registered high with voters at Gold. On the lighter side, LOKEY’S ESCAPE ROOMS thrilled survey participants and picked up Silver, while THE BAZAAR ON APRICOT & LIME, where the young children of retailers can often be seen hawking wares, secured Bronze. Honorable Mentions went to Albritton Fruit Farms, Hart & Hart Financial Services, Molly’s/New Balance/Fleet Feet, Sarasota Ford, Voigt Brothers Construction, Tropical Shores Gourmet Popcorn, Ocerturf’s Floor and Fabric Care and Horizon Mortgage Company. -JO Roberta Hamilton (on Toale Brothers): When the end is in sight, a person wants a professional and trustworthy company. Toale Brothers on Orange meets the challenge. Andrew Morris (on Lokey’s): It’s not just because they are family owned but is directly a reflection of the family that owns Lokey’s. There is an obsessive attention to detail that others are simply not doing. From script writing, puzzles, the help that’s received, the fully immersive environment, character development and all of it working together to engage the participant. Platinum
garages for each unit, up to date amenities and timeless architecture. The vast majority of owners are active participants in the meeting and board processes which creates the sense that it is their building. Platinum Winner- Savoy on Palm / Gold Winner- Epoch Sarasota.
BEST LUXURY APARTMENT BUILDING CitySide Apartments
You don’t have to purchase a piece of paradise to enjoy the good life. The Sarasota market, particularly in the Rosemary District, in recent years saw a substantial increase in luxury apartment offerings. Readers voted for CITYSIDE APARTMENTS as the resounding Platinum winner. Zip around the corner to Gold winner ARCOS SARASOTA or THE DESOTA, which placed in Silver.-JO Sean Clark (on ARCOS): I have rented here since September of 2020 and have nothing but good things to say about it—all new appliances in the units, fantastic amenities from the spa-like pool, common party area, grills, dog cleaning and walking areas, workout room/ gym, to the massage/nail salon rooms and sauna.
Winner- Cakes by Ron / Gold Winner- Toale Brothers Funeral Homes / Silver Winner- Lokey’s Escape Rooms / Bronze Winner- The Bazaar at Apricot and Lime
Platinum Winner- CitySide Apartments / Gold WinnerARCOS Sarasota / Silver Winner- The DeSota.
BEST LOCAL ONLINE CLASS
Waterside Town Center
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College Students of all ages received an important lesson: you don’t need a classroom to continue learning. This curious community found ways to continue gathering knowledge through virtual education, including from local online classes. The OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE AT RINGLING COLLEGE set the curve for our readers, winning Platinum. In Gold, the MUSIC COMPOUND played on. LET’S CREATE ART inspired the votes to win Silver place, while ANNE ABGOTT WATER COLORS filled in the list for Bronze. -JO Michael Brosnahan(on OLLI): OLLI offers an array of interesting, stimulating classes to broaden the horizons of lifelong learners. Meeting the challenges of Covid, They provided courses and lectures on ZOOM while opening some classrooms safely. The instructors are well-prepared, creative and enthusiastic. OLLI is an excellent way to grow intellectually or delve into a new area of interest while meeting interesting people in our community. Platinum Winner- OLLI / Gold Winner- Music Compound / Silver Winner- Let’s Create Art / Bronze Winner- Anne Abgott Watercolors.
BEST LUXURY CONDOMINIUM Savoy on Palm
You can’t beat a luxury space in Sarasota as a place to be stuck. We asked about lux living for the region and readers pointed to the SAVOY ON PALM condo tower in Downtown as Platinum. In Gold, voterd noted EPOCH SARASOTA, a modern tower offering panoramic views -JO Dick Rivera (on Savoy on Palm): The Savoy on Palm is a small building (24 condominiums) which has an intimate feel because of its size, individual parking
BEST NEW HOME COMMUNITY One industry that never slowed down last year was construction. And readers moving into these dream homes have no regrets. The best place to build? Voters picked WATERSIDE TOWN CENTER IN LAKEWOOD RANCH as the Platinum winner. PROMENADE ESTATE ON PALMER RANCH by D.R. Horton earned enough votes to win Gold while NORTH RIVER RANCH ended up in Silver. Another D.R. Horton community, GARDEN VILLAGE, had a strong enough foundation of support for a Bronze finish. An Honorable Mention goes to Mattamy Homes’ Sunrise Preserve at Palmer Ranch. -JO Joe Harris (on Waterside Town): I own a home there in Waterside in Lakehouse Cove. Great amenities! The future Waterside Shoppes that will be available this July making the Waterside communities the hot place in the area for all to enjoy. Platinum WinnerWaterside Town Center / Gold Winner- Promenade Estate / Silver Winner- North River Ranch / Bronze Winner- Garden Village.
BEST ORGANIZATION TO PROVIDE COVID-19 SUPPORT Children First
Assistance seemed the hardest product to find for a period last year, but plenty of local entities stepped up to offer special COVID-19 support. CHILDREN FIRST proved Platinum among them, according to voters, for turning the attention of its family services toward the home. The SARASOTA COUNTY CARES ACT, approved by county commissioners, gave straight government help to folks and won Gold in our poll. The adjusted services available through CAT DEPOT landed the more-than-just-a-pet-shelter in Silver, while WILLIS A. SMITH CONSTRUCTION’S support programs placed the private contractor in Bronze. Honorable Mention goes to JFCS of the Suncoast.-JO
LeeAnne Swor (on Sarasota County/CARES Act): Providing relief for my business during the COVID pandemic. The application wasn’t overwhelming and the grant came sooner than expected. Small businesses have been hit so hard, this money really helped us keep our staff paid and employed. We are going to survive as we have amazing clients and the CARES act gave us that added boost we needed. Great job Sarasota. Platinum Winner- Children First / Gold Winner- Sarasota County CARES Act / Silver Winner- Cat Depot / Bronze Winner- Willis A. Smith Construction.
BEST BRADENTON CITY / MANATEE COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIAL Commissioner Reggie Bellamy
There’s only one Democrat serving on the Manatee County Commission. But according SRQ’s readership, COUNTY COMMISSIONER REGGIE BELLAMY has stood out in the county as its greatest leader. For the first time, he won Platinum in this category. Right behind him is MANATEE COUNTY COMMISSIONER GEORGE KRUSE, a newcomer to the board who landed in Gold the first year he was eligible. -JO Catherine Lafuente (on Reggie Bellamy): He issued a proclamation declaring racism a public health issue in Manatee County. It was really heartening for me to see the disparities in our area addressed. There are a variety of data-driven reasons that Bellamy saw fit to issue such a proclamation. Platinum Winner- Manatee County Commissioner Reggie Bellamy / Gold WinnerManatee County Commissioner George Kruse.
BEST SARASOT CITY / SARASOTA COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIAL Commissioner Christian Ziegler
We realize every elected official in the region earned their title by winning enough votes, but who stands out among this group? SRQ’s readership gave high marks to SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSIONER CHRISTIAN ZIEGLER, who won Platinum. But high marks also went to SARASOTA CITY COMMISSIONER LIZ ALPERT, who won re-election and Gold in our reader poll. SARASOTA MAYOR HAGEN BRODY came in at Bronze. -JO Dan Miller (on Christian Ziegler): He fights for the citizens of Sarasota County every day. I would like to see him one day as Governor or better yet, President Ziegler. Debbie Plotts (on Christian Ziegler): Christian first and foremost is a great person and family man. He truly cares about people and this community. No matter how small the issue, Christian will take the time to listen to you not just hear you “listen to you”. No matter what the answer is he will take the time to follow up and explain how he or his colleagues came to the decision they did. Carolyn Mason (on Liz Alpert): Commissioner Alpert has proven to be consistent and even-keeled in her handling of her duties as an elected official. She is always respectful and does her homework. Platinum Winner- Sarasota County Commissioner Christian Ziegler / Gold Winner- Sarasota City Commissioner Liz Alpert / Silver Winner- Sarasota Mayor Hagen Brody.
116 | srq magazine_ APR21 live local
FEATURE_V5-APR21_BOSRQ.indd 116
3/17/21 12:58 PM