. The son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, the 21-year-old shortstop/second baseman was taken first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, signing for a whopping $8.19 million, the largest ever signing bonus for a high school player. The investment was for good reason—Holliday is touted as a true five-tool prospect, capable of excelling in all five core areas of the game: hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, throwing and fielding. Holliday flew through the minor leagues, making his big league debut in 2024, but the youngster struggled initially, earning a demotion to Triple-A before being called back up to Baltimore on July 31, 2024. Across 60 games in his first MLB campaign, Holliday hit just .189, striking out 69 times. This spring, Holliday has come back to Sarasota with a vengeance, hitting .333 while filling in at shortstop for the Orioles’ injured star Gunnar Henderson.
It’s the top of the 5th and the Orioles are at the plate, nursing a 4-3 lead. On the mound for the Braves is 26-year-old Ian Anderson, the third overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft and a member of the Braves’ 2021 world championship team. Anderson is at a crossroads in his own career—after finishing fifth in the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year voting, Anderson struggled in 2022, eventually being demoted to the minors in early August. Tommy John surgery robbed him of his 2023 season and he spent all of 2024 rehabbing in the minor leagues. Here he found himself on the mound in CoolToday Park, with two outs and runners on first and third, trying desperately to get out of the inning when Jackson Holliday steps up to the plate. Holliday takes a strike on the inner half of the plate, then sees two balls outside of the zone, before whiffing on strike two. 2-2. He fouls off a potential strike three and Anderson’s next pitch misses inside. 3-2. Anderson sets, winds and fires. Holliday smokes the pitch into right field for a single, driving in the runner on third base. Orioles 5. Braves 3. It’s a win for the youngster and a loss for Anderson, who just a few years before was in Holliday’s cleats, an ascendant talent ready to cement himself as a big league star. “If I can carry what I’ve done in the spring (into the regular season), I’d be very happy,” said Jackson of his approach at the plate. “I’d be happy with low line drives, hard hit ground balls, doubles, triples. I’ve been very happy with the at-bats this spring; I thought today was good, facing a kind of funky righty and then a guy with a good change-up.”
Anderson would be traded to the Los Angeles Angels later that afternoon. Four days after the game, Holliday was starting at shortstop for the Orioles on MLB’s Opening Day. Such is the transient nature of baseball. Storylines such as these run amok in Spring Training, where the career minor leaguer making less money than your hairstylist will square off against a superstar signed to a contract worth hundreds of millions. On the dirt of the diamond, however, they are made equal.
This spread, clockwise: The Atlanta Braves are all smiles in the home dugout of CoolToday Park; Braves fans tailgate outside of CoolToday Park; a young fan stands with his glove on CoolToday Park’s left field berm; Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday in the away dugout of CoolToday Park.
In the Stands
NINE OF THE 13 STADIUMS IN THE GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE WERE BUILT BEFORE THE 21ST CENTURY. CoolToday Park is not one of them. The ballpark is the newest in the Grapefruit League, having opened in 2019, and is a shining example of contemporary stadium architecture. Large red metal numbers of heralded Braves line the walkway to the stadium where sleek glass and metal walls entomb a space that rivals most Major League parks. The smell of popcorn and sausages wafts through the wide, wood-ceilinged concourse that wraps around the 6,200 fixed seats.
Walk along the first base line out to right field, where an open patio gives a full view of the verdant green field. It is there where you’ll find the design nods to other Grapefruit League stadiums—the clubhouse behind the right field fence reminiscent of Charlotte Sports Park and the grandstand in center field, a nod to Bradenton’s LECOM Park, under which fans can look straight into the Braves’ bullpen. Continue on towards left field, where a grassy berm, situated smack dab in home run territory, offers some of the best seats in the house. Beyond the berm is a left-field tiki bar, similar to that of Clearwater’s BayCare Ball Park. CoolToday Park is so starkly modern, so reminiscent of a contemporary MLB stadium that it should come as no surprise that the outfield dimensions mirror that of the Braves’ home in Atlanta, Truist Park.
Some thirty miles north in the heart of Sarasota lies Ed Smith stadium, Spring Training home of the Orioles. Where CoolToday Park relishes in the contemporary, Ed Smith Stadium flourishes in the aesthetics of old Florida, with a turn of the century, Spanish-colonial inspired design, courtesy of a major renovation in 2011. Wrapped in tan walls, topped with red-tiled roofing, entering Ed Smith stadium through the wrought iron home plate gates feels akin to walking into The Ringling Museum—everything in the stadium, from the white columns holding up the multileveled concourse to the forest green seats that make up the grandstands fits perfectly in the look and feel of Sarasota.
The stadium’s impressive structure, however, with refurbished seats taken from the Orioles’ home park in Baltimore, is designed to pull the fan’s attention towards the field. Eye-level access is easy at Ed Smith Stadium—a quick jaunt to section 125 puts you practically on the field, where players like Orioles’ top prospect Heston Kjerstad can be found. For those who can brave the sun, the left field pavilion is the place to be. Fans can sit directly above left field’s short wall, just feet away from the grass, where home runs fall like summer showers in the Sunshine state. Not to worry, a bar sits directly behind the section if home run watchers feel the need to wet their beaks.
THE BACKSTOP
THERE ARE ONLY FOUR PLAYERS in Major League history that have played 10 or more seasons exclusively for the Atlanta Braves. Bruce Benedict is one of them. From 1978 to 1989 Benedict served as the backstop for the Braves, and for much of that time, was the pinnacle of defensive excellence at catcher. Benedict made the National League All-Star team twice, first in 1981 when he led N.L. catchers with 73 assists and 48 baserunners caught stealing and in ‘83 when he hit a career high .298 and finished second in the N.L. in fielding percentage. “To play in the All-Star game was a magnificent, wonderful treat,” says Benedict. “To look around and see multiple Hall of Fame players on the field and know that just for tonight, you were part of the same team was special.” The 982 games that Benedict played for the Braves would be filled with other highlights, like a regular-season game in 1982, when he set a MLB record by throwing out three baserunners in one inning. There was no bigger highlight, however, for Benedict than putting on his Braves’ uniform. When he attends Braves Fantasy Camp at CoolToday Park every winter, he puts it on once again. “I put my uniform on at 6:30 in the morning and don’t take it off until I absolutely have to,” says Benedict. “It’s an honor and a privilege to wear a Major League uniform. Professional baseball changed my life. It changed my childrens’ lives. It changed my grandchildren’s lives.” SRQ
Left: Infielders
Luis Vazquez and Livan Soto take in the national anthem.
THIRD-TIME WINNER!
Sherri Mills, Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE accredited)
Michael Saunders & Company 1605 Main Street | Sarasota, FL 34236
I’ve lived in Sarasota for 36 years and love this community more with each passing year. I taught Special Ed. before becoming a Realtor 23 years ago and what be er prep for real estate! Asking questions, listening, problemsolving and creative thinking has given me a loyal following that has made me a Top Producing Realtor with Michael Saunders & Company, a premier Luxury brokerage firm in the area.
“TO ME, THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT WORDS IN REAL ESTATE ARE YOU, YOU AND YOU.”
MY MISSION
There are a gazillion things to do from Day 1 to closing. My mission is to make the process look easy. It’s that simple. After 23 years of negotiating, staging homes to sell, dealing with vendors, working with lenders & attorneys, I realize the magic is in the minutia. It’s what my clients don’t know that’s happening behind the scenes that makes the process easy. Easy for them. Gratifying for me.
A CLIENT’S PERSPECTIVE
“Sherri was my Realtor ® for the selling of my home and the purchasing of another. She was truly amazing for both transactions! Always knowledgeable and helped maneuver through the rough spots seamlessly. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a bright, honest realtor.” —Heather Chapell
CLHMS (Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist)
MAGAZINE READERS
JESSE BAUER
Waterfront Homes | Luxury | Condominiums | First Time Buyers
Jesse, a Sarasota native, combines lifelong local knowledge with a passion for helping clients find their perfect home. Known for his approachable style, strong work ethic, and commitment to building genuine relationships, Jesse makes the buying and selling process smooth and stress-free. He takes pride in understanding his clients’ unique needs and delivering results that exceed expectations. When he’s not working, Jesse enjoys staying active, cheering on his favorite sports teams, and spending time with his wife, their dog Cooper, and their newborn son, born in May 2024.
“HAVING MOVED 13 TIMES, I CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY JESSE BAUER IS THE BEST REALTOR I’VE WORKED WITH!”
WHAT IS YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR SOMEONE LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL PROPERTY IN THE CURRENT REAL ESTATE MARKET? My best advice is to stay informed and have a clear strategy. As I write this, the current market is favorable to buyers with more options and negotiating power, but, well-priced move in ready homes are still selling quickly. For buyers, get pre-approved and be ready to act when the right home appears. For sellers, focus on pricing strategically and making a great first impression through staging and professional marketing. In both cases, working with a knowledgeable local realtor ensures you’re making smart decisions and positioning yourself for the best possible outcome.
MY MISSION is to provide a personalized real estate experience built on trust, local expertise, and genuine connection. I’m dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals with exceptional service, strategic guidance, and a results-driven approach—turning transactions into lasting relationships and houses into homes.
A CLIENT’S PERSPECTIVE “Having moved 13 times, I can confidently say Jesse Bauer is the best realtor I’ve worked with. We met at an open house, where he took the time to understand our needs instead of pushing a sale. His follow-up, attention to detail, and genuine care ultimately convinced us to work with him. Through many ups and downs in our home search, Jesse was always there, dedicated to helping us find the right home.” —William
This spread, left to right: There is a levity and wonderment found in Blanco’s work that is infectious. Here Blanco toys around his work at the Andrew Ford Fine Art Gallery in downtown Sarasota. To learn more about Blanco’s work, visit: jorgeblancosculpture.com
Andrew Ford Fine Art Gallery, 502 S Pineapple Ave
CHILD’S PLAY
Now 80-years-old, renowned sculptor and cartoonist Jorge Blanco still has the same enthusiasm for his artwork that he did as a child. Dylan Campbell
ALTHOUGH HE JUST TURNED 80 YEARS OLD THIS SPRING, Jorge Blanco still considers himself to be a child at heart. His eyes can’t help but light up when he speaks about his work. For the Venezuelan-born American artist who emigrated to the States in 1999, his life’s work isn’t just his profession. It’s a calling. Since graduating with a degree in Industrial Design from the Neumann Institute of Design in Caracas in 1971, Blanco has never stopped creating, working as a sculptor, graphic designer and illustrator. He has placed 30 large-format public sculptures across the globe, 25 in the United States, including two in Sarasota, illustrated children’s books, designed furniture and has published the comic strip The Castaway since 1980.
“In my opinion, every kid is an artist,” says Blanco. “Something changes in your brain when you become a teenager, where people tend to lose that spark. But for me, in my head, I still am a boy who just wants to create art.” While Blanco’s most prominent passion has always been rooted in sculpture, The Castaway, which he was inspired to create during his time spent living in Europe in the late 1970s, illustrates some of the foundational tenets of his artistry. Clean, simple lines depict the protagonist, a clever, wily fellow forever marooned on a tropical island. There is no dialogue in The Castaway just as in his sculpture, Blanco looks to create a universal language in the comic, accessible to all age ranges and cultures.
The levity of The Castaway, the remnants of that childlike glee that persists in Blanco to this day, is a staple throughout his portfolio. While the protagonist of The Castawaywill never fully leave the island despite his repeated attempts, there is never a sense of desperation, only humor at his prolonged situation. That same youthful exuberance and clean lines can be found in Blanco’s sculpture, particularly in his public installations, which are typically large-scale abstract works of painted aluminum. Blanco’s sculpture work
has evolved over the decades—his first solo exhibition in 1974 featured bronze sculptures cast from clay models. He later shifted to steel, which he found heavy and cumbersome to work with, before settling on aluminum in the early 1990s.
“I started out by welding aluminum together, but realized that I didn’t like it because it felt like I was gluing the sculptures together,” says Blanco. “My pieces are assembled now with nuts and bolts—you have to think more about how you put it together and it makes for a more interesting end result. It also makes for easier delivery, I can take them apart and put them back together on location.” Blanco’s evolution in style coincided with his progression into public art. In 1996, he was commissioned to install four permanent sculptures in Tokyo, Japan, setting him on a career trajectory that would make his art known around the world. “I became interested in public art because I started thinking about how a show in a gallery or a museum is only for a small group of people,” says Blanco. “Public art is for everybody. It’s for every age and every language. There are no barriers.”
Blanco’s public installations are typically large, colorful, exuberant expressions of abstract playfulness. Bravo, located at the
roundabout of Ringling Boulevard and Orange Avenue in Sarasota, stands 18 feet high by 10 feet wide, white figurines of aerospace aluminum and stainless steel reaching high into the air. Blanco frequently finds inspiration from sport, which he equates to music in its power to bind people together in moments of collective joy. Runners on South Tamiami Trail depicts figures frozen mid-stride. He also has a multitude of sportinspired works outside of Sarasota. Kick in Carmel, Indiana features two humanoid sculptures dueling over a soccer ball. Air in Park City, Utah consists of three large orange aluminum sculptures riding atop red bicycles on lime-green tracks.
“Sport has the ability to attract tens of thousands of people together and create moments where everybody is happy and excited. It doesn’t matter about the religion, race, age or language of the people in the stadium, they are all experiencing these positive emotions together,” says Blanco. “It’s like a magnet that unites people instead of dividing them.” It’s that unification, above all else, that Blanco is in pursuit of. The ability to use his work as a force for positivity, to bring the same feelings of joy that he gets in creating art as audiences find in viewing it. SRQ
FALLING IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN
Giancarlo Guerrero steps into his first full-time season as the music director of the Sarasota Orchestra. Dylan Campbell
GIANCARLO GUERRERO HAS A FAVORITE PIECE OF MUSIC. It’s not Beethoven’s 5th Symphony or Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos or even Tom Sawyer by his beloved Rush. For Guerrero, who is stepping into his first season as the fulltime Music Director of the Sarasota Orchestra in 2025, his favorite piece of music is whatever is in front of him on the conductor’s stand at that given moment. Born in Nicaragua, the Costa Rican conductor has established himself as one of the top names in classical music, winning six Grammy awards and has held titles such as the music director of the Nashville Symphony and the Wroclaw Philharmonic. Guerrero is an advocate for contemporary composers, having premiered over two dozen new works with the Nashville Orchestra, and looks to bring an unbridled enthusiasm and joy to Sarasota as he leads the Orchestra into a new era.
WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT YOUR NEW ROLE AS MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE SARASOTA ORCHESTRA?
GIANCARLO GUERRERO What immediately impressed me when I arrived was the quality of the musicians. It’s what I noticed when I had my first rehearsal with them as a guest conductor and it has been reaffirmed with every single one of my visits since then. I’m excited about working with the Orchestra itself, working with the musicians, rehearsing and conducting concerts which are going to be the larger part of my duties. More than just the opportunity to spend more time in Sarasota—which I’ve come to love, the city and community as a whole—is the chance to make music with these incredible musicians. To put together amazing concerts and musical experiences for our community and continue to build our audience and get people excited about everything that the Sarasota Orchestra does in and around the community.
IS THERE A CERTAIN STANDARD OF MUSIC THAT YOU FEEL A RESPONSIBILITY TO UPHOLD OR EVEN RAISE IN YOUR POSITION AT SARASOTA ORCHESTRA? It’s every rehearsal. I don’t say that about the musicians, I say that about myself. Even though we do bring in guest conductors to work with the Orchestra throughout the season, as music director, I’m pretty much in charge of most of the season myself. The musicians and I are going to be working together a lot, doing very different repertoire, whether it’s new repertoire from the 21st century or war horses from the 19th or 20th century. Being a music director is like being the coach of a football team or a soccer team, you’re basically flexing the muscle every rehearsal, every week and you’re continuously working on improving the Orchestra. At the same time the musicians and myself are getting to know each other better. At first, I want to be talking to and communicating musically with the Orchestra, but at one point it’ll be completely natural and that’s where the real fireworks begin. When we can communicate in a telepathic sense and make music in a very magical way, not only in rehearsals, but more importantly in performances.
HOW DO YOU REACH THAT POINT OF NEAR TELEPATHIC COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR MUSICIANS? Like anything, it just takes time. The best analogy I can use is that of being a coach coming to a new team. There’s a process of getting to know each other, but from the very beginning with the Sarasota Orchestra the chemistry was already there, which was so unique. It’s very important, because you cannot invent that chemistry—it’s either there or it’s not—and it just happened magically. The biggest reason for it is because the Orchestra is so good. The musicians are so well trained and eager to continue growing. As a music
director, that’s music to my ears. Pardon the pun, but from that perspective I’m able to shape and hopefully continue to inspire them to reach higher artistic levels. I always say that being on that podium is the best seat in the house. You can do all of the rehearsals, but in the end you want to have that ability to let things spontaneously happen in performances. Even in our few concerts together, I’ve already seen that happen and can tell that our bond is getting stronger every day.
WHAT IS THE HALLMARK OF YOUR STYLE AS A CONDUCTOR? First and foremost, I’m a musician. For me, it’s about presenting warhorse works whether it’s a Beethoven or Mozart symphony or a tone poem by Richard Strauss, pieces that our audiences and classical music aficionados would connect with. I always try to present these pieces under a new light. Even if we “know” this music, every performance is unique. Hopefully when you come to the Sarasota Orchestra this season, you’ll hear those pieces through a different prism, with different eyes and ears in a new environment with a new conductor. Imagine you see a painting at a museum that you love and you go back to see it a few years later and all of a sudden the painting looks different to you. It’s because you’re a different person. It’s exactly the same thing with music—you might hear the same piece, but in a different city, with a different community, with a different conductor and suddenly you’re falling in love with it all over again. That’s very important to me.
HOW HAS THE WAY THAT PEOPLE LISTENED TO MUSIC CHANGED? You have to remember that we’re playing this music in a different time. It’s 2025 and orchestras don’t play the way that they did 50 years ago. Instruments have gotten better, concert halls have gotten bigger and orchestras have grown. There has been an evolution of how this music is performed and hopefully it will keep happening. My wife may be sitting next to me, but she’s hearing something completely different than what I am. My job as a musician is just to present it in the best way that I can and then everybody individually assesses what this music means to them. That is the most important part of the live performance—you don’t know how you’re going to react to it in a moment in time. There is an adventure aspect to a live performance.
WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO ON YOUR OWN TIME?
I listen to heavy metal and rock. If you get in my car it’s going to be Ozzy and Iron Maiden, but I’m a little more of a progressive. I like Rush, Rush is the greatest band in the universe. I like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, I like the Beatles, I like jazz, I like salsa, I like everything. To me, music is oxygen. I need it. SRQ
Opposite page:
Giancarlo Guerrero is ready to lead the Sarasota Orchestra into a new era.
CINEMA ON THE COAST
The 27th annual Sarasota Film Festival continues a long-standing heritage of creativity. Dylan Campbell
THE 27TH ANNUAL SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL BROUGHT SOME OF THE LEADING VOICES IN CINEMA to the Cultural Coast earlier this year, in April. The films of the festival were truly an eclectic mix, ranging from Oscar nominated shorts to student films from the Ringling College of Art and Design to feature length documentaries, dramas and more. Two of the productions in the festival were William Shockley’s Long Shadows, a western set in the 1880s that delves into the nuances of revenge and mental health, and the world premiere of season four of Godfather of Harlem, MGM+’s hit drama that follows the odyssey of famed gangster Bumpy Johnson as he battles for control of 1960s Harlem, New York.
LONG SHADOWS
WILLIAM SHOCKLEY NEEDED A COWBOY. Not a literal cowboy—he doesn’t own a herd of cattle that required wrangling—but a fictional one, for his film Long Shadows, Shockley’s feature-length directorial debut. Shockley had grown up in the industry, first working as a child actor on Robocop and later on a slew of Western television shows and movies, most notably portraying the character of Hank Lawson on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Long Shadows, however, required a special type of actor, one that could handle the emotional depth of its tortured protagonist Marcus Dollar.
Enter Blaine Maye, a 27-year-old actor from rural Oklahoma, who captivated Shockley over a Zoom call during the audition process. “We probably had 1,000 submissions for Marcus Dollar,” says Shockley. “There are a lot of great guys across America that can play a darn good cowboy, but Blaine just had an essence. When I first met him on Zoom, he was sitting in a log cabin hut on his parents’ ranch. He had the essence, he had the look, he had the charm and ultimately, the acting chops.”
Maye’s casting was critical, because Long Shadows is not your typical Western. Set in the Arizona Territory in the 1880s, Long Shadows follows Dollar, a misguided cowboy who sets out to avenge the savage killing of his parents after aging out of the orphanage in which he was partially raised. On his bloody path of revenge, Maye falls in love with Dulce Flores (Sarah Cortez), a young Mexican woman trapped in a brothel by the ruthless Vivian Villeré (Jacqueline Bisset) and seeks mentorship from an old gunslinger, Dallas Garrett (Dermot Mulroney). While the film does include plenty of bloodshed, it bucks the conventions of the typical shoot ‘em up Western. Instead, Long Shadows turns its focus inward to Dollar’s mental state and deep psychological trauma as it asks the audience: What happens when tenderness is violated? In the harsh world of the lawless frontier, is it possible to reclaim that innocence once more?
Flanking Maye is Cortez, whose entrapment in the brothel Purgatory represents another facet of the world of Long Shadows. “Sarah was so subtle and nuanced, she could speak a thousand words with a look. On set, I’d whisper direction in her ear and she’d bring a whole new color palette to life with just a couple words of inspiration.” Long Shadows’ biggest stars were its supporting actors, including Mulroney, Bisset, Dominic Monaghan and Chris Mulkey. While Bisset played a more villainous role, Mulroney was tasked with portraying a retired outlaw, a dying breed of the West. “There’s a switch that some actors have when they open their mouth and there’s just electricity. Dermot has that,” says Shockley. “That’s why he’s a movie star. He understood the character, that he was a conflicted mentor that was there to guide Marcus.”
It was important to Shockley to not make a “dirt” Western. Shot over 20 days at Old Tuscon Studios, a famed movie studio next to the Tuscon Mountains that has been the home to countless Westerns, Long Shadows was shot as a period piece. Yes, the exterior shots include all of the desolate beauty of the Southwest—including Dulce’s secret hiding place on Gates Pass—but the interiors, particularly of the Purgatory saloon, are richly textured and highly detailed. “I’m a huge fan of British dramas. Jane Eyre was kind of my north star for this movie,” says Shockley. “I wanted all of the interiors to be beautiful and in the case of the Purgatory saloon, I wanted it to be elegant and rich and lush and textured. It’s not your typical saloon, it’s this lair where Jacqueline Bisset’s character holds court and owns the world.”
Shockley studied older European films to find inspiration for the colors and tones of the interior sets. In the Purgatory saloon, there are nods to some of his influences. In one scene, a prostitute sings a French song while confined to a bird cage, much like the metaphor of a trapped, soiled dove in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge. In another scene, the camera pans to shots of Dante’s Seven Circles of Hell hanging on the wall.
Like Mulroney’s aging gunslinger, the world of Long Shadows is fading, all of the characters seemingly on the precipice of their era with one foot in the Wild West and the other in 20th century America. Shockley wanted that essence to be felt in the story, from the rewriting Dulce and her sister Blanca as Mexican to reflect Arizona’s proximity to Mexico to the inclusion of the new-fangled concept of psychology in Dollar’s character arc to creating more diversity within the cast to reflect how African-Americans moved westward after the Civil War.
Shockley also wanted that idea reflected on the screen, from the ornate production and costume design to a score, steeped in classical music, from composer Tommy Fields. “Whether or not the audience knows it, the score is a character in the movie. It makes you swell with the characters and feel for them,” says Shockley. “The look of the movie, the production design, the costume design, they’re all threads that weave together this tapestry to make it whole.
GODFATHER OF HARLEM
THE SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL WELCOMED a different type of world premiere than that of the typical film—it brought the first two episodes of season four MGM+’s hit drama Godfather of Harlem to town two days prior to the season’s premiere on the streaming service. Godfather of Harlem stars Forest Whitaker as the notorious crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who battles the New York Mafia families for control of Harlem in the 1960s. In season
Left: Forest Whitaker stars as Bumpy Johnson in Godfather of Harlem. (Right) William Shockley directs the cast of Long Shadows.
four, Bumpy is still engaged in the bloody war of power while facing new challenges: the arrival of famed gangster Frank Lucas, portrayed by Rome Flynn, and his daughter Elise’s newfound involvement with the Black Panther Party after the assasination of his friend Malcolm X. SRQ Magazine sat down with showrunner and co-creator Chris Brancato and Rome Flynn to talk about bringing season four of Godfather of Harlem to light.
CHRIS, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT IN SEASON FOUR OF GODFATHER OF HARLEM. CHRIS BRANCATO Season Four is, in some sense, a bit of a reboot of the show, because if people have watched the first three seasons, they know that Malcolm X’s tenure on the show has come to an end, so then what happens? Bumpy and Malcom’s friendship was a central part of the narrative. In the wake of Malcom’s assasination, the Black Panthers start to take root in Harlem and across the country and Bumpy will find that his daughter Elise is attracted to the cause. Now he’s willingly or unwillingly thrust into the center of a militant radical party whose goal it is to defend against police brutality and perhaps ultimately to affect revolution. Meanwhile, who should come to town from North Carolina wet behind the ears, but Frank Lucas. He’s the character we saw Denzel Washington play in American Gangster, but our story takes place about 10 years prior. Frank Lucas is trying to make his way in Harlem, which puts him at odds with Bumpy to a certain extent. We hopefully have an exciting new imagining of Godfather of Harlem with Frank and the Black Panther Party added in.
BUMPY JOHNSON, FRANK LUCAS AND MANY OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS WERE REAL PEOPLE. HOW DO YOU BALANCE AUTHENTICITY WITH DRAMATIZATION? BRANCATO I often say that we’re not doing a documentary. We don’t have the responsibility of following found footage or trying to piece together an absolutely accurate version of these events. We weren’t there for these conversations— we have to imagine what they would have been like. We know for a fact that, for instance, bumpy and Malcolm X had a relationship. We know for a fact that bumpy and Frank Lucas had a relationship, but we weren’t privy to
what they were saying. So for me and for the rest of our writing staff, the goal is to, I hate to say it this way, but to create the lie that tells the truth, meaning we’re always seeking to percolate the drama, to create conflict between characters, to make you want to turn the page to the next page, to go to the next scene, to watch the next episode.
YOU WROTE 1997’S HOODLUM IN WHICH LAURENCE FISHBURNE PORTRAYS
BUMPY JOHNSON IN THE 1930S. WHAT MADE YOU RETURN TO THE CHARACTER?
BRANCATO Twenty-some odd years later, Godfather of Harlem co-creator Paul Eckstein and I were approached by some people working with Forest Whitaker who asked if we wanted to do Bumpy in the ‘60s. We thought that it might be really cool to juxtapose Bumpy Johnson in the ‘60s with the Civil Rights movement. That’s what gives the show some version of a take that isn’t just gangsters shooting and killing one another. There’s an added layer to it that makes the story a little more complicated, that it’s about more than just who’s going to sell the most drugs or be the don of the neighborhood. It’s also about a second class citizen group, using crime to advance its economic circumstances, while at the same time watching the development of civil rights grow for them as well. Plus Bumpy’s an interesting vehicle to explore some really neat aspects of New York City.
ROME, HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH CHRIS BRONCATO ENTERING INTO A SHOW ALREADY IN ITS FOURTH SEASON?
ROME FLYNN Working with Chris was incredible, because he is one of the most collaborative and open showrunners that I’ve worked with. Sometimes you meet guys who feel like they’ve stumbled on a gold mine, which is understandable if you get an actor like Forest Whitaker to play your lead, but they can get overprotective of the art. Chris wasn’t that way. He cares deeply about it, but he also trusted me and trusted what I wanted to bring to the table. He gave me certain creative liberties that helped shape the character Frank Lucas ultimately becomes over the course of the season.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THOSE CREATIVE LIBERTIES THAT BRONCATO ENTRUSTED TO YOU? FLYNN It starts with the fact that I could just call him directly at any moment to discuss the character. There’s a balance between the work that the writers do and the little bit of me that has to go into the character
for the way that I picture it. Especially when you’ve been on set, making the show for the past couple of months, there’s a template for how you feel your character would react and what he would say or do. Sometimes those are small changes, but there were certain fundamental aspects of the character that I felt needed to be explored more as I delved deeper into his psyche. I don’t even consider him to be “Frank Lucas” yet, he’s just a kid from the South who is transitioning into Harlem. I thought a lot about what drives a man to be great? Greatness can be subjective—in Frank Lucas’ case, it meant becoming the biggest drug dealer in American history. You don’t become that by accident. In telling that story, I felt like there needed to be a deeper well of personal experience to drive the character to doing that. There were scenes that Frank had with his love interest, who wasn’t a standalone, prolific character at the time, that I felt like we could draw more from. I knew that there was a pivotal moment coming up for Frank where something happens and he decides to become who he ultimately becomes. In the lives of men who achieve great things, there is often a woman that has influenced them—be it love or heartbreak, that’s the driving force behind what they do. I expressed to Chris that there needed to be more of that in Frank’s story and he said “you’re right.” We added an entire scene between Frank and his love interest that is a part of his character arc and lays the foundation for his turning point later in the series.
HOW DID YOU SINK INTO THE EMOTIONALITY OF FRANK LUCAS? FLYNN It serves me to have commonalities with certain characters that I play. Some are more relatable than others. This one was a lot less relatable for me, but I think universally, the journey of venturing out of your circumstances and trying to forge your own destiny is something that I identify with and most people identify with as they progress through life. For me, it was about establishing that I’m at the starting point of a young man’s life. It’s not about Frank Lucas the name, he could be named anything. Setting that foundation gives me a place to go—we all know what he becomes, we all know how the story ends. It’s like looking at a painting and someone saying “we need you to paint that” and all I have is a blank canvas. How do I get here? I have all of the colors. I have everything that I need at my disposal, but how do I make sure that it’s navy and not dark blue? That’s the minutiae that sets you apart from other actors and hopefully that comes through in the show. SRQ
Hurricane Preparedness for the 2025 Season
As the 2025 Hurricane season approaches — beginning June 1 and lasting through November 30—residents and local businesses may need to prepare for storms, flooding and high winds. Manatee County Emergency Management Chief, Matthew Myers, notes that locals will have to be especially careful this year as lasting damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton has left many buildings less safe, and encourages residents to finish any construction work on their homes soon. “We got hit pretty hard last year, and I don’t want people to be complacent and think we got hit last year so we’re going to be good this year,” Myers says. “People need to stay vigilant. Even if we’re hoping that we don’t get anything, we need to just be prepared regardless.” A variety of educational resources on hurricane preparedness are available on the Sarasota County Government website, as well as the Manatee County Government website. State and local resources, including evacuation centers, emergency transportation and low-interest loans for repairs are available to residents in case of an emergency. Compiled by Cecilia Mouldy
State and Local Resources
Sarasota County Hurricane Preparedness Plans Online www.scgov.net/government/emergency-services/hurricane-preparedness-6291
Manatee County Hurricane Preparedness Plans Online www.mymanatee.org/departments/public-safety-department/emergency-management-division
Sarasota and Manatee County Alert Systems
Residents can sign up online for severe weather and evacuation order alerts.
Sandbag filling stations will vary with each storm and can be found online. extreme-weather-dashboard-manateegis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/sandbags
Transportation Rally Points for Sarasota County
Although the County recommends residents find alternative transportation options to emergency centers, such as personal transportation or Breeze Transit service, free bus transportation to and from shelters for residents and pets is offered as a last-resort option. This transportation leaves from rally point locations around the city and drops residents off at emergency shelters. THIS SEASON
Laurel Park — 509 Collins Rd., Nokomis
Venice Community Center — 326 Nokomis Ave. S., Venice
Suncoast Technical College — 4675 Career Ln., North Port
Garden Elementary School — 700 Center Rd., Venice
George Mullen Activity Center — 1602 Kramer Way, North Port
North Port Library — 13800 Tamiami Trl., North Port
Buchan Airport Community Park
— 1390 Old Englewood Rd., Englewood
Englewood Sports Complex — 1300 S. River Rd., Englewood
Breeze Transit UTC Transfer Station — Mall at University
Town Center, 500 N. Cattlemen Rd., Sarasota
Publix Super Market at Shoppes of Bay Isles — 525 Bay Isles Parkway, Longboat Key
Breeze Transit Downtown Transfer Station — 150 N. Lemon Ave., Sarasota
Lido Public Beach — 400 Benjamin Franklin Dr., Sarasota
Colonial Oaks Park — 5300 Colonial Oaks Blvd., Sarasota
Siesta Public Beach — 948 Beach Rd., Sarasota
Potter Park — 8587 Potter Park Dr., Sarasota
Pine View School — 1 Python Path, Osprey
Sarasota County Evacuation Centers
Residents should keep in mind that shelter openings vary with each emergency.
Booker High School — 3201 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota
Fruitville Elementary School — 601 Honore Ave., Sarasota
Southside Elementary School — 1901 Webber St., Sarasota
Brookside Middle School — 3635 S. Shade Ave., Sarasota
Phillippi Shores Elementary — 4747 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
Riverview High School — 1 Ram Way, Sarasota
Gulf Gate Elementary School — 6500 S. Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota
Manatee County Special Needs Registry
Taylor Ranch Elementary School — 2500 Taylor Ranch Trail, Venice
Heron Creek Middle School — 6501 W. Price Blvd., North Port
North Port High School — 6400 W. Price Blvd., North Port
Woodland Middle School — 2700 Panacea Blvd., North Port
Atwater Elementary School — 4701 Huntsville Ave., North Port
Those in need of transportation or sheltering assistance in the case of an evacuation order can apply online. Eligible conditions include, but are not limited to, being dependent on supplemental oxygen or an official diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.
Manatee County Evacuation Centers
Residents should keep in mind that shelter openings vary with each emergency.
Mills Elementary School — 7200 69th St. E., Palmetto
Myakka City Elementary School — 37205 Manatee Ave., Myakka City
Miller Elementary School — 601 43rd St. W., Bradenton
Freedom Elementary School — 9515 State Road 64 E., Bradenton
Gullet Elementary School — 12125 44th Ave. E., Bradenton
McNeal Elementary School — 6325 Lorraine Rd., Bradenton
Dr. Mona Jain Middle School — 12205 44th Ave. E., Bradenton
Haile Middle School — 9501 State Rd. 64 E., Bradenton
Harvey Elementary School — 8610 115th Ave. E., Parrish
Sugg Middle School — 3801 59th St. W., Bradenton
Prine Elementary School — 3801 Southern Parkway, Bradenton
Willis Elementary School — 14705 The Masters Ave., Bradenton
Braden River High School — 6545 State Rd. 70 E., Bradenton
Reduced Permit Fees Post-Storm
Buffalo Creek Middle School — 7320 69th St. E., Palmetto
Oneco Elementary School — 5214 22nd St. Court E., Bradenton
Rogers Garden Elementary School — 515 13th Ave. W., Bradenton
Williams Elementary School — 3404 Fort Hamer Rd., Parrish
Witt Elementary School — 200 Rye Rd., Bradenton
Lee Middle School — 4000 53rd Ave. W., Bradenton
Braden River Middle School — 6215 River Club Blvd., Bradenton
Daughtrey Elementary School — 515 63rd Ave. E., Bradenton
Johnson K-8 — 2121 26th Ave. E., Bradenton
Kinnan Elementary School — 3415 Tallevast Rd., Sarasota
Seabreeze Elementary School — 3601 71st St. West, Bradenton
Tillman Elementary School — 1415 29th St. E., Palmetto
Manatee High School — 902 33rd St. Court W., Bradenton
Following a hurricane, Sarasota County offers reduced permit fees for work to repair damage caused by the storms — information on which reduced fees are available for each storm can be found on the county website. Sarasota County may also offer expedited permitting for storm-related repairs. www.scgov.net/government/planning-and-development-services/building/disaster-recovery.
Business Disaster Recovery Support
Florida Small Business Development Centers offer assistance to businesses impacted by hurricanes. Consultants at these centers provide support in navigating recovery programs, including Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans, SBA Physical Disaster Loans and the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program. More information can be found on the website. (www.sarasotafl.gov/business-resources/hurricane-assistance)
SBA Disaster Loans are offered with low interest rates to homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofit organizations following a hurricane. The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program offer short-term, zero-interest loans for businesses intended to bridge the gap between the disaster and securing long term funding.
THIS SEASON
Florida Power and Light
HAVING A PLAN READY BEFORE A STORM IS ON FLORIDA’S DOORSTEP WILL ENSURE YOU CAN MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY. SOME WAYS YOU CAN START CRAFTING YOUR PLANS INCLUDE:
• Making sure you know how to operate a generator safely during a potential outage.
• Checking radios, flashlights, batteries and phone chargers.
• Having a plan ready including evacuation or backup generation—for any family members who rely on medically necessary devices that require electricity.
• Calling 911 and 1-800-4-OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) if you see downed power lines or damaged electrical equipment after a storm.
• Bookmarking FPL.com, downloading the FPL Mobile App and saving 1-800-4-OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) to your cell phone to report and check the status of your restoration.
FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT (FPL) IS CONTINUING ITS YEAR-ROUND PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANES AND SEVERE WEATHER BY INVESTING IN AND ENHANCING THE ELECTRIC GRID THROUGHOUT THE STATE. THIS INCLUDES:
• Hardening the electric system with steel, concrete and reinforced wooden power poles.
• Undergrounding power lines in select neighborhoods with the Storm Secure Underground Program, improving our resiliency systemwide and our efficiency during storm restoration.
• Installing smart grid technology that helps customers avoid outages altogether and helps us restore power faster following hurricanes and severe weather.
• Maintaining trees and other vegetation around thousands of miles of power lines.
Working for you. Every single day. Every day we’re not responding to a storm, we’re preparing for one.
“Our investments to make the electric grid stronger and smarter have proven eff ective in getting the lights back on faster for our customers following hurricanes and severe weather. Nevertheless, no electric grid can be 100% stormproof. That is why we encourage you to prepare your emergency plans, so your families and businesses are ready, too.”
—
Armando Pimentel, FPL president and CEO
Florida Power and Light | Sarasota 5657 McIntosh Rd | Sarasota, FL 34233 FPL.com
For tips, checklists and resources for developing emergency plans, visit FPL.com/Storm.
Preparing for the Hurricane with Pets
Residents with pets should take additional precautions in preparing for hurricane season, according to Myers and Manatee County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi. Ahead of the season, Tapfumaneyi recommends that owners microchip their pets — if owners and pets are separated during a disaster, a microchip can facilitate finding the pet after the storm. Whether families might need to evacuate or shelter-in-place, Sarasota County also recommends preparing a pet emergency kit with a week’s supply of food, water and medication. The kit should also include current vaccination records, a proper identification collar with a rabies tag, a carrier or crate, cat litter with a box and scooper, plastic bags and cleaning materials. Tapfumaneyi also recommends that owners bring a current photo of them with their pet in the case of separation, as well as any comfort items the pet may need such as toys or treats.
In the case of a storm, if evacuation orders are issued, residents should not leave their pets alone at home. All Sarasota County evacuation centers are pet-friendly, but pets are required to remain in a crate or carrier while there unless being exercised—Tapfumaneyi notes that if owners plan to stay at a shelter in case of evacuation, they should acclimate their pets to being in a crate ahead of time. However, she recommends that owners find family or friends to stay with. It’s another reason to try to find a family or friend to stay with so the pet can be roaming around the home instead of in the crate the whole time. In Manatee County, only Miller Elementary School, Mills Elementary School and Freedom Elementary School, as well as all special needs shelters, are pet-friendly. If owners do bring their pets to any of these Sarasota or Manatee County shelters, they should bring their pet emergency kit and be aware that they will be responsible for their pet’s care. Myers notes that Manatee County Animal Welfare will be at pet-friendly emergency centers to assist, but that owners should still know they are primarily responsible for their pets. Compiled by Cecilia Mouldy
Tips for Preparation
Take steps to protect your home — secure loose rain gutters and clear clogged areas or debris, secure and reinforce the roof, windows and doors and learn how to turn off gas, water and electricity. Consider building a FEMA safe room in your home designed to protect from high winds and flood waters.
Prepare a ‘shelter-in-place’ checklist, which should include canned food and a can opener, paper items, baby needs, medications, prescriptions, a first aid kit, a battery-operated flashlight, extra batteries, cash, pet supplies and photocopies of important documents. In the case of an emergency, those sheltering-in-place should clean bathtubs or other large containers and fill with water. Other needs will include one gallon of drinking water per person per day, for at least 3 days and at least half a tank of gasoline in the car. Finish repairs on damage from last season’s hurricanes to ensure homes are up to previous level of safety. Consider installing impact-resistant windows or hurricane shutters.
Sign up for local weather and evacuation alerts for Sarasota or Manatee Counties. Businesses should ensure that all employees have a hurricane preparedness plan and a plan in place for evacuation and continue to check in with employees in the event of a storm. Businesses should also have a recovery plan in place for clearing debris, repairing any damages and reopening. Review insurance policies for better understanding of what damages might be covered. Consider purchasing flood insurance.
Myers and Tapfumaneyi both encourage residents to check in on neighbors and employees and ensure that they have plans for communication in case traditional methods are cut off. “I want people to know that they should be checking on their neighbors,” Myers says. “They should be making sure that their plans are consistent. If they know that their neighbors are not going to be home, that’s one less place that we might have to look if we’re having to do search and rescue. Make sure that you’re helping each other out.”
forage
PERFECT BEACH DAY
The Beach House Waterfront restaurant is stronger than ever after weathering the storm surge of last fall. Dylan Campbell
THE SUN BEGINS TO SINK INTO THE GULF, TURNING THE WHITE SAND OF BRADENTON BEACH GOLD IN THE LATE AFTERNOON LIGHT. As its descent quickens, the sky becomes increasingly dramatic, fiery streaks of red and orange giving way to a purple glow as the last embers of the sunset burn away. There is a feeling that comes with a day on the beach, an energy that propels you into the night. Like the last bit of sand between your toes or the salt water in your hair, the sun seems to stick in your bones, living on inside your mind, replaying the simple beauty of the day. It’s a specific, magical feeling that can only be felt by those who have had a day spent at the beach—or walked through the doors at the Beach House Waterfront Restaurant. Located smack dab in the middle of Bradenton Beach, the Beach House has been serving up the fresh flavors of the Gulf since its initial revamping from the Harbor House restaurant in 1993. In the summer of 2024, the Beach House underwent another change after being purchased by Beachside Hospitality Group. “Six weeks later we were ravaged by the hurricane, which, if we’re trying to be optimistic about it, gave us the opportunity to put our own personal touch on the place,” says Daniel Sullivan, director of Southwest operations for Beachside Hospitality. “We put in new floors, a fresh coat of paint and just tried to brighten up the dining room a little bit so that it wasn’t so dark. We also spruced up the outside dining area and (at the time of interview) are almost finished with our outdoor bar.”
The team at the Beach House knows what their customers want. They want to eat fresh fish, sourced straight from the Gulf. They want to dine in front of pristine beach front views. Most of all, however, they want to retain that feeling of beachside magic. For the kitchen staff and diners alike, it’s an experience that begins with the food. Start your meal with the crispy brussels, an appetizer that is sure to get your taste buds firing on overdrive. Brussels sprouts are halved and roasted with a sticky, sweet soy plum glaze, before being topped with a generous dousing of Sriracha aioli and fried shallots. The result is a dish that will make even the pickiest vegetable eaters a fan of brussels sprouts and will have diners licking their fingers, wondering just how the plate was cleaned so quickly.
There is a secret to the chicken Florentine, an unctuous, decadent dish served atop a bed of mashed potatoes submerged in a parmesan cream sauce.
“Always brine your chicken,” says Executive Chef Cherry Carreon. “I use a lot of stuff in my brine including fennel seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and fresh fennel. When you cook the chicken, even if it’s good, if it’s not brined then it’s dry inside. If you brine it, it’s tender inside and has flavor.” The chicken breast, crusted with a concoction of panko, parmesan, chili flakes and herbs, is juicy and flavorful, grounding the entire dish. The parmesan cream sauce, however, is what takes the plate to another level—wild mushrooms are sauteed with pungent heirloom tomatoes and spinach before parmesan cheese and cream are folded in.
Balancing four kinds of fish in one dish is no easy task. But for Chef Carreon, it’s all in the sauce. The seafood pasta features shrimp, sea scallops, jumbo lump crab and fresh fish all served on a bed of buccatini and topped with a piece of delightfully chewy focaccia bread. Making this dish possible, however, is the fresh basil marinara sauce, where heavy notes of garlic and fresh fennel make the sweet tomatoes sing. The sauce is the perfect partner in crime to the seafood, sauteed and basted with white wine, adding just enough acidity to allow the flavors of the sea to all shine in their own right. Although the Chilean sea bass is a decidedly not local fish, it’s one that is likely to be a mainstay on Beach House’s menu for quite some time. Delicate, flakey, buttery Chilean sea bass is lightly seared before being cooked in a parmesan crust, adding a crunchy layer of umami flavoring to every bite. A drizzle of beurre blanc sauce over the sea bass and accompanying asparagus adds a creamy, luxurious finish. The dish wouldn’t be complete without sweet, floral, coconut jasmine rice. “We cook the rice with coconut milk, before adding in sauteed ginger, red pepper and coconut cream to make it sweet,” says Carreon. The stuffed combo is an ode to the Gulf, where fresh Gulf grouper and royal red shrimp delicately sauteed in lobster stock and filled with a seafood stuffing that features shrimp, crab meat and herbs, bound together by a garlic herb mayonnaise. Served alongside sprigs of grilled asparagus, that sweet
coconut rice and a wine cream sauce, the stuffed combo is a different approach to the classic flavors of Sarasota.
Chef Carreon is not one to waste resources. The honey fig glazed salmon uses the leftover figs that the staff use to make the fig and vanilla old-fashioned—cooked down with honey and calabrian chili peppers to create a beautifully sweet glaze with just a touch of heat that is slathered atop the grilled salmon. Paired with sauteed mushrooms, spinach and roasted potatoes, the honey fig glazed salmon is a wonderfully simple dish that is a testament to the classic pairing of savory and sweet.
The Beach House is not just about the entrees and appetizers however. Both the kitchen and the bar staff take their desserts and drinks just as seriously. Good key lime pie makes you smile. Great key lime pie makes you wonder why you ever have any other kind of pie— that’s the kind that Beach House serves, topped with a sweet drizzle of raspberry puree that adds a touch of sweetness to the creamy, tart delicacy.
The beachside crush is a sweet, nectarious cocktail, almost akin to a jolly rancher candy but in liquid form. Tito’s vodka cuts through a base of muddled lemons, agave nectar, cranberry juice and peach schnapps. Club soda gives the drink a distinctive fizz. If you’re feeling like a king, try the Elvis on the beach. A dreamy creation built upon the base of Beach House’s signature frozen pina colada, the cocktail is decidedly sweet, but not overpowering. A float of Gosling’s Black Rum balances nicely with the inclusion of Hard Truth peanut butter whiskey, which gives the drink a kick of rock and roll. SRQ
This spread, left to right: The stuffed combo with Gulf Grouper, royal red shrimp, lump crab, garlic herb mayonnaise, coconut rice, grilled asparagus and wine cream sauce; a bartender whips up a drink in the Beach House’s revamped interior space; the honey fig glazed salmon packs a touch of heat thanks to a honey, fig and Calabrian pepper glaze. To learn more about the Beach House Waterfront Restaurant visit beachhousedining. com, 200 Gulf Dr North, Bradenton Beach
giving coast
IN THE FACE OF DISASTER
Chuck Johnston has made a lifelong commitment to first responders and community recovery. Barbie Heit
AS
HURRICANE
IAN APPROACHED SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA IN SEPTEMBER 2022, Chuck Johnston wasn’t consumed by fear, but he was concerned about the catastrophic destruction it could bring to his community. With a lifetime of experience as a first responder, he was no stranger to disaster response—and understood the gravity of the situation all too well. “We have a higher sense of reality,” he says of disaster responders. “And the reality is, the storm is going to kick your butt. I know the potential of what we need to be prepared for. It was scary as the storm was going through, but the next morning, you went out to help people,” he says. “And when that was done, only then did you go home to clean up your own yard.”
Johnston was born and raised in Sarasota. After interning at the city fire department during his last year of high school, he entered their cadet program immediately upon graduating. “I actually got paid as a cadet— not a lot—but I did get paid for my work and it was the start of a heck of a career,” he says. Now retired from firefighting, Johnston worked 26 years with the city of Sarasota and then started a second career with the Florida Forest Service, leading efforts fighting wildfires. When a prescribed burn (a small fire set to avoid a larger one, a necessary part of the growing wildfire control program in Florida) turned into a devastating fire and burned down the Carlton Reserve in Venice, Johnston was called in. He developed a wildland program for Sarasota County and stayed with that program for six years. Just before leaving that, he was named Interim Emergency Management Chief because he had worked in hurricanes and other types of disasters with emergency management. “I was out doing my thing out in the woods handling the wildfires when they called and they told me that the 23-year veteran emergency manager was retiring,” he recalls. “We’d had Hurricane Charley that summer before and this was May. It was basically the beginning of the next hurricane season and I agreed to help, but only as an interim position because I was looking to start ranching full-time with my wife.”
After officially retiring once again, Johnston joined the Soil and Water Conservation Board as an elected supervisor. One of the board’s main goals was to
collaborate with agencies to benefit the agricultural community. He worked closely with the state Agricultural Response Team, part of the Department of Agriculture, drawing on his experience with Florida’s forestry division. Together, they discussed how to support agriculture after storms, specifically focusing on Hurricane Charley, which severely disrupted communications. With his background in emergency management, Johnston, alongside new director Ed McCraine, decided to create the Sarasota Ag Recovery Group. The goal was to help agriculture recover, support farmers, and aid in the recovery of animals affected by storms. The group was designed to operate in three phases: preparation, response and recovery. While the group’s divisions are geographically based, its functions can support any area in need. The Sarasota Ag Recovery Group, a coalition of the Farm Bureau, Cattlemen’s Association, University of Florida’s Cooperative Extension and the Sarasota Sheriff’s Department, lacked a communication system. Volunteer groups stepped in, including a ham radio team that offered training and provided communication systems capable of reaching across multiple counties.
Johnston and his assistant coordinators, including a retired police lieutenant with hurricane experience and a ham radio expert with Air Force background, built the group as a clearinghouse for local talent. The goal was to coordinate and leverage the community’s resources to assist in recovery efforts, something that hadn’t been done before. For
the three most recent hurricanes—Debby, Helene and Milton—the team worked very closely with all the other emergency management agencies, using a new advanced system allowing response teams to talk on handheld radios across long distances, enabling the team to help neighbors not just locally but across many other counties. In addition to his current role as a rancher and owner of 2J Farms, Johnston has been an active volunteer for Resilient Retreat over the last five years, helping with fundraising events, property clean up and property maintenance, all in support of their mission to provide free, confidential, evidence-based programs and support to trauma survivors including first responders. “We still call it the tree farm because that’s what it was whenever we moved out here back in the 70s. It was a tree farm,” he says of Resilient Retreat. “When they came in, we got tied in with them pretty quickly. We only live a couple of dirt roads away so we actually have some cattle on the property. The people that come out there and hike back in the trails,” he says. “It’s close to my heart because of the amount of years that I spent in emergency services. Folks who leave those roles may seem whole but they’ve got their demons. Everyone who works at Resilient Retreat is there for the right reasons. They have the core of what it takes to be a volunteer who says, “It’s not about me.”
SRQ Chuck Johnston was honored as a Good Hero by SRQ Magazine in December 2023.
CONTENTS H & D
FALL 2025
Home design stories, inspiration and thoughtful architecture on the West Coast of Florida— from Anna Maria Island and Lakewood Ranch to Sarasota, Venice and the Barrier Islands.
8 BEYOND CURB APPEAL
In real estate, the term curb appeal refers to the visual impression a home and its surroundings makes from the street. But the art of planning and designing outdoor spaces goes far beyond aesthetics. It’s about working with the land to create a space that is as functional as it is beautiful, integrating seamlessly with the architecture to create a fully immersive experience.
14 MODERN MARVEL
Rick Oswald is the president of CMSA Architects and the visionary behind the design of the Modern 4-Square House on the water in Bird Key. This wholly singular home received a Silver Award for Best Overall Home Over $4 Million in the SRQ Magazine 2025 Home of the Year Awards. CMSA Architects handled both the architecture and interior design of the home, resulting in a space that is as cohesive as it is creative.
18 A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING
It happens to all of us. One day, you’re innocently scrolling through social media when you stumble on one of the organizing and restocking videos that have taken the internet by storm. Crisp white bins slide seamlessly into a neatly arranged refrigerator. Bulky cardboard snack boxes are replaced with stylish storage containers. The laundry is neatly folded in color-coded stacks. Before you know it, six hours have passed and you’re convinced that if you could just get your house in order, you’d get your life in order too.
22 RUSTIC REVIVAL
In the late 16th century, Spanish settlers introduced European tile-making traditions to Mexico. In what is now the city of Saltillo, in the northern state of Coahuila, indigenous Tlaxcaltecas artisans began creating terracotta tiles using a combination of Old World techniques and local materials. The result was something entirely new: a distinctive, sunbaked tile now known as Saltillo tile, still crafted much the same way nearly 450 years later.
Architect: Hive Architects; J M Meyer Construction Contractors: Coast Outdoor Services Landscape Design: DWY Landscape Architects Pool: Water Designs of Sarasota Roofing: Mullet’s Furnishings/Furniture: Solus Decor, Gloster, and Blue Thumb Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography
WRITTEN BY
KATE WIGHT, PHOTOGRAPHY
RYAN GAMM, JESSICA GLYNN AND COURTESY OF MICHAEL A. GILKEY
This spread: The floor-to-ceiling windows in the owner’s suite provide a panoramic view of the landscape at the Bahia Vista residence. Bottom left: Dense vegetation around the property creates a sense of seclusion. Architect: Hive Architects; J M Meyer Construction Contractors: Coast Outdoor Services Landscape Design: DWY Landscape Architects Pool: Water Designs of Sarasota Roofing: Mullet’s Furnishings/Furniture: Solus Decor, Gloster, and Blue Thumb Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography
Three award-winning homes show that when it comes to outdoor living, there’s far more than meets the eye.
BEYOND CURB APPEAL
In real estate, the term curb appeal refers to the visual impression a home and its surroundings makes from the street. But the art of planning and designing outdoor spaces goes far beyond aesthetics. It’s about working with the land to create a space that is as functional as it is beautiful, integrating seamlessly with the architecture to create a fully immersive experience. Each year, the SRQ Magazine Home of the Year Awards recognizes outstanding residential design in the Sarasota and Manatee County region. In the Best Landscape/Pool/Outdoor category, three exceptional properties stood out for their inspired approach to outdoor living.
BAHIA VISTA RESIDENCE
THE BAHIA VISTA RESIDENCE MAY BE LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS, but it has a level of privacy due in large part to the density of the existing landscape. The perimeter of the property is surrounded by bamboo, so as you enter the driveway you feel enveloped in the space and separated from everything around you. The homeowners were renovating the house and also hired landscape architect David W. Young to improve upon that feeling of seclusion.
“One of the things we focused on was increasing the density of the perimeter, making sure you couldn’t see anyone adjacent, and the property became kind of inwardly focused because of that,” Young says. “We developed a driveway entry that was nicely private so you couldn’t see the house or the pool, and the overall approach was one that kind of unfolds for you as you come onto the property.”
The property did have an existing pool, but restoring and renovating it was going to be costly. It was actually going to be less expensive to remove the existing pool and install a new one that better suited the look of the house. “In doing that, we were able to create a beautiful, resort-style pool by detailing it in a way that allowed us to really bring the waterline up,” says Young. “What’s different about this pool than most I see is that the waterline is almost coplanar with the deck. That creates this effect where it looks kind of drippy, almost mirage-like, where you feel like you want to walk right into it. The things we do are sometimes subtle and maybe a little puzzling in those ways.” Young says the architecture of a building is always a big influence on how he can develop outdoor spaces that dovetail into the architectural spaces inside. In the Bahia Vista residence, some of the more private areas of the home (the owner’s suite and kitchen and dining areas in particular) overlook the pool and garden spaces through floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
“It was really important for us to make sure you felt that indoor-outdoor connection,” he says. “From the owner’s suite especially, it feels like you’re immersed in the landscape, planting everywhere, but yet fully private. You don’t have any concerns about privacy anywhere.”
In regards to the planting, Young mostly augmented what was already there. He brought in native plants at different scales and textures to introduce new screening elements without sacrificing sustainability or risking overcrowding the space. “We focus on creating a sense of place,” says Young. “We don’t infuse our landscapes with color— we like for them to be a little more zen-like and modern in their composition.” DWY Landscape Architects, 1350 5th St. Studio 004, Sarasota, 941-365-6530, dwyla.com.
ISLAND BREEZE
THE ISLAND BREEZE HOME ON SIESTA KEY IS A SECLUDED FAMILY RETREAT inspired by the historic homes on the Abaco Islands islands in the Bahamas. Nautilus Homes was the builder on the project. Ryan Perrone, the company’s president and co-founder, worked closely with the rest of the design team (including Michael
Gilkey, who was also the landscape architect on this project) to ensure there was cohesion and continuity between the indoor and outdoor living spaces. Perrone also put a great deal of care into ensuring that the materials selected for the home’s exterior would hold up against the elements. This is especially evident when it comes to the roof, which is one of the home’s most striking exterior features. “The primary roofing material is a handsplit cedar shake,” Perrone says. “The key to a good cedar shake roof is to get it to stay dry every day and that’s why you don’t often see them in Florida.” Perrone reached out to the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau, a nonprofit organization that promotes the use of cedar roofing and sidewall products to help specify the appropriate application of the materials.
“The bureau doesn’t have a defined approach for doing this kind of roof in a humid location like this,” he adds. “I ended up working with the head of the bureau to make sure it was being done right.” This meticulous attention to detail was helpful when it came to incorporating the existing landscape into the footprint of the build itself. “The property had three large oak trees on it and we worked the house to
fit within those,” he says. “From the front entry angle, you see this massive tree on the left-hand side of the house and the other large tree is between the garage and the house. That’s the reason we placed a breezeway between the garage and the house to make space for that tree. We really try to let the land inform how the house is going to be built.”
But it’s not just designing around the trees that’s an issue. Perrone cautions that it’s also important to have a team that’s mindful throughout the construction process, as large construction equipment like cranes and lifts can easily damage trees. As a local, he has a respect for and understanding of the land. That also helps set him apart in his field.
“Growing up around here and knowing what the weather is going to bring and what sort of conditions the materials are going to have to face is an advantage,” Perrone says.
“It’s about taking that vision wherever a client comes from and having the knowledge and skill to bring it to life in a way that’s also going to be durable and hold up. So it doesn’t just hit the aesthetic marks, but it also hits the benchmarks of longevity and high quality.” Nautilus Homes, 7126 Beneva Rd. #201, Sarasota, 941-366-3650, nautilus-homes.com.
Architect: Zobrist Design Group Contractors: Nautilus Homes Interior Design: Jett Thompson Interiors Cabinetry: Sarasota Architectural Woodworking Flooring: SB Custom Flooring and Rosas Cast Stone, LLC Landscape Design: Michael A. Gilkey Pool: Water Designs of Sarasota Photographer: Jessica Glynn Photography
This page: The new pool feels particularly inviting thanks to its high waterline.
This page, clockwise: Ryan Perrone went above and beyond to make sure the cedar shake roof would stand the test of time at Island Breeze. Carolina brick pavers enhance the home’s historic feel. Because the Van Wezel estate is so historic, Michael Gilkey worked to restore the landscape so it reflected the era the home was first built. The swimming pools at the estate are surrounded by coral stone, which would have been widely available during that era.
THE VAN WEZEL ESTATE
ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1937, the Van Wezel estate was the first year-round family residence built on Lido Key and is imbued with historical and cultural significance. The estate recently underwent a full restoration both inside and out, and landscape architect Michael Gilkey was faced with the unusual challenge of reviving the outdoor area in a way that captured it in its heyday.
“I’m a big fan of context,” Gilkey says. “When you think about a house like the Van Wezel that’s been here for almost a hundred years, you have to think back to what Lido looked like back then and what plants were available. It was in vogue for young socialites to travel on boats and collect seeds and bring them back, and Sarasota had a pretty wealthy population back then through the Ringlings. As a result, we have a lot of varieties of trees here that are fairly rare and there were some unique trees on site.”
Anytime Gilkey takes on a project, he starts by assessing the health and longevity of the existing plants to see what
can be preserved. Unfortunately, most of the trees on the Van Wezel property were beyond saving. He addressed that by bringing in plants that are true to the era.
“We planted two unique species of ficus trees out front on the street side that will take the place of those larger canopies inside the courtyard of the front of the house,” he says. “We’ve also added four royal poincianas that are going to grow together and eventually create a canopy that just about covers the entire front of the property. The intent is to get that density and feeling of the garden back. The trees are beautiful today, but it’s going to be fantastic in ten years, right? There’s a long-term vision to what we’re creating.”
Gilkey also put a lot of care into ensuring the hardscaping elements were era-appropriate. Around the pools and walkways he utilized coral stone which would have been widely-used and available at the time. In other areas, he went with a traditional tabby concrete.
“A hundred years ago, they didn’t have graded aggregates to mix into their other cementious material,” he says. “They used
local aggregates, and for those of us on the coast that aggregate was shell. If you walk the streets in St. Augustine, you see the exposed shell in the concrete. With this project, we hand mixed washed shell into the cement mix because I wanted the material to feel like it could have always been here.”
There was an unexpected benefit to working on a historic project. Building codes have changed substantially since the Van Wezel estate was first built, in large part because of flooding concerns from hurricanes. While that’s very reasonable from a safety and practicality standpoint, it can sometimes make it hard to create exactly the look you want to achieve. “A lot of our new properties we’re working on, the living level of the house is 15 to 17 feet above site grade. When we’re thinking about indoor-outdoor living in new houses, it’s a huge hurdle to connect the garden that’s 15 feet below to the first living floor,” Gilkey says. “On this property, there was such a beautiful flow to work with.”
SRQH&D
WRITTEN BY
KATE WIGHT, PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CMSA ARCHITECTS
“I’ve never been one to necessarily follow the norm,” says Rick Oswald. “I always like to try and push things, but I don’t want to push them too far out of context to where they feel odd.” Rick Oswald is the president of CMSA Architects and the visionary behind the design of the Modern 4-Square House on the water in Bird Key.
This wholly singular home received a Silver Award for Best Overall Home Over $4 Million in the SRQ Magazine 2025 Home of the Year Awards. CMSA Architects handled both the architecture and interior design of the home, resulting in a space that is as cohesive as it is creative.
A unique home on Bird Key proves that innovation in design is thriving.
MODERN MARVEL
IN A FARMHOUSE FOURSQUARE HOME, the structure is anchored by a central core, with four additional squares at each corner that connect to the main body. These homes are always two stories tall and typically feature high-peaked gables and roofs. The facade is usually balanced and symmetrical, with a centrally located front door. This Modern 4-Square Home features all of the elements of a classic foursquare farmhouse crafted with a distinctly contemporary sensibility.
“Where a traditional foursquare is typically going to have a traditional entry door, we put in very large exterior openings,” Oswald says. “We took away all the gingerbread that you might see on a more traditional foursquare and we eliminated all of the overhangs completely, with the exception of a portion of the covered terrace on the second story. Those were some of the steps that we took to make what we would call a modern foursquare.”
After some adaptations to the original design along the way, the finished home is a generous 6,888 square feet. In addition to the owner’s suite, it boasts three guest suites (each with its own
en suite bath), his-and-hers studies, a three-car garage and a substantial wine cellar. The central core of the house contains a shared kitchen, dining and living area. From there, a 46-foot wide sliding glass door opens onto an extensive lanai which in turn leads down to a resort-style pool and boat slip.
“The owners are empty nesters, so it was very much a home that was designed specifically for where they are at this point in their lives,” Oswald explains. “It can certainly function well as a family home, but that wasn’t the intent of this design at all.” Because the home was so personal, the owners were intimately involved in the design process throughout. At the time the project started, interior designer Christiana Engert was working for CMSA (she has since started her own boutique design firm, Frond & Fern Design) and she worked closely with the owners to bring their vision to life.
“Christiana is a very talented young woman and she and the homeowner, Amy, really hit it off in a big way,” says Oswald. “We all know how much better things work when there’s that kind of symbiosis going on.”
Opposite Page: This colorful, eclectic den was designed specifically to the client’s taste by Christiana Engert, now of Frond & Fern Design.
The collaboration between designer and homeowner resulted in a home that struck the ideal balance between elegant and eclectic. While some people might consider the Modern 4-Square to be lavish it is also eminently livable and speaks deeply to the taste and style of the homeowners. “One of the first things we do when we go through the programming exercise for any new home is talk a lot about the owner’s artwork. I believe they had 40 or 50 pieces,” Oswald says. “This house was all about designing around their art collection. When we do that, I require dimensions for every piece, so this house is very specific to their needs.”
Knowing that, you can observe just how perfectly placed everything is. In the breakfast nook, the blank space across from the wall of windows is just the right size for a large-scale painting. It’s not an accident that the blue and yellow tones in the painting go so well with the blue and gold velvet chairs—those are also pieces brought in by the homeowners. In other rooms, you can see where well-loved pieces blend harmoniously with new elements. In the dining area, black and white chairs and a set of textured paintings brought in
by the homeowners are beautifully complemented by the abstract chandelier. Truly, everywhere you turn in this home, you’re bound to find some special detail or hidden treasure. The focal window above the front door belongs to a cozy window seat in the primary guest suite. In the owner’s suite, a wall of cabinets could hold stored items or a vignette of decorative items. In the kitchen, what seems to be a regular cabinet door opens into a full pantry. Even the powder rooms are meticulously designed—one features a wall mural with large white birds, and the homeowner was adamant about crafting stork legs for the vanity. There’s a sense of elevated whimsy that makes the home truly one-of-a-kind, and a lot of that has to do with the spirit of collaboration between the homeowners and the design team.
“I think this house is unusual for Florida,” Oswald muses. “I think it’s an elegant home, but unusual for the area. I’ve done a lot of homes out on Bird Key but until now nobody has allowed me to take it in a direction like this. I think it’s very, very unique, and I take a lot of pleasure in that.” SRQH&D CMSA Architects, 2724 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota, 941-364-4600, cmsaarchitects.com.
Below,left to right: This striking powder room demonstrates the owners’ willingness to make bold design choices. The abstract chandelier in the dining room helped tie the homeowners existing furniture and artwork into the new space.
BY
In the late 16th century, Spanish settlers introduced European tile-making traditions to Mexico. In what is now the city of Saltillo, in the northern state of Coahuila, indigenous Tlaxcaltecas artisans began creating terracotta tiles using a combination of Old World techniques and local materials. The result was something entirely new: a distinctive, sunbaked tile now known as Saltillo tile, still crafted in much the same way nearly 450 years later. Today, far from the arid landscapes of Coahuila, a family-owned business in Sarasota is helping preserve that legacy in a modern context. Founded in 1995 by husband and wife Velma and William Warner, Mexican Tile Renew specializes in restoring Saltillo tile floors. Their work helps homeowners maintain the warmth, character, and craftsmanship that define each handmade piece.
RUSTIC REVIVAL
Mexican Tile Renew is giving old floors new life
THE PROCESS OF MAKING SALTILLO TILE IS AS handmade and organic as the tile itself. Artisans begin by digging clay from local riverbeds, mixing it with water to create a pliable consistency. The clay is then hand-pressed into wooden molds, forming each tile one at a time. Once shaped, the tiles are laid out in the sun to dry, a process that can take several days.
Clockwise: Jessica Bloomfield has learned the art of restoring Saltillo tile through her work at Mexican Tile Renew.
Incredibly versatile, Saltillo tile can even be used in more contemporary homes. Saltillo tile is renowned for its character.
During this stage, it’s not uncommon for a curious dog, chicken or other animal to leave behind a paw print, an unintentional imprint that becomes a permanent and endearing mark of authenticity. After drying, the tiles are carefully stacked in a kiln and fired at high temperatures, which hardens the clay and creates natural variations in color, from warm yellows and rich reds to deep oranges and browns. The result is a tile that is both durable and distinctive, with no two pieces exactly alike.
“I always tell people, if you’re looking for a perfect tile that has no flaws, Saltillo tile is not for you,” says Jessica Bloomfield, a tile technician and estimator with Mexican Tile Renew. “It’s got a lot of character to it.” The popularity of Saltillo tile in Sarasota dates back to the 1920s when architecture was heavily influenced by the Mediterranean Revival style. The tile’s Spanish roots made it a natural fit for the style, and its ability to stay cool underfoot offered a practical advantage in Florida’s heat, especially before the widespread use of air conditioning. Even today, there are many benefits to using Saltillo tile—in addition to its aesthetic appeal, it is relatively low cost and its durability gives it the ability to withstand wear and tear, making it suitable for high-traffic areas. With proper care and
maintenance, Saltillo flooring can last for decades.
Saltillo tiles do have some drawbacks, though. They are extremely porous, so they can be prone to staining if not properly sealed. People frequently don’t realize that acidic cleaners can damage Saltillo flooring as well. Fortunately, even damaged Saltillo flooring can be brought back to life, which is where Mexican Tile Renew comes in.
“People ask me what I do and I tell them, ‘Well, I resurface and clean a very specific kind of tile,’” says Bloomfield. “I feel like what we do is really unique. Our process is always the same, but at the same time every house and what it needs can be so different.”
To start the process, a team from Mexican Tile Renew comes in and sweeps and vacuums debris off the ground, then strips the floor with specialized chemicals. Floors in relatively good condition only need to be stripped once, while more damaged floors often need multiple cycles of stripping and rinsing. Once the floors have been stripped, the cleaning phase commences. The team scrubs the floors with an oscillating machine, thoroughly cleaning the grout and the tile. Once the tile is immaculate, fans are placed throughout the house so the tile can thoroughly dry out. Once it’s dry, they can address any tile or grout that’s in need of staining. Finally, they’ll apply multiple coats of sealer to protect the floors for the next several years. While the process is undeniably intensive, Bloomfield says even their larger projects can be completed in a single day.
Mexican Tile Renew has worked on some impressive historical restoration projects, including The Pink Elephant Restaurant in Boca Grande and the Van Wezel estate here in Sarasota. They also work on residential projects for clients like Shelly Burke, who has a background in design. Burke owns a house in Holmes Beach that she lives in part-time and rents out when she’s not using it. She initially worked with Mexican Tile Renew after she bought the home six years ago, and turned to them again after the house was damaged in last year’s hurricanes.
“Bill and his crew came in and did an amazing job. They repaired everything and made it look brandnew,” Burke says. “I just wish more people knew about how you can truly care for Saltillo tile and bring it back. So many people get rid of it, and then they’ll come over and look at our house and say, ‘Oh, your floors are so beautiful!’ He’s so talented.” SRQH&D
Above: Mexican Tile Renew restored the Saltillo tile in Shelly Burke’s Holmes Beach home after last year’s hurricanes.
WRITTEN BY KATE WIGHT, PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ORGANIZERS.
This summer don’t just get clean—get organized.
A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING
IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US. ONE DAY, YOU’RE INNOCENTLY SCROLLING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA when you stumble on one of the organizing and restocking videos that have taken the internet by storm. Crisp white bins slide seamlessly into a neatly arranged refrigerator. Bulky cardboard snack boxes are replaced with stylish storage containers. The laundry is neatly folded in color-coded stacks. Before you know it, six hours have passed and you’re convinced that if you could just get your house in order, you would get your life in order too. But that’s easier said than done. While these curated videos with their aspirational aesthetic are deeply satisfying to watch, translating that level of organization into real life is a much bigger project—one that many people don’t know how to begin. These tips can help you find your way as you embark on your home-organizing journey.
Clockwise: A custom closet designed for your wardrobe needs can help you get (and stay) organized. Elizabeth Harrison takes a hands-on, personalized approach to assisting her clients.
Labeling is a surprisingly simple way to get clutter under control.
Donating
If your organizing efforts have left you with a sizable donation pile, you might wonder where it will make the biggest impact. Fortunately, several local organizations can give your gently used items a second life, helping those in need while keeping usable goods out of landfills.
HIRE A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER
It might feel like taking the easy way out, but a professional organizer can be an incredible resource in a variety of situations, whether you’re downsizing to a smaller space, relocating for work or undergoing home renovations. Elizabeth Harrison is the owner of Sarasota Home Organizer and for ten years, she and her team have been helping people in the area with a wide range of organizational needs.
“You have people who just want that Pinterest-perfect, Instagram-worthy pantry with everything beautifully labeled, but we also work with people who are stuck in a rut or have been through a situation where they just can’t find the ability to get back on track,” Harrison explains. Sarasota Home Organizer offers highly customized packages that are tailored to each individual client’s needs and preferences. That process starts with a free virtual consultation and is followed by a needs assessment. “Some people want to hand you the keys and leave and have you call them when you’re done, while others want to be there with you throughout the process,” she says. “Sometimes we’re there to help as much with the emotional side of the process.”
PARE DOWN BEFORE YOU ORGANIZE
If you’re not ready to bring out the big guns and hire a professional, you still might need advice on where to begin. Cutting down on clutter by streamlining your belongings is a great way to make the organizational process feel a little less daunting and will help you get that clean slate you’re looking for. Set aside items to keep, donate, sell or throw away in labeled containers.
CREATE A TEMPORARY HOLDING SPOT
The organizational principle “a place for everything and everything in its place” is great on paper but it’s not always practical in day-to-day life. A decorative basket can serve as a temporary holding spot for items you don’t know what to do with at the moment without creating clutter. Just don’t let it pile up. “Pick one night a week to go through your basket and see what’s in there so you can put it in the right place or throw it away,” Harrison says. “And don’t let your basket multiply!”
CUSTOMIZE YOUR SPACE
Organizing solutions aren’t one-size-fits-all. Our brains respond differently to various methods of organization depending on our individual cognitive styles. If professional organizers like Harrison can help us figure out systems that work for us, then custom closet designers like Trish Underwood can help us implement long-term storage solutions that will help us stay organized. Underwood works at Carefree Design Center (formerly Carefree Closets), a locally-owned business that has been serving the area since 1986. Carefree Design Center offers custom room design for spaces throughout the home including walk-in closets, reach-in closets, linen closets, kitchen pantries, laundry rooms and more. “I try to keep people in the mindset to make the closet as adjustable as possible because your needs change over the years,” Underwood says. “Most of our shelves are adjustable and adjustable rods are also important if you have couples where there’s a height variance.”
WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER
This nonprofit provides support, resources and services to women of all ages and backgrounds including a Career Closet where women can get work-appropriate attire for free. The organization accepts donations of women’s clothing, shoes and accessories in good condition. mywrc.org
MOTHERS HELPING MOTHERS
This organization offers resources, referrals and aid to struggling families and also provides necessities to families in need free of charge. They accept a wide array of practical, gently-used items including clothing, kitchenware, home goods, select baby items, toys and much more. mhmsarasota.com
SPARCC TREASURE CHEST
SPARCC is an organization committed to supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and proceeds from the SPARCC Treasure Chest shop fund their free programs and services. This nonprofit accepts donations of men’s and women’s clothing, furniture and household items as well as art, antiques and collectibles. sparcc.net
