East County Observer 5.20.21

E A ST COUNTY

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VOLUME 23, NO. 27

YOUR TOWN

Vote slated to dump administrator search Commissioners say search to hire administrator is a waste of time, money. PAGE 3A

Brendan Lavell

Women find network of support

Perfect timing

Country Club’s Lori Abramson and Myakka City’s Melissa Sinkler (above) enjoyed conversation — and, of course, the food — at the Local Chapters of Business Women networking luncheon at Speaks Clam Bar on May 13.

Sinkler said women bring a different perspective to the business world.

“My husband might see something in gray and white, and I add the vivid color,” said Sinkler, who works with her husband at Detweiler’s Propane Gas Service.

EMS chief delivers baby feet-first in an expedited arrival. SEE PAGE 2A

Brendan Lavell

Parrish’s Donnie, Jami and Owen Nelson stand at a press conference May 12 at the EMS station in Lakewood Ranch. They thanked EMS for helping to deliver Owen on April 18 at the Lakewood Ranch YMCA.

Courtesy photo

Prom prevails

Nonprofit makes buds at ODA Ella Hildoer (above), a student at The Out-of-Door Academy, dazzled the crowd with her jazz solo dance May 15 at ODA. Hildoer was one of the 21 acts (38 students total) that featured singers, musicians or dancers during the school’s annual talent show, Thunderpalooza.

The school raised more than $700 for Manasota BUDS, a nonprofit dedicated to educating people about Down syndrome while also providing a network for families in the understanding and acceptance of Down syndrome.

Liz Ramos

Lakewood Ranch High seniors Fallon Gehrke and Evan Taylor celebrate winning the prom queen and king titles at the Hyatt Regency in Sarasota. Standing behind them is Jackie Llamas, a co-organizer of the prom event.

After the Lakewood Ranch High prom was canceled, a private one was organized to replace it.

SEE PAGE 1B

A+E

‘Pipeline’ delivers punch.

SEE PAGE 4B

2A

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

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SPECIAL DELIVERY No shoelace needed as EMS arrives to deliver the baby at the Y. BRENDAN LAVELL STAFF WRITER

Donnie Nelson sped through Lakewood Ranch in a frantic effort to reach Lakewood Ranch Hospital for his wife, Jami, who was in labor.

It became clear they weren’t going to make it, so he pulled into a big parking lot he noticed on the left side of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, called 911 and geared himself up to deliver the baby.

“They were preparing me with things like, ‘Get a shoelace and a safety pin,’” Donnie said. “‘When he comes out, you’re going to have to tie some stuff off.’ And I’m like, ‘OK.’” Donnie estimated he was about two to three minutes from delivering the baby himself. Little did he know, the Lakewood Ranch YMCA parking lot was a quarter-mile from Manatee County’s EMS station on Malachite Drive.

EMS District Chief Jason Evans and a crew of six EMS workers arrived immediately. Evans has delivered three other babies in his 20-year career.

From that point, it took just seven minutes for Owen Nelson, the fourth child of Donnie and Jami, to make his way into the world inside the Nelsons’ car at 4:20 p.m. April 18 — feet first.

“So often in this profession,

we deal with end-of-life experiences, tragic events and chronic illnesses,” Evans said. “We see that so frequently, but to be able to bring a light into the world, there’s nothing better. It’s absolutely amazing.”

Evans, a Palm Aire resident, was in the area to pick up some paperwork from the Malachite station, his base of operation. The moment he arrived on the scene, he knew the baby was coming. His first goal was to help Jami become calm. When Jami told him she was told by a doctor that the baby was breech, meaning he was going to come out feet first, it raised his level of concern.

“Breech deliveries are very uncommon,” Evans said. “Sometimes there can be complications, but again, this is where we fall back on our training. That’s why we train constantly for these kinds of situations.”

Jami said she was concerned because breech babies often require C-sections. Luckily, Owen did not.

Evans said his job was to radiate calm on the outside and bring order to the chaos. On the inside?

“My heart rate was probably about 150 beats per minute,” Evans said.

One foot came out first. At that point, Jami remembered Evans telling her to push. The next minute, she said, was pure pain.

“But I knew that he had him, and I was instantly calm,” Jami said. “I don’t think if he was there, just guiding me through it, and me knowing that he was on the

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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT The first time Manatee County EMS District Chief Jason Evans, a Palm Aire resident, delivered a baby, he was called to a jail cell at Port Manatee. Although the jail did have a medical staff, this mother-to-be went into labor early, and Evans was called in.

“I was terrified,” Evans said. “I’m a young paramedic. This is the first baby I’ve ever delivered. I learned how to do it in paramedic school, but I’ve never done it for real. But [I was] very fortunate that mom was brave, mom was strong.”

The baby came with no complications, and Evans, who now has delivered four babies during his 20-year career, said it was one of the most rewarding experiences he could have.

other end, I don’t know if I would have felt as safe. I felt really safe.”

The Nelsons, who are from Parrish, requested an opportunity to meet with Evans and the EMS crew that helped deliver their baby, resulting in a reunion May 12 at the Malachite EMS station.

“We wanted to say thank you for being there, definitely on time, because [Owen] did come so quickly,’” Jami said. “That he

Brendan Lavell

Above: Jami Nelson holds her son Owen and visits with Manatee County EMS District Chief Jason Evans.

Nelson was a breech baby, which means he came out feet first.

Evans himself was a breech baby.

Left: Manatee County EMS District Chief Jason Evans, Parrish’s Donnie Nelson, paramedic Jay Beaupierre, paramedic Mike Sykes and Captain Craig Madsen stand by after Jami Nelson (not pictured) gives birth.

Courtesy photo

was a breech baby and that he was out with no complications … he’s perfect. That goes to the ones that were there to deliver him. Just his health, him being here, we’re so grateful.”

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

The Manatee County Commission will consider appointing interim Administrator Scott Hopes to the permanent position May 25, despite telling the public a candidate search would be conducted.

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

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IF YOU GO

What: Manatee County Commission votes whether to move interim Administrator Scott Hopes to permanent status Where: Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton When: 9:45 a.m. May 25

missioners still want to forgo the search and appoint Hopes to the permanent position for the purpose of saving taxpayer money, at least they would have waited six months into his interim term instead of six weeks.

FAITH IN HOPES

NO SEARCH FOR NEW ADMINISTRATOR?

File photos

Despite telling the public a search would be conducted for a new administrator, commissioners attempt to reverse course.

BRENDAN LAVELL STAFF WRITER

I

t was about two months ago when Manatee County commissioners were telling the public that a search would be completed to find a new administrator.

That was just before Scott Hopes was selected as the interim administrator April 1.

On May 25, the commissioners have set up a vote to appoint Hopes as the permanent administrator while canceling the search that was promised.

Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, who was among six of the seven commissioners who said a search should be conducted, said it’s impossible not to be concerned about losing public trust in a situation like this.

Baugh said she expects some citizens will voice displeasure when the commission votes May 25 on whether Hopes should be elevated to the permanent position.

“However, I think sometimes you have to make the decision that you feel is best for the constituents and the county as a whole,” Baugh said.

Commissioners Baugh, Carol Whitmore, Kevin Van Ostenbridge and James Satcher voted May 11 to consider whether Hopes should be appointed as the longterm administrator at the May 25 commission meeting. The three commissioners said circumstances change and, for a variety

of reasons, it makes more sense now to elevate Hopes to the permanent role than it does to follow through with a search.

Baugh and Whitmore, usually opponents on the board, both said an administrator search could prove to be a waste of money, given how impressed they are with Hopes’ performance thus far.

Baugh estimated a search would cost the county about $50,000.

Whitmore said she considered whether some commissioners had orchestrated Hopes’ hiring.

Therefore, she originally had reservations about whether Hopes would be a good fit for the county. She said those concerns have been assuaged after six weeks.

Whitmore said she will use the two weeks between the May 11 meeting and the May 25 vote to evaluate feedback from the public, but thus far, the vast majority of comments she has received regarding Hopes have been positive.

“I just want the citizens to feel comfortable that if he does not perform like he has been these last six weeks, if we find or I find that he isn’t the fit for us, or that it’s not going to work, I will be the first one to ask the board to reconsider with termination,” Whitmore said.

WASTE OF MONEY?

“Why are we going to go out there for a search and waste money for something that may or may not exist when we know we have a good thing? Why upset the apple cart?”

— Kevin Van Ostenbridge

“What am I going to learn about somebody on a Zoom when I’ve got somebody right next to me that is performing A-plus and understands Manatee County, understands budgeting and understands private sector?”

— Carol Whitmore

Baugh and Whitmore cited the county’s most recent attempt at an administrator search was a waste of time and money. In Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh expects to hear from some people who are upset the county might not do a search for the permanent administrator position.

“We promised something.

I tell people all the time, ‘You don’t have to agree with what I say, but you at least have to believe what I say.’”

— George Kruse

2017, the commission conducted a search to find a replacement for then-Administrator Ed Hunzeker, who was set to retire in January 2018. After whittling the search down to six candidates, Baugh and Whitmore said commissioners decided that they didn’t like any of them.

“It was a joke,” Whitmore said.

“What am I going to learn about somebody on a Zoom when I’ve got somebody right next to me that is performing A-plus and understands Manatee County, understands budgeting and understands private sector?”

Instead, they persuaded Hunzeker to renew his contract for one more year before choosing Deputy Administrator Cheri Coryea to take his place.

Van Ostenbridge said he doesn’t think the county will miss out on any long-term savings by cutting the cost of an administrator search. He said the danger of hosting a search is losing Hopes if the county doesn’t elevate him to the permanent position.

“I can throw hypotheticals at you all day long,” Van Ostenbridge said. “Why are we going to go out there for a search and waste money for something that may or may not exist when we know we have a good thing? Why upset the apple cart? Things are stable, and we have a guy who meets all of the criteria that we said we were looking for.”

Commissioner George Kruse said the reason to hold a search is honesty.

The administrators had assured the public during a rushed interim administrator search process that a thorough search would be conducted with opportunities for public input.

“We promised something,” Kruse said. “I tell people all the time, ‘You don’t have to agree with what I say, but you at least have to believe what I say.’”

He also said there is no value in hiring Hopes for the permanent role now, considering he still has more than 10 months to go on his interim term.

Kruse proposed waiting until Oct. 1 to consider starting the search, at which point commissioners would have likely heard more feedback from the public about Hopes’ performance. He said that by then, if the com-

Van Ostenbridge and Baugh said they weren’t worried hiring Hopes now could give citizens the impression a deal had been agreed upon previously. Baugh said she didn’t even support Hopes until after she met with him, while Van Ostenbridge said any constituents who follow their meetings closely should know better.

“If anyone watches our meetings and sees how our board interacts, it’s pretty obvious that there’s no coordination going on,” Van Ostenbridge said. “I think our meetings are anything but orchestrated.”

However, every commissioner except Satcher advocated for either a statewide or nationwide search to find the county’s next long-term administrator.

Whitmore and Van Ostenbridge said they trust Hopes can handle anything thrown his way because of his vast experience in both the public and private sectors.

For example, Hopes has served in former Gov. Jeb Bush’s cabinet as director of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Office of Health Policy, which included a $15 billion budget.

Among many private sector positions, he once worked as the senior vice president of DaVita Kidney Care East Coast Operations.

Van Ostenbridge said he felt Hopes was the right person for the job all along. Although the commissioner once supported a statewide search, he said he did so only to compromise with other commissioners, most of whom also said they wanted to do a search for the permanent administrator.

Baugh said that given his performance, Hopes deserves more leeway than the interim administrator title allows him. His current contract places limitations on his ability to hire and fire staff, for example. Baugh, who is responsible for negotiating the contract that commissioners will consider May 25, said she would likely aim for a one- or two-year contract that requires commissioners to vote before renewing it. She said some previous administrator contracts renewed automatically.

Baugh and Whitmore agreed the commission has become far more stable since Hopes became administrator, which Whitmore attributed to Hopes’ prior connections with some commissioners and firm management of seven strong-minded personalities.

They were also impressed by how much county staff has enjoyed working with him.

Whitmore said county stability is especially important now because of the large number of work sessions soon to be scheduled and the number of projects, especially those dealing with infrastructure, the commission is attempting to fast-track.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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Manatee pays commissioners’ legal tab County attorney says leaving commissioners vulnerable to frivolous lawsuits could have ‘chilling effect.’

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fter a bout of public records lawsuits, Manatee County commissioners voted May 11 to protect themselves against what County Attorney Bill Clague described as a “chilling effect” on their ability to perform official duties.

Before unanimously approving the county’s payment of up to $60,000 worth of legal expenses accrued by commissioners James Satcher and Kevin Van Ostenbridge in public records lawsuits, other commissioners said they were worried that leaving Satcher and Van Ostenbridge to pay for the fees themselves would leave commissioners vulnerable to endless public records requests and ensuing lawsuits.

“That’s not a good way of getting the best candidates to be on this board in the long run, to put a sense of fear in people, because that’s what this is turning into,” Commissioner George Kruse said.

Kruse said such an individual financial burden would discourage future candidates from running for the commission.

“I’m not going to start a trend up here and start a precedent up here of having people weaponize attacking this board just to try to bleed everybody dry and bankrupt everyone up here until we lose every credible person in Manatee County from ever wanting to serve in public office ever again,” Kruse said.

Clague agreed the county needed to protect itself against such a scenario.

“The idea is that if officials are afraid that they will be forced to pay legal expenses personally for doing their jobs, they will be afraid to do their jobs,” Clague said.

In April, Sarasota-based paralegal consultant Michael Barfield, the board president for American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, agreed to voluntarily dismiss lawsuits against Satcher and Van Ostenbridge in exchange for settlement payments of $3,000 each.

Barfield is not allowed to become a lawyer of the Florida Bar because of prior felony convictions.

Barfield had filed public records requests of Kruse, Satcher, Van Ostenbridge and Vanessa Baugh after the four had led a move to

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

THE PAYOUT COMMISSIONER JAMES SATCHER Settlement: $3,000 Attorney fees and costs: $15,750 COMMISSIONER KEVIN VAN OSTENBRIDGE Settlement: $3,000 Attorney fees and costs: $34,150

Photos by Brendan Lavell

The Manatee County Commission voted to pay $3,000 for Commissioner James Satcher’s public record lawsuit settlement and an estimated $15,750 in attorney fees and costs.

Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge ran up $34,150 in attorney fees and costs defending himself against public records lawsuits.

The commission voted to cover the cost with county funds.

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oust County Administrator Cheri Coryea. Barfield claimed there were Sunshine Law violations and that the four had coordinated the effort outside of public scrutiny. He later sued Satcher, Van Ostenbridge and Baugh, claiming they didn’t turn over all the necessary records.

Kruse said if the commissioners are left to fight frivolous lawsuits on their own, Barfield, with the backing of the ACLU, and others would continue to accuse them of unfounded accusations to place a financial burden on them.

Commissioner Reggie Bellamy agreed with Kruse and said he voted in favor of the payment because Clague said it would protect all commissioners, current and future, from politically motivated attacks. During four months of litigation, Clague said about 20 public records requests were filed against Satcher and Van Ostenbridge, which he called “considerable.”

Baugh said the lawsuits against Satcher and Van Ostenbridge were purely political, adding that every commissioner needed to vote in favor of the payment because it could happen to any one of them. Baugh was also sued for allegedly failing to provide all

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

relevant public records. Her litigation is pending.

Besides the $6,000 in settlement fees paid to Barfield, Van Ostenbridge and Satcher also requested the county pay for $34,150 and $15,750, respectively, worth of attorney fees and costs.

The payments could decrease because County Clerk of Court Angel Colonneso and her staff will scrutinize the payments before authorizing them.

“If you think they’re not going to look at every single hour spent by all of these attorneys and make sure that every minute that’s being billed was specific to this case, and none of it was for anything else and that it was reasonable, then you don’t know Angel and her team very well,” Kruse said.

“I guarantee we’re not getting to $60,000. She’s finding something because she’ll find out if there’s an extra olive on your salad.”

Clague said the county was authorized to cover the costs under Florida Statute 111.07, “provided that the board finds that the commissioners acted within the scope of their official duties and for a public purpose.” He said no violation was found in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation. Barfield has said the commissioners had not turned over all pertinent records to him, and he continued litigation after the FDLE investigation ended.

“I personally doubt that had this case for these two commissioners litigated to its conclusion, they would have been found to have violated the public records law,” Clague said.

Clague advised commissioners to approve the payment to “receive the protection they deserve in performing their duties.”

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Twice the effort Braden River Elementary School adds a dual-language program.

TWICE AS GOOD? DUAL LANGUAGE A form of education in which students are taught literacy and content in two languages. It promotes bilingualism, biliteracy, enhanced awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and high levels of academic achievement through instruction in two languages.

LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

M

any students don’t start learning a language until they’re introduced to a foreign language class in high school.

But kindergartners who attend Braden River Elementary School next year could start learning Spanish in the school’s new duallanguage program.

Braden River Elementary will be the third school in the School District of Manatee County and the only school in East County to implement a dual-language program that teaches students English and Spanish.

“We’re moving to be a school of innovation by offering unique programs and problem-based learning,” said Joshua Bennett, the principal at Braden River Elementary. “The superintendent has placed it here because we are one of the oldest East County schools. Therefore, our boundaries have been drawn for a long time, and we rely heavily on [school] choice and hardship.”

Bennett said 65% of the school’s families attend the school by school choice or hardship.

Blanche H. Daughtrey Elementary is in its second year of

Courtesy photos

A student from Blanche H. Daughtrey Elementary School reads a book in Spanish. When students are in Spanish class, they will do everything in Spanish. When in English class, they’ll read, speak and write in English.

the dual-language program, and this year is the first year of the program at G.D. Rogers GardenBullock Elementary.

Two kindergarten classes at Braden River Elementary with 18 students in each class will be dedicated to the program.

Debra Estes, the director of English to speakers of other languages, migrant and dual language programs for the School District of Manatee County, said half the students will be English language learners, and the other half will be English speakers.

“We mix the kids, so the kids create their own support networks as they build their friendships and work with each other in the classroom,” Estes said.

Students will share two teachers with one teaching entirely in English and the other entirely in Spanish. Students will spend half the school day learning in English and the other half learning in Spanish.

Assignments and homework will be done in both English and Spanish.

“Biliteracy is so important when we’re creating global learners,” Estes said. “These are children who are going to have an advantage as they get older and are completely biliterate. It’s almost necessary for students whether they go on to college, go into career and technical education or whatever path. It’s going to open doors for them.”

BENEFITS OF DUAL LANGUAGE Ways students benefit by the dual-language program: n Fluency in English and Spanish n Development of superior problemsolving skills n Appreciation for diversity n Higher levels of engagement n Development of improved motor and comprehension skills n Higher selfesteem and selfconfidence n Increased cognitive stimulation n Fewer disciplinary referrals n Demonstration of above average performance on state assessments

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Students in the dual-language program will write in Spanish when in Spanish class and in English when in English class.

Students in the program will stay together as they progress through elementary school.

“By second, third grade, they start grasping the language and hopefully become bilingual,” Bennett said. “The ultimate goal is to be biliterate.”

Bennett said starting to learn a second language as a kindergartner will be easier than waiting until high school because high school students are “set in their ways.”

“You look at kids in pre-K and kindergarten, and they are mal-

Here’s how the duallanguage program will look: n Students will have one English speaking teacher and one Spanish speaking teacher. n 50% of student learning will be in English, and 50% will be in Spanish. n Homework and assessments are in both languages. n The program runs from kindergarten through fifth grade. n In the Spanish classroom, only Spanish will be spoken, and only English will be spoken in the English classroom. n There will be two classes with 18 students each.

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For more information about the program, contact Debra Estes, the director of English to speakers of other languages, migrant and dual language programs for the School District of Manatee County, at 7516550, ext. 2035.

To schedule an in-person tour of Braden River Elementary School, contact Julie Danke, the school’s registrar, at 751-7012, ext. 57011.

If a family isn’t enrolled in Braden River Elementary, the family will need to apply for hardship. Once hardship is approved, the family can apply for the dual-language program.

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

EAST COUNTY

PASSPORT TO A BRIGHT FUTURE

ABOUT JENNIFER CAMPOS School: Lakewood Ranch High School Year: Senior Family: Mother, Lilia; sisters, Graciela and Susana; and brother, Alexis. Her father, Alejandro, died of lung cancer in February.

Future university: University of South Florida Future career: Nursing

Liz Ramos

Above: Jennifer Campos, a senior at Lakewood Ranch High School, wants to set an example for her brother and nephews as she becomes the first in her family to graduate high school.

Despite hardships, graduate says, ‘Everything I propose, I can accomplish.’

LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

W

hen Jennifer Campos, a senior at Lakewood Ranch High School, walks across the LECOM Park baseball field June 3 to get her diploma, she will look into the stands to see her mother and brother beaming with pride.

Campos’ diploma will not only mean she completed high school and will start the next step in her life as a freshman at the University of South Florida — it will also mean she is the first in her family to graduate from high school.

“I’ll be the first, and then my brother (9-year-old Alexis) will hopefully follow,” Campos said.

“It’s an open door for me to know I’m able to do so much. Everything I propose, I can accomplish.”

Campos’ parents, Lilia and Alejandro, moved from Mexico to the U.S. in 1999 and have been working for Faulkner Farms in Myakka City for 21 years growing cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. Until four years ago, when Alejandro Campos was diagnosed with lung cancer, the family spent June through October in Michigan as both parents worked the farms.

While at Lakewood Ranch High School, Campos has excelled academically and participated in clubs and organizations, including flag football, junior ROTC, National Honor Society and Health Occupations Students of America.

Jason Troop, an English teacher at R. Dan Nolan Middle School and a tutor for the School District of Manatee County’s Migrant Education Program, has known Campos since she was in his class seven years ago.

“She firmly believes in not just doing well for herself but setting an example for others,” Troop said. “Even with all the hardships that have occurred in her young life, she’s always managed to see she’s here for a reason, and while those things do happen, she’s going to keep living up to the expectations while honoring those who came before her, especially her father.”

As a shy sophomore, Campos joined JROTC to help her come out of her shell, improve her physical fitness and develop her leadership skills.

Lt. Col. Richard Roller, who heads the Lakewood Ranch High JROTC program, said Campos is

a “strong, independent and yet compassionate soul” who did well in the program.

“She is one of those we can count on and served as a good mentor and teacher for those around her,” Roller said.

Campos had to miss several days of school over the years to assist her father, who didn’t speak English, when he was going to doctor appointments in Tampa.

She spent the beginning of the current school year doing hybrid learning, meaning she was at school two days per week and at home the rest of the week. In November, she transitioned to doing e-learning full time to limit the possibility of being exposed to COVID-19 at school while also helping to care for her father.

“I definitely do feel overwhelmed,” Campos said. “It’s been stressful to maintain my grades, keep up with friends, work and do homework. It’s exhausting.”

Then in February, Campos’ father died from his cancer.

“I just always thought he’d be here for my graduation,” she said.

Campos didn’t let her grief keep her from excelling in school and focusing on her future.

“You have to either try to defeat that [grief] and be resilient or let

yourself go and be depressed,” Campos said. “I know he will be proud, and my mom, brother and sisters (26-year-old Susana and 27-year-old Graciela) are still here and need to see me be happy and graduate.”

Throughout Campos’ three years as a member of JROTC, Roller learned more about her dedication.

“I realized what that young lady had been going through as a migrant child whose father had a terminal illness, and the fact she walked in with a 4.0 GPA, …

I won’t forget her name,” Roller said. “She is one of those rare individuals who will stick with you because of the character that’s inherent within her soul.”

Campos is headed to the University of South Florida this summer to start the College Assistance Migrant Program. She will pursue a degree in nursing with the hope of specializing in gynecology and obstetrics.

“The world obviously needs nurses,” Campos said. “That’s my purpose: to serve.”

Campos hopes to inspire other Latinas to pursue a career in the medical field.

“It’s fairly challenging to get out of the idea of whether you’re good enough for society,” she said. “[Are] you going to be good enough for your career? As a Latina, I think it’s been hard to break out of that stereotype, that we’re able to just do little amounts.”

She eventually wants to earn a master’s degree before moving to Michigan.

“My parents sacrificed to come into this country and give us better opportunities,” Campos said.

“I’m looking forward to living in a nice community, having my mom live with me and giving back to her everything she has done for me all these years.”

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

Publisher / Emily Walsh EWalsh@YourObserver.com Associate Publisher — East County Observer / Lori Ruth LRuth@YourObserver.com Executive Editor / Kat Hughes KHughes@YourObserver.com Managing Editor / Jay Heater JHeater@YourObserver.com Sports Reporter / Ryan Kohn RKohn@YourObserver.com Staff Writer / Liz Ramos, LRamos@YourObserver.com; Brendan Lavell, BLavell@YourObserver.com Copy Editor/ Kaelyn Adix KAdix@YourObserver.com Editorial Designers / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com; Carol Parker, CParker@YourObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Harry Sayer HSayer@YourObserver.com Director of Advertising / Jill Raleigh JRaleigh@YourObserver.com Sales Manager / Penny DiGregorio PDiGregorio@YourObserver.com Digital Sales and Business Development Manager / Kathleen O’Hara, KOHara@YourObserver.com Senior Advertising Executive / Laura Ritter, LRitter@YourObserver.com Advertising Executives / Richeal Bair, RBair@YourObserver. com; Chrissy Guevera, CGuevara@ YourObserver.com; Beth Jacobson, BJacobson@YourObserver.com; Jennifer Kane, JKane@YourObserver.com; Honesty Mantkowski, HMantkowski@ YourObserver.com; Bob Lewis, BLewis@ YourObserver.com; Toni Perren, TPerren@YourObserver.com Classified Advertising Sales Executive / Audri Ferguson, AFerguson@ YourObserver.com Sales Operations Manager / Susan Leedom, SLeedom@YourObserver.com Sales Coordinator / Account Manager Emma Burke, EBurke@YourObserver. com; Lori Downey, LDowney@ YourObserver.com Tributes Coordinator/ Kristen Boothroyd, Tributes@YourObserver.com Director of Marketing / Robin Lankton, RLankton@YourObserver.com Director of Creative Services / Caleb Stanton, CStanton@YourObserver.com Creative Services Administrator / Marjorie Holloway MHolloway@YourObserver.com Advertising Graphic Designers / Luis Trujillo, Allison Wampole Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com Director of Information Technology / Adam Quinlin, AQuinlin@YourObserver. com Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@YourObserver. com Controller / Rafael Labrin, rlabrin@YourObserver.com Office and Accounting Coordinator / Donna Condon, DCondon@YourObserver. com

Courtesy photos

Left: Lakewood Ranch High School’s Adina Mayo and Jennifer Campos attend a camp for JROTC in 2019. Besides JROTC, Campos also participated in National Honor Society, HOSA and flag football.

Below: Alejandro Campos, who died in February, spent some happy moments with his daughter Jennifer Campos at Busch Gardens in 2019.

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YourObserver.com

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

9A

JAY HEATER

Tribute to Heroes Concert chance to support vets

Jay Heater

The late Richard Albero, who lived in Del Webb, wrote a book about his 1,200-mile walk from Tampa to New York to raise $56,000 for the Wounded Warrior project. He died in 2020 and is being honored at the Tribute to Heroes Concert.

veterans groups are even more so. They toil away in relative obscurity for much of the year, mostly relying on those patriotic holidays to generate funds for their causes. That reliance was dealt a blow last year when the pandemic forced cancellation of the parade.

It was a repeat this year, until Lakewood Ranch Community Activities decided to try a live concert. If you are undecided about whether to attend the Tribute to Heroes Concert, I thought I would provide a few

reasons to go.

Money raised (beer sales, parking) from the event benefits VFW Post 12055 Braden River and the Del Webb Association of Veterans and Military Supporters. Unless you are involved in those groups, I doubt you know much about what they do. Let’s start with the Del Webb group.

Del Webb’s Jerry Hufford, a former Air Force sergeant, now heads the organization. He told me the organization is a “cornerstone member” of Southeastern Guide Dogs, which provides

support and guide dogs for veterans.

The Del Webb group also provides support for Manasota Operation Troop Support, a nonprofit that serves military troops deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait with ties to Manatee and Sarasota counties.

That support could be funding or through labor.

Last year, Del Webb Association of Veterans and Military Supporters raised $23,000, mostly through events in its community, to send gift cards to families at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

Del Webb Association of Veterans and Military Supporters has 214 members, but only about 25% of those are veterans. The rest are residents who simply want to support the veterans.

VFW Post 12055 Braden River also is busy.

Included in its work were donations to Meals on Wheels Plus Manatee, quarterly donations of $1,000 to Turning Points to assist homeless veterans, sponsorship of a Lakewood Ranch Little League team, raising the flag at Braden River High football games, donations to Toys-For-Tots and placing wreaths on headstones at Sarasota National Cemetery, Braden River High seniors Selah Swanson and Olivia Townsend and Lakewood Ranch High seniors Hannah Ramsden

and Bailey Hoppe each received a $1,000 scholarship from the VFW this month. All four seniors are members of junior ROTC. Both organizations will have a late member honored at the concert.

Dennis Merriman, one of the founders of VFW Post 12055, died March 14. He earned a Purple Heart among many other medals while serving with the Army’s 187th Airborne Paratroopers Division in North Korea.

Richard Albero, who was a member of the Del Webb Association of Veterans and Military Supporters, died March 17, 2020.

He is known for his altruism and for completing a 1,200-mile walk from Tampa to New York to raise $56,000 for the Wounded Warrior project.

If this stirs your interest, you can reserve a ticket at LWRCA. org. Tickets are free for Lakewood Ranch residents and $10 for nonresidents.

Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver. com.

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or much of our lives, the nation’s soldiers are out of sight and mind.

It’s just the way it is because we’re busy, and as one current soldier told me, it is the way it should be.

He reasoned that he serves so U.S. citizens don’t have to worry about the problems happening around the world.

That all changes on patriotic holidays, when our soldiers come front and center, and Memorial Day is one of those.

With Memorial Day approaching, Lakewood Ranch Community activities is hosting the Tribute to Heroes Concert from 5-7 p.m. May 22 at the Greenbrook Adventure Park in Lakewood Ranch. The concert is a replacement for the Tribute to Heroes Parade, which commonly is held on Memorial Day weekend. The parade had to be canceled because Lakewood Ranch Community Activities felt the safety of the community, due to the pandemic, was still in question when it came to squeezing thousands of people along Lakewood Main Street.

The Tribute to Heroes Parade has always honored those who have died during their service to the country, but it also honored our soldiers in general along with serving as a fundraiser for local veterans groups.

If you agree that our soldiers are out of sight most of the time,

10A

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

History buff Braden River High’s future Carl Auckerman wants to establish relationships before taking over as principal at Braden River High.

LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

CARL AUCKERMAN Residence: Parrish Age: 50 Current school: Palmetto High School Future school: Braden River High School Years in education: 23 Favorite book: “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway Favorite sport: Florida State University football Dream destination: Rome

from service, he knew he needed a job, so he started as a substitute teacher for the School District of Manatee County. He was then hired as a gifted teacher at Lincoln Middle School. A history teacher position later became available at Carlos E. Haile Middle School, so Auckerman began teaching at Haile.

His first administration job was as assistant principal at Southeast, Palmetto and Bayshore high schools from 2002 to 2010. He then went on to be the principal at former Central High School from 2010 to 2013 and later became the principal at Johnson Middle School from 2013 to 2016.

Courtesy photo

Palmetto High School’s Principal Carl Auckerman will take the lead of Braden River High School next school year.

Auckerman wanted to advance from being a teacher to an administrator because he wanted to make an impact on the leadership and culture within a school.

“I’ve always been interested in leadership and the effects of good leadership on organizations and their culture,” Auckerman said.

This year, Auckerman is finishing his 23rd year with the School District of Manatee County.

He’s spent the past five years at Palmetto High School.

Auckerman said Palmetto High School has a uniqueness to it because it was the only school serving the north side of Manatee County for several decades before Parrish Community High School opened in 2019.

“The fascinating part of this school is the community piece that’s here, and I don’t think a lot of people realize or understand that, but there is a groundswell of support for this school,” Auckerman said. “It’s very much a community feel and a family feel.”

Although Auckerman will miss the traditions of Palmetto High School, he looks forward to learning and participating in the traditions that have been established at Braden River High.

“I’m excited about joining the pirate nation,” he said. “They’ve had lots of success, and I’m certainly looking forward to continuing that success and building relationships.”

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or Carl Auckerman, being the new principal of a school is all about building relationships.

Auckerman, who will take the helm of Braden River High School next school year, said the relationships he develops with students, staff and administrators at the school will be crucial to learning the lay of the land as well as understanding the school’s strengths and what needs improvement.

“I’ve always had a good rapport with people wherever I’ve worked,” Auckerman said. “It’s so critical in any line of work you do. You have to build those relationships. You have to make those deposits into their emotional bank accounts to get them to advance the organization forward.”

From athletics and the music programs to extracurriculars, such as Technology Student Association, Auckerman wants to help Braden River High School continue its successes.

“There’s wild successes there, and just being a part of that is going to be awesome,” Aucker-

man said. “I will be looking at where to support those efforts and where we can grow to make those things better.”

Auckerman is a product of the School District of Manatee County. He attended Anna Maria Elementary School and Martha B. King Middle School and graduated from Manatee High School.

When Auckerman started at Florida State University, he was majoring in economics, but he took history classes as electives.

The passion his history professors showed for the topic and their ability to breathe life into history made him change his major to social studies education.

“There’s certain periods that I’m a fan of — the Civil War and Vietnam era,” Auckerman said.

“Those two in particular are pretty fascinating when you get into the details of it, and the instructors I had at the time were just outstanding people that made it just come alive. That was a bit of motivation for me to get into education and teaching.”

After graduating from Florida State, he enlisted in the Army, where he served six years on active duty and in reserves.

When Auckerman returned

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

11A

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12A

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Learning Bashaw first priority for new principal James Dougherty is meeting with teachers, staff and families to prepare for new school year.

LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

ABOUT JAMES DOUGHERTY Residence: West Bradenton Age: 37 Family: Fiancee Sara Barnes; parents Jim and Edith Dougherty Current school: Palm View K-8 School New school: William H. Bashaw Elementary School Years in education: 13 Favorite book: “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins Favorite sports teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Lightning Favorite animal: Bobcat Fun fact: Dougherty used to host trivia at restaurants.

them grow.”

The next year, Dougherty became an exceptional student education teacher for kindergarten through fifth grade.

“I love the fact that on top of working with the students, watching the students grow and watching them develop, you become another family member because you’re in constant communication,” he said. “You’re working with them through developing goals through their [Individualized Education Program].”

CONGRATULATIONS TOP DOCTORS

Working with the students and families inspired Dougherty to graduate from the University of South Florida’s education leadership program in 2015.

Dougherty worked as a student support specialist at G.D. Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School from 2014 to 2017.

In 2017, Dougherty became the assistant principal at Palm View K-8 School, which he said was a struggling school at the time with a D grade from the Florida Department of Education.

“We were able to build a culture on goal-setting, on identifying our needs and working on them and then also celebrating our students and staff when they did succeed,” Dougherty said.

In one year, the school went from a D to an A school. The school has also implemented the WOZ Ed Pathway program that focuses on coding, the engineering design process, drones, cyber security and mobile development.

After seeing what the WOZ Ed program has to offer for students, Dougherty is looking forward to seeing how an emphasis on science, technology, engineering art and math is implemented at Bashaw Elementary.

“I would love to be able to make it a community-vested program where maybe we can get some community support to bring even more resources to endorse

Courtesy photo

James Dougherty says he is excited to take the helm of William H. Bashaw Elementary School as principal next school year. It will be his first year serving as a principal.

the program because there’s some amazing things going on right now,” Dougherty said. “The kids surprised me especially with areas like computer coding and programming.”

Dougherty wants to expand STEAM into various content areas in the classroom, such as math and language arts.

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J

ames Dougherty has been juggling his responsibilities as the assistant principal at Palm View K-8 School while preparing to become the principal at William H. Bashaw Elementary School next school year.

Doughtery has been spending time getting to know the teachers and staff at Bashaw Elementary, learning what they think the school does well and what could be improved.

“They were unbelievably welcoming,” Dougherty said. “I’m sitting down and meeting with each one of them one on one, and I’m excited to hear about all the things they think are wonderful about the Bashaw family and also hearing about some of their ideas and some of their visions on how to make the school even stronger.”

Dougherty’s next step is to meet with Bashaw Elementary students and families during the summer when he officially becomes the new principal, which will be his first time serving as a principal since he started his education career in 2008 with the School District of Manatee County.

“My goal was to become a principal of my own school because I want to have an impact in the community, the students, staff and also those families because it goes back to strengthening those

families’ bonds with the school,” he said. “I want these families to be proud to say their kid goes to Bashaw Elementary School.”

Dougherty came to Bradenton as a teenager when he attended IMG Academy for two years before getting a scholarship to attend Wagner College in Staten Island, New York, where he received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing.

After he graduated, Dougherty moved back to Manatee County.

“I love this community, and I want to see this community flourish,” Dougherty said. “I’m so happy to see the amount of growth I’ve experienced since my first time visiting here in 2000.”

After a year and a half of working in sales, Dougherty realized it wasn’t for him.

Dougherty always had an interest in education, so he decided to become a substitute teacher for the School District of Manatee County.

The principal at then-Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School asked Dougherty to join the staff working with students with disabilities as a paraprofessional.

“That was my hook,” Dougherty said. “Just to be able to build relationships with those kids and especially those students that needed somebody that wanted to care for them and wanted to see

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

13A

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 Peter Balos

David Daigle

Kaiwen Jiang

Abigail O’Donnell

Shane Soletti

Jack Barnes

Connor Davis

Elle Johnston

Chaz Oyler

Olivia Story

Laith Bataineh

Keaton Donnelly

Tyler Katchen

James Pabon

Alex Talbot

Noelle Bencie

Renee Eisenman

Olivia Kerul

Sophie Preston

Taylor Vara

Griscom Bettle

Briana Erbella

Matthew Konkol

Julianne Pung

Adriana Vidal

Alana Brader

Joel Erby

Carly Lansberg

Anton Rappold

Kayleigh Vogt

Stacie Burgess

Brock Gay

Mammad Latifov

Waldemar Rivera-Ortiz

Alex Winterhalter

Elia Chatham

Karolina Graf

Addison Lawrence

Sean Rodriguez

Brooks Winters

Jordan Clark

Diarmuid Harkin

Muhammad Li

Cade Ryskamp

Banghan Xiao

Daniel Clark

Corbin Herba

Sullivan Maley

Sofia Sanchez

Siyuan Xu

Ann Class

Morgan Horesh

Laura Martins

Sarah Schnur

Sitan Zhang

Pierson Connor

Jingxiu Huang

Connor McCray

Alysia Serterides

Cheng Zhang

Emma Craig

Amonde Hyppolite

Collin McKinley

Anusha Singh

Tianyu Zhang

Torin Culp

Gleb Ibragimov

Margaret Moore

Brock Soletti

Chaohong Zhong

Class of 2021 Highlights: • Of the graduates who identified a first-choice college, 96% were accepted to that college • Three graduates were awarded their university’s top academic scholarship, paying full tuition, housing, and research or study abroad grants • Fourteen graduates were offered honors college/leadership program enrollment including merit scholarships, research, travel, and enhanced academic opportunities

• The class of 2021 earned merit scholarships worth more than $4-million and nearly $700,000 in Bright Futures awards • Eight graduates were recruited to play collegiate sports: football, baseball, lacrosse, and tennis

Our 2021 graduates were accepted/will attend: Davidson Delaware Denison Denver DePauw Durham (UK) East Stroudsburg Eckerd Elon Embry-Riddle Emory-Oxford Flagler Florida Florida Atlantic Florida Gulf Coast Florida Tech Florida International Florida State Franklin (Switz.)

Furman George Mason George Washington Georgetown Georgia

Georgia Tech Harvard High Point Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa Iowa State Jacksonville Johns Hopkins Johnson & Wales King’s College (UK) Lafayette London School of Economics LSU Louisville Loyola-Chicago Lynn Marquette Maryland Massachusetts Miami Miami-Ohio Michigan

Michigan State Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi State Missouri Monmouth New College Nichols North Alabama North Carolina North Carolina-Charlotte Northeastern North Florida Notre Dame Nova Southeastern Ohio Northern Ohio State Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pace Penn State Pepperdine Pittsburgh

Princeton Providence Purdue RPI Rhode Island Rochester RIT Rollins Rutgers Saint John Fisher Saint Mary’s San Diego State SCAD Sewanee South Alabama South Carolina Southern Cal Southern Miss South Florida SMU SCF Stetson Suffolk Swarthmore

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School • 315 41st Street West • Bradenton, FL 34209 • www.saintstephens.org • (941) 746-2121

Tampa Tennessee Texas Texas A&M TCU Trine Tulane UCF U.S. Coast Guard Academy Ursinus Valdosta State Vanderbilt Vassar Wabash Wake Forest Washington Washington-St. Louis West Florida West Virginia Wisconsin WPI Xavier

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Alabama American Appalachian State Arkansas Arizona Arizona State Auburn Ave Maria Baldwin Wallace Bentley Boston Butler Cal-Davis Cal-Irvine Cal-San Diego Cal-Santa Barbara Cal-Santa Cruz Case Western Reserve Clemson Coastal Carolina Colorado Concordia Cooper Union Dartmouth

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

New dental practice makes owner smile Greenbrook resident opens Kind Smiles Dental Health in Lakewood Ranch.

LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

G

reenbrook’s Allison Konick knew from the age of 5 that she wanted to be a dentist.

She wasn’t sure why, but she always had a fascination with teeth.

When she was able to shadow her family dentist her sophomore year of high school, her passion for dentistry only increased.

She watched as Dr. James Smith interacted with his patients, gave them each his individual attention and made them feel more like friends rather than patients.

“For me, it was something where I was a bright student, and I liked science, but I knew I wanted to have a family someday but also be a health care provider in our community,” Konick said. “Once I got to spend some time in his office and see how exciting it is to work with your hands, help people’s pain stop and make them smile, it was a lot of things that kind

of checked all the boxes as far as what I thought I wanted to do.”

Konick is now hoping to provide the same family atmosphere at her own practice, Kind Smiles Dental Health, which opened April 5.

“I’ve always had a good worklife balance, but it wasn’t my own office,” Konick said. “Now I can have my family come by and be a part of it and work within the community where I live. It’s truly something I have dreamed about my whole life.”

Kind Smiles Dental Health serves adult patients and provides all aspects of general dentistry as well as other services including crowns and bridges, root canals, teeth whitening and implants.

Konick said she saw a trend in corporate dentist practices that were more focused on quantity of patients over quality of care.

It made her want to open her own practice.

“I’m 10 years out of school, and I probably have another 30 or 35 years to be a dentist and do it on my own terms with treat-

IF YOU GO

KIND SMILES DENTAL HEALTH Where: 11155 E. State Road 70, Lakewood Ranch What: Dental practice serving adult patients.

The practice offers services including general dentistry, crowns and bridges, root canals, teeth whitening and implants.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; by appointment Friday Info: New patients call 253-5565; existing patients call 251-6225; visit KindSmilesDentalHealth. com.

ment plans I believe in without having to be motivated by people who are financially invested,” she said. “You can still treat the patient as the patient and offer treatment that’s relevant on a patient-by-patient basis. That to me was the most important thing.”

Opening a practice in the heart of Lakewood Ranch gives

Liz Ramos

Kenna McSherry, 5, loves spending time at Kind Smiles Dental Health with her sister Scarlett McSherry 6; her mother, Allison Konick; her father, DJ McSherry; and her sister Hazel McSherry, 3. Konick opened the practice in April.

Konick a chance to work in the same community in which she lives.

Konick and her husband, DJ McSherry, moved to Lakewood Ranch eight years ago. The couple has three daughters — Scarlett, 6; Kenna, 5; and Hazel, 3 — with a fourth child on the way.

“As my children are going through school, I’ll be able to treat these families and grow with them,” Konick said. “It’s important to me that I would really know my patients.”

Konick wants to develop relationships with her patients, so

they feel at ease coming to see her and trust her with their dental needs.

“The mouth is such a vulnerable area, and a lot of times, patients don’t come until they’re in pain,” Konick said. “When patients come in, they don’t have to be afraid or embarrassed because a lot of times, they’ve gone years before they’ve seen a dentist, and I tell them all the time getting in the chair is half the battle because if you’re here, then I know you care, and we care.”

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

15A

Blood donations in short supply BRENDAN LAVELL

HOW TO DONATE

SunCoast Blood Centers Community Liaison Joan Leonard likes to challenge people to think of donating blood as a bucket list item.

Leonard said many people are scared to try it, but after doing it once, they are encouraged to continue donating.

“You realize that you’re changing not only the person’s life that you’re helping to save but their whole family,” Leonard said.

Leonard’s advice is especially important now because donations to SunCoast have decreased while demand for blood is high as ever. As COVID-19 vaccines become readily available, Leonard said people are less likely to put off hospital visits for surgeries or cancer screenings, both of which can lead to an increased need for blood. More than 50% of SunCoast’s blood goes to cancer patients, Leonard said.

SunCoast has adjusted to the challenges of the pandemic through the introduction of a concierge program. Individuals can call or email the blood center to schedule an appointment with one of three minibuses to come to their driveway or street and give a one-on-one donation. Leonard also encourages people to come to the headquarters in Lakewood Ranch, which opened during the pandemic a year ago.

Parrish resident Daniel Wansten has been donating blood for about 20 years. He tries to donate about once every eight weeks.

“What an incredible thing

n Visit SunCoast Blood Centers, 3025 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Suite 111, Bradenton. n Schedule an appointment with SunCoast’s concierge service by calling 844-972-6819. n Visit one of SunCoast’s mobile units through a business or organization.

Required materials: Photo ID Tips: Eat and drink water before donating blood.

when you get a text back: ‘You have just saved a life,’” Wansten said. “You get a lot of texts that are annoying. That’s an incredibly good text.”

Wansten tried the concierge program for the first time April 29 after he had trouble making an appointment at the Lakewood Ranch headquarters that would fit his schedule.

Unfortunately, Wansten’s pulse was measured over 100 twice after a morning cup of coffee.

This meant he had to defer his appointment to another day, but technician Ryan Milner immediately scheduled an appointment to come back the next day.

Leonard said there are a couple factors that might have led to a decrease in donations, such as people starting to get out of the house and do more activities. When people get busy, they might be less likely to think about donating blood.

“They’re catching up on life,” Leonard said. “They may not realize that donating blood should be a part of that life.”

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— Mustang QB Cameron Madison SEE PAGE 19A

HIGH

Callie Keel (third from left) rows in a four-person scull with MCYR teammates Karson Franqueiro, Hannah Killan and Manoela Dos Santos. Keel says she is excited to get rowing tips from watching the NCAA Championships.

5

1

Former Lakewood Ranch High softball catcher McKenzie Clark, a freshman at Clemson, was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team on May 11 after hitting 359 with nine home runs, 28 RBIs and 21 steals as of May 17.

2

ODA senior baseball player Logan Tribble went 2-5 with a grand slam and five RBIs on May 12 in the Thunder’s 10-7 road regional semifinal win against Canterbury High.

3

Jay Darcy and Joe Helewicz (64) won the Men’s Golf Association Best Ball event May 12 at University Park Country Club.

4

Brad Guillerm sank a hole-in-one May 9 on the No. 4 hole of Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club’s Royal Lakes course. Guillerm used a 6-hybrid on the 151-yard hole.

5

Don Betts and Dave Burzyck (six under par) won the Men’s Golf Association Best Ball event May 12 on Palm Aire Country Club’s Lakes course.

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GLIMPSE AT THE FUTURE

Ryan Kohn

Local prep rower will attend NCAA championships at Nathan Benderson Park to discover what goes into being the best.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS REPORTER

T

he NCAA Rowing Championships mean different things to different people.

For Manatee County Youth Rowing Captain Callie Keel, whose club is based at the Fort Hamer Boathouse on the Manatee River, it is a glimpse at what she could become.

Keel, 18, said she will be attending the championships in person when they come to Nathan Benderson Park on May 28-30.

The championships only include women’s rowing; men’s rowing is not sponsored by the NCAA. Keel, of Lakewood Ranch, has been rowing for six years, first picking up the sport at an MCYR summer camp that her family suggested she attend. For her, it was the perfect blend of individual work and teamwork, and she formed close bonds with many of her teammates.

Next year, Keel is headed to the University of Central Florida on an academic scholarship, but she plans to try out for the row-

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ing team once she’s there. The upcoming NCAA championships are a chance for her to watch and learn from the best collegiate rowers in the sport, picking up tips that might help her become a collegiate athlete herself.

“I want to watch how they all leave everything they have on the water,” Keel said. “That is something I try to do whenever I race.

To see them completely drained after crossing the finish line, that’s inspiring to me. I want to give that much effort.”

Sarasota Scullers Assistant Coach Jonathan Zagroba, who lives in Lakewood Ranch, said he has not heard much talk about the championships from the rowers he coaches, but he advises all youth rowers in the area to attend.

“Any time you have an opportunity to watch racing at that level, you should take it,” Zagroba said.

“It’s important to see the grit and determination it takes, to hear the coxswains yelling as their teams make a move and to see how that affects the race in the final 250 meters. That stuff can carry over to [youth rowers’] own races.”

Zagroba would know. He repre-

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IF YOU GO

What: NCAA Rowing Championships Competing divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III women’s rowers; men’s rowing is not sponsored by the NCAA When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 28-30 Where: Nathan Benderson Park Which teams are in: Division III teams competing include Ithaca, Washington College, Bates, Hamilton, Pacific Lutheran and Wesleyan (Connecticut); the Division I and II selections were not available at deadline.

Check NCAA.com/ rowing for a full list of teams attending.

Tickets: Weekend tickets cost $40 ($25 for students or people 50 and older); single-day tickets cost $15 ($10 for students or people 50 and older).

To purchase tickets or for more information, including how to volunteer for the event, visit NathanBendersonPark.org

Courtesy photo

Jonathan Zagroba rows for the USA at the 2019 Pan-American Games. Zagroba is now a coach for the Sarasota Scullers and advises young rowers to watch the NCAA Championships at Nathan Benderson Park.

sented the U.S. in the 2019 PanAmerican Games, rowing in the men’s 8-plus and helping the boat to a sixth-place finish. Zagroba said as important as it is to watch top competitors race, it’s just as important to realize how they got good enough to qualify for the championships.

It’s not magic, Zagroba said. It’s hard work that began years prior to qualification. That’s a lesson every youth rowers should learn as well, Zagroba said.

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SPORTS

“I like the responsibility that comes with playing quarterback.

Your play dictates the outcome of games a lot of the time.”

18A

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

PROSE AND KOHN

RYAN KOHN

With ace out, Mustangs rely on backup pitcher against Steinbrenner High, when Laney started feeling arm soreness and was determined to be unable to pitch.

Without his ace, Mustangs Coach T.J. Goelz turned to Coiner. Handed a short amount of time to prepare, Coiner struggled at times against Steinbrenner but ultimately did enough (with support from the team’s explosive offense) to earn a 15-8 win. With Laney still out, the team asked Coiner to pitch the regional semifinals and final, too. She improved, limiting Newsome High in a 15-4 win May 11 before the 7-2 West Orange win May 14. Against West Orange, Coiner was in three bases-loaded jams but was able to wiggle out of them with minimal damage each time.

“My teammates have my back,” Coiner said. “They calm me down, and that helps me a lot. I’ve been working hard, working on my spin, working on everything. I feel much more comfortable each game.”

Coiner’s playoff performances would be a story even devoid of additional context, but there’s another thing you should know about Coiner that makes it more remarkable. She’s not really a pitcher. She tried it when she was playing 12U travel ball, didn’t

like it and gave it up, focusing on the rest of her game instead.

Coiner became a great hitter.

She’s batting .466 this season with seven home runs and a team-leading 36 RBIs. She’s an important cog in the team’s offense, which is averaging 10.5 runs per game. She never thought she would toe the rubber again until she received a text from Goelz in September.

“I was looking at our team, and I realized we might be thin on the mound,” Goelz said. “I told Ella: ‘You’re a great athlete, and you’ve pitched in the past.

Go find a catcher once a week, and start pitching again because we’re going to need you.’”

Coiner said yes and immediately began searching YouTube for a pitch she could learn quickly and effectively. She settled on a screwball, which Coiner said has the added benefit of turning into a rise ball if she errs when releasing it, giving every pitch some sort of movement. At the beginning of the season, Coiner said, she was throwing it around 58 mph, though it is likely around 60 mph now.

“I’m starting to like pitching again,” Coiner said.

It’s understandable that, as Coiner said, she was feeling “a lot of butterflies” before her

Lakewood Ranch junior Ella Coiner has filled in for sophomore Olivia Laney on the mound in the team’s past three playoff games.

Ryan Kohn

first postseason start. Lakewood Ranch is looking to win its first state title, and its hopes hang on a pitcher in her first season at the position. The deeper you go in the playoffs, the more important pitching gets. All the elite offenses the Mustangs have had over the years have ultimately been felled by elite pitching.

For a lot of teams, this scenario would spell disaster. The Mustangs are embracing it. Goelz said Coiner will likely get the start in the team’s state semifinal game against Miami Palmetto High (24-4) at 1:45 p.m. May

21 in Clermont, even if Laney is healthy. Coiner has gotten the team this far, Goelz said, so she’s earned the right to start again.

Of course, he’s also hoping Laney will be available in case anything goes wrong.

Ryan Kohn is the sports writer for the East County Observer. Contact him at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

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W

alking off the field with bags of ice taped to her right arm and her right leg May 14, Lakewood Ranch High junior softball player Ella Coiner looked more like a fighter than a pitcher.

The look was appropriate because Coiner has been battling for her team to advance to the Florida High School Athletic Association state semifinals. On May 14, Coiner was the winning pitcher in the Mustangs’ 7-2 regional final home win against West Orange High.

Lakewood Ranch (28-2) now heads back to the state semifinals, but the journey has been anything but typical, especially for a team ranked No. 4 by USA Today and No. 3 by MaxPreps. It has been a fight.

Throughout the regular season, Coiner was not the team’s top pitcher. That honor belonged to sophomore Olivia Laney, a transfer from the Community School of Naples who went 17-1 with a 0.63 ERA. Coiner’s numbers were more human. In 36 innings, she held a 3.50 ERA. Heading into the regional quarterfinals, there was no question, from anyone, which pitcher would be the workhorse.

At least until the day before the Mustangs’ regional quarterfinal

THE TIDEWELL FAMILY OF COMPANIES

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

When did you start playing football?

In second grade. I first played running back for the Buccaneers (YMCA Bradenton) before moving to the East Manatee Bulldogs in third grade.

What is the appeal to you?

I like the responsibility that comes with playing quarterback.

Your play dictates the outcome of games a lot of the time.

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

19A

We are open for private & semi-private lessons at home & community pools!

Cameron Madison

SWIMMING LESSONS

If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Ryan Kohn at RKohn@YourObserver.com.

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Cameron Madison is a junior quarterback on the Lakewood Ranch High football team. Madison is projected to be the team’s starter in the fall after splitting time with senior Jimmy Kelly in 2020. Madison threw for 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns, completing 60% of his passes. Madison and the Mustangs (5-4 in 2020) will play their 2021 spring game on May 21 on the road against Southeast High (4-7).

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What are your goals for the fall season?

I want to compete against our local opponents. That is something we have struggled to do recently, but I feel like we are in a better position to do well against them this year. I want to make the playoffs and hopefully win a few games after that as well.

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

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Above: Eduardo Mirandra and Isis Sanchez drop off Sanchez’s daughter, Nemesis Rivera, at the prom. River is a senior at Lakewood Ranch High School.

Left: Lakewood Ranch High School seniors take a limo to prom.

Photos by Liz Ramos

May we have this dance?

F

allon Gehrke, a senior at Lakewood Ranch High School, wasn’t expecting to have a prom.

When Gehrke walked into the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Sarasota on May 15 and saw balloons, decorations and a dance floor, she was grateful two Lakewood Ranch High parents decided to host a prom on their own.

The surprises kept coming for Gehrke when she was named prom queen.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Gehrke said. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

About 250 seniors and their guests danced the night away at the prom.

“I’m glad we had it at all,” senior Sofia Pagan said. “I was sad there wasn’t going to be one this year, especially since this year has been so hard for us.”

Senior Sophia Milligan said the prom makes up for what the senior class lost this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Above: Seniors Bella Crisci, Elizabeth Hescock and Clay Green commemorate their prom at a photo booth.

Left: Parker Oler, who graduated from Palmetto High last year, was a date for Lakewood Ranch senior Leah Oakin at the prom.

— LIZ RAMOS

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Senior Yancarlos Perez dances to “Cotton Eye Joe” with junior Megan Scully.

2B

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Mission to help veterans continues despite pandemic After cancellation of the Rosedale Golf Classic, the event still raises $132,905.

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

A

fter making the hard decision to cancel the 2021 Rosedale Golf Classic to benefit Homes for Our Troops due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament committee was brainstorming ways to still make a nice donation to help veterans with disabilities.

One thing apparent over the eight years of the tournament has been the terrific support it has received from the Rosedale community.

However, that support was mostly from members of the local golf community or those familiar with Homes for Our Troops. Perhaps an introduction to the entire community was in order.

“Rosedale almost is built out now with 1,148 homes,” co-tournament organizer Deb Kehoe said. “We thought we would make a flyer. We got out our map, handed out the assignments and put a flyer in every door.”

The response was overwhelming.

“We raised $10,000,” Kehoe said. “It definitely was worth it.

We bumped into people we didn’t know. We live in a generous, giving community, and we are very appreciative of that.”

“We live in a generous, giving community, and we are very appreciative of that.”

Although the pandemic has made the effort tougher, Kehoe and fellow tournament organizer Kathi Skelton said being forced to find other fundraising avenues could help in the future. They have connected with more people about their cause.

“We had a lot of opportunities in our community,” Skelton said.

In 2020, the Rosedale Golf Classic contributed $161,000 to Homes for Our Troops, which builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured, post9/11 veterans, which enables them to rebuild their lives. The donation was the second largest in the nation by any one organization.

“We could have gone over $180,000 if we had the tournament,” Skelton said.

However, just about everyone who paid to play in the golf tournament donated that fee, even though the tournament wasn’t played. The business and individuals who donated money to the cause told them to keep it.

Among those donors were many who donated $500 or more.

Skelton and Kehoe went to those donors this year and asked if they would make a donation to the cause, even though there was no tournament. For each donation of $500 or more, a flag would be

— Deb Kehoe

displayed in April at the Rosedale Golf and Country Club honoring the donor. Sixty-eight flags flew.

Skelton and Kehoe went to local businesses that had supported the effort in the past, and they, too, stepped to the plate.

A raffle raised $1,600.

In all, the Rosedale Golf Classic donated $132,905 to Homes for Our Troops, even though the tournament, along with the accompanying cocktail party and dinner, were not held.

Once again, the donation was the second largest in the nation.

This year’s veteran who received a home was Wesley Chapel’s Tim Read, a Marine. On Oct. 15, 2010, Read was on patrol with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines in Marjah, Afghanistan, when he stepped on an improvised explosive device.

He lost his left leg above the knee in addition to other injuries. He underwent numerous surgeries and rehabilitation therapies at Walter Reed Medical Center, Balboa Navy Medical Hospital in Tampa. While being treated in Tampa, he met his wife, Anh Lan

Jay Heater

Rosedale’s Kathi Skelton and Deb Kehoe led an effort that raised $132,905 to benefit Homes for Our Troops in 2021.

Du, who works in the hospital’s prosthetics department.

His new home is equipped with pull-down shelves and a roll-in shower.

“Just being in a home, raising our family together — that will be the best thing to happen,” Read said.

That’s what keeps Skelton and Kehoe working hard on raising funds.

“These veterans were seriously injured, and they would go back to Afghanistan in a heartbeat,” Skelton said.

“Alex Dillman (of New Tampa) was our first one,” Kehoe said.

“He has rebuilt his life, and his

goal was to jump out of an airplane unassisted, even though he was paralyzed from the chest down. When we saw the video of him doing it, we could not have been more proud.”

Skelton said those who have supported the effort also have kept them going.

“We don’t want to let them down,” she said.

Both said they will be pleased on April 6, 2022, when the tournament returns, and many of the Homes for Our Troops recipients can be on hand to meet with the donors.

“The mission continues,” Kehoe said.

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Changes to the American Rescue Plan increase financial assistance, making more people eligible for help.

Photos courtesy Sorcha Augustine

High school teacher Nya (Renata Eastlick) and her co-worker Laurie (Emilia Sargent) during a scene in “Pipeline.”

‘Pipeline’ lands emotional punch

There have been several recent changes by the government that allow more people living in Florida to sign-up for affordable health insurance. The COVID-19 relief law (American Rescue Plan) provides additional financial assistance and allows even more Floridians to get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare).

Dominique Morisseau’s searing play isn’t lost in translation to streaming video in WBTT production.

The government has also reopened enrollment in ACA plans until August 15. This means you can take advantage of the new financial assistance options that are available.

Highlights of these recent changes include:

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Dominique Morisseau’s “Pipeline” is timely. (It’s a shame, but it’s a fact.)

The “Pipeline” of the play’s title refers to the school-to-

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prison “pipeline” for Black teenagers. For Black youth, an outburst of adolescent anger can be a “Go Directly to Jail” card in the Monopoly game of life.

Nya (Renata Eastlick) knows this pipeline all too well. She’s a recently divorced single mother who teaches in a public high school in the inner city. She sees outbursts of violence every day — and knows that a few seconds of rage can translate to a life behind bars. To spare her son, Omari (Donovan Whitney), this fate, Nya and her ex-husband, Xavier (Joel P.E. King), sent him to a private boarding school.

But Omari has a temper — and just slammed a white teacher into a smartboard over a perceived racist slur. It’s Omari’s third strike. At best, the school will expel him. At worst, he’s on the prison pipeline. As the play opens, Nya’s circling the vortex of a panic attack after hearing this bad news. When Omari runs away, she gets pulled in.

Why is Omari such an angry young man? A lesser playwright would offer a buzzword equation. White privilege plus systemic racism equals Black rage.

Morisseau doesn’t. Her play doesn’t even define “pipeline.”

You either know it, or you get it.

Morisseau’s characters feel like real people. But they’re larger than life — and burn far brighter.

It’s the difference between a flashlight and a laser beam.

L. Peter Callender’s direction honors the playwright’s hyperreality. His approach to dialogue and physicalization seem natural, never stagey. But he doesn’t shy away from the white-hot intensity of the play’s brightest and darkest moments. When it’s

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time to go big, he doesn’t play it small. The actors don’t either.

Eastlick’s Nya is a powerful woman — more importantly, she’s real. Eastlick avoids the tropes of the saintly single mother. Her Nya is flesh and blood.

She feels and she bleeds. Whitney’s characterization of Omari also defies cliche. He’s an angry young Black man. His sense that others have reduced him to that stereotype explains much of his anger. Emerald Rose Sullivan is great as Jasmine, Omari’s fiery, fearless, eloquent girlfriend.

King is understated and wounded as Xavier, Omari’s father and Nya’s ex. Xavier pays for his offspring’s boarding school — but his bond with his son is broken. King is heartbreaking in the scene where Omari declares his hatred and total rejection of his father.

Xavier walks away — and he might not come back.

Emilia Sargent is a spitfire as Laurie, Nya’s friend and fellow teacher. Her character has just returned to school after a bit of reconstructive surgery. (An angry parent slashed her face.) Laurie’s outer scar can be repaired. Her inner scar? Maybe not.

Isaac Esau Gay is also affecting as Dun, the school’s overworked security officer. The man does his best, but he can only be in

Xavier (Joel P.E. King) and his son, Omari (Donovan Whitney), talk after Omari’s altercation with a teacher.

one place at a time. The students’ rage is everywhere.

It all adds up to an incandescent script and unforgettable characters. It’s powerful on stage and isn’t lost in translation to streaming video.

Bill Wagy understands the logic (and magic) of film. What you’ll see is a three-camera video, edited from two live performances. Starting with this footage, Wagy created a subtle editing rhythm from different camera angles. It’s a record of a stage performance, but it’s also a movie, and it works on those terms. Nicely done.

Kudos also to Adrienne Pitts’ true-to-life costumes and Adam Spencer’s stark set design for conveying this world’s unforgiving exterior reality. Pat-

rick Russini’s soundscape, Jay Poppe’s video projections, and Alex Pinchin and Joseph Oshry’s lighting pull you into the characters’ interior lives. Their alchemy transmutes their stream of consciousness to sight and sound.

Now let’s get back to the playwright. She defies expectations, and I want to make sure you don’t have any before experiencing her work.

Morisseau is a master of language. Her play delivers several hypnotic soliloquies — disguised as long cellphone messages or angry monologues. Words matter in her play, and she frames the action as a counterpoint between two works of literature: Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem “We Real Cool” and Richard Wright’s novel “Native Son.” The poem is

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

5B

an incantatory ode to hopelessness: a prophecy of death for young Black males and Nya’s greatest fear. Wright’s novel revolves around the fear, loathing and killings of a 20-something Black man named Bigger Thomas. Omari’s white teacher repeatedly asks him if he can relate to the character’s “animalistic rage.” Omari asks the teacher to drop it. The teacher doesn’t and gets an answer he wasn’t ready for. As to the playwright — she refuses to give you the answer.

“Pipeline” is a political play but not a polemic. Morisseau lets you think for yourself and doesn’t do your homework for you. Her strategy is empathy.

The playwright gets you inside the characters’ skins. But she goes for the head as well as the heart. She raises challenging issues, but that’s a side effect.

“Pipeline” begins and ends with character. Morisseau’s people are complicated, messy and full of contradictions.

They’re all too human and living in a world that’s blind to their humanity. Our future depends on that perception. And it’s not always easy.

At the play’s end, Omari offers his mother a 10-point checklist to help Nya see his humanity. The 10th commandment is missing. Why? He’s still working on it.

In the end, there’s no final answer.

The playwright leaves it up to you to fill in the blank.

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Lessons from a caregiver Caring for another is a trying task. Here are five tips learned from going through the process firsthand.

KRISTINE NICKEL

A

t its very core, caregiving is the embodiment of love and commitment to others.

If the past 15 months have demonstrated anything, it’s that we are all very human — vulnerable, fragile, prone to be frightened individuals who will need some element of care during our lifetimes.

Caregiving can range from assisting someone who is recovering from an illness that leaves them flat on their back to joining someone in the long road of a terminal illness. It often involves a spectrum of tasks spanning the occasional trip to the grocery store, lending a hand with laundry and grabbing the mail to helping transfer from bed to bath, ensuring medicines

are taken or even given, and holding hands while listening to memories of a life filled with blessings and regrets.

A PERSONAL JOURNEY

It has been a decade since I assumed care for my stepfather, who had been a loving presence in my life for 40 years.

He had been treated for prostate cancer eight years earlier and pronounced cancer-free; however, it had poked its ugly head up again, this time requiring the removal of his bladder.

My mother and he, both approaching their 80s, took this in stride, and he was again pronounced cancer-free. A few short years later, my mother had a brain aneurism and was dead within a few days.

My stepfather missed her terribly but resumed his normal activities with church and socializing with friends. But within six months he was hospitalized with a urinary track infection that ultimately was diagnosed as cancer.

Upon discharge from the hospital to a rehab facility, he was quite unhappy. I continued to ferry him to medical appointments, sorting out the orders and prescriptions. Following one appointment for a PET scan, we returned to his facility. He refused to leave the car. I tried reasoning with him, then cajoling him and finally realized this was the beginning of a whole new chapter.

My learnings?

Develop a plan. I had a pretty good sense of what his diagnosis might entail for care, but that quickly changed when the following week he decided he did not want to aggressively treat the cancer but preferred palliative care.

That shifted the care plan from me providing oversight for his meals and medications with the assistance of a parttime professional caregiver to reassessing his emotional, psychological and physical needs and figuring out a plan to meet those.

Reality check. I came to grips that change is one of the few certainties of caregiving. I learned that my master plan required reevaluating our situation on a daily basis.

Turn to the experts. His decision for palliative care caused his dismissal from his original oncologist. I needed to find another one to assist me and ultimately refer us for hospice and palliative care.

And although I assumed what his life span might be, the palliative/hospice doctor who made a home visit shortened that span considerably.

Although that was heartbreaking, it did spur me on to look for more and different home health care.

This is not a solo act. You must involve the care receiver.

My initial tendency was to be very bossy, acting like I knew best. I ultimately recognized that behavior was spurred by

Primary Care for all Ages

my fears, latent grief and, yes, a certain amount of anger.

Bottom line: Respond to the person, not the illness. This was an intelligent and highly accomplished adult, and I was treating him like a child.

Be honest. It doesn’t matter whether the recovery might spoil a long anticipated travel plan, breaking the news that you have to take away the keys to the car or the need to put someone in a long-term care facility, shading the truth is disrespectful. It’s better to get all the cards on the table and then deal with the emotions surrounding the situation.

In our case, that meant dropping the platitudes and focusing on what was important to him. Who did he want to see? What foods did he love?

Did he feel insecure staying alone at night? Where were the important papers? These discussions gave him a sense of comfort.

BUT WHAT ABOUT ME?

I would be violating my fifth step — honestly — if I told you care giving is easy. This is stressful stuff.

In a National Alliance of Caregiving study, 38% of the responders found it highly stressful. Another study found that 40%-70% of caregivers had significant symptoms of depression. So how do you prevent being one of those statistics? There are many resources available to give you practical ideas for lessening the burdens.

Seek them out. The greatest lesson I learned was to accept people’s offer to help. Have a list of tasks needed to be done.

Keep repeating to yourself: People do not offer to help unless they mean it.

Kristine Nickel is a marketing communications consultant.

For more than 30 years, she has relieved her stress by writing features for publications across the country.

YOUR NEWS.

YOUR WAY.

Drew Edwards, MD, FAAFP Family Medicine Physician Doctors of Manatee

The Observer has invested in new technology, so you can enjoy a more personalized online experience.

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Dr. Edwards is a fellow of the American Board of Family Medicine.

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NEIGHBORS NOTES

8B

Beth Jacobson Multi-Media Account Executive 8 Years with The Observer

Esplanade residents show their heart The “Esplanade Gives Back” effort has resulted in more than 10,000 items for hurricane prep to be donated through the Food Bank of Manatee.

Those living in the Esplanade of Lakewood Ranch community held a Hurricane Preparedness and Food Drive in April to accumulate the donations. Besides the items donated, “Esplanade Gives Back” also donated 1,890 pounds of food.

Maribeth Phillips, the president and CEO of Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee, thanked the Esplanade residents and told them the Food Bank of Manatee relies 100% on the support of the community.

“Efforts like this make a huge impact in our community,” Phillips said.

Lakewood Ranch Medical Center honored

Growing!

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For the third consecutive year, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center received the Center of Distinction and Clinical Excellence Award for its Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine.

The Center for Wound Healing, which is a member of the Healogics network, achieved outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months with patient

New positions are being added to our team.

satisfaction higher than 92% and a minimum wound-healing rate of 92% or higher.

Local students earn degrees, awards East County’s Marina Bunch earned her doctorate of philosophy in counselor education and supervision from the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky.

Lakewood Ranch’s Austin Molan (Bachelor of Science in finance), Lauren Kennedy (Master of Science in exercise and nutrition), Samantha Milazzo (Bachelor of Science in accounting), and Taylor Jenkins (Bachelor of Arts in communication, media and culture), and East County’s Bronson Byerley (Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre), Elena Munzell (Bachelor of Science in criminology and criminal justice), Lauren Hazel (Bachelor of Arts in psychology) and Paige Lewandrowski (Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre) graduated from the University of Tampa in a virtual ceremony May 8. … East County’s Martha Marquez (bachelor’s in psychology) graduated from Canisius College of Buffalo, New York. … East County’s Nicholas Repholz earned a degree at Bob Jones University of Greenville, South Carolina. … East County’s Stephanie Cantaley earned a Bachelor of Arts from Chadron State College in Nebraska.

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

MAY 3-7

ADAM HUGHES | RESEARCH EDITOR

Photo courtesy

A

of Ed Kinkopf of

home in Lake Club topped all transactions in this week’s real estate. Edward and Emily Pires, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 16432 Daysailor Trail to Robert and Nancy Ann Campbell, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for $1.95 million. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,573 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.33 million in 2019.

WATERLEFE

Clifford and Sandra Jones sold their home at 10507 Riverbank Terrace to Timothy and Theresa Pope, of Rochester, New York, for $1.93 million. Built in 2004, it has five bedrooms, four-andtwo-half baths, a pool and 6,100 square feet of living area.

Steven and Kelly Cullen, of Bradenton, sold their home at 10607 Riverbank Terrace to Chester Earl Barnes III and Helen Isabelle Barnes, of Bradenton, for $1.6 million. Built in 2004, it has five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,829 square feet of living area. It sold for $965,000 in 2010.

Maria and Stephen Sowards sold their home at 1019 Rainbow Court to Kimberly and Mark Kaindl, of Bradenton, for

Wagner Realty

This Waterlefe Golf and River Club home at 10507 Riverbank Terrace sold for $1.93 million. It has five bedrooms, four-andtwo-half baths, a pool and 6,100 square feet of living area.

$930,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,159 square feet of living area. It sold for $745,000 in 2018.

Richard Karl Schmidt, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the home at 723 Foggy Morn Lane to Brett Bayard Steffey and Tina Dawn Steffey, of Bradenton, for $446,000.

Built in 2001, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,159 square feet of living area. It sold for $361,000 in 2014.

a-half baths, a pool and 4,195 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.35 million in 2006.

Robert and Valerie Falahee, of Longboat Key, sold their home at 7202 Ashland Glen to Kody and Heather Sprague, of East Aurora, New York, for $1.3 million. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,719 square feet of living area. It sold for $750,000 in 2018.

COUNTRY CLUB

Nora Rottier, Julie Scallen and Chacke Scallen, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 13214 Lost Key Place to Franklin Bracken and Lilian Suzanne Bracken, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.35 million. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three-and-

AMH Roman Two FL LLC sold the home at 7705 Weston

9B

REAL ESTATE

Lake Club home tops sales at $1.95 million

|

Court to 7705 Weston Court LLC for $790,000. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,210 square feet of living area. It sold for $590,000 in 2015.

William Griffiths, of Lake Mary, sold his home at 7922 Royal Birkdale Circle to Albert and Diane Bowden, of Tallahassee, for $660,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, three baths, SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 10B

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• Lapiplasty Procedure • Bunions • Heel Pain • Fungal Nails • Diabetic Foot Care • Plantar Fasciitis and more

355257-1

We treat non-surgically, surgically, and with laser treatment.

Podiatrist

782.8639 941.756.6906 941.

Orthopedic

11065 Gatewood Drive, Bldg C-2, Lakewood Ranch 4614 26th Street West, Bradenton I LimonsFoot.com

ADULT ACUTE CARE CLINIC, LLC of Florida focuses on acute pain from non life-threatening medical conditions and injuries to adults.

We are your One-Stop solution for the assessment, diagnosis,and treatment of sudden onset pain in ANY part of the body.

Walk-in treatment for...

• Falls • Minor/Moderate Head Injury • Sprains/Strains • Non-Emergent Fractures • Cuts/Bruises/ Bumps

We diagnosis with the latest technology...

• X-Ray • Ultrasound • CT Scan • MRI Scan Treatments Include...

• Stitches • Staples • Splints • Wound Care • SPG Block • IV Infusion

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941.378.1022

www.AdultAcuteCareClinic.com

354995-1

941.210.3149 for store merchandise 941.993.8757 for estate sales, donations and consignments

348044-1

1520 N. Lime Avenue • Sarasota, FL 34237 | Hours: Wed - Sat, 10am - 4pm

10B

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

|

Real estate

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Levesque, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.28 million. Built in 2010, it has three bedrooms, two-anda-half baths, a pool and 3,173 square feet of living area.

Milene Moses, trustee, of Poland, Ohio, sold the home at 7239 Presidio Glen to Marvin and Elaine Edoff, of Lakewood Ranch, for $403,000. Built in 2003, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,567 square feet of living area. It sold for $420,600 in 2004.

FROM PAGE 9B

a pool and 2,854 square feet of living area.

Sandra O’Neil sold her home at 12302 Thornhill Court to Peter and Debbie Leuzzi, of Lakewood Ranch, for $660,000. Built in 2008, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,564 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2017.

Donald Croce and Jill Diane Rathburn, of Ellicott City, Maryland, sold their home at 7425 Haddington Cove to Paul and Karen Kotz, of Bradenton, for $928,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two-anda-half baths, a pool and 2,725 square feet of living area. It sold for $775,000 in 2018.

Joseph Michael Brady and Jane Brady sold their home at 6515 Oakland Hills Drive to William and Judith Martin, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, for $400,000.

Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,826 square feet of living area. It sold for $354,800 in 2019.

Mark and Amy Burling, of Bradenton, sold their home at 7737 US Open Loop to Charles and Katie Dietrick, of St. Louis, for $535,000. Built in 2002, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,131 square feet of living area. It sold for $337,000 in 2011.

Eric Thorson Cheyne and Patricia Cheyne, of Avon, Connecticut, sold their home at 12209 Thornhill Court to Gloria Temple, of Lakewood Ranch, for $430,000. Built in 2011, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,859 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,000 in 2018.

HARBOUR WALK

Richard David Arndt and Melody Arndt, trustees, sold the home at 15735 Seaton Place to Andrew and Lisa Bonick, of Bradenton, for $705,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,239 square feet of living area. It sold for $535,000 in 2019.

Dennis McDowell, trustee, of Inman, South Carolina, sold the home at 7306 Wexford Court to John David Reilly and Kelsey Vanderbeek, of Lakewood Ranch, for $370,000. Built in 2010, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,936 square feet of living area. It sold for $247,400 in 2010.

Michele Loudermilk and Denise McDermott, trustees, of Valparaiso, Indiana, sold the home at 14512 Stirling Drive to Arlan and Judy Akerlind, of Minneapolis, for $615,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,176 square feet of living area. It sold for $494,000 in 2019.

COUNTRY CLUB

Monty Dyke and April Stead, of Newfoundland, Canada, sold their home at 14709 Leopard Creek Place to Peter and Lisa

Stephanie Vasko, of Sarasota, sold her home at 16405 Hillside Circle to George and Cecilia Oancea, of Bradenton, for $550,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,966 square feet of living area.

It sold for $405,000 in 2017.

Donna Owens and Vincent Joseph Cappa, of Bradenton, sold their home at 545 Mast Drive to William and Stephanie Clark, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, for $929,000. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,411 square feet of living area. It sold for $475,300 in 2012.

WATERLINE ROAD

Patrick and Danielle Lennon, of Bradenton, sold their home at 17160 Waterline Road to Margaux Buchanan, trustee, of Bradenton, for $925,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,514 square feet of living area.

ESPLANADE

Pamela Emerson and George Guzl, Bradenton, sold their home at 4727 Cabreo Court to Mary Jo Prigge, trustee, of Gurnee,

Illinois, for $890,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,051 square feet of living area. It sold for $646,600 in 2017.

Michael and Bonnie Elkins, trustees, of Troy, Michigan, sold the home at 12830 Del Corso Loop to Mauro Dudine and Jennifer Rose Dudine, of Bradenton, for $585,000. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,262 square feet of living area. It sold for $490,000 in 2017.

RYE WILDNESS ESTATES

Anthony John Furiato and Michelle Furiato sold their home at 516 165th St. E. to Eduardo Prado and Hema Subramanian, of Bradenton, for $850,000. Built in 2017, it has five bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,482 square feet of living area. It sold for $589,800 in 2017.

ONLINE See more transactions at YourObserver.com

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SPECIALIST IN ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY & PROSTHODONTICS International lecturer with faculty appointments at Univ. of Michigan, U of F & UAB, author of numerous scientific publications.

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941.957.6444

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SPECIALIST IN PROSTHODONTICS AND TEETH IN A DAY 25 years experience with an eye for achieving a natural perfection in dental restorations

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KATHERINE E. MISCH DMD

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355722-1

Cynthia Owen and Michael Sannuto

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

COMMUNITY THURSDAY, MAY 20

SILVER SINGLES MEET Runs from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Grove, 10670 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch. Lakewood Ranch Community Activities is sponsoring a mixer for mature adults after several requests from the community for such an event. Singles looking to interact with other Lakewood Ranch singles are invited to attend. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP to info@ LWRCA.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 22

SUNDAY, MAY 23

BEST BET

OPEN HOUSE AND TACK SALE Runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at SMART, 4640 County Road 675, Bradenton. The Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy is hosting an open house and tack sale that will include tours of the grounds, a chance to meet the horses, a tack sale and auction, a raffle and a food truck. Find out more about SMART’s therapeutic horse programs and its summer camp programs that are open to all children. For more information, go to SMARTRiders.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 22

TRIBUTE TO HEROES CONCERT Runs from 5-7 p.m. at Greenbrook Adventure Park, 13010 Adventure Place, Lakewood Ranch. With the cancellation of the Tribute to Heroes Parade due to the pandemic, Lakewood Ranch Community Activities has organized the Tribute to Heroes Concert featuring the rock ‘n’ roll band Whiskey Blind.

Proceeds from beer sales will benefit area veterans’ group that normally would have benefited from the parade. The concert is being limited to 500 people, so there is plenty of room to social distance. Tickets are available in advance by going to MyLWR.com. Tickets are free for Lakewood Ranch residents and $10 for nonresidents. Parking is free for veterans, and all others are asked to give a $5 donation that will go to veterans’ groups.

Courtesy photo

MARKET AT LAKEWOOD RANCH Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, 8330 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. The Market at Lakewood Ranch runs every Sunday through July. Vendors will be offering seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles among other items. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

BARRE IN THE PARK Begins at 9 a.m. at Bob Gardner Park, 2710 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. The public is invited to participate in a free barre workout at Bob Gardner Park. The event is hosted by Barre3. Bring your own mat and water bottle. Mats must be placed 6 feet apart. All participants are asked to follow social distancing guidelines. For more information or to register for the event, go to LakewoodRanch.com.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26

BINGO Begins at 10 a.m. at the Greenbrook Adventure Park, 13010

Whiskey Blind

|

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

11B

Adventure Place, Lakewood Ranch. Lakewood Ranch Community Activities hosts Community Bingo every Wednesday.

Bingo is for those 18 and up.

Bingo will be held under the pavilion. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

FRIDAY, MAY 28 TO SUNDAY, MAY 30

NCAA ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS Begins each day at 8 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. The NCAA Rowing Championships for women’s Divisions 1, 2, 3 will be held at Nathan Benderson Park. Tickets cost $40 ($25 for students or people 50 and older) for all three days while single-day tickets cost $15 ($10 for students or people 50 and older). For more information, go to NathanBendersonPark.org.

SUNDAY, MAY 30

YOGA IN THE PARK Begins at 9 a.m. at Bob Gardner Park, 2710 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Bring your own mat and water bottle. For information or to register, go to LakewoodRanch.com.

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Friday, May 28th 11:30am - 1:30pm Tour the Shop

Meet the Team Free Lunch

WHAT SEPARATES JAX FROM THE REST? VIP Parking for Veterans

Renn Haus

Exotic Cars

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355590-1

2277 2nd Street, Sarasota, FL 34237 941-922-3600 www.rennhaus.com melissa@rennhaus.com

358129-1

•EVERY VEHICLE RECEIVES A FREE "BUFF N SHINE" AT THE END OUR OUR TUNNEL •OVER THE TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE •FREE TOWEL DRY FOR ALL VEHICLES •PERSONAL TOUCH INTERIOR SERVICES •DETAIL SERVICES (20% OFF FOR PASS MEMBERS)

ALL

ANNUALS ON

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20% OFF

ALL ANNUALS

NOW THRU 5/ 26

VISIT TODAY FOR FIRST PICK OF OUR GREAT SELECTION OF SUMMER ANNUALS!

FARM & GARDEN Your Farm & Garden offers a wide variety of top quality plants perfect for your Florida garden, landscape, office or home.

Local Garden Specialists are on hand to make sure your project gets off to the right start.

PLANTS & GARDEN ACCESSORIES SINCE 1953 3 ACRE GARDEN CENTER • NURSERY

VOTED 1 GARDEN CENTER IN SARASOTA #

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735 South Beneva Road, Sarasota, FL 34232 941.366.4954 • www.YourFarmandGarden.com

SW FL POTTERY CENTER

12B

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

FORECAST

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

THURSDAY, MAY 20 High: 91 Low: 70 Chance of rain: 8%

FRIDAY, MAY 21 High: 90 Low: 67 Chance of rain: 2%

SATURDAY, MAY 22 High: 91 Low: 66 Chance of rain: 4%

Suzanne Kelly captured this photo of white pelicans in a pond in Summerfield Bluffs in Lakewood Ranch.

SUNRISE / SUNSET

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, May 20

6:38a 8:14p

Friday, May 21

6:38a

8:15p

Saturday, May 22

6:37a

8:15p

Sunday, May 23

6:37a

8:16p

Monday, May 24

6:37a

8:17p

Tuesday, May 25

6:36a

8:17p

Wednesday, May 26

6:36a

8:18p

MOON PHASES

June 10 New

June 17 First

June 24 Full

July 1 Last

RAINFALL Monday, May 10

0

Tuesday, May 11

0

SUNDAY, MAY 23

Wednesday, May 12

0

High: 88 Low: 69 Chance of rain: 5%

Friday, May 14

Thursday, May 13

0 0.07

Saturday, May 15

0

Sunday, May 16

0

*Rainfall totals from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/Weather. All submissions will be entered for the 2021-22 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2022, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

YEAR TO DATE:

MONTH TO DATE:

2021 8.89 in.

2021 0.07 in.

2020 13.04 in.

2020 1.70 in.

MANASOTA FLOORING INC 349219-1

941.355.8437 | Bradenton

CROSSWORD

941.748.4679 | Venice

941.493.7441 | www.manasotaonline.com

FANTASTIC BEINGS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM by Paul Coulter; 109 “Finally!”

Edited by David Steinberg 113 Recoil in pain

©2021 Universal Uclick

ACROSS 1 Kindle download 6 Be behind financially 9 South American people who built many roads 13 Gave one star, say 18 Destiny 19 Basketball great who was one of the Heatles 22 Hockey game venue 23 Contract provision about increasing an offer on a home (notice letters 8 to 10 in this answer) 25 Discover 26 Art of chopping boards?

27 “Didn’t I tell you?!”

28 Bleed in the laundry 29 Carnitas or barbacoa foods 30 At the drop of a ___ 31 Prefix with “surgery” or “economics” 33 “Westworld” network 34 Actress Phylicia 38 Color named for a nut (...

9 to 12) 44 Stage presence?

45 Certain Native American gathering 46 Squirrel away 47 Treating very harshly (...

7 to 11)) 51 Chess club’s purchases

52 Cut down 53 “Huzzah!”

54 Casting requirement?

56 March 17 VIP 59 Circular chart shape 61 Adolescent 65 Relative of Siri 66 Rid of errors 69 Like the conga drum’s origins (... 3 to 5) 71 Piper who picked peppers 72 Complete reversal 73 Venoms 74 Called the shots 75 Marx brother whose real name was Arthur 76 2,000 pounds

77 Wall St. debut 79 “Dee-lish!”

82 “Cheers” regular 84 Archipelago off South America (... 8 to 10) 91 Baffled 92 Romantic hopeful 93 Milky gems 94 Tax list (... 10 to 14) 98 Test the limits 99 Seven, on a sundial 100 In shape 101 “Wheels” 102 Buck ___, first Black MLB coach 105 Blog feed letters 106 Aggravate

57 Tool thrown at a trendy bar 58 Fossil preserver 114 State something differ59 Objective ently (... 3 to 7) 60 Overlooks 118 Kofi in Ghanaian history 61 Certain Caribbean islander, 119 Lent a hand colloquially 120 “Pong” company 62 Canon camera series 121 Tilts 63 ___-friendly (green) 122 Clothing line?

64 Woman who takes three 123 “Don’t just give up!” vows 66 “How obvious!”

124 Camera setting 67 In-flight guess, for short 68 Earthy color DOWN 69 Appropriate 1 Barely make, with “out” 70 Where to wear a flipper or 2 Sunbathe 3 Animal that technically isn’t a slipper 74 Online chuckle a whale 77 Beloved celebrity 4 “Rubaiyat” poet Khayyam 78 The “p” in mpg 5 African desert 79 “Right on!”

6 Santa’s reindeer, e.g.

80 Wrinkly fruit 7 First name?

81 Lion’s share 8 Blows it 83 It holds a sail 9 Speck of land 85 Abbr. before a founding 10 Boston Celtics’ org. year 11 TV journalist Katie 86 Palindromic play about 12 Per se robots 13 “Come no closer!”

14 Side length squared, for a 87 Major Brazilian city, familiarly square 88 Busiest airport in Ga. 15 Kid who may be both 89 Uncommon clover claspopular and unpopular sification 16 Dressed like a judge 90 Prosperous periods 17 “Cheers” star Ted 91 Inane 20 What keeps champagne 94 Frank acknowledgment cold 95 Transform, in sci-fi 21 Artist Matisse 96 Follows as a result 24 Hardly at all 97 Get cozy 31 Bryn ___ 98 Way from point A to 32 Circus cries point B 34 Foolhardy 101 Like a spiteful remark 35 Advil target 103 Volunteer’s words 36 Stash away 104 Glasses piece 37 Partner of the five W’s 106 Any thing 38 Small horse 107 “Awesome!”

39 ___ Jima 40 Certain guy in a personal 108 Windsor ___ (tie-tying option) ad (Abbr.)

110 The “A” in BA 41 Boot tip 111 Hit at, as a gnat 42 Flips out 112 Poi source 43 Made nervous 115 Beer that may be hazy, 45 Sports org. with a Tour briefly 48 “Science Guy” Bill 116 Lord’s Prayer start 49 Grouches 50 Lotus position’s discipline 117 Pekingese sound 55 Bear’s home

CELEBRITY CIPHER

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“W HEFZYJ’C HUXI ZIDD UAEFC UHCEXD’ CXUWZIXD UJY LEEY EJ DICD UJY DCFLL ZWBI CVUC -- W KFDC MUJC CE UHC.” HVEM GFJ-LUC

“CFKJ X TMKC OV, CFGH CGB XJHKMKBHXJT NSM ZK CGB HFGH ZOBXL CGB LSYSM GJW YXNK CGB TMGP.”

VKHK HSCJBFKJW Puzzle Two Clue: P equals Y

Sarasota

ALL COLORS • ALL STYLES

Puzzle One Clue B equals K

WOOD FLOORING

© 2021 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

©2021 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

05-20-21

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Cleaning

Items Under $200 AVON WHITE wicker 2 shelf wall cabinet in box $25.

Concrete birdbath $45.

941-747-7183 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING EARLY DEADLINE the Observer will be closed on May 31st in observance of Memorial day. deadline for classified advertising in the June 3rd issue will be due on friday, May 28th at 3pm.

CHARLIE’S ANGELS trading cards from 1977. First set 1-55 plus stickers 1-10. $25 941-741-9727 CLUB CHAIR drexel heritage oversized, pale red color. $50 Matching ottoman $25 941-351-3166 EXPENSIVE ROOM Darking Curtains - 4 pinch-pleated curtain panels (2@ 80”wx80”l) and (2@62”wx80”l). Needs cleaning $75 for all. 941-922-4122 GLASS ROUND high top table and 4 arms upholstered chairs, 48” X 36”, dark wood. $200 207-206-5160 HOOVER AND Shark hard floor cleaners, like new, $45 each, Total Vibration exercise machine $100 941-925-3084

stuff

ICE MAKER, countertop, $65, Holmes floor fan 3’ tall $30, Keurig coffee maker - new $30, office chair has wheels $30 941-359-8460 LARGE METAL toolbox loaded with tools of all kinds, 2 levels $50 for all. 941-349-4875 PERFECT AA Citron gemstone rectangular 13.5mm x 10.5mm. $199 310-720-7285

Garage/ Moving/ Estate Sales MOVING SALE Rattan porch furniture, 2 chairs with ottomans. Metal outdoor loveseat. 7’ pre-lit Christmas tree and other items. Multiple framed wall pictures with nautical and Florida themes. 4 like new, Tommy Bahama beach chairs, 2 large table lamps, 12 lennox dinner plates with red/gold Christmas print. Like new Kitchenaid outdoor gas grill with a cover. Large antique copper fire extinguisher. 12 gold ball red glasses, 6 water, 6 juice. Large painted bird mural painted. Much more, reasonable proces or best offer.

Matching whirlpool washer/dryer. 941-383-6416

Sporting Goods

BEACH’N RIDES eBike Sales and Service We sell and repair electric Bicycles from our Shop at 12208 Cortez Road, W. in Cortez, Florida.

(941) 251-7916 www.beachnrides.com

POST YOUR AD WITH EASE.

ADVERTISE YOUR MERCHANDISE with the total value of all items $200 or less in this section for FREE! Limit 1 ad per month,15 words or less.

Price must be included next to each item. No commercial advertising.

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks in 1 Observer.

Call 941-955-4888 Or Email ad to: classified@yourobserver.com (Please provide your name and address) Or Online at: www.yourobserver.com Or mail to: The Observer Group 1970 Main St. - 3rd Floor Sarasota, Fl 34236 2013-2014 Ford Focus wheel $125 good condition, do not text. 941-879-7105 265 CD’S, variety of music.

Take all for $125. Authentic German Beer Stein, Pre WW2, etched, 1.2 L $75 941-753-5539

YourObserver.com/RedPages PLASTIC STORAGE containers - $3.00 to $6.00 each, like new, various sizes.

941-417-2771

OR RENT ANNA MARIA FO ISLAND UPDATED 5 STAR CONDO. Available May-November (monthly with multimonth discounts) millions $ waterview, first floor, 2br/2b, patio, walk to beach, pool, tennis, smoke free, boat slip available. marketreps@aol.com

CLEAN OUT YOUR GARAGE HERE! CALL 941-955-4888

RATTAN BAR stools, swivel 30” pair $125. 5x7 brown shag rug $20 941-782-8485

Auto Transport

SHOWTIME ROTISSERIE new in box $60 or OBO 941-7440404

SHIP YOUR car, truck or SUV anywhere in the United States.

Great rates, fast quotes. Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

Announcements FICTITIOUS NAME search for the name “Detail Girl” Anyone knowing please call Lisa 239-908-1750

Merchandise Wanted SENIOR LOOKING to purchase precious metals, diamonds, time pieces, coins, jewelry, antique and estate jewelry, and collectors plates.

Personal and confidential.

Please call Marc: 941-321-0707.

auto

Items Under $200

Condos/Apts. for Rent

home services

The East County Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the East County Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

real estate

Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card

Autos Wanted STORAGE FACILITY Boat/ RV/ Trailer. Secure facility, low monthly rentals, Clark Rd area.

941-809-3660, 941-809-3662.

Cleaning BRAZILIAN CLEANING Service by Maria. Residential.

Meticulous Cleaning. Excellent References. Free Estimates.

Reliable. Lic./Ins. 941-400-3342. www.braziliancleaningbymk.com

CLAUDIA C. Cleaning Services.

Experienced, dependable, and ready to begin!

Residential.

Excellent references.

941-773-6895.

SELL MORE STUFF AT YOUR NEXT

GARAGE SALE CALL 941-955-4888

CLEANING BY Brazilian Lady.

Meticulous, reliable, deep cleaning specialist. Residential.

Commercial. New Construction. 941-400-2866.

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE! 941-955-4888 PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE: YourObserver.com/RedPages

Health Services STOP SMOKING with auriculortherapy.

Established with local hospital for over 20 years. 941-7302782 or 727-831-2374

Painting CARLO DATTILO Painting Licensed & insured. Interior/ Exterior painting including drywall repair and retexturing.

Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing.

Residential & commercial, condos. Honest & reliable.

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888

CLEAN OUT YOUR GARAGE! CALL 941-955-4888

This week’s Crossword answers

©2021 Universal Uclick

You’re only cheating yourself.

DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at Noon

peekers’ place

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages

We’ll SWEEP you off your feet!

RED PAGES

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “I couldn’t care less about actors’ trailers and food on sets and stuff like that -- I just want to act.”

Chow Yun-Fat Puzzle Two Solution: “When I grew up, what was interesting for me was that music was color and life was gray.”

Pete Townshend

This week’s Sudoku answers

©2021 NEA, Inc.

14B

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

Aluminum

Doors

Home Services

Sliding Glass Door Repair Are You Having Dryer Difficulties?

• Dryer hot but clothes still wet after (1) drying cycle?

• Dryer gets hot to the touch or doesn’t heat up at all?

Take a simple test to see if your vent is clogged. Unhook your dryer vent & compare drying time.

WITH THE RED PAGES

Furniture Repair

LIFETIME GUARANTEE Licensed • Bonded • Insured COVERAGE AREA: LAKEWOOD RANCH ƭƨ S. VENICE

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941-504-0903 941-504-0903

/ DELIVERY FREE PICKUP ONSITE QUOTES outdoor furniture experts• •FREE www .patiorepairs .net

Pegatronics Computer Instruction and Repair It’s Easier Than You Think!

THE GRAB BAR GUY GLENN KROECKER

Health

954-1878

(cell) 780-3346 Licensed & Insured

THE BEST This Doctor is Among

Learn Computer Basics Phones/Tablet Help Apple & Microsoft Problems Solved On-Site and Off Much More! Call Today!

SHOWER & BATH MAKEOVERS Cleaned - Regrouted - Caulked - Sealed

Call John 941.377.2940

SPINAL DECOMPRESSION PHYSICIANS IN AMERICA

Pegatronics.com

Free Estimates • Sarasota Resident Since 1974

www.showerandbathsarasota.com

“Medical Breakthrough Technology for bulging, herniated and degenerative disc ...

No Pain, No Drugs, No Injections, No Surgery”

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CREATE BUZZ!

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Call 941-955-4888

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

Landscaping & Lawn

University Health Park 2415 University Parkway Bldg. 3, Suite 216 Sarasota, FL 34243

Kitchen Renovations and Upgrades Visit our showroom

GARDENS BY ALLISON No Job is too Small!

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com

FREE CONSULTATION

358076

357648

(941) 650-7758

bschule88@gmail.com

Design • Garden Beds Landscape • Courtyards Clean-Up • Makeovers Weeds • Trimming

Call 941.358.2224 today to schedule a

7262 55th Ave East, Bradenton, 34203

357146

5-Star Rated

Computer

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DrGrabBars.com

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HoHoBuysCars.com

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

There has never been a better time to sell your property

The Florida Gulf Coast Luxury Leader

No.2

SIESTA KEY 8423 Midnight Pass Road $7,995,000 Joel Schemmel & Peg Davant

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SARASOTA 15111 Gaddy Up Ranch Road

Peter Laughlin

OYSTER BAY ESTATES $5,895,000

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1423 South Lake Shore Drive

Art Paterson

$4,995,000

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SARASOTA

PALMER FARMS

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SIESTA KEY

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SARASOTA 68th Avenue East Moriah Taliaferro

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I n S a l e s Vo l u m e I n Th e N a t i o n R E A L Tr e n d s Fi ve H u n d r e d

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VILLAGE WALK VILLA 5864 Helicon Place Nancy Endara & Peter Laughlin

$389,000 941.323.1700

LAUREL PARK

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3266 Charles Macdonald Drive $1,200,000

VILLAGE WALK

SARASOTA

5564 Lucia Place Andrea Beacom-Blackwell

$479,300 941.786.8023

Linda Dooley & Dwight Dooley

519 Richardson Way Rebecca Zimmerman

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$475,000 941.224.4824

HIDDEN GLEN

SARASOTA

3915 Hidden Glen Drive $325,000 Jason Skowronski 941.812.6090

8111 Villa Grande Court $300,000 Judy Mitchell 917.880.6342

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

BAYSO 149 Luxury Condominiums within Quay Sarasota

Residences from the $800,000s to more than $3,000,000 Gregg Center | 941.220.0828 Lisa Otte | 941.281.5472

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Visit or call us for a private consultation

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Z AHR ADA Commercial/Retail Space from $379,000 Residences Sold Out Anita Lambert | 941.920.1501 Frank Lambert | 941.920.1500 View video at PSIR3.com

GR ANADA PARK

MAGNOLIA PARK

West of Trail New Custom Homes from $1,020,000 Peter Laughlin | 941.356.8428 View video at PSIR11.com

Condominiums from $279,000 Cynthia Wickson | 941.441.8060

LAKEWOOD RANCH | 941.907.9541 SARASOTA - DOWNTOWN | 941.364.4000 LONGBOAT KEY | 941.383.1526 VENICE TO PUNTA GORDA | 941.412.3323 RENTALS | 941.364.4032

Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity. Property information herein is derived from various sources including, but not limited to, county records and multiple listing services, and may include approximations. All information is deemed accurate.

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PremierSothebysRealty.com

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(941) 999-3205 | 3951 Swift Rd., Sarasota, FL 34231

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