East County Observer 4.11.24

Raising funds for charity in style

The Lakewood Ranch Women’s Club’s Spring into Fashion Charity Fundraiser raised over $21,000. More than 200 attendees watched 14 models strut through the ballroom at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club on March 13. The sold-out show featured fashions from Dillard’s at UTC.

“This event is about fun, fashion and fundraising,” Event chair Monika Templeman said (pictured above with club President Linda Stone). “But at the center of everything are the four amazing adopted charities that help so many people in need in our community.”

The four charities to benefit from the fashion show are Hope Family Services, Solve Maternity Homes, Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy and Children’s Guardian Fund.

Seeing double?

Walking around Braden River Elementary School on April 4, you might have been seeing double.

Students, like kindergartners Alexandra Doodnaught and Charlotte Casey (above), teachers and staff members matched outfits with friends and fellow staff members for Twinsies Day. For some students and staff members, the concept of “twinning” was from head to toe with the same hairstyle, clothing and shoes.

Some people’s vision might have been blurred even more as they saw several Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family and Netflix series “Wednesday” walking across campus.

Twinsies Day was part of the school’s Spirit Week, which raised money for fifth grade end-of-year activities.

Johnson Preserve sets conservation bar high

The park now serves as an example of the importance of conserving land. PAGE 3A

THINK TANK

Manatee, Sarasota educators hope new Science Education Aquarium leads local students into careers in marine research and SEE PAGE 6A

Courtesy image

Courtesy image

Communication with county has restrictions

Citizens have been asking Manatee County to allow call-ins to its commission meetings.

to comment on posts or call in to meetings.

Bill Logan, the county’s information outreach manager, said the purpose of the county’s social media pages are to disseminate information, not to provide a public forum.

Commissioner George Kruse started making motions over a year ago that would allow citizens the same opportunity afforded to commissioners — to call in to meetings when they can’t attend in person because of work, child care responsibilities or transportation issues.

Kruse said the board is hearing the same request at every meeting. However, his most recent attempt to change the policy was met with complete silence from the rest of the board.

Outside of Commission Chair Mike Rahn being procedurally obligated to state that the motion had failed for lack of a second, the March 12 commission meeting continued on as if Kruse never made a motion. Manatee County has no current plans to accommodate call-ins or turn on the comment feature for social media posts.

“My concern was, does this create a hostile work environment,” Rahn said about social media. “There are people out there haranguing certain members of staff consistently.”

He cited examples of staff members’ home addresses being posted, along with what schools their children attend.

The decision to shut off comments at the end of December 2023 was not a board decision, although Rahn said all but one commissioner supports it.

The decision was made by County Administrator Charlie Bishop after he consulted with the county attorney’s office. There’s no law that says the public must be afforded the right

Kruse is adamant that both issues are a matter of policy, which should not be unilaterally decided by staff but voted on by the board. He said the decision was made improperly and the comments should be turned back on until a motion is made to turn them off.

Resident Andra Griffin called the measures, along with not allowing drinks in the commission chambers, a strategy that is used to prevent people from participating in meetings.

“Everything that’s being put in place is making it uncomfortable for residents to speak up,” Griffin said, “Making it more uncomfortable for them to stay for a duration (of a meeting), making it uncomfortable for them when they can’t stay for the duration. They can’t even call in.”

Rahn said allowing call-ins was “a holdover from COVID” and said it opens up calls to people outside of the county. Advocate groups could organize and hold up commission meetings into the following day.

Public comments during the commission’s decision to reduce wetland buffers lasted two hours.

Each citizen has three minutes to state their case, or 10 minutes if representing an organization. The same rule doesn’t have to apply to callers.

Commissioners have the option to set time limits.

Call-ins officially ended, not with a vote, but with an announcement by Commission Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who was chair at the time of the December 2022 land use meeting.

“This board previously voted to end all COVID-19 restrictions, but somehow (call-ins) slipped through the cracks,” he said. “If anyone dis-

SURROUNDING COUNTIES

Here’s a look at how surrounding counties handle call-ins and social media comments.

Allows social media

agrees with that motion, then feel free to make a motion and cast a vote and override my move.”

Once again, commissioners were silent — Kruse included. The only current member of the board who was not seated at the time of the meeting was Commissioner Ray Turner, who was appointed afterward because of Vanessa Baugh’s retirement.

The move went relatively unnoticed by citizens during the following January’s meetings. Citizens were preoccupied with a proposal to

spend $40,000 to resurrect a confederate statue that was taken down in 2017. The statue had been removed from the agenda, but several people showed up anyway. Items being added or removed from the agenda after it’s been posted has been a bone of contention since.

“When you take off work, you don’t get put back on the schedule,” said Sarah Parker, president of Women’s Voices of SW Florida.

Call-ins could help prevent that situation. By February, citizens were

“We’re not removing anybody’s first-amendment right to free speech.”

requesting call-ins return. In March, Kruse made his first motion to allow call-in comments for 30 minutes per item. That motion was amended to a directive for the county attorney to come back with a procedure for callin comments.

Only commissioners James Satcher and Kevin Van Ostenbridge were in opposition, but the county attorney never came back with a procedure. Now, all but Kruse are opposed to the idea.

“We’re not removing anybody’s first-amendment right to free speech,” Rahn said. “Come down, you can have all the free speech you want. Write an email, go to 311 or you can come and see me. Reach out to your commissioners.”

Lesley Dwyer

Commissioners Mike Rahn, Amanda Ballard, Ray Turner and George Kruse sit at the dais. Kruse is met with silence on March 12 when proposing that call-in comments should return.

Commissioner Mike Rahn

Johnson Preserve’s playbook was wild

Conserving the land for public use was a joint effort between citizens, Manatee County and the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast.

Brenda Russell is ready to get her back brace off and take a walk through the Johnson Preserve at Braden River.

Years before Russell had to undergo back surgery, she figuratively broke her back working to save the land from development.

The community effort resulted in a 44-acre preserve nestled between the River Club and Braden Woods, where Russell can see the preserve from her front yard.

“I’m anxious to go,” she said. “I see cars in the parking lot regularly. Even before it was finished, it was being used by the community, but it’s definitely being used more now.”

The preserve has been open to the public since shortly after Manatee County purchased the property for $3 million in 2018. But now, the amenities are complete.

The dirt trail was shelled, and a parking lot and pavilion were constructed. The only thing left to install is an information kiosk and sign dedicated to the man who got the project started, Carl Bergstresser.

The 44 acres were formed from four parcels. Bergstresser donated his parcel to the Conservation Foundation upon his death from pancreatic cancer in 2016. The county purchased the other three parcels

from Myarra Property Joint Venture, owned by developer Pat Neal. Neal had plans to build 32 homes on his three parcels.

“(Johnson Preserve) was kind of like, here’s the playbook of how citizens can work together with notfor-profit and government to affect positive change in their community,” said Christine Johnson, president of the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

“It was intense for several years there,” Russell said. “It was like another full-time job.”

She and about 25 other neighbors were the force behind Keep Woods, a resident group aimed at preserving the parcels.

They held weekly meetings, started a website, knocked on doors, collected signatures for a petition, made yard signs and handed out pamphlets at community events.

“They formed a 501(c)(3),” Johnson said. “And there were leaders in that community who really put in the time and were boots on the ground while the Conservation Foundation worked with Manatee County staff and commissioners.”

Commissioners agreed to buy the property, but only if the foundation contributed $1 million.

The county’s request was made in 2018, before the 2020 referendum

“A lot of effort was put in to bring this to reality.”

thing should be developed.”

IF YOU GO JOHNSON PRESERVE AT BRADEN RIVER

The parking lot is located at 6804 99th St. E., and a pedestrian-only trailhead is located at 6820 93rd St. E. Hours are from sunrise to sunset. Manatee County is hosting a relaunch of the preserve on May 9 from 10 a.m. to noon.

that uses taxpayer dollars to fund the purchase of conservation lands had been passed. The foundation didn’t have a land trust to draw funds from either.

The intensity continued for six more weeks after commissioners agreed to buy the property. Johnson said donations came from as far away as Alachua County. Instead of raising $1 million, the foundation raised nearly $1.3 million.

The name of the preserve stems from a $500,000 grant that was awarded to the Conservation Foundation by the Floyd C. Johnson & Flo Singer Johnson Foundation.

The following year, the Conservation Foundation started a land trust, which is holding just under $1 million right now. The trust has been used to fund five properties since 2019.

Properties that eventually will be bought by the state or a municipality are prioritized. If red tape is holding up a purchase, the foundation can step in to secure the property before it’s lost.

ACT FAST

While negotiations for Johnson Preserve took about 18 months, the property was saved from development because Neal was approached before his plans were too far down the pipeline to stop.

“When the contracts are already done with the developer and they’re starting construction, it’s too late,” Johnson said. “People need to be aware of what’s going on in their community long before the bull dozers come out.”

The Conservation Foundation and Manatee County’s Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee only deal with willing landowners, but staff and committee members actively seek out properties.

They also seek out funding sources on the state and federal levels.

Bergstresser’s donation is not the standard, but Johnson said donations of land are becoming more common in estate planning as development progresses.

“People want balance. As more development happens, the more they want conservation,” Johnson said. “We’re working in Southwest Florida in a race against time to keep that balance between development and conservation. Not everything should be conserved, and not every-

This particular project mattered to neighbors for both sentimental and practical reasons. Bergstresser’s property was part of the original tract of land purchased for the Linger Lodge.

“His grandparents were the founders of the Linger Lodge,” Russell said. “There was a real connection and community history with that property.”

Russell also said neighbors have seen the property flood. Had the land been developed, a floodplain buffer would have been eliminated.

REAP THE REWARDS

The result of the community’s efforts is 44 acres of perpetual tranquility. The conservation easement prevents additional structures from being built, and tree removal is prohibited unless the trees are invasive.

The county still has some restoration work underway. After three prescribed burns, staff continues to remove invasive species and reseed native grasses and wildflowers.

The amenities are minimal to keep the land as undisturbed as possible.

Signs direct visitors to stay on the trail, which circles around wildlife habitats, instead of weaving in and out of them. Large tracts remain untouched, including wetlands.

The animals kept their habitats, and the people and dogs gained a scenic walking route and a kayak launch. The launch requires walking or wheeling the kayak a couple hundred yards to the river from the parking lot.

There are two picnic tables under the pavilion and a bench at the end of the dirt trail that leads to the river. That’s it. The rest of the preserve is for wildlife.

Gopher tortoises, which are a “threatened” species protected by the state, have burrows in the preserve. Swallow-tailed kites have also been spotted. The kites are raptors with distinguishing black and white markings and forked tails.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, kites spend the fall and winter months in South America. They arrive in Florida in early March to breed. Look out for the raptors when circling the pine forest. Tall pine trees are among their favorite nesting spots.

Bergstresser’s house is still standing, too. Park Ranger Clayton McCurry lives there now, so someone is always on-site. “We met (Pat Neal’s) rather high price for the property, but he could have refused to sell to us,” Russell said. “A lot of people said he never would, but we appealed to his better angels. A lot of effort was put in to bring this to reality.”

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

BRENDA RUSSELL

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

A bench overlooks the Braden River at the end of a dirt trail. Amenities were intentionally kept minimal.

Large portions of the preserve remain untouched.

A wide, shelled trail offers a shady walk through the Johnson Preserve at Braden River.

The parking lot for Johnson Preserve at Braden River is located at 6804 99th Street E.

Rep. Tommy Gregory accepts post as SCF president

The District 72 representative will be the seventh president of the State College of Florida.

way.”

The announcement, which came after a six-month national search, was made Friday by the State College of Florida’s Manatee-Sarasota District Board of Trustees.

“We are very grateful for the hard work of the volunteer search committee, consultant Myers McRae, the College community and all stakeholders who took the time to interview the candidates and provide their feedback,” said SCF District Board of Trustees Chairman Rod Thomson in an SCF release. “We selected Tommy as we believe him to be the best fit to lead SCF into the future.”

The SCF board members said

Gregory’s leadership was key and they noted in the release, “Tommy is a senior executive leader with 30 years of experience in various leadership positions, including contracting officer, prosecutor, instructor, course director, general counsel, law firm partner and legislator. His leadership skills were developed working with and for military general officers, CEOs, fighter pilots, law enforcement officers, astronauts, governors, and legislators.”

Gregory is a commercial litigation attorney in Sarasota and chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the Florida House of Representatives. He served on active duty in the Air Force for 20 years.

“The college has great momentum to continue its successful path forward,” said outgoing SCF President Carol F. Probstfeld in a release. “I look forward to working with Tommy as I transition to retirement and to helping the college prepare to welcome the new president.”

Jay Heater

Rep. Tommy Gregory answers interview questions during a public forum on March 26 at SCF. He was hired as SCF’s seventh president on Friday.

Will new residents sound off about race track noise? 64

Two more housing developments are being proposed within a few miles of the East County race tracks.

Htwo race tracks — Bradenton

and the Freedom Factory.

Two housing developments are being proposed for the intersection of S.R. 64 and Lighterwood Trail. Bradenton Motorsports is 2.2 miles to the east of the intersection and Freedom Factory just beyond.  If both projects are approved, another 918 units will be added to the more than 12,000 residential units already approved within five miles of the race tracks.

Two previously approved projects, Taylor Ranch and East River Ranch, are being built close to the tracks, and east of the Future Development Area Boundary. SMR Taylor Ranch will build 4,500 homes just to the west of the race tracks, and developer Carlos Beruff will build East River Ranch, 5,378 homes to the east.

The two new projects, along with Palm Grove by Neal Communities, are to the west of the development boundary. Palm Grove is under construction on the west side of S.R. 64 between Uihlein Road and Bourneside Boulevard. The project is adding 930 homes, townhomes and villas to the area.

The first proposed, but not yet

approved, project was submitted by SMR Northeast. It will be heard by the Manatee County Planning Commission on April 11 and go before county commissioners on May 2.

The application requests a rezone of 85 acres to build 600 multifamily units, 84 single-family attached units and 75 single-family detached units. The property is located south of S.R. 64 between Uihlein Road and Lighterwood Trail.

The second proposed development is on the other side of Lighterwood Trail, still south of S.R. 64. Arizona-based B2R Partners 2 LLC is the developer.

The proposal is for 159 mixed residential units on about 30 acres. Of the total units, 97 are proposed as single family homes and 62 as “single family attached,” so the units could be either townhomes or villas.

With Lakewood Ranch schools like B.D. Gullett Elementary already are over capacity and with so many new homes proposed for the area, Manatee County is building a K-8 school to the south of the two proposed housing projects on Academic Avenue.

The elementary school is expected to be open for the 2025-26 school year, with the middle school opening the following school year.

A school being three miles from a race track isn’t as big of an issue. Tracks are typically active during the evenings and weekends when school is out.

Homeowners need to decide for themselves if the noise will be a nuisance.

When East River Ranch was approved in May 2023, Garrett Mitchell, aka Cleetus McFarland of the Freedom Factory, told commissioners that thousands of homeowners will likely be woken up every Sunday morning from the noise

ACADEMIC AVE.

coming from his track.

“Buyer beware,” Commission Chair Mike Rahn said. “The noise ordinance at the race track has been grandfathered in. So if somebody buys out there and complains about the noise, I’m sorry.”

Both Mitchell and Victor Alvarez, owner of Bradenton Motorsports, have been vocal for years that surrounding their tracks with residential development is a recipe for failure.

“The homeowners complain until the race tracks are overrun (by local government),” Mitchell told commissioners during a December 2022 land use meeting regarding Taylor Ranch. “Having future homeowners sign a disclosure that the track is there is not enough.”

Both Taylor Ranch and East River Ranch must require buyers to sign a notice that acknowledges there is an active race track and drag strip in the area.

Will that solve the problem? Time will tell.

A track in California, Laguna Seca Raceway, has been active since 1957, which predates the majority of homes that now surround it. Still, the track was sued in December 2023 for the noise it produces.

Neighbors formed a group called the Highway 68 Coalition and filed suit against the racetrack and Monterey County. The complaint wasn’t

based on noise alone. The coalition complained about traffic and alleged that the track was violating zoning and environmental laws, too.  The lawsuit was settled in March. It cost Monterey County $75,000 in fees for the coalition’s lawyers and the track owner up to $2 million in sound mitigation.  Laguna Seca only operates 35 days a year. Between Bradenton Motorsports and the Freedom Factory, there are 30 events scheduled over the next two months.

In May 2023, then-Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said the Manatee County Commission was clear on protecting the race tracks.

“I thought we were pretty clear before, the board was, on how important the racetrack is in this situation. It’s been there 50 years,” Baugh said at the time. “This is in my district, and so I don’t mind the development being there. But I’m not going to take a 50-year-old business and just demolish it because of it.”

The notice to potential homeowners specifies that there is “an active drag strip and racetrack facilities that are producing noise,” McFarland told the commission in May 2023. “Even with barrier walls, it will probably be waking thousands of homeowners up every Sunday morning because of races.”

To local students, new aquarium will be a school of fish

School districts hope to expose every K-12 student to the Mote Science Education Aquarium when it opens.

Wrepresentatives of the Sarasota County School District and the School District of Manatee County on hand, the Mote Science Education Aquarium held a walk-through for the media April 5 that was all about numbers. The educators were most interested in the number 92,000, which is approximately the combined number of students in the two districts.

“As the spaces are filling out, you can visualize everything. We want the students to know that oceans are a place for them ... aquariums are a place for them.”

Aly Busse, Mote’s associate vice president of education

ing conservation-related questions. The Ocean Technology Lab will allow the students to test autonomous underwater vehicles, tools and equipment.

Each lab will accommodate 32 students at a time, and if you consider three field trips for each lab per day, that figures to be just under 300 students per day in the labs. To accommodate 92,000 students, that would take 306 days, which means that the districts will need to be creative to get all K-12 students some exposure to the aquarium over the course of a school year.

That exposure doesn’t necessarily mean time at one of the labs. Perhaps it will be just a visit or a tour.

Platowski said all students, no matter the grade, will benefit from the Science Education Aquarium. She said, for the older students, that could even mean mentorships with a scientist or a biologist.

“It is going to be a great opportunity for all grades,” she said.

the possibilities. Platowski, O’Dea and Busse stood in front of the areas that will become the labs and talked excitedly about those possibilities.

“As the spaces are filling out, you can visualize everything,” Busse said. “We want the students to know that oceans are a place for them ... aquariums are a place for them.”

“This is an exceptional situation, that our kids will be exposed to this,” O’Dea said. “It will bring our curriculum to life. We are planning with Mote’s leadership to bring this into our curriculum.”

Busse said besides the wildlife, and scientists and biologists, the students will be exposed to high tech equipment which has been purchased for all three labs.

“These will be state-of-the-art science labs,” she said. “This isn’t available anywhere else. This is being built for what (the administrators) are doing, to meet the needs of the students.”

O’Dea said the schools eventually will produce future marine scientists and biologists.

“That is the plan,” she said “We need to feed that industry. We need to expose our students to job offerings.”

Busse said it is all about igniting the students’ curiosity, which will allow them to understand the conservation of the marine ecosystems in their own backyards.

THREE LEARNING LABS

“This will be a much larger facility that can handle more students,” Platowski said. “And their (three) learning labs have expanded our programs.”

Making that quest to expose every local student to the aquarium more feasible, the educators said, is the better accessibility of the new aquarium as opposed to Mote’s City Island facility.

Located just off Interstate 75 adjacent to Nathan Benderson Park, the Science Education Aquarium will offer fewer traffic problems that will allow the students to spend less time on the bus and more at the aquarium.

Amber Platowski, the curriculum coordinator for the School District of Manatee County, and Rachael O’Dea, Sarasota deputy superintendent and chief academic officer for the Sarasota County School District, said they will do everything possible to get all the students (approximately 50,000 in Manatee and 42,000 in Sarasota) to the aquarium after it opens. The target date for opening is February.

The Marine Ecology Lab, the Biomedical/Immunology Lab and the The Ocean Technology Lab will offer students new opportunities in various disciplines. “We say animals, microscopes and robots,” said Aly Busse, Mote’s associate vice president of education, in coming up with a short explanation of the purpose of the three labs.

The Marine Ecology Lab will feature animal habitats and will contain tanks with marine life that will give the students hands-on experiences.

The Biomedical/Immunology Lab will investigate new medicinal compounds from the ocean while explor-

Platowski said the school districts have been working with Kristen Ranges, who is the Mote SEA coordinator. According to a Mote’s release, Ranges’ role is to conduct a needs assessment for local high schools “to create accessible, engaging, inclusive, and comprehensive science curricula for programs administered at Mote’s SEA teaching laboratories. Her goal is to provide handson marine science education and demonstrate the exciting potential and attainability of a future career in science.”

“Mote has been coming to our schools, talking with our directors of curriculum,” Platowski said. “Our science teachers have been doing focus groups.”

Platowski has been a marine and environmental science teacher at both Manatee High and Booker High. She just smiles when she considers

In addition to the learning labs, the Science Education Aquarium will have four Workforce Development Labs on the second and third floors of the aquarium — the Aquaculture and Fisheries Lab, the Conservation Lab, the Coral Lab and the Veterinary Clinic and Diagnostic Center.  Interns and program participants will gain technical skills, hands-on research experience, and careerbuilding networking opportunities by working alongside Mote scientist mentors.

ZERO COST FOR STUDENTS

Another number that is important to the school districts is zero. That will be the cost for students to visit. Previously at the City Island facility, it cost $18 per student to visit on a field trip.

Dan Bebak, vice president of Mote Education, Aquarium and Facilities,

Photos by Jay Heater

Dan Bebak, vice president of Mote Education, Aquarium and Facilities, stands in front of the Gulf of Mexico tank viewing window, which still is covered with protective covering.

BY THE NUMBERS

Some key figures as the Mote Science Education Aquarium comes to life

0: Cost for a student visiting mote on a field trip

3: Learning labs to inspire visiting students

11: The thickness in inches of the acrylic that makes up the viewing windows of the Gulf of Mexico tank

18: Feet in length of the sawfish, which will be the biggest animal at the aquarium

160: Construction workers currently on-site

320: Construction workers expected on-site by June when interior work will escalate

110,000: Square feet in the entire facility

400,000: Gallons of water that will be held in the Gulf of Mexico tank

700,000: Anticipated attendance the first 12 months

1 MILLION: Gallons of water that will be contained in tanks throughout the aquarium once it is finished

$107 MILLION: Committed dollars to the fundraising campaign

$132 MILLION: Estimated cost of building the aquarium

With the focus on the new aquarium, Bebak said no “concrete plans” have been made for the City Island facility. “We just need a couple of more months to talk about it,” he said.

Even if the facility transforms to mostly a research facility, Bebak said there is likely to still be some sort of visitation or tour component. However, he said it isn’t as likely to be as extensive as before.

$108 MILLION IN COMMITMENTS

As always, there remains another important number, the one to do with financing. Michael Moore, Mote’s special advisor to the office of the president, said there have been some exciting developments in contributions and sponsorships.

“In the next week, we are having meetings with two major companies, one an international company,” Moore said of possible sponsorships.

“It fits with their core values.”

Moore said Mote has received commitments for $108 million of the $132 million needed for the project. While many of the government contributions or grants have been secured — such as $20 million from Sarasota County and $5 million from Manatee County — a major state source of funding is still being pursued. He said Mote’s quest to secure federal funding has had no success.

A dream takes flight

Lakewood Ranch senior honors his late father by re-creating a photo of him in front of a World War II era biplane during his Dream Flight.

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

While flying above Manatee County in a World War II era open cockpit biplane, Loren Wanless thought of his father. His father, Emery Wanless, learned how to fly in the same style plane when he was a Naval Aviation Cadet in Pensacola in 1937. Emery Wanless had wanted to be a pilot since at the age of 10 he saw a seaplane in Naples, Italy.

Loren Wanless, an Air Force veteran, took to the skies April 2 with Dream Flights, a Nevada-based nonprofit that honors veterans with a free flight in a Boeing-Stearman biplane.

Wanless, a Cypress Springs Gracious Retirement Living resident, said it was interesting to see firsthand how his father started learning how to fly.

He had flown in Boeing 707 planes with his father before, but the biplane was a unique experience. He hadn’t flown in an open cockpit before. He waved to his wife, Angelika Wanless, and the other two participating Cypress Springs residents and veterans, Richard Cornell and James Brooks, as the plane took off.

In the cockpit, he said he could see the controls move as Molly Littlefield, the pilot for Dream Flights, flew the plane.

After Littlefield landed back at Airport Manatee in Palmetto, Wanless stood next to the back cockpit and in front of the right wing of the plane. He rested his hand on the entrance to the cockpit and donned a World War II era pilot’s helmet. With a big smile on his face, Linda Britt-Smith, the activities coordinator at Cypress Springs Gracious Retirement Living, took a photo of Wanless, giving him the opportunity to replicate a photo of his father from 1937 while he was learning to fly.

To match the photo of his father as much as possible, Wanless even wore khaki pants and a tan shirt.

Wanless looks forward to being able to frame his photo next to his father’s and show it to his four children, Jeanette Emanuelson, Kirk Wanless, Katy MacGregor and Karin Wanless. He said all his children were able to get to know his father and his father’s story.

“It was amazing to relive his early flying experience,” Wanless said. “I wish he was still alive, but he died about 20 years ago. It would have been really something if he had been here.”

Wanless himself spent 21 years working in intelligence for the Air Force. After he graduated from Stanford University, Wanless planned to go to graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. He was in an exchange program in Japan in the summer of 1961, and upon his return home, the Berlin crisis was starting.

Wanless decided to take a draft physical in Oakland, California. He didn’t want to go into the Army, so he joined the Navy Reserve Unit until he could apply and be accepted into Air Force intelligence.

Wanless flew around the world in a reconnaissance aircraft. He collected intelligence against then-Soviet Union, China and North Korea.

He was at Naval Air Station Key West on Boca Chica Key and served as the intelligence officer for the battle commander during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

He monitored a Russian missile site 20 miles away from Sakhalin Island while he stayed in a fishing village in Hokkaido, which is a northern region of Japan.

Wanless also spent about a year in Thailand flying over Laos monitoring the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was a military supply route running from north Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia to south Vietnam.

In 1983, Wanless retired as a lieutenant colonel and then worked for Lockheed Martin for 16 years on various classified programs, a global security and aerospace company.

Wanless said it’s fantastic that Dream Flights gives veterans an opportunity to relive their past, or in his case, his father’s past.

Pat Neal’s philanthropic side on display

He says he always has admired LWRCF founder John Clarke and the nonprofit.

Pat Neal is a developer and a politician.

That’s not exactly what many people in this area would consider a resume for knighthood.

It is unfair in many cases, but nonetheless it is the perception.

If you were making a list, and developer and politician were on top, you might not scroll down farther to see the next listing. Philanthropist.

But there it is, and in Neal’s case, it should be in capital letters, and in bold type.

His detractors might argue that he has become rich off those living in this region. Sure, that’s true. He produced a quality product and made a fortune.

That doesn’t mean he has to give some of it away. Many don’t.

Neal even could be described as a soft touch when it comes to charity. That belies his reputation as a tough businessman. But it is nonetheless accurate.

The latest example came last week when the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation announced that Neal Communities and Neal Signature Homes has joined the foundation’s Builders Give Back program. Through the program, builders make a $100 donation upon closing to the foundation in the name of the home buyer.

The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation benefits by both the monetary contributions and through an indirect introduction to a new resident of the community. The hope is that those new resi-

dents will contact the foundation to find out about how to support the community’s many nonprofits.

The program launched in May 2023 with Anchor Builders, AR Homes, Homes By Towne, John Cannon Homes, Lee Wetherington Homes, Pulte Homes and Stock Luxury Homes combining to form a solid base. Schroeder-Manatee Ranch’s Lakewood Ranch Communities donates a matching $100 per closing to the foundation up to $10,000 annually. It is an interesting coalition since the builders are competitors. It is a case of rising above. Neal didn’t need to add one more philanthropic effort to his collec-

tion plate, but he said the Builders Give Back program is a natural for him.

“I’ve been building homes in Lakewood Ranch since it began in 1994,” Neal said.

In 2000, he was impressed with former SMR CEO John Clarke, who founded the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund. (It changed to the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation in January.) Clarke wanted the new community to have a “giving component.”

“John Clarke was a very big ‘community’ guy,’” said Neal, who was awarded the LWRCF’s C. John A. Clarke Humanitarian Award in 2007.

“So I’ve been active with (the LWRCF) since John Clarke founded it. Every time they have asked, I have given them money. I’ve always made a commitment to this community.”

And now he has notched another level of commitment with the LWRCF. “Our builders understand that the lifestyle in Lakewood Ranch is unique, and they are supporting that by participating in Builders Give Back,” said Adrienne Bookhamer, who is executive director of the LWRCF. “There is no better way to thank new residents than by contributing to the community and helping the LWRCF make an impact here.”

The LWRCF defines its mission as “to enhance the quality of life in and near the Lakewood Ranch community by responding to local needs, granting funds, and building lasting relationships.”

Neal isn’t alone in his charitable endeavors. The Pat and Charlene Neal Foundation has gifted millions to causes in the region, including $1 million to Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County in 2021. Neal Communities’ Plan for Giving expects to gift more than $500,000 in 2024, after giving out $300,000 in 2023.

Over the past decade, he, his wife and their companies have contributed more than $8 million in support of community organizations. He is hoping others contribute as well since the area, and its needs, will grow.

Neal said Lakewood Ranch eventually “will dominate” Manatee County in population, so it needs to continue to build community infrastructure. He said the LWRCF could play a key role in the community’s development.

“The Community Foundation will be important for the things they do

and the people they inspire,” Neal said.

He said the Builders Give Back program will help to spread the LWRCF’s outreach to every new community member.

“We are thankful to be a part of it,” he said. “We want to be a part of everything Lakewood Ranch and everything builder.”

Bookhamer notes the LWRCF has room for more builders to join the Builders Give Back program. More information can be found at LWRFund.org.

When those developers and builders do sign up for the program, they, too, might be carrying that villain’s label, or perhaps they might even be a politician. It would serve you well, though, to take another look.

I have seen Neal from different angles. He can be forceful as a businessman, but his philanthropic side can be charming.

I have personally witnessed the charming side. Since 1999, Neal Communities has hosted its My Favorite Home art contest at an elementary school in the region.

Last year’s event was held at Emma E. Booker Elementary in Sarasota. At 75, Neal could be forgiven if he just wrote a check and mailed it in. But each year, he shows up to interact with the kids.

They don’t judge him by titles.

Florida Lakes Vein Center provides the latest technologies to treat chronic venous insufficiency and venous ulcers. are not “just” something to deal with as you age. a medical condition and can be treated. Vein disease is actually 2X more prevalent than coronary heart disease and 5X more prevalent than peripheral arterial disease. Yet, it’s misunderstood, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. 40 million people suffer from venous insufficiency, yet fewer than two million people seek treatment.

At FLVC, we focus solely on vein disease. It’s not an add-on to our practice. It’s our specialty. Our providers offer compassionate and attentive care and have been trained by Dr. TC Lackey II, who trains other providers worldwide in the latest advancements in vein care. Our patients regain their active lifestyles and enjoy the life they once led. For more info about our patients’ journey, visit our website at ItsaNoVeiner.com. You’ll be glad you did!

Jay Heater Charlene and Pat Neal long have been major contributors to area nonprofits and now have joined the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation’s Builders Give Back program.

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

Myakka nursery hosts native plant fundraiser

McKeithen Growers will host the Earth Day Native Plant Sale to support the Florida Association of Native Nurseries.

to her. McKeithen and her husband, Eddie McKeithen, will open their nursery to the public April 20 for a fundraiser to benefit the Florida Association of Native Nurseries, a nonprofit dedicated to professionals who grow, design and plant native trees and plants. “We are looking to build multiple sources of revenue to help us grow so we can do more outreach,” said Cammie Donaldson, the executive director of the Florida Association of Native Nurseries. The proceeds from the plant sale will go toward the nonprofit’s Plant Real Florida education campaign, which provides resources for those in the industry and people wanting to bring native plants to their landscaping.

Education is at the forefront of the mission of the nonprofit and McKeithen Growers. Patricia McKeithen said the plant sale will be an opportunity for her and Eddie McKeithen to pull back the curtain and give people a behindthe-scenes look at growing native plants.

“I love working with people one on one,” she said.

People will be able to speak with horticulture professionals from local nurseries and purchase plants to support the Florida Association of Native Nurseries. Often, McKeithen said people

moving to Florida from northern states think their former plants can grow in Florida, but it’s often not the case with a different environment.

McKeithen said more people have become aware of the importance of native plants, so the demand for them has increased.

“Now what we want to do is take it one step further and excite people about some biodiversity,” she said.

While driving around McKeithen Growers’ 25 acres, she reminisced on how far the nursery has come since they started in 1995.

McKeithen said she and her husband bought 10 acres and lived in a doublewide mobile home on the property. Patricia McKeithen was a middle school teacher at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School while Eddie McKeithen worked at his brother Ken’s SunBay Nursery in Bradenton.

“I was barefoot and pregnant in a doublewide trailer, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m like a country song,’” McKeithen said. “My husband said, ‘It’s time to build our house.’”

McKeithen said she’s grateful for the opportunity to give back to an organization that has helped her family’s nursery.

Boatload of lessons

Manatee Technical College instructor named American Boat and Yacht Council Foundation’s Educator of the Year

because he didn’t know anything about the proper care and maintenance.

During his 21 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Freddie Fowler learned discipline, leadership and how to think outside the box.

They are traits he said he uses every day as a Marine Service Technology instructor at Manatee Technical College.

On April 4, his Marine Corps training kicked into gear as he helped his students solve a problem on a customer’s boat.

The customer wanted a new steering cable, but the students couldn’t get the cable into the motor mount. Fowler worked with them to find a solution, which was to remove the motor to put the cable in place.

It’s just one of the many times Fowler has launched into solution mode with his students on a realworld problem.

Fowler’s out-of-the-box thinking, dedication to his students and his ability to help the Marine Service Technology program at MTC grow has earned Fowler the American Boat and Yacht Council Foundation’s Educator of the Year award.

Fowler said he is humbled and honored to be named the Educator of the Year, and it is a tribute to those who have mentored and supported him over the years.

Fowler, 51, joined the Marine Corps after graduating high school.

He retired as a master sergeant in 2012 after serving 21 years and being deployed to Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Living in Parrish after retirement, Fowler bought a boat. He always loved being on the water and wanted to be like the people he saw pulling up to restaurants from the water.

He purchased a 36-foot Monterey boat, which he admits was a bigger boat than he should have bought

In 2014, he decided to enroll in MTC’s Marine Service Technology program, though he didn’t complete the program as he continued to pursue his degree in psychology from the University of South Florida.

Fowler eventually completed the MTC program in 2016 and decided to pursue jobs in the marine industry working for companies such as Jupiter Marine International and Yellowfin Yachts.

After finding out said MTC instructor and mentor Kelly Ewing was retiring, Fowler decided to apply for the marine technology instructor position.

He wanted to give back to the program that helped launch his second career and become engrossed in the marine industry. More importantly, he wanted to ensure those going into the industry were educated to meet the demands of the industry.

The days of simply knowing how to fix a boat engine are over. Fowler said people entering the marine industry now must know everything about the boat from front to back, including the construction, the electrical system, the technology and more.

Becoming an instructor for the Marine Service Technology program was intimidating, Fowler said. He wanted to make Ewing proud and add to the legacy his mentor left behind.

Ewing helped Fowler develop more patience, especially with people as the transition from military to civilian life wasn’t easy for him.

He said his military background and personal experiences help him relate to students. He can understand the students who are pursuing a second career, those who are high school students dual enrolled and trying to find their next steps or the military veterans enrolled in the program.

MEET THE EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

FREDDIE FOWLER

Title: Marine Service Technology instructor

Residence: Parrish

Age: 51 Years with Manatee

Technical College:

Two-and-a-half

Award: American Boat and Yacht Council Foundation’s Educator of the Year

Favorite aspect of the boating industry: “It’s always something different.”

Biggest pieces of advice for students: “Always be open to interpretation” and “If you touch it, make sure you do it right.”

“A lot of people have had some bad cards dealt to them in their life, and I can understand what’s going on and sit down and have deep, good conversations to be able to connect with them one on one,” he said.

Throughout his two-and-a-half years leading the program, Fowler

has helped it grow its community and business partnerships, including establishing certification opportunities for students with Yamaha, Suzuki, the National Marine Electronics Association and the American Boat and Yacht Council.

Despite the program’s 100% job placement rate for students and the program outgrowing its space on MTC’s main campus, Fowler said there’s still room to grow.

His hope for the program is to someday have its own facility in a marina so his students can learn how to drive a boat and boat safety while actually in the water.

“We have people in (the program) who had never been on a boat before but are learning how to fix them,” Fowler said.

Fowler wants to ensure his students are ready for success upon graduation.

He works with them side by side on issues that arise while working on a project so he can instill confidence

in them to know they are capable of finding solutions.

He has seen some of his students who struggled at the beginning of the program become his most promising students in the class.

“I have seen all walks of life coming off the streets trying to work in this boating industry,” he said. “We lost a lot of good people because they just didn’t know how to do the job.”

Fowler said the industry sometimes sets people up for failure because they are “thrown to the wolves” without the education needed to be successful, which is why he wanted to be an instructor at MTC.

Fowler said he tells his students all the time that he shows up every day to train his replacement.

“I want them to surpass me,” he said. “I want them to come back and give back to the boating community. If everybody did that, the marine industry would be in an even greater place than it already is.”

Liz Ramos

Freddie Fowler, a Marine Service Technology instructor at Manatee Technical College, has been named the American Boat and Yacht Council Foundation’s Educator of the Year.

“I’ve been trying to get more power numbers and more extra-base hits. That’s been going well the last few games.” —

Fast Break

The Out-of-Door Academy boys track and field senior John Moschella finished third in the 400-meter hurdles (57.28 seconds) and 10th in the 110-meter hurdles (16.07 seconds) on April 6 at the IMG Academy Invitational. Moschella is ranked sixth in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A rankings in the 400 hurdles.

... Equestrian athlete

Adrienne Lyle, a former U.S. Olympian, and Helix, a 12-yearold gelding, won the CDI4* FEI Grand Prix Special, held April 6 at TerraNova Equestrian Center in Myakka City, with a score of 73.979%.

Rick Adams sank a holein-one April 7 on the No. 13 hole of Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club’s Royal Lakes course. Adams used a 5-iron on the 168-yard hole.

Brad Knight (142) won the overall flight of Palm Aire Country Club’s Men’s Club Championship while Jill Spence (155) won the overall flight of the club’s Women’s Club Championship. The two-round events were held April 6-7.

... Former The Out-of-Door Academy track and field athlete

Saraiah Walkes, a junior at Eastern Michigan University, finished third in the women’s 400-meter dash (53.86 seconds) at the Jim Click Invitational, held April 5-6 in Tucson, Arizona. It is Walkes’ outdoor personal best time in the 400 meters.

... Former Braden River High track and field athlete

Josh Thomas, a junior at the University of Alabama, helped the Crimson Tide’s men’s 4x100-meter relay team finish second (39.43 seconds) at the Crimson Tide Invitational, held April 5-6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Thomas also finished 21st in the individual 100-meter dash (10.78 seconds).

DESTINATION PARIS, BY WAY

The Olympic Team Trials was held in Sarasota April 4-7 in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games.

As she wrapped the American flag around herself and teammate Azja Czajkowski after qualifying April 7 for the 2024 Paris Olympics, U.S. rower Jessica Thoennes released a stream of tears.

The power of her emotions might not have been expected considering Thoennes has done it all before, qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the women’s eight.

That 2020 boat went on to finish fourth in Tokyo (6:02.78), missing the podium by 1.57 seconds. Just being there was a lifelong dream for Thoennes, but that doesn’t mean that qualifying for Paris in the women’s pair boat isn’t just as overwhelming. Thoennes celebrated on a Nathan Benderson Park dock after she combined with Czajkowski to earn the bid with a 7:37.62 victory in Sarasota.

“I love rowing,” Thoennes said. “I was a walk-on (at the University of Washington). I came late to the game. I’m still so in love with the sport and I’m having fun. I’m going to keep going and doing my best and working hard. Days like today, that is why.”

Thoennes and Czajkowski were two of five U.S. rowers to punch their tickets to Paris at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials, which ran April 4-7. Oliver Bub and Billy Bender earned a U.S. Olympic berth in the men’s pair, winning the event in 6:54.64, while Kara Kohler won the women’s single sculls in 8:04.01.

Those five earned spots in Paris because the U.S. team pre-qualified boats to the Olympics in their events at previous regattas. The rest of the winners at the Trials will have a final opportunity to earn a sport in the Games at a second-chance qualifier in Lucerne, Switzerland, in May.

Race well there, and those rowers will have a chance to feel the elation Bub and Bender felt after they won the men’s pair.

It will be both rowers’ first time at the Olympics. Both also have ties to

OF SARASOTA

Dartmouth College because Bender is a senior there, and Bub graduated in 2020. Bub has spent the last four years preparing for a run toward the Paris Games. He said his parents both rowed at Boston University and were friends with several Olympic athletes. As a result, Bub said, he hung out with them, too, and in the process learned what this level of the sport required.

“It takes a lot of guts to revolve your life around a six-minute race,” Bub said.

If they had fail at the trails, and all the work Bub had done in the last four years to reach the Olympics would have been in vain. Bub did not fail. He and Bender won the event by 2.73 seconds, definitively outpacing the rest of the field. For Bender, devoting himself to training this spring and going to Paris this summer will mean he has to return to Dartmouth for another semester instead of graduating like many of his friends. The campus will feel empty without them, Bender said. Not many experiences would make up for a delay in graduation — but the Olympics are one of them.

“This is pretty cool,” Bender said with a laugh. “I think it’s worth doing.”

Kohler will be going to her third Olympic games. She was part of the bronze medal-winning women’s quad sculls at the 2012 Games, then qualified in a single sculls for the 2020 Tokyo Games and finished ninth. Kohler was just as enthused by her qualification this time. As she crossed the finish line, she slapped the lake’s water with her left hand and let out a yell of excitement. Kohler is hoping her third Olym-

pics will be the charm that returns her to the medal stand, though she knows from previous experience that the single sculls competition will be fierce. “(Once you’re there), it doesn’t matter who anybody is,” Kohler said. “You just have to go and give it your best shot and not be intimidated or distracted. There are a lot of distractions at the Olympics. It’s a big show. But I want to go there and perform.”

Kohler gave kudos to Benderson

Park for how it handled the team’s training needs over the winter. Kohler said the park’s new tent, where boats can be stored and athletes can conduct indoor training, was especially welcome and enhanced the experience. Making the physical prep as streamlined as possible is a boon to rowers, as the mental side of the sport is difficult enough to navigate.

Thoennes and Czajkowski were both cut from the U.S. Olympic Selection Camp in March, meaning they were not selected for the women’s eight or women’s four. Instead of packing up and going home, the two rowers decided to team together for a shot at the women’s pair.

They had a week-and-a-half to develop a rowing cadence that works and generally creates chemistry. The mad scramble worked as the pair won the women’s pair finals by 7.64 seconds.

“It was tough to go from Selection Camp to this smaller boat,” Czajkowski said. “We just kept our mindset positive. We had so much trust in each other and in what we can do together. It feels good to take a step forward.” The next step? The Paris Olympics.

Oliver Bub pumps his fist after he and Billy Bender won the men’s pair at the U.S. Rowing Olympic Team Trials to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Photos by Ryan Kohn

Jessica Thoennes and Azja Czajkowski won the women’s pair at the U.S. Rowing Olympic Team Trials to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics (7:37.62).

The trials were held at Nathan Benderson Park.

ODA grad sails into new adventure

Zi Burns played basketball with the Thunder but has taken to sailing with the Tars.

Zi Burns does not like to rock the boat.

It fact, it is her now job to keep it steady.

To get that job, though, Burns had to make a change she never envisioned herself making.

Burns graduated from The Out-of-Door Academy in 2022. She played girls basketball for the Thunder as a point guard. Her initial plan for the next phase of her life was to continue down the hardwood path, and she wanted to do so at Rollins College. In conversations with the Rollins women’s basketball staff, however, Burns was only promised a spot as a team manager, with a chance at becoming a player down the line. Burns was not interested in waiting for that chance, she said. She wanted to be a part of the action right away. In that mindset, Burns began exploring the other sports at Rollins, hoping to find a coach willing to take a chance on her and her athletic ability.

One sport in particular caught her eye: sailing. Burns said she had attended a one-week sailing camp at Sandy Hill Camp and Retreat Center in North East, Maryland, when she was younger and had enjoyed being on the water. Burns decided to reach out to the Rollins sailing coaches. With a little convincing — Burns now admits with a laugh that she “stretched (her sailing experience) a little bit” — she was accepted onto the team.

The first month required a lot of learning.

“It felt like I had imposter syndrome,” Burns said. “I didn’t know how to rig a boat. I didn’t know how

the wind works. I didn’t even know what certain things were called. When people were telling me what to do, it was like they were speaking another language.” The Tars compete in the South

Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association as sailing is not sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. In collegiate sailing, each regatta carries its own rules, but there are some constants such as always having two people to a boat. At a team regatta, two schools go head to head in each race, with each school represented by three boats at one time. At a fleet regatta, each school submits an A team and a B team of two to three boats each, and the two teams take turns competing in several races, combining their final scores to determine the overall winner. Burns eventually got up to speed, thanks to her coaches and teammates. Before long, she was working as part of a crew, adjusting controls based on the wind and pulling the ropes of her boat’s jib, a large triangular sail. Burns spent her freshman year like this, gradually getting the hang of things and improving as a

crew mate. Burns liked the experience, she said, but she felt like one aspect of sports was still missing: leadership.

In her time as an athlete, Burns said, she’s become used to leading. It is what she did as a point guard at ODA, relaying instructions from her coaches to the rest of her teammates and making sure the offense ran with efficiency. Having that responsibility helps Burns fuel her competitive fire, she said.

When returning to Rollins for her sophomore season, she asked firstyear head coach Esteban Forrer about switching from crew to skipper, which is the point guard of the sailing world. Skippers steer their boats by controlling the tiller and the main sail, Burns said, and they give directions to the crew, making sure everyone is doing their job. It requires a lot of multitasking and course awareness. Burns thought she would feel more in-tune with

the sport by making the switch, and Forrer agreed to let her try. The move has worked for all involved. Burns said she has found fulfillment in her new role, and after some early season struggles, Rollins has put together a string of impressive performances and has finished second or better at five of its last six regattas, including a win at the Bud Morrow Cup on March 16 in Winter Park. That win saw Rollins finish ahead of bigger schools like the University of Florida, the University of Central Florida and Auburn University.

At the Florida Trophy regatta on March 23 in Winter Park, the Tars again finished second, and Burns teamed with grad student Angelina Khourisader to win the day’s opening race. As of April 5, Rollins is sixth out of 28 teams in the SAISA team standings.

Though Burns’ athletic ability helps, sailing is more about decision making and communication than physical strength, she said. It is a challenge for it to become second nature, she said, but it is one she enjoys. She compared sailing to taking a multiple-choice test: The answers are right in front of you, so if you have prepared and you concentrate, you will do just fine.

Burns never thought she was destined for the water, but she is happy life led her to where she is.

“This is the first time that this program has been competing at this (performance) level before,” Burns said. “It’s cool to be a part of that. I hope it continues.”

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

Courtesy photos Rollins College sophomore Zi Burns started her sailing career as crew before switching to skipper this year.

Rollins College sophomore Zi Burns sails with junior teammate Jackson McGeough. The Tars are sixth in the SAISA standing as of April 5.

Ryan Kaitz is a senior on the Lakewood Ranch High baseball team. In three games from March 28-April 5, Kaitz went 4-for-8 with two doubles, a home run, four walks and five RBIs, helping the Mustangs go 3-0. On the season, Kaitz is hitting .386, with five doubles, three home runs, 16 walks and 18 RBIs. The Mustangs are 9-6-1 as of April 8.

When did you start playing baseball?

I started when I was 5 years old. My brother (Myles Kaitz) is four years older than me and he played baseball. I just followed in his footsteps.

What is the appeal to you?

I love everything about the game. I love getting to practice it every day and being out there with all my friends.

What is your best skill?

It is definitely hitting. It came naturally to me, but I also work hard on it every day. I can hit the ball anywhere.

What have you been working to improve?

I’ve been trying to get more power numbers and more extra-base hits. That’s been going well the last few games.

What is your favorite memory?

When I was 12, I played in a travel tournament in Cooperstown, New York. Some of my high school teammates were on that team. It was just the best experience ever. We were in a different state with different weather. It was all new. It was also my last tournament playing on the smaller fields before I moved over to the big fields. It was just fun.

What has gone right for the Mustangs lately?

At the beginning of the season, we just were not clicking as one. We have started winning games because we’re hitting while

What

your favorite school subject?

like my economics class a lot. It’s relaxed and the stuff we learn is interesting.

What is the best advice you have received?

Understand that baseball is a game. You have to go one at-bat or one pitch at a time. You cannot let the last pitch affect you and keep eating at you. You have to flush it and realize you have another opportunity to do something.

Finish this sentence: “Ryan Kaitz is ... ” ... Outgoing.

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Next generation ANGLERS

The Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club held its Youth and Teen Fishing Seminar at Summerfield Park.

Ninety-four kids learned fishing techniques April 6 thanks to volunteers from the Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club.

Blue green algae in Lake Uihlein prevented the club from holding its annual fishing tournament that was scheduled for April 13, but the annual Youth and Teen Fishing Seminar at Summerfield Park went forward as scheduled.

Roman Olievsky Sr. was one parent who signed his three sons up for the seminar. He also received a refresher course by tagging along. “This is amazing what they’re doing here because they’re hitting the right spots,” he said. “It’s perfect for reinforcement of the rules, or if you’re a beginner, you’re getting the proper and correct information.” The volunteers taught two one-

Roman Olievsky Jr. and Roman Olievsky Sr. brush up on their casting skills.

hour seminars that were broken into four fishing stations: rules, tackle, knots and casting.

Third grader Aksel Soares had been fishing before, but he never learned how to tie a knot by himself.

Club member Joe Kaminsky taught the kids how to tie a blood knot and a uni knot. The difference between the two is that a uni knot slides, and a blood knot locks in place.

Jake Andrews and Nick Limoncelli from Premier Tackle volunteered their casting and tackle expertise. And Fish Florida donated 100 beginner sets, so each child left with a rod, reel and tackle box.

Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club President Ed Van Stedum said if any of the kids need help rigging the fishing poles, they can bring them to Premier Tackle or to one of the club’s regular Learn to Fish events at James

L. Patton Park.

“For me, it’s all about making memories for the children,” Van Stedum said. “So many of us grew up fishing. Nothing pleases us more than teaching something close to nature and something that’s fun. We love to give back, and we love to see smiles.”

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

Joe Kaminsky teaches the kids how to tie knots.

Nick Limoncelli, of Premier Tackle, teaches kids about tackle. Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Adrian, Greyson and Evelyn Voica take their turns at the tackle station.

Connor King, 4, learns how to cast a fishing rod from Jake Andrews of Premier Tackle.

Addelyn Loher, 5, practices casting.

Their talent comes alive

or have their artwork on display.

silent auction.

She started experimenting with oil painting this school year. She said having her painting in the silent auction motivates her to continue with her art and to try various mediums.

annual Arts Alive Celebration on April 5 at State College of Florida was his first public performance.

Mohr, who performed Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Für Elise,” said he was honored his fine arts teacher, Rebekah Lester, selected him to be among the student performers at the celebration of the arts.

Arts Alive was an opportunity for student artwork and performances to shine.

Braden River High School seniors Nick Teta and Nyah Platt, junior Matthew Bowers and sophomore Alexa Helton performed as a clarinet quartet.

They have enjoyed working together, often joking around while rehearsing.

Platt said Prelude and Scherzo is a fun piece to perform because just as the “audience thinks it is getting one thing, we immediately start doing something else,” keeping everyone on their toes.

Braden River and Lakewood Ranch high school students perform

Lakewood Ranch High School junior Tatem McCluggage displayed her oil painting as part of the

Lakewood Ranch High School senior Jared Mohr plays piano at Arts Alive. It was his first public performance since he started learning to play piano two years ago.

Photos by Liz Ramos Lakewood Ranch High School junior Tatem McCluggage says she started oil painting this school year and is amazed her work was selected to be a part of the silent auction at Arts Alive.

Braden River High School sophomore Alexa Helton performs as part of a quartet.

Mary Glass, president of the Manatee Education Foundation, welcomes attendees.

Jeramiah Bowman, chairperson of Manatee Arts Education Council, shows the audience Manatee High School’s Israel Samedi’s work for the live auction. It was sold for $400.

Linda Boone presents the Linda Boone Dance Education Award to Craig Thomas, who accepted the award on behalf of his wife, Ellen Meade. Meade, who died in August 2023.

THE BEAT GOES ON

Miss Jodi’s School of Dance hosts the club every other Wednesday at The Green at University Town Center.

odi Sobol or “Miss Jodi,” as she’s known around The Green at UTC, grew up dancing. At 44 years old, the dance teacher and studio owner is on her second generation of students.

“It blows my mind,” she said. “Although if I get to a third generation, I might have to say, ‘Thanks, Sarasota; we’ve put in our time together.’”

By 12, Sobol was learning to teach dance. By 19, she opened her own dance studio, Miss Jodi’s School of Dance.

Every other Wednesday, Sobol

drives a purple van from her studio in Sarasota’s The Landings to UTC to host the Kids Club.

Sobol pumps up the music and never stops smiling. The kids run in circles pretending to be chased by bears. They hop, skip and march, too.

“I love doing this,” Sobol said.

The kids, parents and grandparents love following along with the fun.

Melinda Croce brings her fraternal twin grandchildren, 3-year-olds Arleana and Olin Croce, at least once a month. She said it never gets old watching her granddaughter, Arleana, drop to the ground and pretend to be asleep every time Miss Jodi says “quiet time.”

Miss Jodi Sobol hosts the UTC Kids Club every other week.

Sarasota resident Axil Powers gets encouragement to join in from his mom, Sutherlan Powers.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

YOUR CALENDAR

at Jiggs Landing includes Steve Arvey (Thursday), Greg Short and Friends (Friday), Al Fuller’s Moonlight Movers (Saturday) and Mike Sales (Sunday). The Friday and Saturday concerts have a $5 cover; the other concerts are free. A special 12:303:30 p.m. concert has been added on Friday featuring the Anna Maria String Band. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 12

MOVIE IN THE PARK

Begins at 7 p.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch. The monthly free movie series sponsored by Grace Community Church continues with a showing of “Cars.” For more information, go to MyLWR.com

FRIDAY APRIL 12 AND SATURDAY, APRIL 13

MUSIC AT THE PLAZA

Runs 6-9 p.m. at 1560 Lakefront Drive, Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch. On Friday, musician/singer Dana Lawrence will perform for those strolling the streets of Waterside Place in this free concert. On Saturday, singer/songwriter Justin Layman entertains the crowd. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13 GRAND FINALE POLO

Begins at 5 p.m. at the Sarasota Polo Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane, Lakewood Ranch. The Sarasota Polo Club caps another season of polo with a Saturday evening program that features the Hillcroft Invitational 14 Goal title match. Tickets are $15, with VIP packages available. Stick around after the final match of the season for live entertainment by the Hang Time Band. For tickets or information, go to SarasotaPolo.com.

MAYHEM IN MANATEE

Begins at 11 a.m. at the Braden River Library, 4915 53rd Ave E., Bradenton. The Braden River Library

BEST BET

BLOCK PARTY

FRIDAY, APRIL 12

Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. The Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance partners with Lakewood Ranch Main Street and Lakewood Ranch Community Activities to present a free event that includes live music (the Hangtime Band), beer trucks, food vendors, vendor booths and lots of activities for adults and kids. The event gives those attending a chance to meet with local businesses, builders, groups and clubs. For more information, go to LakewoodRanch.com.

presents the free program “Mayhem in Manatee” as presented by Kristyn Miner, the supervisor of the Manatee Village Historical Park. The lecture focuses on the terrors of the Sarasota Vigilantes during the 1880s. For more information, call the library at 727-6079.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13

AND SUNDAY, APRIL 14

FSRA SCULLING

CHAMPIONSHIPS

Begins at 8 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. The Florida Scholastic Rowing Association will hold its Sculling Championships at Nathan Benderson Park. The event is free to attend, though on-site parking is $15 per day. For more information, visit NathanBendersonPark.org.

MOTE SEASONAL TASTING

Begins at 6 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium hosts an evening celebrating University Town Center’s restaurants. The ticketed event will feature dishes from 10 UTC restaurants, as well as cocktails, live music and an update on the Mote Science Education Aquarium’s progress. Tickets are $125 for individuals, $600 for groups of four and start at $1,000 for tables of 10. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Mote.org or NathanBendersonPark.org.

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Our answer to cancer is the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, and we’re saying it louder every day.

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New sweet spot

the west side of University Parkway in Sarasota. A Pura Vida cafe will be taking its place.

The salon relocated across the parkway to Manatee County after the opportunity arose. It now sits right next door to Trader Joe’s.

“Our businesses have always done well on walk-in traffic,” Love said. “I can’t tell you how excited we are to be in this shopping plaza.”

The move from one location to the other was strategically planned between two big chocolate holidays. The first store closed on Feb. 17, after the Valentine’s Day rush. The new store opened on March 15, just in time to release the brand’s Easter collection.

until the day after Easter, on April 1.

Love said the opportunity was presented by Benderson Development. Given how much traffic goes in and out of Trader Joe’s and the plaza’s traffic as a whole, the team decided to make the move.

“We felt as though we had a wonderful location (at the original spot), but this could potentially be better for us based on the successes of our other stores,” Love said.

2,000-square-foot store at UTC.

The display cases, decorations and staff were all relocated from one store to the other.

More importantly, the assortment of chocolates, cakes, pastries and macarons that fill the cases are the same.

Wstore was located on

While the gourmet treats can be bought online and have a loyal following year-round, Easter marks the end of a five-month holiday season.

“The quality and beauty of our products make them a natural, and often repeated, item on our customers’ gifting lists.” CEO Lisa Fisher said. “This increase in demand picks up around Halloween and remains high through the December holidays, Valentine’s Day and Easter.”

With the clock ticking, meeting the demand for chocolate eggs and bunnies was the store’s first priority. The ribbon cutting and grand reopening celebration wasn’t held

There are five other Norman Love Confections in Fort Myers, Naples and Estero. Three are in Fort Myers where the company is headquartered. The six stores employ nearly 150 people.

The brand is growing with the focus set on the east coast of Florida right now. The next store will open in Delray Beach, and a location in Boca Raton is likely to follow. The team is currently looking at spaces.

“We see another store in Sarasota, perhaps, maybe stores in St. Pete and Tampa,” Love said. “We think that we have a great product, and we’re very excited to grow our brand through the state of Florida.”

The new location is about 200 square feet bigger than the original

“After nearly 24 years in six stores and a growing brand and reputation, we make chocolate the same way,” Love said. “With a lot of love, fantastic ingredients from around the world and a group of professionals who come to work every day to be the best.”

Vibrant colors and glossy finishes make the desserts the epitome of looking too good to eat, but they’re meant to be enjoyed in a timely manner. Most of Love’s chocolates only have a shelf life of three weeks.

The company uses premium ingredients and goes easy on the preservatives. The chefs use molds, but that’s as close to mass production as the kitchen comes. Each dessert is a handcrafted work of art.

“My chefs are so accomplished, and creativity is a big part of what we do,” Love said.

n 8109 Cooper Creek Blvd.

The chocolate salon moves to the Manatee County side of UTC to The Shoppes. IF YOU GO

n Visit NormanLoveConfections.com.

n Hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Norman Love Confections has reopened its chocolate salon on the other side of University Parkway at The Shoppes at UTC.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

CEO Lisa Fisher and Founder Norman Love are surrounded by staff members as they cut the ribbon on Norman Love Confections in The Shoppes at UTC.

Concession home tops Lakewood Ranch-area sales at $2.5 million

Ahome in the Concession topped all transactions in this week’s real estate. Randall and Terrie Snider, of Raleigh, North Carolina, sold their home at 19424 Ganton Ave. to Sheryl Provenzano, trustee, of Cornelius, North Carolina, for $2.5 million. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,346 square feet of living area.

COUNTRY CLUB EAST

Robert Glen McCulley and Denise Lorraine McCulley, of Mediapolis, Iowa, trustees, sold the home at 16116 Kendleshire Terrace to Michael and Sondra Sieler, of Valley, Nebraska, for $2.45 million. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, fourand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,182 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.3 million in 2023.

ESPLANADE

Patricia Gail Bowers and Donald Duane Bowers sold their home at 13715 Palazzo Terrace to James and Helen Haggerty, of Lambertville, New Jersey, for $1,565,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,850 square feet of living area. It sold for $682,500 in 2014.

Joseph and Doreen Cusmano, of Oxford, Connecticut, sold their home at 12737 Sorrento Way to Kevin and Joan Leibl, of Crozet, Virginia, for $820,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,912 square feet of living area. It sold for $403,400 in 2018.

PRESERVE AT PANTHER RIDGE

Mark Cahill Investments LLC sold the home at 23312 Red Robin Place to Nektarios and Katie Amanatidis, of Bradenton, for $1,475,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,840 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.2 million in 2023.

AZARIO ESPLANADE

Jeffrey Hawkins and Magdalena Reyes, of Sarasota, sold their home at 3646 Santa Caterina Blvd. to Sharon Studley, of Bradenton, for $1,375,000. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,101 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,211,800 in 2023.

LAKEWOOD NATIONAL

William and Deborah Thompson, trustees, sold the home at 5561 Mulligan Way to David and Merrill English, of Rocklin, California, for $1.17 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,359 square feet of living area. It sold for $548,000 in 2020.

EDGEWATER

Cory and Pamela Biladeau, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 6569 Waters Edge Way to Elizabeth and John Milan, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.1 million. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,525 square feet of living area. It sold for $771,000 in 2021.

STAHLERS ACRES

Charles and Jane Benham, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6005 38th Ave. E. to Jody and Melanie Britt, Earl Gue and Earl Gue, of Bradenton, for $1,078,000. Built in 1979, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,315 square feet of living area.

ISLES

Frank Patrick Morgan and Nancy Ann Morgan, of Bradenton, sold their home at 17634 Azul Drive to Greg Chesin, of Bradenton, for $1.02 million. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,678 square feet of living area. It sold for $722,900 in 2019.

MILL CREEK

Krystal Parsons, of Parrish, sold her home at 903 137th St. E. to Joan Reid, Brad Reid and William Strong and Cassidy Erin Bell, of Bradenton, for $780,000. Built in 1993, it has five bedrooms, five baths, a pool and 3,521 square feet of living area. It sold for $387,000 in 2018.

ARBOR LAKES

Philip and Rosalie Clarke, of Seneca, South Carolina, sold their home at 6113 Saddlehorn Ave. to Martha Grost and Tracy Allen Wilson and Heidi Wilson, of Sarasota, for $750,000. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,082 square feet of living area. It sold for $254,900 in 1997.

POLO RUN

Robert Allen Kirby and Jennifer Lynn Kirby, of Aurora, Colorado, sold their home at 6534 Clairborne Lane to Donald Pace, of Bradenton, for $740,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,219 square feet of living area. It sold for $550,100 in 2021.

STONEYBROOK AT HERITAGE HARBOUR

Dirk and Cornelia Zander, of Bradenton, sold their home at 8945 Stone Harbour Loop to Nicholas Scott Lane and Emminence Breehan Lane, of Bradenton, for $710,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,909 square feet of living area. It sold for $319,000 in 2017.

WINDWARD

Neal Communities of Southwest Florida LLC sold the home at 8539 Frangipani Terrace to Peter Schleicher and Anne Kathryn Bristol-Schleicher, of Sarasota, for $686,000. Built in 2023, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,483 square feet of living area.

Neal Communities of Southwest Florida LLC sold the home at 2340 Blue Mamoe Lane to Dana Rachelle Presley, of Simpsonville, Kentucky, for $506,000. Built in 2023, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,527 square feet of living area.

ROSEDALE ADDITION

William and Janet Keen, of Weddington, North Carolina, sold their home at 10210 Marbella Drive to David Jackson and Megan Suzanne Rocks Jackson, of Bradenton, for $675,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,016 square feet of living area. It sold for $580,000 in 2021.

Danny and Helga Thompson, of Buford, Georgia, sold their home at 10628 Glencorse Terrace to Vikki and David Rosenbloom, of Bradenton, for $610,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,215 square feet of living area. It sold for $362,800 in 2016.

SARACINA AT ESPLANADE

Timothy Hamm and Margaret Elizabeth Hamm, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their Unit 102 condominium at 13506 Messina Loop to Katherine Gagnon, of Bradenton, for $650,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,184 square feet of living area. It sold for $525,000 in 2021.

of Noblesville, Indiana, sold their home at 5154 Creekside Trail to Nicholas Liolos, of Sarasota, for $580,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,039 square feet of living area. It sold for $528,500 in 2021.

Prudencia Morrison, of Willowick, Ohio, sold the home at 6738 Carlyle Lane to Anna Badalian, of Bradenton, for $565,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths and

2,374 square feet of living area. It sold for $320,000 in 2004.

OSPREY LANDING

Heather Krystine Kimball and Thedro Arnell Kimball, of Bradenton, sold their home at 11558 11th Ave. E. to Jens Bleickert and Sheila Hemans, of Bradenton, for $575,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,822 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2022.

GREENBROOK

Evelyn Turner sold the home at 6538 Blue Grosbeak Circle to Robert and Irene Mollica, of Lakewood Ranch, for $565,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,073 square feet of living area.

Courtesy image This Concession home at 19424 Ganton Ave. sold for $2.5 million. It has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,346 square feet of living area.

Dr. Juan Carlos Vigil brings to Intercoastal Medical Group at the Lakewood Ranch II office a wealth of knowledge and experience in Internal Medicine.

Undergraduate: Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL

Medical School: Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Residency: Internal Medicine, Broward Health Medical Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Certification: Board Certified, American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine; American Board of Internal Medicine

Affiliations: Lakewood Ranch Medical Center; Doctors Hospital; Sarasota Memorial Hospital

INDIGO Richard Calvin Milici Jr., of Hopewell Junction, New York, and Cynthia Ann Milici, of Parrish, sold their home at 12910 True Blue Circle to Matthew and Ann Diaddezio, of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, for $555,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,766 square feet of living area. It sold for $439,800 in 2021.

RIVER LANDINGS BLUFFS

Kim and Albert Bateman, of Punta Gorda, sold their home at 6149 55th Ave. Circle E. to Frank and Kim Guzowski, of Paramus, New Jersey, for $548,000. Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,178 square feet of living area. It sold for $302,000 in 2017.

MIRABELLA AT VILLAGE GREEN

Gail Blackman, of Bradenton, sold the home at 1512 Calle Grand St. to Elizabeth Smith, of Bradenton, for $545,000. Built in 2018, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,525 square feet of living area. It sold for $353,200 in 2018.

DEL TIERRA John and Michelle Stapleton sold their home at 14917 Trinity Fall Way to Grant Hoover, of Bradenton, for $520,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,036 square feet of living area. It sold for $490,000 in 2023.

MALLORY PARK

Sean Dreznin and Alani Nadworny, of Bradenton, sold their home at 11932 Pebble Drive to Rachel LiGreci and Anthony Antonacci, of Bradenton, for $515,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths and 2,320 square feet of living area. It sold for $371,400 in 2021.

COACH HOMES AT LAKEWOOD NATIONAL

Craig Cohen, trustee, sold the Unit 1111 condominium at 5843 Wake Forest Run to Shawn and Rebecca Sprague, of Hammock, Connecti-

cut, for $495,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,786 square feet of living area. It sold for $285,000 in 2018.

BACCIANO AT ESPLANADE

Ivan Deloatch and Felicea MeyerDeloatch, of Bradenton, sold their Unit 201 condominium at 13720

Messina Loop to SusanDorn, trustee, of Highland Park, Illinois, for $480,000. Built in 2019, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,528 square feet of living area. It sold for $268,900 in 2019.

Bruce and Linda Foley, trustees, of Minocqua, Wisconsin, sold the Unit 102 condominium at 13823 Messina Loop to Thomas and Heidi Tuozzolo, of Pittstown, New Jersey, for $478,000. Built in 2020, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,528 square feet of living area. It sold for $253,900 in 2021.

SABAL HARBOUR

Paul and Patricia Holbrook, of Colfax, North Carolina, sold their home at 4622 Runabout Way to OP Gold LLC for $455,000. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,936 square feet of living area. It sold for $275,000 in 2017.

AVALON AT THE VILLAGES OF PALM AIRE

Donald and Leslie Holland, of Essex, Connecticut, sold their home at 6922 Mystic Lane to Andrea and Dennis McMahon, of Omaha, Nebraska, for $435,000. Built in 1998, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,435 square feet of living area. It sold for $295,000 in 2018.

VERANDA AT RIVER STRAND

Stephen and Lori Boyer, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, sold their Unit 2025 condominium at 6819 Grand Estuary Trail to Susan Card, of Gorham, Maine, for $415,000. Built in 2014, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,561 square feet of living area. It sold for $250,000 in 2020.

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