When Rick Piccolo arrived at the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch’s monthly meeting June 5, he thought he was giving a speech because he’s been the CEO of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport for 30 years.
He’s retiring June 30.
Piccolo came prepared with an update on the airport, but the club had other plans. President Lang Wooddy (pictured above with Piccolo) presented him with two awards — Citizen of the Year and the Paul Harris Fellow Recognition Award. The club also donated $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation in Piccolo’s name.
Library upgrades, Lorraine Road
Manatee County commissioners examine staff recommendations prior to the final budget vote in September.
With his retirement scheduled for June 30, Communications
Director Mike Barber (above) was honored by the School District of Manatee County at its June 10 board meeting.
“We will always remember you, and we will always be in touch with you,” Interim Superintendent Kevin Chapman said. “The mark you’ve left on the school district is immeasurable, and we appreciate all 19 years.”
“It’s been a tremendous 19 years, the years that we’ve had together,” Barber said. “It was the highlight of my professional career, for sure, and I really appreciate this.”
Before working for the School District of Manatee County, Barber was a sports reporter at the Bradenton Herald.
$0.10 For free
No paving over this misconception
Months of work needed because Lakewood Ranch Boulevard is being rebuilt, not resurfaced.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Ogden Clark, communications coordinator for Manatee County Public Works, said there’s one thing he wants people to understand about the construction on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.
It is not a regular resurfacing job.
“I think there are a lot of people who look at it and think it shouldn’t take more than 10 days because that’s what they’re typically seeing with resurfacing work,” Clark said. “To their point, that’s 100% accurate. It just happens that’s not the work that’s happening out there.”
Lakewood Ranch Boulevard isn’t being resurfaced; it’s being rebuilt.
Clark said the road was riddled with potholes because, over time, water had moved the earth underneath the asphalt surface. Clark described the base as spongy, so the potholes were appearing where gaps had formed.
The county applied a “scratch course” over the potholes this past June. The work lasted three days, but that was only a temporary fix until the entire stretch from University Parkway to State Road 70 could be repaired.
While the contract officially says December, Clark is optimistic that the work to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard will be completed in October.
County staff members chose to start the project in May to impact the least amount of residents.
While it was possible to get the
WHO’S BOB?
It’s hard not to notice the name
“Bob’s Barricades” when it’s stickered on hundreds of bright orange barrels lining Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. A commenter on the Nextdoor app posted that Bob must be doing well for himself. Good point, except the owner’s name is Happy.
Edward “Happy” Alter bought the company in 1975 with partner Alan Chesler. Chesler died in 2024. The men bought the company from James Ryder, who had bought the company from Bob, or Robert Brownlee.
Brownlee started the company in 1967. He was a patrol sergeant for the Metro-Dade Police Department. He told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in 1992 that he got the idea when working for $2.50 an hour as an off-duty police officer at a construction site.
“I would see the trucks pull up to the job site with the barricades loaded in the back,” Brownlee said. “I thought that’s a good business. I went home and made one in my backyard. It wasn’t perfect, but it was OK.”
It was Brownlee’s idea to stick his name and number on all the barricades, so he’d never have to advertise. Brownlee died in January.
work done in half the time, it would have cost taxpayers twice the money.
“Right now, this project is estimated to be somewhere over $16 million,” Clark said. “So you’d be talking about $32 million to complete the project.”
The entire project, which extends
to State Road 64, is anticipated to cost just over $30 million.
The 2.9-mile stretch being worked on now will cost about $16.4 million.
Reconstructing the outside lanes from State Road 70 to State Road 64 will cost about $13.7 million. The inside lanes were reconstructed in 2019.
Rainy days are another issue with contracting work during the summer months. The county could pay the higher price, but if it rains all summer or storms barrel through the area, the project isn’t guaranteed to be finished anyway.
ONE LAYER AT A TIME
Rebuilding the base of a road is a large undertaking, but once finished, the road should last 30-plus years.
Clark explained the process.
The first step is to grind up all the old asphalt, which is recycled into millings and laid back down. The millings aren’t strong enough to hold up on their own, so they’re used as a base and several layers of concrete are laid down over top.
The concrete can take up to two weeks to cure before vehicles can put weight on it.
So while it might seem like the orange cones and barrels should be moved to open up a lane, it’s not
quite that simple. Even moving the barricades is a process.
“You have to pay a very highly qualified engineering company to take all those barrels and put them all back out in the right spot so that insurance and liability issues are covered,” Clark said.
Residents have questioned why one lane on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard on the north side of State Road 70 is blocked off, too. It’s for safety reasons. Establishing the traffic flow ahead of time lessens the risk of accidents when cars reach the construction area.
Lakewood Ranch Boulevard serves about 20,000 cars daily.
Tom Merrell, director of operations for the Lakewood Ranch InterDistrict Authority, commended the county and the contractor, AD Morgan Corp., for constant communications with Town Hall. He noted the inherent challenges in road resurfacing and base repair projects.
“Progress updates have been shared regularly, and the contractor has upheld its commitment to maintaining traffic flow and ensuring access to residential and business areas,” Merrell said. “We consider this project, to date, a success.”
Lesley Dwyer Drivers on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard will continue to experience delays through at least October.
Commissioners steer funding toward Lorraine Road in 2026
Commissioner Bob McCann pushes the Lorraine Road project forward.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF
WRITER
Manatee County commissioners have made it clear that Lorraine Road and the second floor of the Lakewood Ranch Library are the two main priorities for East County in 2026.
District 5 Commissioner Bob McCann told county staff members if they need to take money from all the other road projects in the district to fund Lorraine Road, then that’s what they need to do.
County staff members spent three days, from June 9-11, presenting their recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget of $2,537,460,663 to commissioners.
The recommended Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2026-2030 was also included in the presentation. Out of 815 projects, 53 are new and 552 are already fully funded.
On July 31, staff members will return with a revised budget based on commissioners’ feedback. At that time, commissioners will also approve a tentative millage rate, which is used to calculate property taxes.
The final budget will be adopted Sept. 22.
ROAD
LORRAINE
Commissioners McCann, Carol Felts and Jason Bearden have consistently voted against every project that has been proposed for Lorraine Road recently because of the need for improvements.
Last August, Lorraine Road was placed on a list of deferred projects. But moving forward, McCann, with the support of fellow commissioners, is moving the road to the top of District 5’s priority list.
“We have a district commissioner saying that he has one singular priority,” Commission Chair George Kruse said. “That priority should be honored to the extent we have the financial capacity to do so.”
To meet that goal, staff will have to return to the board with a new deferred list of projects.
Adding turn lanes to Morgan Johnson Road is likely to be the first project to land on that list. Kruse told staff not to put too much thought into the road yet because its use as a temporary detour is probably the cause of it backing up.
Right now, he and commissioner Amanda Ballard said they regularly use Morgan Johnson Road as a cutthrough street, which will be unnecessary by the end of the year when the 44th Avenue East extension is finished.
“Once that flyover is done, I’m hopping on 44th Avenue East on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard,” Kruse said. “I’m never going to be on Morgan Johnson ever again, so let’s see what the real impact is.”
Morgan Johnson Road is one small project. Several more projects will need to join the deferred list to finish Lorraine Road
because the projected cost is $85.3 million. As of now, the county has only $11.2 million allocated to the improvements through Fiscal Year 2030.
LIBRARY
LAKEWOOD RANCH
On the first day of the budget workshops, the Lakewood Ranch Library took a small hit when an initiative to offer library hours on Sunday was removed from the budget by Commissioner Amanda Ballard.
The newest library branch in Lakewood Ranch served as a pilot program for Sunday hours. However, an average of 153 people visit the library on Sundays, which is the lowest traffic count throughout the week.
Offering Sunday hours would have cost $183,000 annually per site, and there are seven library branches across the county.
Ballard noted that none of the surrounding counties offer Sunday hours either.
By the third day of the budget workshops, the Lakewood Ranch Library was back at the top of the priority list thanks to Kruse placing it there.
“I’d like to figure out what we’re doing and do it with the second floor of the Lakewood Ranch Library,” he said. “That is incredibly valuable, usable space.”
Kruse has found it difficult to book a Town Hall at the Lakewood Ranch Library because the meeting spaces are typically already booked.
According to Deputy County Administrator Bryan Parnell, designs for the second floor are nearly 60% complete.
While the second floor is being designed as flex space, Kruse told staff members that the library itself needs to expand and suggested it could do so into some of the first floor meeting spaces once there is more space available upstairs.
The conversation over the second floor was a deja vu moment. This time last year, staff members said the second floor construction would begin in May 2025.
County Administrator Charlie Bishop assured Kruse that the $6.9 million build-out is fully funded.
FEATURED PROJECTS
Manatee County staff members comprised a list of the largest projects included in the Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2026 to 2030. These are the projects slated for East County that made the list:
$34.8 MILLION: Purchase and remodel of 9000 Town Center Parkway administration building
$5.4 MILLION: Three synthetic turf fields at Braden River Park
$6.6 MILLION: Country Club East Park improvements
$26.8 MILLION: Pickleball and Racket Center at the Premier Sports Campus
$4.5 MILLION: Two synthetic turf fields at the Premier Sports Campus
$5 MILLION: Sheriff’s Office substation at the Premier Sports Campus
$23.5 MILLION: Improvements to Lena Road from State Road 64 to State Road 70
$85.3 MILLION: Improvements to Lorraine Road from State Road 64 to 59th Avenue East
$99.9 MILLION: Improvements to Upper Manatee River Road from north of State Road 64 to the Fort Hamer Bridge
COUNTYWIDE PRIORITIES
Staff included the $34.8 million purchase and remodel of an approximately 101,000-square-foot building at 9000 Town Center Parkway on the list of main capital improvement projects.
While located in Lakewood Ranch, the building will serve the entire county as a second administration building. The purchase price is $23.5 million, and the county expects to close on the building by September.
After a trio of hurricanes this past year, staff members recommended $12.8 million go toward stormwater management, and Kruse suggested Development Services needs additional employees to catch up on permit requests.
If $12.8 million seems low in light of the damages, it is. The county will be using funds from a nearly $253 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to pay for additional stormwater repairs and improvements.
This is a rendering of Manatee County’s proposed changes to Lorraine Road between 59th Avenue East and State Road 64.
Development Services has run behind in permitting since last year’s hurricane season. Department Director Nicole Knapp said every step in the process comes with a running clock. If staff members get too far behind, the county is required to return the application fees.
Following Kruse’s request for a list of needed employees, Knapp submitted six additional positions at a cost of nearly $860,000 that had not been initially recommended by staff in the FY26 budget.
When transportation was up for review, building more trails and better-functioning intersections was discussed as alternative solutions to the county’s overall congestion issues. Trails can divert cars off the road, while intersections are a quicker, less costly way to move cars more efficiently.
Both Kruse and Commissioner Tal Siddique pushed for trails, but each commissioner had his own point to make.
Siddique wants trails to have more “prominence” in the budget. He suggested a category be created for trails under Transportation.
Kruse wants to focus the effort on connecting existing trails instead of what he said would be wasting time and money on new neighborhood trails that don’t lead anywhere.
The commission’s next step is to schedule a work session to come up with a plan.
Intersection improvements are another small scale way to tackle the big issue of traffic congestion.
“If we fix our light patterns and we fix our intersections, we’re going to fix a lot of our problems at a much cheaper cost and a much cheaper maintenance cost long term,” Kruse said.
Intersection improvements include adding turn lanes and programming traffic signals; they’re simple functional improvements that are far less intensive than widening a road from two lanes to four.
Sheriff Rick Wells made a request that he said would benefit the entire county — additional deputies.
Kruse ran some numbers after his initial budget meeting with Wells. He found that for every 3.8 employees the county has hired to keep up with the area’s population growth, the Sheriff’s Office has only hired 2.4 employees. By Kruse’s calculations, had the Sheriff’s Office hired at the same rate as the county, it would have 125 more employees right now.
Wells said the only alternative to more deputies at this point is to pay the current deputies overtime, which is more costly and continues to spread his staff too thin. He used the crossing guard program as an example of the multitude of duties that deputies have to perform. There are 78 crossing guards. When they call in sick, deputies cover their shifts.
as lighting and bike
Lesley Dwyer The county’s plan is to widen Lorraine Road from two lanes to four from State Road 64 to 59th Avenue East. The project would also include improvements, such
lanes.
Courtesy images
Manatee County commissioners begin the budget process for Fiscal Year 2026.
ELMAC seeks three board members
The Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee needs to fill three positions.
Manatee County is asking for applicants with special expertise or backgrounds in banking, finance, real estate, agriculture or natural sciences apply for the openings.
ELMAC’s mission is to help protect land and water resources, preserve fish and wildlife habitat and to provide passive recreation.
ELMAC works with the county’s Environmental Lands Division to implement the community-initiated, voter-approved Conservation and Parks Projects Referendum in 2020.
“These are important roles,” said Manatee County District 1 Commissioner Carol Ann Felts in a press release. “We need good participation on the board to help make some vital decisions about what we’re going to do with our taxpayer’s money.”
Applications for the three positions will be taken through July 7. Applicants must live in Manatee County.
For information and applications, go to MyManatee.org or call 7484501.
LWRBA presents storm lessons
The Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance is hosting “Lessons from the Eye of the Storm” 11 a.m. June 25 at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.
Almost a year after Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton ripped
through the area, a panel of experts will share lessons learned from the 2024 storm season in the hope that residents will be even more prepared than ever before for hurricane season.
The luncheon is also sponsored by Florida Power and Light. The event will be moderated by Florida Power and Light Area Manager Devaney Iglesias, who will direct a panel of Abby Elliot (senior director of operations at Oysters Rock Hospitality), Jodie Fiske (director of public safety for Manatee County), David St. Pierre (senior director of public safety and security for Seaport Manatee), and Stephanie Tapfumaneyi (chief of Sarasota County Emergency Management).
For more information or to register for the event, go to LWRBA.org.
SFWMD seeks public input
The Southwest Florida Water Management District is holding two virtual public workshops to seek feedback from the public on the draft of the 2025 Regional Water Supply Plan.
The virtual workshops are 10 a.m. June 25 and 5 p.m. June 26.
The SFWMD develops a new plan every five years, with projects of the district’s water demands along with water use sectors for a 20-year period. A SFWMD release said the plan identifies water supply sources and potential water supply projects.
The SFWMD projects the region will grown to 7.8 million over the next 20 years, while water demands are expected to increase by 215 million gallons per day. Of that amount, 155 million gallons per day will be used for public supply.
Those who would like to participate can register for the workshops through Microsoft Teams at https:// Bit.Ly/RWSPJune25 and https://Bit. Ly/RWSPJune26. A Google Chrome browser is recommended.
The 2025 draft RWSP is available for public review and comment at WaterMatters.org/RWSP. Questions or comments about the 2025 draft RWSP can be emailed to RWSP@ WaterMatters.org.
Courtesy image
Palmetto’s Mason Gravley is ELMAC’s chairman.
When the heat is on, they’re ready
East Manatee firemen go above and beyond to earn their Rescue Specialist Certification.
Arcuri, a FLUSAR Special Operations manager for the Broward Fire Academy. “It’s intense out here.”
hen
But
other ideas.
On a scorching June 12 on the training ground next to Station 1 in Lakewood Ranch, the firemen were sweating through another day as they were completing their certification to earn their Rescue Specialist Certification.
“This is a long, grueling two weeks (of training),” said instructor Paul
Arcuri is a technical search specialist for the FEMA Search and Rescue team, which means he could be called upon at any time to provide aid in an emergency situation, such as the Surfside Condo collapse in 2021. There are two FEMA Search and Rescue Task Forces in Florida with specialists ready to be deployed anywhere in the world.
All the members of those teams had to earn their certifications just as the East Manatee firemen were doing.
As Arcuri noted, only a select few get to join one of those two task force teams, which are both located in the Miami area. So the East Manatee firemen might eventually be deployed in some other fashion.
Bob Mikulski, the division chief of training for the East Manatee Fire Rescue District, said his job is help the firemen earn their certification. He said any future assignments related to that certification will be decided by the district down the road.
East Manatee obviously felt such certifications eventually will be important for the community it serves. Mikulski has worked on setting up the training for FLUSAR Operations Level for Structural Collapse and FLUSAR Technician Level for Structural Collapse for more than six months.
The FLUSAR training is divided into 10 segments, and for several East County firemen, this segment completed their requirements.
The district first began moving toward having a Technical Rescue Team in 2014. The original team was made up of 18 firemen who began taking the required training. Over
the years, the district began hosting various training sessions.
Such training can be expensive to put together, but Mikulski has spent the past six months trying to find donations and discounts for the materials needed.
Mikulski said he eventually developed a relationship with the Broward County Fire Academy, which he calls a great match to develop the necessary programing. Area businesses wanted to help, as well. For the training that was just completed, all the pipe that was used was donated, as were the concrete slabs. Businesses also dropped off scrap metal.
JJ Crane, Synergy Equipment and Castelli Construction were all key
contributors. The businesses not only donated materials, but they dropped them off as well. Mikulski also found companies that would offer big discounts on the various gasses they needed for the torches.
The main cost then becomes the lodging for the instructors, and any of the extras they need.
“It was a lot of work stretched over time,” Mikulski said. East Manatee’s Technical Rescue Team now has about 24 members, and 19 will be certified rescue specialists.
Mikulski offered examples of why such a team is important.
“Last year, we offered a trench rescue (training),” he said. “That can be
FLUSAR REQUIREMENTS
FLUSAR is a voluntary advanced training program designed for firefighters having search and rescue responsibilities. This program is intended to prepare individuals for service as search and rescue responders in the five disciplines of FLUSAR.
Curriculum
for something such as a man stuck in a hole at a construction site, or a cave-in.”
The firemen were cutting through various types of materials during the just-completed training session to be prepared for situations such as a building collapsing after a storm.
The firemen practiced cutting through stone, concrete and metal surfaces to reach those in peril. And they practiced building wooden support structures inside a building ready to collapse.
Arcuri said the just completed course was a very labor-intensive 80 hours, and he said it was the toughest of the FLUSAR segments.
“There is a lot of cutting lumber and nailing nails,” he said. “It is hot, and everybody is drained.”
Photos by Jay Heater
Cutting through concrete can be a long, hot process, as East Manatee Fire Rescue personnel find out during FLUSAR training.
Bob Mikulski, division chief of training for the East Manatee Fire Rescue District, checks out a cut through a wall and rebar during FLUSAR training.
Quasi conduct questioned
How much is too much communication between commissioners and citizens?
During the June 5 Land Use meeting, some Manatee County commissioners questioned if a fellow commissioner is breaking the rules of the quasi judicial process.
And while nobody has specifically named that commissioner, District 5 Commissioner Bob McCann is sure the remarks were aimed at him.
“(The accusation) is garbage,” McCann said June 16. “There is no ethics violation here.”
The situation has brought more intensity to Land Use meetings when commissioners are asked to make land development decisions such as rezoning and site plan approvals. Inappropriate quasi judicial behavior
could open up the county to lawsuits, which could cost the taxpayers.
So what is the quasi judicial process?
The process comes into play with land development decisions. Commissioners have to act as judges and base their votes entirely on the case at hand and the existing laws and codes.
Prior to any quasi judicial vote, the chair of the board asks, “Has anyone had any ex parte communication?”
Ex parte communication is communication with one party that is involved in the case at hand, but not the other.
Florida statute allows for verbal and written ex parte communication between commissioners and those involved in the matter, whether it be residents or developers. However,
the communication must be disclosed and part of the public record before the commission votes on the matter.
Disclosure is required to give the other party “a reasonable opportunity to refute or respond to the communication.” Otherwise, the communication is considered prejudicial.
Commission Chair George Kruse never said McCann’s name during the quasi judicial hearing June 5 for the Chalets at Lakewood Ranch, a development of 35 houses on about 12 acres at the intersection of Lorraine Road and 44th Avenue East, but it was implied as Kruse referred to the district commissioner for the area (District 5), which is McCann. Kruse’s concern was related to an email that suggested a neighborhood
COMMERCIAL REQUESTS
A quasi judicial request for about 68 acres on the northeast corner of Lorraine Road and State Road 70 will go before commissioners June 19. Lakewood Ranch Commerce Park LLC is asking to revise its general development plan to increase the commercial and office entitlements from 50,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet and to include warehousing as a permitted use.
In January, Casto Net Lease Properties LLC made a similar request for the southeast corner of Lorraine Road and State Road 70. Casto asked to carve out five acres of open space to be used for an additional 50,000 square feet of commercial space. The project was approved in a 4-3 vote with Bob McCann, Carol Felts and Jason Bearden opposed.
group was “working” with McCann to stop development along Lorraine Road.
The group of Esplanade at Azario residents — the Azario Responsible Land Development Coalition — is opposed to another proposed development — Lorraine Flats, which is a request to build 234 multifamily rental units off Lorraine Road at the outer edge of Azario.
Residents flooded commissioners with the same email — copied and pasted — that was generated by the coalition in opposition to the Chalets project. All seven commissioners received approximately 180 emails from the group.
The point of contention came because the flood of emails contained one attached email that was meant to be private, sent by coalition member Jack McGourty, and that went to commissioners by accident as part of the main email in opposition to the Chalets.
McGourty’s email thanked fellow members of the Esplanade at Azario group for collecting more
than 1,600 signatures for a petition to oppose Lorraine Flats. Then, the email reads: “As part of this strategy (to oppose Lorraine Flats), we are working with our commissioner to oppose all rezoning efforts.”
Commissioner Carol Felts didn’t find anything particularly wrong with the statement and described the neighborhood’s actions as activism. Kruse had a vastly different take. He read the sentence aloud during the June 5 hearing and called the effort by Azario residents “coordinated, weaponized nimbyism.” He claimed that 66% of those residents who emailed commissioners built their homes within the past 24 months and two of the emails came from people who haven’t built their homes yet.
“This wasn’t even an attack on this project, it was an attack on the concept of development, coordinated — apparently — with a commissioner per the original email,” Kruse said. McCann interjected that Kruse should “stop those allegations” and reiterated that he did not engage in any ex parte communication with the Esplanade at Azario group.
McCann told the East County Observer that he only received emails from the group, and per the quasi judicial requirement, those emails had already been submitted into the public record.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard received the same emails and noted that no matter the group’s opposition, the commissioners needed to make a decision based on the evidence at hand.
“We are required by law to look at the competent substantial evidence before us and make our decision based upon that competent substantial evidence,” she said. “Otherwise, our decisions will not stand up in court.”
When a project is denied, the county attorney is required to present findings to the applicant as to why the project was denied, and the reasoning must meet the standard of “competent and substantial evidence.”
If the standard is not met, the decision could be challenged by the applicant and invalidated by the court. Also, if a commissioner has voted after having ex parte communication without revealing it, the
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Courtesy images
As commissioners, George Kruse and Bob McCann are required by state statute to remain unbiased when voting on quasi judicial matters.
decision also could be challenged in court.
McGourty said the coalition has either met with or communicated with several commissioners for more than a year, including the former District 5 Commissioner Ray Turner and commissioners Kruse, Felts and Mike Rahn. However, those meetings were to express overall concerns about traffic, safety and flooding on Lorraine Road between State Road 70 and State Road 64. The group maintains that the road lacks the necessary infrastructure to support new developments. The group says the communications did not involved a specific project.
“People need to be able to talk to their representatives,” McCann said.
A similar exchange over quasi judicial procedures happened in February when Heritage Harbour wanted to add 24 more rooms to a 400-room Hilton hotel on the corner of Stone Harbour Loop and River Heritage Boulevard.
In that case, McCann was the only commissioner to report having received complaints from residents.
The lack of objections from residents became a point of contention for Kruse. He said nobody complained to him, nobody wrote in and nobody showed up in person to object.
Felts argued that commissioners are elected to represent the people in these situations so that they don’t have to leave work to sit through a commission meeting. Kruse acquiesced with the caveat that too much back and forth with people in the commissioner’s district is prohibited in quasi judicial matters.
Outside of land use, most decisions commissioners make are legislative. The commissioners act as policymakers, so it’s within the law to act on what the public wants.
When the commissioners are acting as judges during a quasi-judicial hearing, they’re obligated to make decisions based on evidence alone.
McCann argued that he didn’t violate the quasi judicial process in the February case because he didn’t speak to residents specifically about the hotel rooms.
THE PRECEDENT
In 1993, one case set the precedent for rezoning applications being quasi judicial actions: Snyder v. Board of County Commissioners of Brevard County. Jack and Gail Snyder wanted to build a multifamily home on Merritt Island, but their half-acre of land was only zoned for single-family homes. The land was initially deemed to be in a restricted flood plain. Shortly after, it was determined that if the land was developed, it would be raised high enough to where the restriction would no longer apply.
Residents in the area opposed the project, and commissioners denied the Snyders’ application without stating their reasons for doing so. The Snyders appealed the decision to the district court, which ruled in their favor.
Rezoning property that only affects a small number of people is a judicial action that requires clear and convincing evidence that can hold up to judicial review. The Florida Supreme Court agreed that the action was quasi judicial versus legislative, so the decision should not have been made arbitrarily without reason.
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Commissioner Tal Siddique noted a “consistent erosion in the quasi judicial process.” He said whether it’s board members introducing their own opinions or opinions outside of the quasi judicial process, it violates due process.
“(Residents) have talked about how fast that whole intersection and the whole area is building,” he said. “This specific project is part of the global project that they’ve been talking about ever since I’ve been elected.”
the first phase of the five-story, 170,000 square foot patient bed tower addition is
Commissioner Carol Felts referred to Azario residents who sent bulk emails as activists.
Myakka City couple on the road to all 50 states
Rich and Diane Bartoszek have only a few states left to see.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
When traveling to all 50 states is on your bucket list, it can come with a couple of “qualifiers.”
It depends on the travelers, but in Rich and Diane Bartoszek’s case, the qualifiers are that you have to either buy something or eat a meal in the state to check it off the list.
Layovers don’t count as an official state visit, so those meals and gifts must be purchased outside of an airport.
North Dakota is the only state Rich Bartoszek, 60, has yet to see, but Diane Bartoszek, 57, has three states to go: North Dakota, South Dakota and Michigan. Kansas is still on their list, too, because they’ve each been but not together.
Since the Bartoszeks want to visit all 50 states together, North Dakota will be No. 50. Coincidentally, the Fargo Moorhead Visitors Center created a Best for Last Club that rewards those travelers who have visited all 50 states and save North Dakota for last.
Travelers receive T-shirts and entry into an exclusive club.
“We’ve done some international travel,” Diane Bartoszek said. “But our country has so many vast differences, from the mountains of Utah to the deserts of New Mexico to the beaches in Hawaii.”
The Bartoszeks started their journey to the Best for Last Club chasing the thrill of roller coasters. They’ve been married for 30 years and have been amusement park junkies for far longer.
In the early 1990s, they took a five-week road trip with Rich Bartoszek’s parents to the Northeast. To name just a few of the parks, they rode roller coasters at Cedar Point in Ohio, Kings Dominion in Virginia, Hersheypark in Pennsylvania and Six Flags Darien Lake in New York.
Rich Bartoszek said he will ride roller coasters until the day he can’t ride them anymore.
The plan to visit all 50 states evolved organically from a genuine love of travel and adventure. He’s a retired firefighter, and she’s a retired nurse.
When their sons, 24-year-old Matthew and 27-year-old Nick, were young, the couple used to save up their vacation time to travel over the summer.
Every year, the family visited some place new. Nick Bartoszek has been to 33 states, and his little brother has been to 34 states. Matthew Bartoszek has six years to meet his personal travel goal to see all 50 states by the time he’s 30 years old.
His parents’ plan to visit all 50 states was sped up two years ago
BEST FOR LAST CLUB
The Fargo Moorhead Visitors Center created the Best for Last Club in 2013.
“Travel Ambassadors at the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center noticed a trend in travelers looking to travel to all 50 states,” the center’s website reads. “North Dakota was often the last to be checked off their list! So, from what one might say is an embarrassing fact, the Best for Last Club was born.”
From embarrassment to marketing gold, the Best for Last Club is a hit with travelers. It offers the following rewards when reaching the 50 mark in North Dakota: A commemorative Best for Last T-shirt, an official certificate and “an occasional round of applause from staffers” at the visitors center.
The club has more than 7,300 members who range in age from 9 to 99 years old. At least one member has traveled to all 50 states twice and ended in North Dakota both times.
“We’ve done some international travel. But our country has so many vast differences, from the mountains of Utah to the deserts of New Mexico to the beaches in Hawaii.”
Diane Bartoszek
of Diane and
Myakka City’s Rich and Diane Bartoszek are on a quest to see all 50 states.
For the past year, the couple has pretty much kept to an every other month travel schedule. They expect to be done with all 50 states by their anniversary in November.
They’re headed to Michigan in July and to South and North Dakota in September. North Dakota will be saved for last, of course.
The Bartoszeks haven’t decided on their next travel quest just yet, but they’re considering international adventures or working their way through the national parks.
when Rich Bartoszek was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“The symptoms are still very manageable, but we just don’t know what tomorrow or the next month will bring,” Diane Bartoszek said.
“Nobody does, but that was when we decided we were going to do more traveling.”
Rich Bartoszek retired in 2014 from the Sarasota County Fire Department after 25 years of service. Then he picked up a job delivering fire trucks until 2022. Those deliveries account for the extra two states he’s visited without his wife.
Diane Bartoszek was the healthcare coordinator at the Foundation for Dreams. She still helps out as needed, but she retired after her husband received the Parkinson’s diagnosis two years ago.
No matter where the couple goes, they fully immerse themselves in that location. They skip the chain restaurants and usually hotels, too.
Diane Bartoszek noted the creaky floors at their most recent stay at an Airbnb in Indianola, Iowa. It wasn’t a criticism because the floors added charm. It was an old house within walking distance of the town square where the couple ate breakfast each morning.
Rich Bartoszek described his current health as a mix of good days and bad, but the bad days only encourage them to travel more.
“It seems like when we’re traveling, which is why we try to keep going, Rich is engaged and focused,” Diane Bartoszek said. “It keeps him going. Sometimes, he has some episodes when we’re traveling, but not that much.”
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TRAVEL STATS
The qualifier: It only counts if Rich and Diane Bartoszek have been there together.
46 states 31 state capitols
12 foreign countries
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Lesley Dwyer
Myakka City’s Diane and Rich Bartoszek collect flags from each state they visit.
Diane and Rich Bartoszek say Alaska is one of their favorite states.
One
Rich Bartoszek’s travel highlights is a hot air balloon ride while visiting Arizona.
Courtesy images
Welcome to the July 4 party in Lakewood Ranch
Star-Spangled Spectacular is Lakewood Ranch’s initial foray into July 4 entertainment.
Iam sure many of you have had a relationship with someone who is obsessed with holidays.
Sixteen boxes of Christmas lights, or Valentine’s Day heart pillows for the bench in front of the house. Halloween set-ups that would scare a Navy SEAL, or Thanksgiving turkeys bigger than a short bus.
You either get caught up in the excitement or risk a fate worse than death.
Fortunately, my relationship with Lakewood Ranch has been somewhat similar, except for the “fate worse than death” part. I always choose to get caught up in the excitement, so thank you, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch.
For the past 10 years, it seems Lakewood Ranch gets gussied up in some fashion for each and every holiday, and I am just one of the many beneficiaries. Considering our region, it is not a prerequisite, as it wouldn’t take much of a drive to enjoy somebody else’s shindig. But I never have to leave home because Lakewood Ranch always comes up big.
Except for July Fourth.
Now, since I have noticed that SMR CEO and President Rex Jensen has all 10 fingers, I can’t imagine that the Lakewood Ranch czar had a Roman candle accident as a kid and therefore bolts the doors and turns off the lights on the nation’s birthday.
But it does make you wonder.
Until now.
Lakewood Ranch is making its debut in the red, white and blue market with its Star-Spangled
Spectacular, which is taking place on, of course, July 4 at Waterside Place.
Considering SMR’s affinity to holiday splendor, I am surprised it took this long, but when you consider July Fourth comes in Florida’s fifth season — you know, fall, winter, spring, summer and hell — you can understand why the holiday slipped down the priority pole.
The priorities have changed. Star-Spangled Spectacular isn’t so much dipping SMR’s toes in the Independence Day waters, but rather entering the picture with a crowd-pleasing belly flop.
The official word from SMR is that Star-Spangled Spectacular “will transform Waterside Place into a lively carnival-inspired experience with circus acts, games,
food, and family friendly fun.”
This wasn’t a matter of gathering up those twisty balloon guys or face painters. SMR went right to the source — the Circus Arts Conservatory. Those folks are loading up the circus train and heading to the Ranch with, among others:
■ Master of Ceremonies Jared Walker, who made his circus splash in 2018 when he was cast as the ringmaster of the Summer Circus Spectacular, and then became the creative director for the Sailor Circus Academy.
■ Aerial straps specialist Aidan Bryant, who finished second on “America’s Got Talent” Season 16 show in 2020, showcasing his straps, sphere and hammock silk skills. He also performs something called foot archery. Alrighty then.
IF YOU GO
STAR-SPANGLED
SPECTACULAR
When: 6-9:30 p.m. July 4
Where: Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch Features: Circus Arts Conservatory performance at 8 p.m.; drone show at 9 p.m.
Cost: Free Parking: All regular Waterside Place lots will be open and a trolley service will run between Waterside Place and lots at The Out-of-Door Academy and Grace Community Church from 5:30-10 p.m.
■ Clown Juan Carlos Valencia, who comes from five generations of circus performers and who can hold his own on the flying trapeze, aerial straps, Russian swing or trampoline.
■ Speed juggler Nilson Escobar, who has performed around the world at places like the World Festival Circus in Moscow, Russia and the Golden Elephant Circus Festival in Girona, Spain.
Other features include sixthgeneration circus performer Sian España, Trio Black Diamond (allfemale hand balance act), and roller skating dynamos Anita and Karoly Zeman.
The event itself begins at 6 p.m. and is scheduled to run through 9 p.m., when the Grand Finale Drone Show begins. The Circus Arts Conservatory performance begins at 8 p.m.
Now those traditionalists who bemoan the absence of fireworks might be surprised at how spectacular a drone show can be. SMR is shutting down the Waterside Park island since the drones will be flying above it and the lake. If you are
so inclined, you always can chant, “Boom, Boom, Boom!”
All the other SMR event staples will be present, such as a DJ, food and beverage trucks, vendor booths, carnival games, a Kids’ Zone (as always, sponsored by Grace Community Church), caricature artists, and the aforementioned balloon twisters.
Best of all, it’s free.
Parking also will be free in all the Waterside Place lots, and shuttles will run continuously between Waterside Place and lots at The Out-of-Door Academy and Grace Community Church from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
SMR Senior Vice President Laura Cole said Star-Spangled Spectacular was an idea whose time had come.
“This was an omission in our signature events,” Cole said.
Nicole Hackel, the events and resident experience manager for Lakewood Ranch, said many residents had made inquiries about a July 4 event, and the time was right to respond.
In putting together the event, Hackel said her team had to consider the many homes that surround Waterside Place and the number of pets.
“The drone show is more environmentally friendly,” she said.
She said SMR has received 61,000 hits on social media since it began promoting the event last week.
“People are excited,” Hackel said.
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
Courtesy photo
Aerial straps specialist Aidan Bryant will perform during the Circus Arts Conservatory performance at Star-Spangled Spectacular July 4 at Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch.
Work Toward Your Own Financial Independence Day
We’re getting close to the Fourth of July, our national Independence Day. This holiday may get you thinking about freedoms you hope to enjoy - such as financial freedom. How can you reach this goal?
By
To begin, pay yourself first by having money taken from your paycheck and invested in your 401(k) or similar plan. And you can move money directly from your checking or savings account to an IRA.
You’ll also want to avoid potholes on the road to financial independence. One such pothole is debt. The higher your debt payments, the less you will have to invest. Of course, the cost of living is always high, but do the best you can to live within your means.
Finally, invest according to your individual risk tolerance. If you take
Local student honored at Dali Museum exhibit
Lakewood Ranch 13-year-old Bronx
Hanratty has a passion for digital art and is inspired by everything around him — music, video games, famous artists and more.
“Bronx is one of those rare, young artists who seems deeply rooted in his creativity. He’s growing his ideas from the ground up,” said Katelyn Reyes, the digital art teacher at Mona Jain Middle, where Hanratty is a student. “There’s a quiet wisdom in the way he approaches his work, and a natural curiosity that keeps him always exploring.”
At the Dali Museum Student Surrealist Art Exhibit, Hanratty received the Award of Excellence, which is the highest honor given to a middle school art student at the contest. The piece he entered is titled “Cascade Creation.”
“I had a friend — I basically saw him crumble until he was able to get help — and he was able to escape that,” Hanratty said. “The bear was his true self, and he was able to escape and get out of the situation that he was in and heal back to the person that he was.”
The piece was created with Photoshop and presents a bear with multiple mouths.
The contest was held June 7 at the Dali in St. Petersburg. More than 500 Florida students submitted artwork into the contest, and 43 middle school students were selected for the final exhibition.
“It was really cool being able to go with her (Reyes) because she was jumping for joy the entire time,” Hanratty said.
“When I walked in and saw it on that wall compared to the other photos, the colors popped,” said James Hanratty, Bronx’s father. “It was just so much more vibrant and just a cleaner overall design compared to so many of the other finalists in that competition. It stood out.”
James Hanratty is the experience designer for the global web team at Esab Corporation, a world leader in fabrication and specialty gas control technology.
‘CASCADE CREATION’ BY BRONX HANRATTY
“Inspired by George Condo’s 2011 piece, I created ‘Cascade Creation’ to highlight the importance of mental health.
This artwork reflects my own experiences with mental health, showing a mind breaking apart and sanity melting away. I used Photoshop skills to craft this piece, aiming to raise awareness and connect with others who have faced similar challenges. The melting and fragmented elements symbolize disintegration; the creative process allowed me to reinvent my perspective on mental health.”
were better than mine, but I was still able to win.”
Bronx Hanratty said his main goal as an artist is to create art that is universally liked.
“I’m paranoid if people will like my art or not,” Hanratty said.
“I am a designer and front end developer by trade,” James Hanratty said. “This just showed me that I can’t hold a candle to my son’s talent — I already know it’s obvious that he’s a better designer than I am — so that alone, the pride there is just astronomical.”
Bronx Hanratty said it is a mix of skill and luck to win a contest.
“You’re being put up against all these other kids from sixth grade to 12th grade in the contest, so I do think it’s a skill because you need to be the best in your criteria. I thought that there were some art pieces that
Hanratty said he often finds himself staring at a blank document in Photoshop because getting started is the hardest part of creating art. He doesn’t always have a clear idea of what he is making, but figures it out by doing.
“It’s like building train tracks when the train is already coming,” Bronx Hanratty said. “I’m just always going.”
Bronx Hanratty said the most important things he’s learned from Reyes were to have multiple renditions of an art piece to experiment with and to hit the save button multiple times when using Photoshop.
“Multiple times my file would get corrupted, and I’d lose my entire progress for an artwork, and that’s not fun,” Bronx Hanratty said.
Courtesy image Seventh grader Bronx Hanratty and digital art
hibit, where Hanratty received the Award of Excellence.
The Pickleball Club at Lakewood Ranch reopens
Matt Lund, who worked under the previous ownership, says the business model has it right this time.
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
Upon moving to the area in December, Matt Lund thought he had landed the perfect job.
Lund, who had finished a 16-year career with the YMCA in Wisconsin, had been hired to work at The Pickleball Club at Lakewood Ranch.
But two weeks after starting, The Pickleball Club closed.
“All of a sudden, boom, nothing’s there,” Lund said. “No more paycheck, no more job. I was like, ‘I think there’s a bigger plan going here, and we just need to be patient and see what happens.’”
He only needed to be patient for six months.
The Pickleball Club at Lakewood Ranch, 1300 Sarasota Center Blvd., has reopened under new owner Scott Hermann, who hired Lund to be his CEO.
Hermann was impressed with Lund’s business experience and thought he was a good fit.
“Scott (Hermann) has been fantastic and he’s put as much trust in me as I put in him that we’re going to work together and do this right,” Lund said.
Lund now lives in Lakewood Ranch with his wife, Stephanie, and their four children, Adalynn (15), Christian (14), Payton (11), and McKaelynn (10). Since the pandemic, they have embraced pickleball as a family. It made Lund’s current position seem perfect.
Lund and Hermann connected in March and struck a deal. They began with a soft opening June 1.
“We put in about probably three to six months of work within three weeks,” Lund said. “It was a lot of work, a lot of time, but it was something that we wanted to do, and so we made it happen. Now, here we are and we’re halfway to our goal for our membership to be functioning at a sustainable model.”
THE PICKLEBALL CLUB AT LAKEWOOD RANCH
■ Pickleball courts
■ Volleyball court
■ Basketball court
■ Dinks Pro Shop
■ Pickles Cafe
■ Wellness center
For more information, visit PickleballClubLWR.com.
Lund said they will rely heavily on memberships to function as a successful business. He said all the details of membership are available on the website at PickleballClubLWR.com.
“We wanted to be fully transparent about what is included,” he said.
The memberships range from $80-$525 per month plus a one-time initiation fee.
“It comes down to customer service — giving adequate space, and understanding that you’re dealing with multiple types of individuals who have different needs,” Lund said. “A lot of them come here for exercise, some come here for camaraderie, for food, for the Wellness Center. I think, overall, they’re coming here for socialization.”
Since the June 1 opening, they have sold 200 memberships. Their goal is to have 450 members.
Lund said there is a good mix of former members returning and those coming for the first time.
Besides marketing and word of mouth, Lund said his family has been talking to everyone in the community they meet.
He said the previous owner, Brian McCarthy, might have “outpriced” the business to the community. He also said building costs might have doomed the project.
Lund said the building, which was more than $11 million to build, should have been $8 million to $9 million. In its first run, Lund said The Pickleball Club changed its operations too many times, which was hard on the clientele.
“It was just charge, charge, charge, charge,” Lund said. “By the time you’re done as a member, you’re going, what benefits do I have beyond the fact that I’m paying a lot of money for it? I think a lot of it was because they felt they were paying a lot of money to walk into a beautiful building that doesn’t serve them, so we tried to adjust that a little bit.”
Although Manatee County is building a pickleball complex at Premier Sports Campus North, and many other public and private pickleball courts are being constructed in the region, Lund said the advantage to The Pickleball Club is all of the additional amenities as well as the climate-controlled building.
“You’re not having to deal with wind, the humidity, the heat and the rain,” Lund said.
Lund said it’s a step up from the courts being built at Premier.
“They have several covered courts, steel frame structure, but they have no sides,” he said. “You’re still affected by the weather; it just kind of keeps the sun and rain off of you,” Lund said. “I’m actually looking forward to that outdoor one myself because it sounds like it’s going to be a beautiful complex between the pickleball courts and the aquatic center.”
The Pickleball Club at Lakewood Ranch currently has three full-time staff members, and five part-time workers. Lund said they all wear many hats. Plans for the future include more staff members when the memberships build up.
“As we continue to build on what we’re doing here, the community is going to benefit,” he said. “We have a heavy focus on not just the pickleball community, but the senior community, the youth community, the development of a healthy lifestyle and that social responsibility aspect.”
PASSIONATE PICKLEBALL PLAYERS
Matt and Stephanie Lund have four children: Adalynn (15), Christian (14), Payton (11), and McKaelynn (10). Since the pandemic, they have learned and embraced their love of pickleball as a family. They play in pickleball tournaments and are sponsored by Selkirk, a leading pickleball equipment brand. They document their lives through pickleball on their FaceBook page and YouTube Channel at “Lund Pickleball.”
Madison Bierl
The Lund family — kids Christian, Adalynn, Payton and McKaelynn, and parents Stephanie and Matt — relocated from Wisconsin so they would have more access to pickleball and for Matt to work at The Pickleball Club.
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
SMOOTHER SAILING
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
How do you dig out historic buildings engulfed by 9 feet of sand?
By hand, mostly.
If it seems like hard work, it is, according to Dave Newman, operations and facilities manager of the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key. The arts incubator was hit by both Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
In addition to using professional contractors, the Hermitage was assisted in sand removal by neighbors, according to Andy Sandberg, CEO and artistic director.
“That expression about ‘neighbors helping neighbors’ in Florida really is true,” says Sandberg, who joined the Hermitage in 2019 after a career as a performer, director and producer on Broadway and London’s West End that’s not over yet.
By now, Sandberg, a native New Yorker, is an old Florida hand, having survived not just Helene and Milton, but Hurricane Ian, which struck in September 2022.
It turns out that it’s not just Sandberg who wants the Hermitage to survive. So do its neighbors, patrons and fellows, as the artists who come for residencies at the idyllic beachfront sanctuary are known.
Incorporated as a nonprofit in 2002, the Hermitage is on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of its buildings date back to 1907 and are quite storm-resilient, says Sandberg. He likens managing hurricane preparations and recovery to “directing a play, only it’s not as much fun.”
On a recent Friday afternoon, sitting on a screened porch overlooking the Gulf in the Hermitage Palm House, Sandberg was in high spirits. He had recently returned from not just one, but two reunions.
After making sure his visitor takes a seat facing the water so they can enjoy the view, Sandberg excitedly relays the news that Sarasota actress Ann Morrison is joining the touring production of “Kimberly Akimbo,” whose music was written by Hermitage Fellow Jeanine Tesori.
Morrison will join “Kimberly Akimbo” in Cleveland after the close of Asolo Repertory Theatre’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” on June 29. She is playing King Herod in the rock opera.
“Annie is perfect for the role of Kimberly,” exudes Sandberg, who keeps a foot in the theatrical world himself. “Having known her for many years, I immediately thought of her when I saw the New York production.”
“Kimberly Akimbo” tells the story of a teenager with a rare genetic condition that causes her to age rapidly, requiring a player who can act youthful but who has a mature appearance.
Now about those reunions: The first was at Yale, where Sandberg was a member of the Ivy League college’s famed Whiffenpoof singing group back in his university days. The second was a gathering in New York City of the Hermitage’s starstudded alumni ahead of the Tony Awards ceremony on June 8.
More than 200 Hermitage alums gathered at the Sanctuary Hotel’s Haven Rooftop on June 2 to toast the arts incubator’s national and international impact. Among those attending were Pulitzer Prize winners, Tony and Grammy Award winners, MacArthur and Guggenheim fellows, National Book Award winners and others.
While Sandberg was up in New York, he found a plastic bottle of hand sanitizer in a restaurant with the Hermitage label on it. It’s a relic from the COVID-19 era, when the organization handed them out at events.
“Would you like one?” Sandberg asks.
DON’T CALL IT A ‘HIDDEN GEM’
In describing the Hermitage reunion, Sandberg makes a special plea:
“Don’t call us a hidden gem. We’re one of the most important artistic organizations in Florida and in the country,” he says.
With his showbiz background, no one can accuse Sandberg of hiding his light or the Hermitage’s light under a bushel. If anyone’s working overtime to make sure Sarasota is mentioned in the same breath as entertainment capitals New York, Los Angeles and London, it’s Sandberg.
But in addition to hosting and attending glitzy parties, Sandberg’s job involves wrestling with hurricanes and making nice with Hermitage donors and neighbors. Besides pitching in with sand removal, those helpful folks hosted some Hermitage fellows who weren’t able to stay on the retreat’s campus because of hurricane cleanup.
Sarasota County is the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s landlord, but much of the cleanup costs have been borne by the Hermitage itself. Approximately $750,000 has been spent to date, and another $250,000 in expenditures will be necessary to get the premises back in shape, Sandberg says.
Of course, when you’re dealing with historic structures, government regulations come into play. But that doesn’t preclude upgrades to the grounds and to the 2000-era Palm House.
After the Hermitage and its helpers removed tons of sand from its campus, Sandberg and Newman decided to widen the path that runs from the Palm House to the nearby Whitney section of the retreat, to accommodate golf carts, and then covered it with small shells. The enclave is named for Alfred Whitney, who built a hurricane-proof house and a water collection system in the 1940s.
What once was a water-filled cement pool next to the Palm House is now empty and seems to be headed for removal, pending permits and approvals. But that’s the least of Sandberg’s worries.
He and Hermitage Managing Director Stacia Lee are preparing to host their first beachfront event since the hurricanes hit last year. The June 26 program will feature Daniel and Patrick Lazour, finalists for the 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize, and returning Hermitage Fellow Mark Sonnenblick.
In addition to a Hermitage residency, the Greenfield Prize comes with a $30,000 commission. It rotates between theater, music and visual arts.
Hermitage fellows, whether they’re Greenfield Prize winners, are
SEE HERMITAGE, PAGE 14A
The Hermitage Artist Retreat hosts its first beach event since being hit by two hurricanes in 2024.
Hurricane Helene destroyed the main road on Manasota Key leading to the Hermitage Artist Retreat.
Image courtesy of Nancy Guth
Hermitage Artist Retreat CEO and Artistic Director Andy Sandberg enjoys the Florida lifestyle.
Courtesy images
The campus of the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Oct. 10, 2024, the day after Hurricane Milton made landfall.
Sand dunes rise to nearly the top of the first floor at one of the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s historic buildings following Hurricane Helene.
night of their show, Aug. 23, a storm mercifully passed by even though it looked as if the concert would be rained out.
required to interact with the public. They often use community events as an opportunity to workshop new material. Local audiences appreciate the sneak peek of work heading to world-class stages.
If you’re not up to date on current theater news like Sandberg is, let us tell you that Sonnenblick is coming to Englewood after a West End collaboration with Elton John in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Sonnenblick also appeared at a Hermitage event at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in January, where he gave audiences an in-depth look at how songs are written and woven into a narrative musical.
The Lazour Brothers recently received several nominations for their New York production of “We Live in Cairo.”
Welcoming the Lazour brothers back to the Hermitage Retreat is meaningful for Sandberg because the two brothers were the last artists to perform on the beach in 2024 before the hurricanes arrived. On the
In the weeks following the hurricanes, the Hermitage, like other arts organizations in Sarasota, had to cancel performances and scramble for venues. A Hermitage event that was moved to the roof of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe was ultimately canceled.
Not all Hermitage fellows were up for dealing with a hurricane-ravaged community. One who was: Britton Smith, a Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner. Smith headlined a program at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens on Oct. 17, a little more than a week after Milton hit.
Smith, a Tony award winner and Hermitage Greenfield Prize finalist, is the band leader for an alternative soul band called Britton and the Sting.
“I was so grateful to Britton and to Selby, which was in the midst of its own hurricane cleanup,” Sandberg says. “We didn’t know how many people would come, but it was packed.”
“Don’t call us a hidden gem. We’re one of the most important artistic organizations in Florida and in the country.”
— Andy Sandberg, CEO and artistic director of the Hermitage
Another artist who wasn’t afraid to make the trip to Sarasota post-hurricanes was Claire Chase. The Hermitage fellow presented a solo flute program called “Destiny of Density” on Dec. 5 at Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus. “Claire is just wonderful,” Sandberg enthused.
For this year’s first beach performance, Sandberg is expecting to fill all the Hermitage’s 500 beach chairs. He encourages attendees to bring their chairs, just in case.
DONORS MAKE PROGRAMS POSSIBLE
As are all Hermitage performances,
the June 26 program, “Key Change: Return to the Beach” is just $5 with registration. What makes it possible to host public events that are essentially free is the generosity of Hermitage donors. The Lazour Brothers residency was sponsored by Carol White Bold and Larry Bold, while Sonnenblick’s residency was sponsored by Jane and Bill Knapp.
Even though the Hermitage has plenty of beach chairs, it doesn’t have public restrooms. Sandberg advises attendees to “go before you go. It’s only a 60-minute program.” Bring any beverages you would like to consume during the concert.
Those traveling to Hermitage Beach should take the south bridge to Manasota Key, the Tom Adams Bridge, because of ongoing road repairs.
As the Hermitage restores its buildings and grounds, it’s also restocking its team. The organization is currently conducting a search for a development director and a programming director.
The old Navy slogan “It’s not just a job; it’s an adventure” could easily apply to Sandberg’s operation, which often calls for all hands on deck.
Come hurricane season, those hands may be hoisting sandbags or wielding shovels.
IF YOU GO
‘KEY CHANGE: A RETURN TO THE BEACH’ WITH DANIEL AND PATRICK LAZOUR AND MARK SONNENBLICK
When: 6:30 p.m. on June 26
Where: Hermitage Beach, 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood.
Tickets: $5 with registration.
Info: Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
Courtesy images
An aerial view of the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key during an event on the beach.
Daniel and Patrick Lazour return to the Hermitage Beach on June 26.
HERMITAGE, FROM PAGE 13A
ALL ABOARD the SS Ben Liebert
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
EDITOR
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
It’s been said that theater kids never grow up. Ben Liebert is no exception to the rule.
Liebert has a childlike enthusiasm for “Dames at Sea,” which he’s directing at Florida Studio Theatre. He also has a personal connection. No, “Dames at Sea” wasn’t the Broadway musical he saw as a child that ignited his love for the stage; that distinction goes to “Beauty and the Beast.”
But Liebert starred in “Dames at Sea,” a sendup of Busby Berkeley’s legendary film musicals of the 1930s, when he was growing up in Verona, New Jersey. He played the lead, Dick, a sailor songwriter, while classmate Beth Spektor starred as his leading lady, Ruby, a dancer fresh off the bus from Utah.
Liebert and Spektor were exchanging texts and photos on June 12, the night that “Dames at Sea” opened at FST to an enthusiastic response from subscribers, who normally fill the house during the first three weeks of a run.
“A lot of my memories have guided me through the process” of directing and choreographing “Dames at Sea,” Liebert said in a telephone interview. “I’m trying to draw on that fun and joy.” FST’s “Dames at Sea” stars Devin Johnson as Dick and FST newcomer Emily Ann Brooks as Ruby. Theatergoers may remember Johnson from his winning turn as Ogie in FST’s recent production of “Waitress.”
With a smile that occupies the bottom half of his face, Johnson’s hard to miss.
Rounding out the cast, which is just six players in FST’s rendition as opposed to nearly 60 in the school production of Liebert’s youth, is Jenna Coker-Jones as the diva, Mona, Joel Newsome doing double duty as a Broadway director and a Navy captain, Kelsey Stalter as the jaded hoofer Joan and Lucky as her sailor beau.
“Dames at Sea” first hit the stage back in 1966 with an Off-Off Broadway production that starred Bernadette Peters, later a stalwart of Stephen Sondheim musicals who is currently starring in “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends” on Broadway.
The original “Dames at Sea” never made it all the way to the Great White Way until 2015.
A veteran of Broadway and touring productions such as “Fiddler on
the Roof,” “Wicked” and “Grease,”
Liebert describes his theatrical sweet spot as being a “Venn diagram where musicals and comedies intersect.”
Liebert may be just 5 feet, 4 inches tall, but he holds his ground. He’s not afraid to push back, especially when it comes to the notion of art as pure escapism. “Sure, the musicals of the 1930s helped people escape the gloom of the Great Depression for a couple of hours, but art is more than that. It’s not about avoiding your problems; it’s about reinvigorating your soul,” he says.
Featuring book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, with music by Jim Wise, “Dames at Sea” has sometimes been dismissed as derivative. Back in 2015, Jesse Green, now New York Times theater critic, wrote a withering review for the website Vulture of the fast-tapping tale of a struggling Broadway show that gets relocated to a Navy ship.
“The opening number, ‘Wall Street,’ is a weak-tea dilution of ‘We’re In the Money;’ Cole Porter’s ‘Begin the Beguine’ gets reduced to ‘The Beguine’ (‘Do you remember ... those nights of splendor in Pensacola?’); and the chord progression of ‘The Man I Love’ is lifted wholesale for an infinitely inferior torch song called ‘That Mister Man of Mine.’”
Ten years later, some of Green’s concerns seem overblown. “We’re embracing the pastiche with -
out slipping into parody,” Liebert explains in describing his approach to the musical. (I had to look up “pastiche,” which is an “artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist or period.”)
As an example, Liebert points to a moment when Joan nearly falls while holding out her hand as she describes the massive size of an engagement ring.
According to Liebert, “Dames at Sea” doesn’t get the love it deserves because it’s not produced that often, due to a dearth of tap dancers.
IT WAS THE SHOES, NOT THE DANCE
When he was growing up in a theatrical household (his father, Mark Liebert, is a professional actor), Liebert took dance lessons from his father, but he didn’t take to tap dancing at first.
“The first time I ever tap danced on stage, my feet hurt and I didn’t like it,” he recalls. “It was because the shoes were too small. They had been purchased six months earlier and my feet had grown.”
IF YOU GO
‘DAMES AT SEA’
When: Through June 29
Where: FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. Tickets: $42 and up
Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre. org.
After performing in school and community theater productions, Liebert attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he majored in musical theater. A study abroad program led to a role in a touring production of “Grease Das Musical,” which took Liebert and his fellow cast members all across Europe.
In 2015, Liebert made the transition to directing. He made his FST debut as a choreographer in 2021 with “Laughing Matters,” after answering an ad for a comedic cabaret choreographer. FST Producing Artist Director Richard Hopkins was directing and the two got to know each other.
In 2023, Liebert saw another ad from FST, this time for a permanent position for a director/choreographer. He applied and came down to Sarasota on a trial basis in September 2023 and joined the theater company, which Hopkins has been running since 1980, on a full-time basis this past May.
Since then, Liebert has directed eight shows — four mainstage productions, two children’s theater productions and two cabarets. Questioned whether that level of productivity can be sustained, Liebert says the teamwork at FST ensures that he’s not carrying the load alone.
Those concerned about Liebert’s breakneck pace will be glad to hear that he and his wife, Lauren Kadel, director of operations for the Platinum National Dance competition, are taking time to celebrate their 40th birthdays this year with a trip to Barcelona in August.
Before 2021, Liebert had never visited Sarasota, despite being active in regional theater around the country. He was pleased to discover a vibrant downtown scene, of which FST is a major part. “You never know if a town is going to have life,” he says. “It always hit or miss.”
To be sure, Liebert’s working hard at FST, but he doesn’t mind. “So often as artists, we bounce from gig to gig. I’m enjoying having a wonderful theatrical home where I can stretch myself as an artist and do different kinds of things,” he says.
The theater kid turned director hits his stride at Florida Studio Theatre.
Courtesy image Ben Liebert is Florida Studio Theatre’s resident director/choreographer.
Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Emily Ann Brooks takes center stage in Florida Studio Theatre’s “Dames at Sea.”
THIS WEEK
the final Friday night concert of the Sarasota Music Festival, on Friday, June 20.
THURSDAY
SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road $20 adult; $13 child Visit CircusArts.org.
Pack up the car with Grandpa and the kids and head for the Circus Arts Conservatory’s annual Summer Circus Spectacular at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, a jewelbox venue that elevates any show. This thrilling, 60-minute circus of fresh new acts is perfect for people of all ages with short attention spans. There’s room for walkers, strollers, wheelchairs, you name it — but please arrive early so ushers can
OUR PICK
THIRD ANNUAL JUNETEENTH ARTS FESTIVAL
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s third annual Juneteenth Arts Festival runs all day, both inside and out, at the WBTT campus. There will be live performances by WBTT artists, food trucks, displays by visual artists and a screening of “Soul Crooners: The Documentary.” Don’t miss student performers at 5 p.m. and a jazz concert starring Dee Lucas at 6 p.m., both inside the Donelly Theatre.
IF YOU GO
When: 11 a.m. Sunday, June 22
Where: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
Nate Jacobs and members of Westcoast Black Theatre
Troupe host the third annual Juneteenth Arts Festival on June 22.
store them. Make it a circus day by adding a ticket to The Ringling’s famed Circus Museum for just $5 on the day of the show. Runs through Aug. 9.
‘BEETLEJUICE JR.’
7:30 p.m. at The Sarasota Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130 $20 Visit ThePlayers.org.
It’s summer children’s theater season. When you see a familiar name with the appendage “Jr.,” it means the show is about 60 minutes, its performers are young and/or both. This musical, presented by the Sarasota Players Studio, the community theater’s youth arm, follows Lydia Deetz, an unusual teenager who finds some otherworldly friends when she and her father move to a new house. Runs through June 22.
‘HOW SWEET IT IS’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave.
$18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
As the mercury rises, locals know how to escape the heat with Florida Studio Theatre’s Summer Cabaret. The series kicks off with a Motown tribute called “How Sweet It is.” Led by dynamic vocalist and songwriter Luke McMaster, an energetic trio demonstrates the enduring appeal of hits like “Tracks of My Tears,” “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love.” Runs through Aug. 3.
‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR’
7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $35-$95
Visit AsoloRep.org.
This is it — the one we’ve been waiting all season for! Broadway director Josh Rhodes (“Spamalot”) returns to Sarasota to direct and choreograph Asolo Rep’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the granddaddy of rock musicals. The show is everything we’d hoped for — and more. Runs through June 28.
DON’T MISS
‘HEIRLOOM’ The history of Sarasota Music Festival Director Jeffrey Kahane’s family runs through this program, which features two pieces composed by his son Gabriel Kahane. Gabriel will first play solo piano on his piece, “October 1, 1939/Port of Hamburg.” Then father and son will switch places as Gabriel conducts the festival orchestra and his father plays piano on Gabriel’s three-movement concerto called “Heirloom,” which tells the story of three generations of their family.
IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 20
Where: Sarasota Opera House Tickets: $29-$52 Info: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
FRIDAY
LIZ LONGLEY
8 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
$26
Visit WSLR.org.
Nashville-based artist Liz Longley has a new album, “New Life,” which explores the impact of motherhood on her life, including a bout of postpartum depression and changes in relationship dynamics. In 2020, Longley made a name for herself with “Funeral For My Past,” released after an amicable split with her former record label and a blockbuster Kickstarter campaign.
SATURDAY
SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL FINALE
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $29-$72 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Festival alum Elena Urioste performs Korngold’s post-Romantic Violin Concerto, instantly recognizable from film scores. Also on the bill is Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, which pays tribute to the music of Haydn, Mozart and Schubert, while also honoring Bach. The Sarasota Orchestra is promising a real “Hollywood ending” for the 61st edition of the Sarasota Music Festival. We can’t wait!
SUNDAY
HD AT THE OPERA HOUSE: HERALD’S ‘LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE’ 1:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $20 Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
Fans of Sir Frederick Ashton, rejoice! “La fille mal gardée” (“The Wayward Daughter”) was the last ballet choreographed by Ashton. It tells the story of Lise, a farmer’s daughter who defies her mother’s marriage plans for her. An ode to the English countryside, this Royal Ballet rendition stars Natalia Osipova as Lise and Steven McRae as her true love, Colas.
MONDAY
RAUSCHENBERG: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
The John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Road Free with $25 admission; Mondays free Visit Ringling.org.
The Ringling joins museums around the world in honoring the centenary of maverick artist Robert Rauschenberg, who burst onto the art scene in the mid-20th century with collages he called “combines.” The exhibition includes works The Ringling has in its collection, including pieces Rauschenberg created during his time on Captiva Island on Florida’s Gulf Coast, where he moved in 1968 and remained until his death 40 years later. Runs through Aug. 3.
TUESDAY
‘GEORGE HARRISON: A GARDENER’S LIFE’ 10 a.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. $28 Visit Selby.org.
“George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life” is the ninth installment of the annual Jean and Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series. Walking around the 15-acre sanctuary on the Sarasota bayfront where gardens and botanical displays have been erected to mirror those in Harrison’s estate, Friar Park, you can’t help feeling that the late Beatle would approve of this living tribute. Pro tip: Arrive as soon as you can after opening time for a serene experience. Stop for lunch in the world’s first net-carbon free restaurant, The Green Orchid. You can’t go wrong with the BLT. Runs through June 29.
‘TOO DARN HOT: SONGS FOR A SUMMER NIGHT’ 7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $39 and up Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Songstress Carole J. Bufford easily skips eras and genres. Whether she’s singing songs by Ray Charles, whose ditty, “Sinner’s Prayer,” is featured in Ryan Coogler’s crossgenre hit film “Sinners,” Frank Sinatra or Patsy Cline, she exudes a retro vibe. What’s more, her cool costumes in “Too Darn Hot” evoke everything from flappers of the 1920s to the neo-swing era of the 1990s. Runs through Sept. 14.
Image courtesy of Jason Quigley
Gabriel Kahane will perform in “Heirloom,”
Telling a tale of Black family life without the usual cliches
Urbanite’s ‘From 145th to 98th Street’ has a few big moments but focuses on small decisions.
MARTY FUGATE
THEATER CRITIC
Nia Akilah Robinson’s “From 145th to 98th Street” has premiered at Urbanite Theatre. Her play is about many things. It’s about changes of address and attitude. It’s about dreams deferred. It’s a sharply drawn family drama. It’s about the spirit of a place. It’s about the family rooted in that place. But it’s mostly a play about decisions. The time is 2014. Harlem’s the place. The Curtlys are the family. They’re an African American family. Before the play opens, they’ve left Harlem. Their new apartment is about 50 blocks away — in a mixed neighborhood on 98th Street. Jackie (Imani Slates) and Cedric (Brian D. Coats) did it to create a better life for their teenaged kids, Fatima (Sol Fuller) and Jamal (Ibukun Omotowa). A better school district, more economic possibilities.
But Jamal feels cut off from his roots and moves out. He gets a job at a gym and pursues his dream of a rap career. Fatima feels intimidated by privileged classmates and secretly starts to abandon her college dreams.
The family’s coming apart. But, as the play opens, a local news station falsely identifies Jamal as a robbery suspect. He gets beaten up by self-appointed crime stoppers as a result. He returns to
IF YOU GO
‘FROM 145TH STREET TO 98TH STREET’
When: Through June 29
Where: Urbanite Theatre, 1487
Second St.
Tickets: $30-$44
Info: Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.
his family’s home — bruised and traumatized. But that attack is a catalyst. It starts bringing the family back together.
Director Jerrica D. White keeps the action and dialogue naturalistic and low-key. The rhythms of life ebb and flow unpredictably. You see without being seen. Think “fly on the wall.”
The actors breathe life into Robinson’s sharply defined characters. Each makes you feel for the dreams they’ve put on hold. Jackie, the Curtly matriarch, is a type-A personality. She has an eagle eye for detail and runs the family with military precision. Her character’s tough because she has to be. Beneath her stoic mask, she longs to leave her physically punishing job. In the spirit of “Candide,” Jackie dreams of moving to someplace that’s green and cultivating her garden.
Her husband, Cedric, is a retired bus driver and an ex-martial arts champion. He’s packed an unused room with his old karate trophies and still practices first thing every morning. He dreams of a more serene lifestyle — and a détente with his wife. His character’s back-and-forth with Jackie crackles with authenticity.
Jamal dreams of pursuing his music and being taken seriously.
Fatima is a volatile mix of potential and self-doubt. She dreams of college — but fears she’s not smart enough (or Black enough). Dawn (Ariel Blue), the Curtlys’ next-door neighbor, initially comes off as a busybody when she calls in a noise complaint at the worst possible time. Dawn later apologizes — and it turns out she’s a therapist who dreams of helping people. She becomes a surprising family resource.
The Curtlys’ family affair unfolds in Frank Chavez’ believable set. It won’t be gracing the cover of Architectural Digest anytime soon. The apartment’s uptown but not upscale — a wellused, well-kept, middle-class enclave, complete with a working refrigerator.
Adrienne Pitts’ costumes flow from the characters’ inner lives. Jamal’s T-shirts are my favorite. They change like mood rings from scene to scene. Now, it’s a Notorious B.I.G. T-shirt. Moments later, it’s a Treyvon Martin T-shirt. You always know what Jamal’s feeling. In this play, that’s always the point.
Robinson’s witty script is spiked with occasional heartbreak. But it’s not the typical Black trauma play. It’s just a slice of family life in the African American community. Speaking of which, she’s never didactic. The play’s conflicts are ripped from the headlines — in the New York Post.
But Robinson avoids the insulting cliches of Black experience. Harlem isn’t a hellhole. Midtown isn’t heaven. Jamal smokes pot — so what? There’s no “Just say no” message. Jamal’s the victim of mistaken identity. But no SWAT team kicks down the family’s door.
The playwright also shuns a permissive point of view. Jackie and Cedric want what’s best for their kids. Jamal never went to
college; Jackie fights to make sure Fatima will. But what if that’s her choice? Who is she to decide? The mother, that’s who. The nuanced script has the ambiguity and complexity of life. That’s a risky dramatic structure — it demands focused attention. There’s no ticking clock, no sharp turning points, no life-or-death stakes. It’s just life. Very few big moments. A multitude of small decisions.
Should Fatima mail in the acceptance form to Montclair State College?
Should Jamal protest or sue the local CBS news affiliate?
Should Cedric speak his mind?
Should Jackie offer guidance but let her kids make their own choices?
Good news! The characters all make the right choices. Spoiler alert: By the end of the play, their deferred dreams have all come true. Fatima’s in college, and Jamal’s doing good works at a notfor-profit. Cedric and Jackie are leaving their empty nest and moving to a house with a yard in New Jersey where Jackie can finally put her green thumb to good use. That’s the end of the Curtlys’ journey in 2014.
I wonder where they’re at in 2025?
Images courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Brian D. Coats and Imani Slates star in “From 145th to 98th Street,” which runs through June 29 at Urbanite Theatre.
Ibukun Omotowa and Sol Fuller play brother and sister in Nia Akilah Robinson’s “From 145th to 98th Street,” which runs through June 29 at Urbanite Theatre.
ROCKIN’ DOWN THE ROAD YOUR NEIGHBORS
Eight-member School of Rock band goes on seven-city tour to show its talent.
Ten years ago, Sarasota resident Drew Townson visited Country, Bluegrass, Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers, a historic club in New York that played a pivotal role in the development of punk music in 2015 and beyond.
At 8 years old, he was put behind a drum set at the club for a photo, and he knew right then he had a passion and drive to learn the drums.
He now describes drums as music’s “backbone,” the one essential instrument to keep the tempo.
“When I am up there playing, I feel a sense of freedom and purpose,” Townson said. “I feel like it’s when I’m at my happiest is when I’m on stage performing for people, and entertaining people because that’s the crux of it all, is being an entertainer.”
The School of Rock House Band from Lakewood Ranch is going on a seven-city tour with the highlight being a performance at the historic
TOUR DATES
JULY 8: Grunge theme at Good Times Bar & Grill, Orlando
JULY 9: Hippie/psychedelic theme at LO-Fi Brewing, 2038 Meeting Street Road, North Charleston, South Carolina
JULY 10: Streetwear theme at The Music Yard at SouthBound, 2433 South Blvd., Charlotte, North Carolina
JULY 11: Punk/classic theme at Uptown Alley Richmond, 6101 Brad McNeer Parkway, Richmond, Virginia
JULY 12: Jazz theme at 31 Sports Bar and Grille, 1020 Washington Pike, Pittsburgh
JULY 13: Glam rock theme at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
JULY 14: All day fun at Cedar Point, 1 Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky, Ohio
booking the shows rather than just showing up with my drumsticks and jumping on stage,” Jagos said. “Now I’m the one in cahoots with the venues, and then I get to watch them all go up on stage and cheer from the sidelines.”
Jagos said that along with a passion for music, a common occurrence is gaining confidence through fashion and style.
across 16 countries) typically have between 15-30 members.
“These kids are getting the whole rock star experience, eight to 10 hours every day on the bus and four to five hours of playing gigs between all of the bands,” Jagos said. “One major thing about the tour is that a bunch of schools come together, so it’s not just like our group independently going on tour.”
Each night, their setlist will range from six to 13 songs with a runtime of 30-45 minutes. They have 56 total songs that they are set to perform.
“We have about 56 songs now getting ready for tour, and I sing every single one of them,” said singer Elena Skretas, a 17-year-old Lakewood Ranch resident. Besides working on her own music, Skretas volunteers her time to help the younger kids.
“Every group ends up relying on her in one aspect or another,” Jagos said. “She’s a jack of all trades and can be tossed any tunes and confidently get up on stage and hit it with little to no rehearsal.”
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on July 13. The band consists of eight members ranging in age from 12 to 18, with Townson being the oldest.
The house band is directed by drummer Drew Jagos, 20, who was a student at School of Rock in Orlando for 12 years before taking the house band director position in September 2023. He said the Lakewood Ranch School of Rock might have the smallest house band, as other School of Rock franchises (more than 400 exist
Skretas said she used to be terrified of being on stage but has found a passion for it. She said it is an honor to be able to play at such a historic place (The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame).
“I know we are a real band, but you know, it makes us feel like we’re professionals,” Skretas said.
Jagos went on seven tours with School of Rock and got to play at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
“Now I’m going to the venues and
“(Townson) was definitely leaning in the direction of finding out who he was ... the spiky bracelets and the skinny jeans and stuff,” Jagos said.
“Over these past couple months, dying his hair, getting his piercings, I like seeing him fall into exactly the kind of person he wants to be.”
“When I got here, I knew that I was free and that I could express myself without being judged without anyone batting an eye. That’s the thing I love about this place,” Townson said. “No matter who you are, no matter what background you come from, you’re always going to be welcome.”
“I remember my very first day here, I was stoked,” said Chase Devore, a 15-year-old Bradenton resident. “I was ecstatic. I was bouncing off the walls. It’s like, I’m going to be at School of Rock.”
Devore plays bass in the house band and wants to become a professional musician one day.
“Once I get on stage, I love it, but it goes past the stage for me,” Devore said. “On the stage, I can express my love for these people and for what I’m doing, but I think my love for School of Rock, for everyone here, is displayed more accurately day to day.”
Devore said when he accomplishes something, he shares it first with other students at School of Rock.
“Even when I’m not here, I’m in the group chat, because these are my people,” Devore said.
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
The School of Rock House Band is led by Drew Jagos, house band director (back left), and Simon Nagel, music director (front right).
Courtesy images
Chase Devore, 15, plays bass. He says School of Rock, more specifically the house band, is the “best family I could ever ask for.”
A slice of Italy at Waterside
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
Lakewood Ranch resident Tony Podella was a “kid in a candy shop” when he discovered the new Eatalia Market, a specialty Italian market that imports its products, such as meats, wines and cheeses, from Italy.
Podella grew up in North Carolina, but his parents, Peter and Marisa Podella, grew up in Calabria, Italy, and he spent summers there.
“Just the smell and the aroma in the house felt like I was back home visiting Italy and eating at some type of restaurant,” Podella said.
“It’s fresh daily — the meatballs, Italian sausage, chicken cutlet,
broccoli rabe and garlic,” said Jordan Arcari, who is the owner, operator and chef. “Then you can make your way to the grinders, which are sandwiches. Then we have some desserts and cappuccino and espresso to finish the meal.”
Inspired by both sides of his family who have owned bakeries and delis, Arcari, 33, always knew he wanted to open his own business to share his Italian culture. He grew up in Newington, Connecticut, which he said had a large population of Italian Americans.
“I’d always be in the kitchen with my grandparents, learning how to cook and asking them questions,” he said. “They nicknamed me ‘21 Questions’ because I’d always ask ‘Why do you use this? Why do you put this much cheese in? And how do you know how to do this?’”
“A lot of the experience of Italian cuisine is learning those things and making it at home and being able to do that with your family and your friends,” Podella said.
“Our parents cook like they’re feeding an army,” said Arcari said.
He uses 100% beef tallow instead of seed oils when he deep fries food. He also uses pink Himalayan sea salt instead of iodized table salt. He said the meatballs are homemade using his family’s recipe. The chicken cutlets are beaten every morning.
“We take the longer route for everything. We get the bell peppers whole and we slice them ourselves. We saute them ourselves with the broccoli rabe,” Arcari said. “Everything is done in house and we don’t cut any corners.” Podella recommended to Acari to
IF YOU GO
carry an Italian tea, from the Italian brand EstaThè, that he drank in Italy during the summers. He told Arcari that it would “be killer with anything off your menu.”
Podella was “ecstatic” to see not only the peach flavor but the lemon, as well, when he returned the next time. He also recommended Rio Mare in Olive Oil, which is a brand of tuna with olives and corn in it. He said it is refreshing, especially during the summer months.
The Arcaris are looking into it to see if they can get that product in, as well.
“If they’re local to Lakewood Ranch and they’re going to come in here often and they want us to carry something, we’ll absolutely carry it,” said Dane Arcari, Jordan’s older brother.
Jordan Arcari moved to Lakewood Ranch two years ago to join Dane Arcari, 35, who moved here in 2018. Dane Arcari also owns a business, Russo’s Restaurant Equipment and Supply, which he has been running since 2021. The supply store is still his main focus, but he helps at Eatalia on weekends and after work with behind-the-scenes work and whatever Jordan needs assistance with.
“He’s done a lot for himself as far as his other business, and he’s always been good with managing, so I learned a lot from him,” Jordan Arcari said. “It’s looking up to my older brother, and I wouldn’t want
to ask for it any other way.”
“I’ll kind of help you along the way, get you up and running, because I’ve already done it once before,” Dane Arcari said to this brother. “You’re going to run it, at the end of the day.”
Jordan Arcari signed the lease at Waterside Place in July 2023, and the permits weren’t approved to start construction until a year later. He designed and built the space from the ground up and was there to oversee the construction every day. Due to previous experience working in kitchens and installing equipment in them, he knew exactly what he wanted.
“I think the hardest part of designing kitchens is, does it flow? Does it work?” Jordan Arcari said. Along with the flow, he wanted to make sure his space was flexible and clean.
“I installed a hot water power washer in the kitchen, which is unheard of in commercial kitchens, but it makes it easier to keep everything clean all the time,” Jordan Arcari said. “I put all of my equipment on wheels.”
On the morning of May 17, 40 people lined up outside of Eatalia Market waiting to witness the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the business.
“When I walked outside, I was like a deer in the headlights,” Jordan Arcari said. “It was warmer in the front of the market than it was in the kitchen, just because of the body heat of that many people in there at once.”
Since the grand opening, Jordan Arcari said he has heard positive feedback from customers and said he enjoys watching people’s facial expressions when trying his food.
“While I was there I had the chicken cutlet hero, and it was amazing,” Podella said. “The prosciutto quality was top notch and the chicken cutlet was paper thin as it should be. The bread was so fresh.”
“What shows the difference between restaurants is if you’re passionate about the product you’re putting out, or if you’re just doing it to make money and have it be a business,” Jordan Arcari said. “For me, it’s my passion.”
Photos by Madison Bierl
Jordan Arcari, 33, is the owner, operator and chef of Eatalia Market at Waterside. The products are imported from Italy and they offer fresh grab-and-go meals. Customers can also purchase other products such as wine, cheese and meats to cook authentic Italian cuisine themselves.
Eatalia Market imports its products, including meats, wines and cheeses, from Italy.
IT’S READ EVERYWHERE
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WHEN IN ROME, READ THE OBSERVER: Marla Matteson and Jennifer Angileri visit the Colosseum in Rome with the East County Observer
Lakewood Ranch residents Jose Pagan and his wife, Sheryl, brought grandkids Elliot Baldwin, 8, and Maverick Pagan, 4, to meet Shelton Quarles (back). Baldwin is a big Bucs fan and plays football himself.
Dads feel super holding title rings
Parrish resident 7-year-old Christopher King Jr. is the “biggest” fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was excited to meet former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Shelton Quarles.
“I want an autograph and a picture,” King said. He came with his parents, Christopher and Cindy King, and his siblings, 5-year-old Cameron and 2-year-old Camila.
“It’s a Father’s Day celebration, so it worked out perfectly,” Christopher King said. “The kiddos are spoiling me.”
The meet and greets with Quarles and Jassen Cullimore, former Tampa Bay Lightning player, were the main attractions at the Dad’s Day Block on Party June 14 at the Mall at University Town Center. Visitors of the event were encouraged to wear sports jerseys or dress up as superheroes.
Lakewood Ranch resident Don Slate has been a Tampa Bay fan his whole life and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to meet Quarles.
“I love UTC, and it’s great what they do for the fathers,” Slate said.
“When I played, we had helmets on so we didn’t get the one-on-one interactions with the fans,” Quarles said.
— MADISON BIERL
Bradenton’s Tony Dyke spent the day with his children, 7-year-old Phoebe and 9-year-old Oakley. If they were superheroes, Tony and Phoebe would want to freeze time, while Oakley says he would want super strength.
Photos by Madison Bierl
Buccaneers fans Lindsay and Casey brought their children Ryker, 6, and Hadley, 4, to meet Shelton Quarles.
Jantzen Mitchell brought his wife, Kaitlyn, and daughter, Jasmine, with him to meet Shelton Quarles. He says he was nervous to meet him at first but his interaction was very exciting.
Dr. Christian Lorenzo brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Lakewood Ranch II office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Cardiology.
Medical School: Universidad Central Del Este College of Medicine San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic
Residency: Internal Medicine, Florida State University College of Medicine, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Sarasota, FL
Fellowship: Cardiovascular Diseases Fellowship, Orlando Health, Orlando, FL; Cardio-Oncology Fellowship Rotation, University of Pennsylvania Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Certification: Board Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine; American Board of Cardiology
Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
Ranch II 11715 Rangeland Parkway, Bradenton, FL 34211 www.intercoastalmedical.com
Parrish resident Christopher King brought his family, including sons 5-year-old Cameron and 7-year-old Christopher Jr., to meet former Buccaneers player Shelton Quarles.
Jassen Cullimore, former Tampa Bay Lightning player, poses for a photo with Grayson, 6, Madison, 3, and Rowan Izaguirre, 4.
Fan Bob Hunek comes to the event every year; it was former Tampa Bay Lightning player Jassen Cullimore’s first time. “I work for the Lightning still but the stuff I do, a lot of times, the kids don’t realize that I used to play,” Cullimore said.
YOUR CALENDAR
COMMUNITY
THURSDAY, JUNE 19
BRICKS FOR KIDS LEGO CLUB Begins at 4 p.m. at the Lakewood Ranch Library, 16410 Rangeland Parkway, Lakewood Ranch. Kids ages 4-12 can learn and play with Lego bricks. The class is limited to 20 participants, first-come, firstserved. Go to ManateeLibrary. LibCal.com/Profile/B4054323809D for more information.
ART JOURNALING
Begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Braden River Library, 4915 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton. Explore art journaling with multimedia art forms. The adult-only class (18 and older) strives to create creative expression and conversations. For more information, go to ManateeLibrary. LibCal.com/Event/14270292.
THURSDAY, JUNE 19
THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 22
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 4:30-7:30 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Jack Berry (Thursday), Mike Sudderth (Friday), Blue Grass Pirates (Saturday), and A Pirate Over 40 (Sunday). Music on Saturday has a $5 cover; all other music is free. For information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
SATURDAY, JUNE 21
PARADISE SOCCER
Begins at 7:30 p.m. at Premier Sports Campus Stadium, 5895 Post Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. The Sarasota Paradise host Kings Hammer FC in an USL League II game. Tickets begin at $10. For more info, go to SarasotaParadise.us.
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Singer/songwriter Danielle Mohr takes center stage to entertain the Waterside Place crowd. For information about the free music series, go to WatersidePlace.com.
ROOFTOP YOGA
Dr. Misch-Haring specializes in minimally invasive surgical treatments for esthetic
BEST BET
FRIDAY, JUNE 20
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Begins at 6 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Enjoy nonstop laughs as the Florida Studio Theatre Improv! takes center stage at the Waterside Place pavilion for the free Sights & Sounds series. The group uses no script or plan. The content is influenced by the audience’s suggestions. The cast creates sharp sketches, hilarious musical numbers and classic improv games that celebrate (and poke fun at) life in paradise. The material will include snowbird season chaos and roundabout confusion to dogs in strollers and the neverending construction. Limited seating is available so please bring a lawn chair. No outside food or drink is permitted. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.
to 3 p.m. on Sunday at Linger Lodge, 7205 85th St. Court E., Bradenton. Linger Lodge’s live music schedule includes Str8 Edge Duo on Saturday and Rich McGuire on Sunday.
SUNDAY, JUNE 22
FARMERS MARKET
Begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Lakewood Ranch Library, 16410 Rangeland Parkway, Lakewood Ranch. Adults (18-and-older) can participate in the Rooftop Yoga program. The donation-based group class is designed to inspire and invigorate. Beginners are welcome as are those with experience. The workout focuses on balancing effort and ease through breath work and postures. Those who participate are asked to bring a yoga mat. For information, go to MyLWR.com.
SATURDAY, JUNE 21 AND SUNDAY, JUNE 22
MUSIC AT THE LODGE
Runs 6-9 p.m. on Saturday and noon
Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, which was voted as the top farmers market in Florida for the second year in a row in 2024, will run 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. For information, visit MyLWR. com.
YOGA IN THE PARK Runs 8-9 a.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Sarasota. Start the morning off with gentle yoga with lake views. For information, go to LakewoodRanch. com.
Courtesy image
Crafty teacher leads camp
Christina Mulligan’s Mini Crafters Summer Camp was so popular last year, it was moved from James L. Patton Community Park to Bob Gardner Community Park to accommodate more campers.
Mini Crafters is a four-week camp held in June. Each week brings a new theme. Campers were making bedazzling crowns June 12 for Superhero and Princess Week.
Mulligan is a teacher at Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School. She ran a similar camp program in New York before moving to Lakewood Ranch two years ago, so she reached out to Lakewood Ranch Community Activities to see if they’d be interested in the program.
“It’s a perfect bridge for those getting ready to go to kindergarten or preschool,” Mulligan said. In addition to crafts, the camp offers sing-alongs and storytimes.
Solera’s Bonnie Kenna moved from Palm Coast to Lakewood Ranch last summer. She immediately enrolled her now 4-year-old son Jack in the camp.
“He loved it,” she said. “He made so many friends, and Christina is the best teacher ever. She was made to do stuff like this.”
— LESLEY DWYER
Rebecca Reuzicka, 3, moved to Lakewood Ranch from Hollywood, California.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Star Farms’ Cooper Roy, 4, is front and center during storytime and enjoying every word.
Solera’s Jack Kenna, 4, leads the pack.
East County’s Brooklyn Hittle, 4, shows off the craft of the day — a bedazzled crown.
children and families in our community, specifically focusing on high-need areas in Manatee County. At a cost of $1 50 per meal, we are asking for your support to help feed those in need. Every donation helps to bring hope when it’s needed most.
Summer Camp.
MICHAEL SAUNDERS & COMPANY PROUDLY PRESENTS
THE SUMMER OF
Opportunity OPEN HOUSE
Extravaganza
ONE DAY ONLY! SUNDAY, JUNE 22
More than 200 homes across Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee Counties are opening their doors for this extraordinary event.
Your dream home could be just a visit away!
If you wait for the headlines to say “Now is the time to buy” – it may already be too late.
Riverdale Revised home tops sales at $3,175,000
ADAM HUGHES
RESEARCH EDITOR
Ahome in Riverdale
Revised on Regatta Way topped the week’s sales at $3,175,000.
H. Douglas Tripp and Holly Ann Tripp, of Park City, Utah, sold their home at 696 Regatta Way to William Kyler Pentecost and Kristen Carol Pentecost, of Bradenton. Built in 2021, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 5,368 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,661,600 in 2021.
LAKE CLUB
Adam and Chelsea Freeman sold their home at 7977 Bowspirit Way to Andrew and Mary Hunt, of East Aurora, New York, for $2.95 million. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,753 square feet of living area. It sold for $2,348,100 in 2024.
WATERLINE ROAD
Nicholas Ryan Waddell, of Bradenton, and Stacey Elizabeth Mooney, of Sarasota, sold their home at 15125 Waterline Road to Daniel and Dana Goldberg, of Bradenton, for $2.3 million. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,040 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,275,000 in 2020.
LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE
John and Karin Koeppel, of Hamburg, New York, sold their home at 753 Tailwind Place to Christopher and Natalie Wandelt, of Sarasota, for $1,356,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,675 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.5 million in 2023.
DEVONSHIRE PLACE
David and Louise Spate, of the United Kingdom, sold their home at 6915 Chancery Place to David Wayne Hudson and Kimberly Hudson, of Versailles, Kentucky, for $1.3 million. Built in 1996, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,461 square feet of living area. It sold for $730,000 in 2015.
COUNTRY CLUB EAST
Teresa Crofton and Kenneth Williams, of Evans, Georgia, sold their home at 7709 Hazeltine Glen to James and Terry Chandler, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,165,000. Built in 2012, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,960 square feet of living area. It sold for $765,000 in 2020.
PRESERVE AT PANTHER RIDGE
Sandra Lescher sold her home at 22642 Morning Glory Circle to John Howey and Jaime Howey, trustees, of Bradenton, for $1.05 million. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,937 square feet of living area.
Raymond and Nancy Joseph, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 8015 Panther Ridge Trail to David and Raechel Fraterrigo, of Bradenton, for $785,000. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,488 square feet of living area. It sold for $318,000 in 2002.
INDIGO
Kenneth Ronald Papillon and Kierstin Lynne Papillon, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 13603 Deep Blue Place to James and Carolyn Lafollette, of Bradenton, for $975,000. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,758 square feet of living area. It sold for $763,500 in 2022.
RIVER CLUB NORTH
David and Maura Templeton, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6414 Glen Abbey Lane to Daneel
Myburgh and Elisa Santamaria, of Bradenton, for $860,000. Built in 1992, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,532 square feet of living area. It sold for $995,000 in 2022.
RIVERDALE REVISED
Gwenn Villa, of Lakewood Ranch, sold her home at 4743 Compass Drive to Michael Summers and Jeanie Linette Summers, of Bradenton, for $860,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,286 square feet of living area. It sold for $482,500 in 2018.
ESPLANADE
Edward Baroncini Jr. and Rachel Erin Baroncini sold their home at 13218 Sorrento Way to David and Kellie Little, of Bradenton, for $850,000. Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,087 square feet of living area. It sold for $540,000 in 2020.
TIDEWATER PRESERVE
Vincent and Robin Carney, of Brewster, Massachusetts, sold their home at 5706 Tidewater Preserve Blvd. to Justin Eugene May-Lowhon and Audrey Ann May-Lowhon, of Bradenton, for $848,500. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,738 square feet of living area. It sold for $510,000 in 2016.
HAMPTON TERRACE AT UNIVERSITY PLACE
William Gately, of Sharon, Massachusetts, sold his home at 7905 Drayton Circle to David and Sue Wang, of Bradenton, for $769,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,435 square feet of living area. It sold for $729,000 in 2023.
SWEETWATER Gary and Therese Walker, trustees, of Los Angeles, sold the home at 16742 Savory Mist Circle to Logan Sterling Hug, of Lakewood Ranch, for $750,000. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,333 square feet of living area. It sold for $637,000 in 2023.
WATERCOLOR PLACE
Stephanie Churchill and Scott Parker sold their home at 319 Whistler Glen to Kevin and Rachel Shackelford, of Bradenton, for $739,000. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,304 square feet of living area. It sold for $803,400 in 2022.
GREYHAWK LANDING WEST
David Cooper and Mirka Cooper, of Bradenton, sold their home at 12015 Goldenrod Ave. to Yannick Callamard and Sabrina Bristle, of Bradenton, for $720,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,371 square feet of living area. It sold for $407,000 in 2020.
CENTRAL PARK
Jon Schnell and Carissa Anderson, of Parker, Colorado, sold their home at 4719 Balboa Park Loop to Zlatan and Elma Mujakovic, of Nashville, Tennessee, for $690,000. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,244 square feet of living area. It sold for $482,000 in 2019.
Marc and Lynn Boudreau, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4718 Claremont Park Drive to Birgit Eelma and Santiago Lorenzo, of Bradenton, for $680,000. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,176 square feet of living area. It sold for $435,000 in 2021.
COUNTRY CLUB
Raymond Vanacore and Deanna Vanacore, of Longboat Key, sold their home at 7049 Whitemarsh Circle to Kit Burkich, of Queensbury, New York, for $690,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,303 square feet of living area.
Edwin and Mary Ortiz, trustees, sold the home at 12708 Stone Ridge Place to Lauren Ann St. Amand, of Lakewood Ranch, for $575,000. Built in 2007, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,843 square feet of living area. It sold for $710,000 in 2023.
2-6
CHARLESTON POINTE
Earl Michael Eastman and Victoria Eastman sold their home at 8014 Planters Knoll Terrace to Anthony and Marguerite DiBello, of Bradenton, for $675,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,054 square feet of living area. It sold for $324,900 in 2017.
ROSEDALE ADDITION
Jason Knopke, of Gardena, California, sold his home at 4833 Tobermory Way to David and Lisa Wilhoit, of Sarasota, for $670,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,550 square feet of living area. It sold for $545,000 in 2019.
Frederick Spence and Monika
Regina Spence sold their home at 10641 Glencorse Terrace to Vincent Foderingham, of Bradenton, for $650,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,077 square feet of living area. It sold for $625,000 in 2021.
DEL WEBB
Anita Wilson and Beatrice Spoerl sold their home at 17228 Corinna Place to Sandra Lescher, of Bradenton, for $649,000. Built in 2018, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,872 square feet of living area. It sold for $423,500 in 2018.
Courtesy image
A Riverdale Revised home at 696 Regatta Way sold for $3,175,000. Built in 2021, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 5,368 square feet of living area.
Mark and Joni Lee Matloff, of Syracuse, New York, sold their home at 17531 Colebrook Circle to Joseph and Nitza Babinec, of Bradenton, for $610,000. Built in 2019, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,802 square feet of living area. It sold for $416,700 in 2020.
DESOTO LAKES COUNTRY CLUB
COLONY George and Joy McArthur, of Sarasota, sold their home at 5014 W. Country Club Drive to Richard Jennette, trustee, of Bradenton, for $625,000. Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 1,912 square feet of living area. It sold for $121,000 in 1998.
Sylvain Lagrange and Diane Legault, trustee, of Quebec, Canada, sold the home at 4860 Palm Aire Drive to Gregory Helfrich, of Sarasota, for $559,000. Built in 1979, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,479 square feet of living area. It sold for $175,000 in 2021.
MAGNOLIA MANOR
Edward and Sherry Fannon, of Old Town, sold their home at 6615 13th Ave. E. to Dayana Garcia Alvarez and Maickel Diaz Gutierrez, of Bradenton, for $625,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,926 square feet of living area. It sold for $135,000 in 1993.
COUNTRY CREEK
Cory Jo Chavez sold the home at 14802 Seventh Ave. E. to Evelyn Tonn and Ruan Hart, of Bradenton, for $613,000. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,360 square feet of living area. It sold for $373,000 in 2017.
GREENBROOK
Kathleen Deakins, of Bradenton, sold her home at 14239 Nighthawk Terrace to Robert Jordan and Lisa Bell, of Bradenton, for $600,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,432
square feet of living area. It sold for $357,500 in 2013.
COACH HOMES AT LAKEWOOD
NATIONAL Iris Klicic, of Lakewood Ranch, sold his Unit 3912 condominium at 17825 Gawthrop Drive to 17825 Gawthrop Drive LLC to $540,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,786 square feet of living area. It sold for $650,000 in 2022.
OSPREY LANDING
Daniel and Krystina Hadra, of Bradenton, sold their home at 11569 11th Ave. E. to Alexa Magner and Connor Johnson, of Bradenton, for $540,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,822 square feet of living area. It sold for $370,000 in 2018.
TARA Mark Krasnow and David Krasnow, trustees, and Carol Krasnow, of Sudbury, Massachusetts, sold the home at 7035 Owls Nest Terrace to Timothy Theado, of Bradenton, for $527,900. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,206 square feet of living area. It sold for $355,000 in 2016.
RIVERSIDE PRESERVE
Brian and Samantha Berent, trustees, sold the home at 1021 Fernleaf Run to Khaled Khalil and Alia Ghossein Abdallah, of Bradenton, for $525,000. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,197 square feet of living area. It sold for $477,300 in 2022.
RIVERWALK
Rosemarie Herke, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 11019 Water Lily Way to Ian and Deborah McHardy, of Lakewood Ranch, for $505,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 1,966 square feet of living area. It sold for $235,000 in 2000.
“We broke our 12-year streak of losing and claimed the (rivalry) trophy. That was definitely a big moment.”
FAST BREAK
Colacci, of the Sarasota Paradise, will be a key player when his team hosts Kings Hammer on June 21.
Soccer fans in Lakewood Ranch are running out of opportunities to see the Sarasota Paradise at Premier Sports Campus. The Paradise have just three more home games remaining in the regular season, including one against Kings Hammer FC June 21 at 7:30 p.m.
... Former Lakewood Ranch baseball player Grant McCray has been on a tear this month with the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. McCray has hit five home runs while going 19-for-49 (.388 batting average) with 11 runs, nine RBIs and four stolen bases across 12 games.
... Former Lakewood Ranch baseball player Colton Gordon pitched the best game of his short MLB career for the Houston Astros on June 13. Gordon allowed two runs on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts over six innings against the Minnesota Twins in a 10-3 win. Gordon (2-1) has now won back-to-back starts and has allowed just three earned runs over his last 11 innings pitched. ... Former Braden River baseball player Ryan Waldschmidt has been one of the top hitters in the Northwest League this season while playing for the Hillsboro Hops, the High-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Waldschmidt ranks first in runs (53), and is second in walks (48), fourth in RBIs (39), seventh in on-base percentage (.419), ninth in hits (58) and ninth in home runs (9).
... The team of Bill Wilson Tom Williamson Chuck Stetler and Larry Deitch won first place in a best ball MGA event at University Park Country Club on June 11. Doris Amspoker won an individual low net nine-hole LGA event at University Park Country Club on June 12.
Getting his due
Former Braden River High star Ryan Neuzil signs a $9.5 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
VINNIE PORTELL
STAFF WRITER
Ryan Neuzil has spent much of his life in the shadows, but it’s starting to become difficult for him to stay away from the spotlight.
The former Braden River High football player, who struggled for snaps at one point in Pop Warner, inked a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons on May 28.
Neuzil’s hard-earned contract provides newfound financial security as the 27-year-old is looking to buy a house with his fiancee, Allie Tillman.
But it also represents some longoverdue validation.
OVERLOOKED AND UNDERVALUED
After watching her son play limited snaps in Pop Warner, Tina Neuzil watched her son play left tackle at Braden River High.
She thought he could do better at another position.
“I wasn’t happy with the position that he was playing, and I went to the coach and said, ‘The kid has crazy good hands,’” Tina Neuzil said. “If you throw the ball anywhere near him, he’s going to catch it.’ Of course, that didn’t go over super well because they looked at me like a crazy mom.
But I was like, ‘Do you want to win?’”
Eventually, the Braden River coaching staff relented and tried Neuzil at tight end in his junior year. He finished with 26 receptions for 470 yards and two touchdowns while also serving as the team’s punter. Braden River went 23-2 over his junior and senior years.
Despite his athletic success, Neuzil still flew under the radar when it came to college recruitment.
When a recruiter from Appalachian State visited Palmetto High, then-head coach Dave Marino recommended the recruiter check out Neuzil at Braden River.
“He said, ‘I normally never do this, but there is a kid over at Braden River you need to go take a look at,’” Tina Neuzil said. “And (Marino) is singlehandedly the reason why Ryan was recruited to App State.”
Recruited as a center, Neuzil redshirted the 2016 season with the Mountaineers and played in a reserve role for most of the following season until he earned an opportunity to start at left guard for the final five
games in 2017.
Once he had his chance to start, he hardly left the field over the next three-plus seasons.
Neuzil went on to become a First Team All-Sun Belt player, a twotime Second Team All-American and was ranked as the No. 85 overall college football player as a senior in 2020 by Pro Football Focus.
Despite that, Neuzil sat through the 2020 NFL Draft without hearing his name called.
HUMBLED AND HARDENED
Neuzil grew up in a household with a competitive dad and older brother, Alec Neuzil.
That led Ryan Neuzil to try a variety of sports — often playing against older players so he could be on the same team as Alec.
He played baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, volleyball and football. He also is a good bowler, pickleball player and skier, according to his parents.
When he was 9 years old, Ryan, a left-handed pitcher, came in a game and struck out nine straight batters.
That would be the last time he played baseball.
“He found it boring,” Tina Neuzil said.
Described by his family as “quiet as a mouse,” and “someone who runs from the spotlight,” Neuzil unknow ingly spent much of his life forging himself into someone capable of meeting the challenge of making an NFL roster.
His mental fortitude has been put to the test all along the way.
Neuzil certainly had to work his way up with the Falcons.
That meant overcoming the near-weekly stress of surviving on the practice squad in 2021.
“The NFL is obvi ously a business first, so every day you have to go out and prove why they should have you,” Neuzil said.
After making the 53-man roster the next season, Neuzil spent much of 2022 and 2023 trying to stand out as a contributor on special teams.
Finally, he started his first game at center in Week 13 of the 2023 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This past season, an ankle injury to starting center Drew Dalman in Week 3 gave Neuzil the opportunity to start the following eight games.
He played well enough that when Dalman signed with the Chicago Bears as a free agent this offseason, the Falcons started negotiating with Neuzil to bring him back.
After years of grinding to earn his keep, Neuzil has finally earned some security.
That doesn’t mean he’s changing the approach that helped him get here, however.
“Football, especially at this level, I think you truly never arrive,” Ryan Neuzil said. “You always have to set out to keep getting better and to prove yourself. The game is very humbling, so you have to be at your best at all times. Everyone is coming in bigger, faster and stronger, so you have to stay on top of your game.”
Viktor Monoki SEE PAGE 16B
Vinnie Portell
Nico
Ryan Neuzil signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with $6.5 million in guaranteed money on May 28.
Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons
Former Braden River football player Ryan Neuzil has had to prove himself at every level of the game, starting at Pop Warner.
Ryan Neuzil has played several positions throughout the years, including defensive tackle (Pop Warner), left tackle, kicker, punter and tight end (Braden River), left guard (Appalachian State) and now center.
National title is a double dose of fun for Dad
The Women’s U16 Eight boat won a national championship on Father’s Day.
It felt unfair that the 2025 U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships featured its most important races on Father’s Day.
Hundreds of fathers who support their children all year long were standing around in sweltering heat at Nathan Benderson Park waiting patiently for their kids to race during an event that lasted nearly nine hours.
Many of those fathers had traveled from across the corners of the country — from Washington,
California, New York and Massachusetts — and some surely had to return to work sometime soon.
As the day unfolded, however, it came into focus how there was nowhere else these men would rather be on Father’s Day.
Fathers raced down the shoreline to follow their children’s boats, jubilantly cheering them on. They high-fived anyone within reach when the races were over.
Seth Wilson, of Lakewood Ranch, had plenty to celebrate.
He biked down the beach to follow the Sarasota Crew’s boat in the Women’s U16 Eight race. That boat included his twin daughters, Brooke and Addison Wilson.
Brooke, Addison and their crew mates — Gabrielle Davis, Maya Jewell, Megan Murdock, Isabella De Liz, Sydney Soboleski, Rose Ottaviano and Lillian Teague — won the 2,000-meter race in 6:56.81, more than five seconds ahead of the pack.
“It’s an awesome experience,” Seth Wilson said. “They’ve been
WOMEN’S U16 EIGHT FINAL A RESULTS
1ST: Sarasota Crew (6:56.81)
2ND: Community Rowing Inc. (7:02.45)
3RD: Los Gatos Rowing Club (7:03.16)
4TH: River City Rowing Club (7:11.38)
5TH: Austin Rowing Club (7:14.34)
6TH: Marin Rowing Association (7:14.83)
7TH: RowAmerica Rye (7:18.73)
8TH: St. Ignatius College Prep (7:18.94)
“They’ve been working so hard, and this year they’ve been really great. Each race, I’ve been able to see them grow.”
Seth Wilson
working so hard, and this year, they’ve been really great. Each race, I’ve been able to see them grow. Even from five or six weeks ago when they had their state race in the same lake here in Benderson to now, they were able to take 15 to 17 seconds off their time on the same course. The whole boat has been fantastic, and of course, I’m super proud of Addison and Brooke.”
Addison, Brooke and their teammates had to wrestle with their nerves before competing for a national title June 15.
They wrote motivational messages on each other’s backs so they could be encouraged during each stroke.
“We all had this thing where we wrote self pep-talk on each other’s backs,” Addison Wilson said. “Like, ‘Lengthen, black out, you’ve got this.’ It was just something that
helped us push through the last 500 (meters).”
More than 3,500 rowers competed in 130 finals events from Friday evening through late Sunday afternoon after two days of time trials and semifinal events.
The finals were broken up from A through E classifications, with the top boats competing in the A class for national championships.
Sarasota Crew had three boats make it to the A Finals — the Women’s U16 Eight (1st), the Men’s U17 Eight (3rd) and the Women’s Youth Four (6th).
The Women’s U16 Eight national championship was a story of resilience.
Coach Sebastian Spivey said the training season was disrupted by the hurricanes this past fall, which caused the team to use both Nathan Benderson Park and Blackburn Point Park in Osprey for training. Normally, all the training would have been done at Nathan Benderson Park.
The Women’s U16 Eight team fell short of a state championship in the Florida Scholastic Rowing Association Sweeps Championships in April, but that might have been the best thing to set them on course for the national championships.
Unlike other areas of the country, Sarasota Crew typically doesn’t have as much competition in-state, which can make it difficult to rise to the challenge on a national stage.
“We win, but the problem of winning a lot is that you have to continue to find ways to push yourself,” Spivey said. “It’s easy to always have a target to chase rather than to have a target on your back. They had a pretty stinging defeat, and that was the big motivating factor that got them here.”
Vinnie Portell
The Sarasota Crew Women’s U16 Eight boat of Addison Wilson, Brooke Wilson, Gabrielle Davis, Maya Jewell, Lillian Teague, Megan Murdock, Isabella De Liz, Sydney Soboleski and Rose Ottaviano won their class at the 2025 US Rowing Youth National Championships on June 15 at Nathan Benderson Park.
Vinnie Portell is the sports reporter for the East County Observer. Contact him at VPortell@ YourObserver.com.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Viktor Monoki
This summer is a crucial time for rising senior Viktor Monoki’s future in football. Monoki, a 6-foot2, 184-pound wide receiver, has already taken visits to Wesleyan, Saint Anselm, Georgetown, Bates and Davidson, with Yale, Brown, Holy Cross, Harvard and Princeton still to come.
When and why did you start playing football?
I started playing football back in fifth grade. I saw a whole bunch of games growing up and I really wanted to play, but never really had the chance. My mom finally let me, and I’ve been playing ever since.
What does this summer mean to your football career?
It definitely sets me up for success. Putting myself on more coaches’ radars and having a great senior season will help me get even more looks and potential offers.
What was the most memorable moment of this past season?
I would say a win over Braden River. We broke our 12-year streak of losing and claimed the (rivalry) trophy.
That was definitely a big moment because I know quite a few guys at Braden River, so being able to beat them definitely meant a lot.
What is your favorite all-time football memory?
The game I played against Venice my sophomore year. It was my first game I started on varsity. The overall atmosphere of it being Labor Day, helicopters flying over, the fans jumping and the music playing. It was probably the most enjoyable experience I’ve had.
How have you developed as a football player?
A big credit for me is (former NFL wide receiver)
If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to VPortell@YourObserver.com.
Richie James, my receiver trainer. I train with him one to two times a week. That has definitely helped me out with my releases and my route running. And I do speed and agility work with my dad (Chris Monoki) to help get my times down so I’m even faster and more agile.
What has been your most humbling moment in football? I would say my sophomore year. I started the spring game as a freshman, and going into sophomore year, I got benched. It was humbling that even though I could do everything right, give my best effort and give everything I have, sometimes it’s not enough to be better than other people.
What’s your go-to, warm-up song? My favorite artist is Young Thug. I mainly like rap music.
If you’re not playing football, what are you doing?
I’m either hanging out with friends, playing video games or fishing. Finish this sentence. Viktor Monoki is … Fast.
NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH
TECH START-UP by Dylan Schiff, edited by Taylor Johnson
By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from
famous people, past
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