East County Observer 6.18.26

EAST COUNTY

Observer

Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998

Sitting pretty

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

PAGE 8A THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

VOLUME 27, NO. 45

YOUR TOWN

Financial crisis in Manatee?

Without even considering possible loss of property tax funds, commissioner says Manatee is a ‘poor’ county. SEE PAGE 3A

Lesley Dwyer

Rev for rowing

Bradenton’s Bruce Bartoo (above) modified the back of his 2026 Ford Mustang GT, so the GT spells “GraTitude.”

Bartoo is the president and chief gratitude officer at Gratitude Health Group LLC. On June 13, he was grateful to get a spot in the Dillard’s parking lot at the Mall at UTC. Sarasota Cars and Coffee was celebrating its 15th anniversary. Bartoo arrived about 10 minutes before the show started at 8 a.m. and received one of the last spots.

Drivers pay a $10 entry fee to show their cars, and the fees are donated to a different charity partner each month.

USRowing was June’s partner since the 2026 USRowing Youth National Championships was taking place over the weekend at Nathan Benderson Park.

PULL IT TOGETHER! USRowing Junior Nationals showcase upcoming talent at Benderson Park.

SEE PAGE 1B

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Grande dames of donations Palm Aire is one of the oldest communities in East County, for the development broke ground in 1955. Just three years later, a group of residents created the Palm Aire Women’s Club.

Over 68 years, the mission has never changed — to give back to the community. Each year, the club disperses scholarship and grant funds. In April, $13,500 worth of scholarships were awarded to seven local students.

On June 5, the club awarded five $500 checks to local charities. Mothers Helping Mothers Executive Director Cheri DeVries (above with Carolann Garafola) accepted the nonprofit’s check from Garafola, the club’s chairman of charities. The grant will be used to purchase infant care and safety items, such as formula and convertible car seats.

Jay Heater

The Sarasota Crew Women’s Youth 4x team heads back to shore after finishing 13th (6:56.76) in the time trials to qualify for the semifinals at the USRowing Junior National Championships. They are (from the top) Audrey Reuter, Adrianna Cavallo, Annalise Naylor and Karley Hendricks.

A+E ‘Lady Disdain’ is rollicking fun.

PAGE 14A

How ’bout them apples?

Publix opens new store in Lakewood Ranch.

SEE PAGE 5A

Read the Observer anytime, anywhere on our free app! Visit YourObserver.com/app-offer or use the QR code below

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The Publix on State Road 64 and Uihlein Road is the 19th Publix to open in Manatee County.

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

KB Home project stalls Manatee planning commissioners don’t like the location just off Rye Road.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

P

lanning commissioners commended KB Home Tampa LLC for its willingness to meet with residents and adjust its plans accordingly, but the board couldn’t get past the project’s proximity to Rye Road.

KB Home is requesting approval to rezone 51.67 acres from general agriculture to planned development residential to build Ivy Run, a community of 131 single-family homes on eight lots near the intersection of Rye Road and Waterline Road.

Planning commissioners unanimously recommended Ivy Run be denied with John DeLesline and Scott Ziegler absent. The Manatee County Commission will make the final decision.

“This is a county road problem that can’t handle your density,” Planning Commissioner Anthony Sciullo said to KB Home’s attorney, Caleb Grimes. “You can’t fix Rye Road.”

Philip DiMaria, a planner with Kimley-Horn on behalf of KB Homes, said Rye Road was fully analyzed and studied, and the road has a “high degree of remaining capacity.”

However, KB Home still offered to mitigate traffic issues on Rye Road by eliminating vehicle access to Ivy Run from Rye Road. Instead, the plan was revised to change the Rye Road access to a 10-foot recreation trail, so all traffic in and out of the development would be from two access points on Waterline Road.

KB Home would build the trail and then dedicate it to Manatee County so it could connect to the Gateway Greenway Trail the county is building.

Manatee County is breaking ground on the trail project June 18.

“If some kid wanted to ride their

ANOTHER DENIAL The planning commission heard another proposal for 100 townhomes near the intersection of Rye Road and Waterline Road in December. Altman Rye was unanimously recommended for denial, and the application was withdrawn.

Parents complained how difficult it is to get their children to and from Gene Witt Elementary School on Rye Road.

Country Creek’s Cara Misiewicz won’t allow her children to ride their bikes to school because it’s a safety issue, but driving isn’t much better.

When trying to turn left onto Rye Road, she said, “I have to tell my kids, ‘Hold onto your butts, we’re pulling out.’”

In addition to the heavy volume of cars on Rye Road, there are no signals to provide breaks in traffic.

bike to school (at Gene Witt Elementary School on Rye Road), they could ride that trail system and get on the large sidewalk system that goes up to the school, as well,” Grimes said.

The developer also proposed installing a traffic signal and realigning the intersection of Rye Road and Waterline Road.

Dedicated left and right turn lanes would be added to Waterline Road, and a northbound right turn lane would be added to Rye Road.

KB Home met with residents in the surrounding area four times and agreed to additional changes, as well as road improvements. The project’s density was reduced from 180 homes down to 131 homes. Open space was increased to 63%, and an 8-foot privacy fence was added to the southern boundary of the property.

Residents said the effort was greatly appreciated, but it didn’t change any minds about the condition of Rye Road.

Lesley Dwyer

The proposal by KB Homes Tampa LLC includes the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Rye Road and Waterline Road.

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East County’s Kathy McKinnon was one of several residents who provided public comment against the proposed rezone. She built her case that Rye Road is failing by pointing to past project denials, a county traffic study and Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse’s comments during a commission meeting in April.

During that meeting, Kruse listed Rye Road among three roads in Manatee County that pose “legitimate safety problems,” not just slower travel times due to traffic. The other

two roads were Fort Hamer Road and Buckeye Road in Parrish.

Kruse classified Rye Road as a “high danger zone” because it has “no escape valve.” He used Lorraine Road as an example of a road that can be escaped because of its intersections with Rangeland Parkway and 44th Avenue East. He said if you’re stuck on Rye Road, you’re stuck.

Due to summer recess, Manatee County commissioners will hear the request no sooner than Aug. 6.

Vehicle access is proposed from Waterline Road, with trail access from Rye Road.

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

3A

Commissioner George Kruse says Manatee County is in a “questionable financial situation.”

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Commissioner calls Manatee County ‘poor’ Commissioner George Kruse says Manatee County is in a ‘questionable financial situation.’

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

D

uring the presentation of Manatee County’s recommended fiscal year 2027 budget of over $2.6 billion, Commissioner George Kruse referred to the county as “poor.”

While Kruse was trying to be as “nice as humanly possible” with his word choice, he said the county was in a “questionable financial situation.”

Kruse’s comments were made in reference to the county’s current budget, excluding the possible loss of property tax revenue due to a November ballot initiative.

Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes is a joint resolution, passed by the Florida Legislature, aimed at reducing property taxes for Florida residents by incrementally increasing the homestead exemption from $50,000 up to $250,000 by 2028. It also caps the annual assessed valuation of non-homesteaded properties at 5% compared to the current 10%.

The ballot measure will need to garner 60% of the votes to pass. If it does, Manatee County will be in an even worse financial situation than it’s in currently because 56% of its general fund, which covers operating expenses, is funded by property taxes.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office accounts for nearly 42% of the general fund.

The ballot measure dictates that property tax funds can only be spent in six areas: public safety, education and public schools, infrastructure, natural resources, debt service payments and employee retirement plans.

That leaves departments like Government Relations and Community and Veteran Services vulnerable to budget cuts.

If the ballot measure passes, the $150,000 homestead exemption proposed for 2027 would reduce the county’s property tax revenue by over $81 million, or 5.6% of its net budget. The $250,000 homestead exemption proposed for 2028 would reduce the county’s property tax revenues by over $149 million, which is about 10.3% of the 2027 net budget.

After Interim Chief Financial Officer Claudia Campos relayed those projections, Commissioner Jason Bearden summed up the mood among the entire board of commissioners in one word: “Gulp.”

Commissioners started the fiscal year 2027 budget process with a series of three back-to-back work sessions held June 8-10.

Campos set the tone for the budget presentation in her opening remarks.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Natural Resources is requesting over $550,000 in fiscal year 2027 to hire a farm manager and buy equipment for Mixon Farms.

FISCAL YEAR 2027 These numbers reflect Manatee County’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2027. The final budget will be adopted Sept. 24.

Net budget: $1,447,785,544 Gross budget: $2,674,519,164 FY27-31 Capital Improvement Plan: $2,218,197,529 Fiscal 2027 CIP investment: $564,151,987

“Under the guidance of the county administrator (Charlie Bishop), this year’s recommended budget was further refined to be lean, to be disciplined and to be focused on operational efficiency,” she said.

The budget was only “further refined” because former CFO Sheila McLean, who is now the CFO for SeaPort Manatee, prepared a biennial budget last year. Campos said most of the financial framework was already established for fiscal 2027, so only minimal adjustments needed to be made.

Some departments, such as Development Services and the Convention and Visitors Bureau, came in under their respective budgets from last year, and other departments, such as Property Management and Natural Resources, requested budget increases.

‘SCARY’ NUMBERS

The operation of Mixon Farms, which was purchased for $13.5 million in July 2025, is half the reason Natural Resources is requesting $1,332,639 more than was requested last year.

The property needs maintenance.

Director of Natural Resources Charlie Hunsicker requested $102,243 to hire a farm manager and $448,500 to purchase equipment and cover the cost of increased operating expenses.

Hunsicker also requested an additional $113,842 to hire an ecological resources coordinator to help with the “heavy grant load” that revolves

around land conservation.

He noted the salary would come from the environment lands fund, which was established in 2020 after residents voted to tax themselves .15 mills.

The county has used the environmental lands fund to purchase over 300 acres of conservation land that now needs to be maintained, which further adds to Natural Resources’ need for a larger budget.

In light of necessary budget restrictions, Commission Chair Tal Siddique told Hunsicker that it’s time to start leveraging a portion of those funds for operation and maintenance costs, so the county is “not overrun with future needs.”

In the case of Property Management, what was missing from the request was of more concern to Siddique than the additional ask of $1,364,938.

In particular, Siddique questioned why a nearly $1.5 million first-floor upgrade would take precedence over a less than $700,000 termite infestation renovation at Manatee County’s Historic Courthouse, where the clerk’s office operates.

The building was constructed in 1912 and needs over $31.5 million worth of repairs and upgrades that are currently unfunded.

“The list of things we’re not funding (at the courthouse) is pretty bad,” Siddique said. “The termite repair seems pressing.”

Director of Property Management Cary Knight cited reasons as to why ridding the building of termites didn’t land higher on the list of priorities — one area of a building can’t be tented when exterminating pests, the wood with bamboo finish will be expensive to replace, and the termites are limited to one courtroom.

Mixon Farms and the termite infestation are examples of a far larger problem for Manatee County.

After Kruse saw a slide that laid out the financial state of the county’s general reserve fund, he called the numbers “terrible” and “scary.”

“If you told me this was $7 million, we could figure that out. How do you make up $70 million?” Kruse asked

Campos. “This is basically saying in fiscal year 2028 — even if (the ballot measure in) November doesn’t pass — this is showing a linear progression of effectively zeroing out and starting the process toward bankrupting us and affecting our credit rating.”

Campos agreed and said that was the reason Financial Management was highlighting the reserves for cash balance, which ensure expenses can be paid before revenues come in for a new fiscal year.

The recommended contingency and salary reserves increased from 2026, but the cash balance reserves went from $109.31 million in 2026 to a recommended $39.21 million in 2027.

Overall, in fiscal 2026, the reserves totaled $121.14 million. The fiscal 2027 recommended budget has the reserves set at $53.99 million.

The county maintains other reserve funds, but those funds are limited to specific scopes, such as transportation or libraries. The general fund has more leeway, given categories like Other Community Services and General Government.

The general fund reserve balance is down to 7% of general fund expenses. Campos said the county’s internal reserve policy will need to be addressed because 20% is supposed to be set aside.

Campos noted that the general fund is a “critical indicator of financial strength.”

“Maintaining a healthy fund balance is essential for bond ratings and emergency readiness,” she said.

Kruse noted that if 2027 ends up being like 2024, when three hurricanes blew through Manatee County, the county could have bankrupted itself or garbage would’ve been piled in yards.

“When you start looking at municipalities and counties that fail, it’s because they start burning through the extent of their reserves to fund general operating expenses because general operating expenses are annual,” Kruse said.

The only solution Campos offered to make up for the loss of reserves in the general fund was that county staff needs to be “extremely mindful and halt overspending.”

She offered a much more definitive cause of the reserves’ downward trajectory — millage cuts.

The accumulative impact of millage cuts on the general fund since 2021 has been $116.7 million. Campos noted that the county can’t make up for the loss of millage.

Additional factors that depleted the general fund were funding about $222 million worth of projects and increases of about $155 million to constitutional officers, which include, but are not limited to, the Sheriff’s Office, the clerk and the tax collector.

The next budget work session will be July 30, when commissioners will reconcile the budget and approve the tentative millage rate. The recommended budget keeps the millage steady at 6.0326 mills.

IMPACT OF DECLINING MILLAGE Manatee County’s millage rate (the rate used to calculate property taxes) has been reduced four out of the past five years — by 0.2 mills in 2021, 0.3 mills in 2022, 0.15 mills in 2024 and 0.05 mills in 2025. Individual homeowners now save a combined $210 a year on a $300,000 home, and Manatee County lost $116.7 million in property tax revenues and had to adjust for that loss.

Commissioner George Kruse offered bus routes as a current example of how residents are affected when the county has less money to spend. A hiring freeze was implemented in February. The freeze included bus drivers, so the routes were adjusted to make them “worse and slower.”

“There are people who live on those routes and use those buses to get to work who are now in a worse position because of that hiring freeze,” Kruse said.

“That’ll extrapolate across every service at one point.”

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

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EverCreek will include 850 single-family homes and 150 townhouses.

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Pulte to build EverCreek in Lakewood Ranch

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national homebuilder has closed on nearly 500 acres in southeastern Lakewood Ranch, where it plans to construct 1,000 homes.

PulteGroup calls the community EverCreek, which will be developed by its subsidiary Pulte Homes. Terms of the 464-acre property sale were not immediately available.

EverCreek will feature a blend of 850 single-family homes and 150 townhouses in a setting that incorporates nature off Bourneside Boulevard, 1.5 miles north of Fruitville Road, in Sarasota County, according to a statement.

“We thoughtfully planned EverCreek to be a sanctuary that honors the natural beauty of Lakewood Ranch,” President of PulteGroup’s Southwest Florida Division Josh Graeve said in the statement. “From the moment you arrive, you see smooth creek-bed boulders along the lake banks and realize EverCreek isn’t a typical development. The rugged natural aesthetic along with resort-style amenities featuring a creek-inspired lazy river makes it an

ideal destination for both growing families and empty nesters.”

An 8-acre amenity campus for EverCreek residents will be built alongside a lake, with a “beachentry” pool connected to a lazy river, a firepit lounge area and clubhouse with fitness center and gathering spaces, the statement says. There will also be a pickleball complex with shade structures, dog park, playground and event lawn. Nearly 3 miles of multimodal trails will connect to the 150-mile trail and sidewalk systems of Lakewood Ranch.

Homes will range from 1,500 to nearly 4,000 square feet. Floorplans will offer two to five bedrooms, two to 3.5 bathrooms and one- to three-car garages. Pricing and home designs are coming soon, according to the statement from Pulte Group.

Lakewood Ranch is home to more than 80,000 residents in a 55-square-mile master-planned community in Sarasota and Manatee counties, where about 22,000 people are employed, according to the statement.

PulteGroup, based in Atlanta, has operations in more than 40 markets nationwide. It posted more than $17 billion in revenue in 2025, when it closed on nearly 30,000 homes.

Its brand portfolio includes Pulte Homes, Centex, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods.

Donations Urgently Needed!

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PUBLIC NOTICES AUDITOR INFORMATION

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Funds donated in excess of need will be used to provide nutrition and caring, supportive services throughout the year. Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee is a 501 (c)3 organization. The Florida registration number for Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee is #CH1420. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumers services by calling toll free 800-435-7352 or at www.800HelpFLA.com within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.

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The Sarasota/Siesta Key, East County and Longboat Observers meet the legal requirements to publish legal and public notices in Sarasota & Manatee counties, per F.S. 50.011.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

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Saddlehorn Estates’ Valerie Moore is greeted by store Manager Josh Jordan.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

East County residents wait in line before 7 a.m. on June 11 to start shopping at the new Publix at 16642 State Road 64 E.

Another grocery choice on the Ranch East County residents were lined up before 7 a.m. to be among the first shoppers at the new Publix at the corner of S.R. 64 and Uihlein Road.

LESLEY DWYER

IF YOU GO

STAFF WRITER

H

ave you ever seen a nearly 12-foot-tall grocery cart?

If you do, follow it. That big, beautiful cart will lead to a feast of samples and a gift bag of snacks at the nearest, newly opened Publix.

Residents near the corner of State Road 64 and Uihlein Road might have seen the giant cart rolling through the aisles of their neighborhoods June 11 because Publix at Northchase Center opened at 16642 State Road 64 E. The doors opened promptly at 7 a.m. Residents were lined up to be among the first shoppers to the new

Publix at Northchase Center. 16642 State Road 64 E. Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Visit Publix.com/ Locations/2108-NorthchaseCenter.

15,701-square-foot grocery store.

Saddlehorn Estates resident Valerie Moore is happy to now have a Publix just five minutes away from home.

“No traffic,” she said.

Outside, store Manager Josh Jordan greeted nearly every guest with

a handshake. Once inside, customers walked through an aisle of clapping and cheering Publix employees.

The samples started with a palate cleanser of watermelon to prepare for the impending smorgasbord of breakfast sandwiches, blueberry maple sausages, dried peaches, two types of popcorn, chocolate donuts and limited edition Chocolate Cookie Quarry ice cream.

Publix at Northchase is the 19th Publix to open in Manatee County.

The chain has 894 stores in Florida and an overall 1,437 stores across eight Southeastern states.

The Northchase store features the usual deli, produce, bakery, meat and seafood departments, but adds to its prepared selections with made-to-

The project, presented by Casto Net Lease Properties LLC, was originally denied in December after some East County residents expressed concerns over flooding in the area.

When the denial went before commissioners again in February, Commission George Kruse gave the project a second chance. He said given the amount of residential development surrounding the area, commercial development is needed.

Esplanade at Azario residents Chris and Glyris Renehan agree.

They were among the residents lined up to get into the new Publix at 7 a.m.

“I just didn’t want anything super tall,” Glyris Renehan said. “It’s convenient, and I’m good with more restaurants.”

Which restaurant remains unknown, but there will be a restaurant.

Casto made some adjustments, including an upgraded stormwater plan, and the project was approved for a small grocery store, restaurant, daycare center and possibly a selfstorage facility.

The only named occupant so far is Discovery Point Child Development Center.

If Casto decides on self-storage, the facility will be 130,000 square feet and located on the interior of the property so it won’t front State Road 64.

If Casto decides against self-storage, only 90,000 square feet will replace it.

A gas station is a possibility because of the demand in the area, but that would be the most intensive use.

order burritos, nachos, bowls, pizzas and pastas. The store also offers a pharmacy, a liquor store and a bar.

Pours serves beer, wine, coffee, tea, smoothies and acai bowls.

Media Relations Manager Lindsey Willis said every new Publix opens with its own celebration, but the big shopping cart is always the big draw.

It adds some “fanfare,” especially when the lights are on and the music is playing.

MORE TO COME

Publix is the anchor store at the Northchase Shopping Center and the first business to open, but more businesses are coming.

The site is about 15 acres and was divided into five commercial lots with three outparcels fronting State Road 64.

The three outparcels will be occupied by McDonald’s, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Chase Bank. The sign is already up on the future McDonald’s, and construction has begun on the Chipotle.

The Chipotle will feature a “Chipotlane,” which is akin to a drivethru but requires customers to order ahead of time using the Chipotle app.

A Heartland Dental office is being built behind Publix, fronting Uihlein Road. There’s also another 3,200-square-foot retail space directly to the east of Publix.

Northchase sits in the southwest corner of the intersection of State Road 64 and Uihlein Road. An open field sits across State Road 64 for now, but Manatee County commissioners approved 195,000 square feet of additional commercial uses in April.

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

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Satcher’s congressional bid falls short LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

W

hen the East County Observer met with former Manatee County Commissioner James Satcher on June 9, he was launching a campaign to earn the Republican nomination to represent Florida’s 16th Congressional District.

On June 11, Satcher drove to Tallahassee with the qualifying paperwork in hand because the deadline to apply was noon on June 12 to get his name on the primary ballot.

However, Satcher came up short on the $10,440 filing fee.

“It was an amount of money that should’ve been easy to raise,” he said.

“Obviously, Sydney Gruters has a stronger campaign than I realized.

People are motivated to support her.

Nobody even wanted to hedge their bets.”

Gruters is vying for the seat that Rep. Vern Buchanan has filled since January 2013. Buchanan was elected to Congress in 2006, but the districts were redrawn in 2012.

Buchanan announced his retirement in January.

Satcher was hoping his Ellenton address would end up in District 14 when the lines were redrawn for the congressional redistricting in April, but his home remains in District 16.

The District 16 seat was Satcher’s first choice of offices before being elected to the District 1 commission seat in 2020. He ran against Buchanan for the Republican nomination in 2016, but the newcomer only received 19.4% of the votes.

Satcher thought “some level of name recognition” could help him this time around.

Much of that name recognition came from his controversial appointment to be supervisor of elections in April 2024.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Satcher to the role over Scott Farrington, who had worked at the office for nearly 10 years and is a Certified Elections Registration Administrator and a Master Florida Certified Election Professional.

Farrington immediately resigned

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Lesley Dwyer

DISTRICT 16 QUALIFIED CANDIDATES Republicans ■ Sydney Gruters ■ Ed Pope ■ Eddie Speir Democrats ■ Jon Harris ■ Kelly Kirschner ■ Tamika Lyles ■ Glenn Pearson ■ Jan Schneider

James Satcher, a former Manatee County commissioner and Supervisor of Elections, announced and retracted his bid to represent Florida’s 16th Congressional District within a week.

his post to run a campaign against Satcher and succeeded. In the interim, SOE employees publicly criticized Satcher’s performance, and over 2,000 citizens signed a petition to have him removed from office.

Despite the criticism, despite the loss, Satcher said he’s proud that he ran a “good, secure election.”

“That was my No. 1 priority,” he said. “If we didn’t succeed at having a good election, that would’ve been detrimental. But if we ran a good election, we could make the case later that we showed up and did a good job.”

During both of those campaigns — for District 1 commissioner in 2020 and supervisor of elections in 2024 — Satcher had no problem raising campaign funds. But when he couldn’t raise $10,000, he had to accept “the situation on the ground.”

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

Audubon Society members say doves aren’t the smartest birds when it comes to choosing a place to build a nest.

IT’S THE NEST BEST THING River Club couple hatches a plan to keep people away from their front door so a dove family can raise babies.

JAY HEATER | MANAGING EDITOR

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li and Sylvia Abdelsalam are quick to note all the positive references when it comes to doves.

They point out that, worldwide, doves represent

peace and harmony.

Doves also are considered a blessing to your home if they nest nearby, bringing good fortune and new beginnings.

Consider the Abdelsalams blessed.

A family of doves has made its home inside one of two wreaths that adorn the front door of their River Club home.

That would be no big deal for most, but the Abdelsalams took the whole birds-in-the-door are better than two-in-the-bush thing to the extreme.

They have taped off their front door to both themselves and all who would come to visit. The more than monthlong experience has caused Ali Abdelsalam to proclaim another benefit that doves bring.

“The last three weeks, we have saved money on Amazon, which loves my wife,” he said.

The couple laughed together before Sylvia admitted that it is indeed true she isn’t shopping online so deliveries don’t arrive at the front door and disturb the mother (they call her Lovey), father (they call him Dovey) and their two babies (no names yet).

The Abdelsalams aren’t using the front door themselves and they have cut off that access to their son, Daniel, and daughter Alisa, as well. They are both grown, so neither lives at the home, but they both live in the area and know better than to approach the door at this time.

Sylvia Abdelsalam said the elder doves arrived a few weeks ago and began building a nest. Ali Abdelsalam said he initially saw the doves trying to nest under the eaves of the home. As time passed, they found broken eggs on the ground so they figured the dove babies had a notso-happy ending.

Instead, the doves had moved their efforts to a wreath on the home’s front door. The Abdelsalams watched them build the nest over the next four days.

It became apparent that two babies were in the nest, helpless. The mother would sit on the newly hatched babies all day long while the father dove was out scavenging for food.

The pair would switch places at dusk and the mother would return in the morning to begin her brooding shift.

“It was stunning to us,” Sylvia Abdelsalam said.

Although their front doors have glass windows embedded in them, the glass is frosted, so the Abdelsalams could only watch the outline of the parents caring for the young from the inside. They also gated off the front room of their home to their dogs — a shih tzu called Googlee and a Pomeranian shih tzu named Kola — so their pets would not disturb the birds.

They also taped off their walkway to the front door.

“Some of the neighbors thought people were stealing packages from our front door,” Ali Abdelsalam said.

“But really, the doves are holding us hostage.”

Ali Abdelsalam should know about hostages as his many acting roles in movies and television shows have included scenes involving hostages.

He has played roles in “Joker,” “Madam Secretary,” “Sneaky Pete,” “Homeland,” “New Amsterdam,” “The Get Down,” “The Blacklist” and many more.

Sylvia Abdelsalam is a Realtor for Keller Williams Suncoast.

They said they have had home encounters with wildlife in the past.

“When we purchased this house four years ago, there was a squirrel that followed us around, bleeding,” Sylvia Abdelsalam said.

They made sure wildlife experts came to help the squirrel.

Once again, they feel the need to help.

Audubon experts say the Abdelsalams are doing a great job going above and beyond.

“It is so sweet they are doing this,” said Lisa Wood, director of Education and Outreach for Save Our Seabirds.

“Morning doves are preyed upon and are at the bottom of the barrel (of the bird food chain). They are picked on easily. And the babies kind of have to survive the craziness of the world for two weeks.”

Wood said observing the birds is OK, but she said people should not try to interact with them.

“It can become a habit for the birds to reach out to human resources,” she said.

Wood said Save Our Seabirds has a hotline at SaveOurSeabirds.org for those who are seeking help and information for birds that have nested at their homes.

Aaron Virgin of the Sarasota Audubon Society, who leads wildlife walks in Lakewood Ranch, said what the Abdelsalams are doing is “fantastic.”

He also offered a few tips.

“You want to give the birds space,” he said. “Don’t use your iPhones (to take photos). Use a camera with a long lens.

“And keep your cats indoors.”

Wood said cats are “the No. 1 reason baby birds are killed.

“Cats are good at it,” she said.

Virgin said doves typically will let people know if they are getting too close. Many times they will simply fly away, and they won’t be back until they are sure the threat is gone.

He said if a baby has fallen out of the nest, many times it is best just to leave the bird alone.

“It might be flightless for a day or two, and then it will be OK,” he said.

But if the bird is a true hatchling, he said it is OK to put it back into the nest.

“There is a misconception that you can’t touch them because your smell will be on them and the parents won’t come back,” he said. “That is not true. You will be perfectly fine putting them back in the nest.”

If you aren’t sure, he said contact a wildlife resource such as Save Our Seabirds.

He also said to just use common sense.

“If you let a child know the birds are there, make sure they know right from wrong so (baby birds) won’t be a target,” he said.

Mary Alice Curtiss, a bird naturalist and an Audubon member, said she is thrilled the couple would put in the extra effort not to disturb the doves.

“Doves are not the smartest when it comes to where they will build a nest,” Curtiss said. “They don’t make the best choices. In many countries, they would be making a pie out of those birds.”

Curtiss noted that people can help all kinds of birds and their families by not putting out rat poison or being careful with the flea and ticket products they use on their pets.

“Birds love pet fur,” she said.

She said morning doves are “super breeders” and will continue that trend all summer. She said the Abdelsalams would be smart to get rid of the nest in their wreath once the fledglings have left the nest. If they don’t, she said it is likely the doves could come back for the next round, and the Abdelsalams would lose the use of their front door once again.

Ali Abdelsalam knows what he is going to do once the fledglings leave the nest. Having birds on your front door can be a dirty process.

“I am going to power wash the front door,” he said.

One person ignored the sign and left their card tucked inside the front door. The Abdelsalams still haven’t checked out that card.

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A sign warns those who approach not to use the walkway that leads to the Abdelsalam’s front door.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

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JAY HEATER

Tax shift could affect our luxury living

I

Jay Heater

Boston’s Simeon John, of Community Rowing, celebrates his title in the USRowing Junior National Championships on Sunday at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.

The $20 million question today might be whether the planned boathouse and events center at Nathan Benderson Park would even be a thought if the current property tax formula was not in effect.

“Whoa,” you say. “Sarasota County is using Tourist Development Tax funds to help build that boathouse and events center. Property taxes aren’t in the picture.”

I don’t think it’s a reach to imagine all of Manatee and Sarasota counties’ spending is going to be altered if they lose their current source of property tax funding. I realize these are separate taxes, with some having specific purposes. But to think they are not interrelated would be foolhardy.

Manatee County spent $17.6 million in construction costs for the Lakewood Ranch Library that was funded through sales tax. If the county didn’t have a solid property tax base, do you think that would have happened? Would the land ever have been purchased from

Schroeder-Manatee Ranch? And would you build something you don’t have any money to operate in the future?

Manatee spent $44.2 million on the almost completed swim and pickleball complex at Premier Sports Campus. That was funded through Tourist Development Tax dollars and parks impact fees.

No way that happens, no matter where the funds originate, if Manatee County is struggling to pay its bills.

Sarasota County’s $20 million public contribution to the Mote Science Education Aquarium was drawn from its Tourist Development Tax. Again, it’s a project that isn’t likely to happen if the county is struggling to make ends meet in other areas. Would Mote have made it happen without the county’s support? It’s questionable.

All those expenditures came without much opposition from the residents, which kind of tells you they don’t mind going above and

beyond on projects that set their county apart.

If you live in Manatee or Sarasota counties, it appears you like nice things and aren’t opposed to paying for them. How many times have the residents of the two counties voted to tax themselves to improve education or the environment?

It is a price we have been willing to pay for the lifestyle we enjoy.

Will that lifestyle be altered significantly if the Save Our Homes Amendment passes in November?

It’s a fair question.

It’s also a question that should have been explained many times over the past couple of years, before such legislation was put to a vote.

Although Gov. Ron DeSantis has talked about reducing property taxes for more than a year, this amendment seems rushed to me.

How can something be rushed that has five months before a vote is taken?

Most importantly, counties need the time to research the impact on

their budgets and inform residents what they will need to give up.

Certainly, more time is needed to consider the alternatives. Could or would sales tax be raised? And if the sales tax was raised, would the counties receive the extra funds considering the state draws the guidelines in how that money can be spent?

The state imposes strict statutory controls and oversight on how counties spend their share of sales tax and Tourist Development Tax. Could the state relinquish control to the local governments so they could use those funds in other ways?

Such a move would show the residents that the entire property tax relief slogan is not just an angle in trying to take more control at the state level over local governments.

I liked watching a national spotlight placed on Nathan Benderson Park during the USRowing Junior National Championships last weekend. I like that we don’t mind paying to present opportunities for our youth. I like the exposure Nathan Benderson Park will get in 2028 when it hosts the world championships of rowing.

Will reduced funding for our local governments shut down such future opportunities? Standing at the finish tower as national champs were crowned, I thought about our own voting finish line in November.

I certainly don’t have the answer.

Want to comment on the upcoming property tax vote? Send your emails to JHeater@yourobserver. com.

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n watching the boats come toward the finish line June 14 at Nathan Benderson Park in the USRowing Junior National Championships, I couldn’t help but think about property taxes.

Yikes. That’s just too strange, right?

But this property tax conundrum we all are facing can’t be expelled from your head like the water that gets in your ears after a shower. You can turn your head and shake, but it’s still in there.

And it isn’t going anywhere until November.

Being at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota only exacerbated my fixation with our property tax dilemma. I understand that some residents simply want their $1,500 from property tax relief, but for many of us, this is, indeed, a dilemma.

I am trying to walk a line here and not take sides, because I understand those who are fed up with what they consider wasteful spending and nontransparency. I get it. Commissioners in both counties are getting an abrupt wake-up call that they need to take a long, hard look at their county’s finances.

On the other hand, I love the area where I live and I enjoy all the extras that our commissioners provide by funding projects that would be considered excessive (wasteful?) in other areas of the country. I enjoy our parks and I applaud our efforts to provide services for veterans and those in need. I would describe my personal feeling about property tax as the current system being fair.

But the nagging thought for me on the final day of the championships was whether Nathan Benderson Park would even exist if Sarasota County didn’t have access to funds through property taxes, which are used partially to buy and maintain parks. Would the site have been purchased by Sarasota County in 1995?

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

A truckload of recyclables dumps a load onto the tipping room floor of Circular Services’ materials recovery facility in Sarasota. Both Manatee and Sarasota counties contract with Circular Services to process their curbside recyclables.

S.T. Cardinal

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Recycling plastic packaging can extend the material’s useful life from five minutes to 10 years or more.

S.T. CARDINAL STAFF WRITER

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common r e f ra i n by those who don’t recycle is: “It all just ends up in the landfill, anyway.”

T h a t’s o f te n t r u e , b u t the journey of a plastic water bottle, for example, can be a lot more complicated than going from shelf to recycling bin to landfill. A bottle can live a whole new life as a different product, extending the material’s useful life from five minutes to 10 years or more. Your feet could be resting against a plastic bottle right now, or you could be wearing one.

Plastic bottles are made of polyurethane, a popular plastic with a wide range of uses.

According to the National Asso-

ciation of PET Container Resources, nearly 2 billion pounds’ worth of plastic bottles are collected each year in America for recycling.

In Sarasota and Manatee counties, PET is mixed with various other recyclable materials and placed into recycling bins that are pulled out to the curb next to the garbage bins.

That’s the beginning of an elaborate operation to extend the life of “single-use” plastics, cardboard and other materials.

But we wanted to know: What happens to a plastic bottle thrown in a recycling bin?

SORTING IT OUT

Recycling has changed since the widespread adoption of the practice that occurred alongside rising environmental awareness in the 1960s.

Now, AI-powered “optical sorters” are used to separate recyclables rather than leaving the sorting to consumers who would place recyclables into separate bins.

Locally, the company Circular Services is contracted to process and sell curbside recyclables picked up by both Sarasota and Manatee

counties. Doing so diverts tons of recyclable materials away from local landfills, extending the lifespan of the facilities, which are costly to cap and maintain once they are at capacity.

The elaborate separation of recyclables in Sarasota and Manatee starts at the tipping room floor of Circular Services’ materials recovery facility off Myrtle Street and North Orange Avenue in Sarasota.

Circular Services Operations Manager Andrea McCauley compares the facility to the Mouse Trap board game.

“There’s so many different levels and things it all has to go through,” McCauley said.

Truckloads of recyclables are dumped onto the facility floor that resembles a warehouse and then are pushed onto a conveyor belt. Workers (The facility has 70 employees.) stand on the conveyor line looking for “contaminants” like plastic bags that could damage mechanical sorting equipment, batteries that can cause fires and other nonrecyclables that make their way to the facility.

The conveyor belts travel quickly

in places, which help to automatically separate materials, with heavier objects like HDPE being catapulted past a tube below where lighter products fall.

“Basically, we’re relying on force and gravity,” said Circular Services Facility Manager Chris Massey. “We’ve got spinning wheels that essentially move fiber one way and they let containers go another way, they let them drop down.”

There’s mechanical separation, separation by employees and then there are the optical sorters, which McCauley compares to a grocery store product scanner.

The AI-equipped camera measures the heat signature of items and, as they reach the end of the conveyor belt, a burst of air catapults them into a separate chute.

BALE BUYER

At the end of a day’s work at the MRF, Circular Services has converted the thousands of pounds of recyclables into bales of separated materials.

The products are put out to bid and purchased by manufacturers.

Circular Services would not disclose the companies who purchase PET or other materials, but McCauley said “we are business partners with all the main players” and that a vast majority of its product stays in America.

In northwest Georgia, Mohawk Industries could be considered a main player when comparing manufacturers that use recycled PET. The flooring manufacturer purchases around 6 billion plastic bottles per year, according to Mohawk Senior Director of Sustainability Jonathan North.

Once a truckload of PET bales arrives at Mohawk’s Summerville, Georgia manufacturing facility, the bottles are put through what is essentially an industrial sized tumble dryer. This breaks apart the bales back to individual bottles. Any remaining non-PET contaminants are removed in another round of decontamination. That process is a financial lift for the company, North said.

“We’ve invested a tremendous amount of money in that facility in equipment to sort and separate, to

THE COST OF SORTING THROUGH TRASH

What locals dispose of in their recycling bins are useless to them and valuable to the company that processes them. And for county governments, keeping product out of the landfill to extend its lifespan also holds value.

Both Manatee County and Sarasota County pay Circular Services to accept and process recyclables that are picked up curbside.

Manatee County’s contract with Circular Services is billed monthly and varies based upon the market price of recyclables.

According to a 2025 contract agreement with Manatee County, market prices in January 2025 were 19 cents per pound for PET, 88 cents per pound for uncolored HDPE (high density polyurethane) and 17 cents per pound for polypropylene.

Manatee County pays a $100 per ton processing fee to Circular Services. If the recyclables sold by Circular Services exceed the value of $100 per ton, the county and Circular Services have a revenue sharing agreement, with 95% of revenue excess of the $100 per ton paid back to the county.

Sarasota County’s agreement with Circular Services is more straightforward.

Sarasota County paid Circular Service $18 million to enter into a seven-year contract that expires this October but can be renewed in four two-year increments if both parties agree.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

“It’s time to stop the overbuilding, fix our broken infrastructure, and bring true transparency back to the Board.”

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Plastic bottles have been separated from other recyclables as they travel along a conveyor line at the Circular Services materials recovery facility in Sarasota.

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intensive business.”

After processing, the bottles are chopped up, melted down and formed into pellets, which are then melted down and spun into carpet fibers for residential uses.

“The bit that you, as a consumer, interact with, the bit you sit and stand on, is primarily PET fiber,” North said. “And then we use a little bit of it in certain commercial applications, (such) as the cushion on the back of those commercial flooring products.”

According to Mohawk, it takes about 63 plastic bottles to produce one square yard of carpeting.

Mohawk makes a wide range of flooring products with different materials. Nylon is the typical product used in commercial applications because it’s more durable than PET. The company also purchases “virgin PET,” produced using oil, which has a volatile price.

“The price of recycled PET and the price of virgin material is volatile, and those numbers change on a weekly basis,” North said. “We’ve been very steadfast in our commitment to and our use of recycled content.”

The flooring company is also looking at how to expand its environmentally conscience efforts by researching ways to extend the life of the product it sells, explains Mohawk Sustainability Manager Preston Poag. The idea is to collect carpet the

Photos by S.T. Cardinal

company has produced years after it has been installed to reuse it once more, extending the life of the carpet that was produced using a plastic bottle even further.

“What we’re working to do is eventually close the loop,” Poag said.

“Eventually, we’re looking at how can we bring material at end of life, bring it back to our manufacturing facilities, process material and make new material out of it.”

Doing so is a large ask, and the process isn’t feasible yet.

“We’ve got to shred it and apply technologies to extract, ideally, the nylon and the PET and all the components that have gone into making the carpet so that we can extract as much value for that material and feed it back into the process again,” North said. “That is an emerging area. It’s an emerging opportunity, and one that we are intensifying our efforts in.”

Plastics are separated and baled at the Circular Services materials recovery facility. Polyurethane can be seen to the left, with uncolored and colored high-density polyethylene to the middle and right.

The recovered plastic is sold by the truckload to manufacturers who repurpose the plastic into a new product.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

13A

TRIBUTES Sam Michael Sciturro 1933-2026 Sam Michael Sciturro was born January 31, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan, during the height of the Great Depression, the experience which shaped his entire life.

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Sam is survived by his loving wife, Paricia Ann Summerlee-Sciturro, his daughter, Lita Ann Sciturro-Smith and husband Arthur Bruce Smith (dec), his granddaughter Stephanie Rose Palmer, his stepson Dr. Robert James Summerlee, his wife Melissa Simao, granddaughters Marin Simone and Keira Marie, his stepdaughter Elizabeth Ann Summerlee, her husband Matthew Thomas Waldstein and grandson Knox William.

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His parents, Michael Sciturro (dec) and Rose Soranno Sciturro (dec) had immigrated from Sicily and maintained the strict, hard working ethics with which they were raised holding all seven of their boys to that standard. Sam worked with his father and brothers peddling fruit, selling newspapers, shoveling snow and doing whatever he could to bring money home for his family Sam enlisted in the United States Air Force during the Korean War and was sent to Germany as occupation troops which he often described as 48 of the best years of his life. Once he returned to Detroit, he purchased his first business going on to expand into manufacturing and commercial real estate in the Detroit area and then bringing his talents to Florida, achieving great success in both of these fields in and around Sarasota.

He began his love for tennis and golf in his 40’s and belonged to clubs in Michigan as well as Prestancia, the Oaks Club and Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club in Florida. He especial-

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JUNE 18, 2026

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Image courtesy of Bryan Derballa

Lauren Gunderson is the playwright of “Lady Disdain.”

Most of Asolo Rep’s “Lady Disdain” takes place in a studio where audiobooks are produced.

Asolo Rep stages a rolling world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s ‘Lady Disdain.’

All’s fair in romantasy MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER A+E EDITOR

M

ost people don’t need Google to name the most produced playwright of all time. Four centuries after his death, William Shakespeare’s plays and modern adaptations are on stages around the world.

Right now, you can see a bilingual version of “Romeo and Juliet” in New York’s Shakespeare in the Park set on the Mexican-American border.

Closer to home, grad students at FSU/Asolo Conservatory recently presented a magical version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with fairies gamboling on circus silks.

There’s no arguing that the Bard has very long “legs,” even if his identity is in dispute. In 2024, Urbanite Theatre produced Katie Bender’s “Judith,” which floated the idea that Shakespeare’s plays were actually written by a sister.

Speaking of female playwrights, do you know who topped American Theatre Magazine’s rankings for most produced plays in 2025? (The ranking is for all American playwrights, not just women.) Hint: She also held the No. 1 spot in 2017, 2019 and 2023.

The playwright in question, Lauren Gunderson, was in Sarasota the week of June 8, fine-tuning her new play, “Lady Disdain.”

If you’re a Shakespeare fan, you’ll suspect there’s much ado about something at FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

Gunderson’s rolling world premiere is an original play, not an adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing.” But its lead characters are descendants of Benedick and Beatrice, who are tricked by their friends into falling in love in “Much Ado.” Directed by Florida Studio Theatre veteran Sean Daniels, “Lady Disdain” is rollicking fun best categorized as “worlds collide.”

Most of the action takes place at a producer of audiobooks, where former lovers Ben and Beatrice are voicing the characters in a steamy romantasy novel.

Ben (Casey Murphy) had moved on to the big screen as the villain in a superhero series. But he’s back in

new eyes after he saves the day for a wronged colleague.

Lest gentle readers think “Lady Disdain” is a contrived effort to make Shakespeare relevant, think again.

Gunderson’s play is its own frisky animal. It moves at breakneck pace, with the stage going dark to usher in new scenes.

The milieu is very much of the moment, when nude pictures (real or fake) of celebrities and civilians alike blow up on social media, destroying or elevating reputations overnight.

The characters in “Lady Disdain” are familiar in today’s internet-driven world, where one’s brand is marketed to strangers. There are “smash the patriarchy” feminists, young people sharing their recovery journey and ruthless business owners willing to jettison employees whose stock has fallen on social media.

Even if we don’t know these folks personally, we know their ilk. Think dueling lawsuits between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, the warring stars of “It Ends With Us.” BRINGING AUDIENCES INTO THE EQUATION

Images courtesy of Adrian Van Stee

Things get steamy between Ben (Casey Murphy) and Beatrice (Veronika Duerr) in “Lady Disdain.”

the audiobook world after his caped character got canned. His unexpected arrival irks his former paramour, Beatrice (Veronika Duerr). Her barbs are so caustic that she is dubbed “Lady Disdain” in the original Shakespeare play and she keeps the tradition going here.

Mirroring “Much Ado About Nothing,” the supporting characters in “Lady Disdain” engage in what was called “gulling” in olden days.

They tell Ben that Beatrice suggested him for her sparring partner, while Beatrice is led to believe that Ben lobbied to work with her.

Underscoring the Shakespeare connection is a neon sign on stage reading, “Man is a giddy thing.”

Unless you’re familiar with the Bard, you may not recognize the quote from “Much Ado.” Today, the word “giddy” is used to describe overwhelming happiness. Back in Shakespeare’s day, it meant “fickle” or “frivolous.”

It’s often said that it’s a “women’s prerogative to change her mind,” but it’s Benedick who has a change of heart in “Much Ado.” In “Lady Disdain,” Beatrice sees Ben through

The version of “Lady Disdain” that audiences saw on opening night June 12 was refined in previews as Gunderson and Director Sean Daniels watched how scenes were landing. If something wasn’t working, Gunderson would tweak the script and have actors deliver different lines in the next performance.

“Lauren has a real love of audiences. She loves to research and she’s very fast,” Daniels says.

Sarasota theater fans will remember Daniels from his time at Florida Studio Theatre, which he joined as associate director in 2023. One of his plays, “The White Chip,” a semiautobiographical show about a theater director who gets sober, went on to play in New York, Tokyo and London.

What Sarasota theatergoers might not know is that Daniels went to high school with Gunderson in Atlanta and that she is an alum of Dad’s Garage, the successful theatrical troupe that Daniels co-founded in 1995. Dad’s Garage has come to Sarasota for the FST Improv Festival.

“Lauren is an old friend of ours,” Daniels said in an interview. “She married my wife and I.”

Even with a playwright as widely acclaimed as Gunderson (“Silent Sky,” “The Book of Will,” “I and You”) getting from script to stage doesn’t happen overnight. Daniels says he knew Gunderson was working on an update of “Much Ado” and reached out to Peter Rothstein about directing it not long after Rothstein was hired as producing artistic director of Asolo Rep in 2023.

Fast forward. After a stop in Madison, Wisconsin, “Lady Disdain” is making its second world premiere in Sarasota, in a production turbocharged by scenic design, lighting design, sound design and original music from Asolo Rep’s creatives.

“What’s really cool is that this play is eventually going to be seen everywhere and that Sarasota audiences get to see it first,” Daniels says. (Well, almost first.)

“Lady Disdain” is propelled by sexy voices bringing the innuendoladen dialogue of bodice-rippers to the airwaves. Even the customary warning to silence your cellphones before the curtain rises is delivered in a swoon-worthy fashion by Murphy.

If you want to see the antithesis of Dad bod, keep your eyes peeled toward the end of the show. Like everything else in “Lady Disdain,” it happens in the blink of an eye.

Reading the credits, you’ll see that Urbanite Theatre Artistic Director Summer Dawn Wallace serves as intimacy coordinator, so presumably, there will be no sexual harassment and defamation lawsuits, à la LivelyBaldoni, from the on-stage coupling.

Wallace is also friends with Gunderson. In September 2025, Gunderson delivered the keynote speech at Urbanite Theatre’s annual Modern Works Festival celebrating female playwrights.

Attendees got to learn about Gunderson’s creative process, which has yielded honors such as the Lanford Wilson Award from the Dramatists Guild of America and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, not once but twice.

Even among Sarasota’s colorfully dressed theater patrons, it was hard to miss Gunderson on opening night of “Lady Disdain.” She wore an eye-catching hot pink silk shirt, red sequined pencil skirt, silver stiletto heels and oversized glasses.

With classic lines enlivened by outrageous color, Gunderson’s attire suggested a desire to upend convention.

She looked like a woman with the sensibility to give the Bard a glowup.

A giddy thing indeed.

IF YOU GO

‘LADY DISDAIN’ When: Through June 27 Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $31-$77 Info: Visit AsoloRep.org.

Romantasy author Alice (Brett Ashley Robinson) gives encouragement to Claudio (Ben Clark), who’s struggling to stay sober, in Asolo Rep’s “Lady Disdain.”

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

15A

A Girl Scout grows up and conquers her demons MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER A+E EDITOR

A

ddictions come in many forms — drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, social media, porn, shopping and awards. Yes, you read that last one right. It’s one of the most all-American forms of addiction. Though applauded by all and ostensibly a positive pastime, going for the gold over and over can mask emotional deficiencies, the socalled hole in the soul.

People are caught off guard when former professional athletes and child actors end up in the news for drug or alcohol-related offenses.

But it’s really not a big surprise.

Those whose moment of glory has passed are trying to replace the high that comes from winning and being adored by audiences.

But it’s not just celebrities who can never get enough love. It can be anyone checking their phone to see how many “likes” their Instagram Courtesy image

Cristela Carrizales is the star of Lifeline Productions’ “Begin Again Badge,” which runs through June 21 at the Cook Theatre.

or Facebook post got. As more than one self-help book has pointed out, we’re all dopamine junkies now.

Not everyone wants to see a show about someone who hit bottom, even if their life is on an upswing.

Many people go to the theater to escape their problems, not to hear about somebody else’s.

But who can resist a show called “Begin Again Badge?” Who among us did not spend their childhood racking up badges as a Girl Scout, a Boy Scout and for the ultra-ambitious, Eagle Scout?

Cristela Carrizales’ premise to get audiences to join her on her twisting journey to self-acceptance is genius.

Why? Because everyone can relate.

Carrizales is a Latina raised by a single mom with abusive boyfriends.

She’s an ex-military wife who has lost more than 150 pounds (about half her body weight) and has been sober for about three years. She and her former husband spent about a decade trying to conceive to no avail. In short, “Begin Again Badge” checks all the boxes for the confessional one-woman show.

But beyond Carrizales’ outsized talent and knockout humor, what makes “Begin Again Badge” so appealing is that its theme of looking for love in all the wrong places and learning to find it in the mirror rings true regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or even socioeconomic class.

Over breakfast at the Toasted Mango Cafe, Carrizales talked about the journey that brought her to the stage of the Cook Theatre. She ordered waffles topped with fresh mango and whipped cream along with a side of bacon. Most of it ended up in a takeout box, because Carrizales can only eat small amount of food at one time after undergoing bariatric surgery for weight loss.

In both her show and the interview, what comes across is Carrizales’ zeal for life and her no-holds-barred honesty.

Whether it’s joking about her late-in-life alcoholism that took three trips to rehab to get in check (“Chocolate cake is

my true love, not booze”) or being ghosted on dating apps, Carrizales is not afraid to laugh at herself. She wants you to laugh along.

During her childhood, Carrizales was surrounded by music because her grandmother was a fan of Broadway musicals. Asked to name her musical influences, she says without hesitation, “Babs, (shorthand for Barbra Streisand) and of course, Linda Ronstadt.”

Carrizales became even more of a Ronstadt fan after the folk rock superstar embraced her Mexican heritage by recording mariachi classics on “Canciones de mi padre” (“Songs of My Father”).

Carrizales is proud of her Hispanic roots, but explains that her family has been in Texas longer than it’s been a state. Still, when she was growing up in Dallas, assimilation was the order of the day. “We weren’t allowed to speak Spanish. We were kind of invisible,” she recalls.

CURSED WITH A CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY

One of the most heart-wrenching vignettes in “Begin Again Badge” is how Carrizales was always called Lisa by the nuns at her Catholic elementary school. Because there was another chubby Latina girl named Lisa, Carrizales assumed the sisters couldn’t tell them apart. But years later, when she asked Lisa whether she was ever called Cristela, the answer was no. “My identity was literally erased,” she tells the audience.

Although Carrizales lost a highly coveted role in a communion ceremony to the other Lisa, she won recognition by earning badges as a Girl Scout and by performing in choir and theater performances in junior and senior high and college.

When her life went off the rails after her marriage ended, she found solace on the stage again. In Oklahoma City, she honed her talents in cabaret and improv. Her ability to dramatically shift her persona, raise her voice and suddenly burst into song drive the narrative of “Begin Again Badge.” Throughout the show, Carrizales earns a series of badges as

she reaches milestones in her life.

In the improv world, Carrizales crossed paths several times with Will Luera, the longtime head of Florida Studio Theatre Improv who is now artistic director of Sarasota’s Lifeline Productions. “People in Sarasota may not realize it, but in the national improv world, Will Luera is famous,” she says.

A nonprofit theater company, Lifeline was founded three years ago

by Joel Ehrenpreis to shine a light on mental health. Its first production was “Clowns Like Me,” a oneman show starring Joel’s son, Scott Ehrenpreis, who has been diagnosed with OCD, bipolar disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

Lifeline followed up “Clowns Like Me,” which played Off Broadway in New York, with Luera’s one-man show, “Entangled,” which explored mental health through a humorous lens.

When Carrizales pitched “Begin Again Badge” to Luera, he presented it to Ehrenpreis. “Joel and I brought Cristela’s show in because it felt like a strong fit for the kind of work we want to support at Lifeline: personal, honest and rooted in a clear point of view,” Luera says.

Adds Ehrenpreis: “The moment I met Cristela, I knew we had found our next piece — a raw, gut-punching and brilliantly humorous story of hope and healing.”

When it was time to drive from Oklahoma, to Sarasota, Carrizales gave herself five days for the trip. “I stopped whenever I wanted to. I ate whatever I wanted to. Oh my God, the nature I saw. What I realized is that I’m happier on a back road doing 65 miles an hour than I am on the interstate doing 95,” she says.

Carrizales asked a friend to create an inspirational playlist of 20 songs for her trip, which she saved for the last day.

“When I arrived in Sarasota, I was centered, focused and peaceful. I really savored the solitude. It was the first time being alone felt good,” Carrizales says.

It was time to add the Solo Road Trip badge to her sash.

IF YOU GO

‘BEGIN AGAIN BADGE’ When: Through June 21 Where: The Cook Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $37.25 Info: Visit LifelineProductionsInc.org.

Cristela Carrizales’ premise to get audiences to join her on her twisting journey to selfacceptance is genius. Why? Because everyone can relate.

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Lifeline Productions presents Cristela Carrizales’ ‘Begin Again Badge.’

16A

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

Carlos Pagán solidified jazz in Sarasota The Bronx native served on the board of the Jazz Club of Sarasota and was a programmer at WSLR. MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER A+E EDITOR

I

n the world of radio, it’s an open secret that people with beautiful voices don’t always have pretty faces. But WSLR disc jockey Carlos Pagán was blessed with both, noted fellow deejay Louise Coogan during a June 11 radio tribute to the Jazz Club of Sarasota board member.

Pagán, a Bronx native who moved to Sarasota with his wife, Wendy, in 2015, died June 7. He was 78.

“He was tall, handsome and sophisticated with a beautiful voice.

But he was just a radio geek like the rest of us,” Coogan said. “He understood the responsibility that comes when someone puts a microphone in front of you.”

Pagán hosted a weekly Metropics jazz and world music radio show, but on June 11, his colleagues turned the show into a tribute. During the decade he lived in Sarasota, Pagán was a major force in bringing jazz to local audiences.

Pagán was also known for directing the documentary, “All There Is — A Circus Story,” which had its world premiere at the 2019 Sarasota Film Festival and continues to screen periodically on the Tampa/ Sarasota PBS TV station WEDU. The film featured local circus performers reflecting on the legacy of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Pagán’s multimedia career spanned radio, TV and film and included on-air host and producing jobs in LaCrosse and Madison, Wisconsin, as well as Miami. He won nine regional Emmy awards.

A graduate of DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx and the University of Wisconsin, he founded the Sarasota-based internet radio station Metropics in 2016 and served as its programmer and host.

He met his wife in 2002 at a Hal-

Carlos Pagán, a fixture of the Sarasota jazz scene, moved to Sarasota with his wife, Wendy, in 2015. He died June 7.

loween party in the Cocoanut Grove neighborhood of Miami. After being introduced by friends, they learned they had both lived in New York City and had attended the University of Wisconsin. They married in 2004 and honeymooned in China, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Carlos Pagán promoted jazz and world music through his Metropics internet radio station and his weekly WSLR program of the same name.

In an email, Wendy said, “Many readers may have never heard of Carlos Pagán. What was unique and one man’s legacy is that he consciously strived to think, act and live higher than his solitary life circumstances of growing up a kid in the turbulent South Bronx. He believed strongly in deep and open conversation that provided critical listening to one’s opponent — or adversary — to find common ground and solutions for a better planet.”

During the WSLR 96.5 community-radio tribute, Coogan and other past and present colleagues praised Pagán for his professionalism and his generosity in sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of music and radio with others.

When Jesse Coleman became station manager at WSLR and its affiliated listening room, Fogartyville, in April 2024, Pagán was the first programmer that he sat in with. “He

was precise, planned and methodical about the way he approached every track,” Coleman said.

When trumpet player Mark Gruder retired to Sarasota in 2018, he was looking for a part-time volunteer job and heard about the opportunity to host a radio show on WSLR. “Even though Carlos’ parents were Puerto Rican and my grandparents were Jewish émigrés, we bonded over our Bronx origins,” Gruder said.

With Pagán’s help, Gruder developed his radio show, “The Blue Groove,” a world music/jazz show on WSLR. Among his fellow programmers, Pagán was known for his ability to quietly arrive at the last minute and deliver a perfect broadcast. “He set the standard for being a professional on a public radio station,” Coleman said.

A playlist of Pagán’s favorite songs put together by Wendy kicked off with Jackson Browne’s “Alive in the World.” Its lyrics, “I want to live in the world/I want to stand and be counted/With the hopeful and the willing/With the open and the strong” epitomized Pagán’s approach to life.

LEVERAGING MIAMI JAZZ CONTACTS TO HELP SARASOTA

When he arrived in Sarasota, Pagán brought his contacts that he had built as part of Miami’s Latin jazz scene. Those ties helped bring top performers like percussionist Sammy Figueroa to the Sarasota Jazz Festival, presented annually by the Jazz Club of Sarasota.

“When I met Carlos, I saw instantly that he had an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz artists and recording,” said Jazz Club President Ed Linehan. “He had lived in Miami, where he and Wendy were involved in the jazz community and had relationships with some of the bigger names. Beyond that, he was a gentle, kind, thoughtful person and a good friend.”

He added: “It’s hard to be a jazz fan right now because so many are leaving us.” When Linehan was caring for his wife, jazz vocalist Synia Carroll,

Courtesy images

Pagán took the reins of the March 2025 Sarasota Jazz Festival. (Carroll died later that year.)

At the time, Pagán quipped to a reporter, “Don’t leave the accent mark off my name because I don’t want people to think I’m a pagan.”

Family and friends say he was deeply spiritual, but found his sustenance in the teachings of several religions.

Pagán was proud of his Puerto Rican heritage and was dedicated to reaching out to underserved audiences and protecting the earth.

But underpinning it all was the belief in the power of the arts. “He believed in the healing power of music and the visual arts and their ability to connect us globally when everything else is in chaos,” Gruder said.

In addition to Wendy, Pagán is survived by his mother-in-law, Martha Nwaobia, brothers-in-law Tracy Anderson (Mary), Bethel Nwaobia (Justine), sister-in-law Lori Christianson, and many nieces, nephews and other family members.

Carlos Pagán promoted jazz and world music through his Metropics internet radio station and his weekly WSLR program of the same name.

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Created by Aaron Gundy, “Leaving on a Jet Plane” features an acoustic trio who take you on a flight to the feel-good era of folk music in the late 1960s and 1970s. Among the singer/songwriters whose works are featured in this upbeat show are Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Lovin’ Spoonful. Runs through July 19.

‘HONKY TONK ANGELS’ 7 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $25-$59 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Follow three Dolly Parton wannabes on a road trip to Nashville who forge lasting bonds of friendship along the way. This tale gives its performers the chance to belt out country favorites like Parton’s “9 to 5” and Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man,” among others. Runs through June 21.

OUR PICK

JUNETEENTH TALENT SHOWCASE This year’s Juneteenth festival spans two days at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. The festivities begin with a talent showcase on Friday night and continue on Saturday with an arts festival that begins at 11 a.m. and includes live performances, short films by Ringling College students, food trucks and other vendors.

The capstone of the Saturday festival is “Enigma,” at 7:30 featuring WBTT artist Brian L. Boyd.

IF YOU GO

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 19 Where: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave. Tickets: Free Info: Visit WestcoastBlackTheatreTroupe.org.

You may know singer Eartha Kitt as the sultry siren who sang “Santa Baby,” a 1950s holiday ditty that lives forever on the internet.

Or maybe you remember her as Catwoman from the 1960s TV series “Batman.” One thing is sure: You’ve never seen the glamorous entertainer backstage as Eartha Mae, a country girl from South Carolina who became a citizen of the world. Jade Wheeler created and stars in this show with spirited piano accompaniment by Catherine Stornetta. Runs through June 21.

FRIDAY ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’ 7:30 p.m. at Dingbat Theatre Project, 7288 S. Tamiami Trail $15 and up Visit DingbatTheatreProject.org.

You may have seen “Romeo and Juliet,” but you haven’t seen Dingbat Theatre Project’s version of the Bard’s tale of star-crossed lovers.

The adults-only production features burlesque and drag performances interwoven with club music. This adaptation is created and directed

by Dingbat founder Luke Manual and features choreography by Yasha Wilson. Runs weekends through June 28.

SATURDAY AC/DUCE/C — AC/DC TRIBUTE 7 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $30.90-$72.10 Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

During the off season, Sarasota Opera uses its 100-year-old Opera House to screen films and host concerts, like this one honoring AC/DC. AC/DUCE/C comes to Sarasota courtesy of Vintage Vinyl Productions, known for such tribute bands as Fleetwood Mach and Almost Eagles. Get ready to rock on in an opera house.

DON’T MISS

SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR The Ringling and the Circus Arts Conservatory join forces for their annual Summer Circus Spectacular in the Historic Asolo Theater. Ringmaster Ashley Vargas, a veteran of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and circuses around the world, presides over a showcase of circus artists in a program designed for all generations. Among the circus arts represented are clowning, juggling, hand balancing, aerial arts and duo roller skating. For $5 more, make it a circus day and tour The Ringling’s Historic Circus Galleries and Tibbals Learning Center, which contains a miniature circus of 42,000 pieces built by Howard Tibbals.

Runs through Aug. 8.

THIS WEEK

IF YOU GO

When: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday, June 18 Where: Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road Tickets: $15-$20 Info: Visit Ringling.org.

have a permanent home in Gallery 12 after a decadelong project.

SCRIPT & SONG WITH SAM BEAM AND LINDSEY FERRENTINO 6:30 p.m. at Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6630 Manasota Key Road, Englewood $5 with registration Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

The Summer Circus Spectacular runs through Aug. 8 at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater.

Image courtesy of Ann-Kathrin Brocks

COMEDY LOTTERY 7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $15-$18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

JP SOARS & THE RED HOTS 6 p.m. at The Oval at The Bay, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts Free Visit TheBaySarasota.org.

Florida Studio Theatre’s own improv troupe takes over Bowne’s Lab with “Comedy Lottery,” giving the audience the chance to select the night’s games. If FST Improv isn’t on your radar, it’s time for a new machine. Runs through June 27.

Known for his 2024 album “Brick

by Brick,” JP Soars is a Florida blues rock singer and multiinstrumentalist. He’s backed by the Red Hots, including drummer Chris Peet and bassist Cleveland Frederick. So if Dad has a hankering for the blues, bring him down to The Bay.

SUNDAY ‘SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING NEW’ 11 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum campus of Ringling College, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail $20 Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

“Something Borrowed, Something New” features major modern artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Chuck Close, David Hockney, Yoko Ono, Kara Walker and Ai Weiwei. Their works have been loaned by private collectors in Southwest Florida to SAM for the show, which runs through Sept. 27.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe founder and Artistic Director Nate Jacobs will host free Juneteenth celebrations at the theater on June 19-20.

17A

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MONDAY ANCIENT ART FROM CYPRUS AND THE MEDITERRANEAN 10 a.m. at The John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Road Free with $30 admission; Mondays free Visit Ringling.org.

In 1928, circus magnate John Ringling moved beyond collecting Baroque paintings with a major acquisition of more than 2,000 pieces of Cypriot art at the Anderson Galleries in New York, where the Metropolitan Museum was selling parts of its ancient art collection. For the first time, Ringling’s treasures

The folks at Hermitage Artist Retreat are celebrating because Hermitage Fellow Bess Wohl just won the Tony Award for Best Play for “Liberation.” As part of their Hermitage fellowships, visiting artists share their latest works-inprogress with the community. Come see what Grammy Award nominee Sam Beam (also known as Iron & Wine) and celebrated Broadway playwright Lindsey Ferrentino are up to in this sunset performance on Hermitage Beach.

MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ WITH FRED JOHNSON 7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Court Theatre, 1265 First St. $34-$39 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Jazz Club of Sarasota keeps the music playing in the off season with its Monday night jazz series at Florida Studio Theatre. This week’s featured performer is Fred Johnson, with a tribute to Duke Ellington.

Backing Johnson on vocals is a band consisting of LaRue Nickelson on guitar, Michael Ross on bass and Billy E. Peterson on drums.

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‘LEAVING ON A JET PLANE’ 7 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave. $42 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

‘WHO IS EARTHA MAE?’ 7:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. $5-$44 Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.

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THURSDAY

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

ACTIVE | 12625 DEACONS PLACE | LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB $1,749,000 | WEB# A4694618

ACTIVE | 19436 NEWLANE PLACE | THE CONCESSION $3,399,000 | WEB# A4672950

1350 MAIN STREET, SARASOTA, FL 34236. 941.867.6199 © 2026 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. ALL MATERIAL PRESENTED HEREIN IS INTENDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. WHILE THIS INFORMATION IS BELIEVED TO BE CORRECT, IT IS REPRESENTED SUBJECT TO ERRORS, OMISSIONS, CHANGES OR WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL PROPERTY INFORMATION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO SQUARE FOOTAGE, ROOM COUNT, NUMBER OF BEDROOMS AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PROPERTY LISTINGS SHOULD BE VERIFIED BY YOUR OWN ATTORNEY, ARCHITECT OR ZONING EXPERT. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY. *REALTRENDS VERIFIED BASED ON 2025 SALES. **BASED ON CAREER SALES. ***BASED ON 2026 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN TRANSACTIONS (BOTH PENDING AND CLOSED).

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

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18A YourObserver.com

JUNE 18, 2026

Classifieds 18B Games 17B Real Estate 13B Sports 14B Weather 17B

YOUR NEIGHBORS Champions crowned in Sarasota The USRowing National Championships featured 4,000 competitors coming to Nathan Benderson Park.

T

hrough the first three days of competition in the USRowing Junior Nationals at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, most of the approximately 4,000 competitors kept their emotions under wraps.

Every race was the chance to have one more race to keep alive the dream of a high finish at the nationals. But on Sunday, when the task was finished, win or lose, the emotions flowed. A year’s worth of work had led up to that final day.

So in the final day’s first race — the men’s youth 1x — Simeon John of Boston’s Community Rowing was ready to launch his own celebration after he crushed the field to win the event’s first national title. The only thing stopping him was that his body wouldn’t cooperate.

Pushing his body to the absolute limit left him overheated and unable to raise his arms. He slipped

The champions at the USRowing Junior National Championships would have to clear major space on their shelves at home.

off the side of his boat to take a victory dunk and cool himself down, then pulled himself up on his boat until the safety crew of volunteers arrived to take him to the first aid station.

After about 15 minutes, he was recovered, though, basking in the glow of victory.

All the winners to follow celebrated in their own way, some crying tears of victory, screaming at the top of their lungs or hugging their teammates.

Sarasota Crew didn’t earn any national title trophies this year, but the Sarasota A team did win the bronze medal in the Men’s U16 8+ division. The team of Sichen Deng, Jackson Lizotte, Miles Cuff, Platon Shramko, Elliott Mathes, Everett Chappell, Caiden Moskowitz, Jan Stachovec and coxswain James Woods missed the silver medal by half a second.

The Sarasota Men’s U17 8+ team of Iouri Marcel, Meyer Sachs, Parker Morrison, Enzo Francisco, Jordan Grose, Jacob Mains, Will Lindell, Victor Kozlovsky and coxswain Olivia Twarowski made the finals and finished seventh.

The other Sarasota team to reach the finals was the Women’s U17 8+ team of Aubree DeCraene, Audrey Reuter, Maya Jewell, Gabrielle Davis, Isabella De Liz, Sydney Soboleski, Shai Mitzafon, Rose Ottaviano and coxswain Lillian Teague that finished eighth.

Photos by Jay Heater

Inglemoor High School rowers Krista Alyakin and Karlie Vince of Kenmore, Washington, made a splash by winning the Women’s Youth 2- class at the USRowing Junior National Championships on Sunday at Nathan Benderson Park.

Approximately 2:30 p.m. June 11, storm clouds and lighting moved over Nathan Benderson Park.

Rowers on the lake who were competing were told to “evacuate,” and then rushed directly to shore.

The event was delayed more than three hours.

— JAY HEATER

The Sarasota Men’s Youth 4+ team finished 21st on June 11 and the rowers show the pain of going all out in a national championship event. From left are Lawrence Downyok, Jason Alickolli, Keven Hwang, Spencer Johnson, and coxswain Anna Kim.

Sarasota Crew’s Gabrielle DeLeo heads to the finish of the Women’s Youth 1x June 11 at the USRowing Youth National Championships at Nathan Benderson Park. She qualified for the semifinal by placing eighth in 7:54.36.

SEE ROWING, PAGE 2B

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026 The Alustra® Collection of Pirouette® Window Shadings Color: Sand Jasper | Operating System: UltraGlide®

ROWING, FROM PAGE 1B

37 heraldtribune.com

WINNER

Tabitha Pahl (center) of Renton, Washington, brought her family and friends to Sarasota for the USRowing Youth National Championships at Nathan Benderson Park. Approximately 4,000 athletes are competing.

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FATHER’S DAY Community Rowing’s Simeon John was so overcome with heat and exhaustion following his title run Sunday at Nathan Benderson Park that safety workers had to take him to the first aid station.

To all the amazing fathers, father figures, and those remembering their fathers today.

Cambridge Boat Club’s Catherine Cole and Emma Kirk are overwhelmed after their triumph in the USRowing Junior National Championships Women’s Youth 2x race at Nathan Benderson Park on Sunday.

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

BEST BET

THURSDAY, JUNE 18

MEMORY CAFE Begins at 10 a.m. at the Braden River Library, 4915 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton. A memory cafe is a comfortable social gathering that welcomes people with memory loss and their loved ones. The group meets to help each other connect, socialize, and build new support groups in a stigma-free environment. The cafe is free, but registration is required.

Go to ManateeLibrary.LibCal.com/ Event/16214609 for more information.

THURSDAY, JUNE 18 AND EVERYDAY

MALL WALKERS CLUB Begins at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday at the Mall at University Town Center, 140 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota. Join the Mall Walkers Club, a program sponsored by the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, which allows health-minded individuals the ability to walk the mall an honor before regular operating hours on a daily basis. Register for the program at the mall customer service desk to begin tracking your miles. For more information, go to Simon.com/Mall/ The-Mall-At-University-Town-Center.

THURSDAY, JUNE 18 THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 21

LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING Runs from 5-8 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup includes David Fowler (Thursday), Raiford Starke (Friday), Matt Beck (Saturday) and Al Fuller (Sunday).

For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19 AND SATURDAY, JUNE 20

MUSIC AT THE PLAZA Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Zach Pomerleau will play the blues for those strolling the streets of Waterside Place on Friday.

On Saturday, Nashville recording artist Bobby James Music will be performing. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.

SUNDAY, JUNE 21

FARMERS MARKET Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, which in 2025 was selected as the nation’s best Farmers Market, runs year-round every Sunday.

Vendors offer seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles, among other items.

Other features are children’s activities and live music. Go to MyLWR.com for more information.

YOUR CALENDAR

COMMUNITY

3B

FIREWORKS ON THE LAKE

SATURDAY, JUNE 20

MODEL TRAIN EXHIBIT Runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the RealRail Center, 4908 Lena Road, Bradenton. The Railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida presents a Father’s Day weekend Open House. Included will be an HO scale layout that kids can run, a T-TRAK N scale modular layout built by children and adults with special needs, and a parking lot sale. Anyone who has model train merchandise can participate in the sale. The event will give out door prizes and refreshments. For more information, call Allen Novak at 962-8542 or go to alnovak@tampabay.rr.com.

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MUSIC AT THE LODGE Runs 6-9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday at Linger Lodge, 7205 85th St. Court E., Bradenton.

Linger Lodge’s live music schedule includes Brooke Hargrove on Saturday and Tom Selletti on Sunday.

For more information, go to LingerLodge.com.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24

BINGO Begins at 10 a.m. at the Patton Park pavilion, 5725 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Join the weekly group that enjoys Bingo for All. Tickets are $5. The game is open to all ages. For information, go to MyLWR. com.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla ready to form in Lakewood Ranch Longtime auxiliary member Nevin Hofing says the area has plenty of interest, and the Coast Guard could use the support.

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t was after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 when Nevin Hofing decided he wanted to do something more for his country.

However, after researching several military options, it just wasn’t feasible for a man approaching 40 who had a family. So then he started wondering what might be the next best thing for him.

“No. 1, I wanted to be affiliated with (a branch of the military),” Hofing said. “And I’ve always been a water person, fishing a lot along the Jersey shore.”

In 2003, he found the perfect solution. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

The auxiliary is a support group for the Coast Guard, and is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program.

“Our main mission is public boating safety,” said Hofing, who now lives in Lakewood Ranch. “We provide education through classes and through free vessel safety checks.

There are brochures and pamphlets, such as how to tow a trailer.”

The auxiliary also can help in an emergency, such as supporting the Coast Guard with safety patrols and during search and rescue missions.

Over the years, he said he believes he has made a difference through the organization.

“You never will know if you have saved a life,” he said. “But I know in my heart that some of the things that I have found on boats would definitely have led to a catastrophe.”

Now, Hofing has decided to start what he hopes will be a Coast Guard

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DOES THIS FLOAT YOUR BOAT? What: A new Lakewood Ranch Coast Guard Auxiliary being formed.

When: Happening now. Organizers are seeking new members who must be 18 or older.

There is no age cap.

Lakewood Ranch’s Nevin Hofing is organizing a Lakewood Ranch Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla in the community.

How many members are needed: Fifteen members would allow the auxiliary to be considered a flotilla.

How often do they meet: The first Wednesday of the month at the Lakewood Ranch Library.

The next meeting is Aug. 5.

Those interested in joining the Lakewood Ranch Coast Guard Auxiliary can call Hofing at 773329-5413.

Auxiliary flotilla in Lakewood Ranch.

He has been part of Sarasota’s Flotilla 8-4, which operates under the Coast Guard’s Southeast District and supports Coast Guard Station

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no penalty for anything he finds, but if it goes unchecked, it could lead to a citation on the water if law enforcement does inspect the craft.

Common problems that he finds during his inspections are expired flares, expired fire extinguishers, faulty navigation lights, no horn or whistle, or a nonfunctioning kill switch (where an ignition switch has to be attached to the belt of the driver).

He said an example of the importance of the kill switch came last summer on Sarasota Bay when the driver fell overboard and his boat continued to run, going in circles since there was no kill switch.

Fortunately, the man was rescued from the water and the auxiliary eventually boarded the boat and shut it down.

Other dangerous situations he finds are when the venting for inboard engines isn’t connected, which could lead to an explosion.

Less dangerous, but more common problems are when the required lettering on the sides of the vessel aren’t to code. They are supposed to be block letters in the opposite color of the hull. He understands why boaters are unsure of the code.

“You have all these marine stores selling script letters in light colors and dark colors,” he said.

Hofing was asked if auxiliary members are respected by members of the Coast Guard.

In March, he was asked by the Coast Guard to help prepare meals (because of his food service background) on a 210-foot Coast Guard cutter, the Venturous, which was docked at the St. Petersburg Coast Guard Station.

“They appreciated it so much,” he said. “You bring unique culinary ideas to them and they love it. It was a proud moment for me. They were extremely respectful and grateful.”

The interesting fact for Hofing is that he doesn’t own a boat himself.

Why not?

“In the last 30 years, I have moved internationally and domestically, and I never have set my roots in,” he said. “A boat has not been a priority.

I don’t have an excuse, but I can tell you that absolutely, there will be a boat in my future.”

5B

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Cortez, and later has been with the Manatee 81 Flotilla in Bradenton, which generally serves the same area as the Sarasota Flotilla.

That area runs from the Skyway Bridge to Boca Grande Pass, and Hofing said a Lakewood Ranch Flotilla is much needed to serve that big an area.

Plus, he said Lakewood Ranch residents have shown interest in joining him.

Hofing said new members might not get immediate gratification from being a member, but over time, they will learn about the functioning of boats and will be able to identify problems which could lead to disaster if not checked.

“Explaining that is gratifying,” said Hofing, who has been in the food service business most of his career.

“And when (the boat owners) get it, you can see it in their faces.”

If enough new members come forward in Lakewood Ranch to join Hofing, a new flotilla could be established in the next six months. The Lakewood Ranch group’s progress is being monitored by the Coast Guard to make sure the structure and membership is in place.

Ten people have joined the group in Lakewood Ranch. Hofing said he needs 15 members to become a flotilla.

“I want to see people who have concern for boating safety and the desire to share that knowledge,” he said. “We are not going to be a lame flotilla. We want people who are going to be excited about this, and we want people for fellowship.”

He said he wants the new group to be active in providing free vessel safety inspections, and hosting boating education classes. Eventually, he would like to see Lakewood Ranch’s flotilla designated as a Jet Ski flotilla, meaning some members have personal watercraft to patrol the waterways.

The group will be meeting the first Wednesday of every month at the Lakewood Ranch Library.

Among the responsibilities for members is going to boat launch areas to offer free vessel inspections.

Hofing said boaters often think he is law enforcement when he approaches, so they are nervous about allowing an inspection of their boat. He explains that there is

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

6B

YourObserver.com

EYE ON BUSINESS

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

Another Chick-fil-A for East County

Jonathan Ith, who has run Chick-fil-A Creekwood for the last 25 years, is preparing to open a new location in Heritage Harbour to keep up with the local demand.

Owner Jonathan Ith has run Chick-fil-A Creekwood for the past 25 years and is excited to open a larger store.

MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER

W

hen Jonathan Ith walked into the DeSoto Square Mall Chick-fil-A for his first shift as a team member on March 7, 1989, he didn’t know he was beginning a chapter that would help define his life in the U.S. Immigrating to Bradenton from Cambodia at age 11 in 1981 after spending time in a refugee camp, he worked his way up through Chick-fil-A and accomplished his American dream.

Chick-fil-A Creekwood is celebrating 25 years this year, and half of the 120 current team members will transfer to Heritage Harbour when it opens.

“If you work hard and put your mind into whatever you want, you will accomplish it,” Ith said.

“Everything you do, life is just not handed to you, you have to go get it. When the opportunity is there, you have to go and take over, take charge of the opportunity.”

For the last 25 years, he has run Chick-fil-A’s Creekwood location and he is now preparing to open a new and bigger location in Heritage Harbour.

“The reason why I’m in business with Chick-fil-A is because it has a great support system where you’re in business for yourself but not by yourself,” Ith said. “Chick-fil-A provides all the financing and it built a store and furnished it. My responsibility has been to hire the employees and operate the business based on their core value and culture.”

Ith said he and his team were able to grow the market so well that the demand was needed for another location.

“We’re busting at the seams here because the demand is still here because of what I practice here,” Ith said.

Jennifer Kahler, the chief of strategy and Ith’s fiancé, said working for Chick-fil-A is about making an impact in the community beyond the four walls of the restaurant.

“The mission is especially meaningful to Jonathan because it was this very community that welcomed and supported him and his family as they sought refuge from the war in Cambodia and began building a new life,” Kahler said.

“Combined with my background in education and passion for working with children and Jonathan’s

Courtesy image

deep desire to give back to the community that helped shape his family’s journey, serving through Chick-fil-A has been the perfect match,” Kahler said.

Initially, the Creekwood restaurant aimed to do approximately $8 million in revenue a year and now it’s pushing $12 million per year. Projected annual sales for the new location at Heritage Harbour are estimated between $15 million and $18 million. This would place it among the highest-volume Chick-fil-A stores in Florida and the Southeast region.

The Heritage Harbour site will be over 6,000 square feet, while the Creekwood site is 4,300 square feet. It will include more parking, outdoor seating and an improved, interactive playground.

At Creekwood, the store hosts a minimum of five events per month, including homeschool hangouts, story time with the cows and other events to create a place where families can bond and interact with their children and with others in the community. They also have partnerships with various schools and youth programs and

CHICK-FIL-A The new Chick-fil-A at Heritage Harbour is currently under construction at 7283 State Road 64 E., Bradenton.

While an opening date has not yet been set, the goal is to open late summer.

plan to expand and bring that same energy and community to Heritage Harbour.

Despite their best effort at fast customer service, the drive-thru at Creekwood has been an issue with all of the traffic. At the new location, approximately 52 cars will fit in the drive-thru at once compared to Creekwood’s 25.

Logan Schanie, the senior director of customer experience, began working at Chick-fil-A Creekwood at the age of 17 and has been there ever since. He is among the group of employees who will transfer to Heritage Harbour once it is ready to open.

“There’s always going to be some

mistakes when we’re doing 2,200 plus transactions in a day, but we’re making sure people understand that we care,” Schanie said. “We’re working as hard as we can to get it right and that doesn’t happen at every restaurant. Our attention to detail is unmatched in a lot of restaurants, especially within the quick-service industry.”

For the last 11 years, Schanie has worn many hats and said he is excited to transfer to Heritage Harbour alongside other members of the Creekwood team.

“We’re always trying to figure out what the next thing is that we’re going to work on and Jonathan’s always focused on that,” Schanie said. “He’s smart business-wise, in terms of running a successful business and keeping the profit margins good. That’s where Jonathan is strong.”

“Jonathan has worked so hard for this opportunity and Chickfil-A doesn’t select their operators lightly,” Kahler said. “It’s very competitive, so being awarded Heritage Harbor was a celebration for everyone here. Everyone’s super excited about this new opportunity.”

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

Peculiar Pub takes the place of Twisted Pit BBQ on Main Street at Lakewood Ranch.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Peculiar move on Main Street The restaurant is offering extended hours, an elevated menu and a full bar at its new location.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

H

ere’s something peculiar at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch.

Suite 104 at 8130 Lakewood Main St. has transformed from a barbecue restaurant into a pub.

Peculiar Pub, known for its craft beers and quirky vibe, has moved to a larger location across the street.

The space was formerly occupied

by Twisted Pit BBQ. Both establishments are owned and operated by EZ Restaurant Group, made up of chef Evan Percoco, Zach Zeller and Matt Favero.

Additionally, the group owns Percoco’s Pizza & Pasta, which is also located on Main Street.

Zeller said the Twisted Pit did well, but not well enough to carry an 1,800-square-foot space.

The trio contemplated combining the two concepts and serving barbecue at the pub, but Zeller said there were too many challenges with barbecue, including the high cost of brisket and 22-hour cook times.

Instead, the group is expanding what local residents know and love — craft beer, scratch food and music bingo on Tuesday nights.

“Will there still be music bingo?” was the most frequently asked question when the move was announced, Zeller said. The answer is “Yes.” Favero wouldn’t have it any other way. The former touring musician loves hosting the event as much as patrons love playing.

Twisted Pit’s last day of business was Memorial Day. The following Monday, a limited group of regular customers were invited to a preview event at Peculiar Pub’s new location.

The monthly installment of Music on Main was that Friday, so the pub hosted its grand reopening celebra-

tion with DJ Spaz four days later.

Zeller said the pub was full from about 4-11 p.m.

DJ Spaz turned the place into a temporary nightclub with lights and dancing. Zeller was quick to note that a nightclub is not the direction the pub is headed, but said it’s fun to throw a party once a month to coincide with Music on Main.

Lea Hand has been bartending at the pub for about a year. She was impressed with how quickly her bosses were able to turn the space around and also maintain the “true integrity” of the pub.

The atmosphere is strikingly similar — the bold blue walls are covered in sports and beer signs while the floors and the furniture all traveled across the street.

Walking into the pub for the first time is, indeed, peculiar. It’s as if a fun house mirror is being held up to the old pub. Everything looks the same, but it’s been stretched from every corner.

The space is bigger than even the Twisted Pit was because a wall that

NEW HOURS

Peculiar Pub’s hours have expanded with its space. Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Fridays and Saturdays from 11-1 a.m. The kitchen shuts down an hour before the pub closes. Visit PeculiarPubLWR. com.

enclosed an “expensive junk room” was knocked down. The area is now filled with a pool table, dart board and additional seating.

Also peculiar — there’s a larger variety of beers to choose from but fewer taps.

The original pub location was designed to serve craft beer with a walk-in cooler that could hold 23 kegs.

The taps at the new location were expanded from four to 16, but what adds to the beer selection is a new reach-in cooler. Zeller said the old location never carried more than one imperial stout at a time because the dark ale isn’t a fast seller. With cans, he can carry two or three varieties, and patrons have the option to mix and match four- and six-packs and take them to go.

The pub also sells wine, nonalcoholic beers, ciders, THC-infused drinks and liquor. Liquor was a deciding factor to change locations.

Zeller said the first location didn’t meet the requirements for a liquor license. They expanded the space to

meet the seating and square footage requirements, but the space still needed a kitchen to meet the requirement of maintaining 51% food sales.

The Twisted Pit already had a full kitchen, which added what is likely the most noticeable change to the pub, other than its larger size: a completely revamped menu.

Without a full kitchen, the pub’s last menu was limited.

Everything is made from scratch in the new location. While a few favorites, including nachos, pretzels and chicken club, will remain, the rest of the menu has been “elevated.”

The steaks are hand-cut in-house, and about 30% of the menu features fresh seafood. The menu is built around coastal Florida flavors, with dishes like coconut grouper bites and Florida shrimp and grits.

The majority of the menu is either gluten free or has a gluten-free option.

Favero has celiac disease, so that was considered when creating Percoco’s menu. Now, the restaurant has become known for its nontraditional, gluten-free options like fried calamari and fried mozzarella.

Percoco created the pub’s menu with the same mindset, so even the blue crab fritters are gluten free.

Zeller said customers used to order out from Percoco’s or the Twisted Pit and bring it to the pub because the pub wasn’t really a place to eat dinner.

Now, there’s silverware with linen napkins on the tables. Zeller described the setting as a family friendly, modern tavern.

Zach Zeller co-owns Peculiar Pub with his partners in EZ Restaurant Group, Chef Evan Percoco and Matt Favero.

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

EAST BRADENTON 1245 Mill Creek Road 4 Beds 4/2 Baths 5,771 Sq. Ft. Lenore Treiman 941.356.9642 A4694036 $7,495,000

EAST BRADENTON 520 Rye Road NE 6 Beds 5/1 Baths 5,200 Sq. Ft. Kevin Moran & Jill Berg 941.920.8600 A4655587 $2,195,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB 7431 Greystone Street 4 Beds 3 Baths 3,170 Sq. Ft. Stacy Haas 941.587.4359 A4690054 $1,995,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB 7527 Greystone Street 4 Beds 4 Baths 3,850 Sq. Ft. Victoria "Tori" Turner 662.614.2783 A4692043 $1,950,000

CENTRAL BRADENTON 1401 1st Avenue E 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,352 Sq. Ft. Tammy Mast 941.256.6543 A4680470 $1,500,000

CENTRAL BRADENTON 3707 5th Avenue NE 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,151 Sq. Ft. Sandi Dietrich 941.704.0697 A4692437 $1,165,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB EAST 14511 Leopard Creek Place 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,479 Sq. Ft. Tina Ciaccio 941.685.8420 A4695172 $1,159,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 6427 Moorings Point Circle #101 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,983 Sq. Ft. Stacy Haas 941.587.4359 A4688766 $1,147,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB 13911 Siena Loop 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,216 Sq. Ft. Deborah O'Mara 941.730.0777 A4678185 $1,095,000

EAST BRADENTON 14204 11th Terrace NE 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 3,402 Sq. Ft. Jennifer Linehan 941.266.7555 A4677988 $999,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 6465 Watercrest Way #301 2 Beds 3 Baths 2,287 Sq. Ft. Deborah O'Mara 941.730.0777 A4683907 $995,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB 7210 Lake Forest Glen 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,500 Sq. Ft. Kathryn Dieter 941.299.2089 A4693706 $986,900

LAKEWOOD RANCH 6435 Moorings Point Circle #201 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,963 Sq. Ft. Tina Ciaccio 941.685.8420 A4694896 $935,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 12129 Thornhill Court 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,011 Sq. Ft. Garry Neeves 941.667.0653 A4672799 $929,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB 7719 Latrobe Court 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,675 Sq. Ft. Deborah O'Mara 941.730.0777 A4680635 $895,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 6414 Watercrest Way #302 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,482 Sq. Ft. Jody Shinn 941.705.5704 A4679069 $825,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 6527 Moorings Point Circle #101 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,983 Sq. Ft. Barbara A. Milian 941.504.0660 A4678335 $794,990

EDGEWATER 8412 Misty Morning Court 4 Beds 2 Baths 2,236 Sq. Ft. Ray Rausa 941.228.7614 A4689273 $775,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB EAST 7263 Belleisle Glen 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,988 Sq. Ft. Stacy Haas 941.587.4359 A4690053 $725,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 2006 Red Lake Run 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,325 Sq. Ft. Matt Eichel & Ralph Faillace 609.992.7077 A4679881 $699,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB EAST 7538 Divot Loop #2D 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,376 Sq. Ft. Stuart Lawrence & Laura Lawrence 941.894.4001 A4676354 $699,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB 7928 Suntree Glen 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,224 Sq. Ft. Deborah O'Mara 941.730.0777 A4694294 $695,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 7702 Lake Vista Court #204 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,762 Sq. Ft. Chris Van Vliet & Jamie Van Vliet 941.993.7087 A4691558 $359,000

CENTER GATE 4207 Bowling Green Circle #35 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,601 Sq. Ft. Susan Noah 941.468.9286 A4677864 $299,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 7115 Boca Grove Place #103 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,431 Sq. Ft. Timothy Koons-McGee & Judy Wright 941.320.7073 A4693508 $275,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 8254 Pavia Way 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,033 Sq. Ft. Mark Boehmig 941.807.6936 A4692792 $2,250,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 16903 Verona Place 4 Beds 3/2 Baths 3,084 Sq. Ft. Stacy Haas 941.587.4359 A4689005 $2,250,000

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LAKEWOOD RANCH 8134 Pavia Way 5 Beds 5 Baths 3,734 Sq. Ft. Tina Ciaccio 941.685.8420 A4687253 $2,985,000

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

RESEARCH EDITOR

A

Country Club home topped the week’s sales. Andrew and Angela Galeziowski, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 12407 Highfield Circle to James Lockhart and Mary Christine Lockhart, of Lithia, for $2,499,000.

Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,267 square feet of living area.

WILD BLUE AT WATERSIDE

VIP-Palm Investment & Design LLC sold the home at 1209 Blue Shell Loop to Michael Fossier, of Lakewood Ranch, for $2.36 million.

Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,219 square feet of living area.

COUNTRY CLUB

David Schmieg, trustee, and Pamela Schmieg, of Ocala, sold the home at 7003 Portmarnock Place to Scott and Laura Richards, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,902,500. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,539 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,085,000 in 2020.

Anthony and Sydney Iannone, trustees, sold the home at 6633 The Masters Ave. to Robert and Loretta Evans, of Belleair Beach, for $935,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,021 square feet of living area. It sold for $635,000 in 2002.

Philip and Wendy Young, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6720 The Masters Ave. to Bradford Kroll and Man Zhang, of Lakewood Ranch, for $860,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,471 square feet of living area. It sold for $810,000 in 2022.

Jane Phillips, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 13828 Siena Loop to Roma and Charles McDonaugh, of Lakewood Ranch, for $799,000.

Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,311 square feet of living area. It sold for $540,000 in 2019.

Jack Campbell, trustee, and Debra Campbell, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 7325 Lake Forest Glen to Dennis and Patricia Kerfoot, of St. Charles, Missouri, for $790,000.

Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,279 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,004,000 in 2022.

Rosemarie Pauli and William Sadlack, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 6605 Pebble Beach Way to Dominick and Lynn Archino, of Lakewood Ranch, for $720,000.

Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,249 square feet of living area. It sold for $440,000 in 2014.

LAKE CLUB

Vivek and Priyanka Gupta, of Bradenton, sold their home at 17110 Verona Place to Devan and Chelsey Ramachandran, of Bradenton, for $1,875,000. Built in 2021, it has five bedrooms, four-and-two-half baths, a pool and 3,767 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.85 million in 2023.

AZARIO ESPLANADE

GalaFam LLC sold the home at 14829 Montello Way to Brian and Susan Goetz, of Bradenton, for $1.75 million. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,072 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,595,000 in 2025.

Mark and Kristen Rackley, of Bradenton, sold their home at 3012 Tramonto Court to Roy Oelking and Rebecca Price, of Lakewood Ranch, for $673,000. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,920 square feet of living area. It sold for $720,000 in 2024.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

JUNE 1-5

ISLES

Toll FL XIII Ltd. Partnership sold the home at 17511 Fairwinds Drive to Keesha-Lu Mitra and Amitava Mitra, of Bloomington, Illinois, for $1,725,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,366 square feet of living area.

LAKEWOOD NATIONAL

Stephen Merten, trustee, of Osprey, sold the home at 5817 Mulligan Way to Triuna Endeavors LLC for $1,325,000. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,427 square feet of living area.

It sold for $1.28 million in 2024.

Judith Altman, trustee, sold the home at 6105 Cessna Run to John and Gail Pascarelli, of New Fairfield, Connecticut, for $900,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,248 square feet of living area. It sold for $495,000 in 2018.

Courtesy image

TIDEWATER PRESERVE

Joseph and Milly Coppola, of Douglas, Wyoming, sold their home at 5108 Tidewater Preserve Blvd. to Heather and Robert Guiffra, of Bradenton, for $1,146,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,717 square feet of living area. It sold for $729,700 in 2014.

Opendoor Property Trust I sold the home at 5112 Tidewater Preserve Blvd. to Jian Bin Pan, of Bradenton, for $970,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,717 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,025,500 in February.

WATERLEFE

Brian and Sandra Willis, of Bradenton, sold their home at 808 Whooping Crane Court to James and Catherine Pfeifer, of Bradenton, for $1,125,000. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,837 square feet of living area.

It sold for $523,400 in 2001.

This Country Club Village home at 12407 Highfield Circle sold for $2,499,000. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,267 square feet of living area.

denton, sold their home at 14904 Serene Shores Loop to James Daugaard and Beth Daugaard, trustees, of Bradenton, for $860,000. Built in 2024, it has five bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,344 square feet of living area. It sold for $705,900 in 2024.

Howard Thomas Russum Jr. and Cecilia Sharee Russum, of Spring Hill, sold their home at 5221 Blue Crush St. to Boone Ball LLC for $710,000. Built in 2024, it has five bedrooms, three baths and 3,257 square feet of living area. It sold for $668,400 in 2024.

LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE

Paul John Turco Jr. and Alexandria Ellen Turco, of Sarasota, sold their home at 913 Crosswind Ave. to John Busi, of New York City, for $855,000. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,157 square feet of living area. It sold for $724,200 in 2023.

ONLINE See more transactions at YourObserver.com.

CRESSWIND

KH Lakewood Ranch LLC sold the home at 5056 Simons Court to George Zureikat and Cynthia Zureikat, trustees, of Fenton, Michigan, for $1,123,400. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,560 square feet of living area.

Jon and Becky Jacobson, of Carmel, Indiana, sold their home at 4939 Surfside Circle to Kenneth Rosehart and James Wicks, of Bradenton, for $860,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,302 square feet of living area. It sold for $642,000 in 2021.

RIVER CLUB SOUTH

John and Carol Talbot sold their home at 7312 Pine Valley St. to Ashu Swami and Rajita Bisaria, of Bradenton, for $965,000. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,609 square feet of living area.

ESPLANADE

Michael Rowe and Sara DenzingerRowe, of Floyds Knobs, Indiana, sold their home at 4921 Tivoli Run to Robert Travers and Robin Travers, trustees, of Bradenton, for $946,700. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,982 square feet of living area. It sold for $825,000 in 2021.

Stephen Elliott Miner and Lisa Joy Miner, of Sarasota, sold their home at 13046 Sorrento Way to Kenneth and Charmaine Lee, of Bradenton, for $761,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,395 square feet of living area. It sold for $578,000 in 2019.

COUNTRY CLUB EAST

Burton Edsel William III and Megan Michelle Williams, of Bradenton, sold their home at 15719 Seaton Place to Keith and Michele Miranda, of Mashpee, Massachusetts, for $929,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,231 square feet of living area. It sold for $975,000 in 2023.

LORRAINE LAKES

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13B

JUNE 18, 2026

SPORTS

“We have a good squad. We can show teams that we’re the real deal.”

— The Out-of-Door Academy’s Jaxon Lawhun SEE PAGE 16B

Taylor Ford spent her entire high school weightlifting career under the guidance of Jordan Borges and Ashley AvellanKnutson.

She graduated last month after placing third at 139 pounds in Olympic style at the state meet.

FAST

BREAK

Image courtesy of Rena Laverty/USA Hockey

Lakewood Ranch’s Sasha Pastujov had one of the best seasons of his young career with the San Diego Gulls, an Anaheim Ducks affiliate.

L

akewood Ranch’s Sasha Pastujov, a 22-yearold forward for the San Diego Gulls, an affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, in 202526, set a new career high with 71 games played, recording 21 goals and 36 assists. His 57 points led the team as the Gulls went 33-27-8. They ultimately lost to the Colorado Eagles in the Pacific Division First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Pastujov was selected by Anaheim with the 66th overall pick in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Next season will be his sixth in the pros as he continues to pursue his NHL debut. ... Saraiah Walkes concluded her collegiate track and field career with Eastern Michigan after graduating from The Outof-Door Academy in 2021. The sprints specialist placed 36th (23.59) in the 200-meter dash of the NCAA East First Round, hosted by Kentucky from May 27-30. Walkes was previously named All-MAC First Team for outdoor track and field on May 21. She leaves Eastern Michigan as the second-fastest runner in program history for the outdoor 200-meter dash (23.19), indoor 200-meter dash (23.63) and indoor 400-meter dash (53.38). Her name is also associated with the second-fastest outdoor 400-meter relay (44.78) in program history. ... Jessey Colas, who graduated from Braden River High in 2023, will be a junior for Grand View University men’s wrestling in 2026-27. He didn’t see action last season, but the Vikings won the NAIA team national title — their 14th all-time — with four individual national champions and nine All-Americans. Colas transferred into the program from North Iowa Area Community College, where he competed at the NJCAA Division II level. ... Correction: The names of Madison McKay’s parents were incorrect in last week’s edition. They are Scott McKay and Heather McKay.

SUMMER SEASON PAGE 15B

New leader, new era

Photos by Jack Nelson

Former assistant Ashley Avellan-Knutson is the Pirates’ new head coach following the Pirates’ first team state title.

Ashley Avellan-Knutson (left) will lead Braden River girls weightlifting into a new era following the departure of former coach Jordan Borges (right).

JACK NELSON SPORTS REPORTER

R

eturning to Braden River High for the 2026-27 girls weightlifting season wasn’t a nobrainer for Ashley AvellanKnutson. The four-year assistant had some concerns.

First among them was the fact she would give birth in August. She questioned if childcare, coaching, and her day job as a preschool teacher could be balanced.

On top of that, the self-described introvert had never led a high school athletics program before. The program she would be taking over had just won a state championship.

It wasn’t an easy decision, but she ultimately decided to go for it.

Avellan-Knutson was named the new Braden River girls weightlifting coach May 21. She takes over the role on the heels of the greatest season in program history, in which the Pirates won the FHSAA Class 2A team state title in Olympic style — their very first.

Then-senior Payton MangayAyam became the program’s first individual state champion, sweeping Traditional and Olympic style in the 129-pound weight class. Six different lifters medaled at the state meet.

Their triumph also represented the first state championship for any team in the 21-year history of Braden River athletics.

“I was a little nervous about coming back. I feel like there’s a very high expectation, because we did win states,” Avellan-Knutson said. “My goal is to shift that mindset. We all start from step one or from somewhere... We have to work for it.”

Former Pirates girls weightlifting coach Jordan Borges advocated heavily for her as his successor. He decided before the 2025-26 season it would be his last with the program on the girls side in the interest of spending more time with family.

In 2024-25, Ellen Lehman became the first freshman in program history to medal at the state meet.

She followed that up with bronze in the 129-pound weight class for Olympic style in 202526.

Image courtesy of Braden River weightlifting

BRADEN RIVER’S STATE MEDALISTS FROM 2025-26 Payton Mangay-Ayam, graduate, 129-pound weight class ■ 1st in Traditional style (340 total pounds lifted) ■ 1st in Olympic style (335 pounds) Chloe Pogoda, graduate, 183 ■ 2nd in Olympic style (345 pounds) Jeaniya Edwards, rising senior, 199 ■ 2nd in Olympic style (350 pounds) Ellen Lehman, rising junior, 129 ■ 3rd in Olympic style (290 pounds) Taylor Ford, graduate, 139 ■ 3rd in Olympic style (315 pounds) Alora Parcells, graduate, 139 ■ 4th in Olympic style (315 pounds)

He stepped down with a winning legacy — three regional championships, four district championships and four consecutive undefeated regular seasons, as well as that unprecedented state title. He will remain as the school’s boys weightlifting coach.

Avellan-Knutson was right by his side throughout his tenure coaching the girls. The Pirates’ success came under the watch of both of them.

“It wasn’t just me who developed that standard years ago. Ashley was a part of that, so the expectations remain the same,” Borges said.

“When people think of shoes to fill, my hope is that she creates her own path and her own mark in this sport.”

Matt Nesser has watched the program’s success build from year to year. The Braden River athletic director was responsible for Borges’ hiring, awarding him that all-important first headcoaching opportunity.

He’s also become familiar with AvellanKnutson’s coaching style.

He saw how she built relationships with lifters and made an impact on their respective athletic journeys.

There was no better person for the position, in his eyes.

“She’s done a great job every time I’ve watched her coach. She has a good rapport with the athletes, and they seem to respect her,” Nesser said. “It was a great transition. If anybody was going to take over, it would’ve been and should’ve been her.”

Borges believed she was ready.

Nesser believed she was ready. Avellan-Knutson, though, wasn’t ready to believe it at first.

For a time, she thought both Borges and herself would ride off into the sunset after Braden River’s state title — departing the program to pursue other opportunities. They had a pact, she said, where if he left, she would leave, too.

What ultimately convinced her to take the job was knowing that Borges would still be around the school. He won’t coach the girls team in any official capacity, but he will be there to offer a helping hand whenever Avellan-Knutson might need it.

So she decided to trust in her experience at the school and therefore chose to embrace a new opportunity.

“I’ve realized that being a part of a program like weightlifting makes me feel like I have a purpose,” AvellanKnutson said. “When I was in high school, (weightlifting) wasn’t as big as it is today. I get to experience what I didn’t get to — through a different perspective — and it makes me happy to watch the kids grow and achieve their goals.”

Weightlifting is a sport she, too, did in high school. She competed for Manatee High under coach Rich Lansky and graduated from there in 2018.

Lansky served as the Braden River girls weightlifting coach from 201822. He became a mentor to Borges, who worked as an assistant under him then.

Avellan-Knutson wasn’t ready to give up weightlifting after graduation, so she reached out to Lansky about joining Team Florida Gulf Coast. It was in that weightlifting club where she met Borges, sparking a friendship which blossomed into a coaching partnership.

Her high school and post-grad days were a period of learning from both of them. They showed her what it looks like to be a great coach.

“They’ve always taught to focus on yourself, and in order to get results, you have to put in the work,” Avellan-Knutson said. “Don’t focus on other people. (If you do), then you’re just focusing on other stuff instead of you, so then you lose track (of yourself).”

YourObserver.com

NELSON’S NOGGIN

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

15B

JACK NELSON

Hoop Vibe Summer League fills void S neakers squeak with every player who drives to the rim or darts downcourt to defend. The steady thud of leather hitting hardwood is occasionally interrupted by cries for fouls.

These are the sounds of high school basketball games in action, filling up gyms across the state between the months of November and March.

Now, they’re also being heard at a time of year when they typically aren’t heard at all.

That’s because the inaugural Hoop Vibe Summer League is underway at Braden River High School through June 25. Every Tuesday and Thursday, boys basketball teams compete from 3:309:30 p.m. with one simple goal — to get better.

Sixteen squads are involved, including players who, during the school year, represent high schools such as Riverview, Booker, Lake-

wood Ranch, Braden River and The Out-of-Door Academy. The league offers an avenue for all of them to test their talents in a real-game setting before official team practices begin.

“Last year was my first summer here, and we were looking for some leagues, but there was nothing locally,” said Kaden Knott, the Lakewood Ranch High boys basketball coach. “Knowing Hoop Vibe and their presence in Southwest Florida, if they could bring this to a gym that’s 10 minutes down the road from us, that makes it a nobrainer.”

The Hoop Vibe, founded in 2022, provides scouting, recruiting and event services for high school basketball in Florida. Its ultimate goal is to create visibility for players who might not get attention otherwise.

This summer league — its latest creation — fills a void in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. During June,

Rising senior guard Keller Glynn (right) was a tricaptain for Lakewood Ranch boys basketball last season. The Mustangs finished 7-19 and missed the FHSAA Class 6A regional tournament.

local programs hold conditioning and informal practices, but actual games against other teams are few and far between.

Any opportunity to compete, as coaches would agree, is valuable. At this time of year, it can be a useful leg up on future opponents who don’t have that opportunity.

Jeff Harris, who’s entering his third year as the Riverview boys basketball coach, has been through summers before. He sees the Hoop Vibe Summer League as a welcomed addition to the calendar.

“There’s a lot of team camps out there where you can travel,” Harris said. “But I like the idea of playing two games spaced out during the week versus going on the weekend and playing five or six games over three days. That’s a toll on these kids’ bodies.”

Each of the league’s eight sessions entail six, one-hour games.

Those games have four 10-minute quarters with one-minute breaks between the first and second quarters, as well as the third and fourth quarters. Halftime is five minutes long.

The format is similar to what the FHSAA runs, but the quality of play varies. Wins and losses don’t matter. That makes for a raw, uneven brand of basketball.

Coaches roll out all sorts of lineups — big, small, fast, slow and just about anything in-between. Junior varsity players compete alongside varsity players.

Anyone who sits in the stands of Braden River’s gym will see as many airballs as 3-pointers. Depending on the teams in action, they might even see more of the former.

“It’s live practice for the season,” Knott said. “You’re going to look how you look in November. If you don’t work in June, it’s going to be a whole lot different, so it’s good to get the ugly out of the way early.”

That being said, no coach expects to be firing on all cylinders at this

Photos by Jack Nelson

Carter Evans (left), a rising senior forward with Riverview boys basketball, drives toward the rim. The Hoop Vibe Summer League is an opportunity for him to work on his skills in a real-game setting.

time of year. They expect their players to stay in shape — not for their collective game to be a cohesive, polished product.

There’s a certain grittiness about the league. That’s the beauty of it.

Nothing about it is fancy, and it doesn’t pretend to be.

For athletes who are competitors to their core, this is a haven.

They’re more than happy to sweat it out while developing their skills without a trophy or medal on the line.

Officials are present, and games are generally well-officiated, but those individuals aren’t whistlehappy. Physicality is plentiful because they let players play.

“We’re not worried about X’s and O’s and stuff like that,” Harris said.

“It’s really like, ‘How does this team forge (its) identity? Where are some areas we might need to improve or what’s that thing we can (hang) our hat on?’”

This area needed this league. As

evidenced by the 16 different teams it attracted — from as far as Specially Fit Academy in Dover — there was demand.

It doesn’t offer the most thrilling or entertaining basketball, but in the summer, it doesn’t need to. Filling a void with organized competition in June is enough.

“I want my kids to learn what hard work means,” Knott said.

“That’s truthfully what it is.

This league is a great way to see your progression from hard work throughout four weeks.”

Jack Nelson is the sports reporter for the East County and Sarasota/Siesta Key Observers. Contact him at JNelson@ YourObserver.com.

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

BUSY BEE TUTORING Tutoring Grades K-College General Education & Special Needs

SWIMMING LESSONS

A School Of Fish Today!

“Smart” JoinWethe are open for private and group t Gif r lessons at home, community pools, a e Y All g and the Lincoln and G.T. Bray Lon Aquatic Centers

!

Summer is technically the offseason for local high school football players, but for those hoping to earn college offers, it can be a crucial time. Rising senior quarterback Jaxon Lawhun of The Out-Of-Door Academy is one of them. Last season, he threw for 110 yards and three touchdowns against one interception as ODA’s backup quarterback. Lawhun, who’s preparing to take on the role of starting quarterback, is the East County Athlete of the Week.

What are your plans for football this summer?

I started off going to Ohio for a visit, at a camp up there for Denison. I had two camps (from June 1-7), then I had two camps (from June 8-14) and then two camps (from June 15-21), so it’s a pretty busy summer.

I’m trying to get myself out there, trying to give my film to a bunch of coaches, and just letting coaches know who I am — showing them that I’m a baller.

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

good coaches that year, and they poured into me. I had a good year and ended up getting a lot of playing time on JV. What quote or piece of advice have you always carried with you?

My dad used to tell me, “Nothing is handed to you.” Everything I want to get, I have to work for and earn.

What’s a fun fact about you not many people know?

I’m a big car guy, so I love working on cars. Me and my buddies, we always try to upgrade (our cars).

Who is your favorite professional athlete and why?

My favorite professional athlete is Jaxon Dart, probably because we have the same name.

If you could go anywhere for a dream vacation, where would you go and why?

I’d go somewhere in Europe — Germany, maybe. There’s some race tracks out there I want to go see.

Finish this sentence. Jaxon Lawhun is ...

A hard worker who doesn’t quit.

When and why did you start playing football?

I first started playing flag football when I was probably 5 or 6, just because my dad (Jed Lawhun) used to play semi-pro or something like that when he was in the military. He was always pushing football on me, so I started playing.

Jaxon Lawhun

What are your goals for this upcoming season?

As a team, of course, we want to win it all. We have a good squad. We can show teams that we’re the real deal. For my goals, I just want to get a couple offers and have colleges know who I am. I want to break all the school records — especially the (single-season) passing touchdown record.

Why have you stuck with the sport?

When I actually started playing tackle football — especially my freshman year of high school — was when I fell in love with it. I had

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LET’S DO WELL TOGETHER.

Publishing:

LET’S LOOK AHEAD

July 16, 2026

TOGETHER

With our new patient tower now open, we’re excited to share our optimism for everything we’re looking forward to, together.

Back to School highlights local schools, students, educators and community

For more than two decades, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center has dedicated itself to high-quality, compassionate care.

As our community grows, so does our commitment to ensuring patients continue to have access to advanced healthcare with compassion and respect, close to home.

resources. Reach nearly 75,000 Sarasota and Manatee County households with school-age children during the peak back-

LET’S DO WELL TOGETHER.

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See our new patient tower at lakewoodranchmedicalcenter.com/expansion

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

16B

YourObserver.com

17B

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

THURSDAY, JUNE 18

Sunrise Sunset

High: 94 Low: 80 Chance of rain: 21%

FRIDAY, JUNE 19 High: 92 Low: 78 Chance of rain: 21%

Thursday, June 18

6:34a

8:27p

Friday, June 19

6:34a

8:27p

Saturday, June 20

6:34a

8:27p

Sunday, June 21

6:35a

8:27p

Monday, June 22

6:35a

8:27p

Tuesday, June 23

6:35a

8:27p

Wednesday, June 24

6:35a

8:28p

WEATHER

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

SUNRISE / SUNSET

FORECAST

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, JUNE 20 High: 91 Low: 78 Chance of rain: 23%

June 21 First

June 29 Full

July 7 Last

July 14 New

RAINFALL

SUNDAY, JUNE 21 High: 93 Low: 77 Chance of rain: 24% Robert Estes captured this sunset and unique cloud pattern over Arbor Lakes Estates at Mote Ranch.

Monday, June 8

0

Tuesday, June 9

0

Wednesday, June 10

0

Thursday, June 11

0.01

Friday, June 12

0

Saturday, June 13

0

Sunday, June 14

0

*Rainfall totals from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/Contests. All submissions will be entered in the 2026-27 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2027, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

YEAR TO DATE: 2026 12.32 in.

2025 15.76 in.

MONTH TO DATE: 0.01 in.

2026 7.09 in.

2025

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Daily crossword puzzles available at YourObserver.com/crossword

GETTING A BIG BREAK by Jared Goudsmit, edited by Jared Goudsmit 118 Do penance 119 Did some modeling 120 “See what I ___?”

121 Anatomical pouches 122 Job benefits

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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.

“CR HLB’K JL WB TLQ YSUT VRSGIQRG ...

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crossword

Puzzle Two Clue: K equals A

457538-1

Sarasota 941.355.8437 | Bradenton 941.748.4679 | Venice 941.493.7441 | manasotaonline.com

Come Shop our Showrooms!

Puzzle Two Clue: S equals A

at MANASOTA FLOORING INC

sudoku

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

©2026 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

06-18-26

Made for where you live. Here!

INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

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 Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis..

Boat Slips for Rent/Sale

KITTY CONDO, 2 levels, super clean & Nice $20.

No Text (941) 879-7105 MODERN RUGS - 4 matching, multi-colored, checkered rugs.

Large & small. $139. Shark steam mop $59. 941-758-4646

stuff

SMART TV $125 Samsung 44” with remote 941-524-8867

BOAT SLIPS FOR LEASE ON LONGBOAT KEY Annual and monthly leases are available. Deep water slips up to 40 ft with water and electrical service. Easy access to Sarasota Bay, ICW and Gulf Call 941-500-3895.

Garage/ Moving/ Estate Sales

Antiques/ Collectibles

ANTIQUES WANTED

Deluxe Estate Sale 2220 Doud St., Sarasota, Fl 34231 Jun 19th - Jun 20th

Items Under $200 1776 BETSY Ross Figure and Flag Mug, $5. 4 Dairy Queen Spoons 8”, cone on top $4.

Call (941)741-9727 FRAMED 24X20 WILLIAM TELL 1976 SIGNED LIMITED EDITION #62 OF 100 F-101 B $95. Call (310)720-7285 METAL FLOOR lamp with 3 lights. Adjustable light cages, accepts standard bulb sizes.

All light sockets work.

Call (941)806-9855

WANTED

#’s Out at 8:00am

Paintings •B Bronzes •P Sculptures •O Oriental Rugs •S Asian Art •A Antique Furniture •A

Al Tomlinson 40+ years in Sarasota Honest Evaluations NO ONE PAYS MORE!

941-400-8811

This week’s Crossword answers

9:00 am - 5:00pm House full of furniture including a dining room suite with buffet, king-size bedroom suite, sofa and occasional chairs, curio cabinets, patio furniture, occasional tables, lamps, and area rugs. Antiques, artwork, men's clothing, electronics, plants and decorative pottery planters, and garage items.

Lots of Brice-a-Braca!

Call Ken for more information (941) 356-3318 Or Visit: AntiquesandChatchkes.com Estate Sales Conducted by: Antiques & Chatchkes

BUY & SELL HERE! YourObserver.com/RedPages

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

Please call Marc: 941-321-0707

Color background: $ 5 per week Ad border: as low as $3 per week

PLACE YOUR AD: Call: 941-955-4888 Email: RedPages@ YourObserver.com Online: YourObserver.com /RedPages

HARBORAGE ON Braden River!

HARBORAGE ON Braden River!

Renovated 3/2.5/2 end unit Renovated 3/2.5/2 end unit townhome.

Secluded patio.

240 HARBORAGE ON Braden River! townhome.

Secluded patio.

240 EV in garage.

Gated.

Private Renovated 3/2.5/2 end unit EV in garage.

Gated.

Private marina.

Fitness.

Clubhouse. townhome.

Secluded patio.

240 marina.

Clubhouse.

Heated Fitness. pool.

Walking trails.

EV in garage.

Gated.

Heated pool.

Walking trails.

Paddle sports.

FreshPrivate and marina.

Fitness.

Clubhouse.

Paddle sports.Florida Fresh and modern indoors. at your Heatedindoors. pool. Walking trails. modern Florida at your fingertips outdoors. $349,000.00 Paddle sports.

Fresh and fingertips outdoors. $349,000.00 Listed

by Broker Kimberly Jatich modern Florida at your Listed byindoors.

BrokerQUARTZ Kimberly Jatich (941) 504-3874 COAST fingertips outdoors. $349,000.00 (941) 504-3874 QUARTZ COAST REALTY INC Listed

by Broker Jatich REALTYKimberly INC https://www.quartzcoast (941)https://www.quartzcoast 504-3874 QUARTZ COAST realtyfl.com/ REALTY INC realtyfl.com/ https://www.quartzcoast Homes for Sale realtyfl.com/

DAD AND DAUGHTER TEAM BUYING COINS & CURRENCY Call Today! 941-795-3203 Use the RED PAGES to clean out your garage CALL 941-955-4888

auto

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

Autos Wanted CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

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

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

O Ov ve err 1 1A Ac crre eB Be ea ac ch hffrro on ntt H Ho ou us se e Over 1 Ac$ ac 5 iillllhiio $re6 6..B 5em m ofrn nont House $6.5 million S Sa aiillb bo oa att A Ac cc ce es ss sC Ca an na all 4 4B Be ed d SailboP s Canal 4 Bed Pae etn nAd dciin ncg ges$675,000 $675,000 Pending $675,000 P Plla an ntta attiio on nG Go ollff C Co ou urrs se eV Viie ew w PlantatiC ono C on nGd doo olf3 3CB Boe eud drse View Co$294,000 ndo 3 Bed $294,000 $294,000 H Ho ou us se eo on nC Ca an na all w wiitth hP Po oo oll & &D Do oc ck k House on C$1,250,000 anal with Pool & Dock $1,250,000 $1,250,000 P Po oo oll H Ho om me eC Co om mp plle ette elly yU Up pg grra ad de ed d Pool Home C ompletely Upgraded $545,000 $545,000 $545,000

WE BUY cars. top $$ paid for your vehicles.

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

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

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

Cleaning BRAZILIAN CLEANING Service

by Maria. Residential. Meticulous Cleaning. Excellent References.

Free Estimates. Reliable. Lic./Ins. 941-400-3342. Instagram: Braziliancleaningsrq

Handyman Services

real estate

DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at Noon

15% DISCOUNT FOR 4-WEEK RUN

Homes for Sale

Merchandise Wanted

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages

First 15 words .................. $ 17.50 per week Each add’l word .......50¢

home services

RED PAGES Items Under $200

RED PAGES AD RATES

THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

L Lu ux xu urry yS Sa arra as so otta aB Ba ay yv viie ew ws s ue ur5 yS oitittah ew 4 B h o 4LB B exd d 5 Baartta hsw w hBB Bao oya avtt iD D oc csk k 4 Bed 5 $1.76 Bath wmillion ith Boat Dock $1.76 million $1.76 million N Ne ea arr S So ou utth hb brriid dg ge e tto oS Siie es stta a h rid O n ON ne eealle erv vSe eoll,,uh hte ea abtte e d gp peo oto ooll,, Ss sitterro oslltllatto o One ls l,a seh hvo oep pl,s sh.. e3 3aB Bteed d--p2 2o..5 5oB B asttth hroll to shops$1,250,000 .

3 B e d 2 .

5 B a t h $1,250,000 $1,250,000 Brooke Brooke O’Malley O’Malley Brooke O’Malley CLUB CLUB REALTY REALTY CLUB REALTY Call 941-726-2677 Call 941-726-2677 Call 941-726-2677

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JAMES BOTTORFF EXPERIENCED HANDYMAN SERVICES Call or Text 941-807-0032 Registered in the state of FL.

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

Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing. Residential & condos.

Honest & reliable.

For Free estimates call CARL 941-448-8468 35+ years experience.

Professional Services AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR Edited and Published HighCottonPublishing.com 941-706-2463

Aluminum

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “We don’t go in for half measures ...

There are no compromises. If I thought a song wasn’t quite right, I’d discard it.”

Freddie Mercury

Blinds/Window Treatments

Puzzle Two Solution: “I think the singers that we all respond to ... evoke a story ... It’s not just about listening to vocal gymnastics.”

Emily Blunt

Bringing Beauty, Comfort & Elegance to Every Room SPECIALTIES: Blinds, Shades, Shutters, Draperies,

“Specializing inin6” Gutters” “Specializing 6” Seamless Seamless Gutters” Puzzle Three Solution: “If the book we are reading does not wake us, as with a fist hammering on our Dustin Yoder skull, why then do we read it?”

Dustin Owner Yoder/ Operator 941.650.9790 Franz Kafka

Cushions, Beddings, Motorized Systems

941.650.9790 YoderAluminum.com

Owner /Insured Operator Insured

464267

This week’s Sudoku answers

463452

YoderAluminum.com

Computer

SELL YOUR CAR!

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

Hardware Repair Virus / Malware Cleanup Software & Printer Install New Computer Setups New Purchase Consults Seniors & Beginners

FAST • EASY • SAFE

WE COME TO YOU

HoHoBuysCars.com

5-Star Rated

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

Pegatronics.com 463453

941.270.4400 ©2026 NEA, Inc.

941-879-6310 | designingwindowsbyisabel@gmail.com www.designingwindowsbyisabel.com Special Discounts for Veterans & Seniors

Auto Service

463068

peekers’ place

You’re only cheating yourself.

©2026 Universal Uclick

941-735-3362

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling

Transportation

BLACK LABEL CAR SERVICE “Luxury for Less”

CALL BEFOREYOU YOU FALL CALL BEFORE FALL

DON’T let your

GRAB BARS GRAB BARS

PATIO DOORS be a DRAG or your

941 - 248 - 4734

COMPLETE INSTALLATION PACKAGE

WINDOWS be a PANE!!

Sliding Glass Door Repairs Sliding Glass Door Deadbolts | Window Repairs

INCLUDES22MOEN MOEN STAINLESS INCLUDES STAINLESS STEEL STEELANTI ANTISLIP SLIP CONCEALED PEEN CONCEALED SCREW SCREW GRAB GRAB BARS (16”BARS & 24”)(16” & 24”)

463495

249 235 *

$ $235

$

941.966.0333 LIFETIME GUARANTEE • LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED COVERAGEAREA: AREA:LAKEWOOD PARRISH TO NORTHPORT COVERAGE RANCH TO S. VENICE

Tree Removal Tree Trimming Lawn Maintenance and More!

20 years local experience Licensed & Insured

DRGRABBARS.COM

*DRILLING CHARGES MAY APPLY FOR MARBLE, GRANITE OR PORCELAIN. COUPON REQUIRED.

Plumbing

Call us today!

Mark’s Plumbing Service

www.ezslider.com

RELIABLE • INSURED

941-203-1604

Plumbing repairs. Replace toilets, faucets, water filters, water softeners and repair leaks.

463070

941-920-8221

463454

Eldridge Re-Screen

Accepting Credit Cards

Licensed 463436

941.302.5850

SERVING SIESTA KEY & SARASOTA COUNTY

WINDOW CLEANING, PRESSURE WASHING, & GUTTERS CLEANING!

• Pet Screen • 20/20 No-See-Um Screening • We Paint Pool Cages

941-270-1561

KEENS HANDYMAN SERVICES

CALL JUAN & CINDY LICENSED & INSURED 239-203-5913 l 407-902-7845 jccpcleaning@aol.com | jccpwindowcleaning.net

Roofing

463455

INTERIOR RENOVATIONS • DRYWALL • PAINT • TRIM • DOORS • TILE • FLOORING • SHOWER TEXT OR CALL 574-354-7772

“No Job Too Small” Insured

Windows

Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc.

Health

Building & Roofing Contractor

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

• Aluminum, Vinyl, & Wood Soffit and Fascia • Metal & Shingle Roofing • Pool Cage, Pan Roofs & Lania Fabrication • Aluminum Welding & Fabrication

Do You Have Neck or Low Back Pain?

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

Res. | Com. | Lic. | Ins.

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

Recognized Among the Best Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Physicians in America

463494

941-626-3194 kennethfuhlmaninc.com

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

CREATE BUZZ!

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

Midtown Medical Park 1215 S. East Ave. Suite 210 Sarasota, FL 34239

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

5

$

LOOK LIKE

NEW AGAIN

DON DI STEFANO (941) 893.8475

Screening

Pool Enclosure Specialists

448996

463596

SERVICING MANATEE COUNTY SINCE 1979

• Systems Upgraded & Serviced • Troubleshooting & Repair • Monthly Maintenance Service Provided ANDY AVALOS | 941-545-7280

YOUR BUSINESS

• Pool Enclosures • Front Entry Screens • Lanais • Concrete & Pavers

Advertise as low as $85 per week.

Call Today: (941) 925-3200 info@bishopsaluminum.com 463498

ANDY’S LAWN SPRINKLER SERVICE

GROW

Established in 1989 Serving Our Area for Over 35 Years

Irrigation

www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES 941- 284 - 5880

SCC131150987

SCREEN MACHINE RE-SCREENING

Screen Repair | Per Panel Pricing Building | Under Truss | Lanais | Entryways Prompt Estimates (usually no visit necessary)

941-879-3136

463456

453817

GROUT

senior citizen discount.

PURIFIED WATER WINDOW CLEANING AVAIL ABLE!!

Home Services

DO YOU HAVE LOOSE & HOLLOW TILES?

160

25 $

SPECIAL 00

YourObserver.com/RedPages

INJECT-AFLOOR SYSTEM

UP TO

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

Call 941-955-4888

463493

The Only Thing You Have To Lose ... Is The Pain!!

Formerly known as Sunrise Windows

STANDARD WINDOWS

Advertise your business or services in the Red Pages.

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

463450

HANDYMAN SERVICES

Window Cleaning

463062

Carpentry • Painting Pressure Washing

(941) 544.5663 | luislopezlanwservice@gmail.com

Rescreening & Repairs

Handyman

C.T. MALLETT

FREE ESTIMATES, CALL TODAY!

Call to reserve your ad space: 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

CALL 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

463496

IN-HOAMTEES ESTIM

364556 463061

Trees

FREE

MAKE YOUR

All Florida Airports, Concerts & Dinners - Hourly Cruise Ships & Medical | See Specials at: www.blacklabelcarservice.com

410036

Doors

19B

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

Own the Model. Live the Dream.

Experience professionally designed luxury in this fully-furnished Lago model by Arthur Rutenberg Homes, where sophisticated style, exceptional craftsmanship, and thoughtfully curated interiors create an elevated living experience.

Located in Wild Blue, residents enjoy a maintenance-free lifestyle and an outstanding array of resort-style amenities.

New Listing

View Listing

Model Leaseback Opportunity | 263 Crystal Waters Drive | Wild Blue 3,362 Sq Ft | 3 Bedrooms | 3.5 Bathrooms | Office | Bonus Room | Pool/Spa Outdoor Kitchen | 3-Car Garage | Hurricane Impact Windows and Doors

See all Wild Blue homes for sale: SHANAHAN LUXURY GROUP 941.961.8205 | 941.702.0437 ShanahanLuxuryGroup@CBrealty.com 8334 Market Street | Lakewood Ranch, FL TOP PRODUCING LAKEWOOD RANCH TEAM 2023, 2024, 2025 for Coldwell Banker Realty Contact Us to Learn More or to Schedule a Showing.

455912-1

20B

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