Two series brought prominent national and international urbanists to offer fresh, global perspectives on Downtown Sarasota’s development and future. Architecture Sarasota hosted Downtown Sarasota: Hindsight, Insight, and Foresight with a lineup included Gil Penalosa, Brent Toderian and Paul Kalbfleisch, each chosen for his distinctive viewpoint, extensive experience and engaging delivery. The 2025 Urban Studies Speaker Series hosted by Hoyt Architects featured Robert Gibbs—a respected retail expert and urban planner—who discussed how national retail trends are reflected in downtown Sarasota and Wes Marshall, a professor, engineer and author who discussed the shortcomings of modern transportation engineering and the steps society can take toward creating a safer future. WRITTEN BY
BARBIE HEIT + DYLAN CAMPBELL
season preview 36
The arts are at the very core of what Sarasota is all about. The region’s dynamic art and music scene are why it has been heralded as Florida’s Cultural Coast—for as many people enjoy the beautiful beaches and warm Gulf breeze, just as many flock to Sarasota to immerse themselves in fine art galleries, world-class theatrical productions and hair-raising concerts. This season, SRQ Magazine has the inside scoop on all of the region’s premier arts and culture events, from classical operas to symphonic masterpieces, contemporary art, community theater and more.
WRITTEN BY DYLAN CAMPBELL
page: The
Performance season kicks off with Bijayini Satpathy’s performance of Contemporary Classical Indian Dance Doha, or couplet, the culmination of her yearlong residency at The Metropolitan
This
Ringling Art of
Museum of Art.
Image courtesy of The Ringling .
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89 IN CONVERSATION: INNOVATION IN PHILANTHROPY FEATURING BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SARASOTA AND DESOTO COUNTIES AND SAFE CHILDREN COALITION
99 BEST OF SRQ LOCAL WINNERS SHOWCASE
Local resident Kyle McCreight has forged his own path en route to becoming a three-time contestant on American Ninja Warrior. Sarasota-based Home Resource hosted global executives from Kettnaker and Leica for the premiere of the Kettnaker SOMA Media System this May. Scott Albright has grown Nokomis-based Combat Waffle Studios into one of the leading VR game development studios in the industry. Healthy Vending Titans bring tasty snacks
to Manatee schools. The Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa and newly renovated Bradenton Area Convention Center are making Palmetto one of the must-visit destinations on the Gulf Coast. Nathan Benderson Park proved once again to be the epicenter of North American rowing when it hosted the US Rowing Youth National Championships this past June. Artists Nora Jane Long and Anne Elhajoui found inspiration in a shared space during their shared Creative Liberties’ Summer Residency.
cargo
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Check out our picks for the latest trends in shoes this season.
forage
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Smoked brisket is just what the doctor ordered at Smoke & Fire.
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Education has been a lifelong love for Maria Morcillo.
This page: American Ninja Warrior competitor Kyle McCreight, photography by Wyatt Kostygan; Smoke & Fire, photography by Wes Roberts; and, Trends in Shoes, photography by Wes Roberts. Cover, left to right: Léna Cambis, violinist, Sarasota Orchestra; Amber Myers, Raleigh Mosely II and Jazzmin Carson, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe; Xiao-Xuan Yang Dancigers, project-based dancer, Sarasota Contemporary Dance; Avery Held, company dancer, Azara Ballet; Hannah Brammer, soprano in Sarasota Opera’s production of Susannah; Joseph Lovinsky, Principal Horn, Venice Symphony. Photographed at the Sarasota Art Museum featuring the Lillian Blades: Through the Veil exhibit, photography by Wyatt Kostygan.
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STORIES ABOUT THE LOCAL PEOPLE, PLACES AND EXPERIENCES THAT DEFINE OUR HOMETOWN
Below: Kyle McCreight found himself, not only as an athlete, but as a person, on the obstacle course of
RUNNING DOWN A DREAM
Local resident Kyle McCreight has forged his own path en route to becoming a three-time contestant on American Ninja Warrior. Dylan Campbell
American Ninja Warrior.
IT WAS 4:30 IN THE MORNING AND KYLE MCCREIGHT WAS STANDING IN A DIRT LOT, THE LAS VEGAS STRIP STILL GLITTERING BEHIND HIM. For most people in Vegas, this is where the night ends. For McCreight, however, his night was just getting started. After all, he’d waited over 12 hours for his opportunity. Such is the life of a contestant on American Ninja Warrior. “The actual experience of filming the show can be grueling,” says McCreight, a Sarasota local who was competing in his third season of American Ninja Warrior. “I was the 76th runner of the night—I knew I’d exhaust myself trying to watch every single run, so I just bundled up in a hoodie and blanket and tried to relax until it got close to my time.”
McCreight, who lives in Parrish and works as an Occupational Therapist at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital, had gotten into the sport back in 2016 after his mother suggested he check out the show. He did, found a local gym with some of the obstacles and was immediately hooked. “I ended up going to Live Training Center in Palmetto, which had a few ninja obstacles and met some guys who had been on the show before. I tried some of the obstacles and was humbled pretty quickly, but fell in love with it right away,” says McCreight. “I’ve always been in shape and thought, ‘Oh I could do that,’ but it’s such a different style of training with all the hanging, swinging, body mechanics and grip strength that factor into it.”
McCreight fell in love with the tangible aspect of training—improvement is easily defined by progression of the obstacles— and the ninja warrior community at large. “In reality, everybody is competing with each other, but ultimately everybody is cheering for each other to do well,” says McCreight. “We always have the mindset of it's us against the course.” McCreight applied to be on American Ninja Warrior five times before finally being accepted as a contestant in 2022 on season 14. In that time McCreight’s life shifted. In 2019, McCreight was in the midst of a divorce and lost custody of the two dogs he owned with his ex-wife. He was, in his words, “lonely and depressed.” Then came Tre, a
four-month-old black lab that had just had its right back leg amputated. McCreight needed a friend. Tre needed someone to take a chance on him. So the pair got to work—McCreight rehabilitating Tre and Tre, in turn, providing him with the strength to continue on with his ninja training. The pair’s story caught on to social media—Tre accompanied McCreight on his run in 2022 and ever since, they’ve worked with the Never Say Never Foundation to raise money for “limb different” children.
The qualifying round of American Ninja Warrior features six obstacles, ending in the infamous Warped Wall, at the top of which is a buzzer. Complete the course, hit the buzzer and punch your ticket to the semi-finals. Until season 17, airing this past summer, McCreight had only made it through five obstacles. “When I was standing at the platform before my run, I tried to tell myself that it doesn’t matter what happens here. Just trust your training and have fun with it,” says McCreight. “I walked up and saw my family on the sideline, my girlfriend Miya, my dad and Tre on the big screen and that just gave me a sense of confidence and calmness.” It was a culmination of a journey nearly a decade in the making. McCreight, with arms hanging and lungs gasping in the dry desert air, made it to the Warped Wall. Then, with the voices of his loved ones in his ears, he ran up it. SRQ
This page: The SOMA Media System features a projector screen which can be tucked away into a sleek cabinet design. Home Resource, 741 Central Ave, Sarasota, 941-366-6690, homeresource.com
DESIGN MEETS DISPLAY
Sarasota-based Home Resource hosted global executives from Kettnaker and Leica for the premiere of the SOMA Media System. Cecilia Mould
HOME RESOURCE, A SARASOTA-BASED FURNITURE STORE REPRESENTING HIGH-END GERMAN AND ITALIAN BRANDS, has premiered an innovative way to watch television with the Kettnaker SOMA Media System. In May, the store hosted the Chief Operating Officer of Kettnaker, Alex Hensler, and the Chief Executive Officer of Leica, Mattias Harsch, for an event celebrating all that this system has to offer. “We had 40 or 50 designers here, and every one of them was absolutely wowed by the project and the speakers,” Home Resource owner Michael Bush says about the event. The SOMA Media System is a collaboration between Kettnaker, a premium furniture manufacturer, and Leica, the renowned camera company. The sleek cabinet conceals a high-quality Leica projector that rises only when needed, making it ideal for placement in front of artwork or windows without obstructing the view. “When you want to watch TV, the screen goes up. When you don't, it disappears. You can display your art, or you can put it in front of a window, so effectively, you have all your window views. Only on occasions when you want to watch television does the screen come up,” Bush says. The SOMA Media System is the latest milestone in Bush’s long journey with Home Resource. He took the reins in 2002 and has since transformed the once-struggling store into a national presence. “This company was heavily in debt, failing, and we came in and turned it around. Not only did we turn it around, but we also participated in its growth,” he adds. Now, as Kettnaker’s only representative in the United States, his business has the opportunity to share the SOMA Media System with clients across the country. Not only has Bush expanded Home Resource’s scope, but he has also continued to make connections between the European manufacturers he represents and local designers. “At Home Resource, we're about relationships. Someone walks through the front door as a stranger and walks out as our best friend,” he says. “Over this journey, a relationship gets built. People came to the event because of the relationships we built. Both with the attendees and the speakers alike, it's a relationship.” SRQ
THE MAN IN THE VIRTUAL ARENA
This page: Scott Albright has grown Combat Waffle Studios from just a dream into one of the top VR game development studios in the country. Combat Waffle Studios, 195 W Triple Diamond Blvd, Nokomis, combatwaffle.com.
Scott Albright has grown Nokomis-based Combat Waffle Studios into one of the leading VR game development studios in the industry. Dylan Campbell
SCOTT ALBRIGHT DOESN’T NEED TO GET INTO THE OFFICE AT 3AM. He probably could get more than (at the most) five hours of sleep he averages each night—but that’s not the way he’s wired. For Albright, the founder, CEO and creative director of Combat Waffle Studios, the Nokomis-based, veteran-owned game development studio, the grind never stops. “My brain doesn’t shut off,” says Albright, who founded Combat Waffle Studios in 2022. “Early in the morning, the house is quiet, the office is quiet which gives me time to sit down, dive into game design documents and come up with new game ideas. By the time everybody gets into the office at 9am, it’s like you’re shot out of a cannon.” Combat Waffle—named after the military term for a landmine—was born in 2022 out of an idea. Albright, who served in the U.S. Army overseas from 2008 to 2012 before being medically discharged, had his hand in a few different careers. He was an entertainment agent and an entrepreneur as well as a world-class virtual reality video game player. For years, Albright and his VR teammates wanted a first-person extraction shooter VR game—when no one made one, he decided to take matters into his own hands. “Every year I was told that it wasn’t possible to make and there wasn’t an audience for that type of game. It was too expensive to make, the gun mechanics wouldn’t work in VR—in reality it was just really hard to do and no one wanted to take the time to do it,” says Albright. “So I decided to do it myself. I hired a team of developers, people we knew from the VR space, media guys and here we are three years later.” That initial calling turned into Ghosts of Tabor, a smash-hit which jumped to the top of VR sales charts upon its initial release in March 2023 and remains the most popular of Combat Waffle’s titles to this day. Ever since, Combat Waffle has grown exponentially—Albright moved the company, now with over 50 employees, from his AC-less Port Charlotte garage in the summer of 2022 to various office spaces, before landing on a 23,349 square foot space in Nokomis in this past February. Combat Waffle currently has three video games available: Ghosts of Tabor, Grim and Silent North—all available with early access on gaming platforms Pico, Meta Quest and Steam VR—with two other titles still in development. While Albright’s relentless drive has not changed, his motivations, the reasons behind why he finds himself in the office at 3am pouring over game design documents, have. “Before it was just selfish—I wanted Tabor so I made this game. After seeing all of the people that have flocked to the game and hearing their stories, I’ve realized that we get to motivate and touch people’s lives everyday,” says Albright. “When someone has had a bad day and they’re not sure what to do with themselves, they can boot up a game for five minutes and escape it all. ”
VENDING TITANS
The business, started by 19-year-old Branson Rudeen, is helping make healthy options immediately available to students. Cecilia Mould
AT JUST 19 YEARS OLD, BRANSON RUDEEN STARTED HEALTHY VENDING TITANS—a vending machine company providing healthy snacks— last year with the help of his father, Brad Rudeen. Now, they have vending machines in two local public schools, Lakewood Ranch High School and Bayshore High School, and are looking to continue expanding throughout Manatee County. Branson’s initial interest in this business began during high school, when he took cooking classes at Suncoast Technical College. These classes sparked a passion for learning more about the nutritional details of snack foods, leading Branson to open Healthy Vending Titans rather than attend college after he graduated from high school. Last summer, he learned of a company called Vending Accelerator, a sales and marketing education company that mentors clients looking to open vending machine businesses. Working closely with this company allowed Branson to begin learning the ins and outs of the industry before finally launching his own business. Branson has focused on marketing his business to schools for the revenue opportunities—Vending Accelerator advised him to focus on locations where many potential customers will pass by each day. Now, students love the snacks Branson has made available to them. Each day, he travels to the vending machine locations and restocks machines with a variety of snacks, including ZBars, Nature’s Bakery bars, apple juice and Propel water, among others. Each of the schools greatly appreciates the wide variety of snacks available—Assistant Principal at Bayshore Don French says they began using the machines at the end of the third quarter this spring, and believes students have been excited to have them. “School days are long, and whether they are on their way home or going to sports practice, they're able to get a healthy drink and snack and not have to walk across the street to a convenience store. It's here in a machine,” French says. Healthy Vending Titans donates a percentage of their profits directly to the schools that have introduced their vending machines. French says that with these donations, Bayshore hopes to create a fund for student and faculty activities. As they expand their business, Branson hopes to spend the summer reaching out to new schools in Manatee County and working to address current limitations. Currently, schools are only allowed to use the vending machines after lunch in line with Manatee County regulations, which ensure that vending machine snacks are not used to replace meals. Branson would like to work with the county to allow drinks to be sold throughout the day, even before lunch. “You can’t just walk into a school and say, ‘Hey, we want to put a machine in here.’ We had to know our product; we had brochures that we gave to schools, and these things have helped him grow so much. He's learned so much,” Brad said about his son’s business. SRQ
Below Branson Rudeen is making a name for himself in the vending industry with his new business.
TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE
The Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa and newly renovated Bradenton Area Convention Center are making Palmetto one of the must-visit destinations on the Gulf Coast. Dylan Campbell
IN THE NORTHERN SIDE OF MANATEE COUNTY, JUST ACROSS THE MANATEE RIVER FROM BRADENTON SITS PALMETTO. It is the smallest of all the cities in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Metropolitan Area, by both land area and population, but it is also the oldest, officially incorporated into the city of Palmetto in 1897. Although Palmetto officially became a city 128 years ago, 2025 may be the biggest year for the burgeoning municipality yet. In the summer of 2024, the Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa, replete with 252-guest rooms, opened its doors. The Palmetto Marriott, the area’s largest luxury hotel with 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, is connected to the Bradenton Area Convention Center—currently in the midst of a $54 million capital improvement project. “We’re excited about the partnership and connectivity with the convention center,” says Marriott Managing Partner Tony DeRusso. “The convention center has been missing two components for all of these years. Number one, a headquarter hotel and number two, a large ballroom to be able to accommodate larger events. With their 14,000 square foot ballroom, our 8,000 square foot ballroom, our breakout meeting space and their breakout meeting space, the almost 40,000 square foot exhibit hall and tons of outdoor flex space, we're going to be able to offer an accommodation that nobody has on the West coast of Florida, south of Tampa, all the way to Naples.” The renovation and expansion of the Bradenton Area Convention Center is paramount to redeveloping the urban core of Palmetto, according to Elliot Falcione, Director of the Bradenton Area Tourism Bureau. The vastly improved Center, which is targeting a ribboncutting ceremony in November and is taking bookings for 2026, is estimated to bring in $30-40 million annually to the surrounding area. “The Marriott is the headquarter hotel that is required when you’re trying to woo out of town businesses,” says Falcione. “We needed to be connected to the Marriott by air-conditioning to remain competitive in this market.” Falcione hopes that the Center, funded entirely by tourism tax dollars, will be an economic driver for the entire Palmetto-Bradenton region, especially outside of the typical tourism season. “You need that asset to push revenue into that urban core during the non-peak season. Conventions and conferences typically come during the late spring, throughout the summer and early fall—redeveloping the convention center is planting a seed in this economy for years to come,” says Falcione. SRQ
Below, left to right: The renovated Bradenton Area Convention Center aims to be a economic driver for the region; The new Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa is the headquarter hotel to the convention center.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2025 AT MICHAEL’S ON EAST BALLROOM | REGISTRATION OPENS AT 10:30AM
FEATURING POP-UP BOUTIQUES AND THE INAUGURAL HER STORY EXHIBITION
WOMEN WHO ROAR LEADERSHIP +AWARDS LUNCHEON
JOIN US FOR A MORNING OF INSPIRATION AS WE CELEBRATE WOMEN WHO LEAD WITH A ROARING SPIRIT
2025 trailblazer award recipient
KATIE NELSON THOMSON
JOIN US FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 2025 WOMEN WHO ROAR HONOREES
SRQ MEDIA is proud to honor Katie Nelson Thomson as our 2025 Women Who Roar Trailblazer Award recipient. Thomson is the Senior Talent Producer of HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, guiding the Emmyand Peabody-winning show since its 2014 launch. A former Senior Producer for CNN and longtime collaborator with Barbara Walters at ABC News Network, she has produced history-making interviews with world leaders, U.S. presidents and cultural icons. With a career at the forefront of journalism and entertainment, she has truly made her mark on the media industry shaped some of the most influential conversations of our time.
FAST WATER
Nathan Benderson Park proved once again to be the epicenter of North American rowing when it hosted the US Rowing Youth National Championships this past June. Dylan Campbell
THE ROWERS BRACE THEIR BODIES AGAINST THE HULL OF THE SHELL, MUSCLES TENSED IN ANTICIPATION. Some pray. Others breathe methodically. All are forced to wait, those excruciating moments between lining up and the starting gun that seem to drag on for hours. This is the pinnacle of their sport. This is fast water. This is Nathan Benderson Park. In a world where sporting venues such as Madison Square Garden and Augusta National Golf Club have become legends unto themselves, Nathan Benderson Park is quickly establishing itself as one such location. The rowers at the start line of the 400-acre lake have come from far and wide to take part in the 30th iteration of the US Rowing Youth National Championships, held for the eighth time at Nathan Benderson Park from June 12-15. In total, nearly 10,000 athletes, coaches and spectators flocked to Sarasota for the regatta. The park, with its perfectly flat lake, is similar to that of an Olympic-sized swimming pool or Talladega Superspeedway—the conditions and dimensions make it one of the “fastest” courses in the country. “It’s set up specifically for rowing, the course is a perfect rectangle and exactly 2,000 meters long, which is the traditional distance for championship racing,” says Rick Brown, director of operations and development for Sarasota Crew. “In the rowing world, we want the water to be as flat as possible—having it be that exact length is beneficial for us, because there’s less of a chance for wind and waves to build up—in addition to it not having any flow as well. In some courses, you’ll have one lane that’s known as being faster than the rest, but here all 10 lanes are equal.” It is here at Nathan Benderson Park, where future Olympians can be found and destinies are created. Including Sarasota Crew, which sent 87 rowers across 13 boats, over 200 clubs from across the country competed in the Youth National Championships. “You have to finish in the top four in your regional championship to qualify for the National Championships,” says Brown. “The categories are essentially U16, U17 and U19. We have boats in all of those categories and the sizes of the boats vary from single person boats all the way to up to eight rowers.” For athletes such as Sarasota Crew’s Reese Franqueiro and Claire Steiner, the event was the last time they would race for their home club. Franqueiro and Steiner are both high school seniors, set to row at Emory-Riddle University and Stanford University, respectively, in the fall. “We get to have one final ride down the course,” says Steiner, after the boat’s qualifying time trial. “Youth Nationals is the place to be for rowing—the energy is high and we’re all feeding off of it and are excited to race one last time together.” The boat didn’t win a national championship—that honor belonged to Sarasota Crew’s U16 Women’s Eight—but it did finish sixth in the A final, which is no small feat for a boat that had only begun rowing together a couple of months prior. “It’s a little bit sad and bittersweet at the same time,” says Franqueiro, who sat in the third seat. “I’m super excited to go down the course, it’s a really fun boat to row, but it is going to be sad leaving this behind.” SRQ
CREATIVE MINDS THINK ALIKE
Artists Nora Jane Long and Anne Elhajoui found inspiration in a shared space during their shared Creative Liberties’ Summer Residency. Dylan Campbell
IT STARTED AS A BLANK WHITE SPACE. Intimidating, even for a pair of professional artists. Nearly two months later, however, that space has become a home. From July 1 to August 23, Sarasota residents Nora Jane Long, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and Anne Elhajoui, an awardwinning designer who works as the art director at Dogs Inc have called the Gaze Gallery at the ARCOS Apartments their home studio. The two artists, who’d known each other for just over a year, were in the midst of the Creative Liberties’ Summer Residency, with a closing reception set for August 23. Those interested in seeing the work, however, don’t need to wait until August 23—onlookers were welcome to pop into the shared studio space during regular business to digest the two bodies of work and engage Long and Elhajoui on their respective artistic processes. “Nora was going to be in this space with someone else who ended up dropping out and she asked me if I wanted to join her,” says Elhajoui. “I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I would love this.’ It’s kind of the dream to have a studio to go to with all of your supplies there and that it’s right on the street. People come in and talk to us while we create, which is just the greatest experience. I’m going to be quite sad when it’s over.” For Long, who has spent the beginning of her career as a filmmaker, primarily working in documentary, the residency has been an opportunity to kick start a body of work that is more visual, delving into paintings, poetry and even collage. “When we received the space, which is a 600 square foot room, it was empty with big, white walls, which was very intimidating to me as a newer artist in regards to having visual art in a two-dimensional form,” she says. “As a newer, emerging artist, as I was very inspired by Anne—she’s worked in a lot of different mediums, she has art on the walls that is made out of sand, she has collages and she has paintings, but it all feels very cohesive.” Long and Elhajoui have fed off each other’s creativity. The pair sat facing each other to promote communication as they worked in their respective mediums—Elhajoui on a collage series mounted on canvases Long thrifted and Long on poetry, oil paintings and a collage series of her own, made largely from watercolor scrap paper she inherited from her grandfather-in-law. “The cool thing about Creative Liberties is that they give us creative liberties. We could’ve split, where one half of the room is my work and the other is Nora’s, but we decided to integrate from day one,” says Elhajoui. “We can easily interact and see what the other is doing, which is inspiring. Then we just put pieces up on the wall as we finish them and people come in to check them out.” SRQ
This page: Downtown Sarasota, ever growing and evolving, glitters in the
THE
sunset.
URBANISTS
Architecture Sarasota’s Downtown Sarasota: Hindsight, Insight and Foresight and the Urban Studies Speaker Series hosted by Hoyt Architects brought renowned global urbanists to share their vision for the downtown. INTERVIEWS BY
BARBIE HEIT AND DYLAN CAMPBELL
Building on the success of last year’s sold-out speaker series, Downtown Sarasota: Hindsight, Insight, and Foresight, Architecture Sarasota introduced a new series in 2025, Downtown Sarasota: Beyond Our Borders. This series featured prominent international urbanists who offered fresh, global perspectives on Sarasota’s development and future. The lineup included GIL PENALOSA, BRENT TODERIAN and PAUL KALBFLEISCH, each chosen for his distinctive viewpoint, extensive experience and engaging delivery. The series aimed to inspire and inform, continuing to elevate community dialogue and drive meaningful progress. Also focusing on urban development was the 2025 Urban Studies Speaker Series. Hosted by Hoyt Architects, the event featured ROBERT GIBBS—a respected retail expert and urban planner—who discussed how national retail trends are reflected in downtown Sarasota. WES MARSHALL, a professor, engineer and author, was also a speaker. He discussed the shortcomings of modern transportation engineering and the steps society can take toward creating a safer future.
Penalosa is a leading advocate for creating cities that serve all people, with a focus on sustainability and inclusivity. He has worked in over 350 cities globally, offering valuable leadership and advice. His lecture attracted a full-house which he says was not because of him, but because people care so much about Sarasota. “Each of the attendees had many options—they could have stayed home or gone out to dinner but they chose to spend two hours with other community members searching for ways to make their city even better,” he said. “I think that that is a very good sign for Sarasota.”
YOUR LECTURE WAS TITLED ‘CITIES FOR EVERYONE.’ HOW CAN SARASOTA WORK TOWARD BEING A MORE INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE CITY? If cities are good for children, they’re good for everyone. A city where a child on a tricycle or an older person in a wheelchair can safely and joyfully go anywhere is a good neighborhood. Unfortunately, few neighborhoods in North America meet this simple standard. Twenty years ago, I started a movement in Toronto called 8 80 Cities. The idea is simple: what if every part of the city, from parks to libraries, was designed to be great for both an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old? We need to stop designing cities as if everyone is 30 and athletic. The movement urges us to consider the most vulnerable, including people with disabilities, those from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and the economically disadvantaged. Sarasota, with a median age of 55, has an aging population, many of whom live in houses that are too big and expensive. What if the city allowed these homeowners to split their homes, with city hall providing a one-stop shop to navigate the process? This would create opportunities for both aging residents and younger people to live in the city. Regardless of income, everyone should have access to good schools, libraries, sidewalks and bike lanes. That’s how we can make a great city even better.
HAVING WORKED IN OVER 350 CITIES, WHAT ARE SOME COMMON CHALLENGES YOU SEE ACROSS CITIES WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES? One is that people talk but often, they don’t do anything. Twenty years ago everyone talked about having walkable cities—a big challenge is how to move from talking to doing. Many cities fail to be good to two groups of the population. One is the zero to four-year-old group. It seems like planners think that children are born 5 years old. You even go to the parks and there are areas for ages 5–12, 12–18 and nothing for 0-4 when that is by far the most important time in our lives. Kids that are being born today in Sarasota are going to live to 90. In those first 48 months of life, contact with nature and physical activity is going to be the highest determinant for the next 86 years so if they don’t get all of this, I think most cities fail the age group. The other segment is people over 60 who are amazing and healthy. Older people are our assets to the community, not liabilities. The surgeon general in the US reports that the number one health problem today is loneliness—older people need socializing. Many people living here are retired and have a wealth of knowledge and experience. The city could be setting up all kinds of facilities from yoga to tai chi to history lessons and lectures and all kinds of activities.
WHAT ASPECTS, IF ANY, OF SARASOTA’S URBAN PLANNING OR DESIGN STAND OUT TO YOU? ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES YO USEE FOR SARASOTA TO ENHANCE ITS URBAN ENVIRONMENT? There are some issues between citizens in Sarasota about the height of the buildings. I agree with them but in my lecture, I showed examples of how you can have the same number of units with five-story buildings next to each other as with 50-story buildings every other block. Most people hate the 50-story buildings except the developer doing it, but most people like the five-story buildings. Sarasota can be a world-class city. God was already very generous with the Gulf and the Bay— it’s all very nice. You can complement this but there has to be a shared vision. Sarasota could also be an amazing cycling city. The distances are short, the weather is perfect and it is very flat, but you need to have the infrastructure. There are some bike lanes but they are empty. That is because paint is not infrastructure. If you have a street at 40 miles an hour and you have a painted bike lane, very few people are going to ride if the only thing between them and the car is a painted line. If at every six feet, you put in some plastic poles, it will transform
Gil Penalosa
the bike lanes but also you need a network because even if you have one or two nice bike lanes, they don’t connect anything. Neighborhoods should also lower the speed to 20 miles per hour and put humps every block or so to enforce it. This way, you can mix cyclists with cars. Then you’ll have the network of protected bike lanes and you are going to have many more people walking and socializing when the cars are going slow.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE SARASOTA ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF URBAN DESIGN AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS? They’ve got to start today. If they really want to do it, they can do it in less than three years. I think the worst thing that some cities can do is make plans for 40 years because then you ask about anything and they say, “it’s in our plan.” We need it now. For example, the schools could
Brent Toderian
be the heart of the neighborhood. During non-school hours, we open all the outdoor areas to the community and indoors, we could open the gymnasium and maybe two or three classrooms. This is where you could have classes like yoga and garden markets and cooking lessons. The schools could be the heart of the community. Part of being sustainable is how we use the existing infrastructure in better ways. 3
As a part of the Downtown Sarasota: Beyond Our Borders speaker series, Architecture Sarasota also welcomed renowned urbanist and former Vancouver Chief City Planner Brent Toderian. Toderian, whose lecture was titled Cities for Thriving: Creating Innovative and Successful Urban Environments, is the founder of the Vancouver-based consultancy firm Toderian Urban Works and consults with cities around the world on best practices and how to develop sustainable, thriving urban areas.
AS A FIRST TIME VISITOR TO SARASOTA, WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
I’m impressed by City Hall. I’m impressed by Architecture Sarasota. I’m impressed by the passion of the elected officials I’ve talked to and the civic leaders. Your city is well positioned, so I think you have all the opportunity in the world to get better and to prosper more as you go forward. I didn’t expect to see as many tall buildings and as much density around downtown as I did. It’s also more contemporary than I expected. I had a mental picture of what Sarasota looked like, as a relatively low-rise coastal city, but it’s much taller than I thought it would be and that’s not a bad thing.
AS A FORMER CITY PLANNER FOR VANCOUVER, A CITY FILLED WITH TALL BUILDINGS, HOW DO YOU DO TALL BUILDINGS WELL? We tend to mistake height for intelligence and quality. In other words, if it’s tall it’s bad and if it’s short, it’s
good. I can point out, however, tall buildings that are better than any of your low or mid-rise buildings from a public interest perspective. So height is not the important variable. Design choices are. Sarasota is already doing a fair number of tall buildings, but the pressure is on. I believe that you have the opportunity to do tall buildings in a more productive way than you have been. I don’t mean that in regards to the architectural details—I can tell that there was architectural interest on the part of developers on the quality of materials, the colors, etcetera—but more in the sense of giving people access to Sarasota’s biggest asset, which is the water.
HOW DOES A CITY WORK TOWARDS PRODUCTIVE GROWTH AND CHANGE?
I’m often asked, “what is the most important first step” in urban planning and in creating a better downtown. I say that you need to have a conversation about how the city can get better and that’s a tough and scary conversation,
because people don’t always like change. I give a lot credit to Architecture Sarasota for initiating that conversation and having this series as a basis for inspiring the new downtown master plan. Sarasota is about to do two very important things: initiate the new downtown master plan and appoint a new city manager. The factors that differentiate the cities that do remarkable things and the cities that do not are the culture of leadership and the ability to create smart plans for the future. Now is a good time to have a blunt conversation about what the city wants to achieve and how to get there. I’ve heard others talk about how Sarasota needs to decide on the one thing that it’s good at, but I don’t buy that. Sarasota is a successful city in many ways. It has many advantages and assets that other cities do not have. What I think Sarasota should do is get as good as possible at smart, strategic city building.
Above, left to right: Gil Penalosa, Downtown Sarasota and Brent Toderian
WHAT ARE THE ATTRIBUTES THAT DEFINE A “STRONG” DOWNTOWN? There are two different ways of looking at the role of a downtown. One is that it continues to be the magnet, the destination for the city. There’s that strategy that says we have to do everything we can to make downtown the best magnet that it can be. That’s place making and having great streets, great retail opportunities and great entertainment
Paul Kalbfleisch
that create a fun experience. That’s about bringing people in from the outside, however. The other half is creating a rich, dense, urban neighborhood downtown, which has become particularly important since the pandemic. That’s not just about creating housing units, however, it’s about creating an area where people want to live and to stay. What you really want is the benefit of being able to ride down the elevator, which is a form of public
transit, and walk to get your fresh food, your groceries, your hardware. It’s part of what I call the urban contract—you’re asking people to trade their backyard and their media room in the basement for urban downtown living. The only way that it’s a good trade is if you replace those suburban amenities with public parks and amenities so that you never have to get in the car for anything. 3
As a part of the Downtown Sarasota: Beyond Our Borders speaker series, Architecture Sarasota hosted Paul Kalbfleisch for his lecture Cities for Joy: Creating Urban Spaces That Promote Social Vibrancy. Kalbfleisch, who previously worked as the vice-president of creativity and brand strategy at Research in Motion, the creators of BlackBerry, is a writer and speaker who now actively consults city builders in the quest to create more human-oriented communities.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO CREATE STRATEGIES TO TURN STRANGERS INTO FRIENDS IN A CAR-DOMINATED CITY? I believe it is. When you apply a different set of perspectives and different priorities, you can start to look
subdivisions and sprinkle them throughout the subdivision almost as a scavenger hunt. We started to layer all of these different stories that people had created with their artwork—it’s not a major infrastructure shift, but it’s an example
“TO ME, JOY IS THE TOOL OF RESILIENCE. IT’S A TOOL TO HELP US WORK TO GET INTO A BETTER WORLD AND BETTER LIFE. BIG CITIES HAVE THESE MOMENTS OF SERENDIPITY, THESE MOMENTS OF COLLECTIVE JOY ALL THE TIME.”
at projects differently. For a couple of years, I’ve been working with a developer that builds primarily subdivisions and in these subdivisions, the big complaint is that we have lots of trails, but the trails don’t lead anywhere specific. So how do we start to create destinations? How do we start creating activities that help define a community and give a community sense of shared experiences and shared stories? In that instance, what we ended up doing was working with one of the local grade schools, because in subdivisions the thing that binds people together are the children. With the kids as the binding actor, we asked them to create public art for some of the areas in these car-dominated
—Paul Kalbfleisch
of what we can do with what we have to start applying the idea that we have to find ways to connect ourselves to each other.
YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT CREATING A SENSE OF COLLECTIVE JOY. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? Joy, in actual fact, are these moments where you feel connected to something bigger than yourself, whether it’s a community, an idea, a feeling or a person and it’s an outburst of joyful optimism that comes out of everyday experiences. These are the things that give individuals and cultures and communities the resilience to carry on. To me, joy is a tool of resilience. It’s not a reward for
getting somewhere, it’s a tool to help us work to get into a better world and a better life. Big cities have these moments of serendipity, these moments of collective joy all the time. We’ve gone through a period of time where we thought the future is all about growth and then the future is all about technology. I think now that the future is societal. The deciding factor in whether our future is going to be better or worse is on what we do and how we divide or unite society. Cities are this place where we can actually make that difference. I heard someone give a talk not too long ago where he said that cities are serendipity machines. I thought it was an amazing idea, because it questions how we’re going about building our cities. You can say “let’s create bike lanes and better parks and more interesting architecture,” but what’s the point of it? What’s it leading to? What’s our why? Maybe our why is to build cities that prioritize the connection of citizens because that will make them vibrant and economically viable in the innovation era. Until we find a way of bringing people together a little better than we are currently, the big, complex challenges facing society in the future are going to be hard to overcome. 3
Above, left to right: Paul Kalbfleisch, Downtown Sarasota, Robert Gibbs and Wes Marshall.
Robert Gibbs
The 2025 Urban Studies Speaker Series hosted author and retail expert Robert Gibbs, founder and managing director of the Gibbs Planning Group. Gibbs, who has taught “Urban Retail Planning” at the Harvard Graduate School of Design Extensive Education program for over 20 years, is one of the founding members of the Congress of New Urbanism and the author of Principles of Urban Retail Planning and Development. Gibbs has been visiting Sarasota for the past 25 years.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEW TRENDS IN RETAIL, PARTICULARLY IN THIS AGE OF DELIVERY? Believe it or not, internet sales account for about 60% of soft goods. There has been a letdown—a lot of people don’t like returning things. There’s room for error in delivery, plus it’s not a social experience. So there’s been a massive boom to build new stores. Barnes and Noble, for example, is building one store a week this year. The big women’s fashion stores announced they want to build 100 or 200 stores in the next three years. People are shopping again. Men are wearing pants again and women are wearing dresses. They want to shop in person, they want to touch the fabric and they want to be with their friends, which is all very positive. They realize that malls, aside from the top 10 luxury malls in the country, don’t work for them. They want to be in real urban places, in real historic cities.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF RETAIL STORES THAT SUCCEED IN DOWNTOWNS TODAY AND WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE? The number one business is always food and beverage. Restaurants and bars always do well in downtowns. You can have too many of those, though, and it negatively affects the rest of the businesses for downtown. The strongest businesses are always home design furniture stores. It sort of gives an edgy place where designers like to hang out. Women’s and children’s fashions stores are also some of the most popular right now and believe it or not, discount stores like Kohl’s or Target are popping up in downtowns. They’re appealing to the average income, middle class family. I think Sarasota is going to be more of a yearround city. A place where even more people live year-round, instead of having a second home
up in Maine or something like that. I also think that you’re going to see a lot more diversity, a lot more families and a lot more children here. Sarasota was one of the first cities in the country to bring in a very big, popular store like Whole Foods into its downtown. Whole Foods is typically very selective with where they put their stores, they would conventionally go into suburban shopping centers, and that’s an indicator to me that the city planners of Sarasota saw the future, that this could be even more of a year-round place. Their futurists proved to be right. There weren’t that many people living here when they opened that store. They were opening it based on the future, which is very gutsy to think that people living in the eastern gated communities would get out of their houses, drive downtown and park in a garage. 3
As a part of the Urban Studies Speaker Series, Hoyt Architects hosted Wes Marshall, PhD, PE, a professor, transportation engineer and author. Marshall, who is a professor of civil engineering at University of Colorado Denver, recently wrote Killed By a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies Our Transportation System. Through his teaching, engineering and writing, Marshall looks to create safer transportation systems for a better, brighter future.
WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF SARASOTA? Downtown is fantastic. Walking around here is great, the shops, the streets, the slow speeds, the narrowness, it all seems to work well— but you don’t have to go very far to get outside of that niceness. There’s no sort of transition zone, however, between downtown and those arterials or big roads that lead into it.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE DESIGN INTENTION BEHIND THE LARGER ARTERIALS? When you do see any sort of crash that happens on large roads like those, as a road safety researcher, we look at the data and try to figure out what’s wrong with it. The data is going to indicate that there was a human error problem, be it someone was speeding or jaywalking, whatever it is, it’s always a human error problem. From the traffic engineering mindset, our solutions go towards, well, how do we fix human behavior? We need to educate people or enforce the rules better. In reality, if you look at what people are doing on those streets, it’s not an error. When they’re speeding
on a big road, the road is telling them to do that or if someone jaywalks, sometimes they shouldn’t do it, but a lot of times it’s their best option, because the sidewalks are terrible. These people are doing rational things. If we can think about designing streets from their perspective, to understand why they’re doing what they’re doing, then you can start getting into engineering as a solution. Instead of just education and enforcement, we can look at designing the roads better to get the behaviors we want, instead of just trying to corral people into what we think they should be doing.
HOW DO TRAFFIC AND CIVIL ENGINEERS SHIFT THAT MINDSET TO CREATING MORE PEDESTRIAN-ORIENTED STREETS AND ROADWAYS?
What we’re doing now is that we’re sort of sitting around playing whacka-mole, waiting for people to get hurt, before we actually do something. We’re putting a band-aid on a bigger, fundamental problem. To really switch things up, we need to have a different mindset. When I was taught to design
a street, you started from the center line out. You first figure out how much roadway you need to give to the cars—not just the cars today, but the amount of cars we think there are going to be 20 years down the line—then we tried to give them that much roadway and then I’d say, “What do we need for public transit or bikes?” Whatever’s left ends up going to the pedestrian, which is like three feet on the side of the road. We’re all saying that we want to prioritize pedestrians and bicyclists—if we want to put our money where our mouth is, then maybe we should start from the outside in. Give enough space to them, first and foremost. Make sure they’re safe and keep them away from fast, speeding cars. Then start working your way in and whatever’s left over can go to the cars. It’s a totally different mindset and nobody is doing it that way, but that’s the sort of big shift we would need to create the kinds of places that people would actually want to be in and not be in their cars. SRQ
Wes Marshall
The arts are at the very core of what Sarasota is all about. The region’s dynamic art and music scene are why it has been heralded as Florida’s Cultural Coast—for as many people enjoy the beautiful beaches and warm Gulf breeze, just as many flock to Sarasota to immerse themselves in fine art galleries, world-class theatrical productions and hair-raising concerts. This season, SRQ Magazine has the inside scoop on all of the region’s premier arts and culture events, from classical operas to symphonic masterpieces, contemporary art, community theater and more.
PREVIEWSEASON
WRITTEN BY DYLAN CAMPBELL
Tapping Out a Conversation
A fusion of tap dance and classical piano will be on full display this February at the Historic Asolo Theater. One of the headline shows of The Ringling’s Art of Performance season is Caleb Teicher and Conrad Tao: Counterpoint, a collaboration between choreographer and dancer Caleb Teicher and composer and pianist Conrad Tao. “What’s neat about this show is the simplicity of the setup. There is a piano on stage and Caleb has a 16 by 16 foot tap floor that they set up, which makes for a pretty constrained set,” says Elizabeth Doud, the Currie-Kohlman Curator of Performance at The Ringling. “It allows the performance to play out like a conversation.” Tao and Teicher, who first met in 2011 as teenagers, have formed an artistic dialogue with one another over the years. Counterpoint is an evolution of their chemistry—the performance, which includes moments of playfulness and improvisation, weaves together different styles of classical and contemporary music, tap and swing dance, connecting their two artistic practices. “Each of them are very accomplished performers in their own right. For anyone who has any appreciation for classical, rhythmic or chamber piano, Conrad Tao is going to blow their mind,” says Doud. “Caleb as a teacher, choreographer and solo performer is also hitting a point of notoriety in his career. He’s a tap artist in the most conventional sense and then he’s also a swing dancer as well. The fun in this show is really about the conversation between these two—there’s no pretense—they’re both masters of their form, but they’re not formalizing things in any way.” Although the music in Counterpoint is stylistically diverse—the show includes excerpts from Art Tatum’s stride piano, Bach’s Goldberg Variations and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue—Doud maintains that it is rooted in an American sentimentality. “It feels to me that they’re taking all of these very familiar influences in the world of music, dance and concert presence and they are bringing it down to the ground for us in America. Even though there are pieces from the ‘Old World’ like the Viennese Waltz, tap itself is an expression and celebration of American culture,” says Doud. “I think that audiences are going to be blown away by this show.” D.Campbell Ringling Art of Performance, Historic Asolo Theatre, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, 941-360-7399,. ringling.org/visit/venues/historic-asolo-theater/
This page: Conrad Tao (left) and Caleb Teicher in Counterpoint.
Below, clockwise: Tampa Bay native Janet Echelman’s large scale aerial net sculptures adorn public spaces around the world; Odissi dancer Bijayini Satpathy brings her groundbreaking performance, Doha, to the Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater this October.
Janet Echelman: Radical Softness at Sarasota Art Museum
The roots of the Sarasota Art Museum (SAM) run deeper than what one may imagine. Although SAM officially opened its doors in 2019, plans to convert the old Sarasota High School building into an art museum had been formulating since 2003. “When the museum was in its infancy, the team behind it was inviting the community into the building to meet well-known contemporary artists as a proof of concept—the artists could validate what we were trying to do and show the community that a museum was possible,” says SAM’s Executive Director, Virginia Shearer. “Janet Echelman was one of those early artists. She did a talk, raved about the building and said that we need a contemporary museum down here so that artists like me will come and visit you and Sarasota can be part of this larger conversation around where art is today.” Flash forward to 2025 and Echelman—a Tampa Bay native and an award-winning, internationally recognized artist—has followed through on her promise. In November, SAM will unveil Janet Echelman: Radical Softness, an exhibition that will provide a look into the different stages of Echelman’s four-decade-long career. Echelman, a fiber artist and author best known for her massive aerial net sculptures, has long explored themes of interconnectedness by merging timeless fishing knotting techniques with new-age materials. “We’re going to get a window into her studio, which is kind of organized chaos, but is really lovely,” says Shearer. “There will be early works, frame drawings, paintings, textiles, quilts—pieces that could be hung on a wall. Janet’s known for suspending sculptures across football fields and buildings, but she’s also had this fine art practice on a smaller scale and those are the types of netted sculptures we’ll be showing.” Radical Softness will also feature a series of Echelman’s brand-new cyanotypes, a photographic printing process characterized by its blue and white imagery. “Objects are laid out onto a specially prepared, light-sensitive paper before being exposed to a bright light—the exposure creates a ghost of an image on the paper,” says Shearer. “They’ll look like much of the sculptural work that she does if it were to be captured in reverse on the paper, because the paper is blue and the image comes out in white.”—D. Campbell Janet Echelman: Radical Softness, November 16-April 26, 2026, Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-309-4300
“WE’RE GOING TO GET A WINDOW INTO HER STUDIO, WHICH IS KIND OF ORGANIZED CHAOS, BUT IS REALLY LOVELY.” — Virginia Shearer, SAM
Below: SCD’s past production of “Jehanne”, a work inspired by the story of Joan of Arc.
20 Years of Dance
20 years after founding Sarasota Contemporary Dance, Leymis Bolaños Wilmott is still pinching herself. The founder and artistic director of the company didn’t imagine that her organization would have grown into what it is today—one of the region’s preeminent dance companies—much less have a full season 20 years after its inception. The title of the season, Mi Amor, is fitting then, considering the love she has for Sarasota and the dance community at large. “To be doing it this long and with all of the challenges we’ve faced, it takes a lot of love,” says Wilmott. “It’s a love that fills me and in turn, we pour out into the community.” Amongst the season’s four mainstage performances—before which each will highlight a local dance education program—is Jehanne. The performance, which is inspired by the story of Joan of Arc, features a live musical accompaniment from composer Mark Dancigers, who wrote the score and will play the electric guitar on a loop station. “He makes the music sound so massive,” says Wilmott. “It’s this juxtaposition of this army of women and then this one musician, which highlights his gift of making the sound so expansive.” Wilmott is also drawn to the piece for the challenge it brings as a choreographer. Encapsulating the fearlessness and power Joan of Arc wielded required a certain degree of athleticism and physicality from herself and her dancers. “In this piece, there’s a lot of breath, there’s a lot of grounded movement. I push the Joan of Arc figure to the point of exhaustion, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually in the work. You can hear her gasping for air, but then see these women surround her and support her,” says Wilmott. “By the end, not only are the dancers exhausted, but the audience is as well from going through this journey with them.” Wilmott also pulled inspiration from biblical scripture when choreographing the performance. “There are these specific gestures that come from scripture which I’d never incorporated into dance before,” says Wilmott. “You can see her putting on the breastplate of righteousness and the belt of truth, the different pieces of the armor of God.” D. Campbell Sarasota Contemporary Dance, 1400 Blvd of the Arts Suite 300, Sarasota, 941-260-8485, sarasotacontemporarydance.org
“I PUSH THE JOAN OF ARC FIGURE TO THE POINT OF EXHAUSTION, NOT ONLY PHYSICALLY, BUT MENTALLY AND SPIRITUALLY.”
— Leymis Bolaños Wilmott
Primary Trust at Asolo Repertory Theatre
Sometimes, the most beautiful stories are the simplest tales. This season, Asolo Repertory Theatre is exploring that concept with its production of Eboni Booth’s Primary Trust. The play, which premiered Off-Broadway in 2023 and won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is a “deceptively simple” play about a 38-year-old African-American man in upstate New York. Set in the 1990s, Primary Trust follows Kenneth, a bookstore worker who lives in isolated existence in a small-town. When Kenneth loses his job and finds new employment at the Primary Trust bank, he is forced to face a side of life he’s long avoided. “It’s really a portrait of a 38-year-old man confronting loneliness and the coping mechanisms he’s used to deal with it,” says Peter Rothstein, producing artistic director of Asolo Rep. “It’s very theatrical and funny—over the course of the play it’s revealed that Kenneth’s best friend Bert doesn’t actually exist. He’s kind of an imaginary friend or alter ego.” Through his new job at Primary Trust, Kenneth is exposed to the real world— one that is threatening and scary, but also full of life and possibility. Although set in a time before cell phones and social media, Primary Trust feels distinctly relevant in the digital age, when despite the advent of social media, many struggle to make friends and carve out social connections in adulthood. Within the story, Kenneth is eventually faced with a choice: join the real world and leave the comforts of his imagination behind or stay forever secluded in the safety of his mind. “When someone opens a door for you, not only does that door open, but the entire world opens up,”says Rothstein. “Kenneth is able to see the entire world anew because of human connection, because someone’s found worth in him. The play in some ways is a call to arms of opening the door for people who haven’t been able to walk through the doors you’ve been able to walk through. The simplest gesture of opening a door can feel small to you, but revolutionary to the person who’s invited to walk through it.”—D. Campbell Asolo Repertory Theatre, FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, 941-361-8388, asolorep.org
Photo by Sorcha Augustine, courtesy of Sarasota Contemporary Dance.
Lifting Up Sarasota
The Living Arts Festival, produced by the non-profit Sarasota Rising, brought together the area’s arts and cultural institutions like never before. It was a week of collaboration, where neighboring arts organizations came together to hold joint performances, concerts and special events. This year, the Living Arts Festival returns from November 2-9, with a renewed perspective and a continued focus on promoting Sarasota’s distinctly rich arts scene. “We pulled back a little bit and asked ourselves, ‘what’s really vital for a festival?’” says Je ery Kin, executive director of Sarasota Rising. “Of course, the start and finish are critical, but the education and support of children and their love of the arts should be on everyone’s list of things that are of vital importance. The fact is that we’re here to promote everyone else—if you do things correctly all boats rise and that’s where the name came from.” The festival will begin on November 2 with Up, Up and Away, a kick-o party held at Art Ovation Hotel, free to the public replete with the fine art gallery of the hotel, a dance band and appearances from area arts organizations. While programming will be o ered throughout the week, special events include Rise and Shine Saturday on November 8 and the closing event, You Raise Me Up on November 9. Rise and Shine, held at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, showcases youth performances from area schools and performing arts organizations. “We have our five by five for five, which is a $5 opportunity for a child to purchase their first piece of art. There’s mask making, improv and dance classes—it’s an entire day of arts immersion, completely free to the public,” says Kin. You Raise Me Up, also held in the Municipal Auditorium, puts a spotlight on the teachers, mentors and instructors in the arts. “I started thinking about how incredible it is that our region has the level of arts education that we have, the reason being that a lot of these teachers are performers themselves,” says Kin. “The idea is that we get these performing instructors back on the stage and let them shine.” —D.Campbell Sarasota Rising, 1900 Main Street, Suite 212, Sarasota, 941230-4567 sarasotarising.org/the-festival
An American Classic
2026 is a special year for the Sarasota Opera. The Opera House, the vision of Sarasota’s first mayor A.B. Edwards, opened its doors in April of 1926. The Opera House, however, is not the only aspect of the Sarasota Opera’s 2025-26 season that is celebrating its 100th birthday. The finale of the Opera’s season will be Carlisle Floyd’s American classic Susannah, a two act opera that first premiered at Florida State University in 1955. Floyd, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in June 2026, is hailed as one of the most influential figures in American opera, with Susannah his most heralded work. “Floyd was on the faculty at FSU and he lived for a long time in Tallahassee. The early version of our company did Susannah at the Van Wezel with an orchestra and I believe it was the first opera the company ever did with an orchestra,” says Richard Russell. “We actually did another opera of his, Of Mice and Men in 2013, which he attended and said it was one of the best that he’d seen. We have a connection with him, Susannah has a large Florida connection and it’s the anniversary of both his 100th birthday and the opening of the Opera House.” Susannah is a distinctly American opera, set in 1950s rural Tennessee. A dark and tragic re-telling of the Book of Susanna, the opera follows a pretty, innocent teenager who is unfairly characterized as a sinner by the lustful elders in her small, Appalachian mountain town. When the deceitful Reverend Blitch o ers her a chance at redemption, Susannah is forced to take action to reclaim her dignity. What defines Susannah as an American classic, however, is not just the setting. The opera’s score is populated with Appalachian folk melodies, Protestant hymns and traditional classical music. —D.Campbell Sarasota Opera House, 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota, 941-328-1300, sarasotaopera.org
“IT’S THE ANNIVERSARY oF BOTH HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY AND THE OPENING OF THE OPERA HOUSE.”— Richard Russell
Below: Soprano Hanna Brammer will sing the title role in Sarasota Opera’s 2026 production of Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah. Photo taken by Hallie Geyh for Sarasota Opera..
The Cake at the Venice Theatre
Since sustaining catastrophic damage during 2022’s Hurricane Ian, the Venice Theatre has been a story of resilience. The largest community theater in the country per capita bounced back just weeks after the storm, despite a near complete decimation of its main building, the Jervey Theatre. While the Venice Theatre has since returned to a full season’s worth of productions, parts of the organization’s typical slate have been lessened over the last couple of years. The company’s Stage 2 series, which features more challenging, lesser-known theatrical material presented in the smaller, more intimate Pinkerton Theatre, will have a full three-show season for the first time since 2022. “You know when you enter into the theater, that it’s a space where you’re going to be dealing with some fine literature and some challenging theater and that we’re going to do it well,” says Murray Chase, Venice Theatre’s interim artistic director and restoration supervisor. “It’s theater that local audiences don’t see as often and have expressed a desire for it to return—we wanted to restore that not only for our audiences, but for our performers who are asking for that challenging material as well.” One of the three shows in Vence Theatre’s Stage 2 season is Bekah Brunstetter’s The Cake, a dramatic comedy that explores what happens when faith and family come to a crossroads. Inspired by the real-life events that led to 2018’s Masterpiece Cakeshop V. Colorado Civil Rights Commission Supreme Court Case, The Cake follows Della, a Southern baker who is asked to bake a cake for her best friend’s daughter’s wedding. When Della realizes that the cake is for a same-sex wedding, she balks, the concept of a lesbian marriage challenging her long-held belief system. —D.Campbell Venice Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave West, Venice, 941-488-1115, venicetheatre.org
“THIS SEASON DELVES INTO THE INTRICACIES AND UNIQUENESS OF PEOPLE, SPECIFICALLY AFRICANAMERICAN LIFE IN THE COUNTRY.” — Nate Jacobs
Lies, Spells and Old Wives’ Tales
In order to look to the future, it is important to remember where one came from. Nate Jacobs, founder and artistic director of West Coast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT), knows this sentiment well. It’s part of the reason why he titled WBTT’s 2025-26 mainstage season, which features five productions including one world premiere, Soul of a People. “When I first selected the theme, my marketing director asked me, ‘Don’t you mean the Season of Soul?’” says Jacobs. “I said, ‘No, I meant what I said.’ Soul of a People is a saying in the world that refers to the threads of culture, art, food, theology and beliefs that run through a community, a demographic of people. This season delves into the intricacies and uniqueness of people, specifically African-American life in this country.” The final production of WBTT’s 26th season is the world premiere of an original musical comedy, Lies, Spells and Old Wives’ Tales, created by Jacobs and his writing partner and brother, Michael Jacobs. The concept of the show, which had been rattling around Jacobs’ brain for a few years, centers around the stories and sayings he heard from his relatives while growing up. Those aphorisms that his mother and grandmother would tell him have stuck with Jacobs, pieces of his upbringing that will be passed down to his children and grandchildren. “I would hear my grandmother say ‘oh my God, the palm of my hand keeps itching—that means I’m ready to come into some new money’ or ‘the bottom of my feet keep itching—I’m ready to walk on some new ground,’” says Jacobs. “Our culture runs through the history of a people who believe in that stuff. On New Year’s, for instance, I’m supposed to eat collard greens for green money to come into my life in the new year. These threads run intricately through all people’s lives.”—D,Campbell Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N Orange Ave, Sarasota, 941-366-1505, westcoastblacktheatre.org.
This page: Lies, Spells and Old Wives’ Tales explores the rich cultural traditions that WBTT founder Nate Jacobs was raised upon.
Below: The Sarasota Cuban Ballet fuses styles with its opening performance of Classical + Contemporary 2025. Below: Richard and Rebecca Hopkins, image courtesy of FST.
A Merging of Styles
The Cuban method of ballet, developed by Fernando and Alicia Alonso in the 1930s, is in many ways a reflection of history. The method, known for its explosive athleticism, emotional connection to the music and virtuosic artistry, incorporates parts of the French, Russian, British and Italian methods of ballet to create a singular style of ballet. This season, the Sarasota Cuban Ballet is honoring that legacy with its first performance, Classical + Contemporary 2025. The performance, which features Sarasota Cuban Ballet’s Gulf Coast Studio Company, blends classical ballet works from Russian and Danish traditions with original, contemporary pieces. “Our October show is a reflection of that history,” says Barbara Worth, Administrative Director of the Cuban Ballet. “One of the pieces we’re performing is an excerpt from The Awakening of Flora by Marius Petipa, which is a Russian-style ballet and this particular performance features all women. We will also be performing excerpts from La Sylphide, a Danish ballet, which is a very different style than Russian ballet.” Classical + Contemporary will also feature a special tribute to Donna Maytham, a local dance legend and longtime supporter of the Sarasota Cuban Ballet, who passed away this past summer. The Dying Swan, a piece that was close to Maytham’s heart, will be performed alongside live music. “Most people consider The Dying Swan to be about death. We’re doing an adaptation of it that focuses on hope, love and transition,” says Worth. “This piece was so meaningful to Donna and we want to present it in this beautiful, spiritual representation of the ballet.” Balancing out the classical aspect of the performance are several contemporary pieces, including an original work choreographed by the faculty of the Gulfcoast Studio Company, husband and wife team Rolando Yanes and Monica Isla. “People always associate Cuban ballet with the dramatic, physical aspect of the method—the dancers jump higher, turn faster and move differently than other styles of ballet. At the same time, however, there is a deep emotional connection in regards to how ballet is shared with the audience,” says Worth. —D.Campbell Sarasota Cuban Ballet, 4740 Cattlemen Rd, Sarasota, 34233, 941-365-8400, srqcubanballet.org
The Threads of Friendship
Is there an age at which people stop making new friends? Or does the potential for platonic relationships have an expiration date? Such are the questions asked in Florida Studio Theatre’s (FST) upcoming production of A Tailor Near Me, set to open in the organization’s Keating Theatre December 10. The play, written by Michael Tucker, follows Sam, a successful middle-aged novelist and television writer who goes to a small tailor in Manhattan in need of alterations to his suit. The death of his longtime friend Robert is imminent, and the suit Sam needs for the funeral has grown a bit tight over the years. Sam bonds unexpectedly with the tailor, Alfredo, an older man in his eighties, over memories of Greenwich Village in the 1960s and a shared cultural heritage— both Sam and Alfredo are Jewish, with Alredo being a Sephardic Jew who was born in Argentina. “What starts as a simple exchange of getting a suit altered grows into a very rich relationship that neither one of them saw coming,” says Richard Hopkins, producing artistic director and CEO of FST. “We did a reading of it where we brought in about 20 civilians and read it cold with two actors to see how it would play for our audience. What stuck out to me was their singular comment that this was such a great play because we get to see two grown men sharing their deep feelings and emotions with each other—you don’t get to see that much in theater or in film.” That novelty is part of why Hopkins and the team at FST were compelled to bring A Tailor Near Me to Sarasota. FST’s production is just the second time the play has been professionally produced—it made its world premiere at the New Jersey Repertory Theatre in 2023—and will serve as the Southeastern premiere of A Tailor Near Me. “Once I gave the script a read, I fell in love with it,” says Hopkins. “Every now and then you’ll get a script that just pops off the page and this one does.”—D.Campbell Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N Palm Ave., Sarasota, 941-366-9000, floridastudiotheatre.org/
IMAGES COURTESY OF SARASOTA CUBAN BALLET
SEASON PREVIEW 2025-26
The Holiday Spirit of Key Chorale
Below left to right: Maestro Joseph Caulkins leads Key Chorale in performance; Key Chorale performs with the Sarasota Ballet Studio Company; Key Chorale joins forces with the Circus Arts Conservatory for the annual Cirque des Voix production.
Key Chorale, now in its 41st season, is no stranger to collaboration. The organization’s willingness to try new things, to work with other local arts groups such as the Circus Arts Conservatory, Sarasota Orchestra, Venice Orchestra and more, is part of how Key Chorale continues to flourish as one of the preeminent symphonic choruses not only on the Suncoast, but in all of the Southeast. This season, Key Chorale continues on with its tradition of collaboration in Joy & Wonder, which will feature the dancers of Sarasota Ballet’s Studio Company, along with musicians from the Sarasota Orchestra. “I love this production because the combination of music and dance is so powerful,” says Artistic Director Joseph Caulkins. “Rarely do you get a choir and an orchestra with a ballet—we have 100 singers, a 30 or 40 piece orchestra and then we need room for all of these wonderful dancers. When you look at the stage in the Opera House, it’s just covered with performers.” This year’s concert features the world premiere dance of Missa Carolae, a medieval-inspired “parody mass” by James Whitbourn commissioned for the 1400th anniversary of the Rochester Cathedral in England. “It’s a Catholic mass text, but every one of the themes of the various masses are based on a holiday carol that we know. You’re hearing and seeing this sort of Renaissance-style music, but yet there are tunes that you recognize,” says Caulkins. “It’s great writing that is very florid and festive and I just can’t imagine how impressive it’s going to be with the dance element.” Missa Carolae will be juxtaposed with a performance of Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo’s Dreamweaver, a work inspired by a Norwegian folk poem. Lithuanian soprano Lina Dambrauskaite will join Key Chorale as the soloist for Dreamweaver and will also be featured throughout Missa Carolae. “Lina has this sound that just appears to be so effortless and it’s just this flawless vocal quality from top to bottom. There’s just something about when you hear her voice that draws you in,” says Caulkins. “There are not a lot of performers that I would say that about, but she has truly something special about her, that the minute she starts singing, you just sit forward in your seat and listen even harder.”—D.Campbell Key Chorale, 1900 Main Street, Suite 211, Sarasota, 34236 941-921-4845, keychorale.org
“RARELY DO YOU GET A CHOIR AND AN ORCHESTRA WITH A BALLET.” — Joseph Caulkins
Misery at Manatee Performing Arts Center
This fall, Producing Artistic Director Rick Kerby and the rest of the team at the Manatee Performing Arts Center are leaning into the Halloween vibes with the organization’s production of Misery. The play, which is making its debut at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, is an adaptation by William Goldman of Stephen King’s 1987 novel of the same name. Misery, set to run from October 16 to November 3, is a masterclass in tension: when celebrated author Paul Sheldon wakes up in an isolated cabin after a devastating car crash, he finds himself in the care of his “number one fan” Annie Wilkes. As time goes on, however, Paul realizes that he is not a patient of Annie’s, but rather a prisoner. “The play is based upon the book, which was also adapted into a very popular movie, so I love the fact that it has title recognition and our audience will come in with some familiarity of the show,” says Kerby. “It’s a disturbing play and to try to interpret that on stage will be a great challenge for us, but one that we’re really excited about.” Misery will be staged in Manatee’s second, smaller theater, the Bradenton Kiwanis Theater, which will lend itself to the visceral nature of the production. All of Misery takes place in Annie’s living room, with Paul held captive. “It’s so intimate that it’s going to be fun for the audience to be right there with the actors—you’re going to feel like you’re in the living room where all of the action is taking place,” says Kerby. Critical to the play is the chemistry between the two actors playing Paul and Annie. Not only the emotional chemistry between captor and captive, but the physicality of the tense situation must be apparent between the actors as well. “90 percent of a good production is getting the right people in the right parts,” says Kerby. “One part of the audition process was trying to pair up people who do have that chemistry, that physicality that stacks up against each other, the right temperament for the roles and ultimately the acting chops to go along with it.”—D.Campbell Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Avenue West, Bradenton, 34205, 941-748-5875, manateeperformingartscenter.com
“MANY OF THESE ARTISTS WERE GI’S AND COULD TAKE CLASSES FOR FREE THROUGH THE GI BILL.”
— Tim Jaeger
The Origins of Sarasota’s Arts Scene
To form a connection with a place is not just to spend time in it. For those flocking to Sarasota this winter and the full-time residents alike, part of being a true Sarasotan means doing your due diligence on the area’s rich history. The arts, for instance, are one of our region’s calling cards. To fully appreciate the rich arts and cultural scene of Sarasota, however, one has to look back. The exhibition season at the Ringling College Galleries is helping Sarasotan’s form that connection this season. Starting January 20, the Galleries will open Origins: The Sarasota Artist Colony, an exhibition of loaned and archival works that explores Sarasota’s post-World War II arts scene and how it formed what is now known as Florida’s Cultural Coast. From 1945 to ‘65, artists came to Sarasota—some for the sunshine and beaches, others for what was then known as the Ringling School of Arts—creating the foundation for the vibrant arts ecosystem Sarasota has today. “Many of these artists were GI’s and could take classes for free through the GI Bill and a lot of them ended up staying here after the fact,” says Tim Jaeger, director of the Galleries and co-curator of the exhibition. “A lot of them became faculty members at the college, others did everything from opening frame shops to teaching art to the tourists that would come down here. They all started to jell with one another and it became a great circle of supporting artists—they set the bar for art in our community.” The exhibition space itself will be transformed into a time capsule, transporting viewers into mid-20th century Sarasota. Along with the artwork on the walls—which range from plain-air watercolor paintings of historic Sarasota to portraits of circus performers and everything in between—historical artifacts, photos and maps of Sarasota will adorn the space. An LED wall will provide a video narrative from people that help tell the story of the city. “It’s an important historical exhibition because it not only shows the fostering of the creative spirit between all these artists, but it’s also significant due to the amount of development and growth we’ve had in this community,” says Jaeger. “It’s important to preserve our legacy and our heritage in the visual arts and it’s our hope to host an exhibition to remind people of where we came from visually in this community—with more interest in understanding the past, that will hopefully lay the groundwork for better conservation and storytelling.” —D. Campbell. Ringling College Galleries and Exhibitions, 2700 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 34234, 941-359-7563, ringlingcollege.gallery.
IMAGES COURTESY OF THE GALLERIES AT RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN.
Below: The artwork featured in Origins: The Sarasota Artist Colony harkens back to an older, less developed era of Sarasota.
Below: The Sarasota Ballet has an eye towards the future with the world premiere of Gemma Bond’s new ballet; Guest pianist Clayton Stephenson will be featured in the Sarasota Orchestra’s Variations on America.
Notes Unspoken at the Sarasota Ballet
The Sarasota Ballet’s fourth program of the season, Notes Unspoken, features a combination of the tenets that Director Iain Webb holds close to his heart: an eye to the future, an appreciation of the past and a willingness to push the boundaries of the medium. Kicking off Notes Unspoken is the world premiere of a new ballet by acclaimed choreographer Gemma Bond. Bond’s latest work, which is currently untitled, is the third world premiere of the season. “The company has a huge reputation of preserving the history of our art form of the ballets, but it’s vital for the dancers to have a new something made on them,” says Webb. “In regards to Gemma, I’ve known her since she was a young dancer in the Royal Ballet and there is just so much inside her that she needs to create that this will be the third commission that she’ll have done for us.” Following Bond’s world premiere, is a dip into the classical, with a performance of Antony Tudor’s Lilac Garden. The ballet, which celebrates the 90th anniversary of its world premiere in 2026, is regarded as one of Tudor’s most significant works—set in Edwardian England, Lilac Garden follows Caroline, a soon-to-be bride who is about to enter an arranged marriage to a man she does not love. On the eve of her wedding, at a party in a lilac garden, she attempts to bid farewell to her lover. Not only is the ballet an example of Tudor’s ability to create dramatic tension and portray emotional distress through dance, but it also broke from the tradition of fanciful settings and characters. The characters of Lilac Garden feel real, the situation they find themselves in plausible. Notes Unspoken concludes with Ricardo Graziano’s Valsinhas, which was first choreographed for the Sarasota Ballet in 2013. Valsinhas, Portuguese for Little Waltzes, is a ballet defined by segmentation. 25 waltzes, each less than a minute in length, were extracted from Franz Schubert’s 34 Valses Sentimentales. A stripped down, intimate ballet, the cast features 10 dancers—five male and five female—who perform the same choreography separately. “You see the different dynamics of how a man will go into something and then how a lady will equally go through the same movement,” says Webb. “Visually there is a connection—it’s the same movements, but a very different energy of the male and female dancers.” —D.Campbell Sarasota Ballet, 5555 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-359-0099
Variations on America
Change is coming to Sarasota. Specifically, the Sarasota Orchestra, where renowned conductor Giancarlo Guerrero is entering his first full season as the organization’s music director. The 2025-26 season, dubbed The Sound of Change, is not only an announcement of Guerrero’s arrival. In celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday in 2026, the Orchestra’s season will highlight some of the musicians and composers who have made America their home over the centuries. One such program is Variations on America, in the Masterworks series, which will feature guest pianist Clayton Stephenson. Variations on America looks to highlight some of the musical voices that were either marginalized due to social and racial prejudices at the time, such as William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, as well as music that speaks to different eras of the country. “In the 1920s and ‘30s, many of the great conductors of the time who were leading institutions like the Chicago Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra were coming from countries in Europe and dealing with discrimination themselves. When they came to America, they tried to make up for some of that by championing some of the great African-American composers of the time,” says Guerrero. “One of those composers was William Dawson, known mostly as a choral conductor, who was living in Alabama.” Leopold Stokowski, then the conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, heard one of Dawson’s choral concerts and commissioned Dawson to write a piece for the orchestra, despite Dawson having never written orchestral music before. Dawson wrote the Negro Folk Symphony in 1934, a three-movement masterpiece drawing upon the religious folk songs of his childhood. Although Dawson would never write another orchestral piece again due to the rampant racial prejudices at the time, Negro Folk Symphony has lived on through generations of performances. “It’s an absolute shame that he wasn’t able to write more, because in my opinion, this is one of the great American symphonies of the 20th century. I feel in many ways the next generation was robbed of more orchestral pieces by Mr. Dawson,” says Guerrero. “When I found this piece, it was an incredible discovery and is now a part of my regular repertoire. I’m very proud to introduce it to audiences—it’s better late than never to showcase it, and I’m proud to be bringing it to Sarasota, especially during Black History month.” —D. Campbell Sarasota Orchestra, 709 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, 941-953-4252, sarasotaorchestra.org.
La Musica’s A Carnival of Endangered Wonders
Each year, La Musica Chamber Music Festival brings some of the biggest and brightest stars of classical music to Sarasota. This season, the festival concludes with A Carnival of Endangered Wonders, a program that features both the newly commissioned work of the same name and Saint-Saens The Carnival of the Animals, along with other works from Vivaldi, Golijov and Saint-Saens. In Saint-Saens The Carnival of the Animals, written for two pianos and a chamber ensemble, fantastical depictions of elephants, kangaroos and other exotic creatures come to life through the instrumentation. “It’s one of the most delightful pieces of music,” says acclaimed pianist and Artistic Director Wu Han. “All of the fantasies come true—a big elephant is playing on the double bass, the songs of the swan is an elegant cello solo with pianos—it’s one of those really fun pieces that is always beloved by everyone, including the musicians.” The program will also feature the world premiere of Michael Brown’s A Carnival of Endangered Wonders: A Zoological Fantasy for two pianos and a chamber ensemble. Cocommissioned by La Musica, Brown was inspired to compose the piece in part because of the 10-instrument arrangement of Carnival of Animals. “It’s a very odd instrumentation—you get these 10 players together and you can basically only play that piece,” says Brown. “So I thought to write my own spin-off on that, if you will. I’ve encountered a lot of these endangered species in my travels and wanted to give my own voice to these creatures that are in peril.” The largescale chamber work depicts 14 endangered species, imagining all of them over the course of one fantastical day, and features animals such as Buff-Cheeked Gibbons, Amur Leopards and Javan Rhinos. Brown made use of different instruments within the ensemble—beefing up the percussion in some instances with instruments such as the lion’s roar and musical saw—to create a through line through the different movements, connecting one animal to another, while using different sonic textures to create individualized “sound worlds” for each animal. “There is a cyclical, hopeful message to this piece. It’s not overly tragic or dire— it’s meant to raise awareness, but also to let these species speak and shine,” says Brown. —D.Campbell rLa Musica, P.O. Box 5442, Sarasota, 941-347-9656
“THERE’S A CYCLICAL, HOPEFUL MESSAGE TO THIS PIECE.”
— Michael Brown
Encore at Azara Ballet
Azara Ballet may be entering into just its third season of productions in 2025-26, but the non-profit professional dance company is already making waves in the region’s vibrant art scene. Azara is more than just a ballet company—founded in 2022 by Kate and Martin Flowers, Azara Ballet was created with the intention of providing an accepting, body-positive professional dance company that would provide neurodivergent and autistic communities the chance to experience the art of ballet. This season will see Azara produce three main productions, starting with Encore on November 14. Encore will feature five works, all favorites of past Azara audiences, including Kodumaa and Lost and Found by Martin Flowers, Symphony by newly appointed artistic director Joshua Stayton, Divine Serenity by Leiland Charles and Olivia Huseonica’s Is This What Love Is. Symphony, which features music by singer-songwriter Cody Fry, is a story ballet with three movements and a finale. “The first piece is titled Photograph and I choreographed that around the idea of an older dancer looking at an old picture of their past and just reminiscing on the time of being a young adolescent, enjoying life and childhood and being with your friends,” says Stayton. “That moves into the Symphony Pas de deux, which I first created for Martin and Kate for their kickoff launch gala to start Azara. It touches on the relationship of the male identifying character—he used to hear such a simple song, but now that he’s met the love of his life, everything is a symphony.” The third movement of Symphony, titled Flying, tells the story of a toxic relationship between a couple where both parties are too in love to leave one another. Stayton’s work then ends in a finale, where all of the characters reprise their stories and perform to a cover of Coldplay’s Fix You. —D.Campbell Azara Ballet, 5020 Clark Road, #504, Sarasota, 941-909-8839, azaraballet.org
This page, left to right: Composer Michael Brown will see the world premiere of A Carnival of Endangered Wonders: A Zoological Fantasy this spring; (right) Azara company dancers in Kodumaa, choreography by Martin Flowers. Photo by Alexa Anne.
IMAGE COURTESY OF LA MUSICA AND AZARA BALLET.
This page: Yoshida Hiroshi’s woodblock prints often depicted scenes from his travels around Europe, Africa and
Yoshida Hiroshi: Journeys Through Light
When it comes to the woodblock prints of 20th-century Japanese artist Yoshida Hiroshi, there is always more than meets the eye. At the Ringling Museum of Art, audiences can explore the work of the highly influential painter and woodblock printer in Yoshida Hiroshi: Journeys Through Light, on view through January 11, 2026. Yoshida, trained formally as a painter in the Yoga or Western style of painting, made his early career as a landscape painter, frequently traveling around Europe and throughout the Japanese Alps for inspiration. After a trip to the United States in 1923, Yoshida realized the high demand for Japanese woodblock prints in the U.S. and switched gears to creating highly detailed woodblock prints reminiscent of his landscape paintings. Journeys Through Light will showcase Yoshida’s betsu-zuri, or separate printings of the same woodblock design with different colors and tonalities. “He was constantly experimenting with the palette, the textures, even if he wasn’t making an explicitly different version of that print, he was always striving to see what he could do and what different kinds of emotional effects he could produce out of ink and carved wooden blocks,” says Rhiannon Paget, The Ringling’s Curator of Asian Art. “People tend to think of woodblock prints as being multiples, just reproductions of themselves, but what this exhibition shows is that every print is unique.” Take for example, two separate prints of Yoshida’s Grand Canyon design. “One of them is quite soft, the colors are muted and it’s very delicate. The other one features colors that are very bright, there’s a bright blue in the shadow of the rocks,” says Paget. “That’s where you get your first taste of this, is the same design, but there’s a completely different sensibility because of the palette and how the colors are printed. One of them, with the colors blurring together, gives you that atmospheric perspective of things fading into the distance, where the other is more bold and graphic and gives the sense of a dry, arid day.” —D.Campbell The Ringling Museum of Art, Jun 21, 2025-January 11, 2026, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, 941-359-5700, ringling.org
“PEOPLE TEND TO THINK OF WOODBLOCK PRINTS AS BEING MULTIPLES, BUT THIS EXHIBIT SHOWS THAT EVERY PRINT IS UNIQUE.”
— Rhiannon Paget
Honoring a Legacy
2026 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota (ASC). For the non-profit organization, which will feature 24 performances across its 2025-26 season lineup, the 30th anniversary of its inception provides it with the chance to celebrate some of the longest-tenured members of Sarasota’s music scene. In Legacy, part of the Artist Series Concerts Soiree Series, the organization will pay tribute to Dr. Joseph Holt, who this past May stepped down as the leader of the Choral Artists of Sarasota and is formerly ASC’s director of artistic programs. “For the 30th anniversary I thought it would be great to include some people that had been with and performed with the organization,” says Daniel Jordan, director of artistic planning at ASC. “This Soiree series pairs Joseph Holt along with myself and cellist Christopher Schnell, who has been with the Sarasota Orchestra for more than 30 years. So you have performers who really have roots in the community, roots with Artist Series Concerts and we’re coming together for a program that explores Russian and Soviet composers.” The program, in which Jordan will play violin, will delve into the works of Sergei Rachaminoff, Dmitry Kabalevsky and Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composers whose work served as a response to Russian and Soviet regimes. “It’s some of the most amazing music that was written during that time. As these composers grappled with how to express their art while having to fit in a very strict society, they did so in different ways,” says Jordan. The concert will be presented at the Fischer/Weisenborne Residence, as are all the Soiree Series concerts, in an intimate music room that accommodates 75 guests and features three large grand pianos, including the 1921 Steinway nine-foot concert grand piano that will be used in Legacy. “It speaks to what I believe Artist Series Concerts are—we’re not performing in concert halls. We’re performing in spaces where I think you can break down the barrier of the stage versus the audience and the audience can really feel like a part of the performance,” says Jordan. “They will hear the musicians speak about every piece they perform.”
There is a question that Summer Wallace, Producing Artistic Director of Urbanite Theatre, asks herself when she comes across a play that strikes her. “I’ll ask, ‘Oh my gosh, how are we going to do that?’” says Wallace ahead of the company’s 12th season. “How are we going to put that on stage?” For Wallace, the question is not one of concern, but rather an opportunity—a chance to make a truly exciting, innovative production. Wallace asked herself that same question when she came across Monsters of the American Cinema by Christian St. Croix, which will open Urbanite’s 2025-26 mainstage season. The play, set outside of a drive-in movie theater, follows Remy Washington, a Black man who recently lost his husband and now has taken on the responsibility of raising his late husband’s teenage son, Pup. Remy and Pup run the drive-in theater together and share a bond over classic American monster movies, but their relationship is tested when Remy discovers that Pup has been tormenting one of his gay classmates. “The play navigates identity and being a parent in this very difficult situation,” says Wallace, who is set to direct the play. “Remy is technically Pup’s stepdad. Pup’s parents were queer. He is not. We’ve never quite done a play with this kind of fatherson dynamic before, so I’m looking forward to exploring that in our room.”Part of the challenge of the production is the setting. Urbanite will stage the play in and around the RV that Remy and Pup live in. “We’re imagining that they live on site at the drive-in. We’re using the fact that they can climb onto the roof of the RV and we’ll play with projections to project some old movies into the space,” says Wallace. “There are also moments in the play that ‘leave’ reality where we’re witnessing the monster within Pup—the inner turmoil that he’s going through and the demons that he’s dealing with in his personal life.” Wallace hopes that the play, with its classic Americana setting melded with contemporary themes of fatherhood and treatment of the LGBTQIA community, will resonate with both seasoned and newer theatergoers. “I think older audiences will respond to it with some of the old movie references and being at a drivein theater, but it’s also extremely exciting and dynamic for perhaps folks in the community that have never seen a play,” says Wallace. “It’s one of those fabulous plays that for people who go to the theater all the time, it’ll blow their minds. If you’ve never been to a play, this is one that can make you go, ‘Wow, I didn’t know theater could be like that.’”
Below: Christian St. Croix’s Monsters of American Cinema will open Urbanite Theatre’s 12th season.
“WE’VE NEVER QUITE DONE A PLAY WITH THIS KIND OF FATHER-SON DYNAMIC BEFORE.” — Summer Wallace
The Crucible at the Sarasota Players
As the area’s oldest and longest-lasting community theater, the Sarasota Players has a standard to uphold. It is a standard of not only theater-making, but communal creativity that has been upheld since 1936, repeated time and time again in the theater’s productions. This season, the organization’s 96th, features five mainstage productions under the banner Rebels and Dreamers: A Season of Bold Voices. One such production is Arthur Miller’s 1953 classic The Crucible, a dramatized story of the Salem witch trials of the late 1600s. Although The Crucible is traditionally set in Puritan-era Massachusetts, the thematic undertones of the play allow for more flexibility in how the story is told. Written at the height of the “Red Scare,” The Crucible’s depiction of the Salem witch trials serves as an allegory for McCarthyism. “I do think that people get afraid sometimes of classics, because they’ve seen them before, but it’s always exciting to show them in a fresh light and tell the story in a way that more people will grasp and understand,” says Marketing Director Amanda Heisey, who is set to direct the production. Heisey’s vision is to take the story out of the 1600s, making the Players’ production of The Crucible more contemporary and accessible to modern audiences. Heisey maintains that the story’s themes—the power of mass hysteria and the corrosive nature of lies and deceit—are still just as relevant as they were in the 1950s. “Sometimes when we produce something like The Crucible, people think that that’s not something we have to deal with anymore—but that’s not true,” says Heisey. “People forget that it wasn’t literally written about Salem. To put it in a new context where people understand, ‘oh that’s scary, that’s something that could happen’ is more along the lines of what I would rather do.”—D.Campbell The Sarasota Players, 1400 Blvd of the Arts, Suite 200, Sarasota, 941-552-8879, theplayers.org/
Dingbat Theatre Project’s Winnie-The-Pooh
Inclusivity and accessibility are at the heart of what Dingbat Theatre Project is all about. Founded in the creative doldrums of 2020, Dingbat Theatre Project enters its sixth season of production in 2025 and its first full season in its Gulf Gate theater, with eight mainstage productions on its slate. Amongst the productions, which range from the R-Rated I’m Gonna Marry You, Tobey Maguire to a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet at a drag bar is an original adaptation of Winnie-The-Pooh, created by Producing Artistic Director and founder Luke Manual. “My passion lies in developing shows for family audiences,” says Manual. “A big part of what we do at Dingbat is trying to make theater as inclusive and accessible for everyone, which includes people with children and children themselves. Since our production of Wizard Of Oz, we’ve had kids in our shows when it’s appropriate and I feel like children’s theater deserves the platform that our other mainstage shows get.” Dingbat’s Winnie-The-Pooh, adapted into a musical directly from A. A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book, features a more modernized take on the story while still featuring all of the classic characters like Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and Winne-the-Pooh. “We’re building the show around this family that is leaving something behind, particularly a house. It’s about a father reconnecting with his son through playing with the stuffed animals of his childhood and telling him stories that his father, who has now passed on, used to tell him as bedtime stories,” says Manual. Dingbat’s production will make full use of the organization’s Gulf Gate venue, which includes a 70-seat black box theater and separate lobby/performance space. Dingbat’s Winnie-The-Pooh will be split between two areas—the first act will take place in the front lobby area, in Christopher Robbin’s bedroom, before Robbin takes all of the stuffed animals and runs to theater, transformed into the Hundred Acre Wood, to start the second act. —D.Campbell Dingbat Theatre Project, 7288 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-451-7706, dingbattheatre.org
The Venice Symphony Presents TV Classics!
“IT’S ABOUT A FATHER RECONNECTING WITH HIS SON THROUGH PLAYING WITH THE STUFFED ANIMALS OF HIS CHILDHOOD.” — Luke Manual
Under the guidance of Music Director Troy Quinn, the Venice Symphony has made a name for itself, in part, due to its extensive exploration of Hollywood classics. The Emmy-nominated Quinn, who serves on the faculty of USC Thornton School of Music, has a long-standing connection with the entertainment industry, an aspect of his artistry that has lent itself to the Symphony playing some of the most iconic and powerful film scores to date. This season, Quinn and the Symphony will further that connection with TV Classics! on January 9 and 10, 2026. “Every orchestra does a lot of film concerts,” says Quinn. “They don’t do a lot of television scenes, because number one, they tend to be so short and number two, television scenes now are most often recorded in home studios. There are very few that are full orchestral works from the Golden Age—we’ll be performing a mix of classical pieces that have been used in television and works from great symphonic composers who wrote for television.” Some of the classic symphonic works used in television include Gioachino Rossini’s William Tell Overture, which has long been used as the theme music for The Lone Ranger. The arrangements that the Venice Symphony is set to play spans all genres and formats of television, to the famous Jeopardy! theme song by Merv Griffin to The Flintstones Meet The Jetsons, an arrangement by composer Robert Wendell to NBC’s 1990s NBA theme Roundball Rock by John Tesh. “We’ll have a couple of modern-day classics, such as Hans Zimmer’s main title music from The Crown and Danny Elfman’s iconic The Simpsons Theme,” says Quinn. “These are actually virtuosic pieces, including the original television theme from Star Trek, arranged by Alexander Courage. “It’s a fiendishly difficult three-minute piece, and it has such great orchestration and a thrilling climax finale that you don’t always get to hear. I thought that this was a program of music that deserved to be heard.”—D.Campbell Venice Symphony, Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave Building 5, Venice, 941-218-3779, veniceperformingartscenter.com
Below: Dingbat Theatre Project’s 2023 production of Peter Pan. Photo by Brian F. Finnerty.
Below: Acclaimed vocalist Maicy Powell returns to perform in Via Nova Chorale’s season finale, “Jazz Mass for a New Humanity”; Artistic Director Steven Phillips leads the ensemble into its 16th season; Via Nova Chorale in performance with full choir and ensemble.
Via Nova Chorale’s Jazz Mass for a New Humanity
Via Nova Chorale is not a new arts organization in Sarasota. The group, initially founded in 2008 by Dr. Robert Parrish under the name Musica Sacra Cantorum, rebranded in 2024 as the Via Nova Chorale. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Steven Phillips, Via Nova—which translates to “new way”—the group, originally devoted to performing sacred masterworks, expanded its repertoire to include music from an array of cultures. This season, Via Nova is undergoing another change, this time in its merging with the Choral Artists of Sarasota. Via Nova’s 16th season, which will include four concerts, is aptly titled: Finding a New Way Together. “It’s an exciting time for us because we’re getting bigger post merger,” says Phillips of Via Nova, which has grown from around 38 singers to 50 since merging with the Choral Artists. “Really, it signals a new growth phase for us and part of that is carrying on the Choral Artists’ legacy. They saw some of what they value happening in Via Nova Chorale, in that it involves creative programming and a high touch in the community of trying to be relevant, excellent and approachable.” Via Nova’s mission, under Phillips, is to inspire new ways of living together as human beings through the power of music. The finale of Via Nova’s season, Jazz Mass for a New Humanity, aims to do just that. An original composition from Phillips, Jazz Mass for a New Humanity uses the language of the Roman Mass in a jazz style and incorporates sacred writing and poetry from other traditions to create a musical dialog. “The deeper question is what are all of these traditions pointing towards? What are they pointing towards for humanity?” says Phillips. “Whether you are religious or not, you can look at the deeper messages that call us together as one human race.” Phillips constructed the work, which currently consists of 11 movements but may be expanded to 12, to use segments of poetry that would speak to what he believes are the themes of Mass: wonder, transcendence and growth. One such poem is Wendell Berry’s Peace of the Wild Things. “One of my favorite movements is a slower ballad based on that poem, it talks about allowing nature to speak to us and give us hope. It truly is forward looking—our potential as human beings is so vast and yet I find our race still quibbling and quarreling and going to war over bits of land and how much territory the other has and who gets the better deal in the trade,” says Phillips. “The Jazz Mass is my way of speaking to these issues and calling humans to come together around the beautiful and wonderful things that we have to celebrate.” —D.Campbell Via Nova Chorale, 941-263-2086, vianovachorale.org
A Creative Haven
“THE JAZZ MASS IS MY WAY OF CALLING HUMANS TO COME TOGETHER.”
— Steven Phillips
Out on Manasota Key lies the Hermitage Artist Retreat, a haven for some of the world’s leading creative minds. For years, musicians, playwrights, poets, sculptors and the like have flocked to the Hermitage, spending their time creating chart-topping hits, Pulitzer-winning plays and art that pushes the limits of their respective disciplines. If Sarasota County truly is Florida’s Cultural Coast, then the Hermitage is the lighthouse, calling all kindred artistic spirits home to shore. Last fall, that lighthouse was threatened when the Hermitage’s beachside campus was ravaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Although the organization had been unable to host its signature beach programs—held at sunset, artists at the Hermitage present to the public part of their artistry, often a work in progress and speak to their creative process—until this past June, the upcoming season will see the Hermitage back in full swing. Not only will the Hermitage host weekly programs at their beachfront campus, but it also will collaborate with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens for its sixth year of Hermitage Sunsets at Selby Gardens, with four programs at Selby’s Downtown Campus and two at the Historic Spanish Point. “It’s always been a popular series and a good opportunity for introducing new artists to wonderful venues and vice versa,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Last year when we were hurricane-riddled it became even more meaningful for us because we couldn’t do as much on our own campus—we had wait lists fill up faster than ever before. There was clearly a need and a desire for this kind of creative process exploration that is a little different than anything else.” Last year’s Hermitage Sunsets at Selby Gardens featured a program from Tony-nominated Broadway performer Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, who shared excepts from a new play she was working on. “A lot of the audience, even those who came to see her as a Broadway musical theater star, said their favorite part was hearing her try some of this new work. She’s a brilliant storyteller and in the 11th hour of her residency asked if it would be alright if she shared newer work even though it was a little different than what we had initially planned to show people,” says Sandberg. “I think the audience appreciates the trust that what they’re seeing is not for review and that they are going to be the first people to see this new work.” The Hermitage will also host Hermitage Sunsets at Benderson Park, the first of which will showcase the works of local artists Shawn Allison and Tom Lubben. Allison and Lubben are recipients of the Sarasota Cross Arts Collaborative, an initiative that grants two-week residencies at the Hermitage’s campus to some of the city’s leading local artists. —D.Campbell Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6660 Manasota Key Rd, Englewood, 34223, 941-275-2098, hermitageartistretreat.org
“THE ORGANIC FORMS THAT CALDER FEATURES IN HIS WORK ARE ALL ROOTED IN NATURE .”
— Jennifer Rominiecki
Suspended Beauty
For 10 years, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has held the Jean and Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series, a series devoted to examining major artists and their relationship to nature. It is a series that invites audiences to look deeper into the lives and works of these artists—from painters such as Andy Warhol and Salvidor Dali to musicians like George Harrison—setting the work within the context of a botanical garden explores art’s inherent connection to nature. This year, the exhibition series will feature the work of renowned American sculptor Alexander Calder in Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement. Calder, a multi-faceted artist active from the late 1920s until his death in 1976, was best known for two things: monumental public sculptures, often rooted in the abstract, and his kinetic sculptures, or mobiles, which were the first of their kind. “The organic forms that Calder features in his work are all rooted in nature and we will be exploring that aspect of his work,” says Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “Additionally, there is a wonderful Sarasota connection—when inventing the mobile, Calder first used motors until he studied the Ringling Circus and the trapeze artists which helped him arrive at kinetic movement and balance in his mobiles and other work.” Calder’s mobiles were rooted in his exploration of suspension and equilibrium. When Calder deviated from mechanically powered mobiles to free hanging sculptures that move at the whim of an air current or a person’s touch, he created an aesthetic that embraced chance. It’s an aesthetic that is echoed throughout Selby Gardens’ Display Conservatory and 15-acre Downtown Sarasota Campus—Selby Gardens is the world’s leading center for the study of air plants, or epiphytes. Like Calder’s mobiles, these plants that grow in the tree canopy hang and drape freely, subject to the same laws of equilibrium and suspension Calder explored in his work. The Nature of Movement will feature about 10 works of Calder’s on view in the Gardens’ Museum of Botany & the Arts, along with horticultural installations throughout the Downtown Campus and Display Conservatory. “You can expect to see some horticultural mobiles with our plant collection dangling in the air as would be befitting of a Calder mobile,” says Rominiecki. —D.Campbell Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Downtown Sarasota Campus, 1534 Mound St., Sarasota, 34236, 941-366-5731, selby.org
Below: Marie Selby Gardens’ Jean and Alfred Goldstein exhibition series features the work of Alexander Calder in Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement.
SRQ MAGAZINE
ELITE REAL ESTATE AGENTS 2025
ADNAN DEDIC / COMPASS REAL ESTATE
JANELLE MERTINS / COMPASS REAL ESTATE
JUDI TAULBEE / FINE PROPERTIES
SANDI DIETRICH / MICHAEL SAUNDERS & COMPANY
MUGSIE QUINLAN / PREMIER PROPERTIES
SARASOTA GULF COAST HOMES / KELLER WILLIAMS
Adnan Dedic
“From escaping war-torn Bosnia to building a successful life in America, my journey has been defined by resilience and an unwavering drive to succeed. My family and I arrived as refugees with little more than hope, and watching my parents work tirelessly to create a better life instilled in me the belief that success is not just an aspiration, but an obligation.”
Starting in real estate ten years ago, I rose to become one of the top 500 brokers nationwide out of 2 million, closing in on $1 billion in sales. My entrepreneurial journey also led me to multiple successful tech startups and recognition in Forbes Magazine, Yahoo Finance, “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” by Buzzprize, and 35 under 35 by SRQ Magazine. Ranked among the top 1% of real estate agents, I take pride in building lasting relationships with clients and empowering others to reach their potential.
mission To empower individuals and communities through resilient leadership, innovative entrepreneurship, and exceptional real estate expertise, transforming challenges into opportunities for lasting success and ful llment, drawing from my own journey of overcoming adversity to inspire others to achieve their highest potential.
JANELLE MERTINS
With roots in the custom-building industry and an appreciation for excellence, Janelle leverages years of expertise to help clients accomplish their real estate goals. Whether buying, building, or selling, Janelle is thrilled to help and provides personal service and attention to ensure clients get the best results. Janelle routinely works with professionals who appreciate privacy, a direct approach, and a commitment to results. With nearly a decade as an accomplished leader in new construction and custom home marketing and sales she left the building industry to help clients directly in residential real estate in 2017. Her in-depth market knowledge from golf and country club to waterfront neighborhoods paired with her builder-industry expertise is an asset to clients. Her tenure in the ever-changing real estate market allows her to guide her clients with expertise in any market conditions. Dedicated to delivering a luxury experience at all price points, she is rated in the top 1% of all Florida agents and considers it a privilege to serve her clients. She looks forward to the opportunity to work with clients to help achieve real estate dreams.
MISSION
Central to Janelle’s mission is a commitment to excellence and treating clients like family. Dedication to exceeding expectations is why 95% of Janelle’s business comes from previous client referrals. Janelle is passionate about what she does and offers professionalism and top results to her valued clients.
Janelle Mertins PA
Compass Real Estate - Sarasota 1575 Main Street | Sarasota, FL 34236
813.394.3313
e: janelle@janellemertins.com janellemertins.com
JUDI TAULBEE
I am genuinely passionate about bringing my client’s dreams to life! As a distinguished recipient of the Five Star Agent Award 5 years in a row, I have also been recognized in Forbes Magazine in 2020 and 2023, and Top Agent Magazine in 2024. I am truly committed to serving each client with exceptional personal, and first class service.
HIGHLY SKILLED IN THE ACQUISITION AND MARKETING OF RESIDENTIAL, LUXURY AND INVESTMENT PROPERTIES, I offer exceptional representation and am dedicated to providing crucial, in-depth local market knowledge. I caringly provide each client with individual attention, enthusiasm and intimate knowledge into the Greater Sarasota Real Estate Market. From Sarasota to Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, Parrish, Venice and across to The Islands. My love for the coastal lifestyle is very present as I caringly serve my client’s speci c real estate goals. At every interaction, I pro cient counsel, trusted insights and deep commitment are clearly demonstrated. I am very Creative, Strategic and offer a smart solution-oriented and responsive approach. When working with Sellers, I design a highlighted and impactful listing presentation that skillfully leverages each listing’s visibility. I accurately address each critical issue to clearly accentuate each property’s speci c features and stand out in the marketplace by incorporating professionally produced photography and presentation in print and on numerous websites. In working with buyers, I diligently align and apply myself, so that I may clearly understand my client’s speci c priorities and locate a residence and distinguished setting that meets their lifestyle requirements. I deliver impressive results by covering and clearly anticipating every angle found in the multitude of details in each transaction My clients enjoy the personal touches, and heartfelt care and it is truly my joy to ultimately ful ll the request throughout the transaction and graciously serve you. I provide immediate accessibility, answer timely questions, and trusted guidance that make me invaluable to my clients. I am Masterful at nding creative and equitable solutions to make each transaction come together with positive results. My dedication to providing an unprecedented depth of real estate expertise. That is all part of the design that allows me to always accomplish truly elevated achievements for my clients.
Judi Taulbee Fine Properties 5224 Paylor Lane Sarasota, FL 34240
941.544.6227
e: juditaulbee@gmail.com FinePropertiesfl.com
Sandi Dietrich
“Helping
others discover the community and quality of life that inspired me to raise my family here is what I love most about my job.”
Sandi Dietrich is a leading residential real estate expert in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, and Sarasota with over $200 Million in sales. Since relocating from Columbus, Ohio in 1999, she has combined deep local knowledge with over a decade of experience to serve her clients with exceptional care. Specializing in luxury real estate, new construction, resales, relocations, and property staging, Sandi has earned top honors such as the Certi ed Luxury Home Marketing Specialist and Million Dollar Guild designations. She is ranked among the top 1.5% of Realtors nationwide and the top 1% locally— recognition of her dedication and outstanding results. Known for her integrity, attention to detail, and strong Midwestern work ethic, Sandi is committed to continuous education. She holds the prestigious GRI (Graduate, Realtor Institute) designation, earned by only 19% of Realtors nationwide. What sets Sandi apart is her personalized approach. She understands that each client’s journey is unique and works tirelessly to create a seamless, rewarding experience - from marketing to negotiation. Her passion is helping clients nd their ideal piece of Florida paradise.
MISSION Michael Saunders & Company is a full-service real estate organization dedicated to a long-standing tradition of excellence, professionalism and integrity with a focus on delivering an exceptional real estate experience to all stakeholders.
Sandi Dietrich, REALTOR®, GRI, CLHMS Guild Michael Saunders & Company
My exceptional knowledge of the active lifestyle options in Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, Bradenton, and Parrish have provided the highest quality of service to my customers.
My career is defined by a solid track record in marketing, negotiating, and selling homes. I possess a nuanced understanding of the real estate market and am adept at quickly grasping a client’s goals, drawing on my extensive experience across diverse communities and property styles. Transparency is paramount in my approach, and I am committed to a collaborative process that professionally navigates all sides of a transaction to ensure my clients’ desired results. My dedication is validated by my consistent recognition as a Five Star Professional for ten consecutive years, an award based on client nominations. This honor, along with numerous testimonials and repeat referrals, is a testament to the trust I’ve earned.
MISSION “I am passionate about connecting people to their homes and communities, understanding that relationships are at the heart of every successful real estate transaction.”
Sarasota Gulf Coast Homes
“We’re Holding the Keys to Your Future!”
Led by Matt and Laura Rode, This elite group of professionals are your market experts for all things real estate in both Sarasota & Manatee counties. For the majority of people, the purchase or sale of a home is their largest single investment. The team’s goal is to guide you successfully and easily through the contractual investment and emotional decisions involved in the real estate process. They are committed to providing you, your friends and family with superior service and expertise. The team’s commitment to their clients shows as Sarasota Gulf Coast Homes quickly became the #1 Keller Williams Team in Sarasota/Manatee County, the #1 Keller Williams Team in the North Florida Region, and the #5 Keller Williams Team in Florida. Overall the team ranks as one of Americas top 1.5 real estate groups! The SGCH team has sold over 700 million dollars in real estate volume and has served over 1000 families. This full-service team strives to modernize the experience of buying and selling real estate. They are your local knowledge brokers.
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MEET OUR MODELS Melissa Rummel, Dancer Melissa was raised in Dryden, Michigan where she started dancing at the age of seven. She graduated from Belhaven University with a BFA in Dance, emphasis on modern dance and choreography. She has trained with companies such as Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, RiverNorth Chicago, Ad Deum Dance Company, and Sarasota Contemporary Dance. This is Melissa’s Tenth season with Sarasota Contemporary Dance and eighth as Studio Coordinator. Melissa is the Associate Director for SCD Ensemble(Student Training program) and the SCD Summer Intensive Director. She is passionate about teaching and currently teaches with SCD and Woodland Fine Arts Academy. She also enjoys fitness and the positive effect it can bring to others and she strives to find new ways to combine her love of dance and fitness. She strives to never stop stretching herself as a performer, choreographer and teacher. Samantha Miller Samantha is originally from Kendallville, Indiana where she started her dance journey. She continued her passion at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA and graduated with a BFA in Dance. During her time there she was able to work with well known artists such as Roni Koresh, Sidra Bell, Curt Haworth, and performed in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Samantha is now living in Florida and has been in many dance projects/photography showcases in the St. Petersburg area while also teaching/choreographing at a local dance studio. She is a proud company dancer with Sarasota Contemporary Dance, happily going into her sixth season. Samantha is also a choreographer and teaching artist at New College of Florida. Outside of dance she enjoys adventures in nature, creating art in other mediums and spending time with family. Monessa Salley, Production Lead/Company Dancer/Teaching Artist/Choreographer Monessa is in her 7th season with Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company (SCD). Although trained in many dance styles, she specializes in teaching Afro-fusion, tap, jazz, musical theatre and contemporary dance. As SCD Production Lead, she enjoys collaborating with artists and creating lighting design for in-studio performances. She holds a B.A. in Dance Performance from Winthrop University and an M.Ed. in Divergent Learning from Columbia College. She went on to pursue her MFA in Dance Performance and New Media at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts before relocating to Sarasota, FL to join SCD.
HOME OF THE YEAR
SRQ Magazine’s Home of the Year Competition invites local architects, builders, interior designers and landscape artists to present us with new notions of home environments by submi ing their recent residential projects. Year a er year, the competition redefines the spaces where we live and thrive—broadening the discussion of what a home represents and what it can ultimately be with today’s building strategies, renovation techniques and regional trends. From seaside to streetside, inside and out, these award-winning domains celebrate and contribute to a growing legacy of innovative home design.
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Left to right: Smoke & Fire keeps it real with real wood smoke. Dr. Todd Horiuchi swaps his lab coat for an apron in his newly-opened BBQ joint. Fallapart brisket cozies up to sweet and smoky ribs while Smoke & Fire’s tasty sides look on in envy. Smoke & Fire, 4571 Clark Rd, Sarasota, 941-413-3500.
forage
WHEN SMOKING DOESN’T KILL
At Smoke & Fire, a physician tries his hand at smoked BBQ. The prognosis is tasty. Andrew Fabian
A MAN WALKS UP TO A DOCTOR, CLUTCHING HIS ABDOMEN. “WHAT BRINGS YOU IN TODAY?” THE DOCTOR ASKS. THE MAN FURROWS HIS BROW, PATS HIS STOMACH AND CONSIDERS HIS RESPONSE CAREFULLY. “I HEARD THE BRISKET IS PRETTY GOOD, SO I’LL HAVE THAT,” SAYS THE MAN. This is the kind of borderline-absurd interaction someone might find themselves in at Smoke & Fire—the smoked BBQ joint that opened this past summer on the corner of Clark Road and Sarah Avenue. That’s because the owner, operator and pitmaster is Dr. Todd Horiuchi, an internist with a thriving private practice by day and a (meat) smoking habit on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Dr. Horiuchi is no stranger to smoke and fire. He enjoys a good cigar, for one. He and his wife, Jen also enjoyed hosting BBQ dinner parties for years. But it wasn’t until a fateful trip to a BBQ bootcamp that Dr. Horiuchi dove into the sublime, nuanced world of meat rendered in smoke. Down the rabbit hole he went, honing his skills, studying the art of temperature and smoke management. And, along the way, between the clinking of rocks glasses, he kept spitballing the idea of a brick-and-mortar concept with friends.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WES ROBERTS.
One of those friends is Chef Nick Seth-Ward, who brings his rich fine dining experience to Smoke & Fire. Together, the pair has put together a menu of BBQ staples that measure up to some of the best in town. Helping them make the case is a staunch commitment to using oak wood rather than the more convenient and manageable pellets. “The pellets just seem like a shortcut to me,” says Dr. Horiuchi, “and oak wood gives us the flavor we’re going for.”
Taking center stage is, unsurprisingly, their Texas-style smoked brisket. Where the bark of other briskets can be a little firm, peppery and charred beyond recognition, this one is more tender and moist. That’s likely a delightful consequence of a misobased steam bath incorporated into the process. “We’re always looking for that umami bomb,” says Dr. Horiuchi. Which would explain the rich, unctuous flavor profile present in every layer of brisket. The word “smooth” comes to mind. A buttermilk-brined chicken leg quarter gets a simple seasoning rub, and makes a fantastic excuse for trying all of the scratch-made
sauces. The sweet sauce is arguably the most balanced, thanks in part to a whisper of heat. The pulled pork is unfathomably juicy and savory, hardly requiring much in the way of sauce at all.
But the ribs might be the real showstopper. Fall-off-the-bone tender and smoky as a campfire, the standout component is the firm, almost sticky outer layer. It’s a touch sweet with a light peppery bite. Like the pulled pork, some diners might find themselves enjoying these sans sauce. The standout side is undoubtedly the mac and cheese. Dr. Horiuchi and Chef Seth-Ward experimented quite a bit before settling on a blend of cheddar, parmesan and gruyere. Parmesan is high in glutamate, the key chemical component of umami, while the cheddar and gruyere help make it creamy but not gooey.
The cornbread has a nice, firm outer crust with a sweet and fluffy interior that’s perfect for sopping up any remnant juices on the wax paper. Or, it can sop up the savory potlikker of the collard greens. 16-hour baked beans are tasty but feature what is perhaps a
too-heavy pour of whisky. And a mustardy potato salad—Mrs. Horiuchi’s recipe and Dr. Horiuchi’s favorite dish at home—eats more coolly and lightly than more mayonnaiseheavy variations.
If by chance you’ve left room for dessert, try the brioche bread pudding, or what Smoke & Fire has lovingly named Banana Dream—a sort of deconstructed banana pudding with layered graham cracker, chocolate, caramel, banana and whipped cream. That Smoke & Fire is headed by a relative newcomer to professional cooking might make seasoned pitmasters bristle. But there’s meticulous attention to detail. Dr. Horiuchi says things like “molecular level” that make it clear he’s thought long and hard about the methods and quality. Though the restaurant is only open Friday-Sunday, SethWard still comes in just about every day to tinker, experiment and perfect, including their Friday-only specials like bison filets. That’s why, here, smoking won’t kill ya’. But it’ll certainly fill ya’. SRQ
ENGAGING
READERS THROUGH STORYTELLING
— SERVING FAMILIES IN THE REGION
In Conversation
INNOVATION IN CHILDREN’S SERVICES
ADVOCATES AND MENTORS FOR OUR YOUTH
A CONVERSATION WITH GEOFFRY GILOT, TEEN PROGRAM DIRECTOR, ROY MCBEAN BOYS & GIRLS CLUB, ALVIN L, SENIOR AT FLORIDA VIRTUAL SCHOOL AND BRENA SLATER OF SAFE CHILDREN COALITION.
GEOFFRY GILOT (left) is the Teen Director at the Roy McBean Boys & Girls Club. Once a Club Kid himself, he truly understands the impact our mission has on young people. He helps facilitate every teen program we offer, creating meaningful opportunities for growth and leadership. His dedication and passion make him a vital asset to advancing our mission and empowering the next generation. ALVIN L. (right) is a 17-year-old student entering his senior year at Florida Virtual School and a dedicated leader in Boys & Girls Clubs’ teen programs. Through opportunities like Students Taking an Active Role (STAR), the Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs (PYE) program, Youth Council, and ACT, Alvin has honed his skills as a changemaker and mentor among his peers. Most recently, he traveled to Chicago to host the National Keystone Conference that he and fellow Club members across the country spent a year planning, an achievement that reflects his commitment to youth leadership on a national scale. Alvin embodies the mission of the Clubs: giving young people the tools to succeed and the confidence to lead in their future.
BRENA SLATER, SCC President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology Counseling and more than 30 years of hands-on experience in Child Welfare including relationship building, community development, leadership in case management, diversion, and strategic initiatives. Before transitioning to the CEO in October 2019, Ms. Slater worked with the Safe Children Coalition (SCC) for six years as the Vice President (VP) of Community Based Care, which proved her ability to successfully bring a community together to meet and exceed outcomes that benefit children and families.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF SARASOTA AND DESOTO COUNTIES
TELL OUR READERS A BIT ABOUT YOURSELVES. GEOFFRY GILOT I am the team program director at the Irving and Marilyn Naiditch campus, home of the Roy McBean Boys & Girls Club and I’ve been with the organization since I was 13 years old, so I’m also a Club Kid, but started working full-time in 2016 at the Boys & Girls Clubs. My experience as a teenager at the Gene Matthews Boys & Girls Club in North Port is what inspired me to work here. I had mentors there that impacted my life in a positive way, and they shaped my view on life in terms of service. I just love helping people, whether that’s youth, adults or anyone in general. That inspires me to do what I do. ALVIN L. I’m a senior in high school, full-time at UF’s Dual Enrollment program and I have been going to the Boys & Girls Clubs here in Sarasota since I was 14. I’m about to be 18, so it’s about four years now. My fi rst touch point with the club was the award-winning Culture Fest, which was the Keystone participation in the national project a few years back, and that was really what made me fall in love with the club.
my participation in the Cultural Immersion Program, which is one of Mr. Geo ry’s flagship programs and one of the flagship programs of Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. I was fortunate enough to be in the 2024-2025 cohort for the program which is a volunteer-based program where a group of teenagers from Sarasota has the opportunity to travel to an international country and volunteer and educate, whether that be youth or children. This past summer, we traveled to the Republic
club will give back to you. Being involved has advanced me as a person. I’ve been able to advance my speaking skills. This is something that I could have never imagined doing even just four years ago. I’ve defi nitely seen myself grow academically as a person not only in the classroom, but even outside of the classroom when we discuss academics. Being able to be around a di erent circle of people outside of my social circles in school has been truly transformative for me.
of Georgia and worked with a nonprofit there called Society Biliki, and we were able to educate some of the children there about American culture, and then they were able to educate us about things happened in their country. So that is defi nitely one of the things that has been most eye-opening for me.
WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB?
GEOFFRY There are quite a few things that the general public may not know about our organization. For one, we don’t serve only six to 12-year-olds. We also serve teenagers, 13-18. Through the high-quality programs, we equip teenagers with di erent skills, opportunities and leadership skills. From our leadership team to the frontline, we foster a family atmosphere where we truly, deeply care about each other and the youth that we serve.
ALVIN, CAN YOU THINK OF A SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE AT THE CLUB THAT MIGHT HAVE INSPIRED YOU? ALVIN It was
SOMEONE ONCE TOLD ME THAT BOYS & GIRLS CLUB IS THE BEST-KEPT SECRET, AND WE DON’T WANT THAT TITLE ANYMORE—WE WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW ABOUT US.”
— Geo ry Gilot
as the Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs Program. I was able to research the issue and get our former mayor’s stamp of approval last summer. This summer and actually through the spring, we were able to create a nonprofit that would begin to tackle the issue. I’ve been very fortunate to begin the production of A ordable Books, which is the name of the nonprofit. The goal is to provide a ordable books that children can take home and that they can read in their own spaces. The research shows that children who are reading at home are significantly more likely to succeed in the long run than children who just read at school.
GEOFFRY, HOW DO YOU KEEP UP WITH OR ADAPT TO THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT YOU SERVE?
GEOFFRY I am very much hands-on in the community. I make a point to do my research, get out in the community and go to the di erent school sports games and attend events. I put myself out there because I want to stay relevant. Someone once told me that Boys & Girls Club is the best-kept secret, and we don’t want that title anymore —we want everyone to know about us. I made it my personal mission, if you will, to break that kind of stigma.
ALVIN, TELL ME HOW THE CLUB HAS HELPED YOU GROW PERSONALLY, ACADEMICALLY, SOCIALLY OR ALL OF THE ABOVE?
GEOFFRY, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME NEW PROGRAMS OR INITIATIVES THAT YOU’RE ESPECIALLY PROUD OF? GEOFFRY There are so many and our programs are always evolving. I’m very proud of our Keystone program, especially being awarded the 2024 National Keystone Club of the Year, winning the National Keystone Project of the Year and also being named the National Keystone Advisor of the Year. Just recently, we won the National Keystone Academic Success of the Year. That program allows teens a platform to use their voice to be creative and to be themselves, and that’s one of the programs that I enjoy. Another great program is the Cultural Immersion Program, which allows teens to expand their global perspective and to get together weekly to brainstorm di erent ways of raising funds for the program, and also focus on volunteer work that they’ll be doing in the next country. Watching their ideas come together and seeing them put their plan together and execute it, I have no words— it’s a great feeling.
A lot of kids in Sarasota, unfortunately, don’t have access to books at home so our solution is 10-cent books. The books cost 10 cents to make, they’re paper-based books and we distribute them widely in the community. Through Boys & Girls Club, we’re able to read them to the kids during the after-school programs and then they will each get their own book to take home to continue their journey.
GEOFFRY, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU’RE FACING AT THE CLUB? GEOFFRY
The biggest challenge is year-round recruitment. We’re the best-kept secret, but we are always in the schools and at recruitment events. Our challenge is just getting the word out there more in the public to all the schools, parents, families and community partners. On the program side of things, attending these national conferences and events, securing and fundraising for these programs to send our kids to these locations, could be a challenge that our teens come up with solutions for.
ALVIN All of the above for sure. The club has been so transformative for me, frankly. They’ve given me so many di erent opportunities, and I’m forever grateful for everything. I truly do believe that the more you give to the club, the more the
ALVIN, WHAT IS ONE COMMUNITY PROBLEM THAT YOU WOULD MOST LIKE TO SOLVE? ALVIN It would be literacy rates. The club has allowed me to pursue this through both the Advocacy Careers Training Program as well
LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT IS YOUR LONG-TERM VISION FOR THE NEXT FIVE TO TEN YEARS FOR THE PROGRAM AND THE CLUB IN GENERAL? GEOFFRY In five to ten years I want the Roy McBean Club to be a premier destination for teens. I love what I do and I think the teens who have come through our programs talk highly of our programs and they talk highly of our
sta members. I want them to have a safe place while being themselves, and then also gaining all of the skills that they need post-high school.
ALVIN, WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE TO TEN YEARS? ALVIN L. I see myself fi nishing college and starting a career. Through Boys & Girls Club, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the National Steering Committee for Keystone, which is a group of 10 to 12 teens who are hand-selected from around the world, from California to all the military bases and military-a liated organizations that Boys & Girls Clubs has around the world. I was able to have a part in creating the National Keystone Conference for this year, for 2025, which took place in Chicago in July. Through that, I was able to put together a college and career expo and to do that, we did a lot of outreach and event planning. I had a lot more creative decision-making to do in this than I had expected. It was being able to speak to potential exhibitors and trying to pitch to them on why they should come. While we’re at the event, we have to make sure that everybody is situated and understands what their role is going to be. In the end, everybody was just so overwhelmed with emotions and happy that they were able to connect with teens from around the world, so through that, it’s given me this passion for potentially going into a more creative role. I know I want to pursue something in the business administration risk management field, but I would also love to incorporate something more creative into that.
very important. I think that a lot of people think that leading is always just from the front, or showing people, ‘Hey, follow me by doing this’. But I think being able to go to the individual where they need support is very important, especially in the di erent programs that we have. For example, with Keystone, I was recently elected the president. A lot of the Keystone members come to the meetings. They might be in eighth grade, going into high school and they might not know fully where to fit in or where their puzzle piece fits into the whole Keystone map. So being able to find a place for them is, I think, very important and making sure where they can contribute is most impactful.
ANY PARTING THOUGHTS?
including with child abuse investigations, foster care and adoption work, protective supervision and several di erent roles before I knew I was ready to step into more of a leadership position. It’s a tough field and a tough job, and I wanted to be able to tell newer sta , ‘I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and you can do this too’. There is a very high turnover rate, but I think that sometimes my passion for the field and for the job helps me feel like I can help certain employees to stay and make a di erence.
GEOFFRY I would leave you with this. I learned this when I was a teen and it’s always stuck with me. It’s our mission statement, I know it by heart: to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.
SAFE CHILDREN COALITION
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
SINCE YOU’RE BOTH LEADERS, WHAT LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES HAVE YOU FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE IN MOTIVATING YOUR TEAM? GEOFFRY Build a relationship with your teens. They can read you like a book, so you need to come in with a very genuine and sincere sense of respect. Just be an open book, have open arms and build positive relationships. ALVIN Being able to lead from the back is
with their parents. That’s been our big shift over the last several years, especially, which has shifted our children into out-of-home care. Just over three years ago, we had over 1,000 children in out-of-home care, and now, we are down to 500.
SHARE THE NEW PROGRAMS OR INITIATIVES THAT HAVE MADE A MEASURABLE IMPACT?
BRENA SLATER I’ve been with the Safe Children Coalition for about 14 years and in the role of CEO for about six years. In total, I have over 35 years of child welfare experience.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WORK IN CHILD WELFARE AND TO TAKE ON THIS LEADERSHIP ROLE?
My parents always joke and say that I was doing child welfare when I was three, bringing home any stray child or animal, but I started my o cial work in 1989 at a shelter for runaways. Even though I was young myself, I really enjoyed helping others and making children feel safe in their environments. Throughout the years, I’ve had many roles in child welfare,
HOW DO YOU KEEP UP OR ADAPT WITH THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF YOUR COMMUNITY THAT YOU SERVE? Because there’s such a great need, our organization over the past couple of years has evolved. Although we still do foster care and adoption as part of our organization, we’ve moved so many of our services upfront to the front-end diversion piece–the prevention of having children come into our system of care. It’s defi nitely a lot more cost-e ective for children to be served with their parents out of our foster care system. But at the end of the day, it’s better for kids. Over the years. I’ve seen the pendulum swing–there are lots of removals, lots of kids coming to care, and then all of a sudden, there are not a lot of kids that come into care. Watching this pendulum swing over the last 35 years, the one thing that always stands out is that children do better when they’re with their parents. There are defi nitely children who need to be removed, but we’ve really tried to move our services upfront so that when there’s that initial abuse report called in and we know there’s an issue, we have sta who are going out with the investigators from the Department of Children and Families right then and then because his family needs services. Instead of removing them, we try to help the family stay together, and we will put really intensive services in to try to mitigate the risk and the safety issues with the children so that they can stay in their home
We’ve had several new programs. One is called CAPTA and it stands for Children and Parents Together Always. It’s for either pregnant moms who are substance abusers, or moms who have young children who are abusing substances. In the state of Florida, if a mom is pregnant and she’s abusing substances, the Florida Abuse Hotline does not make a call because the child is not a child until the child is born. They now hand those cases to our program and our sta will go in and work with pregnant moms who are abusing substances with a curriculum called Plan of Safe Care–an evidence-based program to help pregnant moms get clean before they give birth. Another new program we started this year is called FIS–Family Intervention Services. We had recently been seeing teens coming into care who had a significant mental health history or significant Department of Juvenile Justice history and their parents had reached their boiling point, but the children were in that status where they hadn’t been convicted, they weren’t sentenced to any kind of juvenile detention. We now have case managers who are going in and working with those parents to really help manage the children’s behavior issues and keep the children at home with the parents. Teenagers are not going to get better by coming into a foster care system where there’s not a lot of placement for older children, especially if they have a significant criminal history. Probably one of my favorite new programs is our fatherhood initiative. We have three fatherhood engagement specialists who are now working with fathers, one-on-one, helping them, because sometimes when children
are removed from their mom, the whole goal is to reunify them with their mom. Our specialists go in and help dads if they need secure employment or an appropriate place for their child to live, doing one-on-one work to help dads really engage with their children and make sure that they’re in their children’s lives.
CAN YOU SHARE A RECENT SUCCESS STORY? We had a mom who had had two other children that were removed from her in the past for substance abuse, but when she was pregnant with her third, she actually came to us and said, ‘Look, I didn’t make it with my fi rst two kids. My rights were termi-
WHAT ROLE WOULD YOU SAY THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAYS IN THE SUCCESS OF SAFE CHILDREN COALITION?
At Safe Children Coalition, we do much more than foster care and adoption. While many people only associate us with those services, last year alone, we served around 10,000 children—and only 1,300 of them were involved in the court system. We also run programs for higher-risk youth and provide counseling in local schools. Our shelter supports children ages 10 to 17, but many of the kids we work with aren’t in shelters. Without help, they could end up on the streets, where they may be forced to make dangerous choices just to
“Beyond the shelter, we’re focused on expanding our diversion and prevention services. Currently, most of our cases come in after an abuse report is filed. Our goal is to shift further upstream—supporting families before abuse ever happens.”
nated. They were taken away, and they’ve been adopted, but I want to do this. I want to be a parent.’ Our CAPTA program worked with her when she was two or three months pregnant and got her into treatment. She said it was the first time she’d ever gone that long without using. She went on to have a clean baby, and she’s doing great. Thinking of our fatherhood initiative, we had a dad who spoke at one of our board meetings. He was the father of several children with several di erent moms. He said that was the first time somebody had come out to him and said, ‘Hey, I’m a dad too, and you have the right to be a dad and to do a case plan.’ He had said that in other areas he had lived, they never even o ered him case plans to do tasks to get his children back. He always felt like it was the mom’s kids. He actually got custody of two of his children, who were from this area, and our sta helped him work on getting his other children, who were in the system in another area.
— Brena Slater
survive. That’s why we need the entire community. Thankfully, our local legislators and foundations have been incredibly supportive with funding and grants, not just for us, but for many community service providers. It truly takes a village to raise and protect our children—especially in today’s world with more substance abuse issues and more significant mental health issues. I also think some things are leftover from COVID where children missed school and abuse reports went significantly down because those children weren’t being seen in school or they weren’t out in the community. I think the community, everyone together taking care of our kids is definitely essential to be helping out.
CAN YOU SHARE A FEW CHALLENGES THAT
of that, federal funding is being cut across the board. While we don’t receive a large portion of our funding from the federal government, we do have smaller programs that rely on it. For example, our Street Outreach program connects with homeless or unaccompanied youth—many of whom are still in high school—to get them o the streets and into safe situations. We also work with Schoolhouse Link through Sarasota County and run HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters), which helps children ages 2–5 get ready for school. Programs like these are partially supported by federal funds, so proposed cuts put their future at risk. Even though we haven’t seen cuts yet at the state level, much of the state funding we receive is tied to federal matching. That makes our situation unpredictable—we never know when the state budget could change. Because of this, it’s di cult to expand or start new programs, and some important federal grants we’ve relied on are disappearing. Another ongoing challenge is recruiting foster parents, especially those willing to care for teenagers. That’s a major struggle for us—we always need more families willing to take a chance on teens.
YOU’RE FACING RIGHT NOW? One of our biggest challenges is keeping up with the growing demand for services while facing limited and uncertain funding. State funding, which makes up most of our budget, has not increased—even as the need continues to rise. On top
WHAT LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES HAVE YOU FOUND TO BE MOST EFFECTIVE IN MOTIVATING YOUR TEAM AND CREATING A STRONG CULTURE? I probably lead with empathy more than anything else. It’s just my nature; I’ve done it my whole life. Our organization is going through becoming trauma-informed, all the way from the front desk person to me. We’ve committed to becoming a trauma-informed organization. We’re partnering with All Star Children’s Foundation, and we’re doing a lot of training because it’s really about not only taking care of others like we always all do, but it’s also taking care of ourselves. I think people in this system probably don’t do as much self-care as they should.
LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT’S YOUR LONG-TERM VISION FOR THE NEXT FIVE TO TEN YEARS? Over the past few years, we’ve been running a capital campaign for our new shelter, and we’re now in the fi nal stages. We’ve broken ground, and construction should be completed within the next year. It’s incredibly exciting—this new facility will be a game-changer. Right now, we’re operating out of a temporary shelter that can only house 11 or 12 children. Our new shelter will o er single rooms, which is a significant improvement. Given the emotional and behavioral challenges many children face today, having more privacy—whether in a single or double occupancy room—makes a big di erence. Our old shelter was over 50 years old and dorm-style, which just didn’t meet current needs. One of the major challenges in building the new facility has been funding. While we receive federal and state support for operations, they don’t fund construction—no brick and mortar—so we’ve had to raise those funds ourselves. Beyond the shelter, we’re focused on expanding our diversion and prevention services. Currently, most of our cases come in after an abuse report is fi led. Our goal is to shift further upstream—supporting families before abuse ever happens. We want to prevent crises, not just respond to them.
HOW CAN OUR READERS HELP YOUR MISSION?
We always need foster parents and donations. We defi nitely want to make sure that our shelter is state-of-the-art, that we have great furniture, and a nice, tranquil space for our children to be in. We can always use volunteers for di erent events we do throughout the year–backpack events, Foster Angels or SCC Angels at Christmastime. Advocacy is another way to help. People can advocate for federal and state funding for all children in care.
giving coast
LAYING THE FOUNDATION
Education has been a lifelong love for Maria Morcillo Barbie Heit
MARIA MORCILLO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN COLOMBIA, immigrated to the United States in 1988 and became a United States citizen in search of economic stability and greater opportunities. “My husband and I made the difficult decision to leave our children in the care of family until we could establish ourselves and reunite. It was a sacrifice driven by love and long-term vision,” she says. One of ten siblings, she has always held strong family values. Education has been a consistent theme throughout her life, both for herself and in support of her children. Her passion for early childhood education began when she enrolled her young daughter in preschool in Colombia. “Observing her teacher’s kindness and respectful approach toward children left a lasting impression on me. That experience inspired me to begin volunteering in her classroom,” she says. “From a very young age I had dreamed of teaching high school, but after seeing how positively my child responded to her first school experience, I shifted my focus. I wanted to help other children grow in the same way and give families the reassurance that their children were in loving hands. The more I learned, the more I fell in love with the profession.”
She had already started college-level coursework in Early Childhood Education in Colombia when she arrived in the United States. Unfortunately, those credits were invalidated due to how much time had passed, which meant starting over for Morcillo. However, she remained committed to her goal. “My husband and I enrolled in nightly English classes, attending every day with urgency and discipline. We knew that learning the language was critical to building a life here and becoming active members of our community,” she explains.
That determination laid the foundation for everything that followed: earning her Child Development Associate (CDA), returning to college, and ultimately completing her bachelor’s degree in 2006 at Kean University in Union, New Jersey—all through in-person courses while simultaneously working full time as a prekindergarten teacher.
After spending 19 years in New Jersey and completing her degree, Morcillo and her family relocated to Sarasota—her husband arriving first to establish roots—where they’ve now lived for more than 19 years. “Sarasota has become home, and the community here has helped shape who I am both personally and professionally,” she shares.
When she arrived in Sarasota, Morcillo began searching for opportunities in early childhood education, and that’s when she found Children First. “I started at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. site, where I was the only Spanish-speaking educator at the time,” she explains. “It was an honor to serve as a cultural and linguistic bridge for families who, like I once did, were learning English while building a life in a new country.” Over the years, she’s worked at several campuses for the agency, always in Pre-K settings.
“Throughout my time with Children First, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside exceptional co-teachers and mentors who have deeply influenced my growth. What has stayed with me most are the relationships built—seeing former students and families in the community who still remember our time together is incredibly moving. The trust and gratitude they express, even years later,
reminds me of the lasting impact we can have,” she says. Morcillo says that the spark for teaching has never left her life. “Today, I see how vital this work is, especially in the early years when children need warmth, support and structure. Their transition to kindergarten is such an important step and I’m proud to help lay that foundation.”
One of Morcillo’s favorite moments each year is celebrating with the children who have completed the program and are going to kindergarten in the fall. “I spend the final month preparing the children for their next big step and encourage them to reflect on how much they’ve grown. I’ll say, ‘Do you remember when you started in August? You were just learning how to write your name. You couldn’t count past ten. And now look at you!’ When they recognize their own growth, their eyes light up. They say, ‘Wow! I know so much!’ It’s a powerful moment of realization that often gives me chills. It’s also incredibly rewarding to see students who are not only academically ready for kindergarten, but emotionally resilient as well. That readiness is the result of the care and connection we’ve built together.”
Morcillo firmly believes that early childhood education is more than just a career—it’s a calling that requires deep compassion, patience and understanding. “Children may enter the classroom carrying trauma or emotional challenges, and we must meet them where they are, adapting our approach to each child’s needs and giving them unconditional regard and genuine attention,” she says.
To help educators rise to this challenge, Children First offers a series of in-depth trainings in curriculum and socialemotional strategies, all grounded in developmentally appropriate practices based on Head Start and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards. “When you feel the passion to guide young children, you become more and more interested in acquiring the content knowledge that prepares you as a professional,” Morcillo explains. “Then you feel happy and fulfilled for making a difference in a child’s life.”
She emphasizes that effective early educators must go beyond teaching the curriculum. “As educators, we must be flexible, creative and emotionally present. Success in this field comes not just from curriculum delivery but from building trust, supporting families and fostering resilience in young learners. If you choose this path, do it with your whole heart.”
There is a favorite quote Morcillo always refers back to: “If a child is not learning the way you are teaching him, you need to teach him the way that he learns.” You cannot reach a child who is in distress until you address the root cause of that distress. Only then can learning truly begin. That’s why I believe so firmly in Children First. It provides the strongest support system for children and families who need it most,” she says.
Being honored as a Good Hero in our community is truly an honor, and one that feels surreal to Morcillo. “I’ve always admired stories of everyday people making a difference but never imagined I would be recognized in this way. This work is my passion. Even if I didn’t have to work, I would still choose to do this every day. What has always mattered to me is being where I’m needed most—not only helping children grow academically, but making them feel seen, supported and valued. Recognition like this is deeply meaningful, but it’s the children and families who inspire me every day.”
With plans to retire in December, Morcillo says she’s been blessed to work with incredible colleagues–dedicated, compassionate and creative professionals who bring joy to the classroom.“I’m looking forward to what’s next: traveling with my husband, volunteering more in the community, spending time in my garden and exploring the arts. While I plan to continue substitute teaching through 2025, I remain committed to supporting early learning in every way I can.” SRQ Maria Morcillo was honored as a Good Hero by SRQ Magazine in December 2024.
ABOVE The Castaway, a character and serial illustration created by Venezuelan artist and sculptor Jorge Blanco, published in SRQ Magazine as a featured series for many years. In this special edition of Best of SRQ Local, The Castaway character finally finds his way off the island with a little Live Local and Love Local inspiration. Cheers! Illustration byJorge Blanco
“We are immensely honored to have been selected by the readers of SRQ Magazine to be recognized not only for our work after last year’s hurricanes, but also as one of our community’s top nonprofit organizations. Ensuring each and every neighbor has access to nutritious food has never been more critical, and we invite all of SRQ’s readers to join us in this effort.”
— All Faiths Food Bank President and CEO Nelle S. Miller.
ALL FAITHS FOOD BANK
PLATINUM WINNER
MOST IMPACTFUL PHILANTHROPIC ORGANIZATION
DURING AND AFTER THE STORMS | 2025
ALL FAITHS FOOD BANK IS FEEDING HOPE IN TIMES OF UNPRECEDENTED NEED. When hurricanes batter our coast or floods sweep through neighborhoods, All Faiths Food Bank is among the first to arrive — delivering food, water and essential supplies to the hardest-hit communities, so families can recover and rebuild. That commitment to being there when it matters most is why All Faiths was named Most Impactful Philanthropic Organization During and After the Storms, along with an honorable mention for Best Nonprofit in this year’s Best of SRQ Local awards.
Serving Sarasota and DeSoto counties, All Faiths is the region’s largest hunger relief organization — and the only food bank. Each year, it provides more than 20 million meals through programs and partnerships with hundreds of local charitable organizations. But the work doesn’t stop when the
skies clear. The food bank helps families facing food insecurity year-round — whether from storm damage, the loss of government benefits or the rising cost of living. With the July budget reconciliation bill slashing funding for SNAP and Medicaid, demand for food assistance is surging as grocery prices and inflation continue to stretch household budgets.
A recent report shows 43% of Sarasota households earn less than what’s needed to cover basic necessities. Last year, more than 80,000 people turned to All Faiths for help — yet nearly 220,000 people in our community still need food. During this critical time, your support matters more than ever. Donate, volunteer, attend events like the Autumn Harvest Dinner (Oct. 24) and Bowls of Hope (Nov. 9), or organize a fundraiser. Every dollar you give feeds not only families, but hope. Learn more at allfaithsfoodbank.org or call 941.379.6333.
941.379.6333 | allfaithsfoodbank.org
ARTISTREE LANDSCAPE
MAINTENANCE & DESIGN
DEEPER ROOTS. HIGHER STANDARDS.® IN 1990, ARTISTREE PUT DOWN ITS ROOTS IN VENICE, starting as a four-man mow crew and blossoming into a nationally ranked landscape company serving Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Today ArtisTree works with homeowner associations, property owners and builders to deliver award-winning landscape maintenance and design services.
The company also launched a “Thank A Landscaper®” appreciation campaign for those who dedicate their lives/ businesses/programs to making the local community a more beautiful place to live. At thankalandscaper.com, visitors learn how the efforts of anyone connected to the American landscape in a positive way deserve to be celebrated.
ArtisTree attributes its achievements to an employeecentric culture that has guided the company through significant growth. When the sun beats down and customer demands must be met, their core values remain: do the right thing, communicate, be safe and leave the world better than they found it. These values are rooted in the essence of who ArtisTree is: a company of proud, hardworking individuals who give to each other and to the community around them.
CORE VALUES
When the sun beats down and customer demands must be met, ArtisTr ’s four core values remain: do the right thing, communicate, be safe and leave the world be er than they found it.
While the 35-year-old company has earned numerous accolades over the years, including being named among the nation’s “Top 150” landscape firms by Landscape Management Magazine, ArtisTree is most proud of how it supports the local community through job creation and charitable work. Specifically:
• The $30.5 million company employees more than 400 employees and provides growth opportunities for a diverse workforce.
• It latches landscapes to life by contributing to numerous local nonprofits, participating in school landscape projects, and providing complimentary landscape makeovers for deserving residents.
ArtisTree VP of Operations Bill Walters and VP of Landscape Design Joe Mantkowski
BOAT GUYS OF SARASOTA
NEVER BREAK DOWN AGAIN! Our priority services team will create a comprehensive solution designed to make upkeep effortless and ensure your vessel is always ready for adventure. CUSTOMIZED MAINTENANCE PLANS
We’ll work with you to create a personalized maintenance schedule tailored to your boat’s make, model, and usage patterns. ROUTINE INSPECTIONS Our experienced technicians will conduct thorough inspections each month to identify any potential issues and perform preventative maintenance tasks. Every vessel inspection starts with Boat Guys 25 point overview. CLEANING & DETAILING
Discover the gleaming beauty of your boat with our professional cleaning and detailing services. From hull to deck, our meticulous attention to detail ensures that every inch of your vessel sparkles, ready to impress on the water. CONSISTENT AND DETAILED REPORTING Receive detailed reports after each maintenance visit, including insights into your boat’s condition and recommendations for future upkeep. PRIORITY SCHEDULING As a program member, you’ll enjoy priority scheduling for routine maintenance appointments, ensuring prompt service when you need it most. 24/7 ACCESS TO OUR PRIORITY SERVICES TEAM Don’t wait until a minor issue turns into a major headache. You have access to the team anytime.
“We
l e the Boat Guys! They come to the house and do a monthly service on the boat to ensure a systems are running properly. If there’s a problem they te us what n ds to happen and they schedule servicing right away.
Evan
is a rea y g d east guy to work with.
We highly recommend the Boat Guys of Sarasota to anyone who is interested in building a relationship with a fu service out t.”
Schedule service and repairs online at boatguys.com
WE’RE NOT JUST MECHANICS.
WE’RE BOAT GUYS.
Boat Guys offers a variety of services to keep your boat in top shape, from one-time repairs and installations to Monthly Maintenance Programs.
• Mercury Warranty and Repower Center
• Monthly Maintenance Programs
• Paint Repair
• Electronics
• Routine Maintenance and Repair
• Fiberglass Repair
• Custom Canvas and Upholstery
• Cleaning & Detailing
CHAPPIE’S CARPET & FLOORS
SILVER WINNER | BEST FLOORING STORE | 2025
FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED A family tradition since 1957, Chappie’s Carpet & Floors Inc. is the oldest fl oor covering store in Sarasota. This third-generation family business gets the majority of their sales through word of mouth and referrals from the hundreds of satisfi ed customers served through the years.
Even after all this time, our commitment to quality products and great customer service is second to none. We offer competitive prices, outstanding products, and friendly service for all our residential and commercial fl ooring customers. Being the fl ooring specialists in the Sarasota area, Chappie’s Carpet & Floors Inc. buys directly from the factory to ensure that you’re getting the lowest prices.
AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR TOP-BRAND FLOORING PRODUCTS Chappie’s Carpet & Floors Inc. has been providing quality floors to local area households for more than 68 years. Get wood floors, laminate floors, carpeting, tile, vinyl, and more! Our professional team is licensed and insured, so you can expect high-quality installations and workmanship. Our staff uses the latest equipment, such as our dustless machines, for clean installations at your request. You can also have formaldehyde-free options available for your flooring project. Ask us about our installation GUARANTEES, as well as the manufacturers’ WARRANTIES on specificbrand-name flooring products.
“It is an honor to be recognized as Best of SRQ and appreciate the support from the community. Being a sma family-owned busine , we focus on building relationships with our customers and care about the outcome of their home decor. The Chappies team has a pa ion in what they do and enjoy pa ing on their expertise to each customer. Thank you again!”
SILVER WINNER | BEST THERAPIST/PSYCHOLOGIST | 2025
DAVENPORT PSYCHOLOGY: TRUSTED CARE, LOCAL ROOTS
At Davenport Psychology, we believe that mental health care should be compassionate, evidence-based, and deeply connected to the community it serves. With offices in Sarasota and Venice, our team of doctoral-level psychologists provides personalized therapy for individuals, couples, children, and families. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, or life transitions, we’re here to help you live a life aligned with what matters most to you.
We’re honored to be recognized in the Best Psychologist/Therapist in Sarasota category by the readers of SRQ Magazine and Best Psychologist in Venice by the Venice Gondolier for four consecutive years. These awards reflect our commitment to excellence and the trust our community places in us.
Our services include individual therapy, couples counseling, child and adolescent therapy, psychological testing, and parent coaching. We also offer telehealth in over 40 states, ensuring continuity of care wherever life takes you.
At Davenport Psychology, you’ll always speak directly with a licensed psychologist who will thoughtfully match you with the right provider. We’re proud to be a part of Sarasota’s vibrant health and wellness community and grateful for the opportunity to support our neighbors’ mental well-being. Let us help you take the first step toward a healthier, more fulfilling life.
“Being
— Dr. Charles R. Davenport, Psy.D.
DAVIS DEVELOPMENTS ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS
AT DAVIS DEVELOPMENTS ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS, our mission is to deliver exceptional electrical solutions with integrity, craftsmanship, and dedication to the communities we serve. As a full-service, licensed, and insured contractor, we are known for reliability, expertise, and attention to detail. Since opening our doors, we have had the privilege of working on projects of all sizes, from custom homes and remodels to complex commercial installations. Guided by our commitment to safety, craftsmanship, and customer satisfaction, we provide a full range of services, including custom lighting, panel upgrades, whole-home surge protection, low-voltage and audio/visual systems, backup power solutions and EV charger installations. No matter the project, our focus on precision and efficiency ensures lasting quality.
What sets us apart is our deep connection to the community. As a locally owned business, we take pride in supporting our neighbors, contributing to local projects, and building lasting relationships. Our recognition in the Best of SRQ Local Awards reflects the trust, loyalty, and appreciation of the clients and neighbors we serve.
For us, electrical work is about more than wires and panels, it is about creating safe, functional, and inspiring spaces for families and businesses. From brightening kitchens with thoughtful lighting to powering the latest technologies in custom new builds, our work helps homes and businesses thrive. At Davis Developments Electrical Contractors, we don’t just provide electrical solutions; we deliver quality, innovation, and reliability, helping the community we serve thrive.
“Being
recognized by our community is more than an award, it is a reminder of why we do what we do. Every project is about building trust, delivering quality, and strengthening the community we are proud to ca home.”
DISCOVER SARASOTA TOURS
IN OCTOBER 2025, DST WILL CELEBRATE SEVEN YEARS IN BUSINESS. In these years of big changes, we have grown from offering three trolley tour themes to offering 18 unique tours plus several POP Up Experiences partnering with local businesses and arts organizations in Sarasota and Venice.
These award-winning, air-conditioned, entertaining and informative tours include themes focused on art and culture, circus history, Amish culture, things to do, city history, architecture, and the metaphysical community.
Nighttime tours are theatre-on-wheels shows performed by talented local singers and actors. They include our interactive Murder Mystery Tour: Who Killed The Circus Queen?, Sunset Cabaret, Haunted Sarasota, The BooMobile, and our Christmas Carol Trolley: Letters To Santa show. This summer we launched Sing-Along Trolley, an extremely fun group karaoke tour experience with 70’s and 80’s music and a bar stop at 99 Bottles along the way.
In 2025, we expanded our focus area to Venice offering two tours (City Tour and Venice Circus History Tour) in partnership with Venice Florida Tours on Tuesdays leaving from the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce office.
On Mondays during Season, we will be offering a Behind-The-Scenes tour partnering with select local theaters to offer backstage tours and visits to prop and costume shops and then enjoying lunch at Classico our downtown restaurant partner. We will also be offering an Under-The-Big-Top circus-themed experience. Our popular Sip & Stroll Fiorelli Vineyard wine-tasting tour,
and our Literature and Lattes tour focused on Sarasota writers from the 1950-1960’s period with partners The Reserve and Bookstore1 will also continue. Finally, we are offering Memorial Tours on the trolley as a joyful way to celebrate a loved-one’s life and all their favorite places in Sarasota.
“As sma local company of people pa ionate about Sarasota and Venice, we could not be more honored and touched by receiving our 4th BEST local tour company platinum award! We are grateful to our local residents and many visitors who return time and again to try one of our 18 di erent tours and te us that they nd the tours a terri ca y fun, unique experience and a great value!”
Recently, we were recognized with the 2025 Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s Women Business Owner of the Year Award and were named as finalists for the Venice Chamber of Commerce Medium Sized Business Award.
In 2025, we were delighted to provide $10,000 in FREE trolley tour tickets to Sarasota County nonprofits for their use in fundraising efforts. In this small way we have been able to support our friends and neighbors every year since 2019.
Charlie, the trolley cottage mascot was selected as one of 25 Pets We Love by SRQ Magazine, and he is enjoying his new fame and attention!
Apply today on our website for the best chance of reserving your child’s spotdreamersacademy.org and join us for an information session and school tour:
Thursday, Oct 2 @ 5:30 pm
Thursday, Oct 16 @ 5:30 pm
Thursday, Oct 30 @ 5:30 pm
Thursday, Nov 13 @ 5:30 pm
Thursday, Dec 11 @ 5:30 pm
DREAMERS ACADEMY
BRONZE WINNER | BEST CHARTER SCHOOL | 2025
DREAMERS ACADEMY IS HONORED TO BE RECOGNIZED BY THE READERS OF SRQ MAGAZINE. We believe a worldclass education does more than teach—it transforms. For parents seeking a profound advantage for their children, we offer a unique path: the gift of bilingualism.
At Dreamers Academy, a nonprofi t public charter school, this gift is built on a proven foundation. Research shows that bilingual learners achieve superior academic and health outcomes, positioning them to be smarter, healthier, and wealthier throughout their lives.
Our rigorous Dual Language Immersion model for grades K-8 increases student engagement and academic proficiency across all subjects. Children don’t just learn grade-level content that exceeds state standards; they do it in and through two languages. This process unlocks substantial cognitive benefits, creating more flexible, powerful thinkers.
However, true success is about more than intellect.
As our Head of School, Dr. Cathy Rodriguez, emphasizes, “We are raising the leaders of tomorrow.” Leadership starts with character. In close partnership with our families, we cultivate core values of empathy, integrity, and perseverance. We foster a growth mindset, teaching students to embrace challenges with courage and determination.
2146 Myrtle St, Sarasota, FL 34234
info@dreamersacademy.org
941.888.4000
This holistic education is delivered on a beautiful 18-acre campus, with a custom-designed elementary school building completed in 2022 and a middle school facility currently under development. Each child has two certified, bilingual teachers year-round, providing unparalleled support to students and families. Give your child the ultimate competitive edge for the future. Open Enrollment for the 2026-27 school year begins October 1.
“To be recognized by the Sarasota community is a wonderful a irmation, especia y as we mark our fth anniversary. Five years ago, we opened our d rs as the district’s only wholesch l dual-language immersion model. We are so grateful for the families who have joined us on this journey and for this incredible honor from the readers of SRQ Magazine.”
Instagram: @dreamersacademysrq
Facebook: Dreamers Academy
Spanish Facebook: Dreamers Academy escuela bilingüe
FIN & TONIC
“Being
AT FIN & TONIC, WE BELIEVE A RESTAURANT IS MORE THAN A PLACE TO EAT— it’s a place to gather, connect, and celebrate community. Since opening our doors in Sarasota, our mission has been to create a vibrant coastal dining experience that feels both welcoming and elevated. Our menu reflects the spirit of Florida’s Gulf Coast, featuring sustainably sourced seafood, chef-inspired dishes, and handcrafted cocktails that showcase fresh, local flavors.
Being recognized as a Best of SRQ Local honoree is an honor we do not take lightly. This award reflects not just the dedication of our team, but the incredible support of our Sarasota neighbors who have embraced us from the very beginning. It’s a testament to the relationships we’ve built— guests who started as first-time visitors and quickly became regulars, friends, and part of our extended family.
Community has always been at the heart of what we do. From partnering with local fishermen and farms to supporting area events and organizations, we are committed to investing in Sarasota’s future. Whether it’s hosting fundraisers, providing a gathering space for celebrations, or welcoming families and friends after a long day, we see Fin & Tonic as a cornerstone for connection.
Looking ahead, we are excited to continue growing with Sarasota—expanding our menu, offering new experiences, and enhancing the lively atmosphere that has become our signature. We are grateful to be part of such a thriving community and look forward to raising a glass (or a tonic) to many more milestones together. At Fin & Tonic, every meal is a celebration of community, and every guest is family.
recognized in the BOSRQ Readers Competition is an incredible honor for our team at Fin & Tonic. This achievement re ects not only our pa ion for great f d and hospitality, but also the amazing support of the Sarasota community that has embraced us since day one. We are proud to celebrate this milestone with the very people who make it a po ible—our guests, our neighbors, and our community.”
AT FOOD + BEER, WE KEEP IT SIMPLE: serve food people crave, pour drinks they love, and make sure everyone leaves happier than they came. Turns out, Sarasota and Bradenton agree - big time. This year, you voted us Platinum for Best Local Burger and Best French Fries, Bronze for Best Brunch, and gave us Honorable Mentions for Best Salad and Best Fried Chicken in SRQ’s Best of Local.
Our burgers? Juicy, stacked, and downright legendary. Fries? Crispy golden perfection. Brunch? A weekend essential. And while we’re proud of every plate we send out, it’s our community that makes it all matter.
From cheering on local teams to hosting fundraisers, from neighborhood events to spontaneous celebrations, Food + Beer has always been more than a menu - it’s a hangout, a game-day headquarters, and a place where locals and visitors feel like regulars.
OTHER 2025 RECOGNITION:
BRONZE WINNER
BEST LOCAL BRUNCH
HONORABLE MENTION
BEST FRIED CHICKEN
BEST LOCAL SALAD
awards mean so much because they come directly from the people we serve every day. Our guests aren’t just customersthey’re our neighbors, our ch rleaders, and our friends. This recognition is rea y a win for our entire community.”
We’re here to keep the good times rolling: fresh ideas in the kitchen, ice-cold pints behind the bar, and plenty of reasons to pull up a chair. Thanks for making us part of your weekends, your wins, and your “why not?” nights out. Here’s to more fl avor, more fun, and maybe a few more fries on the table. PLATINUM
PLATINUM WINNER | BEST ORTHODONTIST FOR KIDS | 2025
• Personalized Care
• Convenient Office Hours
• Affordable Monthly Payments
• Clear Aligners
• Clear Braces
• Custom Braces
CELEBRATING OVER 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
Freeman Orthodontics is trusted and well known throughout the community for quality care, treatment results and community involvement. Dr. David Freeman, a Board Certified Orthodontist, has proudly been providing personalized comprehensive orthodontic care to children, teens and adults in Sarasota for over 20 years.
Freeman Orthodontics is a family owned, established orthodontic office supported by a talented, professional, enthusiastic and committed team focused on excellence. Their highly skilled, certified orthodontic assistants are welcoming and gentle. Their devoted administrative team is friendly, professional, efficient and organized. The entire team of Freeman Orthodontics loves smile transformations and cherishes the relationships they build with patients and their families.
Dr. Freeman passionately supports schools and not for profit organizations that serve children of all ages, animals and those in need. Dr. Freeman and his wife, Tiffany, have three adorable sons and two rescue dogs. They look forward to continuing to actively support the Sarasota community for the years to come. Freeman Orthodontics is humbled and honored to be recognized again by SRQ readers as Best Orthodontist!
“Dr.
Fr man and his team are honored to be recognized again by the Best of SRQ Local. They l k forward to serving Sarasota for the years to come both profe iona y as we as actively supporting the community.”
2050 Proctor Rd | Unit A Sarasota, FL 34231 941.953.7500 info@freemanorthodontics.com freemanorthodontics.com
AT GIRLS INC. OF SARASOTA COUNTY, our mission is simple but powerful: to inspire all girls to be Strong, Smart, and Bold. For 50 years, we’ve been a trusted space where girls in our community find friendship, opportunity, and the courage to dream big. We serve girls ages 5–24 through research-based programs that focus on academic enrichment, life skills, health and wellness, and leadership development. Whether it’s STEM learning, college and career readiness, financial literacy, or confidence-building, every activity is intentionally designed to equip girls with the tools they need to thrive in school, at home, and throughout life.
we’re building a pipeline of future leaders equipped to tackle our community’s greatest challenges. Starting at age 5, girls receive foundational support that fosters confidence, resilience, and essential life skills. As they grow, we guide them through key developmental milestones with evolving, age-appropriate programming that supports their academic success, personal growth, and leadership development, preparing them to thrive in school, relationships, and life.
Our commitment doesn’t end at high school graduation. We continue to support girls through post-secondary education, helping them transition into adulthood with mentorship, resources, and a clear vision for their future.
When our girls enter the workforce, they are not just prepared for it…they are empowered to lead within it. But we can’t do it alone. The Sarasota community is at the heart of what we do. We collaborate with local schools, businesses, and civic partners to ensure our girls are exposed to real-world experiences and opportunities. Together, we are investing in the next generation of women leaders.
Thank you for being the force behind their futures. Your belief in our mission changes lives, one girl at a time.
Inc.,
“Being recognized by the BOSRQ Local Readers Competition means so much to us because it comes directly from our community — the people who believe in our girls and stand behind our mi ion. This honor is a re ection of the incredible support we f l every day and a reminder of why we do what we do. Thank you for helping us inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold.”
— Angie Stringer, President & CEO, Girls Inc. of Sarasota County
941.366.6646 | girlsinesrq.org
facebook.com/girlsinesrq
But our impact goes beyond programming. At Girls
HENSLEY LAW OFFICES
SILVER WINNER | BEST LEGAL FIRM | 2025
AT HENSLEY LAW OFFICES, helping our clients protect what matters most isn’t just our profession, it’s our purpose. We are proud to have been named SRQ Magazine’s Best Legal Firm 2025 for Wills and Estates, a milestone that reflects our deep commitment to legal excellence and genuine care for the Sarasota community.
Our approach is rooted in empathy. Estate planning, probate, and trust administration often come at life’s most emotional moments. We take the time to guide each client with clarity, compassion, and the experience needed to provide both legal protection and peace of mind.
Over the years, we’ve built more than a law firm; we’ve built lasting relationships. Through community outreach, educational seminars, and local partnerships, we’re proud to support the people and families who trust us with their most personal decisions.
“We want to thank everyone who voted for us and every client who has trusted us with their legal ma ers. Our pa ion is to protect what ma ers most to individuals, families, and their busine es. We l k forward to many more years serving our community.”
This award is a shared achievement. To everyone who has walked through our doors, referred a friend, or voted for us, thank you. You inspire us to continue raising the standard of legal care and serving with integrity.
Here’s to many more years of protecting legacies, strengthening families, and standing by our community, one client at a time.
JOHN CANNON HOMES
JOHN, TOGETHER WITH HIS WIFE PHILLIPA AND CHILDREN RACHEL AND JACK, HAS SPENT ALMOST FOUR DECADES DESIGNING AND BUILDING AWARDWINNING HOMES. Renowned for incomparable designs, John Cannon Homes has had the privilege of building almost 2,500 private residences on many of our area’s barrier islands: Longboat Key, Casey Key, Bird Key, Siesta Key, Holmes Beach, Anna Maria and many of the area’s most prestigious communities including Lakewood Ranch, The Concession, The Founders Club and Wellen Park.
Nestled in Wild Blue at Lakewood Ranch, the award-winning Pindari Model showcases a stunning blend of modern farmhouse style and luxurious Florida living. Located at 1182 Blue Shell Loop, this home welcomes you with sophisticated lines, shimmering accents and open, airy spaces designed for both comfort and elegance. At John Cannon Homes, every project begins with a clear vision—yours. From selecting the ideal homesite to conceptualizing the first sketches, the process is designed to
be as seamless as it is inspiring. In design meetings, the John Cannon Homes team collaborate directly with homeowners to bring ideas to life, ensuring every detail reflects their personal style and lifestyle. Once designs are finalized, a dedicated construction team manages each phase of the build with meticulous attention to detail and craftsmanship that goes far beyond industry standards.
Throughout construction, clients are guided step-by-step, with open communication and regular updates to provide peace of mind. By the time of the final walkthrough, every finish, feature, and detail has been inspected and refined to meet the highest standards of quality. The result is not just a house, but a home that is uniquely yours—a lasting legacy built with integrity, artistry, and care.
Ready to build your dream home? Contact a Design Specialist at John Cannon Homes and make your dreams come true. Begin your journey to a custom home designed exclusively for you. Connect with a John Cannon Homes Design Specialist and bring your vision to life.
SINCE 2008, JPAN SUSHI AND GRILL HAS BEEN A CORNERSTONE OF SARASOTA AND MANATEE’S DINING SCENE, blending tradition with creativity to deliver unforgettable Japanese cuisine. Founded by Chef Daniel Dokko, our vision has always been to create a space where classic flavors meet inspired innovation. With two convenient locations at Siesta Row and UTC Cattlemen Rd, JPAN has become a go-to destination for fresh sushi, inventive rolls, hearty ramen, sizzling stone-grilled wagyu, and an ever-evolving array of culinary delights.
Our chefs are constantly creating—introducing new specials every month that showcase seasonal ingredients and fresh ideas. From inventive sushi rolls to bold entrees, every visit offers something new to discover. Behind the bar, our team is always refining and improving our cocktail program, offering a variety of carefully crafted drinks that perfectly complement your meal.
Our celebrated “Bluefin Tuna Cutting” event continues to be a favorite for guests, but that’s just one of the many special experiences we host throughout the year. From tequila pairing dinners to whiskey tasting nights, JPAN transforms dining into a full-sensory event that brings people together over food, drink, and conversation.
Looking ahead, we are thrilled to announce the opening of KURO Sushi this fall in Lakewood Ranch Main Street. KURO will be a fresh chapter in our story—offering a modern atmosphere and an elevated sushi-focused menu that blends JPAN’s signature creativity with a sleek, contemporary setting.
Whether you’re a longtime regular or visiting for the first time, JPAN offers more than just a meal—it’s a warm welcome, a moment to connect, and a celebration of culinary artistry. Join us as we continue to innovate, inspire, and expand Sarasota’s Japanese dining scene.”
“JPAN’s continuous recognition as Best Sushi in the Best of SRQ Local awards is a testament to our dedication to exce ence. This achievement speaks volumes about our commitment to quality, creativity, and community engagement. We are honored to have conquered our community respect and appreciation.”
LAKEWOOD RANCH BUSINESS ALLIANCE
SINCE 2005, THE LAKEWOOD RANCH BUSINESS ALLIANCE HAS FAITHFULLY SERVED THE LAKEWOOD RANCH BUSINESS COMMUNITY as the go-to membership organization for local companies and their employees to connect with the community and new networks for professional and personal growth.
Our tagline, “The Power of Connection,” represents everything we do. We are here to welcome you to our ever-growing community by preparing you with the tools and resources you need to build a network, meet your next client, keep you educated, and protect your business’ future.
Today, we work with over 750 member businesses and 3,500 business professionals from a diverse range of industries across Manatee and Sarasota counties and beyond. As we continue to grow, our efforts will continue to grow with us so we can empower our members every step of the way.
We’re honored to be recognized for our efforts by SRQ Magazine. We were named Silver Winner for Best Local Chamber and Bronze Winner for Best Networking Group. A reflection of our hard work, this recognition fuels our passion and reinforces the impact we’re making together.
None of this would be possible without the support of our incredible members. As we continue to grow, we look forward to bringing you even more opportunities to connect, learn, and strengthen your business in the Lakewood Ranch region.
“We proudly serve er 750 busine es in the Lakew d Ranch community. Standing as a liaison betw n local and state, we represent the various voices of our members, act as a fast-pa into Lakew d Ranch’s b ming busine industry and deliver networking opportunities right to your inbox”.
— Brittany Lamont, CEO of Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance
LAKEWOOD RANCH GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
BRONZE WINNER | BEST PRIVATE GOLF COURSE | 2025
LAKEWOOD RANCH GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB offers an unparalleled private club experience designed exclusively for our Members—where every detail reflects our commitment to community, connection, and exceptional service.
With four championship golf courses, a cutting-edge Golf Academy, premier tennis and pickleball facilities, three Clubhouses with their own dining venues, a full-service fitness center, and an ever-evolving calendar of curated social and culinary events, our Members enjoy a lifestyle that is vibrant, and second to none. Whether it’s a quiet morning on the range or an elegant evening in the clubhouse, Lakewood Ranch is where moments are savored and standards are redefined.
We are proud to share that we have recently completed comprehensive renovations to Cypress Links and The Legacy golf courses, and are currently undergoing a renovation of our third golf course, Kings Dunes. In addition, The Legacy Clubhouse is being renovated and rebranded, ushering in a new era of elevated experiences for our Members. We are also nearing completion of the laser-level resurfacing of all 20 Har-Tru tennis courts. Beyond these initiatives, we are actively exploring additional enhancement projects throughout the Club to further enrich the Member experience.
We are equally proud of our charitable arm and our commitment to enhancing the community we are honored to be a part of. This year, we are partnering with the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation to benefit our local community directly, as well as the Heritage Cares Foundation, a national organization dedicated to supporting employees of the clubs within Heritage Golf Group. These partnerships reflect the spirit of giving that runs deep within our community.
At Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, you’re not just joining a club, you’re becoming part of a connected and celebrated way of life.
“As one of the premier lifestyle destinations in the region, Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club is where excellence, hospitality, and connection are at the heart of every experience. It’s an honor to serve such a vibrant community, and we are truly grateful for the recognition from Best of Sarasota.”
— Ryan Glenn, General Manager, LWRGCC
LIVE WELL DPC
HONORABLE MENTION | BEST NURSE PRACTITIONER | 2025
PRIMARY CARE THE WAY IT WAS MEANT TO BE. At Live Well DPC, we practice medicine the way it used to be— just the provider and the patient, without insurance red tape or rushed visits. Our membership-based model allows us to keep a limited patient panel so we can offer longer appointments, same-day or next-day access, and care that is truly personalized. This approach helps us get to know our patients well, be proactive with their health, and be readily available in times of need. We believe strongly in the power of patient advocacy. Healthcare has become increasingly complex, and patients need someone in their corner. Navigating lab work, securing affordable medications, managing prior authorizations, coordinating with trusted specialists, or delivering personalized nutrition guidance—this is what we do every day. With decades of experience and deep roots in the Sarasota community, we know what works, what doesn’t, and how to help patients avoid unnecessary costs, delays, and frustration.
Our extensive background in multiple areas of medicine gives us a clear understanding of what happens when prevention is overlooked—and we use that insight to guide our patients toward long-term wellness. Longevity means little without quality of life.
Practicing in such a vibrant, active, and beautiful community like Sarasota is a gift—and helping our patients live their healthiest, fullest lives here is our greatest reward.
“We want our patients not only to live long lives, but to live we —fr from frailty and chronic disease.”
— Rachel Martinez Franzen, APRN
“Life can be erwhelming—healthcare shouldn’t add to the stre . We aim to give you con dence and clarity in your healthcare, not confusion and stre .”
— Julie Dooley, APRN
MANUAL PHYSICAL THERAPY & CONCIERGE SERVICES
“IF YOU’VE LIVED WITH PAIN FOR YEARS AND NOTHING HAS WORKED, YOU KNOW HOW HOPELESS AND SCARY IT FEELS —the constant fear of wondering how long it will last. That’s why being recognized in the Best of SRQ Local Readers Competition means so much—it’s about the trust we’ve earned and the lives we’ve been able to impact.”
Most of our patients arrive feeling exhausted and skeptical. They’ve tried everything—surgeries, medications, therapies— and nothing has worked. What makes our approach different is that we use pain as the guide to find the root cause of the problem. Through the Body Recalibration Method, founded by Joann Pung, we focus on addressing the missing piece of chronic pain by correcting the lopsidedness caused by years of compensations. This 2½-month program isn’t just about reducing pain; it’s about helping people reconnect with the activities and people that matter most. Patients often describe it as “life-changing” and tell us they wish they had found us sooner—before years of suffering or even unnecessary surgery.
“I lived with pain for 20 years. I wish every pain su erer could nd this healing. It’s b n life-changing—physica y and menta y.” — Lisa M.
“Tired
— Joann Pung, Founder of
One patient summed it up best: “There was nothing left to lose. I had tried everything and felt out of options, but I knew I couldn’t give up. I had to keep searching for something that could actually help.” With one-on-one, hour-long sessions, every treatment is tailored to the individual. It’s not about a quick fix; it’s about helping people reclaim their identity as a spouse, parent, friend, or active individual. Thank you, Sarasota, for trusting us. Your belief in our work fuels our mission: to help chronic pain sufferers who have lost hope— people desperate for a real solution—take back their lives.
Chronic pain leaves you wondering if it will ever end. We help you find the missing piece.
Joann Pung and Dr. Maira Vargas, Chronic Pain Experts
“When my cousin and I co-founded our first location in 1999, we chose the name Mi Pueblo because it translates to ‘my hometown.’ It was a way to honor our childhood roots on the ranches of Chihuahua Mexico, but it was really about capturing the sense of comfort and joy sharing simple, delicious meals with family can bring.
Over the past 25 years, Mi Pueblo has been striving to share our North Mexican culture through the recipes we grew up with and a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. We’ve had the pleasure of watching Sarasota and Venice flourish, and of seeing our guests and their families grow alongside us. It has been an honor to be part of your celebrations, big and small, and it’s why we remain dedicated to offering a place you can call your ‘Hometown’ Mexican restaurant.”
- Bonifacio Caro
MI PUEBLO
Venice.
MI PUEBLO MEXICAN RESTAURANTS WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO THE VOTERS OF SARASOTA FOR THIS RECOGNITION! As a family-owned business, the support of our community is what makes our dreams’ success possible, and we are deeply grateful. This honor is especially meaningful as we recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of our first location in Palm Plaza on Bee Ridge Road. What began as a dream between cousins has grown—thanks to your support—into three convenient locations, each with its own unique atmosphere and offerings.
Whether it’s enjoying a live Mariachi serenade with a Margarita in hand, gathering for a family celebration around sizzling fajitas, or having a leisurely lunch al fresco with your dog at our Venice Brickyard Plaza location, Mi Pueblo provides the place for every occasion. Since 1999, our mission has remained the same: to share our families North Mexican dishes and culturedelivering quality service, and providing warm hospitality in a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where everyone feels at home. We’re also proud to offer catering services, bringing the fiesta to your special events. We are honored to have been part of so many cherished moments with you. From our family to yours—thank you, Sarasota, for voting Mi Pueblo SRQ’s Best Mexican Restaurant. We look forward to celebrating many more meals, memories, and milestones together. ¡Muchas Gracias, Sarasota y Viva Mi Pueblo!
Sarasota / Palm Plaza
4436 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota FL 34233
941.379.2880
North Sarasota / University Walk
8405 Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota FL 34243
941.359.9303
Venice / Brickyard Plaza
530 US-41 Bypass South,
Pictured left to right: Luz Contreras & Ernesto Rios-Managing Partners
Bonifacio CaroOriginal Co-Founder
Cristal Caro HernandezManaging Partner University
NEAL COMMUNITIES
“At
Neal Communities, building in Sarasota means more than constructing homes—it’s about creating vibrant neighborh ds, fostering connections, and giving back to the community we l e. We’re proud to be recognized as the Best Local Place to Work and one of the Best Local Home Builders, and we remain commi ed to shaping Sarasota’s future with quality, care, and heart.”
BUILDING MORE THAN HOMES—BUILDING COMMUNITY
For over five decades, Neal Communities has been more than just a homebuilder in Sarasota—we’ve been a committed neighbor, partner, and advocate for the vibrant community we call home. With a legacy built on quality craftsmanship and thoughtful design, our mission extends far beyond building houses. We believe in creating places where people truly love to live, work, and connect.
Our roots run deep in Sarasota, and our dedication to the area is reflected in the many ways we give back—whether through local philanthropic efforts, partnerships with area nonprofits, or active participation in community events that strengthen the bonds between neighbors. We understand that the heart of a thriving community lies in the people who call it home, and we’re proud to play a role in shaping that story.
This year, Neal Communities was honored to be recognized in several “Best of SRQ” categories—proof that our commitment to excellence resonates with both homebuyers and our team members. We’re proud to be named the Best Local Place to Work, reflecting our belief that a strong internal culture translates into exceptional customer experiences. We also celebrated the honor of being chosen as one of the Best Local Home Builders, a testament to the trust our neighbors place in us to deliver homes that meet the highest standards of design, durability, and comfort.
We’re honored to be part of Sarasota’s continued growth and success, and we look forward to shaping its future— one home, one neighborhood, and one connection at a time.
WE AT REGION SOLAR + ELECTRIC ARE TRULY HONORED to receive the Platinum Award for Best Solar Contractor in the 2025 Best Of SRQ magazine. This recognition isn’t just an accolade for us; it’s a shared celebration with a community that has embraced a greener future. To all the readers who voted for us, thank you. Our vision since 2007 has always been to empower our neighbors to achieve energy independence, and this award affirms that we are making a real, lasting impact.
As your “Lifecycle Energy Partner,” we believe in building more than just systems - we build relationships. Our commitment is to guide you through every step of your solar journey, from the initial consultation to ensuring your system performs flawlessly for decades. It’s this personalized, handson approach, led by our dedicated team including our project lead & CEO, Buca Forrester, that sets us apart. We take pride in being a consistent resource for our clients, guaranteeing your satisfaction long after the installation is complete.
Our partnership with leading builders like Trinity Custom Homes showcases the innovative and integrated solutions we deliver. We’re incredibly proud of our collaboration on the Bays Isles Modern home, where our solar design was a key factor in the home receiving the prestigious Best in Show for Sustainability award. We also powered an ambitious completely off-grid project in DeSoto County, Florida, creating one of the largest residential solar arrays with battery back-up in the country.
Living and raising our families here in Sarasota, we are deeply invested in our community. We believe in 100% accountability and stand behind every installation with unwavering integrity. This award is a milestone, but our legacy is in the lasting change we help create - one solar panel, one family, one business at a time. Thank you for helping us power Southwest Florida’s sustainable future, right now.
“Region Solar + Electric is more than a contractor. They are a true partner who shares our vision for forward thinking custom homes that harne the power of the sun in meaningful and lasting ways.”
— Michael Cocozza, Owner at Trinity Custom Homes
OTHER 2025 RECOGNITION
HONORABLE MENTION
BEST LOCAL PLUMBING COMPANY
RICHARD’S PLUMBING & ELECTRIC
HONORABLE MENTION | BEST LOCAL ELECTRICIAN/ELECTRICAL COMPANY | 2025
RICHARD’S PLUMBING & ELECTRIC – BEST OF SRQ LOCAL HONOREE SINCE 1980, Richard’s Plumbing & Electric has proudly served Manatee and Sarasota counties, as well as the surrounding islands, with one guiding principle— treat every customer like family. As a third-generation, family-owned and locally operated company, we’ve built our reputation on trust, craftsmanship, and an unwavering dedication to our community.
Being named a Best of SRQ local honoree is an honor that reflects not just our hard work, but the strong relationship we’ve formed with our customers over the decades. We believe our success comes from blending old-fashioned customer service with modern solutions. From the moment you call, you can count on friendly communication, upfront estimates, timely service, and dependable results— every time.
Our engagement with the community goes beyond fixing pipes and wiring. We proudly support local events, sponsor
youth programs, and partner with area organizations to give back to the place we call home. Whether it’s helping a school upgrade its electrical systems, assisting local businesses with emergency repairs, or donating services to community projects, we see our work as a way to strengthen the foundation of our neighborhoods.
With decades of experience in residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal plumbing and electrical work, our licensed and insured team delivers everything from quick repairs to major upgrades—always with attention to detail and integrity. Customers know us for our reliability, responsiveness, and pet-friendly service, and we’re committed to continuing that legacy for generations to come.
Becoming a Best of SRQ local honoree is a milestone, but it’s also a reminder of our responsibility to uphold the trust the community has placed in us. At Richard’s Plumbing & Electric, We’re Family Owned, Locally Grown, and Community Known. Consider Richard’s, we keep it flowing and glowing!
“Being recognized in the Best of SRQ Readers Local Competition is an incredible honor for our family and our team. As a third-generation, family-owned busine that just celebrated our 45th anniversary, this award—and our longevity—are a re ection of the trust and commitment our neighbors have placed in us. Sarasota isn’t just where we work, it’s where we live, and we couldn’t be prouder to k p it owing and glowing for years to come.”
4614 26th St W, Bradenton, FL 34207
941.557.2275
RichardsPlumbingRepair.com
Richards Plumbing & Electric
@Richardsplumbingandelectric X: @RPRPlumbers
ROSE DENTAL AT LAKEWOOD RANCH
ROSE DENTAL AT LAKEWOOD RANCH – Where Excellence
Meets Comfort At Rose Dental, dentistry is more than just creating beautiful smiles—it’s about creating a warm, uplifting experience that patients genuinely look forward to.
Founded with the vision of combining world-class dental expertise with a boutique, patient-centered atmosphere, Rose Dental has become a trusted name for comprehensive and cosmetic dental care.
From the moment you step through the door, you’re greeted by a friendly team who treats you like family. The atmosphere is light-hearted yet professional, designed to put even the most anxious patients at ease. Every detail, from the calming décor to the personalized treatment plans, reflects the belief that great dentistry begins with genuine care and connection.
Rose Dental is known for its advanced technology and modern approach, offering services such as Invisalign, veneers, same-day crowns, and digital smile design. This commitment to innovation ensures patients receive precise, effi cient, and long-lasting results without sacrifi cing comfort. The team stays ahead of the curve through continuous education, bringing the latest advancements directly to their patients.
What truly sets Rose Dental apart is their passion for people—both inside and outside the office. In addition to transforming smiles, they are proud sponsors of the Suncoast Stars in Lakewood Ranch, a remarkable program that empowers the lives of adults with special needs through skill-building, and community connection. Rose Dental also champions the well-being of animals through sponsorship of the Lakewood Ranch Humane Society, helping provide care and shelter to pets in need. These community partnerships reflect the practice’s belief in giving back and building a stronger, kinder neighborhood for all.
Leading the way are Dr. Rose Le and Dr. Victor George, whose combined expertise and genuine compassion create an unparalleled dental experience. Dr. Le is celebrated for her artistry in cosmetic and restorative dentistry, crafting smiles that are both stunning and natural, while making each patient feel heard and valued. Dr. George is known for his precision in advanced dental procedures and his gentle, reassuring approach, ensuring comfort at every step. Together, they blend skill, innovation, and heartfelt care— building lifelong relationships and transforming lives one smile at a time.
RUGS AS ART
RUGS AS ART, INC. is widely known as one of the nation’s most prestigious and award winning area rug stores. Excellent selection, unbeatable prices, and unparalleled customer service are what you can expect when you walk through the door. With 20,000 sq/ft of showroom space, they offer one of the most extensive collections of area rugs in the United States. From affordable outdoor and machine made rugs to fine hand-knotted pieces, Rugs As Art truly has a rug for every décor at a price to fit every pocketbook. Additionally, they have a vast selection of carpeting as well as an eclectic collection of accent furnishings, pillows, art and accessories.
A Sarasota staple since 1986, Rugs As Art has earned many accolades and has been locally recognized as the recipient of multiple “Small Business of the Year” awards, the “Insignia Award” for Best Customer Service, and twice earned “Retail Business of the Year” from the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, as well as numerous other awards from across the region. Nationally, industry peers have three times voted Rugs As Art as the “Best Rug Store in America,” a prestigious award given by AmericasMart and the Oriental Rug Importers Association.
The Murse family welcomes you to visit their showroom located at 6650 South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota (open Monday through Saturday, 9:30a.m. to 6p.m.). For information, visit rugsasart.com or call 941.921.1900.
“We are endle ly grateful and humbled by the erwhelming recognition and support of our community and the surrounding areas. This succe of course would not be po ible without the loyalty and hard work of every sta member here who continua y strive as a team to bring the best po ible experience to everyone who walk through our front d rs. We work diligently to o er an impre ive selection, award winning personal customer service, and surprising savings starting from the customer’s rst encounter to the ultimate f ling of satisfaction with their selection of merchandise in their home… our team aims to please!”
SAFE CHILDREN COALITION (SCC) is the lead communitybased care agency in Sarasota, Manatee & DeSoto counties. Our mission is to protect children & youth, strengthen families & build community through critical, life-saving services including Foster Care, Adoption, and Prevention & Diversion Programs like Schoolhouse Link, supporting homeless and unaccompanied youth; Youth Prevention Services, providing school-based counseling; Emergency Response Assessment Team (E.R.A.T.), working with families at high risk of entering the child welfare system; Achievers, a program that empowers underserved and first-generation youth to graduate from high school and attend trade school or college; HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters), helping parents prepare preschoolers for learning, and more.
“We
SCC operates the only youth shelter for teens ages 10 - 17 in Sarasota and DeSoto counties for homeless, runaway, and truant youth. Our shelter serves teens from Manatee County, too. Since its inception in 1991, it has helped over 6,000 teens and provided more than 60,000 bed nights. SCC is currently in a capital campaign to build a new youth shelter, as the old shelter was built in 1959. Annually, the youth shelter serves up to 200 youth and provides up to 3,000 bed nights.
Our youth shelter is a place where youth experiencing homelessness for various reasons – like difficulty at home, truancy, ungovernability, a mental health crisis, disrupted foster care placement, and more – can find a new beginning. The new facility will maximize space and security for the youth in our care. Eight (8) two-person rooms and four (4) single rooms will allow for appropriate separation based on individual needs and limitations of youth and allow for accommodating youth with complicated backgrounds appropriately. For more information about SCC’s programs and ways to get involved, visit sccfl.org.
SHACK YOGA + FITNESS
PLATINUM
WINNER | BEST YOGA STUDIO | 2025
“SINCE OPENING IN 2012, SHACK YOGA + FITNESS HAS GROWN FROM A SMALL STUDIO in Sarasota’s Rosemary District into a thriving, two-location community hub. Our classes are where sweat meets strength, and movement meets meaning—offering 45+ weekly sessions across our signature formats: SHACK Sweat (heated power yoga), SHACK Sculpt (strength meets yoga), restorative practices, kids yoga, and specialty workshops.
More than a workout, SHACK is about connection. It’s the high-five after class, the friend who holds you accountable, and the energy of a room full of people moving together. Our seasonal challenges—like the Summer of Sweat—and wellness experiences, including sound baths and the Mindful Tri, keep our community engaged, inspired, and coming back for more. Locally owned and deeply rooted in Sarasota’s vibrant spirit, SHACK has weathered challenges, evolved through change, and continued to grow thanks to our talented instructors and fiercely loyal members. Being recognized in the BOSRQ Readers Competition is a celebration we share with every person who has ever unrolled a mat here. This recognition isn’t just about us—it’s about the people who make SHACK a place to move, breathe, and belong.”
WATERSIDE LAKEWOOD RANCH: 1561 Lakefront Dr. | Unit 210, FL 34240
DOWNTOWN SARASOTA: 514 Central Ave, FL 34236
941.203.5146
“Being recognized in the BOSRQ Local Readers Competition is an honor we share with our entire SHACK family. Every drop of sweat, every laugh,and every connection made here is pr f of the power of community.”
AT SIRIUS DAY SPA, SALON & MED SPA, we are truly humbled and honored to be recognized by our community with multiple “Best Of” awards this year. As the original flagship and premier Sirius Day Spa — proudly femaleowned and operated — delivering award-winning beauty, wellness, and medical spa services for over seven years, this recognition means the world to us.
and feel their very best — whether that’s through rejuvenating spa treatments, cutting-edge medical aesthetics, personalized weight-loss programs, or the simple joy of a perfectly polished manicure. We believe beauty and wellness go hand-in-hand, and we’re proud to provide services that nurture both body and spirit.
SILVER WINNER
BEST BUSINESS
LEADER, KAREN MEDFORD
We are beyond grateful to receive honors for B est Aesthetician, Best Anti-Aging Clinic, Best Business Leader, Best Day Spa, Best Eyebrows/Eyelashes, Best Local Hairstylist/Hair Salon, Best Mani/Pedi, Best Massage, Best Medical Aesthetics, Best Nurse Practitioner, and Best Weight-Loss Clinic . These awards reflect the dedication, passion, and expertise of our entire team, from our talented aestheticians, massage therapists, and stylists to our highly skilled medical professionals and support staff who ensure every guest’s experience is exceptional. Every day, our mission is to help our guests look
This year is especially exciting as we celebrate the opening of our bigger, brighter, and more luxurious Med Spa Suite . This elevated space allows us to deliver an even higher level of care and comfort, with advanced treatments, private checkouts, and a serene environment that refl ects our commitment to excellence.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for trusting us with your beauty, wellness, and self-care. Your continue support and votes inspire us to keep raising the bar, innovating, and serving our community with passion and pride. Here’s to many more years of helping you shine — inside and out.
“As we celebrate our 7 th year in busine , we are d ply honored to have earned multiple awards — but the true reward is serving the community we l e. Our mi ion has always b n to enhance lives, give back, and support the causes close to our hearts. We l e what we do, and we couldn’t do it without you.” — Karen Medford, (SRQ Women Who Roar Leadership Circle)
11585 State Road 70 E (at Lakewood Ranch Blvd) Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 facebook.com/siriusdayspas instagram.com/siriusdayspas
SOTO’S OPTICAL BOUTIQUE
PLATINUM WINNER | BEST EYEGLASS STORE | 2025
MORE THAN GLASSES- IT’S VISION WITH TRADITION!
helps each client find the perfect fit. The boutique’s personal, glasses,
Nestled in the heart of downtown Sarasota at 1383 Main Street, Soto’s Optical Boutique is more than just an eyewear shop— it’s a Sarasota tradition. Established in 1949 and family-owned ever since, Soto’s has become the most awarded optical boutique in the region, celebrated for its craftsmanship, service, and dedication to community. What truly sets Soto’s apart is its old-world approach to precision. Every pair of glasses is carefully cut and ground in-house, ensuring lenses meet the highest standard of accuracy and comfort. This hands-on process is rarely found today, yet it remains the foundation of Soto’s reputation for excellence. While the boutique offers an EXCLUSIVE selection of independent eyewear collections, Soto’s Optical prides itself on accessibility. The team understands that eyewear is both a necessity and an expression of style, which is why they carry options for every budget without compromising quality or service. Whether it’s a bold fashion-forward look or a simple everyday pair, Soto’s helps each client find the perfect fit. The boutique’s personal, one-on-one approach ensures that customers are treated like family. With an emphasis on trust, expertise, and individualized care, Soto’s has earned the loyalty of generations who return not just for glasses, but for the assurance of being in skilled hands. As Sarasota’s most awarded optical store, Soto’s continues to shine by honoring its heritage while embracing modern needs. More than a store, it’s a place where vision, style, and community come together—making Soto’s Optical a true gem of Main Street.
“To s g d, s your doctor. To l k g d, s Soto’s Optical Boutique!”
SQUEEZE MASSAGE OF SARASOTA IS HONORED TO BE NAMED THE GOLD WINNER FOR BEST MASSAGE in SRQ Magazine’s 2025 Best of SRQ Readers Competition. This recognition holds special meaning for us. It reflects the trust, loyalty, and love of the community we proudly serve. Since opening our doors, Squeeze has reimagined the massage experience. From our signature aromatherapy bar to fully customizable sessions, every detail is designed to help our guests feel their best. Our team of skilled massage therapists blends technique and intuition, tailoring each treatment to the unique needs of every guest.
But Squeeze is more than just a place to unwind, it’s a space built to connect, uplift, and be part of something bigger. We partner with local businesses, support fellow entrepreneurs, and participate in events that bring Sarasota together. This July, we celebrated our first anniversary, marking a year filled with meaningful relationships and memorable milestones.
Winning Gold for BEST MASSAGE is not just an award, it’s a celebration of Sarasota’s shared commitment to wellness, community, and connection. To celebrate this milestone, and say thank you to our amazing community, we’re offering $30 off your first massage or first three months of membership, with promo BOSRQ30.
“It’s such a gift to f l s n and celebrated for the amount of l e and energy we’ve poured into building Squ ze. It’s a beautiful reminder of why we do what we do - to help people f l their best and to r t ourselves d per into the community.”
“Every project we take on is more than just a building - it’s a commitment to the people, places, and future of Sarasota. Being recognized as Best of SRQ is an incredible honor because it reflects the trust and pride of the community, we are proud to call home.”
— John LaCivita, President & CEO, Willis Smith Construction Sarasota
Front Row, left to right:
Katie Kominos, Senior Project Manager; John LaCivita, President & CEO; David Sessions, Chairman; Taylor Aultman, Vice President
Back Row, left to right:
David Otterness, Vice President; Rick Scherzer, Senior Project Manager; Nate Carr, Vice President; Robbie Gronbach, Vice President Preconstruction Services; Brett Raymaker, Vice President
FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, WILLIS SMITH CONSTRUCTION
HAS BEEN PROUD TO CALL SARASOTA HOME. Established in 1972 by founder Willis A. Smith, we’ve grown from a small commercial and industrial facility builder into one of the region’s most trusted construction management firms. Today, under the leadership of President and CEO John LaCivita, our almost 100-person team combines deep local roots with national expertise to deliver projects that shape the future of our community.
From schools, churches, theaters, industrial buildings and cultural landmarks to public safety facilities, medical office buildings and unique community spaces, our work is guided by a commitment to excellence and the belief that every project should strengthen the fabric of our region. We don’t just build structures, we build relationships. Our team members live, work, and raise their families right here, which makes every ribbon-cutting and groundbreaking deeply personal.
Our milestones reflect both our growth and our gratitude: completing award-winning projects like Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Master Plan, the Mote Science Education Aquarium and delivering almost two dozen fire stations for local first responders and expanding educational facilities that will inspire the next generation. Through it all, our dedication to giving back remains constant, whether it’s sponsoring arts organizations, supporting local nonprofits, or volunteering alongside our neighbors.
Being voted Best of SRQ is an incredible honor because it comes directly from the people we serve. It’s a recognition of the passion, driven quality, and care our team puts into every project. Most importantly, it’s a reminder that our continued success is only possible because of the trust and support of our community.
To everyone who cast a vote for Willis Smith Construction, thank you. We are proud to build for you, with you, and alongside you, for the next 50 years and beyond.
SARASOTA, OUR HOME. YOUR DREAM. At zhuzh srq, we’re not just a real estate brokerage; we’re a part of the vibrant Sarasota community, deeply rooted in its sundrenched streets and coastal charm. Our broker-owners’ journey, from growing up in this beautiful city to graduating from the Out-of-Door Academy, has instilled a profound appreciation for the Gulf Coast of Florida — a magical area that we are now honored to help homeowners call home. Since 2013, our dedication has been to our clients, beginning with new home builders and extending to over 300 families who found their perfect homes in North Carolina and right here in Florida. Yet, it was the experiences of friends and neighbors navigating the often-frustrating real estate landscape that inspired us to dream bigger. In 2024, zhuzh was born—a direct response to the call for a more transparent, empowering, and human-centered approach to buying and selling homes.
homes@zhuzhsrq.com 941.929.3003 | zhuzhsrq.com
We believe that real estate should be an exhilarating journey, not an overwhelming ordeal. That’s why we’re committed to cutting through the noise and ego that can complicate transactions, focusing instead on what truly matters:
1. You
2. Your home
3. Your goals
Our extensive experience in marketing, design, and real estate, combined with an unwavering passion for the Gulf Coast of Florida, allows us to make this promise a reality.
Our deep love for this town isn’t just a personal connection; it’s the driving force behind our mission. It’s what fuels our passion to get things done—the right way. We are here to guide you through one of the most significant decisions of your life, drawing on our local expertise and a desire to give back to the community that raised us. At zhuzh srq, your Sarasota dream is our mission.
facebook.com/zhuzhsrq instagram.com/zhuzh_srq
2025-26 IMPORTANT DATES AND OPPORTUNITIES
JOIN US TO SHARE YOUR WISDOM
The Women Who Roar program is heading to the Downtown Sarasota Farmers Market for a special interactive pop-up! We invite you to write a “Letter to Your Younger Self” to share with our elementary and middle school girls at the SMARTgirl Summit.
JOIN US FOR THE AWARDS LUNCHEON
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IT WAS 2AM IN CARACAS, VENEZUELA WHEN KATIE NELSON THOMSON HAD TO WAKE UP THE LEGENDARY BARBARA WALTERS to tell her that President Hugo Chavez had just cancelled his interview scheduled for that afternoon. It was a dangerous and expensive trip but Thomson had worked tirelessly to secure the interview which was important given the escalated rhetoric aimed at U.S. President Bush by Chavez. Her team had traveled through Venezuela via armored cars surrounded by security guards and Thomson was not about to back down to what felt like a last-minute power play by the unpredictable and autocratic leader. She called Chavez’ Communications Minister, convinced him to meet with her that night and the interview was rescheduled. Fortitude in the face of resistance and never taking no for the final answer has been the hallmark of Thomson’s career capturing the stories of impactful people and decisive moments in history.
The recipient of the 2025 SRQ Women Who Roar Trailblazer Award, presented to a woman who is courageous and innovative in pursuit of her dreams, Thomson’s legacy spans decades of high-stakes journalism, history-making interviews and culturedefining television. Currently the powerhouse senior
talent producer behind HBO‘s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, she has held positions as senior broadcast producer of CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, spent 15 years at ABC News working alongside legendary journalist Barbara Walters where she produced award-winning segments and interviews for 20/20 and The Barbara Walters Specials and was a producer on CNN’s Larry King Live where she booked and produced newsmaker interviews with political, business and entertainment luminaries.
Thomson played a key role in ABC’s Emmy Awardwinning coverage of the September 11th terrorist attacks, securing first interviews with President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the aftermath of the tragedy. She also booked Larry King’s historic Al Gore / Ross Perot NAFTA Debate, which set a cable news ratings record. She has produced interviews with every U.S. president since Jimmy Carter and with many world leaders, including Fidel Castro, Benjamin Netanyahu, King Abdullah and Queen Rania, Slobodan Milosevic, Benazir Bhutto, Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Oscar Arias, Hugo Chávez, the Dalai Lama and an unprecedented joint interview with Yitzhak Shamir, Yasser Arafat and King Hussein.
Trailblazer Award Recipient
Katie Nelson Thomson has forged a fearless career founded on fortitude in the face of resistance to bring the world stories about the most notable people and issues of our times.
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INTERVIEWED AND WRITTEN BY ASHLEY GRANT
“In all these news stories of a certain era, you see me in the footage. If you look, I’m there. I’m in a car with Monica Lewinsky, where they describe me as her 20-something friend, in a classroom with Fidel Castro, walking with Kato Kaelin, sitting behind Michael Jackson’s children at his memorial service, in formal attire with Earl Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother. ” — Katie Nelson Thomson
“It really was the roller coaster depicted on Broadcast News and then some! I had to juggle long-term projects with reacting to breaking news. I would work all day through the live show from 9-10pm, then often stay later trying to book world leaders in different time zones.”
Her portfolio also includes exclusive interviews with Martha Stewart, Christopher Reeve, Queen Noor of Jordan and Oprah Winfrey. She has scored interviews with newsmakers including Stephen Hawking, Edward Snowden, Monica Lewinsky, Colin Powell, Jane Goodall, and her celebrity interviews have covered icons such as Angelina Jolie, Michael Jackson, George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Julie Andrews, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, David Letterman, Steven Spielberg, Patrick Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Simon, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel and many more.
Thomson’s formidable career is all the more impressive in light of her childhood in a small southern town far from the world stage and her own life has been just as interesting as the stories she covers. Growing up in the storybook town of Winter Park, Florida, Thomson lived a relatively sheltered life and no one at that point could foresee she would go on to interview the top names in the news from movie stars to world leaders to mass murderers. However, there were hints at what was to be an incredible journey and flashes of her extraordinary fortitude. She was the editor of her high school newspaper and in college at Vanderbilt, she worked on the speakers committee that brought famous people to the university. After graduation, her practical plan was to become a lawyer but she decided instead to defer law school for a year and attend a theater program in London. Right before she was set to leave, the program was cancelled due to the 1986 IRA bombings. She pivoted and instead landed an internship working with political reporters for the McLaughlin Group in Washington, DC. While there, she met and married her first husband who worked for the U.S. Department of State and soon after moved with him to London for his diplomatic assignment. In the U.K., Thomson held temp jobs while trying to secure a post at the BBC. The news organization was competitive at the best of times, but at that point, they were downsizing and it was especially hard to get a job there. On the way to her temp job one day, she was hit by a car walking across the road. Though ordered by her doctor to be on bed rest, Thomson received an invitation
to a birthday party she couldn’t refuse. She knew potential media contacts would be in attendance and rather than miss her chance, she hobbled into the festivities, black and blue and on crutches, where she met a BBC producer who was duly impressed with the determined ‘crazy American’ and offered her a meeting at the network a few weeks later. After a grueling process of multiple interviews, Thomson landed the BBC job which led to her covering the British elections. She was the only American in the studio when John Major was elected.
Moving back to the states, Thomson joined CNN’s Larry King Live where she dove headfirst into the relentless nature of her industry. She says, “It really was the roller coaster depicted on Broadcast News and then some! I had to juggle long-term projects with reacting to breaking news. I would work all day through the live show from 9-10pm, then often stay later trying to book world leaders in different time zones. I still have kind of PTSD when I see the breaking news banner on the TV because I’m like, ‘Oh my God, what’s happened? Who do I have to call? Where do I have to go?’” To say that some of her interviews were surreal and the topics unsettling would be a huge understatement. She met with Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City Bomber in the Colorado “Supermax” prison twice, spent Valentine’s Day with Colin Ferguson, the Long Island Railroad mass murderer in the Nassau County Correction Facility and visited accused murderer Robert Blake in the LA County Jail, who surprised the pregnant journalist by suddenly serenading her unborn baby. And she produced interviews with nearly every person involved in the O.J. Simpson murder trial as they recalled every lurid detail of the case.
It wasn’t all gore and gloom however. Michael Jackson showed her how to Moonwalk, Jordan’s Queen Noor arranged a camel ride for her in the sandstone ruins of Petra and Elizabeth Taylor let her try on her fabulous sparkling gems. She learned about the science-backed benefits of Buddhist meditation from the four interviews she produced with the Dalai Lama—something she still struggles to utilize in her hectic life.
And while she says she is shy and hates being in front of the camera, somehow it has always found her. When you look at the major cultural and news events over the past 35 years, when something important was happening somewhere in the world, Thomson was likely there. If Thomson’s portfolio looks like the Who’s Who of the past three decades, her own life looks like “Where’s Waldo”—the nickname given to her by friends and colleagues who constantly see photos or footage of her appearing in major news stories. She says, “In all these news stories of a certain era, you see me in the footage. If you look, I’m there. I’m in a car with Monica Lewinsky, where they describe me as her 20-something friend, in a classroom with Fidel Castro, walking with Kato Kaelin, sitting behind Michael Jackson’s children at his memorial service, in formal attire with Earl Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother.” She explains, “I brought him to the White House Correspondents Dinner, but the British tabloids jumped to the conclusion I was his new girlfriend. I’d borrowed a diamond necklace from a jeweler friend and the British press said, ‘Look, he’s already giving her jewelry!’ Recently friends have been
— Katie Nelson Thomson
texting me to say I just saw you in the new Christopher Reeve documentary.”
Warm and friendly with a self-deprecating sense of humor, a necessary tool in disarming and charming her reluctant subjects into spilling their secrets, under Thomson’s self-effacing demeanor lies a steely resolve. Her starting gate is “no” and she operates from there to accomplish her goals which include helping to make the world a better place. While all of her stories captured the collective attention garnering huge ratings for each network, it was the interviews that had the potential to change narratives and create positive impact that mean the most to her.
One of her proudest moments at Larry King Live was securing an unprecedented series of bookings referred to as a “King Sized Week” in television. She snagged the only joint interview with three Middle East leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Jordan’s King Hussein, months before the Israeli PM was assassinated in 1995. The interview was filled with optimism amidst friction and Larry King called it “one of the most historic nights I ever did.” At the same time, Thomson had also booked rare interviews for the show with
Barbra Streisand and David Letterman. She says, “All night long I was on the phone and faxing information back and forth with the Middle East and then all day long I was dealing with Barbra Streisand and her manager and it was as much work to get her interview as to get the three Middle East leaders.”
It was during this time that Barbara Walters had expressed interest in hiring her. Her first inkling was when OJ Simpson trial figures Kato Kaelin and Robert Kardashian told her Barbara Walters had been asking about her. Thomson recalls, “ABC had started to recruit me but I didn’t want to leave Larry King. I was happy there but it’s sort of hard to say no to Barbara Walters, whom I greatly admired.” She agreed to meet with Walters but her frenetic schedule kept getting in the way. “The first time they flew me to New York to meet her, I didn’t tell anyone at Larry King Live. We worked in shifts and sometimes I would work through the night and not have to come in as early the next day. So I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll fly to New York in the morning and then I’ll be back for the show.’” At the time the Bosnian War was raging and Thomson had secured an interview with Slobodan Miloševic, the President of Serbia and a central figure in the
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conflict, for a rare interview with Larry King. She had just arrived at ABC for her interview with Walters but says, “When they were about to bring me into Barbara, I got a call that my Miloševic story was starting to go south, so I said, ‘I’m really sorry I have to go back,’ and I left before meeting Barbara. The second time we were going to meet, I had booked an interview with Oprah Winfrey for Larry and I had to go to Chicago so I had to cancel again.” But providentially, she found herself in Los Angeles covering the O.J. Simpson trial at the same time as Walters and after this meeting she was offered the job. Without a break, the Monday after her “King Sized Week”, Thomson started her role at ABC. “But as soon as I walked in the office they told me I needed to fly that night to Oklahoma City to meet with Timothy McVeigh’s lawyer. I got stranded in Denver en route and barely had any sleep before catching the first plane out.”
Thomson notes that pressure to manage multiple converging interviews is overwhelming. She says, “It takes a lot of work to get one interview and once I get it, I don’t count it as an interview until the camera stops rolling. It could go away before they sit down or they could get up in the middle of the interview and leave. That has happened. For every major interview I landed, there were many I worked just as hard on that never happened. I worked during the peak era of the “big get” where there was intense competition to get the first interview with newsmakers. Those interviews led to huge ratings and profits. When I went from Larry King to Barbara Walters, I figured I’d just call up and say the name Barbara Walters and it would be case closed—we would get the interview. But even working with Barbara we had to fight for each one. Barbara only wanted to interview the principal and she had to be first—she just wanted that one exclusive interview,” she says. Those exclusives required nerves of steel to coordinate—not just because of the ratings but due to their potential global impact. She remembers, “Two minutes after the live interview with Miloševic aired, I got a call from my contact who said that Boris Yeltsin had been watching and called Miloševic and it sounded like he was pressuring him to make a peace deal. I read afterwards that there was progress in that direction. It was amazing to see that we could have an impact diplomatically and I think it’s important to interview news makers, especially politicians and leaders, to have them answer tough
IMAGE S COURTESY OF KATIE NELSON THOMSON.
Clockwise: Katie Thomson and Barbara Walters in discussion; Thomson and Walters ride atop camels; Thomson has flourished on Last Week Tonight since joining the show as Senior Talent Producer in 2014; Thomson and former leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev.
questions and explain what they’re doing.”
She adds, “I would help Barbara write the questions and sometimes she would say, ‘I can’t ask that Katie, you’re not the one sitting there.’ But when the time came she would always ask the tough ones.”
Even the intimidating subjects weren’t exempt from Walters’ questions. When she interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin after the 9/11 terror attacks, Thomson recalls it was a very daunting environment. She says, “We were followed the whole time we were in Moscow. It was creepy. Then Putin threatened to cancel right before the interview because he said our equipment damaged a wall in the Kremlin. When he finally sat down to speak with Barbara, she asked him, ‘Have you ever killed anyone or caused anyone to be killed?’ It was a very tough question and I had never seen a journalist ask him that before. Of course, he said “nyet” (no).”
Walters was just as tough on herself and she expected everyone to rise to her standards but she also recognized hard work. Thomson was working round the clock and a new development would be met with a surprisingly welcome response. “It had taken a while, but when I finally told her that I was pregnant she said, ‘thank God’ because I was working so much she thought I wasn’t going to have a family. She gave me a baby shower, which was really nice, and when she would find me in the office late, she’d order me to go home.
She knew it was good for her that I was there, but I worked past my due date and she was trying to save me from myself,” she says. But even Walters’ concerns couldn’t stop her determined producer from going to Havana to meet with a dictator.
At eight months pregnant, Thomson flew to Cuba for an interview with Fidel Castro that she had been working years to secure. She was just shy of her doctor’s deadline prohibiting air travel, and she was having a very easy pregnancy so nothing was going to stop her from making the trip. But an interesting thing happened during the interview. Thomson’s baby was apparently not amused by the Cuban leader’s lack of honesty and when Casto lied she would kick. Thomson recalls, “He said, ‘We’re the freest country on earth!’ Kick. ‘We have absolutely no political prisoners!’ Kick, kick. ‘Our economy is great!’ Kick, kick, kick. It was so unusual for my daughter to kick like that and when she was older, she would say, ‘Whenever the dictator lied, I kicked.’”
It takes a huge amount of drive to spend your life on-call juggling multiple crises and deadlines every moment of the day and Thomson admits that at certain points, “I really didn’t have an overarching goal. I just went from one thing to another but I was competitive and it felt really good when we got the first interview, and it felt really bad when we didn’t. However, I have always been drawn to stories where people have a
Clockwise: Thomson recalled her time spent with Christopher Reeve as “inspiring”; Thomson with Michael Jackson; Thomson and Walter with former President Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama and members of the Obama administration.
perception of someone in the news that is completely wrong.” One example she points to was huge in the cultural zeitgeist of the time, the Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton scandal. Thomson says, “Monica Lewinsky is not the way she was portrayed at the time and people are seeing it now. If you listen to her podcast, which is excellent, you can hear how smart she is. By her own admission, she made a bad mistake with Clinton, but I think it was terrible the way she was vilified.” Lewinsky didn’t want her story to become public. But the story was out and Thomson thought her team could cover it in a more balanced way. She notes, “To her credit, Lewinsky turned down a million-dollar offer from Fox to do the interview with Barbara Walters for free. Barbara even said, ‘She’s a young girl, she has all these legal bills, she should just take the money.’” But Thomson thought that if she took the paid interview with Fox she would never revive her reputation, and Lewinsky eventually agreed. So after a year of effort Thomson finally confirmed the exclusive Walters-Lewinsky interview and spent weeks preparing the two-hour special which was seen by over 70 million viewers and is still the highest-rated news event broadcast by a single network. “I was hoping that the interview we did with her would change her life and hopefully it made it better,” she says.
Of all the stories Thomson has covered and people she has met, perhaps none has had as much of a personal impact on her as the many interviews with Christopher Reeve, the handsome actor best known for playing Superman, after a riding accident left him severely paralyzed. She says, “It was so poignant and inspiring. He went from being an avid athlete participating in equestrian competitions, sailing, scuba diving and soccer, to not being able to move except to slightly turn his head and not able to breathe on his own. The mental strength it took to turn that tragedy into action, helping others who are paralyzed, was something I’ll never forget.” After his accident, Thomson recalls, “Reeve had a genius idea to do a remake of the Jimmy Stewart movie Rear Window in which a man in a wheelchair is witness to a murder and becomes a target himself. The tension in those scenes was upped because the character was not just in a wheelchair but was actually paralyzed and on a ventilator. I got to follow him around on set and it was amazing that he was able to get back to acting and to be able to watch his psychological strength.”
IMAGE S COURTESY OF KATIE NELSON THOMSON.
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Thomson’s own resilience enabled her to forge through difficult times but there were still sacrifices required by her industry— especially for women. Her schedule made spending time with family extremely difficult and she notes, “When my daughter was a toddler, I remember her hiding my Blackberry in her crib under the mattress. She’s seen how tough it can be.” The downplaying of personal priorities was rampant in television during the 80’s and 90’s and no female working in the arena was immune to its effects. Thomson recalls, “Barbara told me a story that she wrote about later in her book, when she had a miscarriage in the middle of the night and two hours later she had to get in her car to go to the Today Show and be on air. That’s just how it was. And especially as a woman in Barbara’s day, you couldn’t say you had a ‘female issue’ of any kind. You just couldn’t put your family first as a woman back in the day, even when I was there, if you didn’t do the job there were 10 people waiting in line who would.”
Though her career started in a different time than Walters, she faced the same pressure. She says, “It was very competitive and I regret the time I missed with my daughter. I loved being with her and spent all the free time I had with her but it was hard with my schedule. I remember getting into her little bed to read to her at night but I was so tired I would always fall asleep. When I could, I would bring her to studio tapings with me and on fun work assignments. I took her on the set of Hannah Montana and to children’s movie premieres. She was invited by Miley Cyrus to attend the High School Musical 2 premiere at Disneyland, met the family of Steve Irwin at their zoo in Australia and played with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at a Fat Albert screening, so she had some amazing experiences and we had a wonderful nanny who helped out a lot but I do feel like she missed out on a lot as well because I was working so much.”
Times are different and Thomson is relieved that the culture of her industry has changed. She says, “The whole media business is so different now and the kind of shows and types of jobs I had 20 or 30 years ago don’t even exist now. The younger generations are definitely better about setting boundaries.” But the grueling pace of her early career years had taken its toll and just when Thomson was hitting a milestone at ABC, she faced a crossroads with two major blows. Her marriage dissolved and Barbara Walters
announced she was going to retire. At the same time, Piers Morgan was hired by CNN to take the Larry King time slot for Piers Morgan Tonight and the network was actively pursuing her. She says, “I didn’t really want to leave ABC. I did meet with Piers Morgan but I kind of put it out of my mind, thinking it wasn’t going to happen and then all of a sudden, they offered me the job.” Walters said, ‘You have to take the job, it’s a lot of money and I’m leaving.’ It was a difficult decision for me but I took it. I left a 15-year job and a 20-year marriage at the same time and it was really hard.”
30 Emmys. Thomson brought her trademark persistence to the show and was instrumental in generating momentum from the start. She says, “It was almost impossible to get a guest for the first show since it was an unknown quantity.” After scores of “no’s,” she was eventually able to get an exclusive exit interview with National Security Agency Chief Keith Alexander in the wake of the Edward Snowden NSA crisis, which had the world buzzing with speculation and outrage. However, the cancellation gremlin that had dogged Thomson for much of her career reared its ugly head again, forcing her to spring
“When I finally told Barbara Walters that I was pregnant she said, ‘thank God’ because I was working so much she thought I wasn’t going to have a family. When she would find me in the office late, she’d order me to go home.” Katie Nelson Thomson
After starting her new job at CNN, the format of the show quickly changed from long-form content to breaking news. In her new stage of life as a single mother, she realized that the show wasn’t a good fit. But the experience led to something better. While travelling for Piers Morgan Tonight, a complimentary upgrade on the redeye flight to first class changed her life. She says, “I used to get a lot of complimentary upgrades, but you never get upgrades on the red eye.” And she never met or spoke with anyone in all her years of travel. But this flight was different. She ended up in conversation with the man sitting next to her, fell in love and is now happily married. She says, “I don’t believe in fate, but had I stayed at ABC and not been traveling for Piers Morgan, I probably never would have met my amazing husband. So it was worth it from that point of view. I wasn’t the right fit for that show at that time, but the experience ended up being good for the long term.”
And more good news was on the horizon— she found the job of her dreams—one that combined her love of entertainment with investigative journalism, advocacy for important issues and a little dash of humor to keep viewers on their toes. In 2014 she joined HBO and helped launch the network’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The show is particularly popular with young people who don’t tune into traditional television programs. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has won three Peabody Awards for offering ‘something completely new in the merger of comedy and reporting’ as well as
into action. After General Alexander agreed, an outside PR firm vetoed the interview. Thomson was about to catch a flight home for Easter when she got the news and immediately cancelled her trip. She worked nonstop to get a direct line to the General and when she finally reached him. “To his credit, he honored his original commitment. Afterwards, he emailed me saying he hoped they appreciated me,” she says. She was on a roll after that and again went straight for the ‘tough get’ booking, extremely rare interviews with the elusive Edward Snowden and legendary Stephen Hawking. She says, “Both gave very few interviews so it took some work.”
In June 2013, Edward Snowden, a former NSA intelligence contractor, leaked classified documents revealing the U.S. government’s extensive global surveillance programs, including the mass collection of phone and internet data. He shared this information with journalists, prompting a worldwide debate on mass surveillance and privacy.
The U.S. government charged Snowden with espionage, leading him to flee to Russia, where he currently resides and holds citizenship.
Even before Last Week Tonight went on the air, Thomson had been working to get an interview with Snowden. There was a connection with John Oliver that made the story a natural fit. Oliver had been chosen to take over as temporary host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show while Jon Stewart was making a movie. The first day Oliver hosted the show the Snowden story broke. Thomson says, “I thought it would be amazing
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to get Snowden as a guest for Last Week Tonight since he had not given any TV interviews after his actions became public and he fled the country. I wasn’t able to get Snowden for the first show; NBC News ended up getting the first interview, but I got the second interview.”
Thomson continues,“To communicate with Snowden I had to use a complicated computer encryption program so that all our messages were sent in a coded format that had to be decoded after receiving them. After months of effort I finally made some progress by tying an interview with Snowden to the congressional debate on whether to renew the Patriot Act, which had been enacted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and allowed for mass collection of telephone metadata and other records by the U.S. government. This and other provisions were set to expire on June 1, 2015. Snowden did not want the Patriot Act provisions to be renewed, so he finally agreed to an interview in April 2015 to call attention to the issue.” But before agreeing to the interview, Snowden wanted
and the encryption program we used did not allow for immediate communication. So it was beyond stressful when Snowden failed to show up for the interview. Not for the first time, I saw my career pass before my eyes.” John Oliver rattled off a hilarious stream of consciousness commentary on the odds that Snowden would show up as the clock ticked off the minutes until he finally arrived an hour late. “Thankfully he eventually showed up!”
Thomson’s interview with Stephen Hawking was also challenging. A theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Hawking was considered one of the smartest people in the world, best known for his theories and work on black holes which changed the world’s view of the universe. “I remember thinking how funny it was to be emailing with one of the greatest minds in history. There was definitely a disparity in brain power between us!” she says. Thomson recalls, “Stephen was very friendly and actually had a great sense of humor. He was excited about a joke he wrote to roast John Oliver. John asked, ‘You stated
“I remember thinking how funny it was to be emailng with one of the greatest minds in history. Stephen was very friendly and actually had a great sense of humor.” — Katie Nelson Thomson
to “meet” with John Oliver and Thomson. As he was in Russia, he devised a robot with a video screen live-streaming his face as his physical representative. She says, “ I’ve had a lot of strange, secret meetings in my career, but the conversation with the Robot Snowden, or ‘Snobot’, was definitely in the top ten. Although oddly, it was a more normal conversation than I would have thought, as I could see his face, and he could move around, turn his ‘head’ and nod, so it was a real dialogue.” After the meeting, Snowden finally agreed to an interview with Oliver. The only issue was it had to be in Moscow, where he was hiding in order to evade arrest in the U.S. John Oliver had been very critical of Vladimir Putin, and there were security concerns about him traveling to Russia, with some people advising against it, but he decided it was worth the risk. Thomson says, “Due to Snowden’s security concerns, we had no immediate way to reach him in Russia. It is the ONLY interview in my career that I arranged with no emergency contact number to reach the guest that day. Snowden’s lawyer was away on vacation,
that there could be an infinite number of parallel universes, does that mean that there is a universe out there where I am smarter than you?’ And Hawking replied, ‘Yes, and also a universe where you’re funny.’ Something else struck her about the groundbreaking 2014 interview with Hawking—a sense of foreshadowing. She says, “Stephen Hawking thought that AI was one of the greatest threats to humanity. He said that ‘Artificial Intelligence could be a real danger in the not-too-distant future. It could design improvements to itself and outsmart us all.’”
When she speaks about her current role it is clear Thomson is passionate about her work on a show which provides news perspectives in an entertaining format that affects positive change in the world. Last Week Tonight has become known for the ‘John Oliver Effect,’ its comedic commentary credited with influencing US legislation, regulations, court rulings and other aspects of US culture. The show has rallied viewers on behalf of important causes such as criminal justice reform, affordable housing and pay equity for
women. She says, “What I like about working with Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is that all the information we put out is carefully factchecked. In addition to great comedy writers, the show has top journalists so that we are putting out good, vetted info and in some cases doing some investigative reporting ourselves. And it has contributed to some positive change in the world.”
Along with booking newsmakers on the show Thomson gets A-list celebrities to tape funny bits that help bring home the points the show makes on the serious topics it covers. To that end, she has booked Lin-Manuel Miranda to write and perform a song about Puerto Rico’s debt crisis; George Clooney, Rose Byrne and Jason Sudeikis appeared in different pieces about the importance of local journalism, she arranged for Usher, Sheryl Crow, Cyndi Lauper, Heart, Imagine Dragons, John Mellencamp and Michael Bolton to sing a song the show created to demand that politicians stop using their music in campaigns without their permission. And when John Oliver did a piece about U.S. tensions with North Korea, she convinced Weird Al Yankovic to perform an original song he and the Last Week Tonight team came up with called “Please Don’t Nuke Us, North Korea” because North Koreans love the accordion.
While reflecting on the amazing path she has led and all the notable people she has met, Thomson is clearly relishing the chapter she is in now and she notes the most important lesson she has learned is that the key element in life is not to give up. She says, “I’ve always had a lot of uncertainty. I was never sure what was the right thing to say or do and I had the idea that everyone else had things figured out. But then I realized that many successful people are just as unsure; they just hide it publicly and move forward beyond it. Even Barbara Walters often struggled with ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda.’ So you need to learn from it. When you look at the most successful people, they have had terrible failures and often multiple failures but they are ones that just keep trying. They learn from it and they just keep going and they don’t give up. With her indefatigable determination, sheer fortitude and the ability to keep going against the odds, Thomson shares the roar of persistence by her very successful example. SHE ROARS
KATIE NELSON THOMSON WILL BE RECOGNIZED AT THE SRQ WOMEN WHO ROAR LEADERSHIP AND AWARDS LUNCHEON ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31. 2025. TO RESERVE YOUR TICKETS AND TABLE: SRQMAG.COM/WWR
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“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? My most significant strength is my ability to balance many responsibilities at once while still showing up fully in each role. As a lawyer, community leader, and mother of young children, my days are often filled to the brim with competing demands. Over time, I’ve learned how to prioritize, set boundaries, and stay present with whatever is in front of me. This strength allows me to make a positive impact in my leadership roles because I can keep multiple projects moving forward without losing sight of the bigger picture. By modeling balance and showing that it is possible to manage professional and personal responsibilities with intention, I hope I encourage others to pursue leadership opportunities without feeling like they must sacrifice one part of their life for another. HOW HAVE YOU DRAWN FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF YOUR PERSONAL LIFE TO TRANSFORM THE WORK YOU DO IN YOUR CAREER? It often feels like my son was born laughing. Becoming his mother has transformed the way I approach all parts of my life, including my career. He has a natural joy and contagious laugh that remind me not to take life, or work, too seriously even when it can feel overwhelming. When I carry that sense of joy into the office, I find myself more patient, collaborative, and able to connect meaningfully with colleagues and clients. Laughter has a way of putting challenges in perspective and giving me the energy to keep moving forward. Ultimately, my son has taught me that success isn’t just about hard work and achievement, but also about presence, joy, and finding fulfillment along the way. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE”?: Stay in the moment. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR My family. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS/ ORGANIZATION OR PHILANTHROPIC WORK. At Berlin Patten Ebling, we guide clients through life’s biggest occasions with trusted legal counsel and practical solutions. Known for our roots in real estate law, we handle residential and commercial transactions with precision, while also providing skilled representation in community association law, estate planning and probate, family law, land use and zoning, and civil litigation. Our team partners with individuals, families, and businesses across Florida to protect assets, resolve disputes, and move transactions forward smoothly. Collaboration, communication, and compassion are at the core of our work, making us your legal team for every stage of life.
MEDICAL DIRECTOR | HUMANE SOCIETY OF SARASOTA COUNTY
WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF SUCCESS? My story of success in the nonprofit world began as a veterinarian at the Humane Society of Manatee County (HSMC) where I was taught high-volume spay-neuter surgery techniques. During my time there, I also had the opportunity to strengthen my soft tissue surgery skills by performing lifesaving procedures for animals belonging to low-income families. I also gained valuable experience in their wellness clinic and shelter. Witnessing the day-to-day operations at HSMC sparked my passion for leadership and ultimately led me to the role of Medical Director at Animal Rescue Coalition (ARC). That role marked my first leadership experience, where I introduced new protocols, improved efficiency by utilizing advanced software, and launched a wellness program offering vaccinations to animals in the community. Inspired to grow further, I transitioned to the Humane Society of Sarasota (HSSC) as the Medical Director and shelter veterinarian. Some of my responsibilities include writing medical protocols, presenting at staff and board meetings, and collaborating with fellow directors and staff to guide the organization in maximizing impact while maintaining our capacity for care. I recently completed training in advanced orthopedic surgical techniques, performing procedures that significantly improve the quality of life of our animals. When my schedule allows, I provide relief services to assist other organizations in need of surgical support. Outside of work, I find joy in spending time with my family on camping trips and competing on my horses, Junior and Salty. I believe that personal well-being is a vital part of effective leadership—recharging allows me to return to my role with renewed focus and compassion. My greatest success in life is my three wonderful children. My husband and I strive to lead by example, showing our children that a strong work ethic can empower them to pursue and achieve any goals they wish to attain. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE”? My “secret sauce” is my unwavering commitment to animal welfare. I’m passionate about helping underserved communities and reducing overpopulation—ensuring that fewer animals ever have to enter shelters. With a strong background in surgery and the ability to manage complex medical cases, I strive to give every animal the best possible chance at a healthy, long life. I truly believe I’ve found my purpose in life—something that is both rare and deeply fulfilling. DESCRIBE YOUR OWN OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS. Work hard, play hard, be happy. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR my beautiful children, loving husband, my wonderful animals, ability to have a work-life balance, and a fulfilling career helping change the lives of animals in our community and beyond. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS/ ORGANIZATION OR PHILANTHROPIC WORK. At the Humane Society of Sarasota County, Sarasota’s premier no-kill shelter, we strive to change the lives of animals much less fortunate. Every animal that enters our facility receives the highest level of care— safe housing, mental enrichment, and comprehensive medical treatment—until they find their forever home. Through our TAILS (Together Assisting in Lifesaving Services) Program, we promote the collaboration of shelters to share resources, knowledge, and strategies in pursuit of greater lifesaving outcomes. If an animal makes it through our doors, they are truly lucky because they will receive everything they need and more.
HUMANE SOCIETY OF SARASOTA COUNTY
2331 15th Street | Sarasota, FL 34237
941.955.4131 | hssc.org | info@hssc.org
“Always do your best and give 110%; you never know who’s watching.”
Facebook: Humane Society of Sarasota County
Instagram: @humanesocietysrq
TikTok: @humanesocietysrq
"Our interest is in you.”
THE LIBERTY SAVINGS BANK “WOMEN WHO ROAR”
LIBERTY SAVINGS BANK
SARASOTA
8383 South Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34238
941.927.3629
2323 Stickney Point Road Sarasota, FL 34231
941.927.8293
VENICE
4103 S. Tamiami Trail Venice, FL 34293
941.493.9174
BRADENTON
3901 Cortez Road W. Bradenton, FL 34210
941.755.5733
LAKEWOOD RANCH
6230 University Parkway Suite 101 Lakewood Ranch, FL 34240
AT LIBERTY, OUR PASSION FOR BETTER BANKING DRIVES EVERYTHING WE DO. From mortgages to high-interest checking and savings accounts, our retail team is dedicated to making sure we provide the best services and products possible for our customers. We also believe in the power of community. Our dedicated team works and volunteers in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, striving to make it a better place to live. Together, we invest our time and efforts to create positive change and contribute to the well-being of the people in Bradenton, Sarasota and Venice.
Above, left to right: Lauren Fuller, Danielle Bachar, Crystal Creagh, Lisa Toppin, Sally Daisomont, Laura Gray and Iwona Wolas.
DANIELLE BACHAR
REGION SALES MANAGER, VP
DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS/ORGANIZATION OR PHILANTHROPIC WORK. At Liberty, we’re dedicated to providing exceptional banking and lending experiences for our clients across Sarasota-Manatee. We proudly serve a diverse range of clients, from individuals and local businesses to nonprofits. Our commitment to the community is reflected in our support for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Parkinson’s Place, and the Manatee Literacy Council, helping them achieve their missions. We also empower local businesses like Calvary Transportation, Barnes Walker Title, and Richard’s Plumbing Repair Inc. by offering customized financial solutions that help them succeed. We’re more than a bank; we’re a partner in our community’s growth.
LAURA GRAY
LENDING DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | SENIOR LIVING LOAN ADVISER
SALLY DAISOMONT
COMMUNITY BANKING DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
DESCRIBE YOUR OWN OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS
Leveraging banking knowledge for business success.
LAUREN FULLER
FINANCIAL CENTER CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER
WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE?
My greatest strength is my positive attitude, which I’ve used to make a significant impact in my community leadership role with Habitat for Humanity. By focusing on the tangible, positive results—like a family getting the keys to their new home— I helped people connect with our mission and see the direct impact of their support.
CRYSTAL CREAGH
FINANCIAL CLIENT SALES & RELATIONSHIP MANAGER
WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?. My secret sauce is simple: Enthusiasm + empathy + professional expertise, all driven by a genuine desire to see my clients succeed. I’m not just here to process transactions; I’m here to be a partner in their financial journey. I listen to their unique stories, provide tailored advice, and work tirelessly to help them achieve their goals. Their success is my success, and I’m committed to helping them win.
IWONA WOLAS
FINANCIAL CENTER SALES & RELATIONSHIP MANAGER
EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR my team. The incredible support, collaboration, and expertise that Tom, Katie, Denise, and Jaye bring to our work allows us to provide exceptional service to our clients.
LISA TOPPIN
FINANCIAL CENTER SALES & RELATIONSHIP MANAGER
WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF SUCCESS? After twenty-one years at Liberty Savings Bank you would think I have seen and heard it all… but I learn something new every day. I like being a financial “guide” for my clients and have helped them avoid fraud, grow their nest eggs and buy homes. How great is that!
HOW HAS AN EXPERIENCE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE MOTIVATED YOU? My biggest motivation comes from my parents. They’ve always been my biggest cheerleaders, and they think everything I do is great, especially my work in senior living. On top of their support, they’ve become my secret weapon. They’ve given me so many insights into the senior living journey from their own perspective. Having them as a sounding board helps me understand what my clients are going through on a deeper level, allowing me to help them and their families with more empathy and care.
“Helping people succeed inspires me to give my very best every day.”
AMY YOUNT, MBA, CPA, CCAP
PRESIDENT AND CEO | STEP UP SUNCOAST
WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? My single most significant strength is perseverance. I first discovered it in second grade when I couldn’t read like my peers. Once I saw a path forward, I worked hard and within a few years was in accelerated classes. That lesson shaped me for life. I leaned on perseverance as a young mom to earn my bachelor’s degree in accounting while working full-time, commuting for long hours, and studying late at night. I went on to pass the CPA exam and later complete my MBA in Executive Leadership, all while raising three children and working demanding jobs. Today, I draw on that same strength as President and CEO of Step Up Suncoast. In 2024, when our region was struck by back-to-back hurricanes, families were in crisis, staff were personally affected, and demand for services surged. Perseverance drove me to secure emergency funding, strengthen recovery partnerships, and support staff so they could continue serving others while rebuilding their own lives. For me, perseverance in leadership means inspiring resilience in others and ensuring the organization remains strong through adversity. HOW HAS AN EXPERIENCE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE MOTIVATED YOU? At 29, I laced up my shoes to lose weight, not realizing running would become one of the most defining lessons in my life. What began with one mile soon became three, and then a 5K. With encouragement from coworkers and my running mentor, Mary, I went on to complete many half-marathons, 12 full marathons, the Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World (39.3 miles in a single weekend), and I even coached others beginning their distance running journeys. Running showed me the power of preparation, pacing, and persistence. When the miles grew hard, I found I could accomplish my larger goal by focusing on smaller ones, simply putting one foot in front of the other. That mindset—step by step and goal by goal—is exactly how I approach challenges in life and leadership. I believe you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Even the toughest obstacles can be overcome one step at a time. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE”? My “Secret Sauce” is an unwavering passion for the mission of Step Up Suncoast. From my first interview as Fiscal Director in 2000 to my role today as President and CEO, that passion has fueled me every day. Knowing that each decision, each strengthened relationship, and each effort to inspire others helps children and families build brighter futures motivates me to always give my very best.
DESCRIBE YOUR OWN OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS. Perseverance and teamwork can move mountains! EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR Step Up Suncoast’s incredible, creative, and dedicated staff. They are so invested in our mission and inspire me daily with their passion and commitment to helping families build brighter, more stable futures. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS/ORGANIZATION OR PHILANTHROPIC WORK. Step Up Suncoast is a nonprofit Community Action Agency serving Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties. Our mission is to empower individuals and families to achieve long-term economic stability through education, support services, and community partnerships. Each year, thousands of hard-working families turn to Step Up Suncoast for early childhood education, housing and utility assistance, financial literacy, tax assistance, and workforce programs. Behind every service are dedicated staff who care deeply about helping their neighbors succeed. Together with our community partners, we open doors to opportunity and brighter futures, ensuring families have the support they need to thrive.
STEP UP SUNCOAST
6428 Parkland Drive, Sarasota, FL 34243
941.827.2887
StepUpSuncoast.org facebook.com/stepupsuncoast
CHRISTINA “CC” FREDERICKS
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SARASOTA CHILDREN’S MUSEUM DIRECTOR OF INSURANCE OPERATIONS, ATLAS INSURANCE
“I lead with heart, and my heart lives at home
first.”
WHAT IS YOUR STORY OF SUCCESS? To me, success is being the kind of leader my four kids can be proud of. I balance a career in insurance operations with founding a children’s museum—all while making it to school events and bedtime stories. My story is one of joyful juggling, big dreams, and always starting with family. WHAT IS YOUR SECRET SAUCE? Heart-first leadership, mom-strength resilience, and the ability to turn chaos into creativity. DESCRIBE YOUR OWN OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS. Build boldly. Love fiercely. Laugh daily. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR the beautiful, messy magic of motherhood.
MARGARET (CANOPYMEG) LOWMAN, PHD
FOUNDING DIRECTOR | TREE FOUNDATION
CALLED THE “REAL LIFE LORAX” BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, LOWMAN IS THE WORLD’S FIRST GLOBAL ARBORNAUT (TRANSLATION: TREETOP EXPLORER). As a shy tomboy, she was passionate about trees and nature. Becoming a forest scientist in a male-dominated field, Canopymeg crafted slingshots, harnesses, ropes, and skywalks to explore the treetops, publishing more than 200 scientific papers and 13 books. She has explored for 45+ years in 45+ countries but made Sarasota her home. Lowman co-founded TREE Foundation in 2000 to fund/build North America’s first public canopy walkway in Myakka Park. This ecotourism destination has hosted millions of kids and enhanced local economy. TREE Foundation also creates programs to immerse kids in nature, locally and globally. After Myakka’s success, Lowman launched Mission Green to fund 10 walkways in the world’s 10 most endangered forests, to employ indigenous women, conserve important forests, and inspire kids to explore nature.
“I believe that our children’s greatest inheritance is not bank accounts, jewelry, or real estate, but a healthy planet. My mantra is ‘no child left indoors.’ Enjoy nature!”
JACKIE OTT JAAKOLA PRESIDENT AND CEO | EVERYCAT HEALTH FOUNDATION
“I bring enthusiasm and a heartfelt purpose to improving the lives of animals while building community with the people who love them”.
HOW HAS AN EXPERIENCE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE MOTIVATED YOU? Through life’s challenges animals have always brought me joy—their trust, their instinct, their love, their charisma, and uniqueness. Sharing that joy, those relationships, is something that everyone should experience if they have the desire. Giving back to that human-animal connection as a career has been very rewarding. From animal training, to recreating with animals, to animal health research, to fostering animal adoptions, to wild animal rescue, I’m committed to putting my skills, energy, and passion into making a difference for animals and the people who care for them. Helping animals and their people isn’t just something I do—it’s who I am. WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? Strategic, empathetic leadership. Leading teams and collaborations is the way to achieve results bigger than you could do alone. I’ve brought this strategic and global mindset to the animal welfare community. Tackling, achieving, and celebrating success in a shared mission is so much more impactful and rewarding when you strike the balance with empathy and strategy to forge ahead. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE?” Smile and mean it—it’s up to you to find the joy in every journey. Life is too short to travel any other way. DESCRIBE YOUR OWN OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS. Share joy and be quietly bold. EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR challenges, colleagues, creativity, community, and people who care (and cats…of course, cats)!
JAMIE M. SMITH ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS / PIO
WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE, MOST SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH AND HOW HAVE YOU UTILIZED IT TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN AN ORGANIZATIONAL OR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP ROLE? My greatest strength is authentic empathy. From an early age, I learned I cannot control everything, but I can always control how I respond. Most people simply want to be heard, respected, and allowed to contribute their part. That insight shaped my philosophy to PECK my way through life—seeking perspective from lived experience, practicing empathy for myself and others, engaging in honest communication, and leading with kindness, which is at the core of who I am. HOW HAS AN EXPERIENCE IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE MOTIVATED YOU? I began working at 14, was emancipated by 16, and put myself through college. Along the way, two guiding principles shaped me: ‘Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,’ and ‘I am bound to do good to my fellow-creatures and bear with them.’ Those words continue to inspire both my resilience and my commitment to lifting others. WHAT IS YOUR “SECRET SAUCE”? My ‘secret sauce’ is the ability to connect the dots, between people, ideas, and opportunities, in ways that feel human. Whether crafting a campaign, advising during a crisis, or even breaking the ice with a selfie, I lead with authenticity and empathy. That balance of strategic thinking and personal connection has been the throughline of my leadership. DESCRIBE YOUR OWN OUTLOOK ON LIFE IN SIX WORDS. When faced with choice, PECK it! EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR the chance to try again, grow, and learn something new.
“When faced with challenge, adversity, or difficult people—choose to PECK it: lead with Perspective, Empathy, Communication, and Kindness.”
STATE COLLEGE OF FLORIDA
5840 26th St W, Bradenton, FL 34207
941.752.5000 | SCF.edu
In a world where access to comprehensive healthcare can seem hard to come by, several local organizations are working to close the gap—specifically for women. These groups are providing vital medical services ranging from reproductive care and maternal health support to preventive screenings and chronic disease management. With a focus on accessibility, education and culturally responsive care, they’re helping women take charge of their health in ways that are both accessible and impactful. This feature explores the missions behind these organizations and the real difference they’re making in the lives of women across the region.
WRITTEN BY BARBIE HEIT AND CECILIA MOULD |
HEALTH4 WOMEN
Local healthcare organizations provide the latest in comprehensive care for women.
THE SARASOTA MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION
THE SARASOTA MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION plays a vital role in supporting the hospital’s mission to deliver exceptional healthcare marked by caring, quality and innovation. From funding the purchase of cutting-edge medical equipment to supporting training and certification for SMH staff, the Foundation ensures the hospital can continue offering advanced medical care and maintain its status as one of the top hospitals in the country. Stacey Corley, President of the Foundation, highlights how the organization also helps fund critical research, especially in the area of women’s health. “While some of the clinical research that happens goes through pharmaceutical companies or medical device companies, a lot that’s developed comes through philanthropy,” she says. One key initiative focuses on women’s cancer care research, led by Toni P. Kilts, DO and Beverly J. Long, MD, both certified in gynecologic oncology. “A lot of the research they do and the team around them is supported through philanthropy, and so, we’re fortunate that donors care,” Corley explains. “A lot of times it’s because they’re grateful family members or grateful patients who experience something and they want to help the people who come after them who get the same diagnosis.” She adds that the research team has expanded significantly in recent years, tripling its number of clinical research projects since 2022. Another important program supported by the Foundation is the Women & Medicine Event, an annual educational luncheon featuring female healthcare professionals. “This event is something that people take very seriously, but it’s also fun,” says Corley. “We’ve had it in Sarasota since 2012 but this last year we added one in Venice and we had great success with over 800 people attending–over 500 guests in Sarasota and around 300 guests in Venice.” Each year covers a different topic, with last year’s covering heart disease in women. This coming year will focus on menopause and hormones.“Even with 400 or 500 people in attendance, it becomes a very intimate conversation between women in our community and women healthcare professionals,” says Director of Communications, Ticia Mahler. “Great work like this is able to continue through philanthropy and our generous donors.” Corley also notes the hospital’s workplace culture, sharing that Forbes Magazine recently ranked them number one in Florida and among the top in the country as a place for women to work. “Not only do we treat and care about women patients, but there are a lot of females here who are working hard to make sure that we’re the best at what we do, whether it’s at the Foundation or at the hospital. —B.Heit smhf.org
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.
WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER
AT THE WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER, every program is designed to empower women and tailored to meet the needs of each individual who walks through their doors. “The most important work that we do is meeting our clients where they are, addressing their needs and ultimately helping them build economic security and resiliency,” says President Ashley Brown.
At the core of the center’s efforts to build resilience are its mental health programs. “How you work, how you communicate, how you set boundaries—these all add to the stability in your world and your financial security. Strong mental health is an important piece of the overall picture of a successful person,” says Brown. Founded in 1979, the center quickly recognized the crucial role of mental health services in supporting women across all aspects of their lives. Originally focused on career development, the center soon integrated its counseling programs to help build women’s self-esteem and self-worth as they pursued success. Now, through partnerships with local therapists, the center helps women who lack insurance coverage or the financial means for counseling to access these services at affordable rates—between $5 to $50 per session. Additionally, it offers three regular, guided support groups, serving as safe and welcoming spaces for women to share their experiences. “Being able to connect with others in a similar situation and reducing that sense that you’re the only person that’s feeling the way you are is really powerful,” says Brown. From “Divorce 101” to “You Are Worthy” to “Building Your Success,” these groups bring together women with similar challenges and aspirations. Each of these groups offers not only emotional comfort but also provides women with the tools and knowledge to handle difficult situations in every area of their lives. For Brown, the mission is simple but profound—give women the strength to change their lives. At the Women’s Resource Center, that strength grows, one connection and one success story at a time. —C.Mould 941-256-9721, mywrc.org
Left to right:
Stacey Corley, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation.
Ashley Brown, Women’s Resource Center
LOTUS WOMEN’S HEALTH
SARASOTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PREGNANCY CARE TEAM
THE RECENTLY LAUNCHED PREGNANCY CARE TEAM is working to increase access to prenatal care for local women. Open to all women seeking assistance in finding a care provider, the team was formed to address a national shortage of obstetricians—a challenge that has impacted women’s ability to access prenatal care. “With need increasing and the population growing, we are also seeing fewer OBGYNs in the community, and so the availability of OB appointments for prenatal care really came to a critical point where we needed to do something quickly to help women make sure that they were getting into prenatal care,” says Director of Women’s and Children’s Services Abby Olsen. Care throughout a pregnancy is essential—Olsen says that 80 percent of obstetrical emergencies that Sarasota Memorial sees are preventable with quality prenatal care. This team, officially started in February, has already connected over 400 women with providers around the area. OB Navigators identify a patient’s insurance and any risk factors she may have in order to match patients with the best possible care. Olsen notes that 100 percent of patients who have reached out to the team for assistance have been connected to providers ahead of their deliveries. Partnerships with local OB offices and other community programs are essential to the success of this team—these local organizations refer patients struggling to access care to the Pregnancy Care Team, which in turn helps connect women with the right care provider. “An OB nurse navigator will walk through that journey with mothers and make sure that they not only have an OB provider to help them medically, but they also assess any social needs that they may need some assistance with, and get things ready so that they really are set up for the most success they can have,” says Olsen. The team provides free services to any women seeking prenatal or postnatal care for up to 12 months after delivery. As they look ahead to celebrating its first year and beyond, Olsen plans to continue assessing the broader needs of the local community and providing critical support. —C.Mould
Sarasota
Memorial Hospital Pregnancy Care Team, 941-917-MOMS (6667)
LOTUS WOMEN’S HEALTH OPENED ITS DOORS IN SEPTEMBER 2023, born out of Dr. Eduardo Aguin’s desire to break free from the constraints of corporate medicine. After years of working in systems where decisions were often made by people without medical knowledge, he knew it was time to build something different, where clinical care was guided by expertise, empathy and a deep commitment to patient advocacy. The practice began with Dr. Aguin as a solo provider, and fittingly, the very first delivery was an unforgettable one—his own daughter. That powerful experience helped shape the heart of Lotus Women’s Health. Since then, the team has grown to include Certified Nurse Midwife Angie Scarpa, whose holistic, patient-focused approach beautifully complements the practice’s mission. Together, they offer a unique blend of medical and midwifery care that truly honors the individuality of every woman they serve.At Lotus Women’s Health, women receive compassionate, expert care through every stage of life—from routine well-woman exams to advanced diagnostics, prenatal care and menopause management. The team combines state-of-the-art technology with a personalized approach to ensure the highest quality of care.“ At Lotus Women’s Health, our philosophy is rooted in patient-centered, evidence-based and compassionate care. We believe every woman deserves to feel empowered, respected and heard throughout every stage of her health journey,” says Dr. Aguin. “Our goal is to provide highquality care in a warm and supportive environment where patients are treated like individuals, not numbers. We take time to listen, educate, and advocate—because your health choices should be informed, honored and guided by providers who genuinely care.” Dr. Aguin explains that what truly sets Lotus Women’s Health apart is the personalized, relationship-based approach to care. “We are a small, close-knit team, passionate about giving women the time and attention they deserve. Unlike large corporate practices, we are free to focus entirely on what’s best for our patients without outside interference. We treat our patients like our own family, offering not only clinical excellence but also trust, comfort and genuine emotional support. Whether it’s a routine check-up or a life-changing birth, our patients know they are in compassionate, capable hands.” —B.Heit Lotus Women’s Health, 1846 Rye Rd E, Bradenton, lotuswomenhealth.com 914-302-9977.
Abby Olsen, Sarasota Memorial Hospital Pregnancy Care Team. Below: Below: Dr. Eduardo Aguin, Angie Scarpa Lotus Women’s Health
CENTERPLACE HEALTH WOMEN’S HEALTH SERVICES
CENTERPLACE HEALTH, A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER serving patients in and around Sarasota County, provides a wide range of women’s health services with a focus on accessibility and affordability. Their integrated care model addresses medical, behavioral health and social needs, providing care for women throughout their lives, from adolescence through post-menopause.CenterPlace Health offers a comprehensive range of key medical services focused on women’s health. Their preventive and gynecological care includes annual exams such as Pap tests, mammogram referrals, routine physicals, family planning and a variety of contraception options. They also address specific gynecological concerns and provide screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). For women during pregnancy, the center offers full maternity and prenatal care, covering the entire journey from prenatal visits to postpartum support, and provides referrals for ultrasounds and specialized care when necessary. Birth deliveries are coordinated through a partnership with Sarasota Memorial Hospital. In addition, CenterPlace Health integrates behavioral health services into its care model, offering counseling, therapy and support programs—such as maternity support—through a team of licensed clinical social workers, psychiatrists and other professionals dedicated to supporting women’s emotional and mental well-being.The organization focuses on the whole person. They understand that factors like economic stability, housing and nutrition play a significant role in a person’s well-being. Their team of certified, culturally diverse community health workers and case managers assists patients to ensure they have access to services to improve their health and well-being. This includes nutrition counseling, transportation assistance, insurance enrollment, and help with finding community resources, which are essential for women and their families.“Partnership is at the heart of CenterPlace Health’s success. We work closely with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, the Department of Health and other nonprofits to create a care model that profoundly impacts women and children. The generous investment from our local foundations and donors allows us to serve everyone, especially the most vulnerable,” says Chief Advancement and Engagement Officer, Christine Coviello. “We know that by caring for them, we are building a stronger, healthier future for all.” CenterPlace Health provides care for women at several locations throughout Sarasota County, including a dedicated Women and Children’s Health Center. They accept a variety of insurance plans, including Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. For uninsured patients, they offer a sliding fee scale based on income, ensuring that essential women’s health services, such as family planning and prenatal care, are accessible to those who might otherwise go without. —B.Heit Women and Children’s Health Center, 1750 17th Street, Bldg E, Sarasota, 941- 529-0100, centerplacehealth.org
FIRST 1,000 DAYS SUNCOAST
SARASOTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LAUNCHED FIRST 1,000 DAYS in 2018 to support families and connect them with local resources. Now, the initiative has more than 90 partner organizations in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties and has developed a family navigation program which specifically aims to connect families with local nonprofit organizations according to their needs and reduce the stress on families in their children’s early years. “Research has shown that growing up with the stress and anxiety of living in poverty can have a significant impact on the health and well being of children. And so if we can reduce that stress by connecting parents with the basic resources that they need, then we know that they can do their most important job, which is to support and love and nurture their children,” says Director Chelsea Arnold. After connecting parents with the essential resources offered by partner organizations, family navigators check in regularly to ensure that families’ needs are being met. Each day, Navigators Tina Wilson and Renee King reach out to parents who have filled out the program’s online assistance request form and assess how the team can best support them. “A lot of parents and mothers don’t know the potential that they have. We’re really trying to empower them, and I think that is really our mission, is getting different organizations to start working together to help the families as much as we can and ultimately build healthier communities,” says Wilson. First 1,000 Days helps families meet a broad range of needs, including housing, childcare, food, employment, Medicaid and baby supplies. This year, the program has assisted 283 families, meeting each where they are, whether a family is looking for a quick connection to childcare resources or ongoing support. “It varies based on the degree of need, but parents always know that they can come back to us again,” says Arnold. “Sometimes we’ll help someone, and then five months later they’ll reach out again, or two years later, they’ll reach out again. We’re really that warm line of various connections to care.” —C.Mould First 1,000 Days, first1000dayssuncoast.org
Christine Coviello, Centerplace
Tina Wilson and Renee King, First 1,000 Days Suncoast
