East County Observer 5.4.23

Do you want to build a snowman?

Florida doesn’t see snowy days.

But Baylor Collett and Blake Larsen, two Robert E. Willis Elementary School students, saw some flurries April 24.

Collett and Larsen were able to have a snow party with third grade teacher Johanna Zalopany. The students won the opportunity to participate in the snow party during the school’s Spring Gala.

Collett and Larsen had fun building a mini snowman out of three cups of baking soda and a half cup of white conditioner.

“The students had a great time during the party,” Zalopany said. “We talked about polymers and how this similar expansion of molecules happens in babies’ diapers.”

Interim administrator hire hits snag

With a little help from my friends

The Friends of the Lakewood Ranch Library celebrated the success of their “Fill the Shelves” campaign, which is expected to raise $410,000 to buy books and materials.

About 90 people attended the party April 27 at the Robert Toale and Sons Celebration Center.

“We’re getting the word out and increasing membership to the friends organization,” board member Ruth Castor said. “We have a whole display in the back of things that are available at the library, not just books. There’s a library of things at the library: fishing poles, wheel barrels, musical instruments. There’s a maker’s space. There’s so much more to the library than checking out books.”

Courtesy photo Baylor Collett and Blake Larsen

Su Ann Miller and Ruth Castor

Never mind. The search continues ...

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

Awild week in the Manatee County Commission could be wrapped up with two words.

Never mind.

Two separate moves during commission meetings probably have led to some confusion among residents.

One had to do with replacing the interim administrator with another interim administrator, while the other had to do with dumping Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge for two days in favor of District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh before reinstating him.

The April 25 commission meeting started with the revelation that a clerical error placed the appointment of Jon Mast, currently the head of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, as interim county administrator under the “Consent Agenda,” which is reserved for matters that are ready for an official vote without discussion.

County Attorney William Clague immediately explained that the resolution, which would authorize Van Ostenbridge to execute an employment contract with Jon Mast, should have been designated as a regular item.

That revelation was followed with accusations of “sidestepping” public input.

Commissioner George Kruse kicked off the debate about coming to terms with Mast with concerns about timing and cost, then ended it with a new motion to include Commissioner Jason Bearden in future negotiations of a possible contract. That motion was unanimously approved.

Kruse has been openly against a second interim appointment while commissioners work to fill the position. Lee Washington, who was the director of community and veterans

services, became the interim county administrator Feb. 7, when embattled Scott Hopes resigned.

A public budget meeting will be held June 6, and the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, so it wasn’t clear why a replacement interim administrator was needed. Mast’s proposed contract had a start date of May 22.

“Now we have a new interim county administrator starting 15 days before the first public budget meeting who has to present a budget that isn’t even being prepared by that interim county administrator,” Kruse said. “It’s only three weeks before we turn over the entirety of this county to somebody (if the contract with Mast was accepted), who most likely wouldn’t have had time to even introduce themself to all the employees.

This timing is incredibly terrible.”

He also called Mast’s contract “out-of-market” compared to other contracts they’ve been presented. He said it sets the county up to fail when it comes to the national search for a permanent hire because candidates will have access to the same information.

Kruse estimated Mast’s contract at “a solid 20%-plus higher” than both the current interim and last permanent county administrators. Fellow com-

missioners agreed that Mast’s current proposed contract sets too high a benchmark for potential applicants.

Washington’s contracted salary is $200,000; Hopes’ was $215,000. Hopes’ contract didn’t include benefits, a car allowance or an automatic pay increase when employees receive raises. Mast’s proposed salary was $225,000 annually plus benefits, a car allowance and automatic raises.

It was the second consecutive time the commissioners said a national search would be conducted to fill the administrator position. The first time was in March 2021, when then-Administrator Cheri Coryea resigned. By May, Hopes had transitioned from interim into the permanent replacement, with the national search being dropped.

“The vote to negotiate the hire of an interim county administrator, who would be the third boss staff members have had in less than three months, would be laughable if it wasn’t so outrageous,” Former Congressional Candidate Martin Hyde said during public comments at the meeting. “To hire, even temporarily, a man who is currently president of one of the largest builder/developer advocacy groups in the region is like

hiring a bank robber to run a bank.”

Three other members of the public spoke in addition to Hyde about their concerns in hiring another interim administrator, and one who has ties to the building industry.

Commissioner Mike Rahn defended the board’s position to consider Mast.

“I’m supporting this motion to bring Commissioner Bearden into the process (of negotiating with Mast). I don’t have a problem with that. I do have a problem with some of the comments that were made insinuating that somehow we’re on the take or being taking advantage of or anything like that,” Rahn said. “We’re going to have over 500,000 residents in this county in seven years, and we better be prepared for it. If we’re not, you’re going to have urban sprawl, and it’ll be worse than it is today.”

Rahn said it’s an advantage to have someone with development expertise to help the new permanent administrator get started. As part of the proposed contract, when a replacement was made, Mast would have automatically assumed the deputy county administrator position.

As commissioners Bearden and Baugh pointed out, Mast could not have become the permanent county

administrator and kept his current address in Sarasota County. His wife, Teresa, is currently running for a seat on the Sarasota County Commission.

The never-mind portion of the issue came two days later when Mast alerted commissioners he was removing himself from consideration for the position.

Bearden said he had opened negotiations with Mast with a $195,000 base salary offer. Bearden suggested that Mast might have been told by other commissioners that his original contract offer would be accepted.

The other never-mind moment came after commissioners voted 4-3 to relieve Van Ostenbridge of his board chair duties, then two days later reinstated him. Van Ostenbridge was removed as the chair in favor of Baugh, the veteran of the commission who has served as chair in both 2016 and 2021.

Then two days later, Commissioner Amanda Ballard told the commission that she changed her mind and wanted to take another vote for Van Ostenbridge to be the chair. With Baugh absent, the vote was 4-2 in favor of Van Ostenbridge getting his chair back.

Jon Mast, head of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, bows out of search.

File photo

Jon Mast, shown with wife, Teresa, withdrew his name from consideration to be acting administrator. Ian Swaby

At-large Commissioner George Kruse

Popular sports bar expands on the Ranch

Ed’s Tavern owners say they will open at State Road 64/ Upper Manatee River Road intersection late this year.

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

With many restaurants coming to East County, the norm has been considerable delays due to supply chain problems and other construction woes.

Those problems have made it impossible to pinpoint the opening of a restaurant.

However, co-owner Albert Myara was firm when talking about his new Ed’s Tavern being built at the intersection of State Road 64 and Upper Manatee River Road/Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.

“Before the end of the year, we will be open,” Myara said, emphasizing “will.”

He makes the statement even though vertical construction has yet to begin.

Myara and fellow co-owners Bob Bender and Adam Myara (Albert’s son), will now have the northern border of Lakewood Ranch covered as well as having their current restaurant at 10719 Rodeo Drive at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch.

The Main Street restaurant is packed day after day for both lunch and dinner, and the three co-owners expect that to be the case when the new restaurant opens.

“I have zero concerns,” Bender said. “I am so bullish on this (new) restaurant. I am extremely confident.”

The current Ed’s Tavern is about 2,800 square feet, while the new restaurant will be 4,200 square feet. The new restaurant will feature an indoor/outdoor bar and a special air conditioning system that will be utilized when the windows are open to the outside portion of the bar.

Although the new restaurant, which sits on the adjacent lot to the north of Wawa (10807 S.R. 64 E.), along Upper Manatee River Road, differs in size from the existing Ed’s, many of the features of the Main Street restaurant will be copied.

“You don’t change a winner,” Albert Myara said.

Bender said the overall blueprint for the new restaurant, in terms of business, will be “pretty much the same” as the existing restaurant.

“No matter what location, there will be something going on every night,” Bender said. “We are going to keep the same menu. It will be centered around sports, and it is going to have an appeal for families.

“When consumers come into the new restaurant, they will be thinking, ‘This is the Ed’s I know.”

Currently, Ed’s Tavern offers live

music once or twice a week, Tequila Tuesdays specials, a $6 burger day, a poker night, trivia nights, watch parties for sports events and lots of Happy Hour specials.

Adam Myara said the most important thing to the owners is that the new restaurant has the same energy as the current restaurant.

Certainly, a lot of energy will exist outside the restaurant, when it comes to drive-by traffic.

The area where they are building has quickly become a business hotspot considering all the growth along the S.R. 64 corridor and Upper Manatee River Road. However, the corridor offers few sit-down dining establishments with full bars.

“It serves everything we need,” Albert Myara said of the location. “We will be serving everything from Lorraine Road to the interstate and Parrish. We couldn’t have found a better spot.”

Upper Manatee River Road is scheduled to be widened to four lanes from S.R. 64 to the Fort Hamer Bridge. Then the Fort Hamer Bridge is scheduled for another span over the Manatee River. All the construction is expected to take about six years.

It all points toward increased traffic though that intersection.

Bender said all that development, including UMR Sports on Upper Manatee River Road, will attract lots of families who will hopefully become customers. UMR Sports is an athletic academy that builds athletes in multiple sports through teaching, showcases, tournaments and leagues.

When they take a break, they will be hungry.

“All those pickleball courts and fields will bring people to the restaurant,” Bender said.

He also said Ed’s Tavern at Main Street has many customers from S.R. 64 corridors, living in neighborhoods such as GreyHawk Landing, Heritage Harbour and Mill Creek. He said those customers tell him they can’t wait until the new restaurant opens so they don’t have to travel as far. He said he hears stories of how they check the construction more than he does.

“They are as excited as heck,” he said.

Bender said he will keep an eye on the progress of construction to see when it comes time to hire the 50 to 60 employees who will make up the staff. Although many businesses in the service industry have experienced problems hiring workers, Bender said he doesn’t anticipate

10TH AVE E .

ED’S TAVERN ON THE WAY

What: Ed’s Tavern is adding a second location in Lakewood Ranch

Where: On the lot to the north of Wawa at the intersection of Upper Manatee River Road and State Road 64 in Lakewood Ranch Size: 4,200 square feet

Owners: Albert Myara, Adam Myara, Bob Bender Plan: To offer the same menu and atmosphere of the current Ed’s Tavern at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch

Targeted opening: November or December

“It serves everything we need. We will be serving everything from Lorraine Road to the interstate, and Parrish. We couldn’t have found a better spot.”

any problems.

“We have not felt any help issues,” he said. “And we have loyal, longtenured employees (at the current restaurant). We will be able to bring some of our key employees over, and they will set the pace.”

Adam Myara said the abundance of apartment complexes being built nearby on S.R. 64 enhanced the spot, which will have about 90 parking spaces, for them to buy. He also said the restaurant has a reputation for being popular for kids through seniors.

“I love it here,” he said while standing in the current Ed’s Tavern.

“I’m 37 and my friends my age love it here, too. They have grown here.”

While they plan to keep the same menu, Adam Myara noted that Bender is great at “menu pivots,” so if the new restaurants needs to tweak its

offerings, that will happen quickly. Bender said the menu changes three or four times a year due to demand.

All three co-owners have been in the restaurant business most of their lives. Adam Myara said he remembers walking around in his father’s kitchens since he was 6.

“All of us have grown up in the business,” said Albert Myara, who noted that he and Adam are more investors who will rely on Bender to take care of the day-to-day operations.

“But if Bob needs anything, we have no problem doing it,” Albert Myara said. “If that means washing dishes, fine.”

Albert Myara said Ed’s Tavern’s many specials have built its popularity.

“We can go to breakfast, just the two of us, and spend $45,” he said of himself and his son, Adam. “Are you kidding me?”

Bender knows the restaurant industry is under a lot of stress to raise prices, but he said Ed’s Tavern will continue to be “family sensitive,” even when the new restaurant opens.

“There is no argument is it a challenging environment,” Bender said. “But I feel we are recession proof. There are, certainly, a lot of storm clouds out there.”

Albert Myara

Jay Heater

Ed’s Tavern co-owners Bob Bender, Adam Myara and Albert Myara say the new restaurant will have the same menu and many of the same features as the existing one.

Two East County teachers receive Congressional Teacher Awards

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan awarded two East County teachers with the Congressional Teacher Awards. Kathleen Brown, a math teacher at Braden River Middle School, and Ann Fleury, a math teacher at Lakewood Ranch High School, were award recipients. The two teachers were among five in Manatee County to receive the award.

The award was established in 2014 to honor “exceptional Suncoast teachers for their outstanding achievements on behalf of students,” according to a news release. “While they may not always receive the appreciation or recognition they deserve, teachers have one of the most important and difficult professions of all,” Buchanan said in a news release. “That is why I established the Congressional Teacher Awards – to honor educators for the crucial role they play in our community and inspiring our younger generations.”

Lakewood Ranch sees increase in home sales

Lakewood Ranch ended the first quarter of the new year with a 17% increase in home sales compared to the same time in 2022. Lakewood Ranch had 580 sales in the first quarter. Of those sales, 236 occurred in March, which was a 33% increase over March 2022.

March was the “largest jump in sales since the pandemic housing boom occurred,” according to a news release.

Laura Cole, senior vice president of LWR Communities, said in the release that Florida is seeing many people moving to the area from out of state, and Lakewood Ranch has seen an increase of people moving from around the state to Lakewood Ranch.

“Many people want to move to Lakewood Ranch but haven’t made a final purchase decision or want to give Lakewood Ranch living a test drive,” Cole said in the release. “We are able to offer options for potential buyers, no matter where they are in their decision making.”

Courtesy photo

Seven teachers from Manatee and Hillsborough counties receive the Congressional Teacher Awards from U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (center).

Three emerge as superintendent finalists

Community members will be able to meet the three finalists and submit feedback.

RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

The School Board of Manatee County has narrowed its search for the next superintendent to three finalists.

Doug Wagner, Jason Wysong and Scott Schneider were selected among 12 semifinalists to be finalists in the search for the next leader of the School District of Manatee County.

Schneider is the only semifinalist to receive support from each of the five school board members to be a finalist.  Wagner and Wysong received support from four board members.  Schneider and Wysong are finalists in the superintendent search for Brevard County School District, which will announce its superintendent May 9.

Schneider withdrew from the superintendent search in Charlotte County because he considers the school districts in Brevard and Manatee counties to be his priorities, according to Bill Vogel, who is with the Florida School Board Association. The association is the firm assisting the School Board of Manatee County with the superintendent search.

Wysong also has been recommended by a selection committee for the superintendent search in Osceola County, which will select its superintendent June 13.

Wagner, Wysong and Schneider will be in Manatee County May 10-11 for in-person interviews with each school board member as well as the collective board.

The finalists also will be able to interact with the community during

IF YOU GO

School Board of Manatee County interviews finalists

When: 9 a.m. May 10

Where: Walter E. Miller School Support Center, 215 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton

Details: The School Board of Manatee County will interview each of the finalists for the next superintendent. More information: ManateeSchools.net

Community Meet and Greet

When: 6-8 p.m. May 10

Where: Urban Loft at Manatee Central, 902 Manatee Ave. E, Suite C, Bradenton

Details: Community members will hear a 5-minute introduction from each finalist before having the opportunity to interact with each finalist.

More information: ManateeSchools.net

a reception at 6 p.m. May 10.

Vogel said each finalist will have 5 minutes to introduce themselves to those who attend the community meeting before each finalist goes into a different part of the room to interact with community members.

Community members will be able to submit feedback to the school board via a QR code that will be posted around the room as well as on the School District of Manatee County’s website. They will be able to submit feedback through May 14.

The finalists will go on a tour of the district and county with district personnel May 10, and board members will interview the finalists May 11.

The school board will select the next superintendent during a special meeting at 10 a.m. May 16.

GET TO KNOW THE FINALISTS

The finalists’ applications as well as video and written responses to pre-selected questions from the School Board of Manatee County are posted on the district’s website: ManateeSchools.net.

No.

Wysong has been serving as the deputy superintendent for Seminole County Public Schools since 2021 and has been with the district since 2007.

He previously served as the executive director of instructional excellence and system equity from 2020 to 2021.

Wysong became the executive director of education pathways and strategic partnerships in 2016 after serving as the director of the department from 2013 to 2016.

From 2011-2013, he served as coordinator for differentiated accountability, response intervention and the district’s threeyear, $4.9 million Race to the Top grant. The grant funded the implementation of state requirements and district initiated STEM innovation programs.

Previously, Wysong also served as an assistant principal and dean of students at Lake Brantley High School and a social studies teacher and debate coach at Trinity Preparatory School and Cypress Creek High School.

Doug Wagner

Wagner is the only internal applicant from the School District of Manatee County. He has been serving as the deputy superintendent of operations for the district since 2018.

He previously served as the executive director of Manatee Technical College from 2017 to 2018. He also served as the director of MTC and the executive director of adult, career and technical education for the School District of Manatee County.

Wagner has been with the district since 2001, serving as the director of adult, career and technical education from 2001 to 2014.

Wagner started working in education as a teacher of engineering technology in Clay County School District in 1991 and has since consulted with Florida school districts on technology education programs from, served as the state supervisor for industrial education and technology education for the Florida Department of Education and more.

Scott Schneider Schneider has been serving as the chief of schools at Duval County Public Schools since 2021 and has been with the district since 2011. As chief of schools, he works with all major academic and operational departments within the district to provide resources and supports for more than 150 schools and more than 120,000 students.

He previously served as a region superintendent of high and alternative schools for the district from 2019 to 2021. In this position, Schneider was responsible for supervising and managing more than 30 schools and 34,000 students.

Schneider also served as principal of Robert E. Lee High School from 2011 to 2019.

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Jason Wysong

McNeal becomes

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Sheila Waid, principal of Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School, beamed with pride as she saw students run the school’s Leadership Day.

Two students served as the master of ceremonies as others went on to describe the leadership projects they worked on, initiatives they led and personal accomplishments they had throughout the year.

Waid surprised students, staff, volunteers and parents April 24 with the news that McNeal Elementary is the first traditional school in Manatee County to become a Leader in Me Lighthouse School, showing their hard work to implement and incorporate the character development program into various aspects of the school day paid off.

Leader in Me is an evidence-based, comprehensive educational leadership and school improvement model. It empowers students to lead in their own learning as they learn the seven habits of highly effective people.

The habits are to be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand and then be understood, synergize, and seek continuous improvement and renewal.

There are 173 Leader in Me schools in Florida. Of those, only 41 schools are Leader in Me Lighthouse Schools.

McNeal began implementing the program five years ago. Ashlie Fulmer, the school’s student support specialist and a Lighthouse coordinator, said the program is woven through curriculum, instructional standards and assessments.

“You’re creating kids who will be successful in whatever they choose,” Fulmer said.

She said every student has a leadership notebook to help them set goals, determine leadership opportunities and celebrate their accomplishments.

School

Every month, the school focuses on one of the seven habits.

Fulmer said the school has “leader-ized” everything the school does.

“We noticed before, we didn’t have enough opportunities for our students to shine,” she said. “When you give them the chance to shine, they love it, they embrace it and they want to be here.”

Instead of having classroom jobs, each class has classroom leaders or rather than having clubs, there are leadership clubs.

“We’ve changed everything to have that focus on leadership,” she said.

For example, students wanted to help their classmates with math, so they created Math Mania, a group of students who put grade appropriate math problems around the school for students to submit their answers. They choose winners and award prizes.

Fulmer said the leadership projects in every grade and class are studentled. Stacy Freeman’s third grade class chose to collect supplies to send to a refugee camp this year.

Liz Ramos

Scott Biehler, executive director of Mayor's Feed the Hungry program, and Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown accept a donation from Julian LaBranche, a fifth grader at McNeal Elementary School and member of the school's K-Kids.

Your Friends Are Waiting

When was the last time you swung a racket or hit a golf ball, biked the trail or simply took a long walk with your favorite person to talk to?

Joint pain can creep up on us, faster than we’d expect, robbing us of the activities and experiences we used to treasure. Shoulders get stiff. Hips hurt. Knees creak and the back aches.

Before you know it, you’re spending more time watching Friends than seeing your own.

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So don’t wait . Life’s too short to spend it on the sidelines.

Read print, digitally!

a whopper of a story for another time.

Years later, ink-stained fingertips switched from an experiment to more of a nuisance during my first official job at the Longboat Observer. I was one of the office janitors, earning my weekly allowance. Every week, there were black ink fingerprints all over the door knobs and walls. Still to this day, at our current headquarters on the east end of Main Street in downtown Sarasota, you can find me cleaning ink-fingerprints off our doors with a trusty bottle of Windex from time to time.

businesses have been constantly innovating with their online offerings and revolutionizing their business models. This new e-Newspaper app is the latest iteration.

SIGN UP TODAY!

STEP 1 Visit YourObserver.com

Recently, I moved from Longboat Key, my home for the past 12 years, to mainland Sarasota. (Longboaters, we still have our eyes on you. My parents and Observer Media Group founders Matt and Lisa Walsh are still residents on Longboat Key, and my son, Rhys Parry, and I will be marching in the annual Fourth of July Freedom Fest parade — one of my favorite events of the year.) When moving, you unearth a lot of stuff. All of you snowbirds and new transplants are surely familiar with this phenomenon.

While trying to pare down items, I took a trip down memory lane going through boxes of keepsakes from my childhood. In one of those boxes, I found my first-place plaque from the Pinellas County Science Fair.

In sixth grade, at Southside Fundamental Middle School in St. Petersburg, I won first place for my project that was based on whether oil-based or soy-based newspaper ink was better for the environment. Conclusion: Soy-based ink was better because it was more soluble.

The methodology used to come to this conclusion included interviews with the pressmen at the then St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) and a series of experiments based on the ink left on your fingers after reading a newspaper.

At the time, the Tampa Tribune was still using oil-based ink, while the St. Petersburg Times had recently switched to soy-based ink. My experiments thumbing through both newspapers and swiping fingers on cotton swabs concluded that the soy-based ink used by the St. Petersburg Times left less residue on your fingertips.

Those experiments also resulted in the first time I used a curse word in front of my mother, but that is

So, much to my delight, and never in that 12-year-old’s wildest dreams, I’m happy to introduce a way to read our printed papers each week without getting ink on your fingers.

Welcome to your new e-Newspaper app — Your Observer.

The Your Observer e-Newspaper app is available in both the Apple App store and Google Play, free to download. Now our hyperlocal news and information is available to you, at your fingertips, anywhere in the world in an easy-to-use digital format on your desktop, tablet or mobile phone.

Each week, the printed version of our papers will be available to you in a new way. Flip through the pages on your favorite device like you would the printed pages. Pinch and grab the pages to zoom in and out.

Tap on headlines to view a mobile-friendly reading experience and jump to pages with a tap of the finger. Tap a photo to scroll through an entire picture gallery or view a video.

While you’re driving your morning or evening commute from work, you can have an article read to you. Share articles easily and have them translated into 25 different languages.

Interested in a service or product advertised by one of our partners?

Tap on the phone number and call directly from the app or be linked to their website. Download the digital edition and save articles to read offline. Print articles and crossword puzzles anytime.

People may say that print is dead or antiquated. Let us be clear: Print is not going away. The e-Newspaper app is a new way to read print, digitally. It’s also one of the ways we are staying true to our vision: innovate and elevate.

Ever since the rise of the internet in the late ’90s, the print media

To ensure our news and information is up-to-date and provided to you in every way you consume news, we utilize more than 30 different vendors and software providers, giving us the technology to print our papers and provide news online 24 hours, seven days a week. In fact, our IT partner, Thrive, has told us that we are one of their most complicated clients with the number of different systems we utilize to get news and information out to you every day.

So while we may be complicated internally, we want to offer you the easiest way to access our news with our new e-Newspaper app.

Our app is free to download, and for the first month we’re offering access for only 99 cents. After that, you can subscribe to our app for $5 per month, or $50 per year.

Meantime, our printed editions will remain free via home and commercial delivery, and our content on YourObserver.com will remain free.

If you opt for the Your Observer e-Newspaper app, you should consider going one step further and becoming an Observer Newsie. That’s our membership program, which has grown to nearly 500 members.

For an annual membership of $65, Newsies receive access to the Your Observer e-Newspaper app and invitations to members-only events. In fact, on April 20, our Newsies participated in a “Wine Walk” at The Bay with AG Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble and outgoing CEO of The Bay Conservancy.

This has been a long journey — going from ink-stained fingers to creating our digital editions that will read our stories to you or translate them into multiple languages. While I will always have ink in my blood, I am excited that with our new Your Observer e-Newspaper app, there won’t be as much of it on my fingers. I hope you download it and give it a try. I’d love to hear what you think.

Emily Walsh is president of the Observer Media Group Inc. She can be reached at EWalsh@ YourObserver.com.

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HAPPY READING!

“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

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EMILY WALSH

Large-scale attack on weight loss

Those who wrestled back in the 1970s or 1980s understood that wrestling coaches always knew the best ways to lose weight.

You didn’t see the word “healthy” in that sentence.

So the night before a tournament, I was a 158-pound kid (normally) who was competing in the 142-pound class. And I needed to lose those pesky two pounds that just wouldn’t peel off, even though I hadn’t eaten anything solid for two days.

I grew up in a dairy farming area, where wrestling was king on campus. Weight loss was an important part of the deal, and most parents went along with the program. How you did it didn’t matter as long as the official cleared you to show up on the mat.

Starvation and working out in sweat shop conditions were the preferred weight loss treatment, but sometimes you just needed to go above and beyond to hit the mark.

On this night, my coach had a solution. He brought me to his home, and set up a makeshift bed in his laundry room. I laid on the floor, and once an hour he would show up to start the dryer, which would run the next 60 minutes, increasing the heat in the room, sweating the final two pounds off me.

It worked, but I doubt it did my overall system a lot of good.

After wrestling through high school and college, I eventually hated anything to do with weight loss, and therefore did what I could to gain weight. For years, it was hopeless, as I couldn’t get close to my goal of 200 pounds.

Then I turned 55, which signaled my body to produce all the extra pounds I thought I wanted. They came in a hurry. Not exactly in the form I desired.

All of a sudden, it was a problem for me. What were these bumps on my side? Why did I grow my dad’s beer belly?

I started to read about diets.

There was the one where you ate

grapefruits all week. Considering that I used to suck on oranges when I was a wrestler on the days I was eating solid food, this one did not appeal to me.

I read about an ice cream diet, which, though appealing, seemed stupid. Then came the cabbage soup diet, which might have worked if I didn’t hate cabbage soup.

A master cleanse diet feeds you a two-week diet of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Talk about heartburn.

Then there was a wide assortment of diets that preached a regular workout schedule and a steady stream of healthy foods, such as green vegetables, fruits and nuts. Hmmmm. If I could do that, I wouldn’t have the problem in the first place.

Of course, I haven’t even mentioned the diets that include premade meals that, for my taste, take the joy out of eating. It is, indeed, one of my life’s joys.

I quickly understood why people with substantial weight problems could become discouraged. And I might add that any medical solutions seemed to be extreme and expensive.

Lakewood Ranch’s Rich Medford might have shared many of the same concerns when he did a little research about the proper, or healthy, weight for his 6-foot-2 frame.

Many people in the community probably know of Medford as a businessman who owns two area Sirius Day Spas with his wife, Karen Medford. He obviously is a health conscious guy who certainly never looked like he needed to lose any weight.

Then he learned his frame wasn’t supposed to support the 223 pounds he was carrying. He started to look into all those diets that just aren’t right for many of us.

He began to read about semaglutide, a peptide which became a hot item after being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

in 2021.

Medford kept reading positive reports about the drug, which, when injected once a week, allows the person to enjoy all the same foods, but lose the need to overindulge. Therefore, the meal becomes half what it was previously.

Among the reports was this one by UCLA Health:

“There have been several anti-obesity medications that help suppress appetite and achieve weight loss. But semaglutide performs on a new level. An early study of 2,000 obese adults compared people using semaglutide plus a diet and exercise program with people who made the same lifestyle changes without semaglutide. After 68 weeks, half of the participants using semaglutide lost 15% of their body weight and nearly a third lost 20%. Participants who incorporated only lifestyle changes lost about 2.4% of their weight.”

Impressed by the many positive reports, and knowing that the market was about to explode, Medford pulled together some investors and launched Americas Wellness Group, which launched four weeks ago at 7614 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota. He since has opened new stores in Jupiter and in Willowghby Hills, Ohio. He will open an Americas Wellness Group in Denver in six to eight weeks.

“It is going so fast that nobody knows where it is going,” he said.

It all intrigued me, because so many diets, whether medically related or not, tend to come and go.

He explained that the more than 100 clients who have signed up at his East County store come to have a shot once in a week, in the thigh, butt, hip, arm or leg, depending on their preference. Medford staffs the business with registered nurses and medical technicians.

The injection under the skin layer causes the body to process it as a peptide.

He followed the program him-

self so he could explain to possible clients about the effects.

“I weighed 223,” he said. “Now I weigh 205. I did it in five weeks.

“I wanted to do it because I wanted to experience how it changes the way you think about food. Everything tastes the same, and I really didn’t believe it until I did it. I still eat the cheeseburger, but I only eat half of it. It limits my intake.”

Medford stressed that it doesn’t make a person nauseous or make the food taste crummy.

“It is just that your hunger is gone,” he said.

But why gamble on such a drug?

“I didn’t do this for the money,” he said. “In my family, most are overweight. Sixty percent of Americans are overweight or obese. (A Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health report says the number is 69%.) This is an actual epidemic nobody wants to deal with.”

So if the big drug companies put the smaller Americas Wellness Group out of business, so be it. He said he will continue to help as many people as possible to live healthier lives.

“There’s got to be some interven-

tion,” he said of so many people being overweight. “This is the beginning of a medical breakthrough. You can take somebody with demons, and help them. People are so happy when they get weighed to see the results. It’s shocking in a good way. And the people who use us know they have a partner in this.”

The once-a-week treatment costs $299 a month. It is not covered by insurance.

Medford said a Lakewood Ranch clinic is his next target.

“This industry will continue to evolve,” he said.

It’s way better than the laundry room.

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

Jay Heater

Concerned about Americans’ problem with obesity, Lakewood Ranch’s Rich Medford started Americas Wellness Group.

The

From family planning and obstetrical care to routine gynecological care and surgical interventions, using laparoscopic and da Vinci robotic surgical technology, our compassionate and dedicated physicians and nurse practitioner are here to help you feel your best.

To make an appointment, call 941-348-1144 or schedule online at lakewoodranchmedicalgroup.com

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ODA ‘lifer’ sets goal high for future

After an internship at Blake Hospital and positive experiences in science classes, Lakewood Ranch’s Maria Shaw can’t wait to work toward becoming a surgeon.

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Lakewood Ranch’s Maria Shaw stood next to Dr. Michael Van Vliet in awe.

Shaw watched as Van Vliet, a plastic surgeon in the HCA Florida Blake Hospital Burn and Plastic Surgery Center, worked with nurses to help a man who burned the right side of his body and whose hand was barely attached to the rest of his arm after being in a burning car.

Shaw, a senior at the Out-of-Door Academy, couldn’t believe that Van Vliet had the skills and knowledge to be able to heal the man.

The overwhelming compassion she saw from Van Vliet and the nurses throughout her time interning and shadowing the plastic surgeon inspired her to major in biology at Oxford College of Emory University with the goal of becoming a surgeon.

“I don’t want to be confined to just reconstructive plastic surgery; I want to do all of it,” Shaw said. “The people who come in with those types of issues, I feel like they have no hope. (Van Vliet) blows everything you could possibly imagine out of the water and won’t stop until it’s perfect. I see a lot of myself in him, and I want to be able to do that. I want to give people their life back and make the impossible possible.”

Shaw will graduate from ODA May 19 after attending the school since she was in pre-K.

She jokes with people that she’s an “ODA lifer.”

“I kind of brag like, ‘Oh, I’m a lifer, no big deal,’” Shaw said with a laugh.

“It’s cool because looking back, I can still remember my pre-K teachers,

ABOUT MARIA SHAW

School: Out-of-Door Academy

Year: Senior University: Oxford College of Emory University

Major: Biology

Dream job: Surgeon

Extracurriculars: Cross country, track and field, soccer, orchestra, jazz band and advanced chamber ensemble

kindergarten teachers and all those experiences I had at the lower school and then up through middle school and high school. It’s been cool to have the continuity of the same school.” Shaw said she wouldn’t have her future planned out without ODA’s encouragement to take advantage of internship opportunities and her mother, Ann Marie Davis, who is a nurse anesthetist, suggesting she shadow a doctor at Blake Hospital. While shadowing Van Vliet for at least 96 hours in 2022, Shaw saw Van Vliet care for several patients.

Maria Shaw, a senior at the Out-ofDoor Academy, has been attending the school since she was in pre-K. She’ll graduate May 19.

She would stand next to him in the operating room and listened intently as he explained every action he was taking and why.

A woman had come into the burn and plastic surgery center with 80% of her body burned, and Shaw watched as they cared for her every day in the intensive care unit.

“Van Vliet was adamant that I see what happened to her and how he was going to help her become (well) again,” Shaw said. “I just see all these people taking care of this poor woman who had just lost everything. The fact they can care for someone who’s not even their own family and they can have that much compassion is so wild. I see a lot of people on a daily basis in general life that don’t care about other people.”

Shaw was able to see the woman walk out of the hospital a few weeks later “perfectly back to normal.”

The internship, as well as her passion for biology, drives her desire to major in biology in college and become a surgeon.

Shaw said after taking her required courses at ODA, she was able to personalize her education to focus on her love for science and math.

“I feel like since I’ve used that to my advantage, as far as in science and math, I would say I’m in a much better position for college than I would have been if I had just taken the core requirements,” she said.

She loved being in science teacher Mike Newham’s classes throughout her years at ODA.

Newhams said Shaw is exuberant, hard working and driven. He has no doubts she can achieve her goal of becoming a surgeon.

“She’s all in for everything she does,” he said. “I’ll be teaching a class and she’s reacting as if it’s the most shocking, amazing, hilarious thing. You would think that would get exhausting, but it’s so pure and genuine that it’s amazing to see a student have that kind of excitement and interest in teaching. The fact she’s so driven to be a fantastic student is great.”

Shaw often spends her free periods in Newham’s class working on assignments, talking to Newhams about science and other topics and laughing as he sings along to Jack Johnson tunes.

Her favorite science to study is biology because “it’s something concrete I can relate to other things.” Biology is more than simply finding the answers to equations. At Blake Hospital, she was amazed to see how doctors could replicate people’s skin cells, take different animal skins or carefully take off burned skin to heal patients.

“I find it fascinating that someone can go through that much trauma on their body and still come out looking good as new,” she said. “It’s just wild to me.”

Going off to Georgia for college, Shaw looks forward to expanding her horizons by meeting new people, especially those who have different interests than hers.

“It’ll be cool to learn different viewpoints and understand how people choose the path they’re on,” she said. “I’m excited to focus even more on what I’m passionate about.”

Maria Shaw, a senior at the Outof-Door Academy, is thankful to have had the opportunity to intern at Blake Hospital where her mother, Ann Marie Davis, works as a nurse anesthetist.

Courtesy photos

Fast Break

Labor Day tournament caught everyone off guard with its popularity.

It stayed that way for a while. Saviano said when his son Francesco Saviano joined the club’s recreational program at 6 years old in 2014, there were only 47 kids in his age range, barely enough for four teams’ worth of 11-on-11 soccer. Today, the Chargers have approximately 1,000 kids in their program, between recreational soccer, a youth academy that preps athletes for higher levels of players and multiple competitive travel teams, including a team in Major League Soccer’s MLS Next league and a team in the United Premier Soccer League, which is affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Former Lakewood Ranch

High football offensive

lineman Sam Jackson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent April 29. The 6-foot6 Jackson played college football at the University of Central Florida and was one of Pro Football Focus’ All-American Athletic Conference First Team selections for 2022.

The Out-of-Door Academy had 11 athletes sign with colleges on April 26: boys swimmer Felipe Baffico-Balharry (Harvard University); boys track and field athletes Tyler Beck (Lafayette University) and Ian Strang (Trinity University); girls rower Ada Giraldo (Boston University); boys rower

Danny Schaffer (Columbia University); boys tennis player

Robert Zhang (University of Chicago); and baseball players

Luke Geske (Florida SouthWestern College), Giovanni Giuliani (Kenyon College), Nevan Hernandez (Daytona State College), Jack Hobson (University of South CarolinaAiken) and Luca Marino (Eckerd College).

Former Lakewood Ranch

High boys track and field star

James Rivera, a sophomore at Florida State University, won the 400-meter hurdles (50.62 seconds) at the East Coast Relays, held April 28 at the University of North Florida.

Lakewood Ranch High football quarterback Clayton Dees received a scholarship offer from Appalachian State University on April 20.

UMR Sports will hold a “Rally at the Ranch” pickleball event May 20. The event will have men’s, women’s and mixed matches with rally scoring to 15 points. The event starts at 8:30 a.m. and registration is $70 per doubles team. For more information visit UMRSports.com.

Nathan Benderson Park will hold a Learn to Row event on May 14-15 at 9 a.m. each day. The eight-hour course, four hours each day, will give participants the skill set to row a single scull. Registration is $200. For more information or to register, visit NathanBendersonPark.org.

Soccer charges forward on the Ranch

The organization has brought joy to thousands of soccer players, with more growth ahead.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

No one expected the crowds.

The year was 2011, and the Lakewood Ranch Chargers youth soccer organization was hosting its first tournament at the newly built Premier Sports Campus. It was the club’s now annual Labor Day Tournament, but back then, it was simply designed to give the kids in the organization something fun to do.

It proved to be more popular than anyone anticipated. By the day of the tournament, so many teams had signed up that traffic became the stuff of nightmares, with cars lining State Road 70 from Premier down to the intersection with Lorraine Road where there is a Dunkin’ — which became so inundated with parents looking for a caffeine buzz before the tournament that it ran out of coffee.

“I think one of the pizza places ran out of pizza, too,” said Antonio Saviano, the club’s technical director. “It was just crazy.”

Saviano was running Premier Sports Campus at the time and remembered well the stir the tournament caused. Saviano said it was a sign that soccer was going to stick in the area, something that has proven true to this day, when 98% of the club’s participants live in areas with Lakewood Ranch ZIP codes.

But the club was not always a foundation of the community. The Chargers Soccer Club was founded in the Clearwater area in the 1970s and established the Lakewood Ranch Chargers program in 2011 after hosting a tournament at the Sarasota Polo Club in 2005 and determining the area to be filled with untapped talent. It was so long ago, Saviano said, that stretches of University Parkway were still unpaved.

The Chargers played at the Sarasota Polo Club until 2011, when Premier opened. It looked different than it does now. Saviano, who helped build the Premier facilities, said there were no buildings, just open fields, except for one small trailer where business operations were conducted. The club’s tournaments drew well, but at the time, the club itself was small — part of the reason why the initial

LOOKING BACK

“We do not try to be greedy and say ‘Well, we’ll just grow it as much as we can (no matter what),’” Saviano said. “The number of kids that remain in our program after trying it is high, and our coaching staff, we try to get them as educated as possible. You add those two things together and you get coaches who teach kids the right way to play, and you offer them a good program for them to grow their skills.”

Saviano said 22 of the club’s 24 coaches have at least a D-level license with the U.S. Soccer Learning Center. Matt Cook, 20, is one of those coaches, teaching with the club’s youth academy. He was in their shoes once, as one of the first players to join the Chargers back in the day. Cook said he joined the club in 2012 at 9 years old, having just moved to the area from Colorado. There were few bells and whistles to the experience back then, which was perhaps a good thing. It allowed the club’s focus to be on the sport itself.

“It was small,” Cook said of the club. “And there wasn’t much to this area yet, so all we could do was play soccer. But I liked playing here. I still know some of the people I played with as a kid; we’re still friendly. Playing for the club helped me love the game.”

Cook said he stuck with soccer as a player through the U19 level when a tibia injury sidelined him. Instead of intense rehab to quickly get back on the field, Cook, who was inspired by his past coaches, including his U12 coach Chrystian Angelletta, decided to try coaching himself. He’s still new to it, Cook said, but he’s enjoying imparting his wisdom on the kids. It has also allowed him to come full-circle. He is now coaching Sandon Angelletta, Chrystian Angelletta’s son.

The Chargers’ growth is consistent with how Lakewood Ranch itself has grown over the years. Saviano said the number of people moving to the area is one for the Chargers’ rise, but it is not the only reason. The sport itself has also become more popular nationally as the U.S. men’s and women’s teams have success during global events like the World Cup. The Lakewood Ranch area has tried to capitalize on the international aspects of soccer, too. From 2011 through 2019, Premier Sports Campus played host to the Nike International Friendlies, where young fans could come and watch the U.S. U16 and U17 teams play international competition for free.

Saviano said the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to the friendlies in 2020, and they have yet to return. Bringing events like those back to the area would give the club, and sport, an even greater boost, he said. Cook said the U.S. hosting the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada will provide the biggest boost of all, on a national level. The more exposure the sport gets, he said, the better.  As Lakewood Ranch continues to gain residents and soccer’s popularity soars, the Chargers will continue to grow. But Cook said the club has not lost the dedication to the game that it instilled in him a decade ago, and it is something he tries to pass on to the kids in the youth academy.

“Kids are used to hearing about soccer now,” Cook said. “They want to go out and play it during recess with their friends. The Chargers is a great community to do that, from the parents to the kids to the coaches. Everyone’s nice and there’s a hungry atmosphere. It’s a great organization and it’s only going to get better.”

Ryan Kohn

The Out-of-Door Academy’s 2023 signing day.

File photo Fahd Khair, David Simonov and Jack Goehring play for the Lakewood Ranch Chargers U9 team.

This empty piece of land is where the Premier Sports Campus stadium field now sits.

Matt Cook dribbles the ball with the Lakewood Ranch Chargers. Cook is now a coach with the organization.

A photo from a 2011 Chargers practice at Premier Sports Campus.

“The two mile (3,200 meters) is my best event, but the one mile (1,600 meters) is actually my favorite.”

— The Out-of-Door Academy’s Declan Fiorucci SEE PAGE 16

PROSE AND KOHN RYAN KOHN

Still the top target

When you’re the two-time defending state champs, you get the benefit of the doubt.

And there is doubt. The Lakewood Ranch High softball team is 15-9 in 2023.

It’s a mark good enough for second in the Class 7A District 8 standings, but when the program went 60-4 over the previous two seasons, nine losses figures to be disturbing.

As of April 28, the team has lost three of its last four games, most recently a 2-1 heartbreaker at home to Class 3A state contender Bishop Verot High (20-4).

Yet the mood around the team has

not been one of doom and gloom.

After the loss to Bishop Verot, Lakewood Ranch first-year varsity head coach Todd Lee was bullish on his team’s postseason prospects.

“We’re playing average ball (to their own standards),” Lee said. “If we can just play good ball, we’re going to be trouble for anybody, and we have the potential to play great ball. We have a good chunk of the team that has been there all the way to the end and knows what it takes. You have to finish in the postseason.”

Lee’s rationale might seem like typical coach optimism at first blush, but there are reasons to believe he’s right. For one thing, seven of Lakewood Ranch’s nine

losses have been by a single run, and two of those seven have come in extra innings. They also have, according to MaxPreps data, the third-toughest schedule in Class 7A, behind only Lake Brantley High (18-3), a team the Mustangs beat in the state title game a year ago, and Lake Mary High (11-11).

With even a slightly less difficult schedule, the Mustangs would likely have a record more fitting of their two-time champs status. But that is no excuse for losing, and Lee knows that.

When he describes their play as “average” thus far, he means it. While the top half of Lakewood Ranch’s order has been strong,

led by all-world outfielder Cassidy McLellan in the leadoff spot, the back half has struggled to find consistency.

This isn’t a surprise, given that most of the players the Mustangs have tried in the back half of the lineup are inexperienced at the varsity level. Lee knows they need to improve in the postseason for the Mustangs to have a chance.

“We used to get 17, 18, 19 hits a game,” Lee said. “We’re not going to do that. It’s about on-base percentage for us. Do we get a hit? Do we take a walk? Whatever we need to do to get on base.”

Lee also said the team needs to stop getting in its own way. Against Bishop Verot, the Mustangs had plenty of opportunities to win. Offensively, Lakewood Ranch had runners in scoring position in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and failed to bring home a run.

Defensively, there have been problems as well. Bishop Verot scores its first run against the Mustangs on a strikeout. Mustangs pitcher Ella Dodge struck out Bishop Verot freshman Payton Breadmore, but the umpire determined that Lakewood Ranch catcher Addyson Bruneman had dropped the pitch, and it was thus a live ball.

Bishop Verot’s Gianni Torres scored after Bruneman tossed the ball in the dirt and headed to the dugout.

The Mustangs disputed the call, claiming Bruneman caught the third strike pitch before it hit the dirt. Regardless of whether the call was right or wrong, the Mustangs lacked some defensive awareness as Breadmore ran to first and Torres scored during the chaos.

The next inning, Bishop Verot scored the winning run on a Mustangs’ fielding error with two outs.

Lee said the team’s practices will focus on ironing out those mistakes and perfecting the details of the game. It is what has set the Mustangs apart from its competition in the past.

“We practice with the intensity of a live game,” Lee said. “The pressure’s on. We are hard on them. We need those senior players to help pull up the bottom. If that happens,

we’re a fun group. We’re still a little bit disconnected instead of being together, but we’re like, an inning away.

“It could still be a magic season, and I think it’s going to happen.”

If Lakewood Ranch can indeed eliminate untimely mistakes and find a bit more offensive juice, dreams of another deep postseason run are not crazy. McLellan is dominating the competition despite opposing teams often choosing to pitch around her. She’s hitting .577 with 12 doubles, three triples and five home runs. Lakewood Ranch also has the reigning Class 7A Player of the Year on the mound in Dodge, a University of Tennessee commit (2.36 ERA). She’s split more time with freshman Olivia Carr this year than she did with anyone a season ago, so she should be fresh for the postseason. She’s helped her own cause, too, hitting .452.

While the back half of the lineup waits for a full breakthrough, there were positive signs against Bishop Verot. Sophomore infielder Jersie Rohde showed strong plate discipline, walking twice in the later innings and getting into scoring position by taking a base on a passed ball. Junior Leah James also had a key hit late.

It’s going to take a different way of winning than Lakewood Ranch and its fans are used to seeing, but the team has the talent to make the adjustment. Lee is right. If the Mustangs play up to their own standards, they’re still tough to beat.  Can they make the necessary adjustments in time?

After two titles, we should give them benefit of the doubt.

The team’s district tournament begins May 1 and runs through May 4. Check YourObserver.com for updates.

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

Ryan Kohn

The Mustangs greet senior Cassidy McLellan at home plate after a leadoff home run against Bishop Verot.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Declan Fiorucci

Declan Fiorucci is a junior on The Out-of-Door Academy boys track and field team. Fiorucci won the 3,200-meter run (9:45.26) April 13 at the 2023 Sarasota County Championships held at Venice High.

How did you start running competitively?

I started running with my mom (Bridgette Fiorucci) when I was young. She would want our family to run 5Ks with her. When I got older, into middle school, I had friends who ran cross country. I tried it and stuck with it.

What is the appeal to you?

I feel like running is a useful skill to have. The faster I can get at it, the better. Plus, it’s fun to win a race. That is what pushes me to keep going. It’s like all your hard work pays off.

What is your favorite event?

The two mile (3,200 meters) is my best event, but the one mile (1,600 meters) is actually my favorite. It’s easier to divide the race. It’s four laps. It’s not too long, and it does not get boring. The two mile, there’s a lot more strategy to it.

What is your preferred strategy for the two-mile race?

I try to sit and kick, which means I try to match the pace for the first two laps and make sure I’m not going too slow. Then I fall back just behind the lead group. Once we hit the last two laps, I kick it in and hopefully out sprint everyone.

What is your favorite track and field memory? I actually have two. When I was 13, I was a pole vaulter,

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

and I competed at the AAU Junior Olympics in Orlando and won my age group. It was cool to win at a national meet like that. My second memory is the county championships, winning the two mile there. I was not ranked to win it, so I had to overcome the odds a bit, which was fun.

What are your goals for the postseason?

My former teammate, Tristan McWilliam (now at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), holds the ODA record in the two mile race (9:32.82). I’d like to try to break that at the state meet.

What is your favorite food?

Before races I like to have rice with soy sauce and also bagels and cream cheese.

What is your favorite movie?

I like the “Star Wars” franchise a lot, and since track season started I have been watching the “Rocky” movies. Those are great as well. our favorite

I like math and history. Math just makes sense to me, all the formulas. History is interesting, hearing what people were thinking in the past.

YOUR NEIGHBORS

OPPORTUNITIES BLOOM IN SENSORY GARDEN

Library staff plan to have story time, educational lessons and more in the sensory garden.

BY LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Bradenton’s

They were able to see various native Florida plants, including Browne’s savory, Scarlet salvia, false rosemary, beach creeper and dune sunflowers, as they went down the stone path.

Braden River Library unveiled its new sensory garden during an Earth Day celebration April 22.

Chris Culp, the youth librarian at the Braden River Library, said library staff has wanted a sensory garden for years, but staff decided to wait until after the construction of a new wing to the library was complete to start the garden.

“I visited a sensory garden and thought, ‘What a great thing to have to learn about plants,’” Culp said. “Every library has what they call a makerspace now, which is arts and crafts, but this is going to be like a living science space.”

The library received a $500 grant from the Serenoa Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society. With the help of the Master Gardener Volunteer Program through the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences Manatee County, the library was able to begin working on the garden in March.

Master Gardener volunteers helped to design and choose the plants for the garden.

“It’s a labor of love that we started,” Culp said.

Culp said the sensory garden is a work in progress as she hopes to add a bird bath, sundial, some type of tree like a fruit tree, a story trail and other features. A story trail will allow people to read a page of a story at a time as they go along the path of the garden.

The bird bath, herbs and peaceful scenery will address the senses of sight, sound, smell and touch.

“Everybody learns differently,” said Sally Herb, a Master Gardener volunteer. “Some people learn by seeing, some people learn by touching, some by hearing. If you can give as many sensory opportunities as you can, everybody will have an opportunity to learn something.”

The plants also will attract butterflies, such as monarch butterflies, to the garden, providing an opportunity

for people to learn about butterflies, their life cycles and more.

Culp plans to have story times in the garden and educational activities for people of all ages.

Culp said the library also will have Master Gardeners come once per month to answer questions and help people who wish to start their own gardens while promoting Floridafriendly plants.

All the plants in the garden are native to Florida to ensure they are

easy to care for and will survive in Florida weather. The library purchased the plants from Sweet Bay Nursery. Master Gardener volunteers and library staff and volunteers donated earth boxes that are against the wall of the library.

Norma Kisida, a Master Gardener volunteer, said several factors had to be taken into consideration when designing the garden and choosing the plants, including how much sunlight there would be, water and

drainage and the pH of the soil.

“These plants are better suited because they take less water, less maintenance and less fertilizer,” Kisida said.

Culp and Kisida are hopeful that people will enjoy the garden and take advantage of the educational opportunities.

“We’re hoping to encourage more people to put in native plants and plants that support pollinators,” Kisida said.

Rita Patel kneeled next to her daughter, Aarna Patel, to look at the plants in the Braden River Library’s new sensory garden.

Bradenton's Aarna Patel, who is 9, looks at the different plants in the sensory garden with her mother, Rita Patel.

Photos by Liz Ramos

Sally Herb, a Master Gardener, talks to Bradenton 11-year-old Gavin Lewis about butterflies and caterpillars.

Scarlet salvia is one of the native plants in the sensory garden.

A WOMAN’S TOUCH

Kimber Skowronski and her teenage daughter were on the verge of homelessness after her landlord wanted to increase her rent by $800.

She was attending a Department of Housing and Urban Development firsttime homebuyer’s class when she was referred to Habitat for Humanity Sarasota.

On April 27, Skowronski joined a group of 21 local women for Habitat Sarasota’s first Women Build event. The nationwide events began in 1991.

“This has been a dream of mine for 13 years that we get a Women Build started and off the ground,” President and CEO Renee Snyder said.

Hammock Place is a deed-restricted community near 17th Street and Beneva in Sarasota. Currently, 25 families live in the neighborhood. There will be 40 by the end of 2024 when the project is complete.

Volunteers were split into three groups: landscaping, flooring and painting. Having Skowronski and another future homeowner on site added to the morale and motivation.

“I was trying this other program in Manatee County that was just not working out for me,” she said. “It was a downpay-

ment assistance program, and I just kept getting outbid by investor after investor.” Skowronski, 41, has worked at McCurdy’s Comedy Club for more than five years. She saved enough for a downpayment on a home and put in 20 bids, but she couldn’t compete with cash offers above the asking prices.

She was approved to buy a home through Habitat in December and signed the papers Jan. 6, her birthday. Her 0% interest mortgage will cost less than her rent.

“Right now, it’s so hard, and I make so much money that I really don’t qualify for much in food stamps and things like that. I get a little, but it’s not much, so it’s not easy,” Skowronski said. “I’ll actually be able to say: ‘My daughter needs a new pair of shoes. OK, I can afford those shoes.’ I don’t have to figure out where that extra income is going to come from because I’ll have a couple extra hundred dollars a month, so that’s what I’m really looking forward to.”

Skowronski’s 15-year-old daughter is looking forward to having a backyard. She wants a dog.

—

LESLEY DWYER

Photos by Lesley Dwyer Lakewood Ranch's Misdee Miller, who owns the Sarasota Polo Club with her husband, James, and Karen Medford, who owns Sirius Day Spas with her husband, Rich, volunteer during Women Build April 27.

Griffin and Litha John-Rose are on the landscaping crew. Jinnie Rice works with her daughter Kimber Skowronski to get the

volunteer hours Skowronski needs before moving into her new home. Callie Friedman stops to tighten her roller.

Paul Brannan, M.D.

Selina Lin, M.D.

Philip Ames, M.D.

Neal Kansara, M.D.

O Omazing

Mother's Day Gift Guide

MOLLY MAID OF SARASOTA, MANATEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES

1461 Tallevast Rd • Sarasota, FL 34243

941-753-2220 • www.MollyMaid.com/gift-certificates

What does mom really want this Mother’s Day? A CLEAN home and TIME to herself! Give her a Molly Maid gift certificate so she can take some time off from housework and enjoy some me time! Gift certificates are easy to get and easy to give. To all moms Happy Mother’s Day from Molly Maid!

CAFE L’EUROPE

431 St Armands Circle • Sarasota, FL 34236

941-388-4415 • www.CafeLEurope.net/contact/reservations

Join us in celebrating Mother’s Day! Our all-day menu starts at 10am with a wide selection of Café favorites, including seasonal features for brunch and dinner. Brunch options include Florida Benedict, Quiche Florentine, Ham and Eggs, and Bread Pudding. For dinner, enjoy Coquilles St. Jacques, Chicken Milanese, and much more, from 4pm to close. Reserve your table now!

LE

MACARON

362 St Armands Cir • Sarasota, FL 34236

140 University Town Center Dr • Sarasota, FL 34243

941-552-8872 • www.LeMacaron-US.com

Handcrafted by our team of French chefs, these classic pastries come in unique flavors like Sicilian Pistachio & Mango Jam. We use the finest glutenfree ingredients. Visit our pâtisserie to enjoy French Macarons, quality French gelato, classic French pastries, European-style beverages & homemade candies. Order your gift boxes now!

BARTLETT JEWELERS

Creekwood Crossing I-75 & SR70 Bradenton, FL 34203 941-751-6600 • www.BartlettJewelers.com

Show mom your love with a classic paperclip necklace from Ti Sento. Locally owned and operated since 1973, Bartlett Jewelers has been your full-service, jeweler offering the area’s finest collection of timeless jewelry pieces. We offer several styles of bridal and fashion jewelry as well as repair and remounts.

ELYSIAN FIELDS

1273 S Tamiami Tr • Sarasota, FL 34239 8207 Cooper Creek Blvd • University Pkwy, FL 34201 941-361-3006 • www.ElysianFieldsGifts.com

Elysian Fields continues to be Sarasota’s ideal destination for one of a kind, hand selected gifts. Now also located in The Shoppes at UTC, make sure to stop by to find something special for the mothers in your life. This year’s featured product comes from Penny & Rose - A Scent For Your Thoughts. Fill every room with warm nostalgia and excite your home this Mother’s Day!

MAE REID MERCANTILE

817 Honore Ave • Sarasota, FL 34232

941-323-3815

www.instagram.com/MaeReidMercantile

One of Sarasota’s newest and truly unique shopping destinations. Find fanciful gifts & irresistible treasures in this nostalgic location! Locally owned and proud to offer American made decor, accessories & gifts. Stop in, stroll and find something special for your Mom or Grandmother. Happy Mother’s Day!

SIRIUS DAY SPA, SALON

DIAMOND BAY JEWELERS

& MED SPAS

11585 E SR70 • Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 8512 Cooper Creek Blvd • Bradenton, FL 34201 941-357-4611 • www.SiriusDaySpas.com

The Perfect Gift for the Moms in your Life, a Gift Card from the #1 Spa, Salon & Med Spa in Lakewood Ranch/Sarasota/Bradenton. Full service Hair & Nail Salon, Spa, and Medical Spa featuring 200+ services including Massages, Facials, Botox, Fillers, Permanent Make Up, Laser Hair Removal, Morpheus8, IPL, Lash Services and More.

MOLLY’S!

A CHIC AND UNIQUE BOUTIQUE

1874 Stickney Point Rd • Sarasota, FL 34231

711 S Osprey Ave • Sarasota, FL 34236 941-921-1221 • www.MollysSarasota.com

Two locations for people seeking a fun and exciting personal shopping experience. Named best Gift Store in Sarasota for 4 years, you are sure to find something special to give or get for yourself. Beyond gifts, both locations have a large selection of quality shoes, jewelry, apparel and accessories too.

MONKEE’S OF LAKEWOOD RANCH

1561 Lakefront Dr, Ste 104 • Sarasota, FL 34240

• www.MonkeesofLakewoodRanch.com

941-358-8868

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching! Stop by Monkee’s Boutique in Lakewood Ranch to find all of your Mother’s Day needs. Brand new Julie Vos jewelry, Hammit Bags, and Lemon Jelly sandals all make fantastic gifts! We get new shipments daily, so stop by any day of the week and check out what’s new!

Located in the Bay Street Village & Town Center 3976 Destination Dr, Unit 105 • Osprey, FL 34229 941-786-1013 • www.DiamondBayJewelers.com

From classy adornments to engagement specialties, Diamond Bay Jewelers has what you need to create your style for any occasion. Come enjoy the exquisite experience of fine jewelry and expert watchmaking. Jewelry repair, custom design and redesign services available with over 30 years of experience.

ASPIRE POLY FURNITURE

717 Cattlemen Rd • Sarasota, FL 34232 941-946-8887 • www.AspirePoly.com

Treat your Mom to outdoor furniture that they will love for years to come! Poly furniture is made of recycled plastics, free from rust and require no repainting, perfect for the Florida lifestyle. Visit our showroom to see our large selection of products, & options to custom design your Mom’s favorite colors. Or let her choose with a gift card!

MASSAGE ENVY

1279 S Tamiami Tr • 941-308-7600 4055 Clark Rd • 941-927-6200 2855 University Pkwy • 941-556-6400 4734 Cortez Rd W • 941-909-0800 www.MassageEnvy.com

Give the gift of ME time for Mother’s Day!

The past couple of years have been...a lot. We could all use a little more self-care these days! Encourage someone you care about to put themselves first with a gift card that lets them choose customized experiences and goes where they go. Massage Envy gift cardseasy to give. Easy to love!

LEONARD’S NURSERY

8000 Fruitville Rd • Sarasota, FL 34240 941-302-3933

Show your Mother your appreciation by giving her a potted plant designed for this special occasion or a unique gift from our newly opened Gift Shop. Bring in this ad in between 5/9 and 5/13 and receive 10% off on all nursery stock (trees excluded) or our Gift Shop. For those Mothers who are difficult to shop for, gift cards are available as well!

Foundation, which supports low-income housing projects, scholarships and Realtors facing unexpected financial hardships. The event, which is open to the public, features sporting competitions in cornhole (2-5 p.m.), pickleball (2-5 p.m.) and golf (noon-5 p.m.). Golf costs $185; cornhole is $75; pickleball is $100. An afterparty follows the events and costs $50 for those who don’t participate in one of the events. Go to MyRASM.com to register and view the event schedule.

THURSDAY, MAY 4 THROUGH

SUNDAY, MAY 7

LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING

Runs each day from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. This week’s music includes Steve Arvey (Thursday), Soundway (Friday), The Divebombers (Saturday) and TBA (Sunday). A $5 cover is charged on Fridays and Saturdays, and the other days are free. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.

FRIDAY, MAY 5 AND SATURDAY, MAY 6 MUSIC AT WATERSIDE PLACE

Runs from 6-9 p.m. at 1561 Lakefront Drive, Waterside Place. Singer/songwriter Frankie Lombardi supplies the live, free entertainment on Friday, as people enjoy strolling through Waterside Place. Singer Sheri Nadelman will entertain the crowd on Saturday.

SATURDAY, MAY 6 SUP AND RUN 5K

Begins at 8 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. The SUP (Stand-Up Paddleboard) and Run 5K brings together two great sports into one event. Participants can compete in one or both sports. The event benefits Operation Second Chance, an organization that supports wounded, injured and ill veterans. Registration is $50 for a single sport or $60 for both sports. For more information or to register, visit SUPAndRun.org.

BEST BET

FRIDAY, MAY 5

MUSIC ON MAIN

Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. The Memphis Rub Band will provide blues, R&B and rock ’n’ roll during the free monthly block party and concert event, which in May benefits the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund. The event features beer vendors, food trucks, sponsor booths and kids’ games and activities. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 7

FARMERS MARKET

Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch will run year round every Sunday. Vendors will be offering seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, 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.

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, MAY 10

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.

Lake Club home tops sales at $2,975,000

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome in Lake Club tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. R. Michael and Traci Smullen, of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, sold their home at 16427 Daysailor Trail to Kristi Matus, of Bradenton, for $2,975,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,504 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.45 million in 2019.

ISLES AT LAKEWOOD RANCH

Shelley Glen Bryant and Sharon Ann-Marie Bryant, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 8281 Redonda Loop to TMAN Investments LLC for $2.1 million. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, fiveand-a-half baths, a pool and 4,004 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,149,000 in 2021.

DEL WEBB

Bruce and Michelle Hearon, of Bradenton, sold their home at 7125 Gradford Court to William Alexander Aitchison and Maria Goretti Aitchison, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, for $1.33 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,823 square feet of living area. It sold for $564,900 in 2020.

Thomas and Carol Smith, of Silver Spring, Maryland, sold their home at 17315 Hampton Falls Terrace to Steven Robert Lehr, trustee, of Bradenton, for $1.05 million. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,488 square feet of living area. It sold for $608,700 in 2018.

Debra La Place, Thomas Hildebrandt, Brian Hildebrandt, Jeffrey Hildebrandt, Ryan LaPlace, Corissa LaPlace, Anna Schek and Maggie Hildebrandt, of The Villages, sold their home at 17116 Seaford Way to Shirley Votaw, trustee, of Cumming, Georgia, for $645,000. Built in 2016, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,833 square feet of living area. It sold for $515,000 in 2021.

Susan Elizabeth England, of Bradenton, sold the home at 6730 Haverhill Court to Jennifer and Daniel Hudson, of Bradenton, for $578,000. Built in 2016, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,348 square feet of living area. It sold for $501,000 in 2021.

COUNTRY CLUB EAST

Peter and Lisa Besen, of Somerville, Massachusetts, sold their home at 15507 Castle Park Terrace to Charles and Carol Reppucci, of Narragansett, Rhode Island, for $1,305,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,718 square feet of living area. It sold for $778,400 in 2021.

Erik and Mindy Lynn Helding, of Bradenton, sold their home at 7531 Windy Hill Cove to Timothy and Gail Shook, of Center Valley, Pennsylvania, for $1,049,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,537 square feet of living area. It sold for $670,000 in 2020.

COUNTRY CLUB

A. Paul Harding, of St. Augustine, sold his home at 6515 The Masters Ave. to Mihali Kirilov Dobrinov and Daniela Stoyadinova Spassova Dobrinova, of Bradenton, for $1.29 million. Built in 2000, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,985 square feet of living area. It sold for $570,000 in 2015.

Anna Norah Ingulli, trustee, of McLean, Virginia, sold the home at 12232 Thornhill Court to Erika Lofgren, Nathan Upchurch and

Karen Lofgren, of Bradenton, for $750,000. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,152 square feet of living area. It sold for $110,400 in 2012.

GREYHAWK LANDING

Paul and Cynthia Sherman, of Parrish, sold their home at 13114 Raven Terrace to Walter and Teresa Moss, of Bradenton, for $1.15 million. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,562 square feet of living area. It sold for $640,000 in 2020.

Ethel Brennan, trustee, sold the home at 112 Caladium Court to Craig and Kelly Siglinger, of Mooresville, North Carolina, for $521,000. Built in 2010, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,132 square feet of living area. It sold for $226,300 in 2010.

SAVANNA

Michael Anthony Carneglia III and Gabrielle Marie Carneglia, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 13513 Saw Palm Creek Trail to Nicholas and Kaitlyn Fusco, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.15 million. Built in 2019, it has five bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,306 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2020.

ROSEDALE ADDITION

Robert and Susan Scully, of Sarasota, sold their home at 9734 Carnoustie Place to Steven and Anita Seligman, of Bradenton, for $1,125,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 3,151 square feet of living area. It sold for $180,000 in 2014.

Douglas Joseph Gess and Antoinette Geloso-Gess sold their home at 10311 Eastwood Drive to Michael and Denice Higgs, of Bradenton, for $805,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,590 square feet of living area. It sold for $415,000 in 2020.

Robert Paul Kime and Gregory Vincent Cadili, of Venice, sold their home at 9616 Carnoustie Place to Michael and Joan Caskey, of Bradenton, for $755,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,448 square feet of living area. It sold for $412,600 in 2020.

Lisa Karkashian sold her home at 4804 Royal Dornoch Circle to Matthew Levandowski, of Bradenton, for $700,000. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,400 square feet of living area. It sold for $404,000 in 2020.

RICHMOND PARK

4659466 Manitoba Inc. sold the home at 8124 Collingwood Court to William Lawrence Lyons IV and Rissa Lyons, of Durham, Connecticut, for $1.1 million. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,670 square feet of living area. It sold for $705,000 in 2003.

WATERLEFE GOLF AND RIVER

CLUB Michael and Mary Fiorini, of Seneca, South Carolina, sold their home at 10634 Restoration Terrace to Denise and Jerome Cianfriglia, of Bradenton, for $1,001,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,267 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,000 in 2011.

WENTWORTH William Scott Versluis and Linda Cox Versluis, trustees, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, sold the home at 7346 Windemere Lane to Beverly Kennedy, trustee, of Bradenton, for $920,000. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,408 square feet of living area. It sold for $405,000 in 2003.

HIGHGATE Joann Snedeker, trustee, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 7109 Marston Court to G. Mark and Eric Rice, of University Park, for $855,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,849 square feet of living area. It sold for $500,000 in 2003.

LAKEWOOD NATIONAL Robert Meyers and Maureen Meyers, trustees, of Newfoundland,

Canada, sold the home at 17423 Hickok Belt Loop to Charles Collins and Bernice Boudreau, of New Brunswick, for $850,000. Built in 2019, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,900 square feet of living area. It sold for $403,000 in 2019.

MILL CREEK

Sridhar Tallapragada and Sweta Gupta, of Land O’Lakes, sold their home at 2010 153rd Court E. to Richard James Lurk II and Katie Ann Cudaback, of Bradenton, for $845,000. Built in 2013, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,965 square feet of living area. It sold for $699,000 in 2021.

GREENBROOK

Carl and Robyn Bradley, of Bradenton, sold their home at 1442 Sundial Place to Stevena and Kerri Glynn, of Newburyport, Massachusetts, for $825,000. Built in 2007, it has four

bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,730 square feet of living area. It sold for $385,000 in 2014.

ARBOR GRANDE

Jose Simon Estera Acampado and Estrellita Silvestre Acampado, of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, sold their home at 12017 Perennial Place to Cheryl Hargrave, of Bradenton, for $815,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,053 square feet of living area. It sold for $436,300 in 2020.

Elaine Rosa, of Rochester, New York, sold the home at 12309 Terracotta Drive to Joseph and Mady Pennisi, of Bradenton, for $680,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,334 square feet of living area. It sold for $395,000 in 2018.

Courtesy photo

This Lake Club home at 16427 Daysailor Trail sold for $2,975,000. It has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,504 square feet of living area.

Real estate

FROM PAGE 25

BRADEN PINES Marc Morelli and Shayna Morelli, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 10408 Oak Run Drive to Robyn Bradley and Carl Joseph Bradley Jr., of Bradenton, for $810,000. Built in 1998, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 3,194 square feet of living area. It sold for $320,000 in 2012.

PALM AIRE Robert and Noreen Mazza, of Indialantic, sold their home at 6936 Country Lakes Circle to Michael Meier and Athena Macy-Meier, of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, for $749,000. Built in 1984, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 2,625 square feet of living area. It sold for $432,000 in 2020.

EDGEWATER Shelley Gallagher and Sheree Flisakowski, trustees, of Port St. Lucie, sold the home at 6523 Windjammer Place to Jeffrey and Sylvianne Forbes, of Nova Scotia, Canada, for $740,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,669 square feet of living area.

HAMPTON TERRACE AT UNIVERSITY PLACE Edward and Sandra Rich, trustee, of Mount Sinai, New York, sold the home at 7910 Edmonston Circle to Charles Fawkner, of Bradenton, for $719,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,576 square feet of living area. It sold for $385,000 in 2014.

TARA Lynn Diane Hogle and Charles Matthews, trustees, sold the home at 6708 Drewrys Bluff to Robert Fell and Kimberly Gainer, of Bradenton, for $699,000. Built in 1991, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,784 square feet of living area. It sold for $305,100 in 1991.

RIVA TRACE Jeffrey and Sylvianne Forbes, of Nova Scotia, Canada, sold their home at 7922 Rio Bella Place to Samantha

Everett Bott and Blaine Karl Bott, of Bradenton, for $677,300. Built in 2014, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,954 square feet of living area. It sold for $465,000 in 2022.

RIVERWALK VILLAGE CYPRESS BANKS

Timothy Mildren, of Lakewood

Ranch, sold his home at 11630 Water Poppy Terrace to Kristen Carol Barnett, of Nederland, Colorado, for $665,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,108 square feet of living area. It sold for $515,000 in 2021.

RIVER CLUB NORTH

Thi Nguyen and Xinh Luong and Dat Manh Nguyen, of Sarasota, sold their home at 10313 Baltusrol Place to Bache Investments LLC for $663,000. Built in 1994, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,154 square feet of living area.

ROSEDALE HIGHLANDS

Nancy Ragland, of St. Petersburg, sold her home at 9751 51st Terrace E. to William and Ileana Mann, of Bradenton, for $655,000. Built in 2005, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,858 square feet of living area. It sold for $278,000 in 2012.

SUMMERFIELD

Hilde Benedict sold the home at 6622 Buttonbush Court to Christopher and Biliana Coleman, of Lakewood Ranch, for $631,000. Built in 1996, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,226 square feet of living area. It sold for $327,000 in 2013.

Akm Chowdhury and Salma Afrin Chowdhury, of Seffner, sold their home at 6229 Foxglove Lane to Steven Quyen Xuan Nguyen and Laura Lien Ai Le, of Morton, Pennsylvania, for $493,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,008 square feet of living area. It sold for $272,000 in 2016.

ONLINE

See more transactions at YourObserver.com

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NEXT-LEVEL THINKING by Rich Katz and Jeff Chen, edited by Jeff Chen

By Luis Campos

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

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