East County Observer 7.25.24

EAST COUNTY

New Greenbrook pavilion will

Teens destroyed the

Alliance’s turn to cut the ribbon

Members of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance often carry a pair of oversized scissors to celebrate grand openings, but on July 22, the staff cut a ribbon on their own new office space.

The Alliance moved next door to Lakewood Ranch Community Activities at 5391 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. N.

“We had outgrown our space,” said LWRBA CEO Brittany Lamont (pictured above with Keith Pandeloglou, executive director of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities).

“We’re sharing a big community room (with LWR Community Activities) in the back, so it gives us a more versatile and larger board room that we can use for events and seminars.”

A beautiful school assignment

Emery Ross (above), a rising fourth grader at William H. Bashaw Elementary, grabbed her scooper and picked up a large portion of crushed shells.

She brought it over to the golf cart for disposal. The crushed shells will be replaced with mulch.

Ross, along with at least 10 other Bashaw teachers, students and parents, were hard at work July 20 working to clean up the school’s peace garden.

The volunteers were clearing the peace garden and the school’s Dr. Bashaw Garden as part of a beautification day to make sure the campus is looking its best for the first day of school Aug. 12.

Ross said it made her feel good to help her school.

who is 12, shows Salsa Baby a little love after a successful ride. Prescott says she loves working with Salsa Baby, who, she said, is bouncy and energetic, at the Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy’s Horse Camp.

Lesley Dwyer

Parrish attorney runs for Commission seat

Jennifer Hamey says her law skills will help her serve her Manatee County constituents.

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

In 10th grade at Black River High School in Sullivan, Ohio, Jen Hamey had the first taste of her future world.

“I always was very involved in my school,” said Hamey, who now lives in Parrish. “When I turned 14, I was the prosecutor in a mock trial in our government class. I liked the strategy of building a case and formulating ideas on how you would execute your plan.

“I knew from that point forward I was going to be an attorney.”

She has been in the legal field since 1998, starting as a paralegal in Ohio and eventually buying her own practice with a partner in 2009. Since 2016, she has had her practice serving Manatee, Hillsborough and Sarasota counties.

What she didn’t consider during her time building her law career was being a politician. Having a home in fast-growing Parrish changed all that.

Always involved in her community, Hamey became troubled with what she was seeing in Manatee County government.

“It has been over the last three or four years when I became involved with the Parrish Civic Association,” she said. “It is an organization to help the community with civic issues, such as growth management. I became president two-and-a-half years ago.”

While she worked with county officials on issues that affected Par-

rish, she began to see up close some regular practices she didn’t like.

“I didn’t feel (the citizens) were being listened to,” she said. “I thought (the commissioners) were not interested in engaging. I see abuses, I see corruption. You can’t have a set of rules for one person and a separate set of rules for someone else.”

She said if she couldn’t work with the commissioners, she would run for office to get her own seat at the table.

Hamey is running for the District 1 seat on the Board of County Commissioners.

With no party affiliation, Hamey will face the winner of the Carol Felts-Steve Metallo primary in the general election in November. Democrat Glenn Pearson will be in the general election as well.

“When I saw what was happening, it made me very sad,” she said.

“We have a situation where all these people are coming in, all this growth. The people who live here, who have enjoyed their quality of life, are being ignored by the people they voted in.

As a commissioner, you need to hear everybody, no matter their party. You need to hear what your constituents are saying, which is ‘Hey, we can’t drive down our roads, and we have dust and dirt everywhere (because of construction). We can’t enjoy our pools.’”

She said people are concerned because they can’t call-in to commission meetings and they can’t post on the county’s social media. She said the commissioners have shut it down because they don’t want to hear what he citizens have to say.

Hamey said this is a crucial time for District 1.

“Lakewood Ranch had a phenomenal master plan that covered everything,” she said. “But that was one owner. Parrish has all sorts of owners and all sorts of plans. I am not against growth, but we need the

MEET THE CANDIDATE

Who: Jen Hamey

Lives: Parrish

What: Candidate for the District 1 seat on the Manatee County Commission Party: No party affiliation Age: 46

Profession: Attorney Family: Significant other, Steve Wood; son, Gage; daughter, Kayla

growth to follow the rules. (Builders and developers) are getting whatever they want. And there’s still plenty of land out there.”

She said every time someone from the community has a differing opinion from those in office, they are labeled as communists, Republicans in name only, liberals or as being George Soros-backed.

If Felts beats Metallo in the primary, Hamey expects a “friendly” race for the general election.

“Carol, Glenn (Pearson) and I get along well,” she said. “We won’t have a nasty race.”

However, she expects that won’t be the case if Metallo wins.

“I have raised $14,000,” she said. “He was given $85,000 by developers. I am not going to be able to compete with his money. I have to work as hard as possible, in as many hours as possible.”

She hopes to send out some text message blasts and perhaps one flyer, but primarily, she hopes to talk

with as many residents face to face as possible.

“I am happy to talk to anyone,” she said.

If an opponent does try a negative campaign against her, Hamey said there would be little fodder.

“I am a very boring person,” she said. “I have no history of criminal background. I don’t drink. I just want government out of our lives in places they don’t belong. At the end of the day, myself, Glenn and Carol all care about our community.”

She said any of the three of them will work to fix the residents’ main concerns, which she said are overdevelopment and the environment.

Hamey said she has a “phenomenal” opportunity to win District 1 because she feels she will earn some of the majority Republican votes while dominating the no party affiliation and Democrat votes.

“I think people are wising up,” she said. “If you are getting six to eight flyers from the same candidate, you

start to wonder, ‘Where is all that money coming from?’ What is driving that? That amount of people paying attention is higher.”

Her law skills should be a plus as a commissioner, she said.

“Being an attorney, I understand how to read a contract and I understand how to read statutes,” she said. “I would be able to have good conversations with county attorneys. My background, my ability to analyze, my ability to negotiate, my background as a business owner and understanding how to stretch dollars, my ability to understand ordinances and budgeting, all should be a plus. I can jump in with both feet and get going.”

She grew up in a dairy farming community and notes that she knows how to milk cows and square dance. Her jobs before or during college include working at a grocery store, delivering newspapers, working at a drag strip and painting houses.

Jay Heater

Jen Hamey is running for the District 1 seat on the Manatee County Commission.

Replacing pavilion will cost CDD4 $500,000

The Adventure Park pavilion burned July 5, 2023 from fireworks.

LESLEY

DWYER STAFF WRITER

After hearing that Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 4 will pull $500,000 from reserves to build a new pavilion in Greenbrook Adventure Park, Greenbrook resident Kevin Kumanga wants to know if the pavilion will feature solid gold toilets.

“They could rebuild a house for $500,000, and this is a pavilion,” Kumanga said. “Reserves are not a gift card they found in the street. Residents pay to have reserves. Hurricane season is coming; maybe, we’ll need (the reserves).”

The pavilion burned down on July 5, 2023. That October, Tom Merrell, director of operations for the InterDistrict Authority, told the Observer he “guesstimated” the pavilion would be replaced as early as July 2024 at a cost of between $100,000 and $150,000.

Merrell said when the estimates came back, they weren’t less than $250,000, and that was to replace exactly what was lost — a wooden pavilion. The new pavilion will be made of noncombustible materials.

WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?

An investigation by state and local authorities, including the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and East Manatee Fire Rescue, concluded that the fire was accidentally set by a group of teenagers.

After lighting fireworks, video footage shows the teens throwing the debris into a trash can in an attempt to clean up after themselves. The trash can didn’t catch fire until an hour later.

Because there was no criminal intent, law enforcement did not pursue charges against any individuals. The IDA has the option to file a civil lawsuit to recover damages.

“They could rebuild a house for $500,000, and this is a pavilion. Reserves are not a gift card they found in the street. Residents pay to have reserves. Hurricane season is coming; maybe, we’ll need (the reserves).”

However, the investigation did not reveal who the individuals on the video were, only that they appeared to be teenagers.

“We don’t know who these people are,” CDD4 Chair Michael Griffin said. “This could all change, but at least for now, the route that we’re pursuing is to pay for it out of our reserves. Nobody’s going to get assessed extra money for it.”

One Greenbrook resident said she would have preferred the less expensive pavilion because it would have been built by now. She said her family doesn’t use the pavilion but does miss the restrooms.

She didn’t want to be identified, but she said the families of the teens should be paying the bill. She also suggested fundraising activities.

Because the entire community uses the Adventure Park, Kumanga suggested each CDD chip in $50,000, instead of leaving the entire onus on CDD4.

FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Kumanga served on his former HOA’s board for 16 years and said CDD4 board members are not standing up to their fiduciary responsibilities by pulling $500,000 out of reserves for a pavilion.

He’s not suggesting leaving the charred cement slab empty, but Kumanga is questioning the due diligence of the board on several issues regarding the insurance policy, cost of replacement and the effort being put into finding the responsible parties.

“They keep saying it’s too expensive, and it’s a process,” Kumanga said. “Call Morgan and Morgan and let them take their 30%.”

Steve Zielinski, executive director of the IDA, told Kumanga in an email dated May 13 that his staff members are actively reviewing all avenues of damage recovery with the insurance provider. If damages are recovered, they’ll be deposited back into the reserves.

CDDS BY THE NUMBERS

Greenbrook Adventure Park is used by residents, not only in Lakewood Ranch, but from all over the county and beyond because it’s a public park. However, only residents in CDD4 have to pay for it. Town Hall lists facts about each CDD. Here’s the Lakewood Ranch population that Adventure Park serves.

“Pursuing civil charges will require the identification of the individuals at fault,” Zielinski wrote. “This process will necessitate that CDD4 hire an investigator or use the resources available through its insurance carrier to take this course of action. Unfortunately, it is a tedious process and one that will not be resolved in the short-term.”

Kumanga also questions how an open-air pavilion costs $500,000, when its infrastructure is already in place. The cement pad is laid, and the plumbing and electric are installed.

The pavilion will be the same size as the original, but what was wood is being upgraded to steel and cement block. An upgraded security system will be installed, too.

Architect Laura Adcock, with WBRC, the firm designing the pavilion, said the old pavilion was built using a lot of columns. The new layout with fewer columns makes the space more useful.

“There will be spaces with tables, but there can also be spaces for yoga, dancing or other group activities,” she said.

Liliya Sablukova, CFO for the IDA, said CDD4 will remain financially strong even after spending up to $500,000 of reserves.

“(CDD4) has cash of about $2.9 million, and they’re collecting assessments of about $2.4 million a year,” Sablukova said. “So they will

still have plenty of money available.”

She also said the full $500,000 may not have to be pulled from the reserves. Insurance paid $54,000 and could possibly pay more. The Greenbrook Village Association, which is the homeowners association, is considering a contribution of up to $150,000, but has not made a decision yet.

One point that both Kumanga and IDA staff agree on is that the insurance policy was insufficient to cover the damages.

“We have gone through the entire community and gotten all the assets to the proper levels for insurance,” Merrell said.

The assets include anything the districts own — park structures, Town Hall and operations facilities.

A contract with Rec Services Inc. to construct and install a new pavilion was signed last week. Merrell said Rec Services contracts with the Manatee County School Board to install playground and park facilities.

The new pavilion is expected to be complete in early 2025.

The new pavilion will be built with steel and cement. It will also feature a more open layout.

File photo

The Greenbrook Adventure Park pavilion burned down over the Fourth of July 2023 and is expected to be rebuilt in early 2025.

Lesley Dwyer

Molly and Kevin Kumanga take a walk around Greenbrook. As a resident paying into the community development district, Kumanga is not happy that $500,000 has to come out of reserves to pay for a new pavilion in Adventure Park.

Kevin Kumanga, Greenbrook resident

WBRC Courtesy image

Dogs Inc. canines ace training session

Behind-the-scenes workout in Lakewood Ranch follows the nonprofit’s release of the animated short ‘Ace.’

HEATER MANAGING

On July 18, Dogs Inc. (previously Southeastern Guide Dogs) released “Ace,” an inspirational animated short featuring the journey of a heroic guide dog.

Four days later, it was back to business as usual for Dogs Inc. trainers, who were walking the streets of Main Street at Lakewood Ranch, training a group of dogs who are getting ready to be paired with their blind clients.

While that duty won’t draw the exposure and accolades of the animated shorts that are seen by millions, it is just as important, especially to those who receive the guide dogs.

Dogs Inc. employees and trainers Rivi Israel (Lakewood Ranch), Christine Fulton (Parrish), Lynn Benus (Ruskin), Carley Crawford (East County) and Sam Holden (Ruskin) walked various dogs in training through Main Street at Lakewood Ranch on a sizzling hot morning.

the dogs of Dogs Inc. transform lives throughout the U.S. at no cost to the recipients, after an extensive training program for both the dogs and the potential clients.

To raise money for its mission, Dogs Inc. produces animated short videos such as “Ace.”

“Ace” was developed as a prequel to “Pip,” Southeastern Guide Dogs’s 2018 award-winning animated short, which drew almost a half-billion YouTube views. “Pip” featured a young guide dog who had struggles in her desire to be a guide dog.

The dogs had been training to meet their new owners in August. Israel said she had worked for other guide dog organizations, but came to Dogs Inc. because it has a different philosophy about training.

“Most (guide dog organizations) correct the dogs,” Israel said. “We focus on positive reenforcement.”

As the Dogs Inc. trainers walked with the dogs down the streets and across intersections, the dogs were given treats for things such as stopping the person before crossing an intersection, or leading the person away from possible hazards, such as overhanging limbs on trees.

Thanks to the generosity of donors,

“Ace” will tug the heartstrings of dog-lovers everywhere, showcasing heroism and forever shaping how we view the magical bond between dogs and their human partners,” said Dogs Inc. CEO Titus Herman in a release.

“Ace’s bravery, loyalty, and love impact more than one person’s life — they touch an entire town.”

Dogs Inc. graduates approximately 150 dogs a year into becoming guide dogs for those with vision loss, service dogs for veterans, and skilled companion dogs for children in need.

The Dogs Inc. animated playlist can be found at DogsInc.org/AboutUs/Video-Screening-Room/.

Jay Heater

East County’s Carley Crawford gives Wilco positive reinforcement after a Dogs Inc. training session at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch on Monday.

CDD4 considers rainbow-colored bridge proposal

The bridge would be a place of comfort for grieving pet owners.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

In a poem called “Rainbow Bridge,” pets wait there for their owners after they die, and when the best friends meet again, the pair cross the bridge together.

If Summerfield resident Cliff Kaplan’s proposal is approved by the Community Development District 4, Greenbrook Adventure Park will have its own rainbow bridge.  Kaplan identified five footbridges across Lakewood Ranch, two of which are in Adventure Park. He said the bridge adjacent to the dog park in Adventure Park is under construction and gets too much foot traffic for a rainbow bridge project.

But the other, located on the entry road just before it ends at the dog park, is a lesser-used foot bridge. The Wolf Slough bridge only serves a few neighborhoods in Greenbrook and it’s tucked into the trees and slightly out of view.

As serene as the spot is, it’s not secluded. There’s plenty of parking because Adventure Park hosts large events, such as the Celtic Festival, each year. The bridge certainly won’t attract that kind of traffic, but Kaplan told the board to expect visitors from beyond Lakewood Ranch. Kaplan’s proposal is modeled after another rainbow bridge in Lake Lure, North Carolina. The deck of the bridge would be painted in rainbow colors and grieving pet owners would leave their pets’ collars on the railings. The inspiration for Kaplan’s proposal is Travis, a 90-pound pit bull, boxer and Great Dane mix, who looked intimidating at first glance, but seemingly was born to comfort those around him. Travis died May 19 at 14 years old.

“I was going to give him back (after originally bringing him home)

because I couldn’t take care of a puppy,” Kaplan said. “I had developed colitis and cancer.

“But he stopped (acting like) a puppy at 5 months. Like in a movie, he just waited for me to be ready to take him out, whether it was 20 minutes or all night, so he became a therapy dog for me.”

Lesley Dwyer Cliff Kaplan is proposing this bridge in Greenbrook Adventure Park be transformed into a “rainbow bridge,” a place where pet owners can pay tribute to their dogs, cats and birds after they die.

Once Kaplan was in remission, he took Travis to a therapy dog organization to get him certified as an official therapy dog. Travis went on to visit with children in schools and hospitals. In June, Blake Hospital in Bradenton honored Travis by placing a memorial stone with his name in its garden.

Gina Sundaram, a friend of the Kaplans and owner of Animal House Doggie Bed and Breakfast in Sarasota, visits Lake Lure annually.  She had told Kaplan that she would hang Travis’ collar there if he wanted. Kaplan was so touched that he put together the proposal for Green -

brook and presented it to the CDD on July 10.

Sundaram said the bridge in Lake Lure is significantly smaller than the bridge in Greenbrook, but it still gives a dramatic feel.

Overall, the idea was well received by the board. Only two possible problems were discussed — the structure of the railings over time and people who might object to the rainbow colors being associated with the LGBTQ community.

Secretary Bonnie Sidiski said she gave two little girls rainbow rings that were mistaken for pride rings, and she said it unintentionally created a problem.

“This touches my heart so deeply. I love animals,” she said. “So I hate to even say it, but there are people that are going to have feelings, and I’m so sorry that this is the way it is.”

After discussion, signage seemed to be an easy solution. The bridge would be clearly marked as a place to remember pets.

Kaplan offered to set up a GoFundMe account to pay for the project. He also spoke with the president of the dog park and has plenty of volunteers to do the work if need be.

Tom Merrell, director of operations for the Lakewood Ranch InterDistrict Authority, had no issue with the cost or durability of the painting portion of the project. The paint would be inexpensive and hold up to the weather with a sealant.

“Anything that would occur with the railing, that would be my real concern over time,” Merrell said.

“They’ll be covered with leashes.”

The weight could cause the railing to deteriorate ahead of schedule.

Kaplan had numerous neighbors offer to attend the meeting with him, but he didn’t want to put pressure on the board. He wanted the project to be approved on its own merits.

“I kind of like the idea,” Chairman Michael Griffin said. “I think it adds a little bit of a different flair, but I can be convinced otherwise.”

The board will meet on Aug. 21 at 10:15 a.m. to revisit the proposal. The public is invited to attend.

Travis is the inspiration for a rainbow bridge in Adventure Park.

Courtesy images This is the Rainbow Bridge in Lake Lure, North Carolina.

On the move

FOOD BANK CELEBRATES ONE YEAR

Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary began a food bank in hopes that providing food and supplies would help families be able to keep their animals.

Lisa Burns, a co-owner of the nonprofit, said the food bank started with three families this past year and now serves 62 families. She said donations to the food bank have been low lately, and the nonprofit only has enough food for a month.

She said food for cats, rabbits and chickens are in high demand.

Interested in donating? Visit these drop off locations:

■ Leo & Lucky’s, 8943 U.S. 301 N., Parrish ■ Pets Supplies Plus-Parrish, 8900 U.S. 301, Suite 101, Parrish

■ Silver Star East, 36251 State Road 70, Myakka City

For more information, visit FarmhouseSanctuary.org/PetFood-Bank.

to get started on projects she and her husband and co-owner, Dave Burns, have wanted to accomplish for years.

The Burns have turned a former in-law apartment into a large classroom, bird room and volunteer break area.

Walking into the building, there is the large classroom, which houses reptiles and ferrets. Some of the reptiles include bearded dragons, leopard geckos and small tortoises. There is a kitchen section, as well as a few tables. Burns said the nonprofit could fit between 15 and 20 people in the room, which further expands the nonprofit’s educational opportunities.

Burns said the nonprofit only had a small education room that could only fit about four people. The large classroom allows the sanctuary to host meetings, educational events and more. Burns plans to host monthly classes for people of all ages who want to learn, whether it’s how to make a bat house or make toys for birds while discussing animal care.

The other portion of the former apartment has become home to small birds. It will also serve as an area for more birds during winter or if there’s a bad storm.

“It’ll be so much easier to take care of the animals in a setting like this,” Burns said. “Before we had birds in so many areas, and we were running from one place to the other. This just makes it faster and more efficient.”

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary is hitting the road.

With an anonymous donation, Lisa Burns, a co-owner of the Myakka City nonprofit, said the nonprofit was able to purchase and retrofit a shuttle to more safely transport animals and provide educational opportunities.

The sanctuary will be able to take the shuttle to events and schools so people can see and interact with the nonprofit’s animal ambassadors, which include rabbits, ferrets, goats

and reptiles. The shuttle will be able to fit about eight small cages and have an open area for a goat, Burns said.

Burns said previously, the nonprofit would transport animals in a horse trailer and have to set up tents outside. She said sometimes the heat could become too much for the animals.

The air conditioned shuttle gives them the opportunity to comfortably and safely allow people on the bus to interact with the animals.

The shuttle, which Burns hopes to start using by the end of August, also features pictures of Farmhouse animals on the outside.

“I’m looking forward to being able to share the animals’ stories with more people and show the next generation what it takes to care for these animals and show them that their lives matter,” Burns said. “This is going to make a big difference in the lives of the kids who have never been able to get up close and personal with these animals. Most kids have been around cats and dogs and birds sometimes. We’ve had kids who come to our education programs who have never even seen a rabbit.”

The shuttle is among a few other projects the donation has funded for Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary.

Burns said a requirement of the gift was that the money must be used for projects within 2024.

“It’s exciting to have somebody see our vision and want to help us continue that,” Burns said. Burns said the nonprofit was quick

The next project on the Farmhouse to-do list is setting up an area to start providing hydrotherapy. Burns said the nonprofit cares for a dog with hip dysplasia, and a veterinarian suggested hydrotherapy to help.

Two stalls of a barn in the back of the property that are currently being used for storage will be converted into a spot to provide hydrotherapy that also will include a dog washing station and grooming table.

“We’re an hour away from everyone so it’s a little hard to take (the goat) for something like (hydrotherapy),” Burns said. “We got to talking about it and we decided we’d like to do something like that here.  Burns said she hopes to offer hydrotherapy to community members for their animals.

Photos by Liz Ramos

Matthew Burns, a Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary volunteer, shows off the new shuttle bus that will expand the nonprofit’s educational opportunities.

Ruby, a bearded dragon, has a new home in the new large classroom at Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary. The large classroom houses reptiles, ferrets and a kitchen area.

Can Buchanan be beaten?

Vern Buchanan is 12-0 in elections. But Eddie Speir, another little-known challenger, believes Buchanan’s RINO-ish voting record makes him vulnerable.

MATT WALSH

Here we are again. Every two years since 2006, former Michigan entrepreneur and Sarasota Ford dealer Vern Buchanan is running for Congress. So far, comparatively speaking, you could say Buchanan has had the proverbial cake walk each time, except for his first election. His record: 12-0 in primaries and general elections. With the exception of his 369vote margin of victory over Democrat Christine Jennings in his entry into politics in 2006, Buchanan’s margins of victory ever since have never been below 53%. In the three primaries he has had against other Republicans from 2008 on, he won more than 80% of the votes. In his 2022 primary, he won 86%; 62% in the general, his highest margins.

What’s more, with money a leading determinant of whether a candidate has a chance, forget it. Challenging Buchanan is like trying to break into a bank vault. The federal election system is so rigged in favor of incumbents, it truly is a miracle when a challenger unseats an entrenched incumbent.

Buchanan, for one, is listed as the seventh wealthiest member of Congress with a net worth of $157 million. And federal election records show he has taken in $4.5 million in contributions over the past two years, and through March he had $1.7 million in cash in his campaign bank account. As we said, a vault. And yet, Buchanan, 73, has a Republican challenger — a firsttime candidate from Bradenton who is giving it his all to unseat Buchanan in the Aug. 20 primary.

Meet Eddie Speir, 55, a former Colorado software entrepreneur who moved to Bradenton in 2010 for his three children to attend IMG Academy; who is the founder and owner of the private, grades 6-12 Inspiration Academy in West Bradenton; and who is campaigning passionately that Buchanan is part of the political Establishment that has gotten us where we are.

Speir’s slogan: “To take down a RINO, you’re gonna need a Speir.” It’s a longshot. A long longshot.

START WITH THE MONEY

If campaign money is the fuel to get a politician to D.C. and stay there, Speir has little chance to compete with Buchanan.

Take Speir’s campaign contributions. For 2023-24, through July 8, they totaled $1.1 million, with $522,000 coming from Speir himself as a personal loan. Records show 117 contributions made to his campaign, all individuals. Not a dime from a big political action committee.

Contrast that with Buchanan. The past two years, he has received 732 contributions, with 61% (448) of them coming from mostly D.C.based PACs that read like a Who’s Who of Forbes 500 companies and industries. The biggest contributor: the Republican House PAC — WINRED, which funnels hundreds of millions of dollars to keep incumbents entrenched in their seats. WINRED alone has contrib-

uted $3.9 million to Buchanan. Meanwhile, Buchanan himself, according to the Federal Election Commission records, hasn’t contributed a dime to his own campaign. He doesn’t need to.

A longtime veteran of SarasotaManatee politics told us it probably would take $10 million for any challenger to have a chance.

But even then, if Buchanan became at all worried, he would just open the money tap and flood District 16 with the tried-andtrue media blitzes directed by Max Goodman, Buchanan’s campaign consultant from the start of his political career.

Goodman is regarded as one of the savviest political consultants in Florida, an expert at emotional advertising that makes his candidate look human and likable and advertising that makes the opponent look unfit for dog catcher.

The veteran political observer estimated to us Buchanan and Goodman likely have spent close to $25 million since 2006 on advertising — probably twice the amount opponents have wasted. Try as they might to sink Buchanan with negative advertising, it hasn’t worked.

Buchanan just keeps going, barely above the radar, plodding through congressional votes as a moderate, rarely if ever drawing attention.

Buchanan has been in office so long he is now the longest-serving Republican congressional member from Florida and serves in Washington as co-chair of the Florida congressional delegation.

Suffice it to say, even if Buchanan is almost never interviewed on Fox News or by other national conservative media outlets the way, say, Sen. Rick Scott is, or the way Ron DeSantis was when he was in Congress, and even if most Floridians outside of his district don’t know anything Buchanan has done or stands for, Buchanan still has remarkable name recognition. Especially in Manatee County.

Manatee’s staunch Republicans, where they outnumber Democrats almost 2-1, have carried Buchanan to all of his victories.

On top of that, in the last congressional redistricting, the Legislature gave Buchanan the gift of one of the safest Republican congressional districts in Florida.

Along with Manatee, Buchanan now represents southeast Hillsborough County, that county’s most conservative region. No longer does Buchanan have to tussle with a liberal Democrat from Sarasota.

SERIOUS VULNERABILITIES?

Despite these seemingly insurmountable advantages, Speir passionately believes Buchanan has serious vulnerabilities.

For one, wherever Speir campaigns, he raises the question with voters and Republican groups: How many of you have ever met Vern Buchanan or seen him in person? Particularly in Hillsborough

County, few hands go up.

This is a legitimate knock on the nine-term congressman — his low visibility in the district. As time has passed, Buchanan’s presence, especially among the hoi polloi at county fairs or other large public events, has waned.

At the start of a talk in June to the Riverview Republican Club, Speir said this of Buchanan: “If you’ve ever interacted with him, he doesn’t have a social personality. He’s not engaging. He’s not a good speechwriter. He doesn’t inspire confidence.” Buchanan is famous in Sarasota and Manatee for meeting people for the third or fourth time and appearing as if it’s the first.

SPEIR: ENGAGE AND CONNECT

Speir, in contrast, has been on a whirlwind mission since he filed to run for office in June 2023. It started with his team of family members and colleagues from Inspiration Academy walking door-to-door all over Manatee and southern Hillsborough to gather the 5,300 signatures needed to qualify.

“I didn’t want to pay $10,000 to get on the ballot,” Speir told his Riverview audience. “I wanted to actually engage and connect with people.”

Gathering the signatures did two things: It raised his name recognition from zero to something and began his journey toward one of his goals — creating for his candidacy the largest Republican grassroots movement in Manatee political history. In his speeches, he claims it is.

Speir and his volunteers also took their petitions to grocery stores, public parks, the Social Security office, Premier Sports Complex, a chili cook-off in Parrish and the Manatee County Fair. Except at the fair and chili event, authorities booted out the volunteers.

In spite of the resistance, it worked. Speir submitted 6,100 signatures and qualified.

Attending events and speaking to Republican groups has kept apace. Speir keeps his itinerary on his website (EddieSpeirfForCongress.com). In the next 10 days: a candidate fair in Sun City; Tiger Bay Club debate, Bradenton; Sun City golf cart parade; and candidate meet and greet at Gold Coast Eagle Distributing.

“It’s all about name recognition,”

BUCHANAN’S ELECTIONS

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Speir told us. And getting the message across.

THE RINO WHO KEEPS WINNING

Speir’s messaging is focused on what he perceives as Buchanan’s weaknesses and Speir’s America First and constitutional patriotism.

On Buchanan, Speir’s themes are that Buchanan’s voting record proves he is too much of a liberal, a RINO big spender; that he is part of the entrenched Washington establishment responsible for the state of the country; and in spite of

SPEIR TAKES ISSUE WITH BUCHANAN’S VOTES

■ HR 8035 — Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 — A vote to send additional foreign aid to Ukraine without any provisions for securing the Southern Border.

Buchanan: Yes.

Freedom Caucus: No.

■ HJ Resolution 46 (2019) — A vote to support Trump and build the border wall.

Buchanan: No.

Freedom Caucus: Yes.

■ HR 863 — Vote to impeach

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Buchanan: Did not vote.

Freedom Caucus: No.

■ HR 7888 — Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act

— An amendment to the FISA bill that would require warrants before intelligence agencies can spy on Americans.

Buchanan: Yes.

Freedom Caucus: No.

■ HR 4664 — Amendment 54 — To appropriate $300 million for a new FBI headquarters.

Buchanan: Yes.

Freedom Caucus: No.

■ HR 8 — Background Checks Act of 2021 — Create universal background checks for gun ownership; outlaw private gun transfers.

Buchanan: Yes.

Freedom Caucus: No.

■ HR 9 — Climate Action Now Act — Required President Trump to take environmental policy actions

previously committed to under the Paris Climate Agreement; blocked Trump from leaving Paris Climate Agreement.

Buchanan: Yes.

Freedom Caucus: No.

■ HR 391 — Global Health Security Act of 2021 — To have the United States participate and fund increased global health systems and establish a pandemic preparedness fund. (Conservatives opposed this for the potential loss of U.S. sovereignty to the WHO.)

Buchanan: Yes.

Freedom Caucus: No.

Source: EddieSpeirforCongress.com

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File photo

Vern Buchanan celebrates his reelection in 2020 with one of his grandsons.

Courtesy image Congressional candidate Eddie Speir

Conservative D.C.-based think tanks, taxpayer and business organizations produce annual rankings and ratings of all congressional members based on their votes. Here is how they score

Congressman Buchanan.

■ Council for Citizens Against Government Waste — 2022: 93% rating; “Taxpayer hero.”

■ Club for Growth — 2023 score: 84%; Lifetime score: 63%; Rank: 78

■ National Taxpayers Union — 2023: 62%

■ American Conservative Union

Buchanan’s longevity in Congress, that Buchanan’s influence there is de minimis

At the start of 2023, when Republicans took control of the House, Buchanan was the senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, the tax-writing and one of the most powerful committees in the House. His seniority put him in line to be chairman. What’s more, Buchanan had proven himself a loyal party man, raising $4 million in contributions for the 2022 elections; and, Florida had the secondlargest Republican delegation in Congress. A nice portfolio.

But his Republican colleagues on the House Steering Committee passed over Buchanan. Missouri Congressman Jason Smith promised in his bid to the committee to be aggressive defunding an increase in IRS hiring. Buchanan pitched his business background and ability to work across the aisle.

Speir claims to his audiences: “(Buchanan) actually is not wellliked in D.C.” And then he punches more with: “The senior member (of the Florida delegation) should be making waves and doing things for Floridians. But, in fact, he’s not doing that at all.”

Speir harps on Buchanan’s voting record, with a tab on Speir’s website devoted it. It focuses on nine specific topics on which Buchanan voted on the opposite side of the Republicans’ conservative Freedom

— 2022 rating: 75; Lifetime rating: 72.85

■ The Freedom Index — 202324: 65%; Lifetime: 56%

■ Heritage Action for America/ Heritage Foundation — 118th Congress: 71%; Lifetime: 62%

■ National Federation of Independent Business — 118th Congress: 100%; recipient of NFIB Guardian of Small Business Award

■ Conservative Review/Liberty Score — F/57%

■ 2022-23-24 aggregate: 78.5%

■ Lifetime rating: 62.18%

Caucus (see box, Page 8).

Speir says Buchanan’s voting history puts him in a category of spending more money than each of four far-left, progressive members of “the Squad.” Speir directs viewers to the R Street Institute’s SpendingTracker.org site, which shows that Buchanan’s voting through seven sessions totals $5.5 trillion, ranking him average in Congress overall, but “high” in the Republican Party.

Speir documents votes on immigration, the Second Amendment, the Paris Climate agreement, spying on Americans; and the World Health Organization’s effort to subsume U.S. sovereignty in the next world health crisis.

These votes may be news to Republican voters, but they’re not really a surprise. Everyone who has voted for Buchanan since 2006 knows he is nowhere close to the conservatism of, say, Florida Congressmen Byron Donalds or Matt Gaetz or Reps. Jim Jordan or Marjorie Taylor Green. Everyone who has voted for Buchanan knows he toggles between RINO and moderate Republican. He once touted that he was the most bipartisan member of Congress.

In fact, when you look at Buchanan’s ratings among the conservative think tanks and taxpayer and business organizations in D.C., his scores reinforce what voters have long known — and tolerated

(see box).

And that toleration explains Buchanan’s longevity and why no one has or is likely to unseat him. After almost losing in 2006 in his first election to Democrat Christine Jennings, Buchanan has always been careful not to go too far right. He has never done so much one way or the other — or, some say, not done much at all — to make voters say: “Vern must go.”

He clearly has learned how to play the political game, which, of course, is all about being reelected. When Gov. DeSantis made his attempt to be the presidential nominee, Buchanan didn’t jump in and pledge his support for the governor. He waited and watched, becoming the eighth — not first or second — Florida congressional member to back not DeSantis, but Donald Trump. Trump, in turn, has endorsed Buchanan once again. Even though Speir positions himself as the “America First,” “Drain the Swamp” candidate, Trump’s endorsement of Buchanan can be viewed as a concrete wall for Speir.

WHO IS JASON EDWARD SPEIR?

“This is a David and Goliath situation,” Speir told the Riverview Republicans. “I’m going against the Establishment. I could spend a lot of time on all of the lies and propaganda being used against me on the local level and at the state level that is trying to silence my voice … This is a Marxist war against America and our freedoms.”

Born in Seattle, Speir and his family moved to Colorado when he was 3. He grew up in Denver.

In 1987, he went to the University of Northern Colorado in the hot eastern plains of Greeley, where he competed as a 142-pound wrestler. He admits he wasn’t a model citizen then. “Drugs, fights, I was on a path of destruction” at age 20, he told us. But he also tells of his conversion to an evangelical Christian. It occurred when he saw a shooting star three times while driving at 3 a.m. on Highway 1 in California on a trip to Seattle. “God got a hold of me,” he says.

After earning a business degree with an emphasis on computer information systems, Speir’s first job was as assistant director for IT

“I’m not afraid to smile anymore!”

Doctor Jeffrey Martins has changed my whole life. I’m so much more confident now and I feel better about myself. You see, I’ve always had such small teeth, and I was self-conscious about it. I didn’t like how they looked, so I never wanted to smile.

I tried to have my teeth fixed once before. I got some dental work done at another place about five years ago and it helped the situation some, but I wasn’t happy with the results. What they did to fix my teeth didn’t look natural and although I put up with it, the work they did was really only a temporary fix. I put up with it for a long time, but I was still always self-conscious about the way my teeth looked.

When I decided to visit Paradise Dental, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve always been nervous about having my teeth worked on, but everyone there was so friendly and the team really put me at ease. They took the time to listen to all of my concerns and what I hoped to accomplish, then recommended veneers for my front teeth. I liked that they took their time and helped me choose just the right color so my teeth would look more natural and not fake.

Now, everyone comments on my nice smile. I’m so happy about the results, but the best part is that I’m not afraid to smile anymore! They did a wonderful job.” - Rowena B.

PARADISE DENTAL

at his university. He did that for a year. Then, in 1993, Speir, 24, started his own company, 3t Systems in Denver, specializing in IT consulting for medical offices.

3t grew over the next decade, expanding into software development for the mortgage origination industry. After a merger in 2004, 3t became the largest IT consultancy in Colorado. At its peak, it reached more than $18 million a year in revenues and 285 employees.

After that merger, Speir spun off the software development operation into a new company, Mortgage Cadence. Its internet-based software became a hit in the post-2008 real estate crash, so much so that the international giant, Accenture plc, acquired 85% of Mortgage Cadence in 2010 and completed 100% of the acquisition in 2013. Purchase price: More than $150 million.

In 2010, with sale proceeds in hand and after Speir’s wife survived a plane crash in the Colorado Rockies (three days, two nights, with wind chill of 40 below zero), they decided to leave the cold of Colorado. They chose Bradenton and IMG.

Then came serendipity.

Speir met Robert Allen Jr., a New College of Florida trustee whose son was attending the tennis academy at Speir’s Inspiration Academy. Speir and Allen’s political philosophies clicked.

This also was the time Allen and Gov. DeSantis had ignited the effort to transform New College into becoming a public Hillsdale College replica. Allen lobbied the governor successfully to have Speir appointed as a New College trustee. It did not go well.

Speir was outspoken, challenged New College’s lawyer and strayed from the tactics and strategy of the new trustees and New College interim President Richard Corcoran. When it was time for the Senate to confirm the new trustees, Speir was the only one not confirmed. It’s a long, messy story. But here is what it did for Speir: His rejection prompted him to think about running for public office. On the same day he contemplated that, he read the news story about Buchanan losing his bid to be chairman of the

Ways and Means Committee.

“I felt a quickening of my spirits and wanted to get involved,” Speir told us.

FREEDOM FIGHTER DNA

When we spoke about Speir’s chances to win with a Republican who has been in the trenches of Florida politics for 30 years, he said: “He’s delusional.”

Speir doesn’t see it that way at all. When you hear and see his passion and patriotism, it’s palpable and deserving of respect. You can feel he wants what is right to begin the turnaround that’s needed for the country.

“I love this country,” he says. “Freedom-loving people feel like there’s no hope.”

Speir’s platform is simple: Inflation (“You could cut 80% of the federal budget, but they just don’t have the will.”). Secure our borders. (He visited the Texas border.)

“If we get government out of the way, and not look to the government to solve the problems that the government has created, and get back to true, limited-government conservatism, that will unlock and unleash the massive amount of intellectual capacity that we have.

“I learned this in business,” he tells the Riverview Republicans.

“You’ve got to confront the brutal facts, and when you confront the brutal facts, never lose hope that you will be victorious in the end.

“It’s in our DNA. We are freedom fighters. All it takes is political courage and will.”

It is truly rare for a first-time, unknown candidate to slay an entrenched incumbent who has the name-recognition Buchanan has.

But, likewise, we have always been of a mind that serving in Congress should not be a career.

Former Congressman Dan Miller, R-Bradenton, did it right. He said 10 years and stuck to it.

If we had our way, we’d flush out every member of Congress, save for a handful. It’s not personal. It’s about freedom.

Which of the two — Buchanan or Speir — is the freedom fighter for you?

We recommend: Eddie Speir

Rowena B.

SMILE MAKEOVER PATIENT

Jeffrey Martins, DDS DENTIST AND OWNER

Original Wolfie’s right at home on Ranch

The new location will be a commissary and production facility that offers grab ’n’ go items, as well as delivery of its New York-style deli food.

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Growing up, Jason Starkman always spent his time in a restaurant.

His father, Isaac Starkman, founded Jerry’s Famous Deli in California. By 10 years old, Jason Starkman was cleaning out deli cases and bussing tables. He spent every moment he could at the restaurant.

By the time he was a junior in high school, Starkman was man-

aging one of his father’s delis. Starkman watched as his father built an empire worth millions and a menu that included more than 450 items.  Starkman never looked back. He stayed with the family business, and they grew it together, going on to acquire Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House in the mid-1990s. In 2013, the family purchased Wolfie’s name and brand.

Jonathan Mitchell, who started working with Isaac Starkman in 1995, went on to open The Original Wolfie’s in Sarasota and brought Jason Starkman on board to help with the venture.

“It’s funny, every now and then in our business, we always think, I’m done, I’m going to try something else,” Starkman said. “Then we always end up back in the business because everything else we’re trying is either too slow (in comparison) or it’s just not the same.”

Starkman, who is director of operations, is adding to his family’s legacy in the restaurant business with a new The Original Wolfie’s grab ’n’ go and delivery service in Lakewood Ranch.

The Lakewood Ranch Wolfie’s, located at 5318 Paylor Lane, will serve as a production facility and commissary for both the Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota locations.

Starkman and Mitchell said many people come from Lakewood Ranch to the Wolfie’s in Sarasota, so having a location was a natural progression.

With Lakewood Ranch being the best-selling multigenerational, master-planned community in the U.S., Starkman said they would be missing out on opportunities if they didn’t have a location in Lakewood Ranch.

“Lakewood Ranch is the future. Everything is moving out here,” he said. “The location, while off the beaten path, is still right in the heart (of Lakewood Ranch).”

Although there isn’t a full kitchen that will give Starkman and Mitchell the opportunity to offer the full Wolfie’s menu available in Sarasota, Starkman said people still can order hot sandwiches and purchase prepared foods such as soups and pre-packaged sandwiches. The Lakewood Ranch location also will offer delivery through DoorDash.

The menu will include soups, pickles, salads, bread, made-toorder sandwiches, pre-made sandwiches, frozen foods, bakery items and bagels.

“I can’t wait to open the doors and start serving the food that people are craving,” Starkman said. “It’s empowering because when you’re doing that good of a job and producing something that great, people are dying for it. It’s just very satisfying.”

Starkman said Wolfie’s is all about food made from the heart.

Starkman said the grab ’n’ go options allow people to receive a homemade meal without having to wait. The frozen food options also

will be homemade recipes ready to throw into the oven at home, he said.

For Mitchell and Starkman, working in the restaurant industry has been a calling. Starkman said he only considered one other career option, which was becoming a professional golfer.

“I took some time during the summers (in high school), and I was really good,” Starkman said.

“I played a few tournaments, and I realized my idea of good is still very good, but it’s not good enough.”

He decided to stick with the restaurant business.

Mitchell has owned businesses in various industries and didn’t start getting involved in the restaurant business until 1995 when he partnered with Isaac Starkman on Jerry’s Famous Deli. He now is a co-owner and shareholder of the Pei Wei Restaurant Chain and corporation.

Mitchell said opening the Lakewood Ranch location will give him an opportunity to hear more stories from patrons of when their parents or grandparents would go to Wolfie’s, Rascal House or another restaurant they own.

“You can see their eyes starting to tear up thinking about it, and it’s very touching,” Mitchell said. “It touches me and propels me to do this because I’m giving people something they ordinarily wouldn’t get in the course of a day. It’s not just a meal. There’s an emotional element to it.”

Photos by Liz Ramos

Jonathan Mitchell and Jason Starkman look forward to offering The Original Wolfie’s New York-style deli items at its new location in Lakewood Ranch on Paylor Lane.

Jason Starkman, director of operations for The Original Wolfie’s, and Jonathan Mitchell, owner, say the new Lakewood Ranch location will offer its homemade foods and desserts as grab ’n’ go options, as well as for delivery.

Beyond First Class™

Lakewood Ranch teen wins art competition

Zachary Keshish will have his art displayed in Washington, D.C., after winning Congressional Art Competition.

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

When Lakewood Ranch’s

Zachary Keshish sits down to create art, it’s a short, freeflowing process.

He doesn’t like to take more than 20 to 40 minutes to work on a piece. Keshish creates whatever comes to mind, whether that’s drawing the Joker or Batman, some of his favorite characters growing up, or creating a piece that reflects the struggles of drug addiction.

It took Keshish only 20 minutes during an art class at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy last school year to create his piece “Bored,” which earned him first place in the Congressional Art Competition.

The piece will be on display for a year in Washington, D.C., in a corridor between the U.S. Capitol and the Cannon House Office Building.

Keshish said after completing “Bored,” he approached his art teacher, Paige Aube, with a “weird confidence” about his piece that made him feel that he would place first in the Congressional Art Competition.

Winning the competition shows him that not everything he creates is pointless, he said. He said although his pieces aren’t what some might consider beautiful, clean and poised, they are still works of art worth sharing.

Keshish often goes into his work without a plan and simply does whatever comes to his mind at the moment. It isn’t until later that he

ABOUT THE ARTIST

ZACHARY KESHISH

Age: 16

Lives: Lakewood Ranch

Year in school: Junior Name of winning artwork: “Bored”

Family: Father, Jason Keshish, mother, Janelle Damrau, sister, Alexa Favorite medium: Oil pastels

Artist who has inspired him: Jean-Michel Basquiat

discovers the potential meaning behind his work.

Take “Bored” as an example. He said those viewing the painting might think the face is hidden to symbolize how people’s true identities can be hidden. He said he thought people would view the stars and hearts to represent the love and hope that is so appealing, along with representing the values they are taught and raised to believe. He said those viewing the work might think the black cross symbolizes religion, which he said can be another way people find their identity.

In the end, Keshish said the piece is still meaningless to him other than he enjoyed creating it.

“This truly didn’t have any meaning; it was all made up,” he said.

The work is an outlet for him to distract himself from any current stress or anxiety, especially regarding his future.

Like many, Keshish, who is a rising junior in a dual enrollment program through State College of Florida, started with art as a child using paper and crayons.

But by 10 years old, he was finding other ways to express himself and his creativity, including building replica “Star Wars” helmets out of Styrofoam.

As he grew up and began exploring other mediums, a sketchbook became a journal to him. Rather than writing down his thoughts and feelings in a journal, he would create art pieces in his sketchbook.

“It’s a way to keep my thoughts and see what I was thinking,” Keshish said.

Keshish said he limits the amount of time he spends working on any given piece because he can have a tendency to overthink it. Often, his work comes out of a moment of boredom, which is why he brands some of his pieces with a graffitistyle “bored.”

Keshish’s father, Jason Keshish, said when his son first started making art, he didn’t see the creative aspect since art is subjective. He had the mindset of “anyone can do that.” But after seeing his son’s skills develop and learning the meaning behind his work and how it was an expression of himself, Jason Keshish said he was blown away.

“They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so is art,” Jason

Keshish said. “He has this creativity in him. He can do complex. He can do simple and basic. It’s all just an expression of how he feels. His mom (Janelle Damrau) and I are very proud of him and thankful this is an outlet for him to be able to express his creativity and energy.”

Keshish said he never considered art as more than a hobby, but after winning the Congressional Art Contest, he’s considering what he could do with his art in the future. Although he’s uncertain whether his future will include a career directly involved in art, he said he knows he wants a career that will allow him to express himself.

He has considered starting a brand to allow ways for people to identify with his art and potentially show his art in an exhibit.

Much like he tries not to overthink his art, Keshish is approaching his future in the same way, trying to embrace the uncertainty of what’s to come and see the beauty to which it could lead.

Lakewood Ranch’s Zachary Keshish spends 20 to 40 minutes creating each of his works of art. Some, like “Need 4 Speed,” start with an idea such as the saying “need for speed,” while others are simply what comes to his mind at the moment.

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Lakewood Ranch’s Zachary Keshish

Congressional Art Competition with his piece “Bored.”

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

When you first look at Alfred Hair’s 1960 artwork, “Palms on the Florida Coast,” at the Museum of Botany & the Arts at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, it’s easy to assume Hair was a practitioner of plein air painting. That means he stood outdoors on a relatively unspoiled beach and captured the scene with his brush and paints.

But that assumption would be wrong.

Why? Because Hair was African American and was not allowed to paint or swim on Florida’s beaches at that time because of Jim Crow laws designed to segregate the races.

Like his fellow painters in the Fort Pierce area who have been dubbed the “Florida Highwaymen,” Hair worked from photographs or scenes in his head. Gallerist Jim Fitch is given credit for coining the term “Florida Highwaymen” in 1994 to describe the African American artists who sold their works out of cars parked along the road.

Unfortunately, we can’t ask the artist, also known as Freddy Hair, about how he drew his inspiration for “Palms on the Florida Coast,” because he died in 1970 at the age of

Selby Gardens stages a new Florida Highwaymen exhibition with links to Sarasota history.

29 in a bar-room shooting. It was a rough-and-tumble life for the Florida Highwaymen, mostly self-taught artists who painted to survive.   Even though they were originally from Florida’s East Coast, the Highwaymen’s works have been getting a lot of attention in Sarasota as of late.

In January, the city of Sarasota mounted an exhibition in the lobby of City Hall with paintings borrowed from Roger Lightle, a Vero Beach collector who has amassed approximately 700 Highwaymen paintings. The show was refreshed in June and will be extended for another six months.

JACKS AND JILLS OF MANY TRADES

Back in 2004, 26 of the original Highwaymen artists were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in Tallahassee. Only one of the artists was female. Her name was Mary Ann Carroll, and she was known as the “First Lady” of the Florida Highwaymen.  Caroll’s daughter, Wanda Renee Mills, recently gave a talk about her mother’s life at Arts Advocates of Sarasota in the Crossings at Siesta Key mall. She recalled how her mother, in addition to being an accomplished artist, could do everything from fix a car engine to climb a utility pole to turn the power back on.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has been down the Highwaymen road before. Three years ago, it held a summer exhibition in the Museum of Botany & the Arts called “We Dream a World: African American Landscape Painters of Mid-Century Florida.”

Sarasota attracts many tourists and retirees to its arts attractions, so it makes sense that there’s a market

IF YOU GO

‘THE FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN: INTERSTATE CONNECTIONS’ When: Through Sept. 15. Where: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St., Sarasota Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets: $28. Info: Visit Selby.org.

here for Florida Highwaymen shows even if the group, estimated to have produced more than 200,000 paintings from the 1950s to the 1970s, wasn’t local.

Originally sold for between $20 and $30, the Florida landscape paintings by the Highwaymen dramatically increased in value after the 2001 publication of Gary Monroe’s book “The Highwaymen.” In her Arts Advocates talk, Mills referred to the rapid price appreciation of the paintings as a “gold rush.”

Indeed, the back of a painting on display at Selby Gardens has a price of $10,000, but that isn’t a recent

price. Today, Florida Highwaymen paintings can fetch up to $45,000, though bargains can be found in thrift shops and garage sales.

MAKING THE SARASOTA CONNECTION

As the title of Selby Gardens’ latest exhibition, “The Florida Highwaymen: Interstate Connections,” indicates, the show links the pioneering artistic work done on Florida’s East Coast with simultaneous efforts to desegregate Lido Beach in Sarasota. “Wade-ins” and other actions helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, ensuring the rights of all Floridians to enjoy access to its public beaches.

One room in the Selby museum is dedicated to Sarasota history. It has a mural of the Lido beach wade-ins painted by Ringling College of Art & Design Chief Curator Tim Jaeger on one wall. On another hang photographs of leaders in the efforts to preserve the city’s African American history, such as Vickie Oldham, CEO and president of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition.

It was a roughand-tumble life for the Florida Highwaymen, who were mostly selftaught artists who painted to survive.

The trunk of a 1958 Plymouth Savoy is filled with plants to promote Selby Gardens’ exhibition, “The Florida Highwaymen: Interstate Connections.”

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER

Photos by Monica Gagnier

Harold Newton’s 1960 painting, “Clouds over the Florida Coast,” is part of the “The Florida Highwaymen: Interstate Connections” exhibition at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

Highwaymen

FROM PAGE 13

While efforts to desegregate buses and lunch counters loom large in the retelling of the U.S. civil rights movement, the quiet, persistent efforts of Sarasota’s waders have gone largely unsung. One exception is WEDU’s 2023 documentary, “The Sarasota Experience,” directed by Shaun Greenspan.

On a recent Friday, Walter Gilbert, vice president for diversity and inclusion at Selby Gardens, talked about his memories of the era. He recalled seeing the Florida Highwaymen selling their paintings out of cars on a trip to the Fort Pierce area.

He also remembered how members of Sarasota’s Black churches traveled in a caravan of shared cars (“Most African Americans couldn’t afford to own a car then”) after church and waded into the water at Lido Beach.

The weekly excursions took place for nearly a decade, until the Civil Rights Act was passed. “That’s a long time,” Gilbert noted.

CLASSIC CAR INSTALLATION

The Sarasota part of the “Interstate Connections” exhibition also celebrates the murals of early African American leaders such as Leonard Reid in Sarasota’s Overtown neighborhood, now called the Rosemary District.

If there’s one reason for making the trip to Selby Gardens for the Highwaymen exhibit, it’s to see Harold Newton’s painting, “Clouds over the Coast,” sitting in the trunk of a sawed-off blue 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. In the background is a giant reproduction of a 1950s-era postcard of the Causeway Bridge over the Indian River in Fort Pierce. Car buffs are sure to be delighted by the installation.

Although most of the Florida Highwaymen were self-taught, Newton and Hair received training from Fort Pierce painter A.E. “Bean” Backus. He convinced them and others that landscapes had more commercial value than religious scenes.

Selby worked with a custom body shop/salvager in Chicago to create the car installation, said David Berry, chief museum curator at Selby.

The trunk of a red 1958 Plymouth Savoy is filled with the botanical garden’s signature plants. It stands outside Selby’s new visitor center promoting the “Interstate Connections” exhibit.

If you haven’t made it over to Selby Gardens since it opened Phase 1 of its new master plan in January and flipped the switch in June on its new solar array panel to become the first net-positive energy botanical garden complex in the world, the Florida Highwaymen exhibit is a good excuse to go.

HOOKED ON HIGHWAYMEN PAINTINGS

If you want to continue down the road with the Florida Highwaymen, put a visit to the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee on your bucket list. It’s temporarily closed due to renovations, but will reopen in 2026.

There’s also a notable collection of the Fort Pierce artists’ works at the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. It has 18 Florida Highwaymen paintings.

Be careful, though. Some collectors of Florida Highwaymen art can’t stop once they get started. The bold brush strokes and vivid hues of unspoiled Florida beaches and lush tropical flora are known to create intense feelings of happiness — and desire.

Florida Highwaymen artworks with livestock roaming in the countryside are in demand, says Berry, most likely because these scenes aren’t as frequently found in real life, as ranching and farming gives way to development.

Collectors of Florida Highwaymen paintings are known to become experts on various artists’ painting styles, materials and frames. To transport their works while the paint was still drying, artists created frames made from repurposed molding that could be easily stacked in the trunk of a car without damaging the art.

The Florida Highwaymen rabbit hole is a deep one.

Monica Gagnier Selby Gardens Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Walter Gilbert talks about Sarasota’s wadein protests at a preview of its “Interstate Connections,” its new exhibit featuring Florida Highwaymen painters.

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

OPENING RECEPTION FOR ‘SMALL WORKS: BIG IMPACT’

5 p.m. at Creative Liberties, 901B Apricot Ave. and 927 N. Lime Ave. Free Visit CreativeLiberties.net.

View and purchase the work of more than 40 local artists — encompassing more than 225 pieces of art — at two Creative Liberties locations. Enjoy bites and beverages.

HELEN KEANEY

7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $26

Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

On its website, McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre says that comedian Helen Keaney should have a warning sign at her shows that reads “Sit in the front row at your own peril.” Keaney has carved out an edgy, sexy niche for herself with comedy shows on cruise lines and by hosting TV shows for Comedy Central, Discovery Health and others. Her stand-up credits include A&E’s “An Evening at

DON’T MISS SARASOTA BALLET SCHOOL: ‘IN MOTION’

This performance showcases the students ages 12-21 who participated in the Sarasota Ballet School’s Summer Intensive. The program features new choreography from Sarasota Ballet principal dancer Maximiliano Iglesias, an excerpt from “Swan Lake, Act II,” staged by principal dancers Jennifer Hackbarth and Jessica Assef, and “Waltz of the Hours” from “Coppelia,” staged by Sarasota Ballet School Principal Jennifer Welch Cudnik. Runs through July 27.

IF YOU GO

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25

Where: at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail

Tickets: $35-$40

Info: Visit SarasotaBallet.org.

the Improv,” Lifetime’s “Girl’s Night Out” and Comedy Central’s “Make Me Laugh.”Runs through July. 28.

‘RHINESTONE COWGIRLS’

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave. $18-$42

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Created by Nancy Allen Productions, this musical tribute to some of the first ladies of country features such classics as Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,”

Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man” and Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name.” Runs through Aug. 4.

‘THE MUSIC OF LAUREL CANYON’

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $18-$42

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

If you know, you know. But not everyone knows about Laurel Canyon, the neighborhood above West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip that became home to folk musicians such as Joni Mitchell, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and The Mamas and the Papas. Runs through Aug. 25.

SUMMER CIRCUS

SPECTACULAR

11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road $20 adults; $15 kids

Visit Ringling.org.

Presided over by Ringmaster Jared Walker, the Summer Circus Spectacular includes contortionist Uranbileg Angarag, acrobatic hand balancers The Bello Sisters, hair hang artist Camille Langlois, slack wire performer Antino Pansa and clown Renaldo, a veteran of the Big Apple Circus. Runs through Aug. 17.

‘THE OUTSIDER’

8 p.m. at FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $29-$46

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

After the last few weeks in politics, we could all use some laughs. Florida Studio Theatre comes to the rescue with a political comedy about the world’s least likely candidate for

governor, who just might be exactly what the voters want. Let’s hear it for democracy! Runs through Aug. 18.

FRIDAY

‘WE ARE STILL TORNADOES’

7:30 p.m. at Tree Fort Productions, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail

$30 Visit TreeFortProductionsProjects. com.

Katherine Michelle Tanner’s Tree Free Productions throws its hat into the summer theater ring with “We Are Still Tornadoes,” Lou Harry’s coming-of-age story set in the 1980s. Runs through July 28.

SATURDAY

‘THE END OF THE WORLD’

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St.

$15-$18

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Did the recent Sarasota Improv Festival open your eyes to the delights of spontaneous comedy? You’re in luck. FST’s in-house improv troupe will perform an improvised disaster movie based on a title supplied by the audience. Who needs “Twisters” anyway?

CABARET ON THE BOULEVARD: DECO

8 p.m. The Original Wolfie’s Rascal House, 1420 Boulevard of the Arts

$50-$60 Visit CabaretOnTheBoulevard.com.

Grae Productions is teaming up with The Original Wolfie’s in the Rosemary District to launch a monthly cabaret series. This Deco-themed program features an ensemble cast, including Animalia, Marshall Chandler, Brian Craft, Luna DeLust, Nadia Nirvana, Kathryn Parks and Alex Zickafoose.

SUNDAY

‘ROCK OF AGES’ YOUTH EDITION

6:30 p.m. at The Sarasota Players Studio, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130

$15 Visit ThePlayers.org.

OUR PICK

‘DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE’

Acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig tells the story of his parents’ courtship during World War II. The play follows U.S. Army Capt. Jack Ludwig, a military doctor stationed in Oregon, who begins a life-changing pen-pal relationship with Louise Rabiner, an aspiring actress living in the Big Apple. Runs through Aug. 11.

IF YOU GO

When: 8 p.m. Thursday, July 25

Where: FST’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. Tickets: $29-$46

Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre. org.

A showcase for The Sarasota Players’ summer camp students, this rock musical follows a city boy from South Detroit, and Sherrie, a smalltown girl, who have both come to LA’s famous Sunset Strip in 1987 seeking fame and fortune.

MONDAY

NEWISH JEWISH PLAYS:

‘DANCING ON GLASS’

7 p.m. The Players Centre, Studio 1130, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail $12 Visit SarasotaJewishTheatre.org.

If it’s summer in Sarasota, it’s time for play readings. The Sarasota Jewish Theatre enters the derby with Newish Jewish Plays, a threeplay series on three consecutive Mondays. The third selection is “We Are the Levinsons” by Wendy Kout, directed by Carole Kleinberg. The play follows an adult daughter who moves in with her newly widowed dad and tries to take over his life.

Courtesy images

Sarasota Ballet School Principal Jennifer Welch Cudnik.

Contortionist Uranbileg Angarag performs at the Summer Circus Spectacular, which runs through Aug. 17 at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater.

EATING WITH EMMA

Wing it like a pro through the best chicken wings in town

Try the tastiest wings in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch.

EMMA BURKE JOLLY CONTRIBUTOR

Once upon a time I was a vegetarian. I opted out of meatbased meals when I was about 14. My reasoning — not that you asked — stemmed from my dream of being a veterinarian and the haunting stories my dad told about strange menu options he encountered during his travels to Asia.

Weaning myself from McDonald’s nuggets was terribly trying during this time. But my veggie-baseddiet quickly came to an end when my then-boyfriend invited me to his parents’ house.

As the door opened, the smell of steak flooded my nostrils faster than an afternoon rain smacking your car during a Sarasota summer at 4:20 p.m.

To make a good first impression, I ripped apart that steak like I had a cameo on the National Geographic channel. I never looked back, and my iron levels were never low again.

I did what was right for me: I ditched my boyfriend after I caught him cheating and returned to the chicken wing train.

When my husband and I first started dating, we would frequent Buffalo Wild Wings using gift cards left over from when I worked for “The Jerry Springer Show.”

Let me unpack that for you: On the show, we gave guests gift cards to go out and eat. At the end of their stay, it wasn’t uncommon for them to return unused gift cards to the staff. So my husband and I got to know one another over platters of boneless wings.

But why settle for dining at a franchise when you can enjoy local options? Here are three of the best places in our community to spread your wings and fry.

WOLVES HEAD PIZZA & WINGS

1837 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch; 941-2514028; WolvesHeadPizza.com

Oh Cluck, That’s Good: Lakewood Ranch is the perfect place to wing it. Local legend Wolves Head Pizza & Wings has been in business since 2014. (That’s a long time in Lakewood Ranch years.) Designed as a neighborhood hangout, Wolves has a bounty of beers on tap, a mighty pub-style menu and wonderful wings. The signature wings are served with carrots, celery and ranch or bleu cheese and are fried, then charbroiled and tossed with a sauce of your liking: mild, hot, XXX, teriyaki, BBQ, honey BBQ, bourbon molasses, calypso and Par-

mesan garlic, or with dry rubs like Wolves Way or sriracha. Order five wings ($8.99), 10 wings ($15.99), 20 wings ($29.99) or boneless wings ($12.99).

Spread Your Wings: Feeling like an appetizer of wings rather than a main course? Prefer pork over chicken? Wolves Head has your back. It offers bourbon pork wings ($12.99) tossed in its famous bourbon molasses sauce with sesame seeds and scallions for a gorgeous garnish.

ORIGIN PIZZA CAFE

5170 Palmer Plaza Blvd., Sarasota, 941-217-6533; 1837 Hillview St., Sarasota, 941-316-9222; 8193 Tourist Center Drive, Bradenton, 941358-5850; 4944 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-922-1190; food truck at Cock & Bull at 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; OriginPizzaCafe. com

Oh Cluck, That’s Good: Every time I start brainstorming about what foodie favorites to feature in my column, I wonder if I should keep my picks to myself. That way, I won’t miss out on my weekly seat at the bar, or God forbid, have my wait time on takeout orders double after loyal readers jump on my recommendations. Case in point: Origin. Can’t find me on a Friday night? I’m either at home in my pajamas eating my hot wings delivered from Origin or I mustered the energy to walk to the Hillview location with my husband. Our family favorite is the Asian teriyaki or Buffalo (mild) with that delicious house ranch. Other flavors include Buffalo (hot), garlicParmesan, trifecta (delicious, but my tummy thinks otherwise) or mango habanero. Let’s get down to prices on these perfect bits: full order ($15), half order ($8). It gets better. Particular about your wings? Order only drums ($1.50) or only flats ($1.50).

Spread Your Wings: It is taking everything in me to not write about Origin pizza, but I must save that section of the menu for a later date. In the meantime, take a crack at the scrumptious Caesar salad ($9) with chopped romaine, Parmesan, carrots, croutons tossed in Caesar dressing. (Add trifecta chicken for $5.)

JR’S OLD PACKINGHOUSE CAFE

987 S. Packinghouse Road, Sarasota; 941-371 -9358; PackinghouseCafe.com

Oh Cluck, That’s Good: Although it’s around the corner, don’t wait until football season to try these tasty wings. This Sarasota stalwart is known for its burger and Cuban entrees, like the awesomely flavorful ropa vieja with shredded beef and garlic toast for $17.95, But there’s no place like JR’s to rip into some wings as a righteous blues band plays live. This eccentric tavern is a vanishing breed in Florida, so get it while you can. Its jumbo chicken wings, offered in portions of five ($9.95) or 10 ($17.95), come in a frenzy of flavors: teriyaki, killer garlic (my absolute favorite, but make a note not to canoodle after devouring said wings), BBQ, Thai spiced or Buffalo (mild to hot). These wings full of white meat are slathered in layers of sauce. I could swim in the garlic and Parmesan. Not feeling saucy? Get your wings “completely naked” or golden and fried.

Spread Your Wings: JR’s was recently ranked among the top 10 Cuban sandwiches in Florida by USA Today, so if you aren’t a wingman (or woman), I highly recommend the Cuban ($12.95) with fries.

•

Courtesy image

Go for the Cubans; stay for the wings at JR’s Old Packinghouse Cafe.

YOUR NEIGHBORS

THE HEIGHT OF LUXURY

A $7 million home in The Concession is the latest listing that will draw international attention to the area.

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

Through the last decade, the East County area, with Lakewood Ranch as the driving force, has sold its share of milliondollar homes.

However, the area might not have caught the attention of the truly elite home seekers who have directed their attention to the coastal areas.

That has changed.

“This is an exciting time,” said Realtor Donna Soda, of the Schemmel Soda Group, who has listed the home at 20819 Parkstone Terrace in The Concession at $6,999,000. “These kind of homes can put Lakewood Ranch (area) on the map.”

Certainly, Lakewood Ranch is on the map as the nation’s No. 1-selling, multigenerational, master-planned community, providing homes for most levels of buyers. And the East County area has had some eye-popping sales, such as the $7.98 million sale in The Concession in 2022.

But the top-level offerings are now increasing.

Currently, the Parkstone Terrace home, nicknamed the Magnolia Estate, is the highest dollar listing in East County, a few thousand dollars more than a pair of new home listings in the Lake Club that are just

ELITE LISTING

Where: 20819 Parkstone Terrace in The Concession

Price: $6,999,000

Built: 2018

Listed by: Donna Soda, of the Schemmel Soda Group and Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

Size: Two stories, four bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths, 6,790 square feet under air, 9,169 total square footage

Property: 1.24 acres on a lake front

Features: Two laundry rooms; gated entry with concrete pillars and iron fence; custom, side-load, three-car garage; 10-foot solid doors throughout; two-story ceiling with a grand spiral staircase in the foyer; custom trim, crown molding, and windows; two matte-finished travertine gas fireplaces; guest casita; custom-designed saltwater pool; outdoor kitchen with a pergola; travertine pool deck Information: Donna.Soda@ PremiersIR.com or phone 9615857

under $7 million. The Parkstone Terrace home is the only home for sale in The Concession built by Perrone Construction, which collaborated with CMSA architects, Century Furniture, International Design Source and Parkstone Estates to create an

“ultra-luxe custom home.”

Soda said when multiple elite listings are available in an area, it “opens the eyes” of buyers on a national and international level. She said the elite homes attract the CEOs, CFOs and attorneys (among others).”

“They see the sales here and say, ‘Maybe we should look into this.’”

She said the Parkstone Terrace home has drawn prospective buyers from all over the world.

Such a listing presents a different kind of marketing challenge. The Schemmel Soda Group is under the Premier Sotheby’s International Realty umbrella. She said Premier Sotheby’s has taken out ads in the Wall Street Journal and Dwell magazine on the property. She said such a listing requires more networking and public relations work.

“You have to know your customer, because they’ve been around,” she said.

Soda said savvy buyers know Sarasota’s Perrone Construction, but often because of the company’s work on Siesta Key.

“This is a very notable Perrone home,” she said.

Once the buyers, or their representatives, come to the area to inspect the home, Soda said it sells itself.

“It’s great to show,” she said. “You just look at all the details. The trim work is exquisite throughout the house. The window casings are all

Here are the top sale and the No. 10-highest sale for the corresponding year in East County since 2014:

trimmed out. The windows are hurricane glass. There are three sets of French doors.”

“The home went on the market in June and we’ve had quite a few showings.”

She said in “today’s world,” selling such a home often is a six- to eightmonth process.

Courtesy images

The home at 20819 Parkstone Terrace in The Concession is listed at $6,999,000.

The yard features a fireplace where guests can enjoy the lake view.

Jay Heater

Donna Soda, of the Schemmel Soda Group and Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, said the listing at 20819 Parkstone Terrace has attracted international attention.

Your guests can sit in comfort and relax as you prepare dinner in your custom kitchen that features two huge islands.

Smart about horses

East County 8-year-old Paislee Miller spends as much time she can at Horse Summer Camp.

The weekly camp, offered by the Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy nonprofit through mid-August, runs from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, Miller was on the grounds before the camp began each day, and after it ended.

She helped feed the horses each morning and stayed late to help groom the horses and get them ready for a good night’s rest.

“I just love to help around here,” Miller said.

Along with other campers, Miller learned all that it takes to properly care for a horse.

Campers learned how to groom the horses and to clean and prepare the barn. They also watched as East County’s Dan Mohl, a SMART client, had a lesson so they

could see how therapeutic riding is done.

But the camp wasn’t all work.

Campers also participated in yoga and sound baths to calm their nervous systems. Annmarie Kennedy, an administrative assistant with SMART, said the exercises allowed campers to regulate their nervous systems and learn about self-awareness and situational awareness, so they are better prepared to calmly be around the horses.

Izabella DeToma, a SMART volunteer who worked with the campers, said she led the campers through an observational lesson with the mini horses. She let them loose in the arena and had the campers take note of their behavior.

The campers also made fun treats for the horses, including cookies and popsicles.

— LIZ RAMOS

Photos by Liz Ramos

Carolyn Kelsey, a Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy instructor, gives 8-year-old Paislee Miller advice about getting Whisky to run smoothly.

Lauren Prescott, who is 12, gives Salsa Baby a big smooch.

Lauren Prescott, who is 12, is focused on her posture and technique as she starts to ride Salsa Baby.

Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy campers Lauren Prescott and Paislee Miller start their ride off with a slow walk around the arena.

Whiskey, one of the horses at Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy, is a pro at working with campers.

Bonding with beanbags

ot everyone knows about Lakewood Ranch’s fascination with cornhole.

“I thought we were going to roast corn or something,” former New Yorker Joann Saladino said after coming to the Lakewood Ranch Community Activities event on July 18. “I’d never heard of it.”

The group might as well have been roasting corn because the weekly game on Thursday mornings at The Yard in Waterside Place is not really about the game.

Kelly Harmon, who sets up the boards each week, says the ultimate purpose is to introduce neighbors.

“We have a good group of people who do things outside of this together,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Most of the players were new to the area.

Lisa and Todd Sears celebrated their one-year anniversary of living in East County on July 16. They moved from Illinois to the Meadows, and Lisa Sears said they have no regrets.

The rest of the group reside in Lakewood Ranch now, but they’re also from different states. Adriana Gretch is from New York. Greg and Roberta LeBlanc are from New Hampshire. Danny Sloan moved from Virginia only six months ago.

— LESLEY DWYER

Paisley Craze, a talented band

favorite music from

Barbara BishopReid tosses a beanbag like a pro.

Adriana Gretch and Joann Saladino stay to socialize after cornhole.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Lakewood Ranch residents Joann and Steve Saladino play cornhole every week at Waterside.

THURSDAY,

DANCE

rooftop and learn how to move to the beat. Jazz, Latin, hiphop and more styles of dance are taught. The class is open to all dancing abilities and no dance experience is needed. Aimed at kids 8-18. For more information, go to MyManatee. org/Departments/Manatee_County_Public_Library_System.

MEET THE REPTILES

Begins at 2 p.m. at the Braden River Library, 4915 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton. Jungle Gardens brings some of their favorite reptiles to meet kids at the library as part of the Summer Learning Series. The presentation will include information about the reptiles. For more information about the free event, sponsored by the Friends of the Braden River Library, call 727-6079 or go to MyManatee. org/Departments/Manatee_County_Public_Library_System.

THURSDAY, JULY 25 THROUGH

SUNDAY, JULY 28

LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING

Runs from 5:30-8:30 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Pirate Over 50 (Thursday), L’Attitude Adjustment (Friday), Blind Squirrel (Saturday) and Al Fuller Band (Sunday). The Friday and Saturday concerts have a $5 cover; the other concerts are free. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.

FRIDAY, JULY 26 AND SATURDAY, JULY 28

MUSIC AT THE PLAZA

Runs 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Singer/musician Frankie Lombardi, who plays eclectic acoustic rock/pop, will play on Friday as part of the weekly free music series. On Saturday, Ektor Key will perform on saxophone, keys and vocals. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.

BEST BET

SUNDAY, JULY 28

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 include children’s activities and live music. For more information, visit MyLWR.com.

was selected as the top market in Florida in 2023.

SUNDAY, JULY 28

YOGA IN THE PARK

Runs 9-10 a.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Sarasota. Start the morning off with gentle yoga with lake views. For more information, go to LakewoodRanch.com.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31

BINGO

Begins at 10 a.m. at James Patton Park, 7525 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Weekly bingo under the pavilion is hosted by Lakewood Ranch Community Activities. For more information, visit LakewoodRanch.com.

FRIDAY, AUG. 2

MUSIC ON MAIN

Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. Country singer Jesse Daniels, who also performs rock and soul, is the featured artist at the Music on Main. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.

YOUR CALENDAR

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

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

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!

File photo

The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch

Nonprofit offers taste of Indian culture

Formed in the 1980s by a group of physicians,

ABOUT THE NONPROFIT

INDIAN ASSOCIATION OF MANASOTA Visit IndianAssociationOfManasota.com.

oli is a Hindu religious festival, but one does not simply observe Holi.

Megha Vaid, president of the Indian Association of Manasota, said Holi is “played” and can even get “rowdy.”

“You’re going to run around, and people are going to come after you and throw water at you,” she said. “You play.”

The water and powders thrown during Holi are different colors because Holi is the Festival of Colors. Vaid said colors play a significant role in Indian culture. A bride wouldn’t wear white to her wedding.

“Red, orange, yellow, pink — those are the colors that signify prosperity and love,” Vaid said.

Vaid grew up in Delhi. She and her husband, Veeraish Chauhan, moved to the United States to pursue higher education in 2007. She’s a dentist, and he’s a doctor.

Their 13-year-old daughter, Adaa, and 11-year-old son, Veer, were born in the United States.

“That’s one reason we do all this (being involved in the Indian Association), so that the kids also learn about their culture,” Vaid said. “How many times will you go back to India to see all the festivals — you won’t.”

However, the association is open to all residents — Indian or not. Residents from neighboring countries, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, are welcome, along with anyone from any background who has an interest in Indian culture.

Vaid said Holi, especially, is some-

Mission statement: To enthusiastically embrace all humanity with open arms, still living by our 3,500-year-old Sanskrit motto that rings true even to this day: Vasudhaiva kutumbakam, or the world is one family.

thing to see.

“There are people who just come with their lawn chairs and sit and watch,” she said.

The association hosts four core events each year — a picnic at Summerfield Park in January that celebrates Republic Day, Holi at Lake Manatee State Park in March, Garba Night at Riverview High School in October and an annual dinner gala at Nathan Benderson Park in December.

The association organizes other events, too. On Aug. 4, it’s hosting a cricket game day for kids and adults at the Sarasota International Cricket Club. The day begins with a coaching session, and a “friendly game” will follow.

“They say India has two religions: One, the religion that people follow and second is cricket,” Vaid said. “India just won the World Cup for cricket (in June). The U.S. had a team this year — 90% made up of Indian players.”

For the members who are Indian, the club provides some of the comforts of home. Members who know the area help newcomers get acclimated.

Vaid said that members were

is, “Happy Diwali!” No one has ever complained about the noise.   Giving sweets to neighbors and loved ones is another part of the custom.

major religious institutions, but there are several Indian markets between Sarasota and Bradenton.

Food is a big part of all Indian festivals.

“People love Indian food,” Vaid said. “We have a guy come from Tampa for every Holi, so people know there’s going to be hot, fresh dosas being made on the spot.”

Vaid described a dosa as an Indian crepe. Thandai is also served. It’s a traditional milk drink flavored with saffron, cardamom and almonds.

The family moved to Bridgewater in 2012. They moved into the second house that was built in the then new neighborhood.

Vaid said the family and their traditions have been welcomed by their neighbors, and she loves that her children get the best of both worlds growing up in Lakewood Ranch. In the fall, the kids celebrate Halloween and Diwali.

Before Diwali, Vaid sends out a message letting her neighbors know that they’ll be lighting firecrackers to celebrate. The typical response

“I have a friend who lives here and is non-Indian; she comes and gives me sweets on Diwali,” Vaid said. “It’s wonderful that now they know about it, they want to be a part of it. And they make that extra effort to make sure that we feel happy and a part of the community.”

Formed in the 1980s by a group of physicians living in Bradenton, Vaid said the association’s original intent was to just bring the Indian community together, but over the years, it’s expanded to involve the entire community.

Garba Night is celebrated during Diwali. The association paired it with a cultural event. This year’s theme is the festivals of India.

“I love the fact that the people here are so open to learning things,” Vaid said. “You want to do more and tell them more.”

The association has about 90 families or more than 350 individual members. Annually, the cost is $120 for an individual, $180 for a couple and $280 for a family of four and $50 for every additional member.

The Indian Association of Manasota leadership team celebrates Holi. From left: Manish Agrawal, Rachana Sanghvi, Megha Vaid, Priyanka Gupta and Kanal Badiyani. Missing from the photo is G. Ramamurthy.

Courtesy image

Lake Club home sells for $2.3 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome in Lake Club topped all transactions in this week’s real estate.  Douglas Callander, trustee, of Richland, Michigan, sold the home at 16210 Baycross Drive to Dianna Henderson and Richard Fembleaux, of Lakewood Ranch, for $2.3 million. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,141 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.5 million in 2020.

ESPLANADE

Katherine Hermes, trustee, of John Robert Hermes, of Shorewood, Wisconsin, sold the home at 4610 Benito Court to Mark Leland Evenson and Marilou Evenson, of Spring Park, Minnesota, for $1,735,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,072 square feet of living area. It sold for $767,800 in 2018.

WARWICK GARDENS

James Edward Martin and Nicholan Martin, of Sarasota, sold their home at 7325 Chatsworth Court to Mary Nelson Moore, trustee, of University Park, for $1.5 million. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,120 square feet of living area. It sold for $785,000 in 2017.

Joseph Donini, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the home at 7330 Chatsworth Court to Parking Place LLC for $1,255,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,323 square feet of living area.

RICHMOND PARK

Frank and Elizabeth Maher, of Bradenton, sold their home at 8132 Collingwood Court to Pamela Dwight and Craig Dwight, trustees, of La Porte, Indiana, for $1,406,500. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,375 square feet of living area. It sold for $800,000 in 2005.

TIDEWATER PRESERVE

Adam Troy Barlow and Stephanie Baker Barlow, of Arcadia, sold their home at 1115 Bearing Court to Ronald Wayne Seeberg and Angela Michele Seeberg, of Bradenton, for $1,318,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,026 square feet of living area. It sold for $569,400 in 2016.

Ray Rapchak Holdings Inc. sold the home at 913 Preservation St. to Mark Ginn, of Bradenton, for $690,000. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,249 square feet of living area. It sold for $455,000 in 2020.

ISLES William Camp and Zonahi Ariana Camp, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 17626 Azul Drive to John Bowman Jr. and Barbara Flanagan, of Bradenton, for $1.2 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,521 square feet of living area. It sold for $780,000 in 2021.

COUNTRY CLUB

Lynn McCrary, trustee, sold the home at 6827 Dominion Lane to David and Andrea Kosmalski, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1,175,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,099 square feet of living area. It sold for $177,500 in 2004.

WATERLEFE

Michael and Robyn Famiglietti, of Bradenton, sold their home at 10625 Conch Shell Terrace to Robert and Wilma Stamm and Kelly Cozzens, of Bradenton, for $1,072,500. Built

in 2000, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,874 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2019.

STONEYBROOK AT HERITAGE

HARBOUR

Mary Milana, of Bradenton, sold her home at 8906 Brookfield Terrace to Roy Raymond Barnes and Vicki Barnes, of Bradenton, for $859,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,424 square feet of living area. It sold for $637,600 in 2006.

Christina Beers Carey, of Parrish, sold her home at 154 Bridgewater Court to Michael Byerwalters and Christina Hennessy, of East Greenbush, New York, for $494,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,708 square feet of living area. It sold for $275,900 in 2017.

GREYHAWK LANDING

Brian and Marie Revere, of Bradenton, sold their home at 328 Snapdragon Loop to Joseph and Diana Selitto, of Bradenton, for $770,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,409 square feet of living area. It sold for $799,000 in 2022.

SAVANNA Scott and Stephanie Payrits, of Bradenton, sold their home at 13820 American Prairie Place to Michael Dulin, trustee, of Bradenton, for $770,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,109 square feet of living area. It sold for $460,900 in 2020.

MOTE RANCH

Michael and Judith Lovell sold their home at 6408 Grand Point Ave. to David and Marianne Benach, of Bradenton, for $750,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,234 square feet of living area. It sold for $319,200 in 2002.

BRIDGEWATER

Kevin and Laura Quinn, of Clayton, Georgia, sold their home at 13705 Swiftwater Way to Wayne Nash and Kathryn Ross-Nash, of Bradenton, for $725,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,426 square feet of living area. It sold for $479,000 in 2016.

Manuel and Andrea Tome, of Parrish, sold their home at 13427 Ramblewood Trail to Brian James Hiatt and Jill Marisa Hiatt, of Bradenton, for $700,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,239 square feet of living area. It sold for $400,000 in 2016.

HARMONY

Shelly Barnes, of Bradenton, sold her home at 5335 Bentgrass Way to Brian and Dawn Herring, of Bradenton, for $705,000. Built in 2016, it has five bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,555 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,100 in 2016.

Daniel and Amanda Brandon, of Newark, Ohio, sold their home at 11946 Brookside Drive to Danielle Difilippo, of Wellington, for $440,000. Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,575 square feet of living area. It sold for $301,000 in 2019.

Nancy Fox, of Sarasota, sold her home at 11921 Brookside Drive to Jeffrey and Faye Hoot, of Churubusco, Indiana, for $420,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,813 square feet of living area. It sold for $297,900 in 2016.

ARBOR GRANDE

Gary Lecky and Ruth Rogers, trustees, sold the home at 12305 Terracotta Drive to Gregory and Amber Green, of Bradenton, for $695,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,234 square feet of living area. It sold for $670,000 in 2022.

EDGEWATER Himanshu Sharma and Angelica Marie Rossi sold their home at 6708 Spring Moss Place to Erica and Lucie Schmidhauser, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for $679,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two

RESIDENTIAL

JULY 8-12

baths, a pool and 1,850 square feet of living area. It sold for $349,000 in 2019.

ROSEDALE HIGHLANDS

Timothy and Nancy Ingram, trustees, sold the home at 5138 97th St. E. to Philip and Susan Monaco, of Bradenton, for $625,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,598 square feet of living area. It sold for $387,900 in 2020.

MIRABELLA AT VILLAGE GREEN

Michael Ames, trustee, of FuquayVarina, North Carolina, sold the home at 6907 Playa Bella Drive to Andrea and Krista Schauffler, of Anna Maria, for $615,000. Built in 2016, it has two bedrooms, two

baths and 1,525 square feet of living area. It sold for $449,000 in 2021.

Rondena Smith, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the home at 1308 Calle Grand St. to Joyce Doran, of Bradenton, for $538,000. Built in 2017, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,525 square feet of living area. It sold for $350,000 in 2020.

COACH HOMES AT LAKEWOOD NATIONAL JMTD LLC sold the Unit 3121 condominium at 17617 Gawthrop Drive to Amy Weaver, trustee, of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, for $600,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, two baths and

Courtesy image

This Lake Club home at 16210 Baycross Drive sold for $2.3 million. It has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,141 square feet of living area.

Specialized Dental Care

2,108 square feet of living area. It sold for $615,000 in 2022.

ELWOOD PARK

Daniel Lee Marchick and Caroline Rebecca Marchick, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 4206 51st St. E. to Randall Scott Adams, of Bradenton, for $590,000. Built in 1954, it has four bedrooms, one bath and 2,298 square feet of living area. It sold for $380,000 in 2021.

RIVER CLUB SOUTH

Amy Reissner, trustee, sold the home at 9944 Royal Lytham Ave. to Robert Clifford, trustee, of Bradenton, for $590,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,967 square feet of living area. It sold for $522,500 in 2021.

MILL CREEK

Edwin and Laura Merryfield, of Bradenton, sold their home at 906 136th St. E. to Yvonne Nicole Halle and Alan Zachary Halle, of Bradenton, for $585,000. Built in 1988, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,078 square feet of living area. It sold for $262,000 in 2014.

BRADEN PINES

Andrea Marie Stampone and Robert Dvorak, of Bradenton, sold their home at 10505 Forest Run Drive to Reid Lindsey Overton and Leigh Gabrielle Hackney Overton, of Sarasota, for $510,000. Built in 1983, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,760 square feet of living area. It sold for $275,000 in 2013.

AZARIO ESPLANADE

John and Jeannine D’Allegro, of Bradenton, sold their home at 4725 Tortona Court to Robert Clive Griffiths and Christine Anne Griffiths, of Bradenton, for $475,000. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,558 square feet of living area. It sold for $475,000 in 2022.

VERANDA AT LAKEWOOD

NATIONAL

Charles Glazer, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the Unit 511 condominium at 5558 Palmer Circle to David Anthony Federico and Mary Bell Federico, of Bradenton, for $460,000. Built in 2018, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,462 square feet of living area. It sold for $241,000 in 2018.

Anthony Conte Jr., trustee, and Lisa Burke, of Newbury, Massachusetts, sold the Unit 415 condominium at 5548 Palmer Circle to Jeffrey and Lauren King, of Holly Springs, North Carolina, for $459,000. Built in 2018, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,329 square feet of living area. It sold for $239,000 in 2019.

GOLF POINTE AT PALM AIRE

Golf Pointe Associates LLC sold the Unit V-231 condominium at 7302 Golf Pointe Circle to Stephen and Rebecca White, of Sarasota, for $459,000. Built in 1986, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,561 square feet of living area. It sold for $145,000 in 1997.

CREEKWOOD

Gene Richard Williams and Edeltraud Williams, of Trenton, Ohio, sold their home at 5102 76th St. E. to Elena Rybak and Manuel Crispin, of Bradenton, for $420,000. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,607 square feet of living area. It sold for $217,000 in 2014.

TARA Sharon Bente sold the home at 6067 Wingspan Way to Christopher Craft and Donna Craft, trustees, of Shelby Township, Michigan, for $420,000. Built in 2005, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,811 square feet of living area. It sold for $305,000 in 2020.

SPORTS

Fast Break

Courtesy image

Lakewood Ranch golfer Kyle Rodes shot a 59 during the second round of the 2024 Mallard-Perez Stableford Championship, a two-day North Florida PGA event July 15-16 at Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch Golf Course.

Lakewood Ranch golfer

Kyle Rodes shot a 59 during the second round of the 2024 Mallard-Perez Stableford Championship, a two-day North Florida PGA event July 15-16 at Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch Golf Course. The score is a course record. Rodes won the Stableford event with 112 points.

Rodes, 29, played college golf at Eastern Michigan University and runs and gives golf lessons via KyleRodesGolf.com.

Former Lakewood Ranch High and NFL defensive back Dominique RodgersCromartie joined the Bayshore High football staff as an assistant coach July 12. RodgersCromartie spent 12 seasons in the NFL and made the Pro Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 and with the New York Giants in 2015.

Former Lakewood Ranch High baseball player Grant McCray, now with the AAAlevel Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco Giants), had two home runs and three RBIs in the River Cats’ 6-3 win over the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies) on July 20. McCray is hitting .255 with the River Cats in 2024.

Former Lakewood Ranch High boys golfer Preston Severs and current Lakewood Ranch boys golf rising senior Parker Severs finished tied for third (194) as a pair at the Florida State Golf Association Four-Ball Championship, held July 12-14 at The Conservatory at Hammock Beach in Palm Coast.

Jean Arnold, Cynthia Pugliese and Jodie O’Neill (15.33) won the Nine Hole Ladies Golf Association “Putt Putt Putt” event (team average putts scoring) held July 18 at University Park Country Club.

“I was able to earn the No. 3 ranking in the nation via Kohl’s Kicking.”

29

Could Pirates’ Waldschmidt be area’s next MLB player?

These East County pro baseball players made the area proud; former Braden River High star Ryan Waldschmidt could be the next one on the list.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Ryan Waldschmidt could be next in line.

The former Braden River High baseball star was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks with pick No. 31, a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds in the 2024 MLB Draft on July 14. Waldschmidt, a junior outfielder, spent one season at Charleston Southern University before transferring to the University of Kentucky. In 2024, Waldschmidt broke onto the national scene thanks to his hitting. He overcame a summer league ACL injury to hit .333 with 14 home runs, 46 RBIs, 41 walks and 25 stolen bases in 213 atbats. He was named to Baseball America’s All-American Third Team.

Waldschmidt now hopes to become a star in pro baseball. He is the East County area’s second first-round MLB draft pick and hopes to be the fifth player from Braden River High, Lakewood Ranch High or the Out-of-Door Academy to reach the MLB level.

Here’s a look at how the four East County players to reach the majors fared:

LASTINGS MILLEDGE

A first-round pick of the New York Mets, No. 12 overall, in 2003, Lastings Milledge went straight to the pros after graduating from Lakewood Ranch High. Before he left, he helped the Mustangs win the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 5A state championship.

Milledge, an outfielder, made his Mets debut in May 2006. Though Milledge

never became the perennial AllStar player the Mets hoped he would be, he played in the major leagues through the 2011 season, spending time with the Mets, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox. He then spent three seasons playing baseball in Japan for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and one season with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

Milledge finished his MLB career with a .269 average, 33 home runs, 167 RBIs and 40 steals, as well as a .989 fielding percentage.

MYLES STRAW

A Braden River High alum, Myles Straw played the outfield at St. Johns River State College after graduation. Despite playing at a small school, Straw caught the attention of MLB scouts because of his speed and defense. He was selected in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros.

Straw’s athleticism allowed him to

RYAN WALDSCHMIDT HAS A CHANCE

Though Ryan Waldschmidt will have to play his way through the Arizona Diamondbacks system, the team believes he will become an impact player sooner than later. In a media call following the 2024 MLB Draft, Diamondbacks director of amateur scouting Ian Rebhan praised Waldschmidt’s well-rounded game.

“The analytics team liked a lot of things that he does,” Rebhan said. “He does not swing and miss. He hits for power. He does not expand the zone. He performed in the best conference in college baseball. But you also had the scouting group that loved the kid and got to know him well.”

climb the Astros’ organization with relative quickness. He made his MLB debut in 2018. Though he was never a full-time starter with Houston — primarily being used as a utility outfielder and defensive replacement — he stayed on the Astros roster until he was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in 2021.

Straw saw more regular playing time with the Guardians. His best season was 2021, when he hit .271 with 29 doubles, 48 RBIs and stole 30 bases. Straw was waived by the Guardians before the 2024 season and has spent the entirety of the year with the AAA-level Columbus Clippers.

MIKE OHLMAN

A catcher from Lakewood Ranch High, Mike Ohlman was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round of the 2009 MLB Draft straight out of high school. Ohlman signed with the club, but toiled in the club’s system for six years, never getting past the AA level.

Ohlman’s contact was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015. He stayed with the organization for two years, reaching the AAA level. Ohlman signed with the Toronto Blue Jays organization before the 2017 season and finally got a chance, albeit a brief one, to play in the major leagues. Ohlman made his MLB debut on May 9 against Cleveland and recorded his first hit on May 15 against Atlanta.

Ohlman would be sent back to AAA after a May 19 game against Baltimore. He was recalled for two games in August of that season, but that was the end of Ohlman’s MLB career. He spent the 2018 season with the Boston Red Sox organization before leaving baseball. Ohlman finished his career with three hits (.231 average), an RBI and a run scored.

GUS SCHLOSSER

Gus Schlosser pitched for Lakewood Ranch High before graduating in 2007. He spent two years pitching for the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, before transferring to Florida Southern College, where he spent another two years and showed glimpses of being a dominant pitcher. As a senior, Schlosser held a 2.90 ERA over 96.1 innings.

He impressed the Atlanta Braves, who selected Schlosser in the 17th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He put up good numbers at each level of the minor leagues and made his Braves debut on March 31, 2014, in a relief role against the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in that game. It would be one of the best performances of his MLB stint — Schlosser made 15 appearances for Atlanta that season and finished with a 7.64 ERA.

Schlosser was traded by the Braves, along with pitcher David Hale, to the Colorado Rockies for catcher/ first baseman José Briceño and outfielder Chris O’Dowd in 2015. Schlosser never reached the majors with Colorado, nor in his final professional season with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2016.

— Braden River High’s Brunno Reus SEE PAGE

Courtesy images

Former Lakewood Ranch High catcher Mike Ohlman made his MLB debut for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017.

Braden River High alum Myles Straw signed with the Cleveland Guardians in 2022 and stayed with the bigleague club through 2023, but he has spent the 2024 season in the minor leagues.

NFL lineman finds his edge in Lakewood Ranch

Falcons lineman Ryan

Neuzil trains at Athletic Edge Sports Performance during the offseason.

The first time Ryan Neuzil walked into the Athletic Edge Sports Performance Training Center in Lakewood Ranch was summer 2020.

Neuzil, a Braden River High graduate, was about to enter his final season at Appalachian State University. The versatile offensive lineman was looking for a workout to get him a head start on camp. His family had been friends with Athletic Edge founder Mike Gough for years, but Neuzil had never been to the facility. With no other plan in place, Neuzil thought it would be a good time to change that. He went to Athletic Edge for a week — and that was plenty.

“It sucked,” Neuzil said with a laugh. “The first time you get a workout here, it’s a different change of pace.”

Specifically, it is a more involved workout than athletes are used to completing outside of team activities. Neuzil said Gough has his athletes use movements they are not used to using, so different muscles receive attention.

There is also more intensity, Neuzil said. Athletes do not get long to catch their breath. Eventually, Neuzil, said you get used to the pace, and it becomes your new normal.

Though Neuzil was exhausted after his first Athletic Edge experience, he felt like it helped him. He came back to the facility a year later to prepare for his NFL pro day. He enjoyed it more this time.

Neuzil would go undrafted in 2021, but signed with the Atlanta Falcons and has since made himself

a key depth piece on the offensive line. He even started four games for the Falcons in 2023 when center Drew Dalman missed time with an ankle injury. Every offseason, he has returned to Athletic Edge before heading to training camp.

Neuzil signed a one-year contract to remain with the Falcons in March. He will have to earn another one with his play if he wants to return in 2025. Entering a key season in his career arc, Neuzil did what he always does — go to Gough. He was at Athletic Edge on July 18, getting in a final workout in the morning before a going-away dinner with family that evening as players must report to camp on July 24.

“We want to push him, but also keep it manageable,” Gough said as he acted as a spotter for Neuzil

on the bench press. “We want him feeling invigorated when he goes to camp, not tired.”

Gough knows what he’s doing. Neuzil is far from the only professional athlete who has graced his gym.

The walls of Athletic Edge are lined with signed, framed jerseys of athletes Gough has helped in the past, among them are former New York Giants center David Baas and wideout Victor Cruz, former Seattle Seahawks tight end Luke Willson, and former Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai, whose hanging jersey is his 2007 AFC Pro Bowl jersey. Other sports are represented, too. Former Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters and closer Jim Johnson each have their jerseys on the wall.

During his final workout of the

over the years, but you are always fighting for your job,” Neuzil said. “You have to keep proving yourself because they are always ready to replace you (if you do not). Last year was good, getting on the field and making a few starts, but every year is a new year. Last year means nothing now.”

Neuzil’s first career start came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Atlanta in December. Neuzil said his entire family was able to make the game, which added to the experience. Were there nerves? Yes, he said — but they dissipated after the first snap. He couldn’t afford to be nervous, he said, and besides, it was still football, the same game he’s played since he was a kid.

He’s taking the same approach into the 2024 season. The novelty of playing in the NFL has long faded. Neuzil has a job to do, and he’s going to do it as best he can. That means getting to training camp and transitioning from “good shape” to “football shape.” To Neuzil, there is a massive difference.

offseason with Gough, Neuzil got what he wanted. He worked his way up to bench pressing 365 pounds, then ramped down.

He could have done more weight, Gough said, but they want to keep him fresh. Among the other activities Gough had Neuzil finish were three farmer’s walks with 95-pound weights, complete with 10 “shrugs” at the end of each walk for extra work on his shoulders and arms. He finished with two vigorous turns on the gym’s SkiErg, a type of rowing machine originally designed for cross-country skiers that works an athlete’s legs, core and arms in one motion.

Neuzil needed to catch his breath and get some water after those. But then he spoke about his heading into his fourth NFL season.

“You get more comfortable

“The way to get in football shape is to literally play football,” Neuzil said. “It sounds silly, but football is hard to replicate. You’re running 20 plays where you may only have a four-second strain, but in those four seconds, you have to move a 320-pound defensive lineman.”  Neuzil is out to prove he’s capable of doing that consistently in 2024. With the help of Athletic Edge, he’s got a good head start.

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

Ryan Kohn

Ryan Kohn

Ryan Neuzil hits the bench press at Athletic Edge as part of a final offseason workout. Neuzil, a member of the Atlanta Falcons, reported to training camp July 24.

Brunno Reus

Brunno Reus is a kicker on the Braden River High football team.

Reus is ranked by Kohl’s Kicking as the No. 3 kicker and No. 6 punter in the national class of 2025. Reus committed to the University of South Florida on a full scholarship June 26.

When did you start playing football?

I started during my freshman year of high school. I played soccer (before then), and one day I was kicking a football barefoot during gym class when my coaches saw me and asked if I would come to practice. By the end of the season, I was the starting kicker.

What has the recruiting process been like?

It has been good. I’ve been going to some camps and I have done pretty well at them. I was able to earn the No. 3 ranking in the nation via Kohl’s Kicking. It has taught me that when you work for something, you’re going to get the results.

Why did you commit to USF?

I’ve seen the potential that USF has as a program. That plus it is close to home.

What makes you a successful kicker?

I have a naturally strong leg, which helps me on both kickoffs and field goals.

What is your favorite football memory?

The summer before my junior year, I had been working on hang cleaning 245 pounds. I was working hard at it, and I finally did it. Later that day was when I received my first college offer, which was to the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

What are your goals for this year?

This high school season, I’m just focusing on my craft and trying to perfect it. I plan on enrolling in col lege early, and my goal is to start

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.

What

Jake Moody.

What is your favorite school subject?

U.S. history. I like learning about how we got to where we are now.

What is the best advice you have receive?

Don’t over-kick. You have to be under control. If you swing smooth, you will hit the farthest possible ball.

Finish this sentence: “Brunno

Reus is …”

… Faithful, in a religious sense. Every time I meet an obstacle, I know it will pass, and it always does.

Financial Planning for Families

A brief guide to thinking about your wealth and legacy

Building a lasting financial legacy is more than just accumulating wealth—it’s about creating a roadmap for your family’s future. Yet, many families stumble in this crucial task. Common pitfalls include procrastination, poor

Your legacy isn’t just about money. It’s about family values as well.

– John B. Leeming, CFP® President at JL Bainbridge

communication, and neglecting financial education for younger generations. Some create inflexible plans that can’t adapt to life’s changes, while others overlook tax implications or focus solely on monetary assets, ignoring the value of shared principles and life lessons.

Successful legacy building starts with open family discussions

about financial goals and values. It involves reviewing investment strategies and following plans that cover retirement, long-term care, and even estate planning needs. More than anything, it requires a multi-generational vision. Also important: don’t underestimate increased life expectancies or the complexities of wealth transfer. Remember, your legacy isn’t just about money. It’s about equipping future generations with financial wisdom, shared values, and the tools to build upon what you’ve started.

JL Bainbridge is an independent Sarasota-based family wealth management firm. For 43 years, they have been helping clients manage and control their financial well-being before and throughout retirement.

To learn more about JL Bainbridge, call (941) 356-3435 or visit jlbainbridge.com.

(941) 365-3435jlbainbridge.com

J.L. Bainbridge & Company, Inc.

1582 Main Street Sarasota, FL 34236

since 1981

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

GYAL GVOOTJE ZTISIH TJLTSA MAU

WHAT A FEELING by Gary Larson, edited by Jeff Chen

By Luis Campos

Gordon Silver took this photo of two sandhill crane colts playing in the grass off of University Parkway in Lakewood Ranch.

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