Sally Crovo (above) has lived in Lakewood Ranch since 2017, but when she saw “healthy, thick and pretty” Hawaiian flowers called birds of paradise, she was transported back to when she lived in Hawaii.
All of her children are now grown, but the flowers reminded her specifically of when her son, Michael-Paul Kealahou Crovo, was born.
“The beautiful flowers remind me of when he was born and raised,” Crovo said. “The chance of me finding these Hawaiian flowers, it’s just unreal.” Crovo said the flowers were a must have and her “sentimental purchase of the year.” Crovo lived in Hawaii from 1989 to 2004. She bought the flowers at the Medallion Flowers booth at the Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch on Aug. 17.
nator.
Russo (above) is
for Kristie Calandro, who left the Alliance in March. Calandro is now flying high as a flight attendant for Breeze Airways.
The alliance is the first leg of Russo’s career. The Merritt Island native graduated from the University of Florida in May with a degree in Integrated Public Relations and Advertising.
“Along with my passion for copywriting and graphic design, I previously worked as an intern with USF Advancement Communications and Marketing,” said Russo (above). “I developed a passion for the work I did with my previous team, so the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance was practically the perfect fit.”
Madison Bierl
Courtesy image
Architect had a hand in Lakewood Ranch’s growth
Doug Whitney, who died Aug. 11, blazed a trail for WBRC architecture in Lakewood Ranch.
JAY HEATER
MANAGING EDITOR
Besides being a master architect and a personable and caring man, Doug Whitney always seemed to know the right thing to say. His life partner for 20 years, Doug DuPouy, knew that better than anyone.
“I am the worrier,” DuPouy said. “I would be worked up, and he would say, ‘Give it to God, and go to sleep.’”
DuPouy would take the advice, and somehow, things always worked out.
On Aug. 11, Whitney died unexpectedly at the age of 68, leaving behind a huge void for DuPouy and the countless others whose lives he touched.
“He had a very big heart,” DuPouy said. “He would do anything for anybody.”
Whitney, who joined the WBRC architectural firm in 1980 in Bangor, Maine, retired from a 43-year architecture career on Jan. 1, 2024. He had moved to Lakewood Ranch in 2002 to create WBRC’s Florida branch.
As he planned his retirement, after serving as the company’s president and CEO from 20132022, Whitney wanted to buy a
home in Maine.
“Retirement was never really a goal of mine, but I’m just getting to that point in time,” he said in an East County Observer story in December 2023. “It would be nice to have time to do some things for myself. I’m looking forward to moving onto the next chapter and giving other people behind me a chance to move up.”
He found the right home in Eddington, Maine on the end of a 2-mile dirt road, overlooking Chemo Pond.
“It has a magnificent view,” DuPouy said. “We have 12 acres of frontage. That’s where he wants me to scatter his ashes.”
As much as he loved Maine where he was born, Whitney loved Lakewood Ranch as well.
“We still have a condo in Summerfield,” DuPouy said. “He designed a lot of buildings here. He was very good at his job.”
Under Doug’s leadership at WBRC, 1,823 projects were completed, including 617 under his direct supervision in the WBRC Florida branch. He designed buildings in 23 states.
“His contributions, from iconic designs to establishing our practice in Florida, were a huge part of our ongoing success. He was also a
wonderful human being. To know Doug was to love him. He was generous, positive, loyal, and full of creative energy,” WBRC CEO Ray Bolduc said in a company release.
In the 2023 article, Whitney said his favorite building he designed in Lakewood Ranch was R.E. Crawford Construction’s headquarters in the Corporate Park. He said he had to think creatively to give the building character.
The R. E. Crawford Construction headquarters was given the Grand Aurora Award, which is presented annually by the Southeast Building Conference and Florida Home Builders Association. It was named the Best Commercial Project in the under-20,000-square-feet category in 2017.
Another favorite for Whitney was the design of the Tidewell Hospice House in Lakewood Ranch. It was one of the first hospice facilities designed specifically as an inpatient hospice house. WBRC now designs many of the hospice centers in Florida.
DuPouy said Whitney’s favorite project was the Suzanne Smith Elementary School in Levant, Maine. Whitney based the design off a traditional farmhouse, which included a barn. He included a silo, which housed a reading area as part of the library.
“I knew it was going to end up being one of the biggest buildings in the whole town,” he told the East County Observer. “I was trying to figure out a way to make it look like it didn’t just fall out of the sky like the ‘Wizard of Oz.’”
When showing the school board his design, one board member told him she didn’t want to send her children to school in a “chicken house.” The school eventually became one of the most popular schools in the state.
He was revered by his co-workers at WBRC, such as Laura Adcock, a principal and Florida region man-
ager, Senior Associate Mauren P. Freire and Senior Architectural Designer Kevin M. Meserve, who all worked with Whitney in the Lakewood Ranch office. Adcock, Freire and Meserve all flew to Maine and were staying with DuPouy in advance of Whitney’s celebration of life Aug. 19 at the Family Reception Center of Brookings-Smith in Bangor, Maine.
Adcock related a story about Whitney’s kindness.
At the Lakewood Ranch office, she looked in the mirror in the restroom and noticed for the very first time that she had a gray hair sticking up in the middle of her head. She went back to the office, and was visibly upset. Whitney asked her what was wrong, and she told him she had found a gray hair.
“You mean the one that sticks up in the middle of your head?” he said matter-of-factly. Far be it for him to mention such a thing.
“He was my friend,” Adcock said. “And I hope I was his friend. He taught our team how to see design decisions from all angles and modeled how to earn a client’s trust. The WBRC Florida office exists because of his adventurous
spirit, and we are proud to honor his memory by continuing the work he loved so much.”
While living in Lakewood Ranch, DuPouy said Whitney loved going to the beach, St. Armands Circle and the Wyland Galleries in Sarasota.
“He loved antiquing,” DuPouy said. “And he collected toy soldiers. We had a four-car garage in the house in Maine. On the second floor were all these cabinets. They were all filled with toy soldiers.” DuPouy will see those soldiers, and think of his partner. He will hear his voice at night.
“Give it to God, and go to sleep.” Whitney is survived by his parents, Wilbert and Janet Gullifer Whitney; his partner, DuPouy; his brothers, Michael (Narelle) Whitney; Brian (Stephanie); and his sisters, Barbara Ardito (Gene); and Susan Linscott (Thomas). DuPouy said the decision has yet to be made whether to have a celebration of life in the Lakewood Ranch area.
Liz Ramos
Laura Adcock, a principal architect for WBRC, presents a retirement gift to Douglas Whitney, who retired from WBRC after 43 years. The gift shows some of the license plates from states in which he has designed projects.
Courtesy image
WBRC architect Douglas Whitney had free rein when it came to designing and adding character to the design of R.E. Crawford Construction headquarters.
Superintendent finalists grilled
Community members say hiring process that led to finalists Laurie Breslin and Misty Mathis has been well done.
MADISON BIERL | STAFF WRITER
Misty Mathis, a finalist to become the School District of Manatee County’s next superintendent, knows she needs to have the right moves if selected.
Mathis said she would have five bosses — members of the school board — and compared working with the board members to having different dance partners.
“Sometimes when I’m dancing with one, they may want to lead and then other times maybe I can lead,” Mathis said. “Perhaps another board member will say, ‘Let’s do the waltz this time.’”
Superintendent finalists Laurie Breslin and Mathis were interviewed by the School District of Manatee County school board members in a panel setting early Aug. 18. Later that day, the finalists met with community members at a meet and greet at Manatee Technical College.
Mathis has been the executive director of curriculum and instruction for the Nassau County School District since 2021. Since 2023, Breslin has been executive director of student support and family engagement for the School District of Manatee County.
Breslin certainly has familiarity with the school district.
“Not only as an employee of this school district, but as a sister of someone who’s taught in this district for over 20 years, as the daughter of someone who worked and retired from this district and as a parent of kids who have gone through this district,” Breslin said. “I graduated from this district, as well. I do have all of these personal examples of how the district has shaped our lives.”
Mathis would like the chance to build experience in the School District of Manatee County. She said she already has encountered many “marvelous and phenomenal things” happening in the district.
“The message from Manatee is ‘We’re thriving,’” Mathis said. “The message from Manatee is ‘We’re innovating.’ It’s just an amazing place and the school district mirrors all of that.”
Mathis said her goal has been to serve as a superintendent, but her career has not been simply about chasing a position.
“It has been about preparing to lead with integrity, with wisdom, and a relentless focus on students,” Mathis said. “Today, I stand ready, not just because this has always been my goal, but because my experiences, my preparation, and my heart for children have led me to this moment.”
Mathis said her leadership would reflect the idea of setting nonnegotiable goals for learning, to accelerate student achievement, through working with the school board and making sure they stay aligned with those goals.
“A unified board and superintendent vision ensures consistency, reduces distractions, and sends a clear message to the staff in the community,” Mathis said. “Once our community is able to see that we’re aligned, that the board and the superintendent function as one team, we’re able to show the community it can trust all of us together as one united front.”
Breslin said her experience as an administrator and principal has given her the opportunity to work with different leaders, which will come in handy when figuring out how to best work with school board members.
“We can work through challenges or disagreements and not end in a way that negatively impacts the future of the district,” Breslin said.
“Anytime we have a change on any level in a school district, it potentially could impact the classroom, and the last thing we want is to impact
COMMUNITY INPUT
the classroom (in a negative way).”
Breslin stressed the importance of transparency when leading a district, stating trust is hard to build and easy to lose. She said the district can’t lose the trust of its parents.
“I do believe in the past, that’s been a challenge that we’ve seen as the district,” Breslin said. “Things have gotten in front of us before we have been able to respond in a timely manner. I think if you have a timely, transparent and factual response, people are going to start turning to you.”
Breslin said listening to the experts around her will be essential.
“You need people around you who are going to speak truthfully to you, and you need the ability to listen to them,” Breslin said.
She emphasized the importance of being clear in what the expectations are for teachers and other staff members.
“Just because I have been here, I can’t assume that I understand what everyone is thinking and feeling,” Breslin said.
Breslin said it’s important to set aside time for teachers to have access to her if she were to become superintendent.
“We can’t assume — just because we taught at one time — that we know what it’s like to teach today,” Breslin said. “Keeping that door open is huge.”
Both Breslin and Mathis said safety and security are high on their priority lists.
“With that being said, I’ll expect that of every single staff member,” Mathis said. “When we’re talking about the safety and security of students, there’s really no excuse to not do exactly what we’re supposed to do.”
Breslin said nothing is more important than the safety of the children in schools. She said the physical safety, in terms of the use of Evolve machines and guardians present in the schools, is pretty well covered, but there are other areas that could be improved.
“We need to do a better job of making sure our children are safe from anyone who wants to do them harm,” Breslin said. “We need to teach our children how to avoid situations that might come up and teach staff how to identify situations that might come up.”
Breslin said the district could open its doors more to the public.
“My conversation with different people around town has been filled with positive energy,” Breslin said. “In terms of interviewing, in a long interview process for a high level job, I couldn’t say more positive things about it. It has been great.”
“When I look at Manatee County, I see a district with its best days still ahead, and I want to be a part of writing that story with you all,” Mathis said.
There is a public feedback survey available on the School District of Manatee County website (ManateeSchools.net/Page/SuperintendentSearch) that will be open until 11:59 p.m. Aug. 24. The school board will pick the superintendent during the regular school board meeting Aug. 26.
“They’re very well presented, and I think they’re very prepared candidates. It’s going to be a tough decision for the school board to come down to a final vote. I think overall they did a great job in giving us the two final candidates. I honestly don’t think the school board can lose with whoever it selects.
“I think it’s important to focus on somebody that’s from our community because every community is different and has its own specific needs. To come from elsewhere and to be able to immediately assimilate into what we are is tough. To have someone that is homegrown, that has always lived in our community, makes a difference, someone that’s worked in our schools and has kids in our schools.”
Nick Leduc, Bradenton
”I believe we have two excellent candidates. I believe Dr. Mathis’ experience in Nassau, with their instructional material policy, gives us an opportunity to create a strong policy to preserve the freedom to read in Manatee County. My hope is, Dr. Breslin, if she gets chosen, she would make our process here more transparent, so parents are included in the book review process.”
Bradenton
Marie Masferrer,
“We need somebody who knows what’s going on already. We don’t have time to teach somebody else. I’m sure she’s (Mathis) wonderful, but Lori (Breslin) has the support of the district. She has the support of the staff that already worked under her, and I think that we need to invest back in Manatee with somebody who cares about Manatee.
Bethany Carter, Bradenton
“I’ve looked at their resumes and I think both of them have the opportunity to do great things. In Nassau County they’ve got A rated schools everywhere, so that kind of rings in my mind that I would like to bring that mindset here. The hard thing is, they’re both very pleasant people, nice women. It’s not like you could just say, well, ‘I just don’t like their attitude.’ They’re both great.”
Jack May, Bradenton
“I think Dr. Laurie Breslin, who has been working within the Manatee school district, has a lot of credentials, but I think she would be part of the problem instead of the solution. When you get someone from Nassau County, which is rated the top one of the state, you should incorporate those ideas. If you get someone within the system, it’s going to be the same old same old and that’s unfortunate.”
Glenn Gibellina, Manatee County
David Otterness, Lakewood Ranch
Madison Bierl
The two finalists for the superintendent position are Misty Mathis, executive director of curriculum and instruction for the Nassau County School District, and Laurie Breslin, executive director of student support and family engagement for the School District of Manatee County.
Community Foundation awards grants
The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation has announced that it has awarded $60,255 to 16 grant recipients during the first and second quarters of 2025.
In a release, the LWRCF noted that it is grateful to have the ability, through donations, to fund the requests of local organizations.
The nonprofit organizations that received LWRCF grants were Avenue 941 Inc., Bailes Consulting, Boys and Girls Club, Children’s Guardian Fund, Epilepsy Services, Forty Carrots, Hope Family Services, Local Relief, Manatee Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels Plus-Manatee, Meals on Wheels Sarasota, One Stop Cares, Samaritan Counseling Services, Sarasota Orchestra, State College of Florida Foundation and Take Stock in Children Manatee.
Grant applications may be requested at any time and are reviewed by the grants committee on a quarterly basis. Visit LWRCF.org to view eligibility requirements and applications.
The next major LWRCF event is Soirée at the Ranch on Nov. 13 at Lakewood Ranch Country Club. For more information about LWRCF and upcoming events, email Info@ LWRCF.org or call 208-6799.
World Champions Cup has new home
While The Concession Golf Club will host the next three Senior PGA Championships, it will not host the World Champions Cup, at least in 2025, as previously announced.
The Dec. 4-7 event, which matches golf legends representing Team USA, Team International, and Team Europe, in a Ryder Cup-style competition, will now be held in Clearwater at the Feather Sound Country Club.
The announcement was made Aug. 18. The event will be called Skechers World Champions Cup in support of Shriners Children’s.
The event debuted at The Concession in 2023, with Team USA notching a narrow victory. It was scheduled to held at the Concession in 2024 but was canceled.
“The Skechers World Champions Cup supporting Shriners Children’s featured incredible competition in its first year, and it was obvious from Day 1 how badly the players wanted to win and how they embraced the team format,” said Peter Jacobsen, the tournament chairman, in a release. “Building on the momentum from the inaugural event, Skechers, Shriners Children’s and Feather Sound are ideal partners to elevate the event and truly solidify it as a must-see global golf tournament.”
ABC and ESPN will televise the event.
Time to vote for a favorite farmers market
The 17th annual America’s Farmers Market Celebration focuses on the role farmers markets play in communities and is once again tallying votes to decide the favorite farmers markets across the nation.
The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch has been named the top market in Florida in both 2023 and 2024.
Held every Sunday at Waterside Place, the Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch features more than 100 local vendors that provide the community with organic produce, fresh flowers, artisan breads, local honey, and more.
Those interested can vote at Markets.Farmland.org/Markets/313993 through Sept. 30.
Manatee appoints five to work with DOGE study
Manatee County has appointed five individuals to work on the newly created Government Efficiency Liaison Committee.
David Otterness, Benjamin Heavener, John Settineri, Mark Stanoch and Don Berg were selected to begin their work to support the county’s participation in the statewide Department of Government Efficiency initiative with Manatee County Director of Government Relations Stephanie Garrison and Manatee County Government Relations Manager Brent Anderson, according to a county press release.
Proposed TerraNova rezone questioned
Myakka’s TerraNova is requesting to lower its minimum lot sizes from 5 acres to 1 acre.
LESLEY DWYER
Lindsey Leigh and Eddie Engquist bought “an untouched sanctuary” in Myakka City seven years ago.
The couple has since created an organic, regenerative food forest on the 7-acre property that backs up to Myakka River State Park. Leigh said it feels somewhat like living off the grid, until recently, as that way of life has felt threatened by development in the surrounding area.
“I know growth is inevitable, but we never expected it to come to sleepy old Myakka,” Leigh said. “It’s frustrating because, in our minds, this was our forever home. Now, we question if we should move.”
Leigh has been fearing contamination to the Myakka River and aquifer because of runoff from two golf courses being built along its banks — Soleta Golf Club and Miakka Golf Club.
The latter is being built by the same owners of the TerraNova Equestrian Center: founder Steve Herrig, along with his wife, Natalee Herrig, daughter, Hannah Herrig-Ketelboeter, and son-in-law, Zach Ketelboeter.
Herrig is also developing the Estates at TerraNova, a luxury equestrian community with lots ranging from 5 to 28 acres. Now, he’s proposing a second residential development that would require rezoning 1,391 acres of the family’s overall 4,500acre property from 5-acre minimum lots to 1-acre minimum lots.
Leigh started a petition on Change. org to urge Manatee County commissioners to deny Herrig’s request.
The application has been filed with Manatee County, and a neighborhood meeting was held by Zoom July 23, but a date for commissioners to review the request has not yet been set.
The petition, signed by more than 600 residents, lays out five major
concerns. The petition claims that approving the request to rezone would violate the Future Development Area Boundary and that the area lacks the infrastructure (sewer, water and roads) to support the project’s density. It also claims that such rezoning would worsen flooding, threaten the Myakka River and aquifer and set a precedent to allow further “inappropriate development throughout rural Manatee County.”
Herrig said residents have misunderstood his plan. Yes, the allowable lot sizes would be a minimum of 1 acre, however, the average lot size would be 2.5 acres.
“If you take the property as a whole, the average (density) is over 10 acres,” he said. “This isn’t some mass density issue out here. There’s 100 and something homes we’re talking about.”
Rob Brown, Myakka City resident and a former 34-year employee of Manatee County Natural Resources, called Herrig’s argument a “shell game.”
“He’s diluting the density using open space that he knows he’s not going to develop,” Brown said. “Cut off the golf course and take out the wetlands, and see what viable land you have left to build on. Then tell me what the density is there.”
Leigh and Brown reported that since construction on the golf courses have begun, areas that didn’t historically flood near their Mossy Hammock neighborhood flooded last year. They believe further construction will only make matters worse.
Herrig argued that he’s making environmental improvements to the property by restoring hundreds of acres of wetlands and engineering the golf course with little to no runoff to the river. The water is being captured on the property, as to not affect the surrounding areas.
The development TerraNova is proposing would be between 120 to
MYAKKA RIVER PROTECTION ZONE
The Myakka River Management Coordinating Council filed a motion Aug. 8 with the Manatee County Commission to request a protection zone for the Myakka River from Flatford Swamp and the Myakka head down to the north end of the Myakka River State park.
The protection zone would be determined by either 50 feet beyond the waterline, the maximum extent of wetland vegetation or the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 100-year floodplain, whichever is most protective of the river.
If approved by the commission, the protection order would prohibit fill materials from being placed 150 feet landward of the protection zone boundary. Residential structures would have to be constructed 150 feet from the river, and dark sky regulations, which reduce light pollution, would be implemented within a five-mile radius of the protection zone.
“It’s new, so it’s moving through the channels now,” Myakka City resident Lindsey Leigh said. “Our big push is to get as many residents as we can to flood our commissioners with emails saying they support this.”
150 single-family homes clustered within the 1,391 acres. Herrig said that combined with the Estates, it’s about 300 homes on 3,000 acres, which is half the allowable density.
Leigh said MJ Road and Clay Gully Road, both two-lane roads, aren’t equipped to handle the traffic the equestrian center attracts now between workers, semis, horse trailers and construction vehicles.
“The semis literally drive you off the side of the road,” she said. “The
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amount of houses going up for sale along MJ Road is kind of sad, but people are trying to get out while they can. It’s just a horrible fit.”
Both Leigh and Brown noted that when it comes time for commissioners to vote on this project, they’ll be voting for or against more than just 100-plus more homes. They’ll be setting a precedent for the area.
Leigh said other property owners will be watching to see if this rezone goes through so they can follow suit
and do the same thing.
“People come out here and just want to live a quiet life,” Brown said.
“We moved here knowing that the density was one unit for five acres with large, open space. That’s what we elected to move into, and when (Herrig) bought all of his property, he knew exactly what it was, too, so he should be able to live within that.”
Lesley Dwyer
Steve Herrig is the founder of TerraNova.
This rendering shows the club’s golf course running alongside the Myakka River.
Courtesy image
School board moves ahead with high school plans for LWR
High School AAA is estimated to cost $200 million with the goal of opening in August 2027.
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
The School District of Manatee County is moving forward in the process of building a full-service high school, currently referred to as High School AAA, located at Rangeland Parkway and Post Boulevard in Lakewood Ranch.
The district and school board members were exploring the possibility of a collegiate-type high school, where students could earn their associates degree, but with limited sports and arts opportunities to reduce the cost of building the brand new school. High School AAA will go forward with full sports and arts facilities.
School board member Richard Tatem said he thought the collegiate school was an idea the board was open to pursuing, but no parent told him that is what they wanted. Instead, everyone said they wanted a full high school with all of those usual high school opportunities.
COMING TO THE RANCH
What: A new high school in Lakewood Ranch
Where: Rangeland Parkway and Post Boulevard
Estimated opening: August 2027
Cost: $200 million
Student stations: 2,000, with potential for 500 more
member Heather Felton. “We need to hear from our constituents. We need to know what they want.”
3
3
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“Essentially, the community is getting exactly what they want, a big high school with everything in it,” interim Superintendent Kevin Chapman said.
Chapman said the school will be similar to Parrish Community High School and will be built in two phases. He said a full campus with 2,000 student stations — two academic buildings and full athletic and arts facilities — will be ready by August 2027 at a price of approximately $200 million. The school will be approximately 265,000 square feet.
During the July 29 workshop discussion, the full high school option was estimated to cost $149 million and provide 1,250 student stations. Since then, the board has decided to build two academic buildings instead of one, which provides 2,000 student stations, thus increasing the estimated price.
A third academic building is planned as a potential addition if it is needed in the future. It would cost between $15 million and $20 million and would provide an additional 500 student stations.
“I’m glad we’re going forward with the full high school, and I am thankful to everyone who contacted the board and the district on this topic to make their voices heard,” said board
The same architect and builder that was used for Parrish Community High will plan and build High School AAA. Schenkel Shultz Architecture is the architect and Gilbane Building Co. is the builder.
Chapman said the school board members will take a “major step” in regard to the full-scale project when they vote on the project during the Aug. 26 regular school board meeting. That vote is considered a formality at this point.
The preconstruction general maximum price, which is an estimate for the price to build the school, will be discussed on that day.
Schenkel Shultz Architecture is under contract, and Chapman said the final architectural plans should be complete by mid-September. He estimated there will be shovels in the ground by early November.
“The state of Florida says that school boards, their duty is to provide a free, high quality, safe and secure public school system,” Tatem said. “I hope that when the school is built, that will be the result.”
“I would love for (students) to go there and go ‘Oh gosh, this is an awesome school’ and start clubs and make friends, join sports and put themselves on the map in whatever way they can,” Felton said.
Below the surface ... a look at manatee safety
Boaters could help the threatened species by minding their manatee manners.
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
Parrish resident Ray Spezzacatena goes out on the Manatee River using his 22-foot bowrider every other week and leaves from the Fort Hamer Park boat ramp, located on the Manatee River.
Spezzacatena has never hit a manatee with his bowrider, but he has had an estimated 8-foot manatee act as speed bump when he was kayaking, which is sometimes called a “manatee rodeo.”
Spezzacatena said the murky water makes it impossible to see manatees, which can weigh more than 1,000 pounds, when he is driving his boat or kayaking. He said the only wildlife he can pick out in the water when driving are turtles and dolphins. He can pick out the signature swirl of manatees when his boat is not moving.
“When you’re cruising down the river, the manatees are not up above the water,” Spezzacatena said. “The nose will come up for a brief time and then that’s it. You might see a swirl in the water, but the only reason why you’re going to see a swirl is if something spooked them. Otherwise you don’t see any kind of a ripple on the water.”
A whole array of factors contribute to the deaths of manatees, both natural environmental factors as well as human-related ones. These include cold stress, boat collisions, fishing gear entanglement and habitat loss.
From Jan. 1 to July 25, 69 of 484 reported manatee deaths in Florida were watercraft-related according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report. In Manatee County, 19 manatee deaths have been confirmed by Florida Fish and Wildlife, which released an alert this month to bring awareness to the problem of boaters hitting manatees. An average of 99 manatees a year over the past five years are killed by watercraft in Florida.
Manatees became listed as “threatened” in the Endangered Species Act in 2017. Prior to that, they were endangered.
“Endangered means in danger of going extinct, meaning the species could blink out and be gone from this planet forever,” said Katherine Sayler, a representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “Threatened means in threat of becoming endangered.”
There are an estimated 8,00010,000 manatees in Florida according to Sayler. She described manatees as “beautiful and elegant marine mammals that rely on Florida for their survival.” Sometimes referred to as a “sea cow,” manatees evolved more than 60 million years ago.
When it comes to cold stress, Sayler said the preferred thermal tolerance for manatees is 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Any temperature below 68 degrees for prolonged periods of time poses a threat to the animals.
MANATEE SAFETY TIPS FOR BOATERS
The Save The Manatee Club lists ways to protect manatees when boating:
■ Always obey posted speed zones. If you will be in an unfamiliar area, look for a boater’s guide so you can become familiar with the location of manatee speed zones in advance.
■ Wear polarized sunglasses while boating to eliminate the glare of the sun and see below the water’s surface.
■ Have a designated spotter on your boat to watch for manatees.
■ Check around your boat before starting the motor to make sure manatees are not nearby.
■ Look for a snout, back, tail or flipper breaking the surface of the water. A swirl is created by the motion of the manatee’s tail when it dives or swims.
■ Stay in deep water channels when boating, and avoid boating over seagrass beds and shallow areas where manatees might be feeding.
■ If you see a manatee, remain a safe distance away — 50 feet or more.
■ Report any manatees in distress to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-3922 “If
She said there is a false assumption that manatees have blubber like seals or walruses that keeps them warm, but that is not the case. Manatees are a subtropical species, which means they have adapted to warm and humid conditions.
Sayler said power plants are commonly built on coasts and have become an artificial warm spot for manatees in the winter.
“(The plants) use the water in a process called once-through cooling. It cools down the turbines that are running,” Sayler said. “That water that’s being used to cool everything down within the power plant is going to get released back into the environment. It’s just water, but it’s a lot warmer water than what went in.”
If and when these power plants shut down, this could pose a great risk for the future of manatees. Sayler said manatees are herbivores who eat plants including sea grasses, weeds and algae. She said manatees will sometimes go days without food to stay in warmer waters.
“When it’s cold outside and they have to stay warm, they’ll spend more time resting and keeping their respiratory grade slow to conserve energy,” Sayler said.
Like other species that live in the gulf, the bays and local waterways, manatees are affected by red tide.
But a large percentage of manatee deaths are because of humans.
Boat collisions, especially during busy holiday weekends and summertime, add to the manatee mortality rate. Sayler recommended boat
drivers wear polarized sunglasses to enhance visibility on the water’s surface and below.
“Be vigilant as to where you’re going,” Spezzacatena said. “That’s the only thing you can do, if you hit it, you hit it.”
Spezzacatena said it takes a bit more reaction time for a boat to move compared to a car, so he wished his fellow boat drivers good luck in avoiding the manatees.
“A boat gets pushed from the back, so it takes a little bit more to get the front to move,” Spezzacatena said.
Professionals perform necropsies, the animal version of an autopsy, on manatees to determine their causes of death. Propeller scars make it clear when there is watercraft-related trauma inflicted on a manatee.
“There is wildlife in the water, so where there are speed zones or posted signage in place, we really ask people to be cognizant of that,” Sayler said. “Follow those posted signs so that everyone can enjoy the water and so the wildlife can survive and have a place to live.”
Along with being cautious and courteous of where boats are driven, human waste, particularly from fishing, also poses a threat.
Sayler said it is important to dispose of trash and fishing line so that animals, including manatees, do not ingest or get tangled in it.
The warmest and shallowest waters, such as canals, are where manatees are most likely to be spotted. They often are either alone or are in pairs. Manatees can be found in the Manatee River, with the aforementioned swirl in the water as a visible indicator that a manatee is nearby. Sayler said each manatee has its own personality and some are quite interested in people, while others might not be.
She said it is important to “mind your manatee manners” by observing them from a distance, even if they do show interest, and driving slowly and with caution if on a boat.
Beth Brady is the director of science and conservation at Save the Manatee Club.
“You can help by avoiding littering near waterways, skipping fertilizer use during the summer months, following slow-speed zones when boating, and keeping a safe distance when observing manatees,” Brady said.
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Sayler said there is a false assumption that manatees have blubber that keeps them warm, but they are a subtropical species, which means they have adapted to warm and humid conditions.
Courtesy image
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium recently received federal designation as a secondary
rehabilitation facility for rescued manatees. Pictured here are Mote’s first two patients, Cabbage and Sleet.
Madison Bierl
Parrish resident Ray Spezzacatena is a frequent visitor of the Fort Hamer Park boat ramp to drive his 22-foot bowrider. He says manatees are impossible to see when driving.
Chalk up a life saved for Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
For Parrish’s Mark Latcheran, living or dying came down to a flip of the coin. Or in his case, the flip of his body.
As his body continued to shut down from his case of acute pancreatitis in March, Latcheran slipped into a coma at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. The medical staff, led by ICU doctor and pulmonologist Dr. Ryan Dunn, worked around the clock to solve an illness that appeared to be unsolvable.
It came down to a decision that could have proved fatal if it didn’t work, but one so simple in its nature. The medical staff had to decide whether to flip the 60-yearold Latcheran over, leaving him prone, lying face down while receiving mechanical ventilation. Prone ventilation is used primarily for patients with acute respiratory distress. It is done to improve oxygenation.
But it also could have sent him into cardiac arrest, and in his state, that would have been the end of the story.
“We had to make a judgement call, and we thought the benefits outweighed the risks,” Latcheran said. “We were slowly losing the battle. It was the moment of truth, and everything turned around.”
While he was only conscious for part of his treatment, Latcheran said his family described to him the incredible care he received at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center that ultimately saved his life. He was so impressed, and so thankful, he made a special trip to the hospital in July to thank the staff in person.
“I was a supply chain director (for hospitals) for 30 years,” Latcheran said. “But watching (hospital workers) care for patients is one of the things you don’t always get to witness. The communication they had and the caring attitude the nurses had were the reason I lived. That
communication had to be phenomenal.
“Leadership and culture, if you don’t have it (at a hospital), it could become a bad experience for the patient. I applaud their leadership, the nursing managers, and the nurses. They put the patient first, for real.”
It was a story of success that you don’t always hear about hospitals. More often than not, you hear the jokes. “I had to stop them because they marked the wrong knee as I went into surgery.”
Ha, ha, ha.
But it is the nature of the hospital beast. People are hurting, and often not in the best of moods. If a nurse is having a trying day, and slips out of happy-face mode, it could be interpreted as indifference. I am sure you’ve heard the stories.
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is a small hospital with 120 beds. That is going to increase to 180 when the new tower opens early in
2026. Certainly, it’s still not a large hospital, which generally has more than 500 beds and more resources.
But what Lakewood Ranch Medical Center does, it does well. You can ask the 61-year-old Latcheran, or you can ask me. I had two surgical procedures there early this year.
Like Latcheran, I was treated with respect and compassion from the moment I walked up to the front desk, to the time a volunteer showed me to the waiting room, to when I was prepped, and every moment after surgery until I was wheeled to the front door.
It’s important to tell the success stories.
So here is Latcheran telling his story.
“It was Saturday, March 15 and I was working outside,” he said. “That afternoon, I got a bad pain in the left side of my chest, under my ribs. Something was not right. I asked my fiancé (Denise Allen) for a pain pill, but it wasn’t helping. She
asked if she should call an ambulance, but hey, I’m a guy, so I said, ‘Let’s give it another 45 minutes.’”
Fortunately, Allen didn’t wait another 45 minutes. She loaded Latcheran into the car and took him to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.
“Honest to God, I don’t remember much after the ride,” Latcheran said. “I went to the triage window and they took me right back (into the emergency room). I started throwing up and they admitted me. I don’t remember anything after that.
“I was told I was put on a regular floor, but I was declining so I was moved to ICU. My family said I was in so much pain, I asked to be induced into a coma. Two days went by, and I went into sepsis. They put me into a coma March 17.”
He was in such bad shape that his family members began flying into the area from out of state. He was progressively getting worse, and his organs were shutting down.
“Eventually, they flipped me over, and I lived. I started progressing.”
On March 24, on his daughter Jenna DiRenzo’s birthday, doctors took the tubes out of him and took him off the ventilator. She was at his bedside along with his other daughter, Marissa Latcheran. Both came from Ohio to be at his side. Jeff Latcheran, his brother, flew in from Pittsburgh. His mother, 90-year-old Connie Rinaldi, who lives with him, was there.
“I sat up in bed March 25,” he said. “My aunt made me a cake on March 27, my birthday. I applaud the staff for allowing me to have more than a couple people in my room.”
By April 3, he was sitting in a chair. Now, he is back on the road, flying around the country for his job with Omnicell.
“I lived, and that is the best gift I ever could have,” he said. “One of the things I recall, honest to God, was I remember this warmth and
feeling of love. Still it breaks me up, that I felt my dad, who died when I was 11, was there. I guess they don’t want me yet, and that’s why I am here.”
Dunn enjoys hearing the appreciation.
“He was a relatively healthy guy,” Dunn said. “But there he was, having multiple organ failure. He was on life support a number of days, but ultimately, we were able to get him through it. Sometimes, but not always, you win these cases.”
Dunn especially enjoyed hearing Latcheran’s family describe every employee being totally invested.
“That’s what separates good medical centers from those that aren’t so good,” he said. “Without all the other people, we weren’t going to have a good outcome. To hear stories like this is good for the community, good for the hospital system. It’s important.”
Dunn said such cases raise pride among all the providers.
“Every year we have a handful of cases like this,” he said. “Cases like this one, you will remember your whole career.”
“My kidneys work, my liver works, and my pancreas is back to normal,” Latcheran said. “At this point in time, for what I went through, I feel like a million bucks.
“True leadership is not just about making decisions, it’s about listening, connecting, and empowering your team,” he said. “In the ICU, I witnessed real leadership in action.”
Courtesy photo
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
Denise Allen and fiancé Mark Latcheran of Parrish visit with Dr. Shilpa Jadeja, who was part of Latcheran’s care team at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.
Building roundabout will cause backups
There’s no doubt the intersection at University Parkway and Deer Drive/ Legacy Boulevard needs an upgrade. The existing left turn lanes in both directions are way too short. Turning traffic often spills into the travel lanes causing back ups. However, the roundabout plan being promoted by SMR CEO Rex Jensen is the wrong fix.
Country Club residents have voiced their many concerns in opposing a roundabout. Unfortunately, Jensen seems to have turned a deaf ear to their concerns. At his recent “community outreach” meeting he focused on promoting the roundabout plan. Not surprising that some attendees walked out. Roundabouts don’t just appear like magic. There would surely be massive backups on University Parkway during a 12-18 month, or longer, construction period. Jensen has not provided any plan for traffic management during construction. There are other important stakeholders whose concerns are being ignored. What about the thousands of us living east of the site who must travel University Parkway?
For residents of Wild Blue, Concession, Lake Club, The Isles and Country Club East, there are no easily accessible alternative routes to reach destinations west of the intersection, like UTC, I-75, the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center or workplaces.
During construction, are we supposed to detour north along Lorraine Road, through two congested school zones, to join the traffic mess on Highway 70? Or, perhaps we should detour through Waterside along quiet residential streets? Or, maybe the Country Club could be persuaded to open its Lorraine Road gate, so we could detour through its limited road system? Clearly, none of these alternatives make sense for managing a large volume of traffic. Once the roundabout is built, there would likely be delays caused by large vehicles trying to navigate its tight curves. Besides the large landscaping vehicles entering the Country Club, there is heavy truck traffic from the many construction sites
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east of Lorraine. Would the benefits of the roundabout be so great that University Parkway drivers should tolerate these hassles? I say no. A roundabout at this location is truly a solution in search of a problem. At its November 2024 meeting, the previous developer-friendly board shamefully tried to conceal the roundabout plan in its “consent” agenda. Somehow, a contract for roundabout construction became a “reimbursement agreement.”
Commissioners should not just roll over in facing Jensen’s bully tactics threatening litigation. They would seem to have a good case for canceling a contract.
ROGERE BONKE THE ISLES OF LAKEWOOD RANCH
Women’s suffrage still a work in progress
August 18 marked the 105th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage Day. This day commemorates the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted many American women the right to vote. Women’s suffrage was a hard-fought milestone. Yet, despite this accomplishment, the path to suffrage was not universal or equal; many barriers continued to exist for the full participation of all women.
Today, the Florida Commission on Human Relations continues the work of advancing gender equality by enforcing the Civil Rights Act. From protecting women against employment discrimination and sexual harassment to promoting fair housing access, our agency works to ensure that women’s rights are more than symbolic ... but enforced.
If you believe you have experienced discrimination in employment, housing or public accommodations or are interested in learning more about your rights, contact the Florida Commission on Human Relations at 850-488-7082 or visit FCHR.MyFlorida.com.
CHEYANNE COSTILLA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FLORIDA COMMISSION ON HUMAN RELATIONS
TO THE MANATEE COMMISSIONERS
ROUNDABOUT PROPOSAL for University Blvd., Deer
On July 24, 2025 I heard of a first informational roundabout meeting being held at LWR Townhall. As I was walking toward the building a car went over a berm, onto the pavement for the one-way circle and continued into the manicured circle to the decorative tree. I was walking just two car lengths from the path of this vehicle. The driver behind the wheel had never been to Townhall before.
When I went into this meeting there were over 100 residents with special conditions - a representation of the vulnerable demographics of Manatee County. After listening to the tone of the agenda from Rex Jensen all felt they had been hoodwinked by Manatee County. The shock, the disappointment, the frustration, that gut feeling one gets when you have been railroaded, and then the transition to anger was reflected on every person’s face. It was a heartbreaking scene because you can imagine each one thinking their life was changing into a distressing situation. Their dreams devastated. The promises of a SMR planned community for those to thrive with their children, take care of their parents, stay in their home as they age – shattered. The absolute indifference of the commissioners and Rex Jensen to a demographic within LWR where many have a disability, are convalescing from an illness or surgery, or possibly waiting for surgery is disingenuous and deceptive to say the least. This was the first time that residents heard of a purposed roundabout and then were told right there and then that the developer was going to do this for his shareholders. There was never any clue of this being in anyone’s future, not a public notice, or any letter sent out to residents from our HOA or CDDs. Not a peep. Manatee County commissioners have left a population of people with children, disabilities, special conditions, and promises for aging in place feeling their life will be harder than it has been.
However, here’s the real raw news, I just received:
“I believe Jensen sold the commissioners on the 7/24 meeting as a Town Hall meeting when it was not! It was a joint special meeting of the CDD’s for Jensen to seek their support for the sale of CDD2 Land to create a “spill lane” on the roundabout he was building! They did not properly notify residents of this meeting; they placed an agenda online and mentioned it in the CEVA newsletter! No one would have shown up if I hadn’t sent an email.” Carol Cooper
On August 7, 2025 only by being notified through email by Carol Cooper a few individuals knew that there was a first meeting on the University roundabout with the Manatee Commissioners. With less that 12 hours of notice it was impossible to rearrange any children and caregiver responsibilities, or the “hard to get” doctor appointments for those who wanted to participate. I was on that zoom meeting only as an observer because one needs 24 hours to request an ID number to call in.
To the commissioners let me remind you that you obviously understand the C++ programing concept – the if … then … else of probabilities. For example: If one does a study on traffic flow, what are the possible outcomes by the time the construction is completed? If there is lack of transparency?
• For the commissioners it is: constituents’ voting, budget, ethics, public safety impact, demographics, aerial visualization of future impact, transparency, etc.
• For the developers and marketing of planned
communities, it is deceptive lifestyle due to safety dissolving. (e.g., Pedestrian friendly, bike to the farmers market, families with baby strollers walk to church, and every American dream come true tactic.) It leads to buyer beware perceptions.
We all know development is going eastwards.
• University Parkway was planned with land available to widen it to three (3) lanes equally flowing west and east continuing the traffic flow from the intersection at University Parkway and LWR Blvd. past Loraine Road and currently the extension of Bourneside Blvd out east.
• There is space available for a left turn lane into LWR Country Club (which has been developed out) via Legacy Blvd by extending the left turn area 3 to 4 times its current length and changing the traffic signal. This was the first decision for road improvement. Please be reminded that monies were used to change the traffic signals twice within the last three years.
• We should conclude that University Parkway, 70, and 64 become detour roads for I-75 closures to divert traffic as well as have alternative routes for hurricane evacuation.
• Having a roundabout just after a traffic signal at Edgewater will cause a “battalion” situation (a volume of traffic racing forward after a traffic signal turns green) on a large volume scale. Add a confused driver and one has a multi-vehicle pileup. Hurricane evacuations and 1-75 detours will change the manner of traffic. With each day bringing new home buyers - volume will exponentially grow due to ongoing land developments.
• Manatee County owns the roads. Taxpayers fund projects. No developer may mandate their agenda for their shareholders.
No engineering studies have been implemented for the University Blvd. roundabout by Manatee County:
• Where is the Environmental Impact Statement?
• Traffic volume entering Legacy Blvd: landscape and construction contractors, delivery of food to the country club, and semi-trucks for movers and bundled contracts on mulch deliveries. This is the only entrance designed for these functions.
• Traffic volume entering from the east to go to the much-loved Waterside with all its promotions for farmers market, restaurants, and their eclectic events. Most of the vendors come from the Myakka area with trailers. Many residents come from the east choosing Waterside in lieu of traveling further west to the coast.
• Evacuations and/or 1-75 detours which will include semi- trailers, cars with trailers, and just plain frightened drivers of thousands of vehicles.
• The scope of development presently claims that 5,500 homes or more (compounded by 2 or more cars per home) will change the volume resulting in extending 3 lanes of roadway for any kind of civilized flow, thus, making a high-volume roundabout non-functioning.
• The final construction of Bourneside Blvd. will permit vehicles coming all the way from Parrish, 64, 70 to access a new route with backway entrance to Waterside in Sarasota County and beyond.
• A study of traffic signals and control of traffic flow is imperative to consider, particularly during
Drive, and Legacy Blvd
evacuation where the Manatee County’s EOC has the ability to see in real time.
• When are studies done? During the tourist season and arrivals of our good neighbors who are snow birds? Or are they done when population numbers are dramatically different?
The lack of transparency dismissing public notice by using the guise of assumption (as was stated by the Public Works Department “Valid Basis”) from past resident responses who were notified or a flippant commentary by Commissioner Kruse that roundabouts need only appear on a consent order is unacceptable and unethical behavior. The “Valid Basis” remark relates to the Loraine and Players roundabout vs traffic signal. The real reason for choosing the traffic signal was the 10,000 feet aerial observation for future evacuation roads that parallel 1-75.
Why are we allowing any developer to influence or intimidate the government? We hopefully have enough critical thinking skills to know that within a very short amount of time (which could be 2030 - as learned in the 8.7.2025 Manatee meeting) when the roundabout starts construction, it will already become a “failing” non-functioning method of traffic control.
This is where the aerial view point and mathematics comes to play. This is not a well thought out plan, from budget documentation to no public notice for feedback from all Manatee residents who use and will be using University Parkway.
The legacy and reputation of each Commissioner is on the line here from the gulf coast to the beautiful countryside landscapes of Myakka. The lack of studies, the lack of documentation for a budget, and a forgetfulness of who they represent and work for is a serious concern. Transparency is of paramount importance – and is drastically missing here!
Ask yourself, why do the citizens have more visionary perception of sensibility than those who are attempting to govern the county?
By no means is this a “not in my backyard” situation. This is a lifestyle catastrophe for each resident in Manatee County. Which area will be affected next?
The SUNSHINE LAW was written for the protection of the citizens of Florida.
One final school year to be impressive
Shaun Ulstad and Andrew Cordani hope their work gains them acceptance into MIT.
MADISON BIERL STAFF WRITER
Shaun Ulstad, 16, a senior at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, once lived in low-income housing with his three siblings. Education was not a priority.
“We’d be all alone in the house,” Ulstad said. “School was not a thing. It didn’t really exist.”
Ulstad spent three years in foster care before being adopted with his older siblings (Lara, Justin and Marco) by his grandparents, Cheryl and Gary Ulstad, who gave him and his siblings a new perspective on education. Cheryl and Gary Ulstad moved from Connecticut to Florida in 2019, in time for Shaun Ulstad to begin his sixth grade year at Dr. Mona
MIT WISE 2025 PROGRAM
Lakewood Ranch Prep’s Shaun Ulstad and Andrew Cordani were both invited to apply to a three-day program for seniors to experience MIT. The program runs Oct. 5-7. They will find out if they are accepted in mid-August. For more information about the program, go to MITAdmissions.org/Pages/Wise/.
Jain Middle School.
“With this new opportunity, my view completely changed,” Shaun Ulstad said. “Getting a fundamental
“Getting a fundamental education became important to me as I realized that I would need this knowledge if I wanted a better future in contrast to the unfortunate situation I was born into.”
Andrew Cordani
education became important to me as I realized that I would need this knowledge if I wanted a better future in contrast to the unfortunate situation I was born into.”
As the School District of Manatee County began the new school year Aug. 11, seniors throughout the district were looking forward to completing their high school education so they could pursue their dreams at the next level.
From Mona Jain Middle, Ulstad moved to Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy when it opened in 2022 after a recommendation from his friend, Andrew Cordani, 17, who also is a current senior at the school.
Both Ulstad and Cordani are high achieving students who take rigorous courses, work part-time jobs and play sports. Aside from being friends, they have an important goal in common: They want to pursue computer science with the goal of doing so at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Cordani visited MIT on March 17, exploring the campus and programs there. He said MIT is not just about the prestige, but about the resources and opportunities it provides for students.
“I want to do something for my life,” Cordani said. “I know if I master technology, that I’ll be able to contribute to the world in a way that’s meaningful.”
Ulstad said he has been fascinated with technology for as long as he can remember.
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At 10 years old, he was introduced to an MIT program called Scratch Online, which allows users to create and share interactive stories, games and animations.
“I played my own game, and I absolutely loved doing that,” Ulstad said. “That’s when I was like, ‘Hey, I can do this.’”
Ulstad doesn’t know exactly which area of computer science he wants to pursue, but is open to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software engineering and software development.
He said that with the emergence of artificial intelligence, an MIT degree could be his ticket into that world.
Cordani is not trying to think too far ahead in terms of his steps after high school. He said it is important for him to take it day by day because every day has its challenges. He plays varsity soccer and baseball as a way to get his mind off of school and get fresh air.
“I want to be a leader for my younger teammates in both baseball and soccer this year, leading by example by playing my best and motivating them to play their best, too.”
Cordani said time management plays a vital role in being a successful student. He said it has been tough to make it to practices and games on time because he would often stay up for hours to finish assignments or study for important exams.
“I want to be a leader for my younger teammates in both baseball and soccer this year, leading by example by playing my best and motivating them to play their best, too.”
“We’re much more adapted to the lifestyle now, and we can handle the classes pretty well,” Cordani said of himself and Ulstad. “This year is not going to be any easier, but we know what to do and we know how to deal he knew he had to get his work done
Andrew Cordani
Courtesy image
Shaun Ulstad and Andrew Cordani are eager to begin senior year. They are determined to maintain straight A’s and still be successful in sports and their part-time jobs.
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
TIME FOR MISBEHAVIN’
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe tells the larger-than-life story of jazz pianist Fats Waller.
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
During his brief 39 years on Earth, jazz composer and musician Thomas Wright Waller believed in living large. He was a big man with an enormous appetite for food, drink and women, which is how he gained the nickname “Fats.”
In the movie “Stormy Weather,” even as Waller proclaims in the song “Ain’t Misbehavin’” that it’s just “me and my radio” until his sweetheart returns, the ladies’ man reveals himself in the song’s finale, when he sings, “I’m saving my love for you ... and you ... and you” as he looks around the room.
So it’s fitting that Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s musical ode to Waller is called “Big Sexy.” Credit for coining that title goes to the show’s leading man, Leon S. Pitts II. He suggested it, somewhat in jest, to WBTT founder and artistic director Nate Jacobs, creator and director of “Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue.”
“I was standing in front of a mirror after a dress rehearsal for the Marvin Gaye show, and I ran my hand through my wig and said, ‘Mr. Jacobs, you should create a show for me and call it “Big Sexy,”’” Pitts recalled in an interview, where he was joined by Jacobs and Ariel Blue, the show’s leading lady.
It wasn’t long before Pitts got a call to come visit Jacobs in his office to discuss his vision of a show that would use Pitts as the focal point to tell the life of Waller through music.
Pitts got his introduction to Waller’s life when he was 18 years old. That’s when he played the char-
acter André in WBTT’s 2010 production of“Ain’t Misbehavin’,” the Broadway tribute to Waller’s music that brought back the days of Harlem’s legendary Cotton Club.
Unlike that show, “Big Sexy” tries to tell the story of Waller’s often outrageous life using Pitts as the star who describes how he has been inspired in his own life by the legendary jazz musician.
“When I was in ‘Ain’t Misbehavin,’’ I was so excited that I kept asking the director, ‘Is it time to go on stage? Is
it time?’ He would say, ‘No, Leon, you’ve still got 30 minutes.’”
Jacobs said that director, Harry Bryce, told him that it had been years since he had worked with an actor who was as enthusiastic as Pitts. “He told me Leon literally brought tears to his eyes,” Jacobs said.
In learning about Waller, Pitts was impressed by the entertainer’s tenacity and drive, which may have contributed to his premature death from pneumonia while he was on tour.
PUSHING THE ENVELOPE
“He had a willingness to push boundaries, to go into places where we were not invited,” Pitts says, describing Waller’s refusal not to be pushed out of a recording session by white musicians. “He went in there and did his thing in the midst of pressure and ignorance.”
Another way Waller pushed the envelope during his career was by sprinkling his song lyrics with double entendres and sexual innuendo that left his audiences in stitches.
IF YOU GO
‘BIG SEXY: THE FATS WALLER REVUE’
When: Aug. 22 through Sept. 7
Where: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
Tickets: $52; students younger than 25 and active military $22. Info: Visit WestcoastBlackTheatreTroupe.org.
Photos courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Leon S. Pitts II and Ariel Blue star in Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s “Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue,” which runs from Aug. 22 through Sept. 7.
Jazzmin Carson strikes a pose in Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s “Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue,” which runs from Aug. 22 through Sept. 7.
The joyful tunes of Waller, which include such standards as “The Joint is Jumpin’” and “Jitterbug Waltz,” allow “you to be free in the music,” Pitts says.
Waller was in such great demand as a performer that he was once kidnapped, blindfolded and made an offer he couldn’t refuse — performing at the birthday party of gangster Al Capone.
It would be impossible to tell the story of Fats Waller’s life without depicting his relentless pursuit of women. That’s where leading lady Blue comes in.
“Once I started building a show around Leon in my head, I knew that it had to include Ariel,” Jacobs says. “They play off each other so well.”
“There’s not a whole lot of dialogue, just quick, popping comedic moments,” Jacobs says, as the two stars play out endless variations on the mating dance that has been going on since the beginning of time.
To prepare for “Big Sexy,” Pitts learned all he could about Waller’s life. In his research, he discovered an interview online with the jazz musician’s son, who remembered being told as a child that the numerous women coming and going from his house were all “aunties.” It was only later on that he figured out he couldn’t have had that many aunts, Pitts says.
Since Blue’s character is not based on a single person, she says she draws her inspiration from the lyrics of the
music. “Then I act out my ‘’isms,’ my little Ariel quirks,” she says. The diva character she plays runs hot and cold, sometimes beckoning come hither and other times playing hard to get, Blue says.
With more than 30 songs in the show, Blue’s got plenty of material to work with to create her elusive everywoman that exercises the feminine prerogative of changing her mind.
Jacobs said he dug deep into Waller’s music catalog and discovered some of his lesser-known songs that he added to the song list that includes well-known favorites such as “Sit Down and Write Myself a Letter,” “All That Meat and No Potatoes,” as well as the titular number for the Broadway musical, “Ain’t Misbehavin.’”
“Big Sexy” also features songs by other composers of the era to help move the show along, including “Two Sleepy People,” “Your Feets Too Big” and “Stormy Weather.”
THE SEARCH FOR SUMMER FUN
To help celebrate the life and music of Waller, “Big Sexy” has its music director, Michael McKinnon, dressed in period costume and playing an upright piano on stage. In addition to Pitts and Blue, the production includes three other cast members — Jazzmin Carson, Andrea Coleman and Ulric Alfred Taylor.
This is the second time that WBTT has performed “Big Sexy.” The first
was in April 2023, when it was the last show in the main season. Jacobs said he decided to revive the revue for the dog days of summer this year because of demand from WBTT’s patrons.
Two recent WBTT summer cabarets, one a Harry Belafonte tribute show starring Michael Mendez, and the other, “The Titan and the Muse: Love Deluxe,” showcasing the talents of Raleigh Mosely II and Carson, were more popular than anticipated, Jacobs says.
“More people are moving to Sarasota, and more people are looking for something to do in the summer,” he says. Prior to the disruption to theater during COVID-19, it was traditional for WBTT to present a full-blown mainstage production during July, Jacobs says. In the early days of WBTT, which is starting its 26th season this fall, having a summer show was a necessity “so we could get through to the fall,” he says.
Thanks to the generosity of donors and the demand for subscriptions, those hand-to-mouth days are behind the company, which is dedicated to telling African American stories with Black performers.
Nevertheless, Jacobs is not one to rest on his laurels. Pointing to a space next door to WBTT’s campus at 1012 N. Orange Ave., he says, “I’d like to have another theater there one day.”
In the meantime, get ready for a little misbehavin’, Fats Waller style.
Music group executive director goes back to the future
Keren Shani-Lifrak returns to the arts after a stint in real estate.
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
When Keren Shani-Lifrak arrived at Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota earlier this summer to start her job as executive director, it was a homecoming of sorts.
The group’s offices are in the same building at 1226 N. Tamiami Trail where Lifrak once worked as director of events for the group now known as the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County.
Today, Artist Series Concerts rents space from the Arts and Cultural Alliance. “I feel like I’m back where I belong — in the arts,” said Shani-Lifrak. For the past 13 years, she worked in real estate in Sarasota.
A native of Tel Aviv, Israel, ShaniLifrak grew up surrounded by the arts. As a child, she played the flute and “lived and breathed for dance,” she recalled. She attended a performing arts high school and was a member of a dance troupe called Tzabar. After finishing her mandatory military service in Israel, ShaniLifrak took her life savings and bought a plane ticket to New York. She landed on Yom Kippur, Jewish New Year, in September 1994. Some young people might have been terrified to be on their own so far from home, but Lifrak relished the challenge. “I was discovering my boundaries and discovering how to survive on my own,” she said.
As she tried to break into the arts, Shani-Lifrak held a variety of jobs, from selling clothing to working as a hostess at the upscale French restaurant Jean-Georges.
After meeting her husband, who is now a sports psychologist at IMG Academy, the couple moved to Sara-
sota. Once in Florida, Shani-Lifrak held a variety of arts marketing and development positions.
When she learned that Artist Series Concerts Executive Director Marcy Miller was retiring, ShaniLifrak says she thought, “Somebody has to do this job.”
Conceived in 1996 by co-founders Jerold Ross and Lee Dougherty Ross, Artist Series Concerts presents about 25 programs a year. When she was chosen to succeed Miller, ShaniLifrak says it “felt good to be back in the artistic realm. I feel alive.”
You can hear her enthusiasm when she describes how Artist Series Concerts brings audiences close to the musicians and vocalists.
“When you go to the orchestra, you are sitting in a hall and it’s a passive experience,” Shani-Lifrak said.
“By holding our concerts in smaller venues, we create intimacy between the audience and the artists.”
Artist Series Concerts kicks off its 2025-26 season Oct. 12 with “Contrasts,” a concert featuring Grammy Award-winning violinist Nicholas Eanet.
Eanet will be joined by Jungeun Kim, director of instrumental accompaniment at the Curtis Institute, and Sarasota Orchestra’s Natalie Helm and Bharat Chandra.
The ensemble will perform Bartok’s “Contrasts” and piano trios by Schubert and Dvorak. Audience members can meet the musicians at a post-concert reception. For more information, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.
The cast of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s “Big Sexy” performs tunes of jazz pianist and composer Fats Waller and other composers.
Courtesy image Keren Shani-Lifrak
THIS WEEK
THURSDAY
‘A BAND CALLED HONALEE’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 Palm Ave. $39 and up Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
The subtitle to Florida Studio Theatre’s last summer cabaret show is “A Tribute to Peter, Paul Mary … and Friends,” but any self-respecting folk rock fan can spot the play on words in the name “A Band Called Honalee.” ICYMI, it refers to the mythical land made famous by the children’s song “Puff the Magic Dragon.” The incarnation of the Band Called Honalee appearing in Sarasota includes Brian Ott, a veteran of FST’s “59th Street Bridge,” as well as Michael Grieve, Geoffrey Neuman and Sigrid Wise. Runs through Oct. 26.
‘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 in this showcase of stories and songs featuring the months June, July, August and September. Whether she’s singing songs made famous by Janis Joplin or Randy Newman, she leaves the audience with something they never knew before. What’s more, her cool costumes evoke everything from flappers of the 1920s to the neo-swing era of the 1990s. Runs through Sept. 14.
DON’T MISS ‘THE HIGH LIFE: CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE BIRDS’
Organized by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, the exhibition features 70 breathtaking works of birds in a variety of locales, including nature, the studio and the museum. The show is curated by William Ewing and Danaé Panchaud, the same team that brought “Flora Imaginaria” to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in 2022. The photos are displayed in the Museum of Botany & the Arts and throughout the gardens, where some appear right at home. Runs through Sept. 14.
IF YOU GO
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23
Where: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. Tickets: $28; $23 online Info: Visit Selby.org.
OUR PICK OPENING RECEPTION
Celebrate the opening of four new exhibits at Art Center Sarasota, a gallery whose admission is free and whose curated artworks are for sale. The four new shows are contemporary bookbinder
“Rabbit
Jacob Z. Wan’s exploration of identity, “Vol. 3: me, myself, and I,” “INK: Quilt of Identity” by youth artists, “Praxis,” Dorothea (D’) Calvert’s sculptural and ceramic works, and a juried show with the artists as subjects, “Self Portrait.” Runs through Sept. 27.
IF YOU GO
When: 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21
Where: Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail
Tickets: Free Info: Visit ArtSarasota.org.
‘THE PRINCE OF EGYPT’
7:30 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton
$42.50 Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.
Directed and choreographed by Rick Kerby, ”The Prince of Egypt” brings the biblical tale of Moses to the stage. The musical from the creators of “Wicked” features such memorable songs as “When You Believe.” Runs through Aug. 31.
FRIDAY
‘DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER’
8 p.m. at FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $42 and up Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Even the best laid plans for adultery can go awry, especially when a scheming wife sees an opportunity for a little hanky-panky of her own with her husband’s best friend. Written by Marc Camoletti (“BoeingBoeing”) and Robin Howdon, “Don’t Dress for Dinner” is a high-speed farce sure to shake anyone out of their summer torpor. Runs through Aug. 31.
SATURDAY
SARASOTA YOUTH OPERA FAMILY DAY Noon at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Free Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
Kids are invited to participate in singing lessons, acting games and workshops to learn more about the Sarasota Youth Opera. In addition to a behind-the-scenes tour of the historic opera house, there will be costume and makeup demonstrations, crafts, a photo booth and the opportunity to win fun prizes.
SUNDAY
PATTI SMITH: ‘A BOOK OF DAYS’ 10 a.m. at Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point, 401 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey Included with $20 admission Visit Selby.org.
Selby Gardens collaborates with poet and musician Patti Smith, its artist-in-residence, on an outdoor exhibition of large prints taken from her newly published bestseller, “A Book of Days.” Runs through Aug. 31.
TUESDAY
‘LILLIAN BLADES: THROUGH THE VEIL’
10 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum campus of Ringling College, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail Free for museum members; $20 Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.
Award-winning artist Lillian Blades invites visitors to get lost in her first solo museum exhibition. Her installation of “veils” combines handcrafted and found objects to create a mesmerizing display.
Blades attributes her use of dazzling color to her childhood in the Bahamas and her process of creating large-scale assemblages to her late mother, an accomplished seamstress. Runs through Oct. 26.
Image courtesy of Sorcha Augustine
Lily Kren and Gil Brady star in “Don’t Dress for Dinner,” which runs through Aug. 31 at Florida Studio Theatre.
Courtesy image
Girl” is one of Dorothea (D’) Calvert’s anthropomorphic works on display at Art Center Sarasota through Sept. 27.
Image courtesy of Matthew Holler
Sex, lies and artichokes
Florida Studio Theatre’s ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’ serves up a frenetic farce.
MARTY FUGATE THEATER CRITIC
Marc Camoletti and Robin Hawdon’s “Don’t Dress for Dinner” plays a farcical game of liar’s poker at Florida Studio Theatre. The play’s lying lovers keep losing. The simple truth would set them free. But they stay in the game with insanely complicated lies. Their lying game unfolds at a family cabin in the woods. Bernard (Gil Brady) is vacationing with his wife, Jacqueline (Katharine McLeod). He’d rather vacation with his mistress, Suzanne (Lily Kren). Conveniently, Jacqueline’s visiting her mother over the weekend. Bernard’s made some well-laid plans for hanky-panky while she’s gone. Exit wife; enter mistress! To set the mood, Bernard hired Suzette (Ellen Grace Diehl) — a caterer who’ll cook up a gourmet meal. His best friend, Robert (Jack Berenholtz), will also pop by to provide an alibi for the catering bill. Inconveniently, Jacqueline is Robert’s mistress. Once she knows he’s arriving, she stays put for some hanky-panky of her own.
Robert’s perfect plan is shot to pieces. A frenetic farrago of mistaken identity, costume swaps, heavy drinking, lies, evasions, excuses and pratfalls ensues. Along with a dinner from hell.
Farce runs on intricate clockwork. If it feels mechanical, nobody laughs. Be artificially natural! Tough job. Director Nancy Rominger somehow pulls it off. Her comic timing is perfect. But the action always feels spontaneous. The laughs don’t stop.
The actors never wink at the audience. They stay in character — and always keep a straight face while spouting preposterous balderdash.
Brady’s Bernard has a refined,
IF YOU GO
‘DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER’
When: Through Aug. 31
Where: FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St.
Tickets: $25-$46
Info: FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
upper-class gentility. His character can be charming. But he’s entitled, self-satisfied and smug — and overestimates his cunning.
Berenholtz’s Robert is Bernard’s reluctant accomplice. He looks and acts like Mr. Nice Guy. But he’s really a dirty rotten scoundrel. He’s cheating with his best friend’s wife, after all.
Kren’s Suzanne is Bernard’s mistress. She’s a chic, sexy, well-paid fashion model. Suzanne has many talents — but she’s no cook. But she pretends to be, so Jacqueline won’t think Robert has a second mistress.
Diehl’s Suzette is the savvy chef who’s roped into pretending to be Bernard’s mistress. She sees it as a business opportunity — and gets paid for every fib she supports.
Like Oliver Douglas in “Green Acres,” her no-nonsense character is the farce’s anchor to sanity. It’s a mad, mad world — but Suzette’s the exception. Will Harrell puts in a comic turn as her husband — a gruff rustic who’d murder any lothario he suspected of touching his wife.
Isabel A. and Moriah CurleyClay’s set is a lovingly detailed, converted barn.
Kathleen Geldard’s costumes aptly capture the era’s class distinctions. Suzanne and Suzette’s quick changes into sexy, suggestive outfits are à propos to the French farce tradition.
As Mark Twain once said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” If the characters had taken his advice, they wouldn’t have made such a fine mess. No cheating schemes. No dinner from hell. The evening would’ve gone smoothly. But that’s not funny at all.
STAND UP TO THE CHALLENGE
With 155 athletes gathered for a jam-packed day of competition, Manatee County coach Mark Flanagan said the Special Olympics Florida Stand Up Paddle Competition couldn’t have been any better.
“Today is about the athletes,” Flanagan said. “It is a real, true blessing to watch them with their dedication, courage and joy that they possess.”
Parrish’s Lexis Engle, Palmetto’s
Manatee County out of the 155. Engle has competed for four seasons, while Rabbu and Acquaro have for seven.
Pinellas County’s Tim Scholtz was soaked as he volunteered as a “starter” to give the athletes a pep talk and send them off to compete.
“All my athletes that I coach, I tell them I have two main rules,” Scholtz said. “The first rule I want you to give it your best. The sec-
Photos by Madison Bierl
Pinellas County’s Michael Tuason finishes a 4,800-meter race in 36:27.
Manatee County’s Diane Rabbu, her son, Timothy Rabbu, and coach Mark Flanagan celebrate Timothy completing his 3,200 meter race.
St. Lucie County’s Sara Rosenzweig and Volusia County’s Copper Reynolds share the thrill as they complete their 100-meter race at the Special Olympics State Stand Up Paddle competition Aug. 16.
Seminole County’s Annamarie Nieves exclaims “I love it! I got it!” as she completes her 200-meter race.
Monroe County’s Jennifer Averette completes her 3,200-meter race and is congratulated by her coach, Ellyn Badry.
Brittany Tagliareni represents Orange County with her coach Tamara Cook. Cook says the competition is testament to Tagliareni’s dedication, hard work and big heart.
Sway to the swing
After a career as a librarian, Punta Gorda’s Zarita Dixon, 72, no longer speaks in hushed tones — she belts out vocals with a big band behind her.
Dixon sings with the Suncoast Swing Band, which performed Aug. 13 at Waterside Place for the community’s monthly entertainment series, Sights and Sounds.
While Dixon comes from a musical family and always sang in church, she hadn’t performed with a big band before joining Suncoast Swing more than four years ago.
“It’s a dream come true,” she said. “They play the music I grew up with.”
Conductor Lynn Cleary said the band plays music from the 1940s through the 1980s.
When the band played “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang, Cleary brought the microphone into the crowd. She pulled 4-year-old Reagan Sibley up on stage to play the maracas and encouraged everyone to dance.
Most people stayed in their seats, but not sitting still. Their feet were tapping uncontrollably.
The next Sights and Sounds is scheduled for Sept. 19, when the Sailor Circus Academy will perform circus acts.
— LESLEY DWYER
Live Life Luxe
“We
Waterside Place’s Laura Thomaidis dances with her 2-year-old daughter, Isabella, and 3-year-old son, Levi.
Conductor Lynn Cleary invites 4-year-old Reagan Sibley on stage to play maracas with the band.
Lakewood Ranch’s Matt and Denise McDougall attend Sights and Sounds at Waterside Place for the first time on Aug. 13.
Lakewood Ranch’s Brenda Maraman sings along to “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
The Suncoast Swing Band entertains the crowd at Waterside Place on Aug. 13.
The $2.67 million equestrian estate sits on 25.74 acres.
Local residents have to be frustrated as development crawls further east as those with ranch land or farmland evaluate what their property could be worth on the market. It all makes the current listing at 3630 Verna Road of interest to those who live in the area.
While the upscale home on the property certainly is a draw in itself, some builders might be more interested in the 25.74 acres that go along with the $2.67 million price tag. Even with agricultural zoning at one home per five acres, the property could be divided up into five lots at the minimum. Then if a rezone is
granted, 20 homes is certainly a possibility. That has to be of concern to anyone who wants to keep the country country. The real estate team of Trish
Photos by Jay Heater
The upscale ranch home at 3630 Verna Road sits on 25.74 acres and is listed at $2.67 million.
The real estate team of Trish Chandler and Lisa Harris, Global Real Estate Advisors with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, is handling the sale of the equestrian estate at 3630 Verna Road in Myakka City.
Chandler and Lisa Harris, Global Real Estate Advisors with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, are handling the sale, and they would love to see a rancher step up and buy the equestrian estate. The ranch features an eight-stall custom barn that is designed with wide aisles, wash racks, a tack room and easy access to the riding pastures.
“There is nothing on the market like this. This is rare and we have had tons of views.”
Trish Chandler
But the bottom line is that they have sellers who are motivated, so all offers will be considered. The property was last sold in 2013, for $685,000.
Chandler said the property is generating lots of interest, and she doesn’t expect it to be available for more than a couple of weeks.
“There is nothing on the market like this,” Chandler said. “This is rare and we have had tons of views. You can go through the MLS and you will not find this much land with three structures (the main house, the barn, and a two-bedroom, one-bath guest house).” Chandler said she could see a buyer using the considerable land for other purposes, as well.
“I would turn it into a wedding venue,” she said.
While Chandler said the current owners are not “horse people,” prior owners have used the property for dressage training and to board horses. The current owners have continued to lease out the stall space. She said the current owners spent $1.7 million on upgrades on the property.
The main house is four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and is 3,862 square feet. It features a gourmet kitchen with an oversized quartz island, custom wood cabinetry, dual cooktop ovens and a Sub-Zero refrigerator. An expansive lanai and heated pool showcase the outdoor area.
Star Farms adds luxury builder
The luxury builder program at Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch has added Perry Homes to its mix.
The Forestar Group announced the addition last week. Perry Homes will open with 50-by-90 homesites with plans ranging from 2,011 square feet to 3,865 square feet, according to a release by The Forestar Group. Models are being planned.
One of the Perry Homes’ models will have a covered front porch, a private home office, and many other amenities.
“This expansion reflects our dedication to delivering exceptional homes tailored to every lifestyle, where families can grow, connect and thrive in the state’s most desirable communities,” said Perry Homes Division President Garrison Taska in the release.
Other luxury builders at Star Farms are Homes by West Bay, AR Homes, John Cannon and Lee Wetherington.
Star Farms at Lakewood Ranch is a multigenerational lifestyle community with 1,300 acres featuring 2,800 single-family homes, paired villas and townhomes. Visit StarFarmsLWR.com for more information.
Lennar introduces Stillwater
Lennar has announced it has started to build the new Stillwater community on Bourneside Boulevard in Lakewood Ranch.
Stillwater is being billed as a “peaceful, private setting with easy access to nearby urban conveniences. The 105-home community will be just south of State Road 70 on Bourneside. The neighborhood will feature single-family homes from Lennar’s Manor and Executive collections.
Sales are expected to begin in December.
The Manor collection will feature three floor designs, the Princeton, the Stanford and the Summerville. Square footage will range from 2,245 to 2,445. The homes will be three to four bedrooms with a three-bay garage.
The Executive collection will have four floor plans — the Maria, the Isabella, the Angelina, and the Victoria. The square footage will range from 1,850 square feet to 2,247 square feet, and will be two to three bedrooms.
For more information, go to Lennar.com or call 867-9335.
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Lake Club home tops sales at $2.45 million
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Ahome in Lake Club on Pavia Way topped the week’s sales. Hillary Doroski and Tony Ngo, of Bradenton, sold their home at 8544 Pavia Way to Christie Miranne Matthew Hoke, of St. James, New York, for $2.45 million. Built in 2023, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,491 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.6 million in 2024.
COUNTRY CLUB EAST
Craig Fischer and DeAnne Edwards sold their home at 16614 Berwick Terrace to Donald and Kathleen Knezovic, of Bradenton, for $1.89 million. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,807 square feet of living area.
David and Megan Caseria, of Ave Maria, sold their home at 16511 Cornwall Lane to Stuart and Hilary Jones, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,425,000. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,002 square feet of living area.
COUNTRY CLUB
Paul Hollabaugh, trustee, and Deborah Hollabaugh, of Sarasota, sold the home at 13203 Lost Key Place to Vincent Batyr and Monika Phoeng-Batyr, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.85 million. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 4,146 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.5 million in 2023.
LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE
Michael John Caprioglio and Tracy Ann Quinn Caprioglio, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 813 Tailwind Place to Ronald Tieskoetter and Reagan Tieskoetter, trustees, of Sarasota, for $1.4 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,127 square feet of living area. It sold for $645,000 in 2020.
ISLES Ruslan and Yuliya Pugach, of Grove City, Ohio, sold their home at 8209 Redonda Loop to Utku and Tetiana Ugurtas, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.25 million. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,164 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,295,000 in 2023.
THE RESERVE AT HARBOUR WALK
William Kyler Pentecost and Kristin Carol Pentecost, of Bradenton, sold their home at 696 Regatta Way to Franklin and Lilian Bracken, of Bradenton, for $1.23 million. Built in 2021, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 5,368 square feet of living area. It sold for $3,175,000 in May.
RIVER CLUB SOUTH
Patricia Carter, of Lakewood Ranch, sold her home at 9419 Boxthorn Place to Kyle Rogers and Christopher Boldys, of Bradenton, for $1.11 million. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,496 square feet of living area.
William and Tina Coleman, of Sarasota, sold their home at 7133 Dornough Lane to Ronnie and Daniela D’Agostino, of Bradenton, for $550,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,188 square feet of living area. It sold for $269,000 in 2002.
RYE WILDERNESS ESTATES
Lisa Griffith-Limon and Shaun Limon sold their home at 17003 Second Ave. E. to Richard Janine Nelen, of Bradenton, for $1.1 million. Built in 2015, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,870 square feet of living area.
HERITAGE HARBOUR
Lawrence Sivak and Vivienne Chiger, trustees, sold the home at 8206 Heritage Grand Place to
Diane Shelgren and George Loomis, trustees, of Excelsior, Minnesota, for $995,000. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,897 square feet of living area. It sold for $485,200 in 2013.
MOTE RANCH
Louis and Dawn Cracco, of Sarasota, sold their home at 6231 Cypress Bend Court to Lisa and Wesley Van Ever, of Bradenton, for $929,900. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,185 square feet of living area. It sold for $639,900 in 2021.
Helen Taylor, of South Yorkshire, England, sold the home at 6504 Copper Ridge Trail to Jorge Luis Gonzalez and Niurka Cedeno Morell, of Sarasota, for $486,500. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,053 square feet of living area. It sold for $306,300 in 2016.
AZARIO ESPLANADE
Stacy Cohen, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the home at 4730 Zeno Court to Kathleen Tate and John Mark Tate Jr., of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, for $900,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths, a pool and 2,130 square feet of living area. It sold for $580,500 in 2021.
EDGEWATER
William Musgrave and Mercedes
Nancy Davis, trustees, sold the home at 6617 Nautical Drive to Seth Martin Hildebrand and Maureen Beth Hildebrand, of Lakewood Ranch, for $825,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,658 square feet of living area. It sold for $425,000 in 2012.
ESPLANADE
Anne Eager, trustee, sold the home at 12711 Del Corso Loop to Joseph Tarasco and Nancy Damato, of Bradenton, for $785,000. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,247 square feet of living area. It sold for $585,000 in 2017.
64TH STREET COURT EAST
Daniel Schulte sold his home at 1519
64th St. Court E. to East Manatee Properties LLC for $750,000. Built in 1967, it has five bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,306 square feet of living area. It sold for $255,000 in 1992.
TREYMORE AT THE VILLAGES OF PALM AIRE
Annette Kelleher, Personal Representative, sold the home at 4921 Woodhurst Drive to David and Jennifer McGraw, of Sarasota, for $750,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,476 square feet of living area. It sold for $470,300 in 2002.
WOODLEAF HAMMOCK
Brittany and Nicolas Sukay, of Sarasota, sold their home at 1919 Woodleaf Hammock Court to Bosco and Jennifer Neuhaus, of Bradenton, for $730,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,775 square feet of living area. It sold for $678,000 in 2021.
GREENBROOK
Bache Investment LLC sold the home at 14146 Cattle Egret Place to Corey and Laura Stutte, of Lakewood Ranch, for $685,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,572 square feet of living area. It sold for $500,900 in 2024.
MILL CREEK
Raymond and Jeannette Kennedy, of Bradenton, sold their home at 13608 11th Terrace E. to James Nagypal and Lisa Weddle, of Bradenton, for $655,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,135 square feet of living area. It sold for $282,700 in 2015.
ROHRS RANCHETTES
Joseph Thomas O’Neil, of Parrish, and Brooke Anne O’Neil, of Bradenton, sold their home at 7416 41st Ave. E. to Gage and Kelsi Lechner, of Bradenton, for $650,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 3,066 square feet of living area. It sold for $680,000 in 2022.
Austin Christopher Smullen and Tess Elise Smullen sold their home at 11411 Spring Gate Trail to Melissa Phillips, trustee, of Bradenton, for $635,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,370 square feet of living area. It sold for $335,300 in 2017.
Steven and Ann Smith, of Parrish, sold their home at 5252 Bentgrass Way to William Leeper and Taylor Pasini Leeper, of Bradenton, for $515,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,291 square feet of living area. It sold for $348,500 in 2016.
SAPPHIRE POINT
Thomas and Michelle Ulrich, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6223 Baywood Court to Nicolas and Megan Marini, of Bradenton, for
$630,000. Built in 2023, it has five bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,638 square feet of living area. It sold for $667,900 in 2023.
MIRABELLA AT VILLAGE GREEN
Brittany Smith, of Phoenix, and Chad Smith, of Johnson City, Tennessee, sold their home at 7105 Vista Bella Drive to Pamela Alvord, trustee, of Des Moines, Iowa, for $555,000. Built in 2015, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,525 square feet of living area. It sold for $312,200 in 2015.
Madison Bierl
This Lake Club home at 8544 Pavia Way sold for $2.45 million. Built in 2023, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,491 square feet of living area.
Don’t diss love of disc
The East Manatee Disc Golf Club plays Monday nights at Bob Gardner Community Park.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
isc golf didn’t make the cut for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but the World Flying Disc Federation hopes the sport will be included in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
As disc golf grows in popularity around the world, a local nonprofit organization is promoting the sport in the Lakewood Ranch area.
The East Manatee Disc Golf Club hosted its first clinic July 19 at Bob Gardner Community Park, sponsored by Hydrology Water Solutions. A dozen people showed up to learn the basics of the game.
Mission statement: A nonprofit amateur athletic organization that strives to promote disc golf in Lakewood Ranch and the surrounding areas of Manatee County through organizing community events, charitable fundraising, promoting growth of the sport through inclusivity and accessibility, teaching new and existing players to improve skills and working with the stewardship on course development in the area.
The goal of the game is simple: Get the disc into the basket with as few throws as possible. The disc club meets most Monday nights at Bob Gardner Park — only lightning stops them. Members and
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Jim Dicesare and Curtis Marxen play disc golf at Bob Gardner Community Park with the East Manatee Disc Golf Club on Monday nights.
nonmembers of any skill level are welcome to play for a nominal fee. The games typically last an hour or two.
A membership costs $20 a year and $10 to renew for 30 weeks of play. Players also contribute $5 to the payout and $1 to the Ace Fund each week, which rewards a holein-one with $100. Nonmembers pay an extra dollar per game, and the top three players split the payout.
While disc golf mirrors many of golf’s terminology and rules, players say there are some advantages to the disc version.
“You can just walk out there and play,” Jim Dicesare said. “There’s never any waiting.”
It’s also an inexpensive sport to play. A starter set of discs costs about $25, and outside of when a league is on site, it’s free to play because courses can be found at public parks.
Member Dan Myhrberg noted that the club is a great way to meet new people, too.
The play is a mix of casual versus competitive.
The nonprofit’s Facebook group has more than 300 members. Not all are active, but over 100 people have participated in the club’s league during the past three years.
Curtis Marxen is the league director. He organizes the pots of money and keeps score. At 35 years old, he’s been playing disc golf for 23 years.
He said a lot of people started playing during the COVID pandemic because people could still throw a Frisbee in an open park.
Marxen prefers playing in a league because it’s organized play and he only has a finite amount of free time.
“I have a 3-year-old son, and my wife is 30 weeks pregnant,” he said. “This is the one night they go to the in-laws and hang out, so I’m able to play.”
Marxen also noted that the club runs a handicap league, so the scoring is adjusted to all skill levels. Players are playing to their average par for a round, not the course’s par.
He said anyone can pick up the rules easily, but it does take some skill and practice to learn how to get the disc to fly straight and flat.
Part of the club’s mission is to make disc golf accessible to everyone. In addition to hosting clinics, Marxen
is working on the idea of something akin to a Little Free Library but for donated discs.
The box would be installed next to the course, so anyone at the park can grab a disc and play without having their own equipment. Just like traditional golf is played with different clubs, disc golf is played with a variety of discs. There are putters, midrange discs, fairway drivers and long distance drivers.
The club only plays the nine-hole course at Bob Gardner Park, but there are other disc golf courses in East County. Woodland Community Park has a six-hole course, Heritage Harbour Park has a nine-hole course and Tom Bennett Park has an 18-hole course.
Don’t miss this opportunity to receive compassionate and personalized eye care.
The disc has to land inside the basket or in the chains to count.
Jim Dicesare lines up his shot.
SPORTS
FAST BREAK
Brady Cleveland had a game for the ages in The Out-of-Door Academy’s football season opener, a 38-0 win at home Aug. 15 against Halifax Academy. Cleveland had two catches for 38 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown, and during a fake field goal attempt, he threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Beau Tack.
... ODA coasted to the victory after a 90-minute lightning delay. Quarterback Eddie Chaput, playing his first game after transferring from Canada, threw the 16-yard TD pass to Cleveland and also ran seven yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Jaxon Lawhun, who split time with Chaput, threw a 22-yard TD pass to Cleveland. Running back Allen Clark rushed for 68 yards and fellow back Michael Garzia added 55 rushing yards. The Thunder’s defense, had a big game as well. Winson Crisci returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown while Landon Sallier also had an interception. Defensive end Jake Beasley had three sacks.
... In Kickoff Classic preseason games, which are held before this week’s regular-season openers, Parrish Community beat Lutz Steinbrenner 35-9; Osceola downed Braden River 41-15; and Newsome (Lithia) defeated Lakewood Ranch 22-19. In Aug. 22 season openers, Lakewood Ranch plays at Lemon Bay (7:30 p.m.), Braden River hosts Cypress Creek (7 p.m.), and Parrish Community hosts North Port (7 p.m.). Andrew Novak is the only former winner of the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch to earn a spot in the Tour Championship on Aug. 21-24 in Atlanta. The top 30 players on the PGA Tour advance to Atlanta. Novak didn’t play well in the BMW Championship that concluded Aug. 17 at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland as he finished 48th at 20-over par. However, he ranks 15th overall in the standings as he earned $7,243,832 this season.
Jodi O’Neill took the top prize in the “Throw Out Par 5s” women’s golf club event at the University Park Country Club on Aug. 12. O’Neill had a low net score of 25 to edge Deb Simmons by one shot. Joann Snedeker and Alynna Fricke tied for third at 28.
Is affordable golf no longer par for the course?
Some local opportunities still exist, but the future of affordable golf in east Manatee is cloudy at best.
JAY HEATER
MANAGING EDITOR
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
Even as more courses are built in the golf-rich Lakewood Ranch area, a question looms: Are middle class and below golfers being priced out of the market?
The high-dollar end of the market appears to be thriving.
The Soleta Golf Club opened in December 2024, and the Miakka Golf Club should be open by the end of this year. Golf Digest gave Soleta, which was designed by Hall of Fame golfer Nick Price, glowing reviews.
The Miakka Golf Club was designed by Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design in concert with PGA Tour Major champion Paul Azinger. Scott Kauffman of GolfCourseIndustry.com writes about Miakka Golf Club, “The captivating tales are about ... creating one of America’s most extraordinary golf clubs in southwest Florida’s last unspoiled section of the rapidly growing Bradenton-Sarasota region.”
With some private clubs requiring initiation fees north of $100,000 these definitely are playgrounds for the rich.
Other recently built courses will be accessible only to members.
Calusa Country Club opened its golf course to the public in February, but it eventually will be private once the neighborhood’s home sales near completion. It currently costs $69 to play morning rounds there. Lakewood National Golf Club had two championship courses available to the public, but became private once its neighborhood neared a sell-out.
Legacy Golf Club was once the Lakewood Ranch area’s top public choice for golfers, but it was sold in 2024 to the Heritage Golf Group, which operates it as a private club, along with three others in the Country Club.
The private Concession Golf Club will host the Senior PGA Championship over the next three years and will showcase the legends of the sport to thousands of golf fans. It might inspire new golfers to take up the sport.
But will they have a place to play?
PUBLIC GOLF COURSES
Open-to-the-public courses in East County, and those a short drive away. Yardage listed is from the back tees. The green fees listed are for a 10 a.m. tee time.
EAST COUNTY River Club
Par: 72 Yards: 6,840
Address: 6600 River Club Blvd., Bradenton Phone: 751-4211
Approximate cost: $45
Waterlefe Golf and River Club Par: 72 Yards: 6,869 yards
Address: 1022 Fish Hook Cove, Bradenton Phone: 744-0393
Approximate cost: $99
Rosedale Golf Club Par: 72 Yards: 6,714 Address: 5100 87th St. E., Lakewood Ranch Phone: 756-0004
Approximate cost: $75
Heritage Harbour Golf Club Par 71 Yards: 6,832
Address: 8000 Stone Harbour Loop, Bradenton Phone: 746-2696
Approximate cost: $69
Calusa Country Club Par: 72 Yards: 7,404 Address: 18812 Scallop Loop, Lakewood Ranch Phone: 253-4600
PUBLIC OPTIONS
The River Club stands as the Lakewood Ranch area’s most affordable public choice for area golfers who don’t have the resources to pay $400 a month or more for four rounds. Morning rates during the summer are $45. Heritage Harbour Golf Club is next in line at $69 and Rosedale Golf Club charges $75. Those rates move toward $100 as season begins in the region.
Any plans to build golf courses in the future in east Manatee aren’t likely to include courses that will be accessible to those who can’t afford a significant expenditure each month. And the chances of a municipal course being built in East County for public use are slim.
Manatee County Commissioner Carol Felts said she wouldn’t favor another municipal golf course being built in the Myakka City area because too much agricultural land would be lost.
Commissioner Robert McCann said the county has the financial resources to build a municipal course in the Lakewood Ranch area, but he envisions a pushback from much of the county because, “you’ll have people objecting because the people in Lakewood Ranch should be able to afford their own golfing.”
East Manatee golfers do have a Palmetto option in Moccasin Wallow, which charges $50 for morning rounds in the summer, but that layout certainly can’t compete with a championship course like Heritage Harbour in terms of quality. Rolling Green Golf Course in Sarasota was a nearby affordable option for golfers, but was sold in 2018 and has since closed. It has been plowed under for development.
So should middle class golfers in the East County area just put out their clubs during a community garage sale?
Lakewood Ranch’s Jon Whittemore says no.
HOPE FOR LOWER COST
OPTIONS
Whittemore has owned more than 20 courses in partnership over the years, including Legacy and Rolling Green. While he admits maintenance costs have driven green fees skyward at many courses, he said with some adjustments, golfers on a budget can still enjoy the game they love.
So what kind of adjustments?
Driving to the county’s municipal courses, which are in central and west Bradenton and Palmetto, would be one option. Whittemore has partnered with David Perritt to form Fusion Golf Partners, which leases
Approximate cost: $69
OTHER MANATEE COUNTY
COURSES (NON-MUNICIPAL)
Peridia Golf and Country Club Par: 60 Yards: 3,373
Address: 4950 Peridia Blvd., E., Bradenton Phone: 758-2582
Address: 101 Cortez Road W., Bradenton Phone: 755-8888
Approximate cost: $30
MUNICIPAL COURSES River Run Golf Links Par: 70
Yards: 6,622
Address: 1801 27th St. E., Bradenton Phone: 708-8459
Approximate cost: $33 —
Manatee County Golf Course Par: 72
Courtesy photo
Brady Cleveland threw for a touchdown, returned a punt for a touchdown and caught two TD passes in ODA’s season-opening victory.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
John Byers is the general manager at River Run Golf Links, a municipal golf course owned and operated by the city of Bradenton.
Manatee County Golf Course in west Bradenton and the Buffalo Creek Golf Course in Palmetto from Manatee County. Those are two of the three municipal courses in Manatee County, the other being River Run Golf Links, which is operated by the city of Bradenton.
Whittemore said Manatee County has plans to upgrade some of the interior spaces and do some cosmetic improvements at its two courses to elevate the golf experience. The green fees are accessible to all golfers at $32 for the Manatee County Golf Course and $28 for the Buffalo Creek course.
“We’re excited about what can happen from this relationship,” Whittemore said of the Manatee County courses.
Other adjustments in finding low rates at municipal courses include playing “first light tee times” early in the morning. “We like to use our tee sheet to the customers’ advantage,” Whittemore said.
“Another tool in our tool belt is 9-hole rounds,” he said. “We can make those available on the back nine at first light.”
He said Fusion Golf will explore ways to enhance the driving range experience and will offer a practiceand-play special that will combine unlimited range balls with special rates on tee times.
“We know full well that customers can afford a certain number before we start losing rounds,” he said. “Can we keep tee times affordable in the long run? We are going to use our tools.”
Some of the tools will be changing with the times.
Whittemore said the number of Gen Zers and millennials who play golf is increasing. PopStroke and Topgolf locations are creating more interest in the game. Whittemore calls it “cocktail hour golf.” He said those golfers often transform to “real green grass golfers.”
He said strategic partnerships will be important in the long run for the Manatee County courses. He is currently working on the formation of strategic partnerships with New College and IMG Academy.
Buffalo Creek hosted 56,674 rounds of golf in 2024 while Manatee Golf Club hosted 51,406. Fusion pays Manatee County $64,572 each quar-
ter for the right to run the courses. But can Fusion golf keep the green fees down at the current level if it spends more money to elevate the golf experience?
SUCCESS KEEPS RATES LOW
The city of Bradenton, which operates River Run itself, faces similar challenges. Can the course be maintained at an acceptable level while still keeping green fees from rising to a point where it locks out a large portion of the community?
Bradenton’s Steve Doll plays every Tuesday at River Run.
“They take good care of us,” Doll said, “And you can’t beat the price.”
If you play at River Run between June and September in the morning, you can pay as little as $32 with a cart. First light tee times can be had for $22 and golfers pay $25 after 1 p.m.
Supreme Golf, a website and app that allows users to book tee times around the world, analyzed over 5.4 million rounds of golf played in 2023 to find the average cost of a round. In Florida, rounds average $64.
That being said, many of those rounds are generated by tourists, who can drive the price of golf up during peak season.
River Run’s rates fluctuate seasonally, but even in the height of season, golfers pay about $59 to play 18 holes with a cart.
“We lower the rates (in the summer) to make sure that our citizens understand that we appreciate them coming out and supporting us,” River Run General Manager John Byers said. “We also allow walkers because the city wants to promote physical activity.”
The course accommodates about 65,000 rounds of golf each year, including both 9-hole and 18-hole rounds.
River Run is its own enterprise fund within the city, so it has to pay for itself. In 2024, the course’s profit was $545,267.
That is encouraging to those who want the green fees to remain close to where they are now.
COSTS CAN’T BE DENIED
But there are costs, some unexpected.
River Run staff members are working on a project now that is creating
a waste bunker in an area that used to be filled with trees and brush. Byers said it was a bit of an eyesore, but worse, it was slowing down play because balls were getting lost in the brush.
That was one of five projects identified in a 2023 course evaluation performed by National Golf Foundation Consulting. All five projects totaled about $600,000 and included rebuilding the bridges on the course, removing sand bunkers to increase the speed of play, upgrading the golf shop and creating native landscaping areas to lower mowing costs.
During the rainy summer months, two people ride mowers all week long to maintain the natural turf, which Byers said needs to be replaced soon.
While the report suggested an overhaul option that would exceed $7 million, Byers threw out a guess of about $1 million for basic turf replacement. Currently, Byers and the staff are working on a five- to 10-year plan to address the course’s needs.
“(The turf) is a larger project that we’ll have to tackle at some point,” Byers said. “We’re doing our best to keep money in the coffers. We’re definitely in the situation where we try to pay as we go.”
Following the 2023 evaluation, the city increased the course’s chemical budget, which the study showed was far below its competitors’ budgets.
For now, there are some brown spots on the course where the maintenance staff is killing off weeds and
tropical grasses to let the Bermuda grass take over again. Byers said the process takes multiple years and treatments.
The overarching task for the team is to provide a great course that is a value option for citizens.
River Run abuts Mixon Fruit Farms, which Manatee County commissioners agreed to purchase July 29. The city explored the possibility of expanding the course early on in negotiations, but opted out for the time being.
“While no formal steps were taken, it’s something we continue to evaluate,” said Tiffany Shadik, public information manager for the city. “There’s still interest in the idea as opportunities develop.”
Nonmunicipal courses in East County that cater to the public face the same kind of pressure to maintain the course and keep green fees as low as possible.
“It’s just a combination of things,” said Brian Lentz, who is the course superintendent at Heritage Harbour Golf Club. “Labor is the biggest cost and chemical fertilizer is second. Third is water. We used to get effluent water to use on the course for free, but no longer. We pay for it now.”
Lentz came to Heritage Harbour last September after working at Lakewood Ranch Country Club for more than 20 years.
“At Lakewood Ranch Country Club, we had 54 holes, and we had 50 to 53 workers. Here we have 12 workers, and three of those are part time.”
The budget constraints are tighter at a course that caters to the public and tries to keep green fees affordable while attempting to provide a top-flight golf experience.
“If we get a few extra dollars, we can buy a piece of equipment or two,” Lentz said. “We try to save money on the repair side. If we can fix it, it saves us a lot. We are much more frugal with dollars here.”
But the unexpected does happen.
“We identified a problem with a parasite nematode,” Lentz said. “We treated 25 to 30 acres, key areas. We have seen extensive healing and when the golfers come back (for season), they will see it.”
Whittemore said Heritage Harbour General Manager Mark Bruce’s investment into raising the golf experience at Heritage Harbour while keeping the green fees reasonable has been impressive. He said Heritage Harbour has filled the void in the market left by Legacy’s sale to become a private course.
Bruce, who was a teammate with Whittemore on the Riverview High state championship golf team in 1986, has been in the business 35 years. He knows not everyone can afford $75 for a round.
“We navigate the waters ... supply and demand,” he said. “But we also support young golfers. We have two middle school teams, and two high school teams that use our course (for free) for practices and matches. We have programs where a kid can play for free when accompanied by a paying adult.”
Whittemore experienced the battle of investing millions into Legacy while trying to keep green fees affordable. In the six years before Whittemore and his Advance Golf Partners purchased Legacy in 2015, the course had three owners in six years. None was able to maintain the quality of the course, and golfers responded by staying away. Ironically, when conditions deteriorated, that period led to golf for players who never could have afforded the green fees if the course had sufficiently invested in maintenance.
Can a championship course do the maintenance to sustain its standing as an elite course while charging muni prices?
“It’s impossible,” Bruce said.
Bradenton’s Steve Doll takes his best shot on Hole 17 at River Run Golf Links, one of the few affordable golf opportunities in Manatee County.
YOUR CALENDAR
THURSDAY, AUG. 21 THROUGH
SUNDAY, AUG. 24
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 5-8 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Kid Red (Thursday), David Fowler (Friday), Mike Suddereth (Saturday) and Kid Red (Sunday). All the music this week is free. For information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
FRIDAY, AUG. 22 AND SATURDAY. AUG. 23
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Singer-songwriter Jesse Layman takes center stage Friday to entertain the Waterside Place crowd in the free music series while acoustic cover artist Mike Williams entertains the crowd on Saturday. For information, go to WatersidePlace.com.
SATURDAY, AUG. 23
ROOFTOP YOGA
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, AUG. 23 AND SUNDAY, AUG. 24
MUSIC AT THE LODGE
Runs 6-9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday at Linger Lodge, 7205 85th St. Court E., Bradenton. Linger Lodge’s live music schedule includes Brooke Hargrove on Saturday and Steve Cherubino on Sunday.
SUNDAY, AUG. 24
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.
BEST BET
SUNDAY, AUG. 24
FARMERS MARKET
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 include children’s activities and live music. For information, visit MyLWR.com.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 27
MALL WALKER CLUB
Begins at 9 a.m. at the Mall at University Town Center, 140 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota. Anyone is welcome to join the Mall Walker Club, sponsored by the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. Those joining can then follow a regular routine of walking the mall one hour prior to regular mall operating hours. This is a free, individually paced program that encourages members to live healthy, active lives. Those in the club can earn rewards for the miles they accumulate. First register for the Mall Walker Club at the Customer Service Deck during regular mall hours. After 100 hours of walking, a member earns a pedometer. After 500 miles, the reward is an exercise band. After 1,000 miles, the member receives a fanny pack and water bottle. For more information, go to MallAtUTC.com.
Dr. Amir Boubekri brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Lakewood Ranch I office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Orthopedic Medicine.
Undergraduate: University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Medical School: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL
Residency: Orthopedic Surgery, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL
Fellowship: Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Certification: Board Eligible, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Hospital Affiliations: Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Sarasota Doctors Hospital; Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
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SWAP MEET by Michael Schlossberg, edited by Jared Goudsmit
By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms
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