Manatee County broke ground on Valor Commons on Jan. 14.
The $40 million veterans hub in Palmetto started as a drawing on a napkin, said Commissioner Jason Bearden (above), a Lakewood Ranch resident who is a retired U.S. Marine.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard credited Bearden for the project coming to fruition.
“It would not have happened without him,” she said. “He’s been the driving force behind this project.”
When complete, Valor Commons will feature a veterans resource center, walking trails, memorial installations and public event spaces for ceremonies and gatherings.
“We’re going to be a county where veterans want to move,” Bearden said.
pitbull mix Big Mac. It was a Main Street Market day, which takes place once a month. They saw the event as a perfect opportunity to socialize their pups. They recently adopted Big Mac from Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue Center.
They couldn’t leave the market without purchasing a couple of dog treats. At the Pet Wants booth, they picked out two dog chew items — a cow cheek treat and a braided collagen.
“Vendors are original, unique and different,” Jodi Rilyn said.
The next markets are Feb. 14, March 14 and April 11.
East Manatee Fire Rescue sells the old Myakka City firehouse to help form a public safety compound.
Bradenton Estates II is being proposed near the intersection of 18th Avenue East and Morgan Johnson Road.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Despite Yoder Land Holdings LLC
lowering its proposed density from up to 234 single-family homes down to 80 homes, the Manatee County Planning Commission unanimously recommended that its proposal for Bradenton Estates II be denied.
The proposal combines 11 parcels to make up approximately 80 acres located off of 18th Avenue East near its intersection with Morgan Johnson Road. The property is currently zoned Suburban Agricultural. The request is to rezone the parcels to Planned Development Residential.
The Planning Commission makes recommendations, but the Manatee County Commission makes the final decision. The hearing before commissioners is scheduled for Feb. 12 at the Manatee County Administration Building at 1112 Manatee Ave. W.
Meetings begin at 9 a.m.
While there are 80 homes proposed for 80 acres, not all 80 acres can be developed.
Wetlands account for just over 3 acres. Ponds take up nearly 15 acres, and almost 9 acres lie within an easement held by Florida Power & Light.
When whittled down, there’s about 53 acres, but the proposal clusters the homes on approximately 20 acres on the north end of the site.
The two-story home sites are proposed to be 6,000 square feet each.
In addition to density issues, residents and planning commissioners alike expressed concerns over traffic on Morgan Johnson Road.
ADDITIONAL PROJECTS SEEKING APPROVAL
Here are the East County projects commissioners will be voting on at the next land use meeting scheduled for Jan. 28 at the Manatee County Administration Building at 1112 Manatee Ave. W. Meetings begin at 9 a.m.
Zipperer Road rezone: The request is to rezone 55.79 acres along Zipperer Road near State Road 64 to build up to 167 single family homes. The Planning Commission recommended approval Dec. 11 in a 3-2 vote with Rob Brown and Bruce Stamm in opposition and Alyssa Gay absent. Lorraine Road rezone: The request is to rezone 19.51 acres along Lorraine Road near 44th Avenue East to build up to 232 multifamily units. The Planning Commission recommended denial Sept. 11 in a 6-0 vote with Alyssa Gay absent. State Road 64 and Bourneside Boulevard rezone: The request is to rezone 18.58 acres on the southwest corner of State Road 64 and Bourneside Boulevard to build up to 250,000 square feet of commercial development. The Planning Commission recommended approval Aug. 14 in a 6-0 vote with Cindy Kebba absent.
“Morgan Johnson operates at Level of Service C,” said Michael Yates with Palm Traffic. “I understand the perception is that it’s over capacity, but Morgan Johnson Road is not a failing roadway.”
Board member Matt Bower said there’s often a disconnect between the level of service and “the boots on the ground,” which are the residents in the community.
The problem Bower noted was pointed out by Patricia Petruff, an attorney who is often representing others during public hearings, but is a landowner in this case.
She wrote a letter to the Planning Commission in regards to the access point for the project. There’s only one access off of 18th Avenue East, which raises concerns about the intersection at 18th Avenue East and Morgan Johnson Road.
Petruff called the intersection “dangerous during (rush hours).”
“I would appreciate it if staff would review the traffic patterns closely during preliminary construction plan approval,” Petruff wrote in her letter. “I suggest that a left-hand turn lane be put in on both sides of 18th Avenue East.”
Yates said the traffic studies required for the general development plan “demonstrated that the intersection operates within the acceptable standards by code,” so there’s no requirement for a turn lane.
Bower responded that the county is too often working from behind on traffic issues, instead of getting out in front of them. He noted that there are no traffic lights on Morgan Johnson Road to allow residents to pull out, so they sit for significant amounts of time trying to turn right or left from 18th Avenue East.
When the project’s density was up at 234 units, there was a plan to install a southbound left turn lane from 18th Avenue East. But Yates said the volume simply doesn’t warrant a recommendation with the lowered density.
Board member Bruce Stamm noted the plan omits bike lanes and sidewalks along 18th Avenue East. Yates said they’re not required by code.
There’s a new Sheriff’s station in town
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is buying the old fire station on Wauchula Road in Myakka City.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
About 18 months ago, East Manatee Fire Rescue Chief
Lee Whitehurst was driving on Wauchula Road in Myakka City when he noticed something odd.
“I saw all the range deputies lined up with the windows down, talking in front of our fire station,” he said.
Whitehurst inquired with Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Rob Hendrickson as to why the deputies had their cars lined up. Hendrickson said they were having their morning meeting.
The sighting led Whitehurst to an idea that is essentially creating a public safety compound in the heart of Myakka City. East Manatee Fire Rescue is selling its old fire station to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire district built a $6 million, 10,500-square-foot station next door to the old station. While the official grand opening was held in November 2024, Hurricane Helene in September caused the crew to relocate earlier than planned.
The premature move also gave Hendrickson and his four deputies a homebase through the storm that was equipped with a generator, WiFi, a kitchen, restrooms and beds, although none of the deputies got any sleep.
Since then, the arrangement has informally stayed in place. While the deputies don’t hang around the station because their job is to patrol, they’ve been storing equipment in the bay area.
ONE NAY VOTE
Commissioners approved the sale Jan. 6 in a 5-1 vote with Commissioner Carol Felts in opposition and Commissioner Jason Bearden absent.
Felts wanted the $850,000 purchase price negotiated down since EMFR has been allowing the Sheriff’s Office to use the space for free over the past year.
“Myakka City, or the unincorporated area of Myakka, already paid for this building with their tax dollars,” she said. “Now, we’re going to pay for it again.”
However, EMFR Chief Lee Whitehurst said selling the old station was always part of the district’s plan.
EMFR has been debt free for over 20 years, so the plan is to get back to that state as quickly as possible.
Before building the new station, the district’s board decided that the property would be split in two and the old station would be sold to help pay down the loan sooner.
The station and land were originally appraised at over $1 million, so EMFR is selling to MCSO at a reduced rate, but it will still allow the district to pay off the loan at the end of three years.
“It’s a safe feeling for us,” Whitehurst said. “In a year and a half, we will be debt free again.”
As Felts suggested, EMFR could have sold the property to a developer to build a car wash or storage unit on the property, but Whitehurst said EMFR cares about the community, so they were willing to take less than the appraised value to keep the Sheriff’s Office next door.
THE POSSIBILITIES
For now, the Sheriff’s Office is focused on solving a storage problem. Sheriff Rick Wells said equipment, such as the airboat and truck used for high water rescues, are scattered across the county.
They would be better located near the Myakka River where most high water rescues take place. Even the ATVs that are used regularly in Myakka didn’t have a place to be stored. The deputies were taking them home.
They would have to make room in their garages and find a place where
STATION 11
The first Station 11 was built on Wauchula Road in 1995 by the Myakka City Fire Rescue. It became an East Manatee Fire Rescue asset when the two districts merged in 2021. The station is 6,489 square feet with four bays and living quarters. The new station was built with expanded living quarters to accommodate more than one crew during emergencies. It’s 10,500 square feet and cost $6 million to build.
Beyond the $850,000 purchase price for the old fire station, the roof over the bays will need repairs due to a leak.
Other than that, the building remains in good condition.
they could be left charging.
When needed, the deputies would have to travel back home to retrieve the ATVs.
If a truck broke down or popped a tire, the deputy would have to travel an hour to Manatee County’s fleet facility in Palmetto. Now, they keep a spare truck and tires in the bay, too.
Not having to travel to retrieve a vehicle can cut response times by two hours in some cases.
Another major benefit to the community likely will be seen during the next hurricane. As it stands, the distribution center following a storm is set up at the Myakka City Community Center, which Hendrickson said backs up quickly with cars because of its limited space.
Now, the old fire station can be used as a distribution center. The supplies can be stocked in the bays, and residents can easily pull in and pull out to get what they need.
Pulling in and out of the bays during Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton was easier on the deputies, too.
EMFR moved out of that station because it wasn’t up to the latest hurricane standards. If a Category 3 hurricane or higher was looming, the crews would evacuate to the Myakka City Elementary School next door.
Hendrickson said the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t have the same issues as the fire district. It doesn’t have
people living in the station around the clock, and its vehicles aren’t taken off the road when wind speeds reach 50 mph.
“Their vehicles have so much wind surface, they will get blown over,” Hendrickson said. “At the Sheriff’s Office, we decide if we can make it or not.”
Hendrickson recalled a generator going down in the middle of Hurricane Ian. He jumped in his truck to go meet a farmer. They fixed a radiator hose and got the generator up and running, but the fire rescue can’t respond to calls like that in the height of a storm.
Hendrickson stressed that his deputies are rarely sitting still, so while things could change down the line, it’s not the type of substation where someone can walk in and get immediate assistance.
Someone is always at the fire station, so help is available and the two teams regularly work together.
“(The firefighters) answer a lot of calls,” Hendrickson said. “There are times where if we see them rolling, we’ll just follow. They’re a great group of guys, both fire and EMS.”
But the deputies have their own concerns. Two search warrants were issued over the past year, and the old fire station served as a meeting place. Multiple units were able to come together to make a game plan before heading out to the locations.
“Most of the residents I talked to are happy about (the Sheriff’s Office moving into the station),” Hendrickson said.
ONLY IN MYAKKA
Sgt. Rob Hendrickson said the new substation off Wauchula Road will provide a place to store his fishing pole, too. He noted that it doesn’t look good when he’s driving around with it in the back of his Sheriff’s Office truck, but it is official police gear. Occasionally, we have to go catch a gator,” he said. “My unit — we do a lot of wildlife rescues.”
Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue Center has offered Hendrickson animal crates of all sizes, but up until now, he’s had no place to store them.
While Nate’s rescues dogs and cats, the first animal that came to Hendrickson’s mind to use as an example of what might end up in one of those crates was an owl.
“Myakka City, or the unincorporated area of Myakka, already paid for this building with their tax dollars. Now, we’re going to pay for it again.”
The old Station 11, owned by East Manatee Fire Rescue, is being sold to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Commissioner Carol Felts pushes for a negotiation on the purchase price of the old fire station, but is outvoted 5-1.
Sgt. Rob Hendrickson covers Myakka City for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Commissioner Carol Felts
TOURCRUISEFISH
Manatee County is seeking four residents to be part of its advisory committee on infrastructure sales tax.
The committee makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners. According to a Manatee County press release, it prepares an annual report that reviews spending of the half-cent infrastructure sales tax that was approved by voters in 2016.
Those who apply must live in unincorporated Manatee County.
The term lasts for two years. The committee meets periodically at the Manatee County Administrative Center, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
Applications can be found at MyManatee.org and are due Feb. 9. For more information, call 745-3773 or email Candice.Cruz@MyManatee. org.
It was a good year for buying condos and townhomes in Manatee County
For those who were seeking a condo or townhome in Manatee County, the time was right in 2025.
The Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee released its year-end report for 2025, noting that closed sales increased by 4.8% to 2,719 units for the year in Manatee County while the median sales price fell 8.6% to $310,000 while the average price declined 12% to $347,008.
Sellers of condos and townhomes and Manatee County received 92.6% of their original listing price according to the report.
The reported noted the following trends for 2025.
Sales Activity — Sarasota County posted a 9.3% increase in single-family home sales (8,183 sales), while its townhouse/condo segment declined 4.3% to 3,295 units. Manatee County showed the opposite pattern, with single-family sales up just 0.5% (7,521 homes) and condo/ townhouse sales up 4.8% (2,719 units).
Median Sales Price — Single-fam-
ily median prices eased to $474,700 in Sarasota (–6%) and $475,000 in Manatee (–5 %). Condo prices fell more sharply, dropping 15.3% to $325,000 in Sarasota and 8.6% to $310,000 in Manatee.
Inventory — Sarasota’s single-family inventory fell to 3,211 listings (4.7 months supply), while condo inventory expanded to 2,231 units (8.1 months). Manatee’s single-family inventory increased to 2,687 homes (4.3 months), whereas condo inventory remained stable around 1,480 units (6.5 months).
Speed of Sales — Homes generally took longer to sell compared with 2024. The median time to sale was 99 days for Sarasota single-family homes and 104 days in Manatee. Condos experienced the slowest pace at 112 days to sale in Sarasota and 115 days in Manatee.
Nine AEDs donated to Manatee County clerk’s office
The Defibrillate Manatee Foundation and The Mosaic Co. have donated automated external defibrillators to the Manatee County Clerk and Comptroller’s Office. Four were given by the foundation and The Mosaic Company in September while the foundation donated the other five in November.
The county now has four automated external defibrillators at its Historic Courthouse, and one each at the Historic Records Library, Manatee Village Historical Park, the Manatee County Agricultural Museum, the Palmetto Historical Park, and the Florida Maritime Museum. Ernie Withers had established the Defibrillate Manatee Foundation in 2023 through a fund from the Manatee Community Foundation. He had collapsed at Pirate City in Bradenton during a Manatee Chamber event was saved by an on-site AED.
The Defibrillate Manatee Foundation has since donated 275 AEDs, AED simulators, CPR mannequins, and CPR training kits to organizations.
“I am grateful for the second chance at life that I have been given, and I want to ensure that others have the same opportunity,” Withers said in a release. “
Trash among a collection of hot topics
Commissioner Bob McCann says residents have demanded that a discussion of trash, kennels and canopy roads be added to the Jan. 27 agenda.
LESLEY DWYER
istrict 5 Commissioner Bob McCann said too many Manatee County residents are not being heard.
Residents regularly attend commission meetings to make comments and to request certain issues be placed on future meeting agendas so they can be reviewed by commissioners.
However, McCann said the majority of those requests are overlooked, so he added three items to the Jan. 27 commission meeting agenda — garbage collection, the dog kennels at the Bishop Animal Shelter and the preservation of canopy roads. He said residents have shown much concern about these issues.
NO. 1: GARBAGE COLLECTION
Manatee County’s decision to cut garbage collection to once a week was one of the Observer’s most read stories in 2025. Residents from every corner of the county have complained about the service cuts since they were implemented in October.
McCann said there are different needs in different areas, and the public should be heard on the issues they’re experiencing.
He called the community cleanup days an inadequate response to residents’ complaints about the cost of bulk pickup, which is $59 per item. The cleanup days require residents to drop off their trash at a designated site.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard broached the issue of bulk pickup during the county’s strategy session Dec. 3. While a discussion ensued, no decisions were made.
Ballard called large items a “huge problem” in District 2. She said residents are concerned that their neighborhoods are deteriorating because of trash sitting
IF YOU GO
Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. The commission meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 27. Residents can also submit written comments and call into the meeting. Visit AgendaOnline.MyManatee. org/OnBaseAgendaOnline/ for more details.
Commissioner Bob McCann is also offering residents a more informal chance to discuss issues of concern. He’s holding a Town Hall meeting at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall Feb. 2 from 6-8 p.m.
have four bags of Styrofoam picked up by the county’s hauler or pay $10 and take two trips back and forth to the Lena Road Landfill. The tipping fees at the landfill are $5 per car, but four oversized bags of Styrofoam don’t fit into a car.
Instead, Peters asked six neighbors to allow him to stuff Styrofoam into their bins on Sunday nights after they pulled them to the curb. It took about three weeks to get rid of all the leftover packaging.
Peters described the exercise as both funny and absurd.
He also complained that not all items are as clear cut as a single bag of Styrofoam. Peters had some unbundled yard waste, which is considered an “extraordinary service” when not placed in a container or bundled, so the pickup fee is $45 per cubic yard.
When Peters called for pickup and an estimate, he was told to picture a washing machine to estimate the size of a cubic yard.
“They wouldn’t give me an estimate,” he said. “They want you to give them free reign over your account (to charge any price).”
Director of Utilities Patrick Shea said the county is looking at several options to make the bulk pickup easier on residents.
Software currently used by Code Enforcement is being evaluated to see if it can provide estimates. The idea is that residents would snap a photo of the unbundled waste on the curb and the software would calculate an estimate.
kennel expansion Dec. 17, an anonymous letter was circulated to residents accusing the county of wasting taxpayer money on substandard prefab kennels. The kennels were described as too small and inadequate to shelter dogs comfortably. Residents have aired those same complaints at commission meetings.
Manatee County is investing $12 million to expand and modernize Bishop with multiple play areas, additional security measures, air conditioned dog dormitories and upgraded medical services.
However, nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition on Change. org to “demand a functional animal shelter facility for our community.”
not rational because the county has to work with a finite amount of tax dollars.
“I don’t care what complaints you have about that shelter, nobody can look me in the eye and say that the Palmetto shelter is a better alternative for these dogs than what is now at Bishop,” Kruse said. “These are substantially better than what is there now.”
NO. 3: CANOPY ROADS
McCann will be looking for support from his fellow commissioners to instruct staff to bring back an ordinance that will preserve canopy roads in Manatee County.
alongside the streets.
Other residents are finding their own solutions.
Bradenton’s Christopher Peters remodeled his kitchen and was left with loads of Styrofoam from the appliances’ packaging. With the new collection system, Peters had two options — pay $236 to
Shea said a conversion calculator has also been discussed so residents can better understand what counts as one item. For example, three pieces of plywood count as one item, but one sectional couch counts as more than one item.
NO. 2: DOG KENNELS
Before Manatee County could cut the ribbon on its Bishop Animal Shelter
McCann visited the shelter Jan. 15. After viewing the kennels, he called them adequate for dogs, but not what was promised. In his view, residents are upset because they were promised a state-of-the-art facility and got a “doggy trailer park.”
“I don’t know why the county is in this business, anyway,” McCann said. “Bishop was donated to the county, and now it’s become a maintenance nightmare with expensive costs.”
Commissioner George Kruse said he welcomes “rational suggestions” from the public, but putting the kennels in the dump and starting over is
Zipperer Road is one that residents have fought to preserve recently. At the Dec. 11 Planning Commission meeting, Simply Dwell Homes and M/I Homes of Sarasota presented a proposal to build a combined 289 homes on approximately 100 acres. Residents complained that the projects would wipe out the trees that provide a canopy over Zipperer Road.
McCann said preserving canopy roads also preserves the scenic beauty of Manatee County. Additionally, the roads provide shade, wind protection, and a noise barrier, and also aid in the reduction of air pollution and the absorption of rain water.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Manatee County continues to receive complaints about its reduced garbage service.
Commissioner Bob McCann tells concerned residents at the Jan. 6 commission meeting that he’ll add garbage and the dog kennels at the Bishop Animal Shelter to the Jan. 27 meeting agenda.
Japanese blueberry tree serves as gift to celebration of life center
Gardeners Out East of Lakewood Ranch thanks Robert Toale and Sons Celebration of Life Center for donating use of its facility.
MADISON
BIERL STAFF WRITER
hen you hear the word holiday, certain ones tend to come to mind.
You probably don’t think about Arbor Day, and certainly you wouldn’t consider one that is not the national Arbor Day, which falls on April 24.
Nonetheless, Florida celebrates its state Arbor Day on Jan. 16, and the Gardeners Out East club of Lakewood Ranch was determined to make it special.
“Trees are so important and often we don’t recognize what trees actually do for us,” said Carolyn LowryNation, the founder of Gardeners Out East. “They filter the air ... they provide shade.”
Gardeners Out East donated a tree and a plaque to Robert Toale and Sons Celebration of Life Center as a gesture of gratitude and appreciation for use of the funeral home as a meeting space for the last four years.
THE TREE’S ROOTS
Japanese blueberry tree facts from the University of Florida:
■ The scientific name for the tree is Elaeocarpus dentatus.
■ It can grow to approximately 40 feet.
■ The tree should be pruned so trunks and branches do not rub each other.
To learn more, visit Hort.IFas. UFL.edu/Woody/Pages/ELaden/ELaden.shtml
This tree replaces an oak that was lost during Hurricane Milton.
Christine Lawson, the secretary of Gardeners Out East, gave a description of Arbor Day and explained why Florida celebrates in January instead of April.
“We plant our trees now because they’re dormant,” Lawson said.
“They have a better chance of surviving because of the temperatures at this compared to the middle of the summer, when they’ll just fry.”
Lowry-Nation, who founded Gardeners Out East in 2014, said the celebration of life center is so deserv-
Gardeners Out East
President Nancy Schneider gives the plaque for the Japanese blueberry tree the group donated to Simone Rose, who works as the office manager for Robert Toale & Sons Celebration of Life Center.
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ing of some recognition for what it does for the community.
“We looked for an event that would fall into place, and (Florida) Arbor Day was it,” Lowry-Nation said. “January’s kind of darn boring anyway, and what’s more cheery than that beautiful tree out there?”
Simone Rose, the office manager for Robert Toale and Sons Celebration of Life Center, accepted the plaque at the meeting on Arbor Day.
“They come in smiling and they always have something interesting going on,” Rose said of Gardeners Out East. “They are well connected in the native plant and gardening community. They’ve opened up my eyes to so many interesting speakers and events. We just love them.”
Karen Eckert, a member of Gardeners Out East since 2015, was the one to decide the club would plant a Japanese blueberry tree, which will not make a mess in the parking lot and can be easily shaped.
“She (Eckert) decided to put the right tree in the right place, rather
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than trying to put a native plant that probably would be overgrown,” said Nancy Schneider, the club president.
“The tree doesn’t drop its leaves and it’s a beautifully shaped tree.”
Jeff Toale is the vice president of development for Robert Toale and Sons Celebration of Life Center. He is grateful to provide a space for Gardeners Out East. Toale has occasionally listened during the garden club meetings to learn more about plants.
“It’s definitely opened my mind to know how much thought, care and maintenance goes into maintaining a beautiful landscape in Florida,” Toale said. “I’ve learned a lot and have a different appreciation for our beautiful landscape.”
Toale said he hopes Gardeners Out East continues to find the space comfortable enough to meet.
“We appreciate every time we’re here,” Schneider said. “They’ve been wonderful — anything we’ve asked for, they’ve been helpful. We can’t say enough.”
Gardeners Out East founder Carolyn Lowry-Nation and President Nancy Schneider wanted to make sure Jeff Toale, vice president of development for Robert Toale & Sons Celebration of Life Center, knows how much they appreciate having a space to meet.
Photos by Madison Bierl
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EYES TO THE SKIES
The Sarasota Audubon Society hosts Lakewood Ranch walks in the hopes of generating interest in the club.
HEATER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
It was a small bird, the kind you hardly notice if you are taking a walk around Lake Patton in Lakewood Ranch.
That’s unless you are walking with Aaron Virgin.
“That’s a loggerhead shrike,” Virgin said, after taking a quick glance toward a tree that bordered the lake.
A what?
“A loggerhead shrike.”
For those who aren’t familiar with the loggerhead shrike, note that it is named the butcherbird due to its carnivorous tendencies for consuming amphibians, lizards, and small mammals and birds.
Virgin, an employee of the American Bird Conservancy, and a member of both the Manatee County Audubon Society and the Sarasota Audubon Society, has led bird walks for years with members of the Audubon societies.
The Sarasota Audubon Society is hoping Virgin can stir up interest among Lakewood Ranch residents so they look into joining the society.
“Sarasota Audubon Society walks tend to stay in Sarasota County,” said Virgin, a former CEO at Save Our Seabirds in Sarasota. “But we have a lot of members in Lakewood Ranch.
“I live in Mallory Park (Lakewood Ranch), so I recommended we do a walk.”
From 8-10 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1, Virgin will lead a nature walk at James Patton Park.
“It will be a great introductory walk,” Patton said. “For the most part, it is paved, and you are going to see different ducks and shorebirds.”
Patton picked a walk around Lake Patton because he tends to identify between 40 to 50 species of birds when he circles the lake. The walk is open to anyone who would like to attend for free and no reservations are necessary. Just show up in the parking lot at Patton Park.
He suggests anyone who joins the walk to bring binoculars and to make sure to dress for the weather. Other than that, his main advice during the walk will be to “keep your eyes to the skies.”
Unlike walks through a wooded area, much of the action at Lake Patton is above the lake.
Helen King, the Sarasota Guided Walks coordinator, said Lakewood Ranch residents who like to birdwatch might like accompanying a group even more than going it alone.
“When you have a group, there are knowledgable people who can talk about the birds,” King said. “The more eyes, the more you will see.”
With the Celery Fields, a birders’ paradise, as a home base for the Sarasota Audubon Society, the club hasn’t focused on Lakewood Ranch, yet.
But King expects more Lakewood Ranch-area walks in the future, or even Lakewood Ranch organizing its
BIRDING ON THE RANCH
What: Lakewood Ranch nature walks led by Sarasota Audubon Society members
When: 8-10 a.m. Feb. 1 and Feb. 25
Where: Feb. 1 at James Patton Park (meet at main parking lot) and Feb. 25 at Heron’s Nature Park (meet at shell parking lot)
Walk leaders: Aaron Virgin on Feb. 1 and Mary Alice Curtiss on Feb. 25
Cost: Free (The club does suggest a $4 donation.)
To sign up: No advance registration needed, just show up. More information: Email Helen King at TheKingsom@gmail.com.
own Audubon Society chapter.
Virgin said Lakewood Ranch has plenty of interesting areas for birdwatchers, and if you are out there, you just might see him leading a walk.
“I enjoy being with birders,” he said.
The includes those just starting out, or those who those who have books filled with their sightings.
“It can become an obsession,” he said. “It can take you to cool places. I have been around the world (on birding trips) and I have been leading walks for a couple of decades.”
King said the Sarasota Audubon Society currently is organizing a trip for 2026 to Panama for birdwatchers with Virgin leading the tour.
Besides Virgin leading a walk in Lakewood Ranch, King said Lake-
likely that those in Lake-
Ranch have seen a loggerhead
without knowing what it is.
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wood Ranch’s Mary Alice Curtiss has agreed to follow by leading a walk in Heron’s Nest Nature Park on Feb. 25.
“Lakewood Ranch has such nice parks,” King said. “You look for interesting terrain. Vegetation attracts birds.”
King said the current Lakewood Ranch members of the Sarasota Audubon Society have been “generating” new members, so the interest is there. “But I couldn’t give you a head count,” she said.
Some members of the Sarasota Audubon Society have gone to Lakewood Ranch neighborhood homeowners associations to give powerpoint presentations on the club. King said the club has hosted Lakewood Ranch groups at the Celery Fields.
The Sarasota Audubon Society has approximately 1,600 members.
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Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned.
The ballet of the snowy egret is sometimes seen on a walk around Lake Patton in Lakewood Ranch.
Mourning doves sit atop a fence at Lake Patton Park in Lakewood Ranch.
It’s
wood
shrike
Photos by Jay Heater
Aaron Virgin of the Sarasota Audubon Society will lead a nature walk Feb. 1 at Patton Park in Lakewood Ranch.
JAY
Manatee County needs to get out of the animal shelter business
All too often, we tend to feel run over by the governmental process.
But there’s a good reason for that.
When our county commissioners are discussing topics that concern us, we aren’t paying attention. It’s understandable. We have jobs and families and lots of recreation all around us. That can be much more enjoyable than listening to our commissioners argue, especially for hours at a time.
But when you get hit by that bus, it’s likely that you never looked up and down the street.
So think about it for a moment. Who goes to county commission meetings? More often than not, it’s those who are upset about a decision that is going to affect them. If the commissioners are making a decision you generally favor, you aren’t going to take a day off to attend the meeting, or even watch the video replay that is readily available to the public. Put up your feet and pour another iced tea.
Meanwhile, our commissioners are taking a stream of verbal abuse. Can they be blamed for “giving in” when they only are hearing public input from one side of the equation?
Then there is general apathy, where you’re more concerned whether to hit a 9-iron or an 8-iron, than whatever the decision might be. You wake up to find Manatee County is charging $150 to pick up a couple of pieces of furniture that no longer looks nice alongside those end tables you just purchased.
On Jan. 27, our commissioners will be discussing some topics, put on the agenda by District 5 Commissioner Bob McCann, that have been a huge annoyance to some.
I would emphasize “some,” because it’s hard to fathom that most residents would feel the same way.
The one complaint that drives me the most crazy is a discussion about Manatee County’s ill-advised journey into the world of running animal shelters.
Now I would venture a guess that most of us are animal-lovers. We’re just at different levels.
The complaint I am hoping is the vocal minority is that Manatee County’s sparkling new dog kennels at the Bishop Animal Shelter are too small to be a regular habitat.
This is despite the county’s decision to invest $12 million to expand and modernize the facility with upgrades that include play areas, additional security measures, airconditioned dog dormitories and upgraded medical services.
This is despite the fact that the county’s Animal Welfare Depart-
Grand Opening CELEBRATION
ment has an adopted budget of $6,342,480 for 2026 “to provide for the redemption and adoption of dogs and cats, to investigate animal cruelty, dangerous dogs, and animal nuisance complaints, to impound dogs and cats running loose and to care for the sick and injured animals.”
That includes paying for staff members to carry out these procedures and to maintain facilities.
I called Sarasota County, which uses community partners to care for animals that are abandoned, to ask what its budget is for its Animal Services Department.
Being placed under the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office, the Animal Services Department shows an annual budget of $340,124, a number confirmed by Sarasota Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Officer Matthew Binkley.
Yes, in Manatee County it’s more than $6 million a year to care for stray or abandoned dogs and cats, after a $12 million upgrade to its main shelter facility.
Who’s hosting this party? A doggy Hugh Hefner?
Our county reporter, Lesley Dwyer, wrote in this edition of the East County Observer (Page 5A), that 2,000 people have signed a petition to “demand a functional animal shelter facility for our community.”
I don’t always see eye to eye with McCann on issues, but he certainly has this one right.
He said, “I don’t know why the county is in this business, anyway. Bishop was donated to the county, and now it’s become a maintenance nightmare with expensive costs.”
Bingo, Bob.
Commissioner George Kruse noted the county has spent the funds to make extensive upgrades to its Palmetto shelter. But that’s not going to stop the rants and raves from a group of residents who want those animals to be living a Lake Club existence. He said that dumping the kennels isn’t rational.
Thank you. But can Kruse hold the line?
Wouldn’t it be nice if the commissioner heard comments from another perspective, such as a resident saying, “Why the hell are you spending this much money on strays?”
But they won’t hear it if you are playing golf.
This isn’t an issue just in Manatee County. Sixty-four of the 67 Florida counties have animal shelters, whether they are run by a publicprivate partnership or by the county alone. Holmes, Liberty and Lafayette counties are the only ones that don’t have a county-run shelter.
While Manatee County might seem to be lavish in its spending on stray pets, you can see it pales in comparison to Orange County Animal Services, which approved a $95 million budget for a shelter. There are two sides to every argument. According to a University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine study, Manatee County took in 6,045 abandoned dogs and cats in 2024. Wouldn’t it make sense to develop partnerships with the county’s nonprofit shelters to take those animals in exchange for financial support?
Wouldn’t those nonprofits have the expertise to make better decisions when it comes to the animal’s welfare and medical care? Wouldn’t those nonprofits be better equipped to adopt out those animals?
The same University of Florida study noted that in 2013, 67,160 abandoned dogs were euthanized, but by 2021, that number dropped to 14,794. Those numbers are dropping dramatically. But this should be a public operation with our donations to nonprofit animal shelters. We can continue this trend without each county bearing the financial load.
No matter where you stand, the Jan. 27 meeting would be a good time to let your feelings be known. While you are there, you can tell commissioners how you feel about giving away your right to a oncea-year, free trash pickup for those large items you want to discard.
But that’s another column.
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
Virtual games suite
Courtesy image
Commissioner Bob McCann questions whether Manatee County should be in the animal shelter business.
Scan below for a full list of Open Houses, property details, driving directions and more
(Editor’s note: For Christmas, I had asked our readers about suggestions to make
area to live. This letter writer was late in responding.)
Guess I was naughty. I didn’t get my list in on time. Is there an Easter Bunny list? If yes, I have a few: Reduce sign pollution — Travel southward along White Eagle Boulevard from State Road 64 to Rangeland Parkway and you will notice 22 “Bicycle Lane” signs within a distance of about 3.1 miles. Also the pavement is marked with an image of a bicycle/rider. A similar number of these signs exist on the northbound lanes. Interestingly, along a somewhat parallel road, Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, also with the same bicycle lanes, there are only about two of these signs each direction between S.R. 64 and Rangeland Parkway. If you are a licensed driver, you already are aware that lane is a bicycle lane and don’t need to be reminded every 700 feet or so.
Along White Eagle Boulevard, each right turn lane is identified with a sign advising, “Right Turn Lane. Yield to Bikes.” There are about 14 in each direction. On Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, there are only three or four of these signs. Again, any licensed driver knows this and doesn’t need signage to tell them.
Hurricane Milton destroyed thousands of signs in Manatee County. I wrote a letter to public works suggesting different/stronger posts, frangible couplings and/or perforated signage to mitigate wind velocity. Of course, I did not receive a reply. Installing redundant unnecessary signs is wasteful.
Manatee County Utilities’ billing — I live in a subdivision with lots that average almost two thirds of an acre. The HOA covenants do not allow xeriscape landscaping so I imagine my water bills are higher than most. What I question, however, is the Manatee County Utility District’s method of billing. Water rates are tiered (base rate, 1st tier, 2nd tier, 3rd tier, 4th tier and maybe higher). As expected, each higher tier has a higher water cost per thousand gallons plus the sewer rate is calculated on the amount of water used.
The more billing days within the billing period results in water charges
entering higher tier rates. Although MCUD purports to bill “monthly,” the service period days are 33, 31, 31, 34, 34, 36, 35, 31, 33, 32, 35, 38 ... for a total of 403 service days within the last 12 “months.” As expected, I’m using more water within the expanded MCUD month then I would be in a calendar month. We are being billed unfairly to the benefit of MCUD. With the efficiency of the new “smart” meters, can the billing be done beginning the first day of the month and ending the last day of the month? That would be a more fair and equitable method.
RICHARD SCHUMAN MILL CREEK
Large item garbage pickup is a concern
I have lived in Braden Woods since the early 1980s. Every year, Manatee County offered a free, once-a-year, large garbage pickup.
So if you had anything from a piece of furniture, to an appliance, you could get a free pickup. Recently, we had some large cardboard boxes and some seats that we needed to get rid of, but they were too big for our new large waste can or recycling bin.
On the Manatee County website, I found where I could schedule a pickup. But as I was filling it out, I noticed something new. The county lists that it charges $59 per item for pickup.
So for some carboard boxes, some old benches, and a few other items, it would have been $472. I emailed them and this was the response:
“Unfortunately, under our new garbage system, Manatee County no longer offers our once-a-year free annual pickup. Please know all items will come with a charge per item. However, if you are able, you can bring a car or SUV to the landfill for a $5 charge per car and dispose of your items.”
So, large pick-ups will run you $59 per item, or you can haul it to the landfill yourself for $5. Going to the bigger bins cut a day of pickup out, but it also cut out the ability to get rid of that old couch.
SCOTT VEIX BRADEN WOODS
YEAR
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Poor stormwater plans will cause flooding
The Florida Environmental Protection Act was enacted in 1971. It was modified in the Florida statutes under Chapter 403, Section 412.
The rules for construction of a regional sewage treatment plant is the most essential part of the environmental safeguard. The quality and quantity of our drinking water is dependent on its effectiveness.
Stormwater runoff is required to have a destination. It is not allowed to run freely and by law it needs to be measured and every drop of water should be accounted for. There needs to be a stormwater drainage system in the street or a pond for a new development project. All the houses are required to have roof guttering and downspouts, drains and swales.
These essential measures assure stormwater runoff does not end up in the sewer so contaminated water does not pollute state waters.
I experienced a severe stormwater runoff problem in Camden County, N.J. and I hired a lawyer (Michael Pane) in Heights Town, New Jersey. He was an authority in municipal and environmental law. The New Jersey statues included a section — Water Law — with his name printed on it. He was an expert who did research for me.
A home-use rule dating back to 1918 was found effective. A Collingswood, New Jersey, ordinance required all new construction have roofguttering, downspouts and drains that connected to a sewer in a public street. If there is no sewer on said street, the stormwater needed to be channelled to the nearest sewer. But the stormwater in Collingswood had nowhere to go. The streets and home foundations were flooded. The core problem was the failure to size the Camden County Municipal Sewerage Treatment Plant accordingly.
Before it was built, all 57 municipalities had to conduct infiltration/ inflow studies starting in 1971. The original sewerage plants in these small towns were old and inundated. The sanitary sewer pipes were old and cracked and undersized, and only some had combined sewers. The municipalities and developers could not wait to build.
New homes were built, and roads were widened and paved, hiding the fact (of poor drainage) for years. The Camden County Sewerage Treatment Plant opened in 1986 and was undersized.
The plant was inundated with raw sewerage being emptied into the Delaware River. The Federal Flood Insurance Program required sanitary sewers and stormwater drainage systems to be sized so as to not exceed capacity. It appears these important environmental measures for health, safety, flood protection and well-being were sidestepped here in Florida, too.
In order to prevent catastrophic flooding, these essential laws need to be recognized and enforced. Homeowners insurance and flood Insurance will be worthless if we don’t take immediate action.
The houses here in Lakewood Ranch have no stormwater management plan being enforced. The ponds are designed to take all the water from all the roofs. The gutters, downspouts and drains are suppose to be on these houses as part of a designed plan. But the stormwater runoff is being allowed to flow freely. The stormwater runoff is contaminated if it does not go into a pipe or confined swale to the pond. We need laws to assure our stormwater runoff does not seep into old pipes and into sanitary sewers. The stormwater runoff during heavy rain travels at high speeds and causes flooding. The main reasons the sewerage treatment plant is not functioning properly is not controlling stormwater run-off. A engineer will tell you my information is correct. Skipping the gutters is why our wastewater treatment plan is malfunctioning.
EILEEN BOLLI LAKEWOOD RANCH
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Have something to tell us? Send your letters to Jay Heater at JHeater@YourObserver.com.
The final bell at Tara
LAURA CAMPBELL’S POSITIONS WITH THE DISTRICT
2003-2010: Guidance counselor at Bayshore Elementary
2010-2011: Assistant principal at Bayshore Elementary
2011-2016: Assistant principal at Freedom Elementary
2016-2026: Principal at Tara Elementary School
2026: Principal at new elementary school in Palmetto
Palmetto. Her last day at Tara will be Feb. 19. The interim principal for the rest of the school year will be Kali Anges, who currently works as assistant principal.
“My biggest hope is that this school continues to have a balance of joy and a joy for teaching,” Campbell said. “High expectations, but with high support. There’s got to be that love for one another.”
Campbell’s open door policy is appreciated by Linda Haluska, the physical education teacher, who has worked at Tara since 1992.
Haluska said Campbell always sees the best in everyone — students, families, and staff.
“Sometimes they say that our schools are like flowers,” Haluska said. “You plant the seeds and you watch them grow. Over the years, I’ve definitely seen that with Laura. She was a great seed to begin with,
In January 2017, teacher Lynn Wolfe used the quiet minutes of the morning to observe the Tara Elementary School parking lot. She kept her eyes glued to the window to see if Principal Laura Campbell had arrived. When she saw Campbell, she hid behind a corner, then jumped out to give her principal a scare. Wolfe had a reputation as somewhat of a prankster.
Unbeknownst to Wolfe, Campbell had her hands full and was wearing high heels. Even with the heels, Wolfe said Campbell jumped pretty
high into the air when she bounced out.
Before Campbell could land, Wolfe was thinking she had made a mistake. She was hoping Campbell didn’t land on her face, with her possessions scattered.
“She landed the jump and she laughed,” Wolfe remembered. “I was like, ‘OK, cool, I can keep doing this.’”
Wolfe had worked at Tara since 2003, a few months after Campbell had joined the Tara Elementary School staff. Fast forward to now, and they share a wide array of memories.
They include Wolfe continuing to
scare Campbell by hiding under her desk, behind a door or around a corner.
“For me, I’ve always wanted to create lifelong learners, but also great memories of elementary school,” Campbell said. “I didn’t do any of this alone — building a school where we could find a balance of instruction and creating core memories. I’m most proud because the teaching profession requires sustainability, and there has to be a balance and a joy in the work that we do.”
Campbell has limited days left as principal at Tara Elementary. She has been chosen to be the principal at the new Veterans Elementary School in
but she has blossomed.” Haluska said everyone can be better in some way. She hopes Campbell builds upon the success she has experienced.
“I just want to continue to see her succeed at every level, because she deserves it,” Haluska said. “The new school is so lucky and fortunate to have her. I know she will create this great legacy one day.”
Stephanie Martinez, the school advisory council chair, has been a Tara Elementary parent since 2020. She said it was a hard year for her child to begin school with COVID-19 and all the changes that came with it. However, Campbell helped to make the transition seamless.
“She went above and beyond to help everyone feel safe and confident that the school had everything it needed to deal with and supersede the circumstances.” Martinez said.
“She instills confidence and empowers those around her. The Tara community has big expectations of the next principal because Mrs. Campbell has raised that bar very high!” Angela Davis has been active in the parent-teacher organization since 2021 and has been president for the past three years.
“It was wonderful to feel supported and to see how she supported students and staff,” Davis said. “For me, it was a pleasure and a great learning experience to work with her. She always was calm, cool and collected and she handled herself with grace.”
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
Laura Campbell, who has been principal at Tara Elementary School since 2016, has been chosen to lead the new Veterans Elementary School in Palmetto.
Photos by Madison Bierl
Laura Campbell’s last day as principal at Tara Elementary is Feb. 19. She hopes the school continues to shine bright and has a good balance of joy and love.
Tara Elementary Principal
Laura Campbell tells fifth grader Melany Ojeda that she is a future leader and can do anything she wants to do as long as she goes after it.
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OBSERVER BRIDGES THE GAP: Brian Equinda and his mom, Denise Equinda, stopped on the Nakabashi Bridge, also known as the famous red bridge of Takayama, Japan, with the East County Observer
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New interim CEO for Bradenton EDC
Fawley Bryant’s Amanda Parrish will guide Bradenton EDC through the transition to a new CEO.
ELIZABETH KING BUSINESS OBSERVER
Anew leader has taken the helm of the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp.
Amanda Parrish has been named interim CEO, overseeing the nonprofit organization while it searches for its next chief executive officer.
Parrish is the COO for Lakewood Ranch-based Fawley Bryant Architecture, where she is also a partner. She has been with the firm for nearly 10 years. In 2019, Parrish was among the Business Observer’s 40 Under 40 winners. At Fawley Bryant, she has helped lead the firm through two ownership transitions, according to a statement.
Parrish steps into the role of interim CEO at the EDC following the retirement of Sharon Hillstrom, who held the title since 2011. Hillstrom retired effective Dec. 31, and Parrish was appointed Jan. 16.
“This interim period is about stability, transparency and positioning the EDC for long-term success as we work toward its next chapter of leadership,” Parrish said in a statement. “My immediate focus is on supporting and engaging our team, strengthening relationships with investors and community partners and ensuring operational continuity.”
Parrish has a master’s degree from Jacksonville University in organizational leadership as well as leadership experience in the nonprofit world. In addition to serving on the Bradenton EDC board, she has been on the boards of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance and YMCA Lakewood Ranch.
In 2021, she was the chair of LWRBA’s board during that organization’s
CEO transition, helping to guide the alliance through an executive exit, search and onboarding while preserving confidence and continuity, according to a statement.
The EDC’s board, meanwhile, has enlisted St. Pete-based executive search firm Winner Partners in its quest to find a permanent CEO. The firm has extensive experience recruiting chief executives for economic development organizations and other nonprofits, according to a statement.
“During this time, the EDC remains committed to its mission of recruiting and retaining high-wage jobs to all 10 communities within Manatee County,” Bradenton EDC Board Chair Chris Cianfaglione said in a statement, “and providing the resources local companies need to expand and thrive.” At the Bradenton EDC, Parrish enters amid a period of uncertainty. The retirement of Hillstrom came about three months after the Manatee County commissioners opted not to renew a contract with the EDC. The $337,000 contract expired Sept. 30, and represented about 30% of the organization’s $1.13 million budget for the fiscal year.
Courtesy image
Amanda Parrish
SPORTS
“Individually, a big goal of mine is to place top three at the state tournament this year.” — Braden River senior wrestler, Evan Rowe SEE PAGE 19A
A CLASS ACT
Arowdy mass of students packed the Lakewood Ranch High gym Jan. 14 for the first in-school dual wrestling meet and they roared for every pin, rising to their feet whenever the moment felt right.
Each wrestling match began with a drumline cadence, giving a pounding pulse to the action unfolding on the mat. The crash of cymbals and drums filled the air.
These are the sights and sounds Mustangs wrestling coach Pat Ancil never forgot from his own high school wrestling days in Ohio. It was an atmosphere he has long wanted to re-create.
“We would just pack the gym, and I always remembered how cool that was,” Ancil said. “Your classmates could cheer you on.”
Both the Lakewood Ranch High boys and girls wrestling teams hosted Riverview to mark their first in-school dual meets. Traditionally held after school or on weekends, the contests were instead scheduled for the final two periods of the school day, bringing in a sea of students.
It wasn’t just the audience and drumline that made this occasion special. The school choir sang the National Anthem and JROTC students presented the colors.
“It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s exciting,” said the Mustangs’ junior 132-pounder Nick Chop. “It was surprising we had all those people up there.”
The planning process lasted about five months. Ancil said he has been asking his administration for several years to host such a match.
So when he prepared his pitch for the 2025-26 academic year, he brought a new idea to athletic direc-
The school’s administration allowed students to miss late-in-the day classes to attend Lakewood Ranch’s boys and girls matches against Riverview.
tor Kent Ringquist. He suggested that Lakewood Ranch wrestling could be a trailblazer — in the years to come, for both wrestling and boys and girls basketball to host in-school games.
The administration was convinced.
The planning began to assemble the pieces of the pageantry Ancil wanted his wrestlers to experience.
The students who attended the meet needed permission slips signed by their respective teachers and parents.
It came together Jan. 14. Before the festivities formally began at 1 p.m., Ancil sensed a different energy among his wrestlers.
“They were so excited when the students started coming into the gym,” Ancil said. “With all the noise, we couldn’t keep them in the wrestling room.”
Fourteen weight classes spanning 106 pounds to heavyweight played out among the boys in the course of just over an hour. The crowd of Lakewood Ranch students witnessed all of them.
All of them, indeed, had signed up to be there. Only some of them had attended a wrestling match in the past.
Scattered “oohs” and “aahs” rose from the stands as their classmates-
turned-competitors put their best moves on display. Some took out phones to take videos to post on social media.
Girls wrestling coach Nate Lancaster embraced the role of emcee, picking up the microphone before every bout to give introductions and try to maintain enthusiasm.
“You hear the sound, but it’s different when you’ve got your headgear on,” Chop said. “It’s all funneled into one.”
The Mustang boys delivered a 60-22 victory over the Rams. The Lakewood Ranch High girls team prevailed 18-16.
The audience remained until 2:25 p.m. when the dismissal bell rang, signaling a mass exodus from the gym. Students could not be required to stay past the end of the school day, though a sparse few did stay in their seats.
At that time, the Mustangs and Rams had just begun the girls’ matches, so freshman 110-pounder Bailey Loring was Lakewood Ranch’s only girls wrestler to compete in front of a full audience.
Senior Vanessa Rodriguez-Gallo, though, still sees a long-term benefit to more visibility for the school’s girls wrestling program.
“My friends, they don’t really see this. They see me as just a regular student,” said Rodriguez-Gallo, who wrestles at 170 pounds. “Them knowing me and seeing that I can do this, and that they could do this as well — it can show other girls that it’s possible for them.”
Ancil knew the first-of-its-kind meet would put more eyes on high school wrestling, and in turn, hopes it will generate more interest. Perhaps there will be a larger turnout at next season’s tryouts.
But to him, recruiting was never the main motivation.
“It puts these kids in the spotlight,” Ancil said. “They’re out there one-on-one and everybody’s watching.”
FAST BREAK
the
program history.
The Lakewood Ranch High boys soccer team completed its first undefeated regular season in program history, finishing at 15-0-2. The Mustangs secured the top seed for the District 3A-11 tournament and, as of the Jan. 13 FHSAA rankings, are No. 7 in Class 6A and No. 26 in the state. Senior forward/midfielder Broden Beorlegui owns a team-high 21 goals and seven assists as of Jan. 6. Regional play begins Feb. 6. Parrish Community High girls golf has been invited to the PGA High School Golf National Invitational, set for July 11-13 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Bids for the annual tournament are awarded to one boys and one girls team from each state. Any prospective team must win its state championship to qualify, and this past season, the Bulls won the title in FHSAA Class 3A. The team is raising money to pay for entry fees, travel and lodging for the invitational. Anyone interested in helping to fund the Bulls’ expenses can donate at https://www.GoFundMe. com/F/Help-Floridas-GirlsGolf-Champions-Head-ToNationals.
... The Braden River girls basketball team has outscored its first three opponents of 2026 by an average of 31.3 points per game, pushing its record to 14-4, as of Jan. 14. The Pirates have won seven of their last nine. It already marks an improvement on 2024-25, when Braden River finished 13-10 and fell to East Bay in the District 5A-9 championship. This season’s district tournament begins Feb. 2 and runs through Feb. 6.
... Applications are open for local residents interested in working the Senior PGA Championships, which are scheduled for April 16-19 at The Concession Golf Club. You can apply at https://www.VraConnect.org/PGA-JobMatch until Feb. 10.
Jack Nelson Broden Beorlegui, a senior forward/ midfielder and Georgia Southern signee, guided Lakewood Ranch boys soccer to
first undefeated regular season in
Lakewood Ranch junior Ricardo Rengifo wrestles
Javier Puchi in the 138-pound weight class.
Photos by Jack Nelson
JACK NELSON SPORTS REPORTER
Assistant Mike Schyck (left) and coach Pat Ancil (right) bellow commands to their Lakewood Ranch boys wrestlers against Riverview.
Mustangs senior Vanessa RodriguezGallo (top) competes against Kassah Murdock in the 170-pound weight class.
Used pickleballs land in his court
Agrin was glued to the face of Dillon Rosenthal as he sat under the tent on the Lakewood Ranch Park pickleball courts. In each hand, he held a pickleball, gazing upon them like a proud father. Neither of the two balls were products of a major brand. You wouldn’t find them at any nearby sporting goods store.
They were 100% recycled from broken pickleballs — samples of the first test batch he received on Jan. 14 from China. At last, he could feel them with his own hands and see them with his own eyes.
“This was one of the biggest challenges. ‘Can we actually make a real, playing ball?’” Rosenthal said. “‘Yes’ is the answer.”
It took roughly one year to convert a novel concept into something tangible. When his roommate and pickleball partner, Grant Twible, first suggested the idea in January 2025, Rosenthal had no clue the process would take this long.
He was all ears, though, and he was immediately intrigued. He had never seen or heard of recycled pickleballs before, and knowing the sport’s explosive growth, sensed genuine potential.
So he was all in.
Rosenthal, a fourth-year entrepreneurship major and marketing minor at Florida Gulf Coast University, is the founder of BounceBack Pickle. At 22 years old, he’s poised to become a rapid riser in the pickleball market.
His business offers a one-of-akind service by partnering with country clubs, local facilities and parks to turn cracked, used pickleballs into new ones. Bins are placed around courts for ball collection, and once they’re filled, Rosenthal and his volunteers pick them up for recycling.
All those ball remnants are pulverized into a plastic powder. Rotational molding then shapes that powder into hollow, seamless
balls with uniform thickness. It represents the world’s first fully scalable, closed-loop recycling system for pickleballs.
“No one that plays pickleball knows this, but 500 million pickleballs are made every year. That creates 770,000 pounds of waste in broken pickleballs,” Rosenthal said. “That number is only growing. The sport is only growing.”
Before attending FGCU and setting up his business in Fort Myers, he went to The Out-of-Door Academy for secondary education, graduating in 2022. His family moved to Lakewood Ranch from England when he was 7 years old.
Twible — now assisting with operations and facility management — got Rosenthal hooked on pickleball. The two have been playing together for the better part of three years.
In 2025, they began hitting the courts almost every morning, and went through dozens of pickleballs in the process. Twible formed his idea as all that used plastic piled up.
The thought of recycled pickleballs generates an all-important “Why didn’t I think of that?” moment for prospective partners and consumers. It just makes sense.
When that question crosses their minds — for any business — success is imminent.
“There were a couple nonprofits out there doing similar things, but no one turning them into new balls,” Rosenthal said. “It was just recycling plastic, send them out to plastic recyclers and they would either make pellets or plastic blocks.”
Not only does BounceBack Pickle address a widespread, unsolved problem, but it’s tackling something far more significant.
There’s a disturbing reality about recycling. In 2018, only 8.6% of plastics generated in this country were actually recycled, while nearly 27 million tons — 75.5% — were
dumped into landfills, per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The 770,000 pounds of waste created by used pickleballs is, of course, a rather small fraction of that gargantuan figure. As of Jan. 14, Rosenthal’s humble operation has collected just over 1,000 pounds of balls in collaboration with its nonprofit recycling partner, The RePickle Project.
He’s not going to save the seemingly unsolvable problem of plastic pollution anytime soon, but his mission is honorable. Rosenthal is doing his part by finding a niche and exploiting it.
BounceBack Pickle has 40 bins from Fort Myers to Naples, 10 in Tampa and a handful from Lakewood Ranch to Sarasota. It also has gone beyond state lines, with 10 in Los Angeles, three in San Francisco and one in New York — all as of Jan. 14.
That’s a far cry from the reach he had midway through last year.
“Early on, I was a cold-calling warrior. I felt like a salesman,”
Rosenthal said. “A lot of it was for validation reasons. I wasn’t even placing bins in a lot of the clubs I was talking to.”
Slowly, but surely, he built connections and spread the word. He first put the idea into action by entering an entrepreneurship contest at FGCU where the top prize was $15,000. He won it. The judges simply hadn’t seen an idea like his before.
The school sent Rosenthal to other competitions, and he earned even more capital for building his business.
Taking advantage of social media in the digital age has been a major part of increasing interest in and enthusiasm for what he’s been up to. As of Jan. 16, BounceBack Pickle has 69,500 likes on TikTok and 2,545 followers on Instagram. He wants to blow up the brand now so that he can soon sell directto-consumer online.
“This year, social media is going to be a huge push,” Rosenthal said. “I want 50,000 followers by the end
of the year. I think that will happen, no problem.”
For the time being, he has that long-sought first batch of recycled pickleballs. Those are proof that what he dreams of is, in fact, possible.
Rosenthal eagerly awaits the day one of his bins is returned to him full of recycled pickleballs. When it happens, he will know that he’s truly “made it.”
BounceBack Pickle, though, has already arrived. This business has found a perfect home at the intersection of sport and sustainability. In a rapidly-growing game, it’s a one-of-a-kind player.
Jack Nelson is the sports reporter for the East County and Sarasota/Siesta Key Observers. Contact him at JNelson@ YourObserver.com.
Lakewood Ranch’s Dillon Rosenthal, a fourth-year entrepreneurship major at FGCU, proudly sits beside one of BounceBack Pickle’s bins. His business takes old, broken pickleballs and recycles them into new ones.
Evan Rowe
The Braden River High wrestling team will travel to the FHSAA Dual State Championships at Osceola High on Jan. 23-24, represented by some of Florida’s top wrestlers. On the boys side, the Pirates have five wrestlers who rank in the top 10 for their respective weight classes. Senior Evan Rowe leads the group at No. 2 in the state at 165 pounds. As of Jan. 15, he boasts a record of 31-1. Rowe is the East County Athlete of the Week.
When and why did you start wrestling?
I started out doing jiu-jitsu when I was a kid, and from there, my dad was always into martial arts. So then I went into (mixed martial arts) after jiu-jitsu and (my MMA coaches) told me I should start wrestling here at Braden River. I started going here, picked up on it and just kept going with it.
What’s driven you to stick with the sport?
The coolest part of it is that you get to see yourself getting better. If you lose a match, and you see exactly what you did wrong, you can fix that and go into the next match. Especially whenever you go against a kid that beat you before, and you go against him again, and now you beat him. You really know that you did get better.
Is there a special memory that you’ve never forgotten?
Going to states last year. That was our first time in school history going to the state dual tournament, so that was a big moment for the team.
How would you describe your strengths on the mat to someone who hasn’t seen you in action?
I usually hit a lot of shots — anything to the legs. I’m not much of an upper-body wrestler, so I don’t hit a lot of throws. I just stay in my stance and set up my shots.
If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to JNelson@YourObserver.com.
With the dual state championships coming up, what have you been focusing on in practice?
I’m working on moving my opponent more (by) moving my feet. Footwork is a big thing I’ve been focusing on.
What are your goals individually and as a team with Braden River this season?
A big team goal of ours was going to the state tournament. Individually, a big goal of mine is to place top three at the state tournament this year.
When you’re not wrestling, how do you spend your free time?
I hang out with my friends outside of the mat. I like to stay active, so I go to the gym, and I just like to chill.
Is there a quote or piece of advice that you’ve always carried with you?
A big thing I keep in my head is,
“Don’t focus on the outcome, focus on the process.”
Finish this sentence. Evan Rowe
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Tutoring Grades K-College General Education & Special Needs
SILL offers a dynamic lecture series on global issues and cultural enrichment as well as conversations and performances featuring established & emerging musicians.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: GENERAL MARTIN DEMPSEY
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2011 to 2015
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 | CHURCH OF THE PALMS | 2:30 PM Great Power Security Dilemmas: From Economic Competition to Military Confrontation
MONDAY, JAN. 26
10:30 am, Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Rd, Sarasota 3:00 pm, Venice Presbyterian Church, 825 The Rialto, Venice
Edin Espinosa, Broadway Actor and Singer
Nominated for both the Tony and Drama League awards for her performance in Lempicka, Eden Espinosa is celebrated for her iconic portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked. Her work has earned critical acclaim on Broadway. Eden will offer audiences an inside look at Broadway.
MUSIC MONDAY GLOBAL ISSUES
TUESDAY, JAN. 27
10:30 am, First United Methodist Church, 104 S Pineapple Ave, Sarasota 2:30 pm, Venice Community Center, 326 S Nokomis Ave, Venice
Robert J. Lieber | U.S. Foreign Policy in a Turbulant World America’s global relationships are rapidly shifting. Robert Lieber examines these changes and America’s role in the world.
THURSDAY, JAN. 29
10:30 am, First United Methodist Church, 104 S Pineapple Ave, Sarasota 5:00 pm, Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch FRIDAY, JAN. 30
10:00 am, Venice Community Center, 326 S Nokomis Ave, Venice
Martin Walker | Can Europe Cope with Challenges from East AND West? Martin Walker explains how decades of European reliance on U.S. support are giving way to a new reality as America First policies reshape the global order.
Sarasota • Lakewood Ranch • Venice Learn with Us: Visit www.sillsarasota.org or scan our QR code
Fair play
For East County’s Kinley Albritton, the Manatee County Fair, which runs through Jan. 25, is a lot of things. It’s an opportunity to get outside, to eat fair food and to show off her talents. Albritton is this year’s Little Miss Manatee Fair Queen. Her favorite part of the fair is the animals. She is preparing to show Ace, a Hampshire/ Yorkshire crossbreed pig who is 6 months old and weighs 206 pounds.
“The Manatee County Fair is such a great community to be around,” Albritton said. “All the directors are nice and so welcoming.” Kristyn Landrum, Albritton’s mom, who was with her on Thursday’s opening day of the fair, said it’s exciting to watch her daughter work so hard and to showcase what she has accomplished.
Albritton was joined by many other students who were getting ready to show their animals.
Alana Perry, a freshman at Lakewood Ranch High School, showed a Chianina cattle cross named Tex. Perry said Tex is a good listener.
“It’s definitely a family affair and she’s still got three more years after this,” said Scott Perry, Alana’s father. “It is a lot of time and effort on her part and a lot of dedication. I think it teaches (the students) a lot about life.”
Collete Testa, a senior Future Farmers of America member at Lakewood Ranch High School, had the opportunity to show the chapter calf, a 1,663-pound Brangus named Kingston.
She said Kingston used to be a “little butthead” but they have come a long way as a team since March. She said she was very proud of herself and Kingston.
“It’s such a God-given opportunity, and I’m so grateful to be here,” Testa said. “I wish more people were involved in agriculture. I think what the fair does is amazing because it allows the public to see what us agriculturists do.”
— MADISON
BIERL
Photos by Madison Bierl
Palmetto 3-year-old Lavion Smith is trying every ride he can at the Manatee County Fair, which opened Jan. 15.
Bradenton’s Harley Busch, 3, is eager to ride the carousel alongside her father, John Busch, at the Manatee County Fair. She also rode a camel moments before.
East County’s Kristyn Landrum opens her mouth wide to get a taste of fair French fries with the help of her daughter, Kinley Albritton.
Lakewood Ranch High senior and FFA member Collete Testa poses with the chapter calf, a 1,663 pound Brangus named Kingston. Anhorn
photo
Palmetto 4-year-old Athena Stills loves anything related to unicorns and mermaids. She is overjoyed to take home a unicorn toy.
Try tri again at Waterside Place
For Lakewood Ranch’s Rhonda Leiberick and Roscelyn Guenther, the alternation of walking and running every two minutes was the key to their successful completion of the 5K walk/run as part of the Lakewood Ranch Mindful Triathlon on Jan. 17.
“It was my first race, and it was amazing,” Guenther said. “There were great people who were friendly and supportive.”
The Mindful Triathlon’s three segments were a 5K run or walk, a yoga session led by Shack Yoga and Sculpt, and a meditation by the Wellness Space.
“It was very well organized,” Leiberick said. “We did it for the yoga, and we’re here for the mindfulness.”
Courtenay Smith, owner of Shack Yoga and Sculpt led the yoga session. She has been part of the event for the last five years.
“I love teaching the community because it’s such a fitness minded and health conscious community,” Smith said. “It’s a fun event to get everyone together.”
Nicole Hackel, the events and resident experience manager for Lakewood Ranch Communities, helped organize the event with Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and the ER at Fruitville. She said the event has traditionally been held in November, but January gives the event that “new year new me” mindset.
“It’s obviously very different from a traditional triathlon, and it’s not as serious,” Hackel said. “We have a lot of people who walk their dogs along the 5k. We have people who come with newborn babies. We have the actual runners. It’s a triathlon for everyone.”
Esplanade’s Ann Sanger and Deb George agreed that the event is for all ages.
“The walk was along a beautiful lakeside path and the yoga and meditation on the lawn looking out to the lake was just magnificent,” Sanger said.
“It’s a space for everyone,” George said. “What better thing to end with than this beautiful environment and our neighbors and our loved ones?” — MADISON BIERL
Home Discover
SHELLSTONE AT WATERSIDE
Sarasota, FL
Approx. 1,692-3,733 sf
From High $500's 2 Amenity Centers Quick Move-Ins Available MODEL CENTER
792 Blue Shell Loop Sarasota, FL 34240 941-361-2536
PALMERA AT WELLEN PARK Venice, FL
Approx. 2,375-3426 sf
Photos by Madison Bierl
Sarasota’s Lindsey Szulc, Waterside’s Claire Szafarczyc and Nokomis’ Elexas Vazquez work for Bodybar Pilates and couldn’t resist participating in the event.
Lakewood Ranch’s Cathy Prola said she is normally a walker, but was proud that she ran much of the 5K in the Mindful Triathlon.
Lakewood Ranch’s Rhonda Leiberick and Roscelyn Guenther snag a selfie together in between the running and yoga portions of the triathlon. They alternated between walking and running every two minutes. Esplanade’s Deb George said she appreciates how the Mindful Triathlon can be enjoyed by anyone.
Lakewood Ranch’s Connie Welp and Paddi Juliano alternated between speed walking and jogging to complete the 5K.
Heritage Harbour’s Gabriel Martin, 14, placed as the top male finisher for participants under 18 years old.
Sarasota’s Mariama Levy and Senja Levy participated in the triathlon as a mother-daughter duo.
The Association of Retired Attorneys of Sarasota
Are you a retired attorney looking to expand your social circle and make meaningful new social connections? Joining our organization of retired attorneys from all over the nation and world offers more than just camaraderie. It’s a gateway to new friendships and exciting opportunities! Have lunch monthly at University Park Country Club with like - minded individuals who share your passion and respect for the law. At each luncheon we have experienced speakers on law related issues and volunteer opportunities tailored to your interests and expertise.
Founded in 1983, the Association of Retired Attorneys of Sarasota (ARAS) promotes the advancement of the administration of justice in our Sarasota-Manatee community. To this end, many of our members participate in various pro-bono activities in addition to our lively luncheons which host prominent speakers on current legal and other challenging topics.
For more information about ARAS, please consult our website: retiredattorneyssarasota.org or call Jim Case 941-554-8558 or Stephen Sturm 914-299-4007 please leave a message
Next Speaker, January 30, 2026
Judge Judith Barzilay, senior judge (inactive) on the United States Court of International Trade
YOUR CALENDAR
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, JAN. 22 THROUGH
SUNDAY, JAN. 25
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 3-6 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Al Fuller (Thursday), The White Crowe Band (Friday), Gator Ridge Ramblers (Saturday) and Santiago (Sunday). The Friday and Saturday shows are $5; the others are free. For information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
FRIDAY, JAN. 23
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Begins at 6 p.m. at 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. The Sarasota Opera offers a special performance to entertain the crowd at Waterside Place. The free music and theater series showcases the region’s top artistic talent. Seating is limited, so feel free to bring a lawn chair. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.
SATURDAY, JAN. 24
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Acoustic cover artist Carmen Forte entertains those strolling the streets at Waterside Place. For more information about the free music series, go to WatersidePlace.com.
SATURDAY, JAN. 24 AND
SUNDAY, JAN. 25
MUSIC AT THE LODGE
Runs 6-9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday at Linger Lodge, 7205 85th St. Court E., Bradenton. Linger Lodge’s live music schedule includes Divebombers on Saturday and Matthew McCartney on Sunday.
SUNDAY, JAN. 25
FARMERS MARKET
BEST BET
SATURDAY, JAN. 24 AND SUNDAY, JAN. 25
FINE ARTS FESTIVAL
Runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. The free Lakewood Ranch Fine Arts Festival returns to offer its walkable showcase of creativity. The festival includes paintings, sculpture, jewelry, photography, glass, ceramics, fiber and wearable art, mixed media, and woodworking. Those who attend can engage directly with the artists to learn about the process. For more information, go to ParagonFestivals.com.
POLO Doors open at 10 a.m. and the action begins at 1 p.m. at the Sarasota Polo Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane, Sarasota. The polo season runs every Sunday through April 12. Tickets start at $20. Each Sunday has a theme for those who want to participate. For more information or to buy tickets, go to SarasotaPolo.com.
TUESDAY, JAN. 27
MARKET AT THE PARK
Runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. The Market at Nathan Benderson Park runs on Tuesdays and features local artists, small businesses and crafters from all walks of life. In addition, there will be a kids zone, food trucks, live music and themed events. Go to NathanBendersonPark.org for more information.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28
RANCH NITE WEDNESDAYS Runs from 6-9 p.m. at 1560 Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place. Join the crowd at Waterside Place enjoying the food trucks and live music or playing in the cornhole league during Ranch Nite Wednesdays. Weekly programming is offered each week in Gateway Park. No outside food or beverage is allowed. For more information, MyLWR.com.
Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, which was voted as the top farmers market in the nation in 2025, will run yearround every Sunday. Vendors offer seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles, among other items. Other features are children’s activities and live music. For information, visit MyLWR.com.
The Edge Sarasota: Created for a Select Few
Offering an elevated downtown living experience for the most discerning individuals, this exclusive ten-story boutique condominium represents a harmonious blend of private sanctuary and lively community, offering meticulously designed residences that redefine urban sophistication.
Each finely-appointed home in this desirable ten-story condominium provides a private paradise of meticulously chosen finishes and features to impress even the most selective buyer.
WHERE WELLNESS ISN’T AN ESCAPE-IT’S THE EVERYDAY
At The Edge, wellness is woven into the rhythm of daily life, with each thoughtfully designed space inviting balance, beauty, and a sense of renewal-mindfully crafted for those who seek more from where they live.
THE ART OF ENTERTAINING, PERFECTED
From expansive living areas to elegantly appointed gathering spaces, every detail is curated for those who love to host beautifully and live memorably.
A PINNACLE OF LUXURY IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN
Perfectly positioned at the center of Sarasota’s cultural, dining, and arts scene, The Edge offers a lifestyle defined by walkability and connec-
tion. Enjoy fine dining with friends, then walk to the theatre, opera house, or fine dining venue-all steps from home.
AN OPULENT OASIS SOARING ABOVE SARASOTA
The Edge’s amenities evoke the feeling of a luxury retreat with dedicated spaces for relaxation, unhurried enjoyment, and refined comfort.
Soak up sun-drenched afternoons on the private terrace, take a dip in the resort-style pool, relax in an intimate cabana, grill and dine al fresco while enjoying the sweeping views of Sarasota Bay. Close the day with a soothing soak in the spa, taking in panoramic views of the city’s sparkling skyline.
The state-of-the-art fitness center features top-of-the-line cardio and conditioning equipment, and a relaxing, meditative yoga studio for your wellness needs.
Greet guests in our sophisticated concierge lobby and elegant social lounge-welcoming spaces created for leisure, connection, and everyday enjoyment.
From pet spas to dedicated watering stations, The Edge provides a range of features tailor-made for pet lovers.
destination.
Local grant aids animals in need
Grants, like the $20,000 received through the Manatee Community Foundation, are essential to the nonprofit’s survival.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Caliente is a fuzzy-headed gray kitten that was adopted from the Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch last weekend.
When the 2-month-old kitten first arrived at the shelter, he was with his litter of five. Caliente and his siblings were too young and too sick to be put up for adoption.
The litter was covered in fleas and diagnosed with giardia (an intestinal infection) and coccidia (a parasite). Two of the kittens died, and the other three had to be taken to the emergency room.
After three days, all three kittens had recovered, but the medical costs totaled $4,999.
To adopt a kitten under a year old from the Humane Society costs $85, or $255 for the three of them.
That amount is just 5% of the cost it took to save the kittens.
That’s just one case.
Medical expenses are a $90,000 line item in the Humane Society’s budget this year, $20,000 of which will be covered by a grant from the Bill and Maryann Vinall Fund, which is administered by the Manatee Community Foundation.
ABOUT THE NONPROFIT
Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch, 26920 Gopher Hill Road, Myakka City. Visit HSLWR.org.
Mission statement: To provide a safe haven for companion animals in need until a loving, forever home can be found.
At the end of December, MCF awarded $200,000 to 14 organizations that help animals in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Not all animals are as costly as Caliente, but every cat, dog and rabbit put up for adoption by the Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch has been checked out by a veterinarian to be sure they are healthy, spayed or neutered, upto-date on vaccines and microchipped.
Last year, the Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch took in over 400 animals and spent $94,000 on veterinary bills.
“We’re willing to take an animal that otherwise might be in pain and not be able to be treated out of the county system because they’re not set up to do that,” board member Cindy Jackson said.
The only reason the Humane
Society at Lakewood Ranch won’t take an animal is behavioral issues.
“There are behaviors we’ll work with,” Shelter Director Danielle Ziegler said. “But I’m very careful with what aggression we take on, on purpose.”
The environment has to be safe for volunteers and paid staff. However, Jackson noted that volunteers make up 98% or more of the shelter’s staff. In any given week, volunteers put in roughly 250 hours.
“Volunteers are our life blood,” she said. “We’re just a group of people who love animals, and we’re doing such good work.”
The volunteers and staff have to raise $464,000 this year to keep the shelter running.
Because of their dedication, senior and disabled animals have a forever home, even if they’re not adopted. However, rigorous screenings usually lead to the right matches.
Faze is a 1-year-old puppy who was brought to the Humane Society from Manatee County Animal Welfare.
The injury to his left eye was apparent — there was a scar, and the eye was cloudy. Faze was in pain. He had a ruptured corneal ulcer, and the eye had to be removed.
During the process, the veterinarian suspected cardiac disease, too. Faze underwent echocardiogram and doppler blood pressure testing at the Blue Pearl Pet Hospital in Tampa. His diagnoses were a
congenital heart defect and cardiac disease.
Faze was put on a prescription and put up for “special adoption” after several months of recovery in a foster home. He’s since been adopted by a couple, who both have medical backgrounds.
Faze’s medical bills cost $2,270. Jackson said working with multiple veterinary partners helps keep the costs down. The partners offer generous discounts, and they know they’ll be shopped. Each partner has been vetted, so whichever estimate comes in the least expensive is where that animal will be treated.
The Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch doesn’t have its own vet on-site. Giving medical care is not something the shelter is set up to do.
However, Jackson argues that it’s just as financially efficient because of the strong partnerships the shelter has developed over the past 15 years. The discounts are substantial.
Jackson noted that it might be a little harder not to have a vet onsite because of all the scheduling and driving it entails, but the shelter has built up a reliable crew of volunteers that are always willing to transport the animals.
“Some of these animals might be sitting in Manatee County Animal Services for maybe ever,” Jackson said. “So if it’s ever, it’ll be ever here.”
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Danielle Ziegler is the shelter director. She’s cuddling with Lyza, a 9-year-old Catahoula mix with chronic ear infections.
Photo courtesy Sherri Krams
Faze had to have his eye removed because of a ruptured corneal ulcer.
Caliente has made a full recovery and found his forever home.
Life revolves around the spectacular 30,000-square-foot clubhouse—now under construction and opening this fall. This is where neighbors become friends over resort pools, shared meals at indoor-outdoor dining venues, and rounds on the premier putting course. With a golf simulator, fitness center, cinema, and stunning waterfront homes by the region’s most sought-after builders, this Lakewood Ranch community is Sarasota’s most distinctive address for those who value connection as much as luxury.
VFW serves gratitude to firefighters
VFW members brought lunch to the East Manatee Fire Rescue administration building, where they hold their monthly meeting.
LESLEY DWYER
STAFF WRITER
Smoke was wafting from the back of the East Manatee Fire Rescue’s administration building off Lakewood Ranch Boulevard on Wednesday. But there was no need to call for a fire engine.
Dave Daily, commander of the Braden River VFW Post 12055, was grilling hamburgers and hotdogs on the screened-in porch.
VFW post members were serving lunch to the firefighters and administrative staff as a way to say thank you.
The post doesn’t have to carry any overhead because the fire district allows them to use its conference room free of charge. The post holds its monthly meetings in the administration building, keeps its trailer in the parking lot, and has a storage rack in the air conditioning closet.
“Their place is our place,” said East Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Lee Whitehurst. “It’s one less thing they have to worry about when raising money.”
Without overhead, every dollar donated to the post is put back into the community.
Helping fellow veterans is on a case-by-case basis. A veteran might need help buying a wheelchair or getting a ride to a doctor’s appointment.
Every year, the club awards four $1,000 scholarships to JROTC students — two from Braden River High School and two from Lakewood Ranch High School.
The post has been giving away scholarships for nearly 20 years. The first Leo Perisian Memorial Scholarship was awarded in 2007. Perisian was a founding member of the post and a World War II veteran that served in the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Although they’ve missed a few, the VFW members try to organize a luncheon at the fire station every year. In a roomful of firefighters and veterans, lively conversation was served alongside the burgers.
Retired Air Force Major Lee Waters had plenty of stories from his days as a pilot carrying cargo that included presidential limousines and nuclear missiles, but he also had a story to tell from his old house in Country Creek.
About 10 years ago, he found a 4-foot diamondback rattlesnake eating a rabbit in his front yard.
The crew from Station 1 walks across the parking lot to grab some lunch. From left: Battalion Chief Craig Madsen and firefighters Adam Stem, Evan Berggren and Tyler Schuele.
Post Commander Dave Daily is in charge of the grill.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Fly away to fitness
The business offers a variety of dance and fitness classes while aiming to be a judgment-free space.
Sarasota’s Aimee Muldoon, a sculpt class instructor at Fly Dance Fitness, walked into her first class as an instructor filled with nerves.
She described the experience as “nerve wracking from a really positive place” as she wanted to make sure the clients enjoyed the vibe, energy and community.
She was joined by 11 clients and a handful of other dance instruc-
tors for the soft opening of the new Fly Dance Fitness location in Lakewood Ranch on Dec. 15. The business eventually held its grand opening Jan. 17. Fly Dance Fitness offers dance
and fitness classes including So Fly Step, Sculpt Weights, Sculpt Circuits and Throw Down.
“It was a no-brainer for me when the opportunity arose to audition for the position, because I fell in
Dr. Amir Boubekri MD, brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Cattleridge I and Lakewood Ranch I offices a wealth of knowledge and experience in Orthopedic Medicine.
Undergraduate: University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Medical School: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL
Residency: Orthopedic Surgery, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL
Fellowship: Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Certification: Board Eligible, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Sarasota Doctors Hospital; Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
IF YOU GO
Fly Dance Fitness. 10604 Technology Terrace, Suite 101, Lakewood Ranch. Open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 8:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Email LakewoodRanch@FlyDanceFitness.com or visit FlyDanceFitness.com.
love with it so much at headquar-
ters (in Sarasota) that I almost couldn’t picture myself doing anything else,” Muldoon said. “If I’m going to dance there, if I’m going to go to sculpt, if I’m going to be part of that energy, then I want to be part of giving it to other people, too.”
“That’s what we all did, zero to 100,” said Tony Pinho, the owner of the Lakewood Ranch location.
“Once you feel that feeling, it’s like,
‘Let’s go!’”
Pinho, who lives in Lakewood Ranch, has been with the company for six years and began his Fly Dance Fitness journey as a client attending classes. When the opportunity to franchise came up, he signed up.
“It’s surreal,” Pinho said. “I don’t know how to describe it — it’s new, but it feels comfortable. I have an amazing staff and everything just feels like it was meant to be.”
Pinho stressed the importance of building a judgement-free community within the space. He said as adults, he believes people are scared to try new things. He encourages anyone interested to try out one of the classes at Fly Dance Fitness, where those participating ranged in age from 17-72.
Sarasota’s Jaynie Peterson has been an instructor for Fly Dance Fitness in Sarasota since 2019. She will continue to teach at that location and in Lakewood Ranch.
“We will always try to fit everyone’s fitness level,” Peterson said.
“That’s important because, especially in an area like this with different age ranges, people have different injuries and things that we
always work around. We want to cater to everyone.”
“It’s those who feel comfortable enough to challenge themselves,” Pinho said. “A lot of the time, it’s getting out of their heads and doing it.”
Bradenton’s Madison Chuchla was a client who danced for a year before becoming an instructor in December. She comes from a dance and gymnastics background.
“I could be so stressed and overwhelmed with all the thoughts in my mind, but as soon as I walk through the doors, I’m just focused on the choreography,” Chuchla said. “I’m focused on the community. I’m focused on the music. It’s an escape from whatever I’m dealing with outside.”
“It’s not like we have to go teach a class,” Peterson said. “It’s that we get to teach a class. We get to work in the place where people go to avoid the real world and avoid work and all of those responsibilities that weigh heavy. You come in here, and even as an instructor, you leave feeling better after a class.”
Bradenton’s Brady Jo Trombetta is an instructor at the studio. She appreciates that dancing and teaching is a “fun way of being healthy.”
Trombetta said she understands attending a class for the first time can be nerve-wracking but it’s important to remember that “everyone has a day one.”
“Everybody starts not knowing anything,” Trombetta said. “From my experience and what most people have told me, it doesn’t take that long to get past those day one jitters. Even when you’re still new to it, you immediately feel that sense of belonging and family. Confidence kind of skyrockets from first class to third class. Once you’ve been to three or four classes, you understand the format. You recognize the instructors and it makes it easier to be a part of it and follow along.”
“Even if you think you’re not a dancer — if you’re dancing, you’re a dancer,” Peterson said. “Come on in and try it.”
Tony Pinho is the owner of Fly Dance Fitness in Lakewood Ranch. He said the company caters more toward women, but is honored to have a place to encourage anyone who comes in the door.
Jaynie Peterson, Tony Pinho, Brady Jo Trombetta and Madison Chuchla all teach dance classes at Fly Dance Fitness in Lakewood Ranch.
Photos by Madison Bierl
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19TH FLOOR ROOFTOP AMENITY DECK
Waterside home tops sales at $3.41 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Ahome in Wild Blue at Waterside on Blue Shell Loop topped the week’s sales. SDWB Waterside LLC sold the home at 560 Blue Shell Loop to James Alan Herzoff, of Sarasota, for $3.41 million. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, four-andtwo-half baths, a pool and 4,452 square feet of living area.
LAKE CLUB
Daniel and Anna Han, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 8312 Catamaran Circle to Peter and Barbara Schneiderman, of Lakewood Ranch, for $2.4 million. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,574 square feet of living area. It sold for $2,175,000 in 2022.
Nathaniel Osborne, trustee, and Claire Osborne, of Sarasota, sold the home at 16917 Clearlake Ave. to Lawrence and Lisa Jarvis, of Lakewood Ranch, for $2.25 million. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,209 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,222,600 in 2021.
CONCESSION
Jonathan and Kristina Billy, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 19424 Ganton Ave. to Igor and Svitlana Orishchenko, of Bradenton, for $2,246,800. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,346 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.5 million in 2024.
COUNTRY CLUB EAST
Linda Johnson, trustee, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 15606 Linn Park Terrace to Eugene Garro, trustee, of Sarasota, for $1,775,000. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,667 square feet of living area.
David and Yvette Varnadore, of Bradenton, sold their home at 7208 Prestbury Circle to William Borra, of Bradenton, for $1,253,700. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,055 square feet of living area. It sold for $814,400 in 2019.
Theodore David Levin and Jennifer Ann Levin, of Sarasota, sold their home at 7044 Whittlebury Trail to Rosanne Eriquez-Solitario, of Bradenton, for $855,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,205 square feet of living area. It sold for $510,000 in 2019.
ALCOVE
Neal Signature Homes LLC sold the home at 6333 Isla Del Ray Ave. to Israel Blumenkranz, of Sarasota, for $1,619,500. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,656 square feet of living area.
COUNTRY CLUB
Patricia and Albert Eilender, trustees, sold the home at 12714 Deacons Place to Michael and Renee Biehl, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.6 million. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three-and-two-half baths, a pool and 4,125 square feet of living area.
Daniel Justice and Michelle Lynette Justice, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 7807 Rosehall Cove to Peter Behlog, of Binghamton, New York, for $1.4 million. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,302 square feet of living area. It sold for $899,000 in 2021.
Gregory Scott Wood and Iris Wood, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 7024 Brier Creek Court to Michael Menser, trustee, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,225,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,706 square feet of living area. It sold for $899,000 in 2023.
William and Shira Borra, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 12714 Stone Ridge Place to Kathy
RESIDENTIAL
JAN. 5-9
Seiders, trustee, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.05 million. Built in 2009, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,674 square feet of living area. It sold for $642,500 in 2017.
Barbara Brown, trustee, of Fairfax, Virginia, sold the home at 139818
Milan Terrace to Douglas Sterling Banning Jr. and Michelle Mills Banning, of Lakewood Ranch, for $770,000. Built in 2005, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,578 square feet of living area.
TIDEWATER PRESERVE
Daniel Kimble, of Arcadia, sold his home at 1116 Bearing Court to 1116 Bearing Court LLC for $1,275,000. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,270 square feet of living area. It sold for $493,200 in 2015.
AZARIO ESPLANADE
Linda Ann Channell, of Bradenton, sold her home at 16318 Umbria Place to Cheryl O’Shaughnessy, trustee, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.1 million. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,101 square feet of living area. It sold for $995,500 in 2024.
SUMMERFIELD
Lee Wetherington Homes LLC sold the home at 11323 Rivers Bluff Circle to Sergio Hernandez and Remie Abboud, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,037,500. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,068 square feet of living area.
CRESSWIND
Rebecca and Kary McKelvey sold their home at 5064 Kiva Circle to Todd and Ivanka Adams, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1 million. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,772 square feet of living area. It sold for $796,900 in 2022.
STANHOPE GATE
Gary and Judith Witkin, trustees, of Brentwood, Tennessee, sold the home at 6922 Stanhope Place to David Charles Doyle, of Birmingham, Michigan, for $1 million. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,093 square feet of living area. It sold for $600,000 in 2003.
WATERFRONT AT MAIN STREET
Scott Stengel, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the Unit 1-601 condominium at 10530 Boardwalk Loop to Jeffrey Werner and Donna Cornell, of Cornwall on Hudson, New York, for $960,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,241 square feet of living area. It sold for $725,000 in 2018.
RIVERDALE REVISED
Terry Nelson, of Bradenton, and Paula Sanden, of Alexandria, Minnesota, trustees, sold the home at 3724 Fifth Ave. N.E. to John and Sharon Schlabach, of Myakka City, for $950,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,947 square feet of living area. It sold for $459,900 in 2016.
RYE WILDERNESS ESTATES
Bradley Alan Schwartz and Leslie Ann Schwartz sold their home at 507 167th Blvd. E. to Nicholas Rimbey and Ashlei Rimbey, trustees, of Bradenton, for $910,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,135 square feet of living area. It sold for $665,000 in 2020.
ARBOR GRANDE
Marilyn and Frederick Talbot, of Parrish, sold their home at 3020 Starwood Court to Clarissa and James Molitoris, of Bradenton, for $832,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,287 square feet of living area. It sold for $828,000 in 2023.
SHELLSTONE AT WATERSIDE
HBT at Waterside East LLC sold the home at 9141 Florida Rock Trail to Lee Kotwicki, trustee, of Sarasota, for $750,000. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,244 square feet of living area.
EMERALD LANDING AT WATERSIDE
Weekley Homes LLC sold the home at 1602 Running Tide Place to Nicholas Anthony Dalupan and Shaylynne Deryl Dalupan, of Sarasota, for $735,000. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,282 square feet of living area.
Madison Bierl
This Wild Blue at Waterside home at 560 Blue Shell Loop sold for $3.41 million. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, four-and-twohalf baths, a pool and 4,452 square feet of living area.
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SAPPHIRE POINT
Andrew and Brittany Dias, of Bradenton, sold their home at 16418 Slate Place to Matthew Cremers and Elisabeth Read, of Lakewood Ranch, for $720,000. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,890 square feet of living area. It sold for $778,100 in 2022.
MILL CREEK
Jeffrey Rittmer, of Parrish, sold his home at 702 133rd St. E. to Katherine Fonseca and Junio Goncalves Fonseca, of Bradenton, for $700,000. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,340 square feet of living area. It sold for $640,000 in 2023.
Aaron and Amanda Steffan, of Williamsburg, Virginia, sold their home at 625 137th St. N.E. to Keith and Sumalee Lorensen, of Bradenton, for $480,000. Built in 1999, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,372 square feet of living area. It sold for $185,000 in 2014.
ROSEDALE ADDITION
Kyle Stephen Rock III, of Plattsburgh, New York, sold his home at 4825 Tobermory Way to Louis James Gianopulos III and Lauren Gabrielle Marcus, of Bradenton, for $675,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,999 square feet of living area. It sold for $359,000 in 2019.
SAVANNA
Daniel and Lyndsey Estes, of Nashville, Tennessee, sold their home at 3811 Scrub Creek Run to Keely Lauren Conrey and Dieter Thomas Marlovics for $675,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,287 square feet of living area. It sold for $340,000 in 2018.
HERITAGE HARBOUR
Jayme Joseph Rabideau and Kimberly Marie Rabideau, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6836 Wild Lake Terrace to Timothy Parker, of Lit-
tleton, for $660,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,268 square feet of living area. It sold for $385,000 in 2016.
STONEYBROOK AT HERITAGE HARBOUR
Terry Nuckols, trustee, and Joseph Nuckols, of Williamsburg, Virginia, sold the home at 9008 Willowbrook Circle to Eric and Jean Schoener, of Bradenton, for $640,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,416 square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 2014.
LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE
Dwayne and Elizabeth Lugwig, of Sarasota, sold their home at 8148 Sternway Road to Tina Sheehan, trustee, of St. Charles, Illinois, for $570,000. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,784 square feet of living area. It sold for $536,900 in 2024.
EDGEWATER
Constance Byrne, of Winchester, Virginia, sold her home at 8412 Whispering Woods Court to Matthew Handleman, of Lakewood Ranch, for $460,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,682 square feet of living area. It sold for $225,000 in 2002.
WHITEBRIDGE COURT
Anne Gold, of University Park, sold her home at 7622 Whitebridge Glen to Robert Klinetop, of Bradenton, for $450,000. Built in 1993, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,609 square feet of living area. It sold for $260,000 in 2015.
COUNTRY OAKS
Kenneth and Pamela Allen, of Odenton, Maryland, sold their home at 4848 79th Ave. Plaza E. to Cory and Darci Hogan, of Sarasota, for $430,000. Built in 1987, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,952 square feet of living area. It sold for $112,900 in 1987.
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
By Luis Campos
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“LET ME COOK!” by Aidan Deshong, edited by Jared Goudsmit
