The Manatee Retired Educators Association’s Karla Brogdon presented Alexandra Wilcoxson (both pictured above), an environmental science and chemistry teacher at Lakewood Ranch High School, a $500 Financial Assistance for Classroom Teachers grant on Nov. 13.
“I am passionate about interactive real life application of the scientific concepts being taught in my classes,” Wilcoxson said. “I plan to use the grant money to purchase an indoor hydroponic grow system that will be utilized in my classes to foster experimental design and research skills.”
Brogdon said what she loves about Wilcoxson’s project is that it applies academics, math and science with vocational agriculture. She said a lot goes into growing crops — it isn’t as simple as plopping seeds into the ground and selling them once they grow.
diate women’s division.
Madison Bierl Courtesy image
Cars and Coffee cuts the gas on revving engines
Organizers of the event warned motorists to quiet down or be banned from all future events.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
University Town Center is well known for the Santa’s Grand Arrival Parade, but there’s a lesser known, more informal parade that takes place every month.
Each second Saturday, the Mall at UTC hosts Sarasota Cars and Coffee from 8-10 a.m. in the parking lot near Dillard’s. Around 9:30 a.m., spectators start lining both sides of the exit lane to watch the cars leave.
Part of the ritual includes the crowd yelling, “Rev it!”
Unless event staff or Sarasota police officers are gesturing to keep it down, drivers often oblige.
A hand signal and a stern face is
the typical extent of the warning. But during the Nov. 8 event, the response from deputies was noticeably different.
Cars that revved their engines were pursued and pulled over to be warned.
Some members of the crowd booed nearly as loud as the sirens, but Dana Judge, media specialist for the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office, noted that no citations were issued.
“Deputies merely informed the drivers of the potential hazards associated with loud noises and reckless driving in the area,” Judge said in an email.
Deputies on the scene told event attendees that the Mote Science Education Aquarium has an open roof, so the noise could disturb the animals. Mote SEA opened Oct. 8.
Mote declined to comment, and the East County Observer’s inquiry to Cars and Coffee went unanswered, but a post to the Sarasota
Cars and Coffee Facebook page Nov. 10 addressed the issue.
“We are well aware that several people were stopped by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s officers while exiting the event for revving, and right in front of those officers, mind you. We understand everyone loves cars and wants to hear them, but we have repeatedly asked everyone to exercise some self control and keep them quiet while exiting,” the post reads.
“With the addition of the new aquarium and the open air manatee habitat at the top, the mall, hotel and surrounding businesses, we must remain respectful to our neighbors. We cannot allow this event to get shut down because of a few who can’t control themselves.”
In addition to the normal police presence, Cars and Coffee will be posting event rules at the entrance and exit moving forward. The post notes that the event staff “will encourage law enforcement to
ABOUT SARASOTA CARS & COFFEE
Sarasota Cars & Coffee attracts hundreds of cars, and even more car lovers, to the Mall at UTC the second Saturday of the month. Each car pays a $10 entry fee for a spot in the parking lot near Dillard’s.
The fees go directly to a different nonprofit each month. The Nov. 8 event benefited Southwest Florida Honor Flight, a program that flies veterans to Washington, D.C., “to be honored at their memorials and receive the welcome home they deserve.”
Volunteers from the charity of the month mobilize at the entrance to collect the fees, so spectators are welcome to make donations, but the cars, coffee and energy drinks are free. Omni Energy is the event’s title sponsor.
Mademoiselle Paris provides the hot coffee for free and offers fresh pastries for sale. Chick-fil-A brings a food truck, and local auto-related businesses set up tents. The next Cars & Coffee is scheduled for 8-10 a.m. Dec. 13.
remove any offenders and ban them from all future events.”
While Mote declined to provide any information on the impact noise has on manatees and other marine animals, research shows that humangenerated noise can cause stress and behavioral changes. A 2023 study by the National Marine Mammal Foundation examines methods for “acoustic welfare monitoring” for marine mammals in captivity.
“Since the start, we’ve worked with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office to keep the event safe and enjoyable for everyone,” said Julie Fanning, marketing director for Benderson Development Co. “Their on-site presence at every event allows them to quickly address any disruptive behavior — including excess noise — so it doesn’t impact our neighbors or guests.”
Fanning noted that Cars and Coffee has been a great partner to Benderson, and the event has raised more than $35,000 for nonprofits each year for the past four years.
Lesley Dwyer
Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputies are stationed at the exit of Cars and Coffee on Nov. 8.
Central Park dives into organic pond practices
Central Park has 29 ponds, five of which are being supplied with plants thanks to the Healthy Pond Collaborative.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
When Tom Walrath moved to Lakewood Ranch’s Central Park from Wisconsin, he loved the look of the ponds, how the perfectly manicured grass met the edge of the water.
“If they missed a week (of mowing), I’d send an email,” he said. “I wasn’t educated, but now I understand.”
Walrath understands that even though it doesn’t look as pristine, a “No Mow Zone,” or a buffer, is instrumental in maintaining a healthy pond. It’s also a fiscally sound decision for the Central Park Neighborhood Association, of which Walrath is the president.
Keeping heavy lawn mowers at least 3 feet away from a pond protects its banks from caving in and prevents the grass clippings from blowing into the water and raising the nitrogen levels, which promotes algae growth.
THE HEALTHY POND COLLABORATIVE
The Healthy Pond Collaborative is administered by Solutions To Avoid Red Tide. START’s goal with the collaborative is to offer advice and funding to communities in Sarasota and Manatee counties so they can develop and sustain a maintenance program for their stormwater ponds. Contact Sandy Gilbert at Sandem133@aol.com to arrange a visit to assess the current health of your ponds or to set up a 16-minute presentation for your community. The program is funded through a grant awarded by the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation. It’s a collaborative because the Sarasota County NEST program and the University of Florida IFAS Sarasota Extension assist with field operations, and the Science and Environment Council of Southwest Florida assists with marketing the program.
Here’s a look at the program’s impact on Manatee County over the past two years:
■ Served 26,184 residents over 28 communities
■ Funded the cost of 107,871
■
Creating a “No Mow Zone” is one of four best practices recommended by the local nonprofit, Solutions To Avoid Red Tide, to maintain a healthy pond. START oversees the Healthy Pond Collaborative, which doles out $5,000 grants to communities in Sarasota and Manatee counties that want to better care for their ponds.
The community has to match the grant, but they don’t have to use the full $5,000. Eagle Trace, which has nine ponds, used $3,500.
Central Park has 29 ponds. The first $3,000 was used to plant around the first two ponds that can be seen upon entering the gates. The remaining $2,000 will be used for three additional ponds that are the closest to vacant lots outside the gates that are marked for development.
START covers the cost of the plants, but the community has to plant them. Chairman Sandy Gilbert said it costs $1.50 to fill one foot of shoreline with plants.
Steve Postle, chair of the neighborhood association’s Facilities, Ponds and Landscaping Committee, said labor costs the community between $1 and $1.25 per plant.
The plants are placed in the littoral zone, which is the shallow area around a pond, to help stabilize its banks and act as a filter for runoff.
Gilbert noted that it costs between $80 and $100 to repair 1 foot of damaged or eroded shoreline.
DELIVERING A ‘BETTER PRODUCT’
Postle is a chemist by trade, and Walrath is a retired engineer. The pair have spearheaded the policy changes for maintaining Central Park’s ponds.
The ponds are all interconnected, not just with each other, but to wetlands that then flow into the Braden River, which meets the Manatee River and ends up in the Gulf of Mexico.
“As we speak with people, they begin to get it,” Gilbert said. “That’s why I love this program. The government’s not doing it. This is private property, but we have citizens working on water quality that ends up affecting the Manatee River, and they’re doing it themselves.”
Since switching to organic practices two years ago, Postle said the
community’s ponds, which capture and filter stormwater, now deliver a “better product” to the Gulf.
Central Park stopped using copper sulfate to treat algae. When algae blooms appear, staff members from the contracted maintenance company, Beautiful Ponds, physically muck the algae out now.
Postle described copper sulfate as essentially a fix-all for many maintenance crews because it turns the water blue again.
“Eventually, you end up with a very toxic pond,” he said. “The copper will kill the fish.”
Postle describes biologic treatments as “not cheap,” but a recent treatment cleared a pond that experienced a fish kill about a month ago and had been “a problem pond” for 15 years. Using plants as a maintenance solution supplies the water with oxygen to foster a healthy ecosystem and creates a stronger shoreline to prevent erosion.
Erosion was the main driver to determine that the two ponds by Central Park’s main entrance should be dealt with first.
It’s been a year since duck potato, water pickerel and jointed spikerush were planted in the ponds’ littoral zones.
Postle said both ponds are “looking good,” but he noted that typically
BASICS OF HEALTHY POND MAINTENANCE
The Healthy Pond Collaborative recommends four basic practices to maintain a healthy pond:
■ The use of best irrigation and fertilizer practices in the land area around the pond
■ The creation of a “No Mow Zone” around the perimeter that is at least 3 feet wide
■ The use of aquatic plants on at least 30% to 50% of the littoral shelf, or shallow area of the pond
■ The minimal use of herbicide sprays (copper sulfate) in and around the pond
“As we speak with people, they begin to get it. That’s why I love this program. The government’s not doing it. This is private property, but we have citizens working on water quality that ends up affecting the Manatee River, and they’re doing it themselves.”
Chairman Sandy Gilbert
75% of the plants take, and one of the ponds came in under the expectation.
When planting in shallow water, some of the plants will inevitably float away, but they can also be retrieved and replanted.
Once established, the duck potato produces white flowers, and the water pickerel produces purple flowers. Flowers are the showy bonus to the more practical benefits of using plants to maintain ponds. Walrath said black-eyed Susans are starting to pop up in another pond’s buffers.
While the buffers are not mowed, they’re still regulated and maintained.
The neighborhood association voted to keep the buffer width at 3 feet wide. The buffers on the front ponds are imperceptible from afar, but can be noticed close up.
Central Park homeowners own their properties to the water’s edge, but the neighborhood association holds easements on every pond.
Walrath noted that about 20 homeowners still mow right up to the edge of the water. But when the mowing stopped initially, it drew “huge resentment.”
“It’s been a mindset change,” he said.
Steve Postle and Tom Walrath are changing the way ponds are maintained in Lakewood Ranch’s Central Park.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
The taller plants are duck potato, which bloom with white flowers.
Jointed spikerush grows up like grass from the shallow water. Its roots stabilize the shoreline.
A patch of jointed spikerush has established itself along the banks.
NEWS BRIEFS
Detwiler’s Farm Market will open in East County
A popular family owned grocery chain plans to open a new store in east Manatee County. Detwiler’s Farm Market will launch its latest shop in a retail plaza along State Road 64, west of Interstate 75. The new Detwiler’s will occupy 43,000 square feet within the Braden River Plaza at 4502 E. S.R. 64. Formerly, the space was home to Office Depot and before that, it was a Winn-Dixie supermarket.
The Bradenton store will mark the seventh for Detwiler’s. The other six Detwiler’s Farm Market locations across Manatee and Sarasota counties include: 53rd Avenue West in Bradenton; U.S. 301 in Palmetto; Palmer Boulevard in east Sarasota; Clark Road in South Sarasota; the U.S. 41 bypass in Venice; and Lockwood Ridge Road near the ManateeSarasota line.
Those locations are “packed, and we’re trying to make more room for more customers,” says Detwiler’s President Sam Detwiler, who announced the new S.R. 64 store in a Facebook video alongside his father, Detwiler’s CEO Henry Detwiler Sr.
“I feel like a farmer. I’m planting seeds,” Henry Detwiler said in the video.
Detwiler’s averages about 100,000 customers a week and has been looking to expand north, south and east, said Henry Detwiler in an interview this spring with the Business Observer
The family owned grocery chain opened its first store on Palmer Boulevard in 2009 and its latest location in December 2023 in Bradenton. Detwiler’s also opened a 133,000-square-foot distribution center in Palmetto in September. East Manatee County-based Benderson Development helped build the distribution center, and the prolific developer and retail landlord also owns Braden River Plaza, which contains tenants like Tractor Supply Co. and Gecko’s.
“We get to come in here and design a new Detwiler’s for you,” Henry Detwiler said in the video in front of the Braden River Plaza.
The new Detwiler’s store will feature a butcher shop, fresh produce,
seafood, bakery, sub shop, wellness products, deli and an ice cream shop. It will also have “new offerings unique to this location,” according to a statement. A spokesperson for Detwiler’s said in a Nov. 13 email that the company is still finalizing plans and is not ready to disclose the unique offerings yet.
“As a family, we are excited to continue growing,” Henry Detwiler said in the statement. “We’re so thankful for our loyal customers who make this growth possible and for the opportunity to serve even more people in our community.”
The Braden River Plaza store is expected to open by fall 2026.
“Everything takes time to grow, when you plant those seeds,” Henry Detwiler said.
Manatee County unveils expanded convention center
Following a $54 million renovation project, the newly expanded Bradenton Area Convention Center is open for business.
The complex in Palmetto now features 95,000 square feet of meeting space, making it the largest indoor event venue between St. Petersburg and Naples, according to a statement.
A 32,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 14,000-square-foot grand ballroom that can seat up to 800 people; and two outdoor gathering plazas are among the offerings.
The convention center first opened in 1985 and was known as the Manatee Civic Center. Keenan Singleton, a spokesperson for the Bradenton Area Convention Center, said at the Nov. 13 ribbon-cutting that the renovations are a “legacy investment into the future of Manatee County, supporting economic growth.”
Through meetings and conventions as well as event attendees extending their stays for leisure, the Bradenton Area Convention Center is projected to have a $30 million to $40 million annual impact on the local economy, according to the statement. Renovations were funded by the tourist development tax in Manatee County.
The Gadsden flag doesn’t fly in Tara
The homeowner says the flag fits within the community’s guidelines, but he removed it when threatened with fines.
happened via the Nextdoor app.
hen
worn, so he offered to replace the flag with his own.
Morrison had plenty of other flags waiting to be unfurled.
At the time, he was taking down a Tampa Bay Rays flag he put up at the beginning of baseball season in March. Before that, Morrison had been flying the state flag of Florida in front of his home, so he didn’t think twice about raising his Gadsden flag after giving away his American flag.
Morrison said the Gadsden flag, which has a yellow background and features a coiled snake with the motto, “Dont tread on me,” flew for a couple of months before he received a notice instructing him to remove the flag.
The notice — dated Oct. 3 — came from the Tara Master Association’s Architectural Review Committee. The Preserve at Tara is a deedrestricted community; the TMA is the governing homeowners association for the community.
Morrison wrote a letter of appeal to the board a week later arguing that his flag did not violate the restrictions because it was both an American flag and a military flag, but he was sent a second notice Oct. 22 that issued a compliance deadline of 30 days. He could either remove the flag or face fines of up to $100 per day with a maximum penalty of $1,000 per violation if he received a third notice. Begrudgingly, Morrison removed the flag. He also told his neighbors what
The post garnered 168 comments debating if the flag was patriotic or divisive, if Morrison should sue the TMA, if HOAs have too much power and if the Gadsden flag represents the Navy or the Marines.
The rattlesnake on the Gadsden Flag originally was a symbol of the unity of the 13 Colonies at the start of the Revolutionary War. Continental Col. Christopher Gadsden represented South Carolina in the Congress and he decided that the American navy needed a distinctive flag and took it upon himself to make one in 1775.
However, during the Civil War, northerners began to feel the flag was associated with the Confederacy. Its use was debated and criticized.
Over the years, the flag’s use was politicized, used as a libertarian symbol in the 1970s to represent individual rights. In the late 2000s, the flag was used by those who supported the American Tea Party movement.
WHAT AUTHORITY DOES AN HOA HAVE OVER FLAGS?
What Morrison considers censorship, others consider the cost of living in a deed restricted community.
“That’s what you get when you move somewhere where they can tell you what you can do,” commented Bradenton resident Barbara Parker. Flags, and the right to fly them, are governed like most everything else with or without an HOA.
On the state and federal level, the freedom to fly certain flags is governed through legislation. On the HOA level, the particulars of when and where that flag can be flown is governed through covenants, conditions and restrictions.
The Freedom to Display the Amer-
ican Flag Act of 2005 states that an
HOA cannot restrict a homeowner from displaying an American flag on his or her residential property. However, the act also states that the display must be consistent with “any reasonable restriction pertaining to the time, place or manner of displaying the flag.”
Reasonable restrictions apply because HOAs are designed to enforce rules that maintain a certain standard within a community.
Florida statute expands homeowners’ rights to include displaying military and first responder flags.
The two notices Morrison received included the TMA’s restrictions for flags:
“Any homeowner may display one portable, removable United States flag or official flag of the State of Florida and one portable, removable official flag, not larger than 4.5 feet by 6 feet, which represents the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, First Responder or POW-MIA
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HISTORY OF THE GADSDEN FLAG
flag. All flags must be in appropriate condition and displayed in a respectful manner. No other flags are permitted to be flown in Tara Preserve.”
Morrison said his flag complies because it’s only 3 feet by 4.5 feet, and it represents the Navy. He called the move “arbitrary” and “a bad call” because he was never asked to remove his other flags.
One poster on Nextdoor suggested he sue the TMA for “selective enforcement.”
Kim Loskota, board president for the TMA, declined to comment.
Joe DiBartolomeo, chairman of the Tara Community Development District, noted that the CDD has nothing to do with the architectural review committee, but he spoke as a resident of The Preserve who is familiar with the rules.
He said nobody from the TMA is driving around seeking out violations. The vast majority of notices are sent out after the biannual inspections, but occasionally, residents make complaints.
The Gadsden flag is, indeed, a military flag. However, it is a historical flag and not the flag that flies on naval ships today. A version of the Gadsden flag flies on the USS Blue Ridge because of its designation as the oldest active Navy ship. The “first Navy jack” features a redand-white striped background instead of a yellow background. Encyclopedia Britannica dates the yellow background back to 1775, when Commodore Esek Hopkins flew the flag on the USS Alfred. Hopkins was the first and only commander in chief of the Continental Navy. Continental Congress delegate Christopher Gadsden presented the flag to the Provincial Congress of South Carolina in 1776, hence its name. The encyclopedia also cites a 1775 article in the “Pennsylvania Journal” that says “a drum of the newly created Marine Corps displayed a rattlesnake alongside the motto ‘Don’t tread on me.’” Nike and Major League Soccer used the snake and motto on a red-and-white striped background in 2006. Britannica cites that “no particular ideology” was associated with the flag at the time. “But after the conservative Tea Party movement emerged in 2009, the flag became increasingly associated with the movement’s right-wing populism.”
If a sports flag is flying on a Sunday, nobody’s going to say anything. But if it’s noted during an inspection, it gets addressed to maintain the standard.
“Tara is our happy place and we’re not looking to break chops,” DiBartolomeo said. “(The TMA) has to address concerns, but that’s why they give three notices and the opportunity to show up at an ARC meeting and plead their case.”
Lesley Dwyer
John Morrison takes his Gadsden flag down after receiving two notices from his homeowners association saying the flag violates community deed restrictions.
Bowled over by generosity
Between Thanksgiving and the interruption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, the Food Bank of Manatee has been busy in November.
The food bank held two “crisis distributions” that provided thousands of meals to Manatee County residents who are food insecure, and 750 families will receive Thanksgiving dinners.
“There’s a big percentage of people who live paycheck to paycheck,” said Maribeth Phillips, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee. “You take away SNAP benefits, and all those factors create a need and a reliance on the Food Bank of Manatee.”
Phillips was on Main Street at Lakewood Ranch on Nov. 14 for Empty Bowls, a souptasting event that benefits the food bank and aims to “fill the bowls of our friends and neighbors in need.”
Phillips noted that all donations to the food bank stay in Manatee County.
— LESLEY DWYER
Ali Pereira dishes up chili for Ed’s Tavern.
Lakewood Ranch’s Audra Bray and Juli Mirabile keep returning each year to Empty Bowls. “We’re hooked,” Bray said.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Maribeth Phillips is the president and CEO of Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee, and Andy Guz, CEO of Manatee Memorial Hospital, is the board chair.
When Star Farms resident Kerri McVey decided to move to Lakewood Ranch in July, a major factor was the brand new Lake Manatee K-8 being built close to her house.
McVey has two children: Brooke, a sixth grader at Dr. Mona Jain Middle School, and Harrison, a fifth grader at the newly opened Lake Manatee. She said the plan was to have Brooke attend Mona Jain for one year and then join her brother at
Lake Manatee when the middle school opened. With the new rezoning maps and plan for Lake Manatee, only sixth grade will open in August, with seventh in 2027 and eighth in 2028.
Because Brooke is currently in sixth grade, she can’t transfer to Lake Manatee for either her seventh or eighth grade years because it won’t be open yet.
“She and many others who have been counting the days will miss the new school entirely,” McVey said.
“For those kids, it is a big deal. They do not follow zoning debates. They see a beautiful school they have been promised, and they are told to keep driving past it for two more years.”
While area parents might have assumed the entire middle school at Lake Manatee would be open, a
Lakes℠ is now accepting reservations! Our first phase of construction is now underway. This includes the beautiful Coral Ridge Clubhouse and three residence buildings: Sandhill Point,
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
HAS ARRIVED HAS ARRIVED PRO SOCCER PRO SOCCER
IT’S TIME TO FIND PARADISE IT’S TIME TO FIND PARADISE
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
Encounters!
In 1964, 9-year-old Penny Robinson learned how to knit to earn a Girl Scout badge.
The first project she made was a grey mohair sweater, which she said was quite the project. But she received her badge, and moved on to other things. After not knitting for 41 years, she picked it back up again 20 years ago. Now Robinson always has a project on hand, especially when she meets her Fiber Friends.
Fiber Friends is a Lakewood Ranch Community Activities club that brings crafty people together to knit, crochet, sew and more. Robinson said she appreciates how all of the members have come from different walks of life and experiences, but they all come together to provide support and encouragement in the world of fiber arts.
Robinson has created a rhinoceros, hedgehog and a couple of different bears for her family members after being inspired by other members of the group who were doing the same. She said people of all ages deal with a lot of anxiety and she finds crafting to be meditative.
“You’re doing kind of a rhythm over and over, and it’s just so good for your mind,” Robinson said. “I know it’s good as we get older to keep our minds sharp, but I look at the younger people and think they need it, too.”
Kennedy Tee is the youngest member of the group at 19 years old. She enjoys crocheting because it gives her creative freedom, while also working as a stress reliever.
FIBER FRIENDS
Members of Fiber Friends have a wide range of experience, with some members having just a few years creating, while others have been crocheting and knitting for more than 50 years. They aim to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment to provide feedback and help each other out. The group meets on Mondays from noon to 2 p.m. at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. For more information, contact Kathie Close at KDC1056@ gmail.com.
She joined Fiber Friends after reading about the club on Nextdoor. “We don’t talk about just yarn,” Tee said. “I get life experiences from these women. They’re always kind, and I’ve never had a bad experience here.”
Undergraduate:
Medical School: University of South Florida Morsani College of
Tampa, FL
Residency:
Kennedy Tee, 19, is the youngest member of Fiber Friends. She appreciates hearing the life experiences of the older women in the group.
Make A Plan.
It Makes a Difference.
Taking a few moments now can make a significant difference for your loved ones down the road. From removing the stress and financial burdens to fulfilling your exact wishes for your celebration of life, pre-planning is the best gift you can give your family.
We’re here to help. Give us a call today to start the conversation.
Lake Manatee
phased opening was always being considered, according to district officials.
Kevin Chapman, associate superintendent of administration and strategic engagement, said new schools usually are opened in a phased approach for a number of reasons, including programming and hiring.
Jennifer Sanzone, a Star Farms parent who moved from New York in June, is concerned that a phased approach will keep other area middle schools overcrowded.
She has three children — Mikayla McLoughlin, Scarlett McLoughlin and Dylan McLoughlin. While Mikayla is headed to high school next school year, Scarlett was planning to attend seventh grade at Lake Manatee. Dylan is in kindergarten at B.D. Gullett Elementary and will attend first grade at Lake Manatee next year.
Sanzone appreciates the new school alleviating some of the overcrowding in the local elementary schools and believes middle schools should be given the same opportunity.
“We’re all upset because we knew there was overcrowding, but we thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel with this new school opening,” Sanzone said. “Now they’re basically saying ‘nope.’”
Sanzone also said next year’s sixth graders should be able to attend schools with upperclassmen as a “right of passage.”
“I would encourage parents to attend those meetings with the district and to voice their concerns with them,” said Xiomara Cappiello, a fourth grade teacher at Lake Manatee. “We’re receiving the information at the same time, and we’re having to make adjustments, just like parents, based on this new information. We’re all kind of in the same boat.”
Todd Richardson, the principal at Lake Manatee, said he is excited about the slower transition of opening one middle school grade at a time. He and Chapman said it gives the school more of an opportunity to establish a culture as the students rising from Lake Manatee’s elementary grades will know the expectations.
“They’re not coming in as fresh sixth graders who don’t know what they’re supposed to do here and how to do it,” Richardson said. “It takes a little bit of the pressure off because middle school is obviously a different animal.”
Jamara Clark, director of student enrollment, said there have been concerns about Lake Manatee growing its enrollment too fast.
“People continue to move in the
area, so we want to make sure we are not impacting Gullett with its enrollment too drastically. I think we’re on target.”
Brando Fetzek, vice president of NDC Construction and project executive for Lake Manatee K-8, said construction is moving toward the completion of Phase 2 of the school, which is the middle school and gymnasium. It will be completed at the end of February.
Shortly after the new year, construction will begin on the elementary school addition.
“We are excited to continue to support the growth of that school. The community needs it,” Fetzek said.
Chapman said due to the Schools of Hope legislation — which in 2025 was changed to allow charter schools to take over space in under-capacity public school buildings — the School District of Manatee County is not in a rush to get the addition completed. It will be ready for the 2027-28 school year.
He said the Schools of Hope legislation is “a little ambiguous about what defines capacity,” and newly constructed schools purposely take years to fill a school in phases.
Chapman said the district, however, doesn’t want to risk that its newly built school could sit empty and potentially be taken over by Schools of Hope.
Members of the school district are open to hearing feedback from the public. The best way to do that is through the Let’s Talk questionnaire on the school district website under 2026-27 Residential Attendance Zones.
“We’re absolutely open to rethink these decisions, but at the end of the day, the school board’s going to have the final decision,” Chapman said. “We want to make sure that the community and parents know that we’re tracking all their comments, listening and meeting with parents.” The new zones and the final decision for the phased opening of the Lake Manatee middle school will be made on Dec. 5.
SPORTS
“I always had a knack for scoring, and that always drew me in — being able to score every game.”
The Diamondbacks’ prized catch
Ryan Waldschmidt, a 23-year-old outfielder, was named the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Minor League Player of the Year.
JACK NELSON SPORTS REPORTER
The season was a slog like never before for Ryan Waldschmidt.
As a Minor League Baseball rookie, he played more than he ever had in his baseball career.
He appeared in 134 games and accumulated 484 at-bats. In that time, he saw over a thousand pitches thrown by a dizzying array of talented arms.
But the 23-year-old outfielder from Bradenton still remembered the day he matched up against righthander Trey Yesavage.
“He just had stuff that looked different,” Waldschmidt said. “Nobody throws through the same arm slot. Nobody really has the same pitches as him.”
The occasion was a High-A game May 31 between Waldschmidt’s Hillsboro Hops and the Vancouver Canadians. Waldschmidt drew a walk and grounded out in two at-bats.
Statistically forgettable, yet it was an unforgettable memory for Waldschmidt.
Yesavage later started for the Toronto Blue Jays in Games 1 and 5 of the World Series, setting the all-time rookie record for most strikeouts in a World Series game. Waldschmidt — a member of the same draft class — is closer than most to joining him.
The Braden River High graduate was named the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Minor League Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season on Oct. 3, culminating a triumphant first season in the pros. He’s the No. 1 prospect in the organization, per MLB Pipeline, and No. 66 in the entire league.
As the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Waldschmidt split time at the High-A and Double-A levels with the Hops and Amarillo Sod Poodles, respectively. He posted a .289 batting average, .419 on-base percentage, 140 hits, 78 RBIs and 18 home runs across those two stops.
“That was awesome to get the honor,” Waldschmidt said. “It just goes into everyone who’s been involved throughout college and throughout this first season in the minor
“We knew, just watching him play, that he was going to be special. He was very mature for his age, very hard working.”
Craig Page, the Braden River High baseball coach from 2014 to 2019
changed since he was ranked the No. 443 overall prospect in the Class of 2021, per Perfect Game, upon high school graduation.
He entered the fall of his senior year without a single Division I offer. An elbow injury at the end of his freshman season hindered his recruitment process, and when scouts wanted to see results during his junior season, he couldn’t show them because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Braden River didn’t make the FHSAA Class 6A state tournament when Waldschmidt was a senior. The Pirates lost in the District 11 semifinals.
It was a launching pad for him regardless. Charleston Southern called, and he didn’t bother contemplating their offer. He committed on
That was the culmination of four years spent growing his game.
Waldschmidt had actually made the Pirates varsity as a freshman catcher,
“We knew, just watching him play, that he was going to be special. He was very mature for his age, very hard working,” said Craig Page, the Braden River High baseball coach from 2014 to 2019.
“It’s rare to see, these days, kids who are so talented at a young age to be that humble, to not say a lot and really just put their nose down and work hard.”
Waldschmidt transferred to Kentucky for his sophomore year of college baseball. As a junior there, he posted a .33 batting average with 46 RBIs and 14 home runs.
The Wildcats reached the 2024 College World Series and went 46-16 with him in the lineup.
Competing in the Southeastern Conference was an important step forward. When he entered the transfer portal, he was looking for a program that would encourage his development as an outfielder and test his hitting against elite pitching.
He got both and succeeded in
“I came in hungry. You’ve got to make a name for yourself,” Waldschmidt said. “I didn’t have too many expectations going into it. I was coming in with an open mind and was just excited to get out there
Ryan Waldschmidt runs the bases during a spring training game with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was selected No. 31 overall in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Kentucky, and now ranks as the organization’s No. 1 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
Image courtesy of Arizona Diamondbacks/Kelsey Grant
STUDENT OF THE GAME
In the summer of 2023, Waldschmidt played for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He fielded a single in left field during a June 28 game, and tried to throw out a runner, but stepped in a hole and tore his ACL.
In those eight months away from the college diamond, he studied pitches using Kentucky’s Trackman system, which analyzes pitcher performance in real time using ball-tracking technology. He would watch 400-500 pitches during intrasquad practices.
Waldschmidt improved his discipline at the plate without ever taking an at-bat. He became a more patient, focused hitter. He returned to action with Kentucky on Feb. 17, 2024, and in 59 games, had 41 walks against 45 strikeouts that season.
His first season in the minors included 96 walks against 106 strikeouts.
“I came in a lot more confident, dropped that burden of success that I always carried with me throughout high school and through even early in college,” Waldschmidt said. “Now, it’s just that gratitude that you get to walk out there every day and you get to play baseball, and it is a game. You’re supposed to have fun with it.”
and play with all these guys.”
Starting out with Hillsboro, he batted .268 with 63 hits, 43 RBIs and nine home runs. He remained with the team for the first 68 games of the season until his promotion on June 24.
August in Amarillo was special. There was no part of his rookie season quite like it.
During that month, he posted a .371 batting average as well as a .504 on base percentage for the Sod Poodles that included 28 runs, 24 walks, 17 RBIs, 13 extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases.
It solidified his standing as the top talent in the Diamondbacks’ farm system, as he led all Arizona minor leaguers with 229 total bases and 96 walks.
The perspective he gained was similarly significant.
“Not making the moment too big,” Waldschmidt said. “You’re in the position that you’re in for a reason. They called you up, and you’re in that position because they think you’re supposed to be there.”
He also hasn’t forgotten he was in the same draft class as Yesavage.
Facing the record-breaking 22-year-old reminds Waldschmidt of how the minors can feel so close, yet so far from the majors. He came face to face with a pitcher who, four months afterward, got the call. Perhaps a pitcher will rave about him one day.
FAST BREAK
Ryan Neuzil, a 28-yearold Braden River High graduate, has been the starting center for the Atlanta Falcons since Week 1 of the NFL season. He was ranked No. 29 at his position entering 2025, per Pro Football Focus. Through Week 9, though, his performance grade of 91.02 qualifies as eighth best in the league, per Sports Nation Co., among 35 graded centers. The Falcons (3-7) are third in the NFC South.
... The Lakewood Ranch boys’ soccer team is 4-0 as of Nov. 17, with victories over Sarasota, Southeast, Riverview and Braden River. The Mustangs outscored their opposition 152. Lakewood Ranch reached the FHSAA Class 6A regional finals in 2024-25 — ultimately falling 3-1 to Mitchell, the eventual state champion. ... Braden River High girls’ soccer also has yet to lose, as of Nov. 17. The group defeated Riverview (1-0), Manatee (5-0) and Palmetto (2-1) after tying with Palmetto, 2-2, in its season opener. Junior striker/midfielder Victoria Caiazzo boasts a team-high four goals and also leads the Pirates with three assists. Braden River is coming off a season in which it went undefeated all the way until the Class 5A regional finals, falling to North Fort Myers, 2-1, in double overtime.
Kevin Gyurka, a senior for The Out-of-Door Academy cross country, placed third (16:08.8) out of 115 runners in the boys’ 5K at the FHSAA Class 1A Region 3 championship, Nov. 13 at Holloway Park of Lakeland. The Thunder placed fourth as a team on the boys’ side. Their eighth-place result in the girls’ 5K was led by eighth-grader Morgan White, who came in 10th at 20:01.5. The state championship is set for Nov. 22 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, when the 1A girls begin at 9:25 a.m., and the 1A boys start at 10:15 a.m.
Lakewood Ranch High’s Broden Beorlegui
Image courtesy of Jeff Neuzil Ryan Neuzil lines up at center during an Atlanta Falcons practice. The Braden River High graduate is rising up position ranks in the NFL.
Image courtesy of Arizona Diamondbacks/Anna Carrington Ryan Waldschmidt, a 23-year-old outfielder out of Braden River High, wrapped up his first minor league season with 140 hits, 78 RBIs and 18 home runs en route to a .289 batting average.
Crazy about basketball, but will winning follow?
Abasketball went airborne before bouncing and rolling its way down the hardwood. Another seemed destined for the sideline, heading toward the bleachers.
One by one, every Mustang chased both balls in the same sequence. Teammates lined the baseline to cheer and applaud each effort. But one voice cut through their roaring chorus.
It belonged to Kaden Knott. Each and every ball came from his hands as he led a hustle drill to open practice for Lakewood Ranch High boys’ basketball.
Entering his first season at the helm, he’s already brought the fire.
“Players don’t care what you know until they know that you care,” Knott said. “That’s been my No. 1 thing here. It’s important to me that they know that I care about them.”
Knott, at 26 years old, has been
quick to attack a new opportunity with the Mustangs. The FHSAA boys’ basketball regular season began Nov. 17, and he’s approaching it as a varsity head coach for the first time.
His last job was as a graduate assistant for Florida State men’s basketball during the 2024-25 season. But his experience at the high school level — beginning when he was 18 — spans eight years, including his longest stint as head of player development and assistant for Maclay School boys’ basketball in 2017-22.
His time spent in the collegiate ranks was short-lived by his own choice. Players would come and go as they pleased, leaving little room for genuine relationships or much sense of a community when not competing.
It’s high school basketball where Knott said he thrives. This new role satiates a burning desire within him, and it shows. The team around him knows that better than anyone.
“He loves basketball, and he’s crazy about it,” said junior guard Keller Glynn. “It’s kind of infectious — it spreads to the whole team.”
Before jumping into drills at a Nov. 12 practice, Knott gathered his team at midcourt. He didn’t have to shout or wait for their attention.
The entire huddle fell to silence when he began to speak.
That said plenty. During the weeks of tryouts and pre-season practice, he sorted and sifted through the school’s basketball talent, ultimately finding the right guys to follow him into competition. All of them want to listen and learn.
Knott, who’s also a Lakewood Ranch social studies teacher, put his work day behind him when he stepped into the gym. He demanded high intensity from the get-go, run-
ning a three-step hustle drill at the outset of practice.
The coach directed each of his players to take a charge near the baseline, sprint down the court to collect a loose ball and then save a ball from going out of bounds. And he didn’t just stand by and watch as they embraced the challenge — he was almost as dynamic as the players themselves.
With a whistle in his mouth and basketballs in his arms, he moved with each player through the drill, bellowing a mix of commands and encouragement. That’s where his youth shines through.
“I look at it, at this point, as more of a big brother role,” Knott said. “It’s something where they can come to me and trust me, and it goes for anything on and off the court.”
To balance his emphasis on effort, he also doesn’t take himself too seriously. There was no shortage of smiles beneath that signature mustache.
As the Mustangs went through passing drills before diving into the playbook, he wouldn’t let a well-executed rep go unrecognized. A couple claps and a wide grin fol-
lowed every smartly taken shot. Knott can flip a switch when someone misses their assignment or fails to communicate, but at the same time, he’s happy to step back and analyze. He wants to see his players work out kinks by themselves every now and then.
After all, the team in front of him is essentially as new as himself. The Mustangs took 1,200 shots in 202425, and with players who took 1,106 of those having graduated or transferred, there is an almost-negligible amount of continuity.
“We don’t have a lot of varsity experience, which I believe adds a little bit of a gadget to us,” Knott said. “We’re about 10 deep, and we don’t know who’s going to pop out when.”
Lakewood Ranch hasn’t posted a winning season since 2021-22 and struggled mightily last season en route to a 4-20 finish. Knott represents the program’s fifth coach in six seasons.
Jeremy Schiller, current IMG Academy coach, oversaw a dawn of Mustang dominance from 20112021. His teams won four district titles, played in three regional finals and even reached the 2019 FHSAA
Class 8A state championship. Results were resoundingly positive — a 119-27 overall record between the 2014-15 and 2018-19 seasons. Dating back to 2022-23, though, Lakewood Ranch is a dreadful 15-57.
There’s already signs that Knott is cut from a different cloth than his failed predecessors.
“The intensity is much greater than last year,” said sophomore guard Sam Frye. “The way he coaches gets our energy at a higher level than last year, for sure.”
Knott’s fire rages high, burning brighter than most. He leaves little doubt when it comes to his level of commitment to the opportunity in front of him.
With Knott’s guidance, the Mustangs’ road ahead might not be so rocky.
Photos by Jack Nelson
Kaden Knott gathers his players for a pre-practice talk. His new role with Lakewood Ranch High marks his first varsity head coaching job.
Jack Nelson is the sports reporter for the East County and Sarasota/Siesta Key Observers. Contact him at JNelson@ YourObserver.com.
Colin Pfalzgraf, a junior, passes the ball to an open teammate. Like many of his teammates, he’s bought in quickly to coach Kaden Knott’s approach.
Creation of a shining star
Rex Jensen, the Schroeder-Manatee Ranch president and CEO, has long been known for his eloquent ability to put his personal stamp on a situation.
So it was no different when Jensen accepted the 2025 C. John A. Clarke Humanitarian Award Nov. 13 at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club during The Soirée at the Ranch.
Jensen came to the front of a packed banquet room, looked at the crowd, which included some former C. John A. Clarke Humanitarian Award winners, along with Clarke himself, and admitted he wonders if he is worthy of such a lofty award.
“I am not qualified to chew the gum off your shoe,” he said to the previous winners of the award.
But he quickly noted that by working together, SMR and the community as a whole have created an amazing environment in Lakewood Ranch that has fostered humanitarianism and social welfare.
“We’ve been able to create one of the most wonderful communities in the United States,” Jensen said. “This place is different. When I look at this room, this whole room built this.”
Matt Walsh, CEO and founder of the Observer Media Group, spoke about Jensen before he took the podium.
“You hear the expression that you should leave it better than the way you found it,” Walsh said. “In this case, it is not even close. He has created a historic legacy.
“He took what once was a blank canvas, and he created a national shining star. And he has done all of this with the utmost integrity.”
A video was played to honor Jensen and included comments from noted members
of the community along with Jensen’s coworkers.
“He is a visionary,” said Maribeth Phillips, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee, of Jensen. “He sees it, and he makes it happen.”
It was all made to happen during the crowning event of the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation’s 25th anniversary year. It seemed fitting that Jensen was presented with an award that was started after Clarke and SMR founded the nonprofit 25 years ago.
LWRCF Executive Director Kate Mulligan described her nonprofit as one that “connects donors, volunteers and causes.”
“And tonight, we honor that legacy,” she said.
She said the foundation has set a goal of doubling its grants to the community to $250,000 in 2026. She said it is a necessary quest as during the most recent grant cycle, the foundation received $180,000 in requests for aid from area nonprofits.
— JAY HEATER
Photos by Jay Heater
Tim and Nyda Bittmann-Neville were on hand for the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation’s The Soirée at the Ranch. Nyda is an LWRCF board member.
Ashley and Heath Marston arrive at The Soirée at the Ranch at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club on Nov. 13.
Tommy and Jaymie Klauber were in the house to support The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation at The Soirée.
LWRCF President Jeff Toale and Executive Director Kate Mulligan present Rex Jensen with the 2025 C. John A. Clarke Humanitarian Award on Nov. 13 at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.
Rex Jensen, the 2025 C. John A. Clarke Humanitarian Award winner, visits with last year’s winner, Heather Hackett.
Do you have tired, achy legs?
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YOUR CALENDAR
THURSDAY, NOV. 20 THROUGH
SUNDAY, NOV. 23
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 Steve Arvey (Thursday), the Garbage-Men (Friday), the White Crowe Band (Saturday) and David Fowler (Sunday). The Friday and Saturday shows are $5; the others are free. For information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
FRIDAY, NOV. 21 AND SATURDAY, NOV. 22
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Enjoy the eclectic rock and pop of Frankie Lombardi on Friday while blue musician Zack Pomerleau entertains the crowd on Saturday. For more information about the free music series, go to WatersidePlace.com.
SATURDAY, NOV. 22
ADVENTURE PARK PAVILION REOPENING
Runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Greenbrook Adventure Park, 13010 Adventure Place, Lakewood Ranch. Celebrate the reopening of the pavilion during a casual community gathering that will feature a ribbon cutting for the new Little Free Library, Akiko’s Face Painting, Myrtle’s Sweet Treats and more. Meet and hear from several of the community’s clubs through Lakewood Ranch Community Activities. The event is free and open to the public. Go to MyLWR.com for more information.
MARKET FAIR
Runs from 1-4 p.m. at the 141st Street East Park, Mill Creek. The Mill Creek VII Market Fair will feature various vendors who will offer oil paintings, cookies, pottery, jewelry and more. The event is free. For more information, send an email to WilmaKroese@aol.com.
SATURDAY, NOV. 22 AND SUNDAY, NOV. 23
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.
BEST BET
FRIDAY, NOV. 21
‘WONDERLAND: BELIEVE’ Opens Nov. 21 with a 7 p.m. show at University Town Center and then runs multiple dates each week through Jan. 4. Nik Wallenda’s circus production is held inside a climate controlled tent. Go to Tickets.WonderlandCircus.com/ Events/3 to see all the dates and times and to purchase tickets, which start at $40 for opening night. Wonderland takes audiences on a heartwarming and visually stunning journey that brings together the enchantment of the winter holidays and their unique traditions.
Linger Lodge’s live music schedule includes The Divebombers on Saturday and Steve Cherubino on Sunday.
SUNDAY, NOV. 23
FARMERS MARKET
Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. For information, visit MyLWR.com.
TUESDAY, NOV. 25
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. Go to NathanBendersonPark.org for more information.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26
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. For more information, MyLWR.com.
THURSDAY, NOV. 27
TURKEY TROT
The Kids Dash begins at 7:15 a.m. with the 5K run/walk to follow at 8 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. Join an expected crowd of 4,000 runners at the annual Florida Turkey Trot.
A handful of Sandies
Brittany Lamont, president and CEO of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, said she loves the annual Sandies awards program because its presents an opportunity to spread positively.
Indeed, there was plenty of positivity to go around Nov. 14 when the Sandies returned to Grove in Lakewood Ranch.
“Every year we recognize people who give their time and talent,” Lamont said. “I like it because it gives us a chance to not just recognize the businesses, but to recognize the people behind the businesses.”
Willis Smith Construction’s David Otterness, the former board chair for the nonprofit, collected the Bull by the Horns award, then told the packed room at Grove, “I’ve gotten more out of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance than it ever got out of me.”
Bree Carotti of Carotti Engineering, picked up the Networking Queen award, then gave her fellow LWRBA members a couple of tips.
“If you see someone who is shy and alone, why not walk up and start a conversation?” she said. “And act with confidence. Make sure you meet three new people at an event.”
Steve Shenbaum was awarded the Ray of Sunshine award and he made sure to thank his team at Game On Nation.
“I am not a Ray of Sunshine every day with them,” he said.
Other winners were Ashlyn McCarty (Above and Beyond), Shawna Hicks-Cranston (Community Champion), Thomas Machuga (Networking King), Marcus Walfridson (Rising Star), Lori Abramson (Best Rancher), and Dianne Kopczynski (Volunteer of the Year).
— JAY HEATER
Marcus Walfridson of the Sarasota Paradise, the Rising Star winner, told the LWRBA members that “we can’t have a professional soccer team without you.”
Lori Abramson of LegalShield accepts the Best Rancher award during the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance’s Sandies Awards at Grove.
Steve Shenbaum of Game On Nation shows off the trophy for his selection as the 2025 Ray of Sunshine for the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.
Photos by Jay Heater
The nine 2025 Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance Sandies award winners.
Shawna Hicks-Cranston of PostNet raises her Sandies award for the Community Champion category. The annual Sandies was held by the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance on Nov. 14 at Grove in Lakewood Ranch.
Bree Carotti of Carotti Engineering brought a little extra color to the Sandies in winning the 2025 Networking Queen award.
Thomas Machuga of Machuga Financial addresses the crowd after being selected as the 2025 Networking King.
Patients with chronic GERD or reflux who are also diagnosed with a hiatal hernia may benefit from a new robotic-assisted, minimally invasive procedure* at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. Known as cTIF, the two-part treatment helps patients find relief by treating the root cause of reflux in both conditions.
Patient Advantages
Quicker recovery
Fewer post-operative problems, such as swallowing issues, excessive burping, bloating or gas
Shorter hospital stay
Reduced reliance on medication
Restored natural esophageal functioning
Improved quality of life with reduced GERD symptoms like heartburn, regurgitation and chest pain**
If you’re ready to start living free from reflux, ask your doctor if the cTIF procedure is right for you.
The general surgery team at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center offers compassionate and advanced surgical services, including minimally invasive laparoscopic, robotic and traditional treatments.
Sarasota’s Julia Wilhelm and Renee Myers check out the pieces of art for sale at LKM Fanciful Creations by Linda McMillan.
Palmetto’s Micki Gaughan
Laurie Gerstein couldn’t leave the sale without purchasing pieces from Patty Notarianni and Linda McMillan.
Lisa Sweeney of Artwork by Lisa gets festive with her Christmas-themed resin ornaments.
A ‘gift from the heart’
Despite not inheriting artistic genes, Lakewood Ranch’s Jo Jadin can appreciate beautiful artwork on display. Surrounded by friendly chatter and artwork of various mediums, she enjoyed her experience browsing the Creative Arts Association of Lakewood Ranch’s Fall Art Show and Sale on Nov. 15 at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.
“Many of the artists are retired like me and having a creative outlet like they do is so important to staying young at heart,” Jadin said. “My favorite part was buying a pair of fun and funky earrings (from Susan Perry) that make me feel young at heart.”
Rosedale’s Ruth Anderson has been attending the show for years and said it feels like a reunion with the artists each time.
“I know the time, effort, and creativity that goes into every unique piece,” Anderson said. “Something handmade means so much more than manufactured merchandise. It is a gift from the heart.”
— MADISON BIERL
Photos by Madison Bierl
Jewelry designer Elaine Vaughn has been part of the art show and sale for the past 18 years. She made 200 necklaces for the event.
Patty Notarianni sells an acrylic painting to Rosedale’s Ruth Anderson. Anderson said the lovely colors and contemporary style caught her eye.
Lake Club home tops sales at $3,725,000
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
ALake Club home topped the week’s sales. Mark and Holly Steier, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, sold their home at 14831 Como Circle to Joy Mangano, of Bradenton, for $3.725 million. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 4,096 square feet of living area.
WILD BLUE AT WATERSIDE
Lewis and Jackie Bonadies sold their home at 8368 Sea Glass Court to Craig and Tracy Huffman, of Aurora, Ohio, for $1.97 million. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,986 square feet of living area.
ESPLANADE
Gage Holdings LLC sold the home at 4931 Benito Court to Joshua and Courtney Beckner, of New Albany, Ohio, for $1.8 million. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, fourand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,044 square feet of living area. It sold for $950,000 in 2018.
Linda Peterson Parenti, trustee, of San Antonio, Texas, sold the home at 4607 Benito Court to Edward and Melissa Evans, of Millsboro, Delaware, for $1.25 million. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and is 3,036 square feet. It sold for $1.55 million in 2023.
SHOREVIEW
Ronald Botts, of Sarasota, sold his home at 7944 Grande Shores Drive to Steven and Renee Green, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.58 million. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,850 square feet of living area. It sold for $767,400 in 2019.
ISLES Gregory Penn and Bonnie Spence, of St. Augustine, sold their home at 8227 Nevis Run to Stanislav Mikhaylov and Anghelina Sinyayeva, of Vancouver, Washington, for $1.25 million. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,374 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.2 million in 2024.
COUNTRY CLUB EAST
John and Marcia Caplan, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 14817 Secret Harbor Place to Glenn and Celeste Hamler, of New London, Connecticut, for $1.135 million. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and is 2,663 square feet. It sold for $547,500 in 2014.
RIVERWALK RIDGE
Eugene and Debra Phillips sold their home at 6915 Honeysuckle Trail to Brenda Cook and Richard Armstrong, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, for $980,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,522 square feet of living area. It sold for $999,000 in 2022.
RIVERDALE REVISED
Benjamin and Stephanie Bryant, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4604 Blue Marlin Drive to Diego Rivas and Bianca Alexis Tortolano, of Bradenton, for $830,000. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,416 square feet of living area. It sold for $760,500 in 2024.
Rebecca Doren, of Parrish, sold her home at 4212 Third Ave. N.E. to Philip Yetzer, of Bradenton, for $425,000. Built in 1999, it has two bedrooms, three baths and 1,600 square feet of living area. It sold for $415,000 in 2015.
MOORINGS AT EDGEWATER
Dianne Emmermann, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 201 condominium at 6523 Moorings Point Circle to Thomas Terhorst and Nancy Futch, of Bradenton, for $815,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,963 square feet of living area. It sold for $471,300 in 2003.
GREYHAWK LANDING WEST
Stephen Thomas Walker and Michelle Marie Walker sold their home at 518 Chantilly Trail to Clifford Schulz and Karen Kelly, of Bradenton, for $754,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,735 square feet of living area. It sold for $403,500 in 2016.
WINDWARD
Neal Communities of Southwest Florida LLC sold the home at 8173 Scarletbush Drive to Jennifer Lynn Becker and Bernard John Becker, of Muscatine, Iowa, for $723,100. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,334 square feet of living area.
MILL CREEK
Travis Mitchell Newell and Morgan Ashley Newell, of Bradenton, sold their home at 807 Mill Run E. to Zachary Alan Schmidt and Marissa Schmidt, of Bradenton, for $700,000. Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,460 square feet of living area.
Karen Lundholm sold the home at 13809 18th Place E. to Ennio Canziani, of Bradenton, for $535,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,443 square feet of living area.
Ronald and Johanna Pumphrey, of Murphy, North Carolina, sold their home at 1143 Mill Run E. to Jordan Tuttle, of Bradenton, for $495,000. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,876 square feet of living area. It sold for $112,900 in 1990.
RIVER PLACE
Daniel O’Bannon and Renata Richards O’Bannon sold their home at 7114 68th Drive E. to Dennis and Bonnie Mazaris, of Myakka City, for $682,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,274 square feet of living area. It sold for $382,000 in 2016.
EMERALD LANDING AT WATERSIDE
Weekley Homes LLC sold the home at 7216 Sutton Lane to Manisha Heiderscheidt and Benedict Heiderscheidt, trustees, of Dover New Hampshire, for $670,000. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,387 square feet of living area.
BRIDGEWATER
Anthony and Savannah Leigh Cacciatore, of Rocklin, California, sold their home at 13220 Swiftwater Way to Charles Freeman and Diane Huntley, of Bradenton, for $625,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,268 square feet of living area.
Carlyle at the Villages of Palm Aire
James and Bianca Pace, of Milton, Georgia, sold their home at 5232 Creekside Trail to Lonnie Craft and Niall Campbell, of Sarasota, for $605,000. Built in 2010, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,527 square feet of living area.
Angelo Michael Labracio and Maria Tricia Labracio, of Sarasota, sold their home at 5004 Creekside Trail to Linda Tucci and Christopher Gordon, of Sarasota, for $560,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and is 2,228 square feet.
COUNTRY OAKS
Eric Jarvis, of Sarasota, sold his home at 4911 79th Ave. Plaza E. to Robert Wisniewski Jr. and Jonnye Wisniewski, of Sarasota, for $575,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,092 square feet of living area. It sold for $390,000 in 2021.
Purchasing Fund 2019-2 LLC sold the home at 8434 Cypress Lake Circle to Khanh Do and Bao Le, of Sarasota, for $422,000. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,768 square feet of living area. It sold for $430,000 in July.
SAVANNA Elizabeth Anne Miano and Justin Miano, of Bradenton, sold their home at 13819 American Prairie Place to Yevgeny and Tara Altshul, of Bradenton, for $570,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, two
3-7
baths, a pool and is 1,838 square feet. It sold for $340,000 in 2017.
COUNTRY CLUB
Catherine Songster, trustee, sold the home at 6547 Oakland Hills Drive to Stephen Wayne Atkinson and Patricia Atkinson, of Lakewood Ranch, for $550,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and is 1,980 square feet.
RIVER LANDINGS BLUFFS
Jack and Sherri Giltner, of Hughesville, Pennsylvania, sold their home at 6118 56th Terrace E. to James Ryan Kuca, of Bradenton, for $550,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,977 square feet of living area. It sold for $280,000 in 2015.
GREENBROOK
Daniel Edward Carmichael Jr. and Micki Kay Allen, of Grove City, Ohio, sold their home at 6446 Blue Grosbeak Circle to Frank Dole and Ana Angelica Dole, of Reading, Pennsylvania, for $530,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,771 square feet of living area.
Courtesy image
This Lake View Estates at Lake Club home at 14831 Como Circle sold for $3.725 million.
Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,096 square feet of living area.
Leap of faith
With more than 10 years in the saddle aboard QC Diamantaire, Sydney Elliott looked comfortable in taking on the Lakeside arena course at the TerraNova Equestrian Center on Nov. 16.
Ten other competitors already had taken their best shot at Louisiana’s Elliott, a former Pan Am Games competitor who had come into the final of three days of competition with the lead.
And with New Zealand’s Hayley Frielick putting together a nice run just before Elliott’s turn, the pressure was building. It didn’t matter. Elliott and “Q” breezed through the Chris Barnard-designed course, going clear and finishing just a second over optimum time to wrap up the title.
Meanwhile, the crowd in the VIP pavilion snacked on soup to support Meals On Wheels Plus of Manatee while enjoying the sun-kissed day.
Maribeth Phillips, the Meals On Wheels CEO and president, was thrilled to see more than 100 tickets to the luncheon before the day’s competition began.
“This is our third time here, and it is stunning,” Phillips said. “It is so perfect here. It is such a nice thing for our guests, to be able to enjoy this setting.”
Phillips said TerraNova founders Steve and Natalee Herrig have been “amazing community partners.”
Photos by Jay Heater Sydney Elliott turns toward an obstacle aboard QC Diamantaire in her final winning run in The Event at TerraNova’s CCI4 class.
Lynn Symansky clears an obstacle aboard Bounce and eventually places fifth in the CCI4 competition at The Event at TerraNova on Nov. 16.
Zach Ketelboeter, the chief operations officer at TerraNova Equestrian Center, shows he can ride as well. He was competing aboard Liondrive in CCI3 competition.
The Art of Waterfront Living at Wild Blue
Lakewood Ranch’s premier waterfront community offers exceptional resort-style living with stunning single-family homes by the region’s most sought-after builders. In response to phenomenal demand, Wild Blue at Waterside has released new premium homesites.
The spectacular 30,000-square-foot clubhouse, opening Fall 2026, will feature resort pools, dining, putting course, golf simulator, cinema, and fitness center. Residents are already enjoying Midway Sports Park, now open with tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts.
Secure your place in Sarasota’s most distinctive waterfront address.
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
IT’S ELEMENTARY! by Emma Oxford, edited by Jared Goudsmit
By Luis Campos
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