East County Observer 12.01.22

YOUR TOWN

Nothing can beat a super gyro

Tara’s Judy Strobhar usually orders the Greek gyro when she attends St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church’s Greek Glendi.

But for her first time visiting the church’s Autumn Fest Nov. 19, Strobhar decided to try something different.

She ordered the sampler platter, which included stuffed grape leaves, meatballs, spanakopita, tyropita, olives, feta cheese, hummus spread and pita bread.

“I’m looking forward to trying all of it,” Strobhar said.

Tara’s Marge Palacio (above with Strobhar) decided to stick with her favorite Greek food, the gyro.

“I don’t understand a lot of the other food and this is my favorite,” Palacio said.

She couldn’t wait to have dessert. She was eager to have baklava and kourambiethes.

A musical show for the ages

The band Jack’D Up, which was performing Nov. 23 at Ranch Nite Wednesdays at Waterside Place, allowed some younger members of the audience to come on stage.

Among the children to join the band was Greenbrook’s 6-year-old Brielle Smith, who stood alongside Sarasota’s Julia Brown (above with Smith), one of the group’s two lead vocalists. Smith was on stage for much of the show and even was able to play the tambourine.

Smith said her favorite part of the experience was dancing.

Smith’s father, Brad Smith, said Brown’s performances provide a welcome family alternative to many of the tavern and bar acts.

“One of the coolest things about her shows, and why we love coming to them, is that she’s so interactive, and she gets the kids involved,” Brad Smith said. “It’s amazing that my daughter can feel so comfortable going up on stage.”

PAGE 6A

Addition of 27 firefighters over five years highlights East Manatee Fire Rescue’s five-year plan.

SEE PAGE 3A

East Manatee Fire plans to expand

TEE OFF TIME

After a $2 million renovation, Heritage Harbour reopens with the hope of providing as much fun as possible. SEE PAGE 8A

Circus career not a stretch. INSIDE

Liz Ramos

Ian Swaby

Lakewood Ranch’s

Jay Heater

Joe Poshepny of Wisconsin hits his drive off No. 1 at Heritage Harbour Golf Course, which is now open again after a $2 million renovation.

File photo

Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh was fined $8,000 in her settlement with the Florida Commission on Ethics.

Vanessa Baugh learns tough lessons after setting up a vaccination clinic during the pandemic. SEE

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

The generosity of the com munity during the holiday season has created a slight problem for Meals on Wheels Plus Manatee.

President and Chief Executive Officer Maribeth Phillips said more volunteers are needed to help sort through all of the food donations, and to place them on shelves, ready for use by food pantries.

Phillips said that need is despite the fact with season comes many more volunteers to the nonprofit. Even so, Meals on Wheels Plus could use even more.

Phillips said one important pur pose volunteers serve is providing interaction when they drop off food for homebound seniors.

“It’s a friendly face, and some of our clients might not even see any body else,” she said.

It’s a busy season for all the volun teers at Meals on Wheels Plus, both new and old.

The first big event of December is the 17th annual Holiday Shoebox Drive and Reception, which will be hosted Dec. 3 at the Lakewood Ranch Elk’s Club. The event is designed to provide homebound seniors with a boost during the holiday season.

Those who attend the event, which runs from 4-6 p.m., will either donate a shoebox with about 10 items inside or they will give a $20 donation. Each box is closed and secured with a rubber band and is identified as male, female or nongender specific. For more informa tion, go to MealsonWheelsPlus.org.

For each box a guest brings, they

will receive a raffle ticket or a free drink.

“(The guests) enjoy a nice little reception, but they’re doing some thing good for people who are in need,” Phillips said. “A good major ity of our clients live by themselves, so they don’t have family around, or they don’t have a spouse, and so this is just a little touch of joy during the holiday for them.”

Meals on Wheels has been plan ning Christmas dinners to be pro vided toi its clients along with its food distribution on Dec. 4 and Dec.

19, for the first 500 families in need.

“Hunger is 24-7 for some people, and so the needs are great, whether it’s Christmas, or it’s July Fourth,” she said. “Hunger doesn’t discrimi nate.”

Plus gave out 500 turkey dinners, and the nonprofit is on track to give out 3 million pounds of food this year.

She said the greater demand is evi dent through interactions with the 85 food pantries and other agencies serviced by Meals on Wheels Plus.

One major way the organization receives food donations in Decem ber is the delivery of barrels to busi nesses that fill up the barrels with food donations and then return them when full. Volunteers then check the dates on the donated food and sort out the donations.

MealsOnWheelsPlus.org. These, she said, includes canned vegetables and canned fruit, cereal, and staples such as peanut butter and meat and proteins.

She said currently, the organiza tion is on track with its holiday meal initiatives. although it has been a challenge to acquire turkeys for Christmas dinners, along with side dishes.

And while she continues to seek out donations, she said residents of the county are “very thoughtful and very generous,” especially with their time.

Overall in the county, Phillips said the price of food and gas, along with the impact of Hurricane Ian, have left many more families in need of food.

She said her organization current ly is serving 900 clients, while before the start of COVID-19, it served 550. She said on Nov. 21, Meals on Wheels

Food and monetary donations always are welcome.

Another need in terms of volun teers include help to run arts, music, crafts, and other activities at the Daybreak Adult Day Care Center in Lakewood Ranch.

HOT BUYS!

A list of critical food items is avail able on the organization’s website,

“We rely on volunteers to help us and they are an extension of our mis sion,” she said. “We are so grateful to the community and I always say Manatee County takes care of Mana tee County.”

Future set for East Manatee Fire Rescue

More firefighters, expanded facilities highlight the fiveyear plan.

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

East Manatee Fire Rescue com missioners passed a five-year plan Nov. 22 that focuses on the infrastructure needed to accommodate additional firefight ers.

The department is planning for expansion of its personnel to deal with the area’s rapid growth.

The five-year plan also recom mends adding an Advanced Life Support program.

“Chief (Lee Whitehurst) and staff did a heck of a job,” Fire Commis sioner Derek Foss said of putting together the plan. “We’ve got a plan to expand, and hire more people, and (Advanced Life Support) is in there as well.”

Advanced Life Support refers to adding equipment and paramediccertified firefighters, who can offer care beyond what regular firefight ers can provide.

Whitehurst was pleased that com missioners showed unanimous sup port of the plan. He noted the plan is not a fixed path for the department, but a guide which the board has the ability to revise moving forward, if needed.

After the Fire Commission unani mously approved the plan, some commissioners said they would like to see the plan to add a training offi cer position, which isn’t accommo dated until the fifth year, accelerated.

INCREASED STAFFING

The five-year plan was designed to meet growth demands, with an additional $4,104,125 being spent per year by the final year of the plan after the addition of 27 firefighters and various non-firefighter person nel.

The plan calls for the addition of nine firefighters, who will act as floats (firefighters not attached to a specific East Manatee station). They will be hired three per year for the first three years of the plan. They can fill in at any site, at a total of $948,125 per year for salaries and benefits.

One fire inspector will be hired at a cost of $100,000 per year, and one emergency vehicle technician will be hired at a cost of $125,000 per year.

Staffing initiatives further ramp up during the fourth year with nine firefighters being hired to staff the upcoming Station 9 at $1,398,000 per year.

The final year includes nine fire fighters for a heavy rescue team at Station 6, located along State Road 70 east of its intersection with I-75, for $1,112,000 per year.

Whitehurst said the fifth year of the plan included the hiring of a fire and EMS training officer, which was added after discussions with East Manatee Firefighters Local 4074.

Deputy Chief Paul Wren said this position would help facilitate the Advanced Life Support. As a certi fied paramedic, the training officer would be able to provide quality control for the Advanced Life Sup port program.

Fire Commissioner Bob Conley liked the idea and suggested this position be added sooner. He also said more than one such training officer might be needed.

“This should be aggressively looked at much earlier than in the plan,” Conley said. “I don’t know too many fire departments that have close to 120 firefighters and are add ing (personnel) as aggressively as we are.”

BY THE NIMBERS

FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022-2023 TO FISCAL YEAR 2026-2027

Additional staffing costs: $4,104,125 (per year after staffing additions hired)

Additional facilities costs: $30,400,000

Additional vehicle costs: $7,624,000

BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023-2024

Total estimated revenues: $23,787,826

Total carryover: $14,431,234

Total reserve funds: $11,011,861

Total expenditures: $27,207,199

Fire Commissioner Derek Foss agreed the position should be priori tized. Foss said with a Heavy Rescue team planned for Station 6, more training would be needed in order to keep those firefighters up to date with their skills and equipment.

According to Wren, the Heavy Rescue team would aid in situations including rope rescues, structural collapse, and incidents involving trenches and confined spaces.

Whitehurst said the hiring of a training officer had been postponed to the fifth year due to a lack of space to house new personnel and pro grams until facility expansions were made.

Whitehurst also said two of three captains now in place are able to serve in the capacity of a shift train ing officer. However, he said respon sibilities were growing cumbersome for those staff members.

Both Foss and Conley said the department must put a priority on training personnel who can serve as safety and medical officers.

“The growth is happening faster than we can develop people into those positions, and we’re doing the best we can to do that,” Whitehurst said.

Whitehurst said he has worked with the union to help him determine the ratios of staff to administrators.

“That added perspective,” he said.

IMPROVED FACILITIES

Whitehurst said due to East Mana tee Fire Rescue’s planned increase in staffing, a corresponding increase in facilities and equipment also is needed. Renovation and new con struction is a priority in the five-year plan.

A financial outlay of $30.4 million is targeted toward facilities.

The 2022-2023 East Manatee Fire Rescue budget, approved Sept. 17, is $27,207,199 but doesn’t include the funding to replace Station 11 on Wauchula Road in Myakka City. Funding for the project is included in the five-year plan with the thought that fire commissioners will reas sess the project in mid-Fiscal Year in 2023.

Whitehurst said this project would provide a hurricane-rated facility that could more reliably serve the Myakka City area, the need of which Hurricane Ian had demonstrated even more thoroughly as the fire fighters had to evacuate the current station.

Another planned facility expan sion in the plan is Station 1, the fire department’s headquarters, which is located along Lakewood Ranch Bou levard.

Whitehurst said the master plan for the facility, created in 2007, allowed for the addition of further features. Past additions have includ ed a training tower.

Included in the plan is a new build ing described as an administrative and logistics facility, which will receive and store materials related to new trucks and staff, with half of the facility devoted to office space.

When the building was built in 2008, Whitehurst said, it housed eight people including himself, the department’s former chief Byron Teates, a bookkeeper, a training offi cer, a fire marshal, two fire inspec tors, and a receptionist. However, he said the space has since expanded to

“This should be aggressively looked at much earlier than in the plan. I don’t know too many fire departments that have close to 120 firefighters and are adding (personnel) as aggressively as we are.”

— Fire Commissioner Bob Conley

include twice that number.

Another major initiative is the construction of Station 9 on State Road 64 east of Lorraine Road to serve the area between that road and Bourneside Boulevard.

Work on the station begins in the third year of the plan, Fiscal Year 2024-2025, and finishes in the final year of Fiscal Year 2026-2027, total ing $3.6 million.

“That is the next corridor that is going to see an explosion of residen tial homes,” Wren said. He said the fire station would reduce the insur ance premiums residents in the area must pay.

DRIVE FOR VEHICLES

The speed at which vehicles are add ed has slowed from previous years, Whitehurst said.

He said this was the result of sup ply chain issues changing the con struction timeline of a fire truck from one to two years.

Nonetheless, he said at the same time, the flooding around the Myak ka River caused by Hurricane Ian resulted in the fire department look ing more proactively into vehicles.

The vehicle costs, which totals $7,624,000, include additional and replacement engines and other vehicles.

One vehicle currently included in the plan is a water rescue vehicle of approximately $250,000. The type will be decided by staff familiar with the area, he said.

The plan also includes a highwater vehicle. This replaces a truck that was ruined Oct. 1 in which a Levee broke in the Hidden River community.

The five-year plan includes a replacement of the current Station 11 along Wauchula Road.

Vehicles will be added in the five-year plan of the East Manatee Fire Rescue.

Ian Swaby

Fire Commissioners Derek Foss, Garry Lawson, and Bob Conley discuss the plan at the Nov. 21 commission meeting.

UTC adds another brew house

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

One executive is stepping up his game plan to continue a brewery he said is important to the Southwest Florida region.

Leo “L.J.” Govoni, CEO and cofounder of Seaboard Craft Beer Holdings, has selected University Town Center for the next Fat Point Brewing location.

Although the brewery is named for its original location of Punta Gorda, which means “Fat Point” in Spanish, Govoni said successful craft beer establishments in Florida require multiple locations.

“Fat Point needs outposts,” he said, calling the UTC area a “fantas tically managed and well plannedout shopping and hospitality center.”

The new 2,500-square-foot ven ue, which will be located along Cat tlemen Road between Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar and Ford’s Garage, has targeted a first quarter of 2023 opening, although he said he would open sooner if construction is fin ished.

Govoni said the site, which will offer beers brewed on location, will shift the company’s focus to small batch beers in order to allow “experi mentation” with the brand.

The new location is expected to give to as many of 60 new beers a year.

Some of those will join the brew ery’s signature lineup of coastal Florida-inspired beers.

The site will feature either a threebarrel or one-barrel brewing system, with four fermenters, in contrast to the 15-barrel system at Fat Point’s original Punta Gorda location.

“If you miss, you miss small,” he said.

He said the small size would also increase the ease of experimenta

tion, as adding a small amount of ingredients impacts the final prod uct “dramatically.”

Another reason he said he is expanding to Sarasota is the brew ery’s Punta Gorda branch is current ly closed and in the process of being moved across the street.

He said it was important for the company to keep the Fat Point brand present in Florida.

Fat Point Brewing was founded in 2014 by Bill Frazer and his brotherin-law Duncan Scarry, but Seaboard Craft Beer Holdings took over the struggling brewery in 2017. Govoni said in purchasing the brand, he wanted to keep craft beer relevant in the area.

“Buying the brand was important to what we’re doing, because it was important to Southwest Florida,” he said.

The majority of current flagship beers, he said, was inherited from the original owners.

Govoni strives for cleanliness and complexity.

He also said customers can expect bold flavors.

“I think if we’re going to brew a tangerine wheat, that means that tangerine needs to kick you in the face,” he said. “You need to have the aromatics as soon as you put that glass to your nose and mouth, the flavor needs to be there, and the fin ish needs to be perfect.”

The Punta Gorda-based brewery is opening a new location at University Town Center.

Fat Point Brewing is targeted for an early 2023 opening at UTC in Sarasota.

Courtesy photo

Ian debris cleanup almost complete

ABOUT THE DEBRIS COLLECTION

IAN SWABY STAFF WRITER

Although it has been two months since the impact of Hurricane Ian in Manatee County, some residents have wondered when they will see the last of the storm debris on their curb.

“We don’t have top priority,” said District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, who noted the process has been slowed by the fact many clean up resources have been working in harder-hit places like Lee County.

However, she also noted the storm was unlike any other that has hit Manatee County in the last 100 years and therefore left lots of debris in its wake.

Manatee County spokesman Bill Logan said the county’s cleanup efforts, especially in the Lakewood Ranch, University Park and Myakka City areas, should be complete in December.

Logan sent an email that estimated cleanup costs in the county have now risen past $10 million.

Original estimates of the coun ty needing to pick up 250,000 to 350,000 cubic yards of debris have been low. So far, more than 600,000 cubic yards has been collected.

The scope of the project has extended the time needed to pick up all the debris.

Some residents piled up multiple piles of debris over time so contrac tors have had to make additional trips to neighborhoods where they already had collected.

Schools were the county’s top pri

ority so they could resume normal operations.

Vegetative debris has comprised the largest portion of the material, according to Logan, with some con struction and demolition material present as well. The two different types of debris have been collected as best as possible with separate trucks.

According to Logan, the three con tractors dealing with the debris since the storm are DRC Emergency Ser vices, Ceres Environmental Services, and Phillips & Jordan.

Due to the volume of debris, the county has consolidated materials at various collection sites that would provide shorter trips so the trucks could empty quickly and get back to curbside removal.

Logan would not say where the consolidation sites are due to the county hoping to avoid residents dumping debris at the sites.

Some of the vegetative material will be used for agricultural pur poses, but most will be hauled to a disposal site.

Despite debris in some areas await ing pickup, residents interviewed by the Observer offered largely positive comments about the county’s efforts to clean up after the hurricane.

Edgewater’s Larisa Barreto said everything within her area was

picked up “fairly quickly,” within about a week.

Braden Woods’ Zory Tolstov said debris in her area was picked up about a month after the storm, with completion by the beginning of November, and said she felt the county had made a “very impres sive” effort.

She said the vegetation-heavy nature of Braden Woods, which includes many tall oak and pine

trees, led to substantial amounts of debris in the streets, and what she estimated was hundreds of large trees down.

As soon as the storm had passed, she said, trucks were present in the area picking up debris.

She said the county’s efforts have improved since Hurricane Irma in 2017.

“We didn’t have problems (with Hurricane Ian cleanup),” said Green

brook’s Stacy Moore. “Probably a little delay, but that was expected.”

Arbor Grande’s James Mangiani ello said his debris was picked up within two weeks of the storm.

He also said an experience with Hurricane Sandy in his former home in the Rockaway Peninsula in New York in 2012, gave him perspective on the devastation that was possible from a hurricane.

His car ended up underwater, while his apartment complex saw deterioration due to the damage from saltwater, he said.

He also said he felt that Arbor Grande’s drainage system, which provided numerous hills to direct the water, offered an advantage in the neighborhood’s recovery from the storm.

Baugh said despite any annoy ances from debris that residents may still face, the impacts of the storm could have been far worse.

“I tell everyone, as long as we have a home and a bed, we are blessed,” Baugh said.

Jay Heater

Myakka City area residents can expect all the debris to be picked up by the end of December.

File photo

A

Commissioner speaks out after settlement

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh wanted clo sure.

However, even though a settlement had been signed Oct. 31 by both Baugh and Advocate Eliza beth Miller, an assistant attorney general who represented the com plainants before a scheduled hear ing by the Florida Commission on Ethics, it didn’t give her a chance to address the community.

The third-term commissioner was accused of misusing her position to allow Lakewood Ranch to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in February 2021. Eighteen ethics com plaints were filed against Baugh, who bypassed her fellow commissioners to set up the clinic and to limit it to two Lakewood Ranch and vicinity ZIP codes.

An administrative hearing was ordered by the Florida Commission on Ethics in September 2021.

Baugh, who was the chair of the commission at the time of the clinic, also had made a list of five individuals (herself, Lakewood Ranch’s Robert Keehn and Marie Keehn, SchroederManatee Ranch CEO and President Rex Jensen and Jensen’s father, Law rence Jensen) to receive vaccinations at the clinic. Baugh never actually received a vaccination at the clinic.

The settlement stipulates, “Respondent admits Allegation

II Respondent violated Section 112.313(6), Florida Statutes, by using or attempting to use her public posi tion and/or resources to deviate from Manatee County’s COVID-19 vac cine distribution policy to serve spe cific individuals and Zip Codes at a state-operated pop-up vaccination site.”

Baugh was fined $8,000.

With three new members join ing the Manatee County Commis sion last week following the election and its first meeting Nov. 29, Baugh wanted to answer questions about the pop-up clinic in what she hoped would for the final time.

How did this all start?

What happened was that Rex (Jen sen) called me (Friday, Feb. 12, 2021) and said he needed my help. The gov ernor (Ron DeSantis) had called him and wanted to have a vaccination

Vanessa Baugh says she never had the chance to present her side of the vaccination clinic to the public.

File photos

Vanessa Baugh said the public furor over the pop-up clinic was tough on her family, including husband Don.

clinic in Lakewood Ranch. He said, ‘I can’t do it by myself.’ I said, ‘What do you need?’ I told him I would call Elliott Falcione (executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau who oversees Pre mier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch). I asked Rex if he had dates yet and he said ‘no.’ Premier had ample land. When I called Elliott, he asked me to find out the dates. I kept Rex in the loop and I knew we were going to have to act quickly.

Everything was happening so quickly and Gov. DeSantis want ed to deliver the 3,000 vacci nations the next week, did you think you could get it done?

I told Rex, ‘You tell the governor I will get it done this weekend.’ We (Vanes sa and her husband Don Baugh) were going to New Port Richey in the RV.

I sent an email to (Manatee County Public Safety Director) Jacob Saur to give him a heads up. Then I received a call from the Florida Division of Emergency Management. We’re in an RV going down the road and the state wants a tour of Premier. I called Elliott and he took care of it. Emer gency Management thought the site was perfect and that we needed to do the clinic the next week (Feb. 17-19, although those dates had not yet been confirmed at that time). It didn’t help that Sunday was Valen tine’s Day and Monday was Presi dents’ Day, so the county was closed. The state’s Emergency Management said it would bring it all. I had already called the Sheriff (Rick Wells) to make sure we had deputies, and no traffic jams. The governor was bringing in the highway patrol.

Why Lakewood Ranch?

The governor felt there was a high percentage of seniors who had not been able to get the vaccine. He wanted to get that percentage down so he could lower the age from 65 to 60.  The two ZIP codes were chosen because they were the ZIP codes for Lakewood Ranch, River Club, part of Myakka, and as far north to 64, so I jumped on it. I was doing everything I could think of to prepare for “next week.” They said “next week” and that was all I really knew. I talked to Jacob Saur and he said we didn’t have enough time to put it together. I asked if it was possible to use the

I didn’t know how else to get 3,000 people lined up in a number of days.

I ask him if we could pull names from what we have. He said, ‘I will let you know.’ If not, I knew we would have cars lined up down State Road 70. Jake called me. He said, ‘I have a list with 7,800 names in 34202 and 34211. We only had 3,000 vaccines.’ This was bigger than I thought. I was wondering if there was some way we could get more vaccines. People already were upset with the lottery system.

Why did you make up the VIP list?

There was no VIP list. There were names (Robert Keehn and Marie Keehn) that I could not find on the (ZIP codes) list sent to me, who I knew were registered for the lottery.

lottery system. Everyone on the list lived in the two ZIP codes except for Rex and his father (Lawrence Jen sen). I thought since had it not been for Rex, it wouldn’t be happening anyway. I thought it was the right thing to do. There was no mention of the VIP list in the settlement.

You moved ahead and organized the entire clinic, and pulled it off, without notifying your fel low commissioners. Didn’t that open you to criticism?

I may have handled things differ ently. I could have sent emails (to the commissioners) and I didn’t. I didn’t find out until Friday that it was going to happen on a Wednesday. Things already were very difficult between the commissioners. I didn’t want to mess anything up (with getting

the clinic organized). I should have sent the emails. When you are put in that situation, you are dealing with a pandemic that is killing people. You do what you have to do. When 3,000 people are getting a vaccine, you have to make decisions. I should have kept the board more abreast of the situation. Looking back is easy.

The blowback from some county politicians and residents was immediate. How did that affect

I was on every national channel. I was being called a criminal on the dais by another commissioner.

It appeared at one time you might consider resigning. How bad did

There was a time or two where I thought I should go ahead and resign. In my heart, I feel I tried to do the right things in the right way. I had a lot of people in the public who thanked me. They said I stood up for them. But it was bad. Every (commission) meeting we had peo ple coming before the board dur ing public comment, asking me to resign. Some commissioners were criticizing me, asking me to resign. saying, ‘You’ve disgraced Manatee County.’ The hardest part was seeing what it was doing to my children, my grandchildren, my husband. ‘Grand ma is being condemned.’ They didn’t understand it. My family paid a heavy price for what I did. Manatee County citizens have been going through a lot. I wanted it to stop for their sake. I didn’t recall ever wishing I was not a county commissioner. You know,

you have to learn how to serve oth ers. I didn’t become a commissioner to make money. I wanted to make things better in Manatee County. I just wished I had done things differ ently. But I did things that I thought would keep this on track.

How hard was hearing that the Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause ‘to believe ‘Ms. Baugh violated the consti tutional amendment prohibiting the abuse of office to obtain a dis proportionate benefit by placing her own name at the top of a ran domly selected list of recipients to receive a COVID-19 vaccina tion. In addition, probable cause was found to believe Ms. Baugh misused her position or public resources to assign vaccine dis tribution priority to serve spe cific individuals and zip codes, contrary to Manatee County’s COVID-19 vaccination policy.’ It was obvious that it was an orches trated bottom line.

Why settle?

Finding probable cause was hurtful, but my attorney knew that we had the opportunity to get to the core of the situation, which we did.  Basi cally the ethics commission found that I did not follow the lottery sys tem designated by the county, which is very  true. The BOCC had even dis cussed the fact that it was not work ing very well and that people from other states were coming here to get the vaccine. Also it was discovered that there was not an ordinance done to make that law, the only ordinance was the governor’s ordinance, which was followed. But it would have cost $100,000 (in legal fees) for a trial.

So, if you have put it behind you, are you excited about 2023 with three new commissioners and all Republicans on the Commis sion?

There was a political divide in Mana tee County, but now we have a new board. It’s time for us to put all this behind us. I am totally excited to see seven strong, conservative Republi cans on the commission. I am excited to see what their thoughts are, to see what they want to see done. I am excited to get started.

Vanessa Baugh wanted to set the record straight about her actions during the Lakewood Ranch pop-up vaccination clinic in February 2021.

“I didn’t become a commissioner to make money. I wanted to make things better in Manatee County. I just wished I had done things differently. But I did things that I thought would keep this on track.”

— Vanessa Baugh

High expectations for lower scores

Local golfers say they love the kinder, friendly Heritage Harbour Golf Course.

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

While words like risk, reward, options and playability were being tossed about, Country Meadows’ Grant Abrams said the renovation of the Heritage Harbour Golf Course comes down to one word.

“Fun.”

Abrams, an avid golfer who belongs to Heritage Harbour’s Practice Plus program, said golfers of all levels will enjoy the upgrades to the course.

“It is more fun,” he said. “The con dition is way better because they’ve done a lot of work. Everything is green and the course definitely has risen to another tier. It’s turned into a resort course.”

Mark Bruce, the golf club’s manag ing partner, said one goal of the reno vation was to give those who play a sense of accomplishment instead of a sense of defeat.

Bruce said the number of sand bunkers on the course remains about the same as before the renovation, but he noted the total square footage of the bunkers is considerably less. The smaller bunkers, he said, make it more efficient to maintain.

Many of the bunkers were moved to make their impact less penalizing, and in fact some actually were placed in spots to benefit the golfers.

“When this course first opened (as Stoneybrook in 2001), it was built to be dramatic,” Bruce said in a May interview. “It had big, deep bunkers that would penalize the golfer for a bad shot. That doesn’t bode well for common golfers.”

On hole No. 13, bunkers were placed in front of a water hazard that used to collect any balls hit in that direction due to the slope. Now instead of losing a ball, and a shot, golfers can get out their sand wedge.

On No. 15, two bunkers were again placed in front of a lake that would collect bad shots.

“We wanted to keep players away from the water hazards and wet lands,” Bruce said. “Keeping their ball in play makes for a better score.”

In some cases, bunkers were moved to give golfers easier access to the green they were protecting.

“No. 8 used to have six bunkers around it,” Bruce said. “Now it has two. You don’t need six bunkers guarding a par 3. And if you wrap six bunkers around it, every Tom, Dick and Harry can’t play it.”

The course was closed May 2 to begin the renovation. Golf course architect Nick Campanelli, who designed the renovation, said his focus was on strategy and playabil ity.

“This is not going to be a punish ing design,” he said in May.

Local golfers agree.

Heritage Harbour’s Ken Apple said the more playable course would lead to faster play.

TEE IT UP

What: Opening of Heritage Harbour Golf Course after a $2 million renovation

Opening dates: Front nine on Nov. 3, back nine on Nov. 21

Closed for renovation: May 2

Then and now: The course now plays 6,700 yards from the back tees, about 300 yards shorter than before the renovation. It is a Par 72 as opposed to a Par 71 before the renovation

Renovation architect: Nick Campanelli

Original architect: Arthur Hills (died May 18, 2021)

Cost: Twilight rates as low as $39 and regular rates as low as $49

“The sand traps had been unplay able for years,” he said. “I think that is the biggest difference.”

Raymond Rivest, who lives along side No. 14, said he finds the reno vated course to be a little bit easier.

“I think it will accelerate play,” he said.

East County’s Jay Romine, a 15-handicap golfer, said he likes that they made it a bit easier by moving many of the bunkers.

“The bottom line is to have fun,” he said. “You don’t want to play a course that beats your brains in.”

Romine is very pleased with the overall renovation.

“It gives you options, and it also speeds up the pace of play,” he said.

“I am amazed at how nice the fair ways are. It nice to have a cushion under your ball.”

Abrams, who is a low handicap golfer, said he appreciates the job that was done around the greens.

“Every green used to be elevated,” he said. “If you missed on a lot of the greens, you would fall down into a waste area. Then you couldn’t get up and down. Now it’s more fair.

“And they did a great job of moving the bunkers. They put them in places where now they are risk/reward. The Par 5s are very gettable now, but you don’t want to miss into one of those bunkers.”

The fairways and greens on all 18 holes were redone. Bruce said crushed shell bunkers were added to the course to create character in the fairways. Tree trimming and remov al provided proper sunlight and air circulation to keep the fairways and greens healthy.

The bunkers now have collars, another aesthetic touch.

“This was an intense 6 months,” Bruce said.

Scott McBroom’s Westscapes Golf Course Construction of St. Peters burg performed all the earth moving and construction on the course.

While the course is now open again, efforts to develop a 15-acre section of the course into a resort hotel and villas continues. The proj ect runs basically where the No. 1 and No. 2 holes used to run along River Heritage Boulevard and Heritage Green Way. Bruce is negotiating with potential hotel and villa builders. He anticipates those amenities to begin construction as soon as late 2023 and to be open in 2025.

The approvals by Manatee County have been for a 100-room hotel and 74 villas.

Heritage Harbour Golf Club cur rently has approximately 100 mem bers and Bruce said the goal is 300 members.

Bruce said the course is open to the public for a daily fee. Various mem berships are available, including sea sonal memberships for snowbirds.

Publisher and President / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com

Associate Publisher — East County Observer / Lori Ruth, LRuth@YourObserver.com

Executive Editor and COO / Kat Hughes, KHughes@YourObserver.com

Managing Editor / Jay Heater, JHeater@YourObserver.com

Sports Editor / Ryan Kohn, RKohn@YourObserver.com

Staff Writers / Liz Ramos, LRamos@YourObserver.com; Ian Swaby, ISwaby@YourObserver.com

Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com

Copy Editor / Gina Reynolds Haskins, GRHaskins@YourObserver.com

Senior Editorial Designer / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com

Editorial Designer / José Valle, JValle@YourObserver.com

A+E Editor / Spencer Fordin, SFordin@YourObserver.com

Black Tie Editor / Harry Sayer, HSayer@YourObserver.com

Director of Advertising / Jill Raleigh, JRaleigh@YourObserver.com

Sales Manager / Penny Nowicki, PNowicki@YourObserver.com

Regional Digital Director / Kathleen O’Hara, KOHara@YourObserver.com

Senior Advertising Executive / Laura Ritter, LRitter@YourObserver.com

Advertising Executives / Richeal Bair, RBair@YourObserver.com; Beth Jacobson, BJacobson@YourObserver.com; Jennifer Kane, JKane@YourObserver.com; Honesty Mantkowski, HMantkowski@YourObserver. com; Toni Perren, TPerren@YourObserver. com; Brenda White, BWhite@ YourObserver.com

Classified Advertising Sales Executive / Lexi Huelsman, LHuelsman@ YourObserver.com

Sales Operations Manager / Susan Leedom, SLeedom@YourObserver.com

Sales Coordinator / Account Manager Lori Downey, LDowney@YourObserver.com

Digital Fulfillment Specialist / Emma Burke, EBurke@YourObserver.com Tributes Coordinator / Kristen Boothroyd, Tributes@YourObserver.com

Director of Marketing / Robin Lankton, RLankton@YourObserver.com

Marketing Specialist / Melanie Melone, MMelone@YourObserver.com

Director of Creative Services / Caleb Stanton, CStanton@YourObserver.com

Creative Services Administrator / Marjorie Holloway, MHolloway@ YourObserver.com

Advertising Graphic Designers / Luis Trujillo, Taylor Poe, Louise Martin, Shawna Polana

Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com

Director of Information Technology / Adam Quinlin, AQuinlin@YourObserver.com

Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@YourObserver.com Controller / Rafael Labrin, RLabrin@YourObserver.com

Office and Accounting Coordinator / Donna Condon, DCondon@ YourObserver.com

Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned.

Publisher of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer, Palm Coast Observer, Ormond Beach Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Southwest Orange Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, LWR Life Magazine, Baldwin Park Living Magazine and Season Magazine

CEO / Matt Walsh

Vice President / Lisa Walsh

Chairman Emeritus / David Beliles

8130 Lakewood Main St., Suite D207 Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 941-755-5357

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

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

Photos by Jay Heater

The bunkers at Heritage Harbour now have collars of thick grass that add to the beauty of the course.

Raymond Rivest of Heritage Harbour drives a ball down the No. 3 fairway of the newly renovated Heritage Harbour Golf Course.

“From a playability standpoint, this course is as big a challenge as its original design, but it is more player friendly.”

— Mark Bruce

Real life trauma leads to local author’s fiction

fodder, she is hoping her stories carry lessons that can help her readers, either before the begin a relationship, or before they get out of one.

Iused to tell some journalists, “If you don’t have a sense of humor, you shouldn’t be writing jokes.”

It runs parallel to being an author. If you can’t tell a story, well, don’t try to write one. The resulting book usually can be placed on a nightstand to be used as a sleep aid.

So I didn’t know what to expect when I went to the home of Lakewood Ranch’s Nancy Perpall, whose first novel, “Around Which All Things Bend,” was published by Archway Self Publishing in August.

Perpall’s backstory is worthy itself of a documentary. A critical care nurse turned attorney turned author ... that’s interesting stuff.

But could she tell a story? Could she write one?

I had my answer quickly.

Perpall was spinning stories from her days as a divorce attorney, and we all know those can be juicy in themselves. We were crossing into territory about why she transitioned into an attorney, and she talked about the three years she spent driving between Allentown, Pennsylvania and Villanova University, just outside of Philadelphia, to attend law school.

“My son was in first grade and my daughter was in third, and I commuted,” she said. “It was a one hour and 15 minute ride because I have a lead foot. So in the first year I started commuting, I got pulled over (for speeding).”

She then told a side story about how the trooper who pulled her over remembered her from a time

he had brought a man into the hospital’s trauma room with injuries from being hazed. The man’s injuries left the Trooper feeling nauseous, so she took control of the situation and allowed the trooper to go to the waiting room. “I helped him out,” she said of the trooper.

The trooper remembered her kindness.

“He said, ‘I owe you one, but you’ve got to slow down.’”

She didn’t.

A year later, she was pulled over a second time, making the same drive. At this point of telling the story, Perpall was sitting, but rocking a bit, a wide smile flashing, and her voice increasing in volume just a bit.

“I got pulled over a second time,” she said.

She related that embarrassing

incident, hinting at the fact the story wasn’t quite concluded. The trooper again let her go.

Then, of course, she talked about her final year of law school, when she crossed paths with the trooper one more time.

“He came up and leaned on my car,” Perpall said. “Then he said, ‘When do you graduate?’”

It was a fun story, and one that would be well received if it was crafted into a non-fiction novel. While it didn’t make “Around Which All Things Bend,” it might make another of her novels, as she already is working on her second, with more, hopefully, on the way.

Her first book, however, does include much subject matter from her dealings with divorcing couples, which she has worked into her chapters. Besides being dramatic

“I spent 32 years taking apart relationships,” she said. “They called me the Dragon Lady. I thought I would spend my retirement preventing that. People need to ask hard questions before they get married.”

She hopes some of those messages in her fictional stories are not so subtle.

“An autopsy, that’s what I did with the divorce cases that I handled,” she said. “I looked at my clients who were devastated. But I have helped a tremendous number of people. There comes a time in every relationship when you think you are going to break. Are you going to break it or fix it? People realize how fragile relationships are.”

She spun a few more fascinating story and then began to describe the nuts and bolts of “Around Which All Things Bend,” which you can buy at Amazon or at NancyPerpall. com.

“It’s about a veteran, who owns a huge ranch in Montana,” she said. “His grandfather had struck a gold and silver vane and was fabulously wealthy. His grandmother is worried about his dynasty.”

Of course, then comes a woman, and what their relationship means to that dynasty, and a whole lot of twists and turns.

“I keep the chapters short,” Perpall said. “I don’t want people to get bored.”

While she isn’t sure how the book will sell, she said she is satisfied with her first effort.

“Can I do better?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Perpall lives with her husband, David Mulligan, a psychologist. She has been promoting her book,

although she suffers from “social media phobia” and has to step outside her comfort zone.

That wouldn’t seem possible the way she tells her stories.

To put an exclamation point on that ability, she went back to her childhood to described her first effort at writing. She was 5 years old, and she noted her father, Edward Perpall, was a man who worked his way from being an office boy at Bell Telephone to becoming a director. He taught her hard work can accomplish anything.

At 5, her hard work went into a story for Highlights magazine, which was holding a fiction writing contest. First place won a pony.

“I wrote a story about a little girl in a pasture,” she said. “There was a horse and a duck. And the horse would put the duck on his back. They went looking for the duck’s real mother. And they eventually found the mother.

“But my mother (Francis Perpall) never mailed it in. No way did she want a pony.”

Day after day, little Nancy sat in the house, looking out the window and waiting for the pony to be delivered.

Finally, her dad told her to give it up, the pony wasn’t coming.

She didn’t find out until she was 50 that her mom never mailed in the entry.

And, perhaps, the time has come when he writing finally will earn her a pony.

Photos by Jay Heater

Lakewood Ranch’s Nancy Perpall has used many of her experiences as a lawyer to write her first novel with more on the way.

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

Former attorney Nancy Perpall hopes those who read her novels

learn important lessons about relationships.

BY LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

Leah Lazarde, a sixth grader at Car los E. Haile Middle School, watched the soccer ball like a hawk.

As students moved the ball down the field, Lazarde followed, calling out instructions like she was the teacher.

In this case, she was.

Lazarde played the role of physi cal education teacher Nov. 17 during Haile’s Teacher Shadow Day.

“I love my job,” Lazarde said as play resumed.

She took over the responsibilities of P.E. teacher Bet Tracy, and she learned being a P.E teacher isn’t as easy as it seems.

Lazarde had to learn the signals to be able to be a referee for a game of “gator ball.” She had to learn how to diffuse any arguments while also learning how to encourage students to give it their all and display good sportsmanship.

Tracy loved the enthusiasm Laz arde displayed during her time as the P.E. teacher.

“It wasn’t just an opportunity to get out of class,” Tracy said. “She’s taking it seriously. It makes my heart smile.”

Tracy said Lazarde is perfect for being a P.E. teacher.

Lazarde wanted to shadow Tracy because gym class is one of her favor ites. She wants to pursue a career in education with the goal of becoming a principal.

Tracy said the key to being a P.E. teacher is organization whether that involves the space where students will play or scheduling the games.

“I try to have fun games that every one can participate in,” Tracy said.

She tries to find games that are fun for any type of student whether they like to play sports or dread partici

pating in any type of sports-related activity.

She’ll incorporate the traditional sports into her lessons but also brings in different games such as gator ball.

“I’m not just a roll-out-the-ball teacher,” Tracy said. “I like to see them engage and have fun. I promote sportsmanship, too. I don’t allow any of my kids to trash talk. I try to promote a fun, healthy environment that’s not just for the athletes.”

Tracy stood on the sidelines and encouraged students to spread out during a game of gator ball and reminded Lazarde of the hand sig nals for different calls in the game.

Not only is gator ball a favorite of students, but Tracy enjoys seeing students play the game as well.

“It’s so engaging to everybody,” she said. “This game is easy to play and easy to learn for all skill levels.

Football players love it. Soccer play ers love it. Softball players love it. It’s definitely a game for everybody. I’ve been playing this game for 20 years.”

Her most rewarding teaching moments are when students who aren’t competitive have a little suc cess.

“It’s when we do fitness testing and run the mile and kids shave a minute off their time,” Tracy said. “It’s my kids encouraging each other to do better.”

Liz Ramos P.E. teacher Bet Tracy and sixth grader Leah Lazarde watch students as they play gator ball.

Driving Bethlehem

BY LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

East County’s Linda Baker was busy making sure the costumes she had sewn for Evangel Baptist Church’s Drive-Thru Bethlehem were ready.  Baker, who lives in the Il Villaggio neighborhood, and other volunteers spent hours at the church checking measurements to ensure the cos tumes would fit the people playing the characters. Then came the iron ing.

Meanwhile outside the church, Linda Baker’s husband Jerry Baker joined a dozen volunteers in putting together set pieces to convert the church’s driveway into Bethlehem for the Dec. 2-3 event.

The Drive-Thru Bethlehem repre sents the time of Jesus’s birth. Guests will travel through Bethlehem to visit the different shops, meeting a baker, a basket maker, a carpenter and a tax collector, among others.

All of the set pieces and most of the costumes were made by church members.

When Baker started making cos tumes four years ago, she researched what people wore in Bethlehem. She found those residents wore tunics, shawls or cloaks with more earthy tones such as tan, dark red, gray and more. Many of them also have head coverings.

She used patterns she found online to make the tunics.

She found sheets and fabric from Goodwill and other consignment shops to make costumes. She made a small, medium and large of the costumes so there’s one to fit anyone who plays that character, especially for the children who participate.

“It’s fun looking at fabric and thinking in your mind, ‘OK, this will be good for a shepherd, this might

work for a different character,’” Bak er said.

She said Bethlehem was a poor town, so she didn’t worry about finding jewelry, gold or flashy pieces for the costumes. She also didn’t have to make costumes for kings and queens, which she said would have been more complicated because they would need to be more extravagant.

There are some costumes, such as those worn by soldiers, that were purchased online.

The first year she made costumes, Baker said it took days to create one costume. Although she knew how to sew, she had never made tunics before.

“When I first started this, I was so nervous because I didn’t know what I was doing,” she said.

Now, more than 100 costumes lat er, if she needs to make a costume, she’s able to create two or three in a day.

Her favorite costume she’s made is for the person playing Mary.

“It’s always sweet to see her come together,” she said. “The blue and the white always represent Mary.”

She said seeing her costumes on

Church members create costumes and set pieces to show what Bethlehem was like at the time of Jesus’s birth.

Lakewood Ranch’s Sondra Twitty checks a costume in preparation for the Evangel Baptist Church’s Drive-Thru Bethlehem.

Photos by Liz Ramos

the amateur actors as they roam about Bethlehem or work in the shops is wonderful.

“It looks really beautiful after you get them together,” Baker said. “Once it all comes together and everybody’s dressed up and in their positions, everything looks nice.”

Jerry Baker takes charge of assem bling all the shops, town gates and the manger.

“We want to give people an idea of what Bethlehem was like,” he said. “We want the atmosphere of what was going on when Jesus was born in the stable.”

New this year is a set showing Jesus’s childhood home.

Jerry Baker said his daughter-inlaw’s mother, Joanne Hall, will work on the childhood home. Jerry Baker already has constructed the home, but Hall will paint and design it.

“She brings it to life,” Jerry Baker said. “She will paint and design the doors, windows and everything in there. I’m excited to see how she can bring the three dimensions of it out. I see it in my head. The hard part is getting other people to see it.”

In other shops like the bakery and carpenter shop, the walls are painted to look like rocks.

The bakery will have a portable

convection oven that will be hidden and made to look like a fireplace. There are baskets of bread, eggs and other bakery items.

To create the shops, church mem bers build a frame and make the roof in fabric. They hang lights so every thing can be seen at night.

Jerry Baker said most people who visit love the carpentry shop where children get to do hands-on activi ties.

Tiny houses, big ideas

Tiny House Siesta provides inspiration for third graders as they design and create 3D models of tiny houses.

BY LIZ RAMOS STAFF WRITER

To even a Braden River Elementary third grader, the house that was towed into the school’s parking lot Nov. 18 was easy to size up.

“That’s such a tiny house,” one student said.

“That’s a dog house,” said another.

“There’s no way that’s a house.” said a third student.

It was, indeed, a miniature house from Tiny House Siesta.

Braden River third graders have been working on their own 3D tiny house models as part of a projectbased learning assignment. They have been learning about the various

benefits of a tiny house.

On Nov. 18, they were able to tour their subject.

That should help as the students design and create their models based on a list of clients’ wants and needs.

The clients were school staff mem bers including the school’s princi pal, assistant principal, a reading specialist, a support specialist and a paraprofessional.

Each of the clients had different goals when it came to buying a tiny house. It might have been to save money, or to be able to take it to other locations, or to protect the environ ment, or to simply scale down.

Students worked in groups to cre ate a design draft that would meet those specific needs.

The lesson incorporated math as students needed to deal with perim eter measurements and square foot age.

Working in groups, the students also sharpened their teamwork skills.

Photos by Liz Ramos

Braden River Elementary third grader Raelynn Wilson is surprised to see how much can fit into a tiny house if space is used wisely.

“Sometimes

someone

have to vote and the majority wins that vote,” said third-grade teacher Amber Walker. “This is trying to push social skills with them, such as listening to other people. It’s mak ing sure everyone’s doing their part in the group.”

Third grader Channing Barker was excited to design a tiny house with his team.

“I love building stuff, and I’m great at it,” Barker said.

When Barker and third grader Rae lynn Wilson went inside Tiny House Siesta’s tiny house Nov. 18, he was surprised to find what was inside.

In such a small house, they didn’t expect to see a queen size bed, a kitchen and a storage area that could fit a couch that would pull out into another queen size bed.

They started to think about chang es they could make to their own designs. For example, Barker loved the idea of having a fold out couch that turns into a bed underneath a lofted bed. He also learned that the walls of a tiny house are made of steel, making them magnetic, so he can have curtains hanging from the windows using magnets.

Barker’s team has designed a twostory tiny house with a bathroom, living room and a bedroom on the second floor. A special feature of the tiny house is a balcony so the client can get fresh air in a comfortable area because the client likes nature.

Wilson and her team’s tiny house is made to be accepted by camp grounds. She said it will be yellow on the outside, and they hope to have two TVs, a kitchen area, a living area and a pullout couch under a lofted bed.

After students completed their initial designs, they presented them to their clients to receive feedback. They the proceeded to building their 3D models.

Michelle Cramer, a paraprofes sional, and Courtney Walker, a cur riculum coach, both posed as clients and were thrilled to see the innova tive ideas.

Cramer wanted her tiny house to be more environmentally friendly. She wanted the roof of her tiny house to be covered in solar panels for power. Cramer wanted a compost

ing toilet, earth boxes to grow her own fruits and vegetables and a rain barrel. Most importantly, the tiny house needed to be able to be home to a family of five.

“I have just been blown away, even with just the blueprints,” Cramer said. “I’m super excited to see what these kids come up with for sure. It’s amazing the fine details they’re thinking of that we didn’t even give them. I didn’t talk about pets and they were like, ‘Don’t you have a dog Mrs. Cramer?’ so they added a spot for my dog.”

Courtney Walker wanted her tiny house to have wheels so she could go across the country. She wanted to have two beds so a guest could stay with her on her travels, and she also wanted places to show off her souve nirs. She expected her tiny house to be between 400 and 600 square feet.

Cramer and Courtney Walker said students asked pointed questions about the client’s wants and needs for their tiny house ranging from how big they wanted the tiny house to the color of it.

“They were asking me if I wanted a skylight,” Courtney Walker said. “That was really cool. I didn’t even bring that up, but they’re like, ‘Do you want a skylight so you can see the stars at night?’”

Third graders Ella Cochran and Eleanor Bercaw check out the tiny house with their teacher, Liz Cochran.

Fast Break

Now that the high school football season is over, teams have time for jokes. While wishing its players a happy Thanksgiving last week, the Braden River High program Tweeted a reminder that it’s now “bulking season” and instructed its players to have a “three-plate minimum.”

… The high school boys basketball season technically began last week for most teams, but no one in our area played. This week is the “real” beginning. A game to watch is when Lakewood Ranch High travels to Sarasota’s Cardinal Mooney at 7 p.m. Dec. 8.

… Putting out another call — If you know of any area athletes doing something charitable during this holiday season, let us know by sending an email to RKohn@YourObserver.com. We love to feature athletes doing right by their community.

Former Braden River star Taylor Upshaw, in his graduate student year at the University of Michigan, made a massive play in the Wolverines’ 45-23 win over Ohio State University on Nov. 26. Upshaw intercepted Buckeyes quarterback CJ Stroud at Michigan’s 9-yard line when the score was 38-23 to prevent a potential comeback effort.

Jeff Klotz sank a hole-inone Nov. 17 on the No. 15 hole at The River Club. Klotz used a 9-iron on the 104-yard hole, on a windy, chilly day, according to friend Alan Anderson. Impres sive stuff.

Pedal to the medal

Mustang junior Nate Smith reached the state tournament in his first season wrestling. Now he wants to earn a medal.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Nate Smith made an immediate impact.

Now a junior at Lakewood Ranch High, Smith joined the wrestling team a year ago as a sophomore after Head Coach Pat Ancil told him he didn’t have a choice.

One look at Smith reveals why Ancil wanted to give him a big push toward the mat. Smith is 6-foot-1 and wrestles at 285 pounds. He plays on the defensive line for the school’s football team, and recorded 29 tack les this past season.

It’s the background that led to for mer Braden River High wrestler and offensive linemen Brendan Bengts son winning the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2018 state title as a senior in the 285-pound heavyweight division.

Smith did not win a title in his inaugural wrestling season, but he did make the state tournament, bowing out after losing his first two matches. It was the first time a Mus tangs wrestler went to state meet his first season.

Smith said he spent last season relying on his physical gifts to get him through most matches. When he got to the state tournament, he ran into more technical wrestlers, and he struggled.

“I did not have enough tools in my belt,” Smith said. “I saw things I didn’t see at the district or regional tournaments. This season, my focus is adding moves and getting out of stuff that I saw at states.”

That includes learning the “spla dle,” a defensive move designed as a counter to single-leg takedowns. Smith said he’s also working on improving his riding time.

Smith is known to coaches and teammates as “Oklahoma,” as he’s from Sallisaw Central, Oklahoma. His family moved to Lakewood Ranch in August 2021. It’s a nick name as simple and old school as the town where he was born, Smith said.

That’s why he likes it.

It’s appropriate the Sooner state native became a state-level wrestler faster than most first-time wrest ers. Smith, like many athletes who go from the gridiron to the mat, said he expected wrestling to be easier on his body and mind than football. Smith was wrong, he said.

“After the first day, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, these guys are a dif ferent breed,’” Smith said. “I was so sore. You use a lot more of your shoulders and hips in wrestling. You have to be flexible enough to move around the mat. It was hard, which is why I fell in love with it.”

Though the sport requires over all strength, Smith still believes his football background helped him get up to speed in wrestling. Being a defensive linemen in football, Smith’s job in both sports is to move an opponent’s body where he wants it to go.

It is also why Smith appreciates the team aspects of wrestling. He said his favorite moment from his first season was the team’s district meet, which the Mustangs won. Smith said Lakewood Ranch needed three wins — one each from Smith, 220-pound Will Moran and 106-pound Andres Anastasi in their respective brack ets — to clinch the team title, and all three won.

Smith was one of 15 wrestlers who traveled to Columbus, Ohio, in July for a four-day camp at Ohio State University. Under Coach Jim Ryan, the Buckeyes perennially have one of the top wrestling programs in the country. They finished 13th at the 2022 NCAA Championships in March. Smith said getting to practice his newly learned moves on elitelevel wrestlers was an eye-opening experience, as was seeing the Buck eyes’ dedication to conditioning and pushing themselves to — and past — their limits.

“There was no stopping,” Smith said. “In a three-hour session we had one water break. It gave us the feeling of what it takes to be a college wrestler at that level.”

Smith has continued the hard work since returning from the trip. In lieu of going to the gym, Smith prefers to train at his home, doing mountain climbers, push-ups and other body weight workouts, plus lifting dumb bells. His focus is on his upper body; Smith said he feels like he has enough strength in his legs already.

Smith is confident the 2022 sea son, which officially began Nov. 28, will be a successful one for himself and his teammates.

Other East County wrestlers are expected to have big seasons as well.

Braden River’s Jessey Colas, now a senior, finished seventh at the FHSAA Class 2A tournament in March, wrestling in the 160-pound division. The Pirates’ Grady Mur phy, now a junior, finished seventh in Class 2A’s 106-pound division.

On the girls wrestling side, Braden River’s Giovanna Coppola, now a junior, was eliminated in the second consolation round in the girls tour nament’s 125-pound division.

“I like that soccer allows me to be creative, especially on the ball. I have the freedom to do whatever I want.”

— Lakewood Ranch High’s Robert Lloyd

File photo

Pirates head Coach Curt Bradley wanted players to bulk up at the Thanksgiving table.

Ryan Kohn

Lakewood Ranch junior Nate Smith trained with Ohio State Coach Jim Ryan at a Buckeyes camp in July.

Lakewood Ranch junior wrestler Nate “Oklahoma” Smith wants more after reaching the FHSAA Class 3A state tournament in 2022, his first year in the sport.

Courtesy photo

Local journalist realizes World Cup goal

The most-watched sporting event globally happens once every four years, and this time, it will have a new voice bring ing its action to the masses.

Manatee Technical College’s Santiago Valencia, an aspiring sports journalist, traveled to Qatar for five days, from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, to cover the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Valencia gave his reports live on MTC Radio (101.1FM), in Spanish, during his recurring Zona Fútbol shows on the station. Valencia, 21, said he paid for his own airfare and lodging, but that he was able to get a press pass for the seven matches he was seeing during his trip.

His dream of becoming a journalist is no longer a dream, it is a reality.

“This is something I have always wanted to do,” Valencia said. “It feels amazing to accomplish it.”

Without the World Cup, Valencia might not be going down his chosen path. His love of soccer bloomed during the World Cup’s 2006 iteration, hosted by Germany. Valencia’s family hails from Colombia, but Colombia’s soccer team did not qualify for the Cup that year, so Valencia found himself rooting for the host country as well as Brazil, as that team featured Ricardo Kaká and Ronaldo Nazário, two of the most famous players in the world at the time.

He has since developed a love for Colombia’s team, but he still follows Germany and Brazil closely. The impact his first Cup had on the budding soccer fan was profound.

“I remember the opening match between Germany and Costa Rica,” Valencia said. “What I remember is the passion of the people there, the players and the fans. You could see it. The game was entertaining (Germany won 4-2) and it produced special emotions. It meant so much to everyone there.

“Soccer and me, we have a great connection. Since watching that game, I have wanted to attend one, and now I am.”

His desire to cover the game he loves also started early. Valencia said he began writing his blog, El Reportero del Gol (“The Goal Reporter”), at 12 years old. It stemmed from Valenica wanting to always be involved in the game he loved in some capacity, which wasn’t always easy, as Valencia’s road to the World Cup hasn’t been a linear one.

In fact, it has been peppered with challenges of varying degrees from the start. Valencia was born with cerebral palsy, a motor disorder caused by damage to the body’s central nervous system. While Valencia said the disorder has caused some issues in his personal life, like being able to walk long distances without needing to rest — as well as play soccer himself, at least at a competitive level — it has not affected his ability to read, write, speak or any other actions necessary to report on sports.

More difficult to deal with, Valencia said, was the ongoing effect of something that happened in 2007. While living in Bradenton, Valencia’s family had issues with its individual visas and was deported back to Colombia. Valencia said he does not remember much of the ordeal, or has blocked it out, and felt like Colombia was his home as he grew up. It is where he made his best friends and deepened his love of soccer alongside the Colombia National Team’s many supporters there.

Valencia and his family moved back to the United States in 2017 after getting everyone’s visas confirmed. For Valencia, the move meant he had to miss his final year of high school in Colombia. After arriving back in Bradenton, Valen-

cia took online classes to get his high school degree, which he said was difficult. He missed his friends, he said. Mentally, he was feeling worn down.

“I didn’t get to enjoy my last year with my classmates,” Valencia said. “It was hard to move on here.”

The move did have one silver lining. In October 2018, Valencia was able to see his beloved Colombian team play a friendly against the

United States at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, something he was never previously able to do. Colombia won the match 4-2.  Valencia said being able to see his previous home country play on U.S. soil — and being surrounded by passionate soccer people — reinvigorated his love for the game and inspired him to keep pursuing his dream, despite the tough time he was having.

The next year, Valencia enrolled in English classes at MTC. He finished the classes in six months, then began taking video and technology classes at the school, in which Valencia learned to use a camera to record himself and upload said video to sites like YouTube. These are skills Valencia now uses in his sports journalism career. He records soccer analysis vlogs for the “Mas Allá del Deporte” (“Beyond Sport”) YouTube channel. It was also through these classes that Valencia earned the opportunity to host his Zona Fútbol radio reports.

Valencia will return from Qatar before the World Cup is over, but even before he arrived, he had thoughts on who will come out victorious. Valencia said Argentina has a great shot in what will be all-world player Lionel Messi’s final chance at a World Cup win. Valencia also said Portugal has a shot, thanks to the tremendous talents of Cristiano Ronaldo. Valencia will see both teams in person in Qatar to get a better feel for their strengths and weaknesses.

In the end, the on-field results matter less to Valencia than the fact that he’s going at all. After what he’s been through to get where he is, Valencia believes the experience will be beyond words.

“This will be my first (World Cup), but I hope it is the first of many,” Valencia said. “This is what I have always wanted.”

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

Courtesy photo

Santiago Valencia, 21, is headed to Qatar to report live from the 2022 FIFA World Cup for MTC Radio.

Robert

3-1 home win over Braden River High Nov. 28.

When did you start playing soccer?

I started playing when I was 5 years old. I lived in South Africa then. My family moved to the United States about four years ago. We went to Chicago first and then moved to Lakewood Ranch just before this school year began.

What is the appeal to you?

I like that soccer allows me to be creative, especially on the ball. I have the freedom to do whatever I want.

I also like the team dynamic and the competitiveness and all that stuff.

What is your best skill?

I have a lot of determination and my technical ability is strong. I can read the game. I understand the game. My footwork is good as well.

What have you been working to improve?

I have been improving my weak foot (left foot), obviously, because you can always improve that.

What is your favorite soccer memory?

I think all of my favorite memories are from when I played with Sunnydale, my team in South Africa. I had all my best friends on the team, so playing with them was a blast.

What are your goals for this season?

As a team we want to take things one step at a time. We want to go to states. In this program, from what I hear, that seems to always be the goal.

Lloyd-Jones is a junior midfielder on the Lakewood Ranch High boys soccer team. Lloyd-Jones scored a goal in the team’s

YOUR NEIGHBORS

L

The pajama-looking outfit cer tainly looked hot.

“It’s my Halloween costume,” Bhullar said. “We’ll see how hot it is. You might find it on a bridge somewhere.”

The Florida Turkey Trot, pre sented by Publix, drew a sellout of 3,400 runners to raise funds for the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy and the Big Bill Foundation, which was named for former Nathan Benderson Park

akewood Ranch’s Shami Bhullar was about to run the fifth annual Florida Turkey Trot at Nathan Benderson Park on Thanksgiving morning dressed from head-to-toe as a turkey.Conservancy Board Chairman Bill Robinson, who died in 2020.

The race quickly has become a family tradition with many partici pants dressing the part.

Pittsburgh’s Josh Nichols fin ished the race wearing a complete turkey suit and looked like he was about to be served for dinner.

“I am a fried turkey,” Nichols said. “Extra crisp.”

Sarasota’s Roy Hobson won the race in 15:36. Venice’s Katherine O’Sullivan-Sams was the first female finisher.

The event also included a Turkey Row for the first time.

— JAY HEATER

The Meadows’ Christine Barro, Patricia Schultz, Luanne King, Donna Krusenoski, Jessie Maciel, Rosana Grillo and Marilyn Reed were color coordinated to run in the Turkey Trot.

Photos by Jay Heater Lakewood Ranch’s Shami Bhullar and his 3-year-old daughter, Sophie, have the Turkey Trot spirit.

Lakewood Ranch 11-year-old Kate Toscano, her mom, Leslie Toscano, and brother, 9-year-old Anthony Toscano, get ready to run the Turkey Trot.

Pittsburgh’s John Nichols flies across the finish line in a complete turkey suit. “I am a fried turkey,” he said. “Extra crisp.”

Parks Robinson, the Fit2Run owner, starts the fifth annual Turkey Run, a fundraiser for the Big Bill Foundation, which was started to honor his dad, the late Bill Robinson.

Cornering the market on holiday cheer

The idea of running the Main Street Market in Lakewood Ranch was to give local small businesses the chance to bring in some extra sales.

Judging from the crowded Lakewood Main Street on Saturday, it worked.

Lindsay Wood and Niki Dalsing, who are managing Main Street Market, said the turnout at the event was impressive.

“Everybody’s so excited,” Dalsing said. “I know a lot of shoppers were purposely coming out to support local businesses, which is awesome to see.”

Some of the vendors decorated their booths for the holidays and with holiday music playing in the street, it was a festive atmosphere.

Mallory Park’s Melissa Ariza said she has gained exposure for her business, PD Balloons, since the the market began in 2020.

“It’s exciting to see the growth in the community and everyone supporting small businesses,” she said.

The market keeps attracting new cli ents, such as Lakewood Ranch’s Carlee Smith, the owner of Wally’s plant shop. She was introduced to the market as a shopper.

“I loved to shop it, then said, ‘Oh, my gosh, we could do this,’” she said.

Other business owners felt the same way.

“I love the energy of this area, and I love the community aspect to it,” said Morgan Yekaitis, an Ellenton artist who owns Mor lee Art, which she operates in Lakewood Ranch.

The event was the second Main Street Market hosted this season, with the first having taken place in October and the third set for Dec. 17.

— IAN SWABY

Lindsay Wood and Niki Dalsing manage Main Street Market in Lakewood Ranch.

Sapphire Point’s 4-year-old Emily Olinger sees the sights from atop the shoulders of her father, Matt Olinger.

Photos by Ian Swaby Amanda Duever of

John and Karen Tagle.

YOUR CALENDAR

COMMUNITY

THURSDAY, DEC. 1 THROUGH JAN. 2

HOLIDAY ICE SKATING

Runs from 4-10 p.m. in the East District at UTC, next to PopStroke. Tickets for holiday ice skating at the Rink at UTC are $17 per skater and includes skate rental. Ice skating continues through Jan. 2. From Nov. 25-Dec. 22, the rink will be open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. From Dec. 23 to Jan. 2, the rink will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, go to MallatUTC.com.

FRIDAY, DEC. 2

MUSIC ON MAIN

Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. Juicy Purple, which specializes in R&B, soul and dance music, will provide the live music at the monthly free concert and block party series. A DJ also will be spinning top 100 hits during the event that will sponsor Southeastern Guide Dogs. The event also features food vendors, beer trucks, sponsor booths, and games and activities for children (presented by Grace Com munity Church).

MUSIC AT THE PLAZA

Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lake wood Ranch. Singer/musician Kim Tortuga will provide the live music as those who visit Waterside Place enjoy sunset views of Kingfisher Lake, fun at the hub’s small parks, or dining at the various restaurants. For more information, go to Water sidePlace.com.

Ranch Elks Club, 4602 Lena Road, Bradenton. Meals on Wheels Plus Manatee is hosting its 17th annual Community Shoebox Drive and Reception at the Elks Club. The event benefits homebound seniors in Manatee County. Those who at tend are asked to bring a wrapped and filled shoebox for a senior or give a $20 donation at the door. The goal is to collect 1,000 shoeboxes. Shoeboxes typically contain about 10 items and each shoebox should be wrapped with the top and box separately. Each box is closed and secured with a rubber band and is identified as male, female or nongender specific. Items such as Chap stick, flashlights, batteries, hand lotion, Kleenex, mechanical pencils, notepads, pens, paperback puzzle books, shampoo, slipper socks with grips, toothbrushes, and toothpaste are much appreciated. Please, no razors, candy, candles, breakables or gift cards. For more information, go to MealsonWheelsPlus.org.

JINGLE AND JOG

FRIDAY,

DEC. 2 AND SATURDAY, DEC. 3

MOVIES UNDER THE STARS

Begins at 7 p.m. at the Mall at UTC, in the west district (The Green) near Ford’s Garage. The Mall at UTC presents its annual Holiday Movies Under the Stars series with “Home Alone” on Friday and “Home Alone 2” on Saturday. Bring lawn chairs and blankets. For more information, go to MallatUTC.com. The event continues every Friday and Saturday through the end of December.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3 SHOEBOX DRIVE

Runs from 4-6 p.m. at the Lakewood

Begins at 8 a.m. at The Haven, 4405 Desoto Road, Sarasota. The Haven is hosting its 25th annual Jingle and Jog 5K race/walk. There is no day of registration so please enter by going to RunSignup.com/Race/FL/ Sarasota/JingleandJog5k. Registra tion costs $35 before Dec. 1 and $40 afterward. Registration includes a race T-shirt, food and refreshments and a swag bag. All funds raised by the event benefit the mission of The Haven, a nonprofit with a 68-year legacy of providing programs and services for children and adults with disabilities. For more information, send an email to HSHoup@the HavenSRQ.org.

SUNDAY, DEC. 4

FARMERS MARKET

Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lake front Drive in Waterside Place, Lake wood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch will run year round every Sunday. Vendors will be offer ing seafood, eggs, meats, dairy prod ucts, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles among other items. Other features are children’s activities and live music. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

File photo

BEST BET

FRIDAY, DEC. 2

HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING

Runs from 5:30-6 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. Join the crowd before Music on Main for the annual Main Street Christmas tree lighting along with music provided by the Lakewood Ranch Communi ties Activities’ Club Aloha Ukulele. Santa will be at the Christmas tree through 9 p.m., posing for photos with children. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

YOGA IN THE PARK

Begins at 9 a.m. at Waterside Place Park, 7500 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch. Lakewood Ranch Community Activities offers yoga that is free to residents; $10 for nonresidents. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7

RANCH NIGHT WEDNESDAYS

Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. Live music, food trucks, a market with rotating vendors, a mo bile bar and a recreational cornhole league highlight this crowd favorite event. Pets are welcome but no coolers or outside food or beverage allowed. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.

BINGO FOR ALL

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

Place, Lakewood Ranch. Lakewood Ranch Community Activities hosts Bingo. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

REC DAY

Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Na than Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. Nathan Benderson Park hosts Rec Day, which offers participants the chance to try stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, canoes, fishing and more. Meet at the base of the finish tower. For more information, go to www. NathanBendersonPark.org. The fee is $10 per person; $5 for an adult who brings a child; free for children 6 and younger. Fishing licenses are required for all participants who choose to fish.

Give Children Hope This Year

Did you know that a local nonprofit organization served more than 9,000 children in the past year? Safe Children Coalition helps any child entering the child welfare system – no matter the circumstances – who needs assistance in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties.

“Even in this expanse of all the children that we serve, there’s hope,” says Jacqueline House, the organization’s Vice President of Communications and Community Engagement.

“I see us as the keepers of the hope. Children and families who meet us on the worst day of their lives can depend on us to have hope when things are not looking so good and we can hold that hope until they can catch onto it and have that hope for themselves.”

That fits right into Safe Children Coalition’s theme for this year –Hope. Lives. Here.

It can be found in the most dire of situations. When Hurricane Ian passed through, it affected many of us but families who already had limited finances were hit hardest. “It was really important for us before the storm, during the storm, and after the storm to make sure we provided as many resources as possible to keep kids from coming into the child welfare system,” House says.

“Our staff were actually out on boats the day after the hurricane taking supplies (to impacted families),” says President and CEO Brena Slater.

House adds that while the hurricane was a big hurdle to overcome, it’s also a point of pride for the community and their staff who came together. “We’re very grateful for the community support,” she says.

Safe Children Coalition is the lead community-basedcare agency for Foster Care and Adoptions in Circuit 12

covering Sarasota, Manatee, and Desoto counties. Recently two young children had a surprise happy ending when they found a permanent home with their grandparents. “The little boy was so overcome with emotion that he couldn’t speak,” House says. “All he could do was cry tears of joy that they were actually going to be home now.”

“The myth is that 100% of our funding comes from the state and we can do whatever we want with that – and we can’t,” House says. “But I think the upside is that this is a great public/private partnership. Each entity is doing their part to take care of children in our community.”

Safe Children Coalition will honor some of their biggest champions during their Giving Breakfast, on March 23, 2023.

“We really want to recognize the community for being big supporters of us,” Slater says.

Anyone who wants to join their cause can do so by sponsoring or attending the breakfast event. At this time of year in particular, monetary contributions are greatly appreciated. Visit www.sccfl. org/donate to help them ensure all their children have presents –and hope.

1500 Independence Blvd., Suite #210 Sarasota, FL 34234 941-371-4799 sccfl.org

While the organization does receive government funds - and just achieved a boost in the last legislative session - with thousands of children and families under their care, Safe Children Coalition also relies on donations.

Lake Club home tops area sales at $1,675,000

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome in Lake Club topped all transac tions in this week’s real estate. Kathleen Oster sold the home at 16219 Daysailor Trail to Peter and Jaqueline Borden, of Boca Grande, for $1,675,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three-anda-half baths, a pool and 2,803 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $765,000 in 2019.

LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE

Matthew Facciolla, of Bradenton, and Elizabeth Ann Dehaven, of Sarasota, sold their home at 8133 Grande Shores Drive to Wendy Ellis, of Bradenton, for $1,425,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,547 square feet of living area. It sold for $788,000 in 2019.

DEL WEBB

Anthony and Donna Brescia, of Auburndale, sold their home at 17807 Eastbrook Terrace to Coby and Barbara Gaulien, of Bradenton, for $1.4 million. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,823 square feet of living area. It sold for $631,500 in 2019.

COUNTRY CLUB

Stephen and Joan Shuster, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 13413 Montclair Place to Ralph and Donna Coppola, of Middlefield, Connecticut, for $1,115,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,064 square feet of living area. It previ ously sold for $730,000 in 2013.

WATER OAK

Steven and Teresa Ayers, trustees, of Lexington, South Carolina, sold the home at 6603 63rd Terrace E. to Angela Ruddy, of Bradenton, for $965,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,349 square feet of living area. It sold for $360,000 in 2013.

POLO RUN Brian Derek Ellison and Nicole Ann Ellison sold their home at 17339 Polo Trail to David and Ruth Fisher, of Bradenton, for $875,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,616 square feet of living area. It sold for $556,000 in 2021.

EATON PLACE

Bernard and Lois Watson, of Suwanee, Georgia, sold their home at 7428 Eaton Court to Joel Bar nett and Monique Delapenha, of Bradenton, for $840,000. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,312 square feet of living area.

RIVERDALE REVISED

Thomas and Carole Kelley, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4612 Barracuda Drive to Zachary Butler, of Bradenton, for $839,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,433 square feet of living area.

ASHLEY TRACE AT UNIVERSITY PLACE

Amy Christine Oliver, of New Orleans, sold her home at 7605 Alston Court to Michael and Natalie Milliron, of Bradenton, for $781,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,514 square feet of living area. It sold for $486,200 in 2019.

HERITAGE HARBOUR

Kurt Evans Dunshee, trustee, of Incline Village, Nevada, sold the home at 514 River Crane St. to Mat thew and Polly Judson, of Braden ton, for $670,000. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,304 square feet of living area. It sold for $359,000 in 2018.

Catherine Ionescu, of Lakeland, sold her home at 6818 Willowshire

Way to Jeffrey and Lisa Jacobson, of Bradenton, for $470,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,649 square feet of living area. It sold for $270,300 in 2015.

RIVERSIDE PRESERVE

Chad Bobik and Laura Bobik, of Apollo Beach, sold their home at 1015 Whimbrel Run to Jeffery and Patricia Andrist, of Bradenton, for $670,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,595 square feet of living area. It sold for $395,000 in 2019.

GREYHAWK LANDING

Andrew and Bridget Myerscough, of Grove City, Ohio, sold their home at 364 Snapdragon Loop to Katy and Theodore Painter, of Bradenton, for $665,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,208 square feet of living area. It sold for $382,500 in 2017.

Dawn Lynn Kyte, of Bradenton, sold her home at 12019 Aster Ave. to Michael Patrick McCormick and Leslie Ann McCormick, of La Quin ta, California, for $575,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,446 square feet of living area. It sold for $289,900 in 2008.

THE MOORINGS AT EDGEWATER

Olaf Allan Takvam and Kathleen Elizabeth Takvam, of Charlotte, North Carolina, sold their Unit 202 condominium at 6434 Moorings Point Circle to JoAnn Snedeker, of Lakewood Ranch, for $649,000.

Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,344 square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 2019.

SUMMERFIELD

Katharine Markella Paradissis sold her home at 11210 Pine Lilly Place to Ashish Dave and Bhavika Prab hoobhai, of Lakewood Ranch, for $621,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,575 square feet of living area. It sold for $242,500 in 1999.

GREENBROOK

Michael McNaught, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 6250 Willet Court to Maylinda Verscha ren, trustee, of Winter Park, for $578,000. Built in 2002, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,990 square feet of living area. It sold for $285,000 in 2018.

Irina Bakman sold her home at 15118 Searobbin Drive to Ebony Phillips, of Lakewood Ranch, for $400,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,012 square feet of living area. It sold for $283,800 in 2005.

BRADEN RIVER LAKES

Ryan Brown, trustee, of Goochland, Virginia, sold the home at 4302 14th Ave. E. to Timothy and Marjorie Bruno, of Bradenton, for $565,000. Built in 1992, it has three bed rooms, two baths, a pool and 2,017 square feet of living area. It sold for $134,400 in 1992.

Mark Howard, of Kodak, Tennes see, sold the home at 702 49th St. E. to Frank and Stefanie Baltussen, of Heilbronn, Germany, for $470,000. Built in 1989, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,586 square feet of living area. It sold for $469,000 in July.

RIVER LANDINGS BLUFFS

Timothy and Tracy Dodd, of Pinel las Park, sold their home at 5513 61st Lane E. to Roy and Susan Ford, of Bradenton, for $565,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,944 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in March.

TARA Richard and Elizabeth Raucci, of Parrish, sold their home at 6372 Rookery Circle to Maria and Linh Duckett, of Towson, Maryland, for $565,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,856 square feet of living area. It sold for $325,000 in 2017.

LAKE VISTA RESIDENCES

Raymond Jurgens Jr. sold his Unit E-407 condominium at 7612 Lake Vista Court to Ernest Michael Pihl Jr. and Mary Pat Pihl, of Bradenton, for $555,000. Built in 2007, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,762

square feet of living area. It sold for $425,000 in 2021.

WOODBROOK

David and Lori Mason, of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, sold their home at 4736 Silvermoss Drive to Rosemarie Armstrong and Robert John Dibrac cio, of Sarasota, for $537,500. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,782 square feet of living area. It sold for $283,500 in 2014.

SABAL HARBOUR

Kristi Mellin, of Bradenton, sold the home at 4592 Runabout Way to Charles and Jeanette Mussa, of Bra denton, for $535,000. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,685 square feet of living area. It sold for $270,000 in 2017.

BACCIANO AT ESPLANADE

Andrew and Shannon Oleferchik, of Poplar Grove, Illinois, sold their Unit 203 condominium at 13710 Messina Loop to Howard Allen Wilton, of Ontario, Canada, for $502,000. Built in 2019, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,528 square feet of living area. It sold for $250,000 in 2020.

ROSEDALE ADDITION

Marjorie Ostermeyer, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the home at 10608 Glencorse Terrace to Vic tor Steven Anderes, of Bradenton, for $475,000. Built in 2013, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,658 square feet of living area. It sold for $320,000 in 2014.

In with the new

Courtesy photo

This home at 16219 Daysailor Trail in the Lake Club sold for $1,675,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,803 square feet of living area.

Dash of color

Volunteer Lauren Mancusi sprayed Jaiden Vega, a fifth grader at William H. Bashaw Elementary School, with orange powder as he ran past her.

Vega’s white color run shirt already had hints of purple, green and yellow.

A few more laps around the Bashaw Elementary Super Hero Color Run course Nov. 18 and Vega’s white shirt was splattered with every color of the rainbow

“I liked having all the colors on me,” Vega said.

About 680 students partici pated in the Super Hero Color run, a fundraiser for the school.

The 229 students who partici pated in fundraising raised more than $10,000.

Kindergartner Jalaysia Blackman has fun at the Super Hero Color Run with third graders Kaliyah Pontoon and Kylie Burton.

— LIZ RAMOS

Photos by Liz Ramos

Joy Maria Sanchez, who is in pre-K, is excited to have her mother, Xiomara Sanchez, participate in the Super Hero Color Run with her.

Nancy Perpall is a former critical care nurse who became a a divorce lawyer. She practiced Family Law for 34 years and saw many of her clients go through heart wrenching divorces. Those experiences have inspired her write a story that will educate the reader about the issues couples face in marriage.

THURSDAY, DEC. 1

High: 79 Low: 66 Chance of rain: 7%

FRIDAY, DEC. 2 High: 80 Low: 61 Chance of rain: 5%

SATURDAY, DEC. 3 High: 82 Low: 62 Chance of rain: 7%

SUNDAY, DEC. 4 High: 82 Low: 63 Chance of rain: 7%

Sunrise

Thursday, Dec. 1 7:02a 5:34p

Friday, Dec. 2 7:03a 5:34p

Saturday, Dec. 3 7:03a 5:34p

Sunday, Dec. 4 7:04a 5:34p

Monday, Dec. 5 7:05a 5:34p

Tuesday, Dec. 6 7:06a 5:34p

Wednesday, Dec. 7 7:06a 5:35p

Dec.

Monday, Nov. 21 0.2

Tuesday, Nov. 22 0

Wednesday, Nov. 23 0

Thursday, Nov. 24 0

Friday, Nov. 25 0 Saturday, Nov. 26 0.01 Sunday, Nov. 27 0

by Stella Zawistowski. Edited by Ross Trudeau

By Luis Campos

Transport

The natural choice for luxury coastal living.

Wild Blue at Waterside in Lakewood Ranch by Stock Development is a natural choice for those who appreciate luxury living, a connected and relaxed coastal vibe and an array of social and active lifestyle amenities. Here, a verdant waterfront setting, along with quality design and construction, blend seamlessly to create a naturally beautiful community. Featuring a collection of single-family homes by some of the region’s most acclaimed builders. Sales Center Now Open: 8307 Lake Club Blvd., Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 941.313.3852

Proudly presented by