E A ST COUNTY
Observer Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 18, NO. 4
On course to a brighter future
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FREE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015
YOUR TOWN
Gullett Principal Dr. Shirin Gibson catches up on some emails with her protege, Sunny Dwizinski.
New owners of the Legacy Golf Club, its fourth set since 2009, say personal attention will lead to success.
Recess for everyone Walkie talkie in hand and a smile on her face, fifth-grader Sunny Dwizinski proudly walked through the hallway of her school, B.D. Gullett Elementary. Dwizinski was principal for a day Monday, and she quickly adjusted to her temporary role. “It’s pretty awesome,” Dwizinski said, smiling. “I have a walkie talkie and keys. My friends think it’s pretty cool, too.” Principal Dr. Shirin Gibson coached Dwizinski through an administrator’s daily routine of checking classes, helping in the cafeteria and giving out Gator Bait, tickets for students who exhibit good behavior. Her mother won the position for her by bidding the most money, $250, at an annual fundraiser for the school in September.
JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR
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SEE PAGE 8A
BLACK Christmas in Candyland INSIDE
TIE
Jay Heater
New owner Jon Whittemore reads a plaque dedicated to course designer Arnold Palmer at Legacy Golf Club of Lakewood Ranch.
Cow kissin’
Whole Foods project may get bogged down Sarasota County staff recommends preserving the wetlands at the proposed site for University Station.
JACK SHORT
U NIVERSIT Y PK W Y.
STAFF WRITER
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planned development that would bring a Whole Foods Market and a Wawa to the corner of University Parkway and Honore Avenue faces a challenge: 4.5 acres of land needed for the development sit on protected wetlands. A report prepared by Sarasota County noted the resulting impact to wetlands would violate the county’s comprehensive
Proposed development
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HONORE
s Jon Whittemore drove along one of the fairways of the Legacy Golf Club at Lakewood Ranch, he noticed that somebody had used that particular spot as a personal driving range, perhaps by sneaking on just before darkness. Whittemore pulled up his golf cart and dug into a bucket that contained a mixture of dirt, fertilizer and grass seed used to repair divots. He started filling the craters one by one. The day before, Whittemore borrowed an F-150 pickup and collected some dryers from the appliance store. He delivered them, and hooked them up at the golf course, his bashed knuckles proving that the process involved a bit of aggravation. If Whittemore was a golf course superintendent, his actions wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. But he owns the place.
Scared of snakes? Call Frank Gamsky. PAGE 10A
Target
Mall at UTC
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plan, which guides land use and development in Sarasota County. The county report recommended SEE PAGE 5A
Scot Boice, the Nolan Middle School principal, has a new girlfriend. On Monday, Boice planted a smooch on Cammie, a 4-month-old calf, because his students collected 2,882 cans of food in November for the Salvation Army. Boice’s kiss was the grand finale as a different faculty member kissed a cow or pig housed at the school for each 250-can milestone reached. Students giggled as Boice kissed Cammie three times. His secret to overlooking Cammie’s bad breath? Two peppermints before the kiss. “I can’t recall ever kissing a cow before,” Boice said.