East County Observer 8.15.24

EAST COUNTY

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TIME TO REBUILD

taurant.

Debby turns tiny creek into raging river

The water surge caused over $125,000 in damages and left sinkholes in its path for a family on Waterline Road.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

Jason Thurber said it’s going to take two things to recover from Hurricane Debby: money and patience.

Thurber and his wife, Summer Thurber, are facing massive bills after stormwater turned Sand Branch Creek into a raging river down the middle of their 10-acre property off Waterline Road.

“When the water got so powerful, it dug the creek (bed) out,” Jason Thurber said. “The creek (bed) went from being around three feet deep with a foot of water to being six feet deep.”

By the morning of Aug. 5, the surge had torn through a potable water pipe and two bridges on Thurber's property, had collapsed the family's driveway and had left the property littered with sinkholes.

The family was safe, but the two bridges that collapsed basically divided their property and left them somewhat stranded. The driveway crosses one of the bridges. While the family could wade through the water, all four of their cars were stuck with no way over the creek until an excavator could fix the bridge collapse.

The Thurbers have two sons, Jaden and Keegan. Both are living at home while attending the State College of Florida.

The Thurbers said next time a major storm is headed to the area, they will move their cars so they can access Waterline Road.

The driveway was navigable by Aug. 8, but Jason Thurber said it cost more than $10,000 just to put a “Band-Aid” on it.

The estimate to fix the entirety of the damage is between $125,000 and

$150,000. He said it’s unlikely their insurance or FEMA will cover the costs.

Jason Thurber is first looking to Manatee County to share responsibility for the creek that runs through his property.

When the Thurbers first moved into the home eight years ago, Jason Thurber asked if county staff maintained the creek because the family just moved from Myakka, where Manatee County maintained sloughs on their property.

In this case, he said county staff members told him that because the creek doesn’t connect two bodies of water, the county wouldn’t maintain what flows through his 10 acres.

Out of frustration, not actual intent, Jason Thurber said he told the county's staff that he would fill the creek, to which they told him that it wasn’t his creek to fill.

Jason Thurber took on the cost of maintaining the 1,400 feet of the creek on his property. The creek itself is 1.7 miles long and runs from its origin, a swamp area just off State

Road 64 to its mouth at the Manatee River.

Thurber pays to have the sides of the creek bed weed whacked a few times a year. Once a year, he pays an excavator $2,000 to do maintenance work.

Now he’s dealing with something beyond what he said one property owner should have to maintain.

Before the storm, the Thurbers thought they would stay on their property another 15 years. Now, the couple thinks about staying a few years less because it might not be so easy to maintain as they age.

Commissioner Mike Rahn said the county maintains Sand Branch Creek, but can’t go on the Thurbers’ property without an easement.

“We went beyond a 100-year storm (in Hurricane Debby). We’ve never experienced this before,” Rahn said. “We’ve got Public Works going out there to see what needs to be done to fix their property, to fix the creek and see how it’s going to flow in the future.”

The previous homeowner was in

the concrete business, so the sides of the creek were shored up with concrete. The surge was so powerful that it blew out both sides along the entire 1,400-foot span.

What’s even more concerning to Summer Thurber are the sinkholes the water left behind. She got tearyeyed talking about the work her husband will have to put into repairing the damages, but she also worries about her horses. Summer Thurber takes retired thoroughbreds and trains them for new jobs or just gives them a place to retire. Their 16 horses made it through the storm safely, but pink marks dotting their hooves reveal the aftereffects of standing in water for hours on end.

The ground is so soft at the back of

WHAT SOME PEOPLE CALL FUN

On the evening of Aug. 5, during on and off downpours, Keegan Thurber and Dan Cullen were neck-deep in the creek. Cullen is a family friend who also happens to own Flowmasters Plumbing. Jason Thurber was on a mission to fix a broken pipe that brought potable water to their house. At times, he was hanging over the side of a 30-foot ladder laid across the creek, while Jaden Thurber and Joey Cullen were assisting him. By Jason Thurber’s estimate, the water was flowing 25 miles per hour and was about six feet deep. For safety, the men were tied to the shore with ropes in case the water tried to sweep them or the ladder away. “We were all soaked. It was raining so hard you couldn’t see,” Thurber said. “It was a (debacle), but we actually had fun doing it.” It was pitch black when they finished the job, but the Thurbers’ water was restored.

the property that Summer Thurber fears more of the ground will cave in and the horses could be injured.

She used to let them out as one big herd. Now, the horses graze in shifts because each one weighs about 1,200 pounds, and horses tend to stand together.

The Thurbers have accepted that regardless of who pays for the repairs, they won’t be completed anytime soon, so the couple will continue to play it safe for now.

“We’re not going to repave the driveway because I’m not doing that until I know things are going to stay intact,” Jason Thurber said. “If we get another storm like this in two weeks, what was done will wash away again.”

Lesley Dwyer

This bridge over Sand Branch Creek was one of two private bridges that were destroyed by flooding on Jason and Summer Thurber's property on Waterline Road.

Courtesy What Sand Branch Creek looked like prior to Hurricane Debby.

PICKING UP THE PIECES

Unexpected flooding causes residents to make swift decisions as they work to rebuild their homes and lives.

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Going through their soaked belongings Aug. 7 with her family members, Summerfield Bluffs’ Angela Abrams was overwhelmed.

She was trying to determine what could be salvaged and what needed to be trashed following Hurricane Debby.

Abrams spread the family photos she treasured on a table in her kitchen and on top of a few bins in her garage, hoping the heat would dry them.

She held back tears, knowing many of those photos might be ruined after the Braden River engulfed her home Aug. 5.

THE HARD WORK BEGINS

Abrams and her family waded through waist-deep water Aug. 6 to try to save some of their belongings.

It wasn’t until that night the flood water started to recede from Rivers Bluff Circle.

They received a better idea of the damages when they went back to their home Aug. 7. Abrams said it was heartbreaking.

“I knew I had lost everything,” Abrams said.

Then the hard work began.

Throughout the day on Aug. 7, the Abrams family had friends coming in and out of the home, helping them determine what could be saved and packed up.

“I’ve lived here 13 years, and it was like I had 24 hours to pack,” she said.

The family lost three vehicles in the flood and all of their furniture. In the corner of the dining area were the remnants of 2-year-old Nora Abrams’ play kitchen set and other toys.

The driveway was packed with trash bags filled with disposed belongings. Stuffed animals were scattered through the pile.

Abrams’ 13-year-old daughter, Leah Abrams, put her yearbooks on one of the ruined cars to dry out. Her personal headshot was preserved in her kindergarten yearbook, but the pages stuck together like glue and her classmates’ faces were unrecognizable.

Making matters worse, Abrams and her husband, Jody Abrams, were swiftly having to make decisions on companies to restore their home

STORM RESOURCES

For a full list of resources, visit FloridaDisaster.org.

Federal Emergency Management

Agency Assistance

Individual assistance is available to households and individuals in need of financial and direct services who have “necessary expenses and serious needs” that are uninsured or underinsured. Those with insurance also are encouraged to apply.

To apply:

n Visit DisasterAssistance.gov.

n Download the FEMA mobile app.

n Call 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Activate Hope Activate Hope uses resources from the government, nonprofits and the private sector to assist people after a natural disaster. It connects people with resources to provide food, household goods, home repairs and more.

n To fill out the form, visit HopeFlorida. com/Get-Help/HurricaneDebby.html.

while dealing with their insurance company.

Angela Abrams said the longer they took to make decisions on who to hire, the lower on the list they would be to receive services.

“(Companies) were knocking on the door, and we don’t know what to do,” Angela Abrams said. “Unless you’ve been through this, I don’t think you have any idea of what to do. There’s a lot of people out here who aren’t honest. I hope I made the right decision on who I hired.”

She said she was grateful they had flood insurance, although their home is not in a flood zone, but they still would have to pay out-of-pocket immediately to have work start on their home.

“If I’m back home by Christmas, I’ll be lucky,” Angela Abrams said.

Manatee County has reported 308 homes were damaged by rains from Debby, but that number could rise pending reports from the residents. Initial damage estimates by Manatee County are at $55 million in residential damages and $100,000 in commercial damages.

Outside Nicole Eveloff’s home in River Club on Aug. 8, there were piles of damaged furniture and belongings on the driveway.

“Every piece of furniture in the home is trash,” Eveloff said.

Inside the home, the drywall already was gutted in areas.

She had to throw away the books she read to her children every night when they were little.

She had family photos drying out on her back porch.

Eveloff said she’s been so busy trying to pack and dispose of damaged belongings, she hasn’t been able to process all her family has experienced.

She said it could be four to five months before the home is restored and her family can move back.

For families like the Abrams and the Eveloffs, everything changed quickly.

UNEXPECTED TAKEOVER

Angela Abrams was at home when her husband called to say he saw the Braden River spilling over into their backyard. Jody Abrams, who was at work, had seen the flooding on their home security cameras.

Angela Abrams and Leah Abrams began rushing around the home trying to put their belongings on higher ground while also collecting important documents before they attempted to escape the water pouring into their home.

Neighbors were coming together to make sandbags out of trash bags and mulch. They didn’t help.

The water was coming too fast.

In the next two hours, with water pouring into the house, Angela Abrams tried to drive out of their driveway in her Chevrolet Suburban. There was no way.

“Our street turned into a river,” Leah Abrams said.

Jody Abrams rushed home, parking on Tumbleweed Trail. He waded through waist-high waters to get to his family.

Luckily, the family had a canoe.

Jody Abrams used the canoe to get Nora Abrams and Leah Abrams to safety.

“I was wondering if I would ever see my house again,” Leah Abrams said.  East Manatee Fire Rescue arrived at Summerfield Bluffs to rescue dozens of residents who were stranded in their homes.

“It had to be the scariest day of my entire life,” Angela Abrams said.

Angela Abrams said in the 13 years she’s lived in Summerfield Bluffs,

she’s only seen the Braden River overflow once.

Eveloff has lived in River Club for five years and has never seen the flooding that occurred during Hurricane Debby.

“We’ve had major rains before, and it’s never gotten close to the house,” she said.

She slept in until about 10 a.m. Aug. 5 to see the Braden River flooding the two ponds in her backyard. Usually, only one pond shows signs of flooding during heavy storms, she said.

By noon, water overtook her street and was approaching her front porch.

No matter how many towels, sheets and other linens her family put by the lanai doors, the water was too strong.

By 12:50 p.m., water was entering the home.

Eveloff said the fire department had to evacuate them from the home.

When asked why Eveloff didn’t leave earlier, she said her family thought they could handle the water.

“You think you could just keep putting towels down and it’s going to be OK,” she said. “Then you realize there’s a current. You just get to a point where you’re like, ‘There’s nothing else we can do.’” Standing outside, looking at a line of dirt on her home, she could see the water was at least two feet high.

TIME TO RALLY

Angela Abrams and Eveloff both said their communities rallied around them.

Neighbors were helping neighbors in any way.

Eveloff said Kristy Cestero and Joe Cestero, owners of Flood Pros USA and River Club residents, sprang into action, helping neighbors clear water from their homes.

“They’re angels,” Eveloff said of the Cesteros. “The process (of cleaning) has been a lot simpler because of them. We were just blessed.”

By the time Eveloff returned to her home midday Aug. 6, work already had started on her home, thanks to the Flood Pros, she said.

Leah Abrams’ teammates from the Tsunami Swim Team collected bins and packing materials for the family.

Both Abrams and Eveloff said friends of theirs have offered to allow them to move into homes they have in the area.

Leah Abrams said her fellow middle schoolers were reaching out asking how they could help.

“It shows there’s people who actually care about you and love you, and sometimes it’s hard for you to realize that,” Leah Abrams said. “This whole thing has kind of been an eye opener for us that it shows there are people in our community who really do love us.”

Even after the experience, both Eveloff and Angela Abrams guaranteed they would return to their homes and continue to live in their neighborhoods.

“I love this neighborhood,” Abrams said. “I love this community. I love my neighbors. This is my home. I intend to live here until I die.”

“I’ve never seen it like that before.”

Photos by Liz Ramos

Water overtakes Oakmont Way off Clubhouse Drive in River Club. Even the biggest trucks struggled to get through the water.

Summerfield Bluffs’ 13-year-old Leah Abrams looks over her destroyed yearbooks as her family works to clean up their home after it was flooded. “All of my yearbooks are ruined,” she says.

Summerfield Bluffs’ Angela Abrams says she’s been trying to save old family photos while determining what is salvageable in her home after Hurricane Debby engulfed her neighborhood in water.

River Club’s Mary Ilcym says the water on Royal Lytham Avenue is keeping her from leaving her home Tuesday.

River Club’s Nicole Eveloff explains that the Braden River behind her home was inundated and overflowed the two small ponds causing major flooding.

River Club’s Nicole Eveloff, above, on the Braden River flooding behind her home

DIAMONDS & FINE JEWELRY

County schedules Debby debris pickup

Manatee County began picking up Hurricane Debby storm debris Aug. 13.

Trash haulers were scheduling their collection for the hardest hit areas of Manatee County so county staff members ask the public to be patient. Multiple sweeps will be done each day until the debris is collected.

Debris piles must be storm-related and properly separated in vegetative debris, construction debris and appliances. All those should be kept separate.

Wood fencing, which is pressure treated, should be kept separate from vegetative debris.

Debris collectors can’t pick up mixed waste.

The county also asks that the public be aware around debris-hauling vehicles, which are large. Debris piles should be kept three feet away from any mailboxes, backflows and hydrants and should not be blocked by vehicles. Piles should not be under power lines or trees.

For more information, go to MyManatee.org or call 748-4501.

Residents

affected

by storm can seek FEMA assistance

Florida homeowners and renters who had uninsured damage or losses caused by Hurricane Debby could be eligible for FEMA disaster assistance.

FEMA assistance provides help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss and other needs.

It find out more, go to DisasterAssistance.gov, or call 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

According to a release, FEMA’s disaster assistance offers new benefits that provide flexible funding directly to survivors.

The following information will be needed when applying — Address, ZIP code, condition of damaged home, address where the person submitting is now staying, a general list of damages, banking information if you require direct deposit, the number of the agent if insured,

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Social Security number, phone number, email address. FEMA can’t duplicate benefits for those covered by insurance. If you policy does not cover disaster expenses, you could be eligible for federal assistance.

LWR farmers market voted No. 1

For the second consecutive year, the Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch has been voted as the No. 1 market in Florida.

The vote was part of the 15th annual America’s Farmers Market Celebration that is sponsored by the American Farmland Trust and the Farmers Market Coalition. The public vote was taken from June 1 to July 31.

The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch also was ranked No. 3 in the Southeast. The ranking is the only one dedicated to farmers markets in the U.S.

Going into seventh season, the Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch hosts more than 100 vendors, featuring fresh produce, prepared foods, bakery items, and specialty items and gifts. It is located at Waterside Place and is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. year-round.

“We are deeply grateful to have been voted the No. 1 market in Florida once again,” said Nicole Hackel, the market’s manager, in a release. “Our commitment to enhancing the experience for our attendees drives us to continuously seek out new vendors, activities, and experiences.”

The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch also works with Community Harvest SRQ as part of the Suncoast Gleaning Project. Volunteers pick up leftover vegetables from farmers weekly and take them to food banks to make meals for those in need, thereby helping diminish food waste while providing produce to diverse populations.

Other activities at the market include yoga at the adjacent Waterside Park, weekly live music, Kids’ Corner crafts, face-painting and balloon twisting, among others.

For more information about The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, contact Hackel at 757-1520 or visit LakewoodRanch.com.

Display Advertising: To obtain information, call 941-366-3468, Ext. 319.

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New vote audit machines stalled until November election

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

The Supervisor of Elections office has three new Clear Ballot audit machines that are currently tied up in red tape and will not be used for the primary election on Aug. 20.

The machines, used to audit votes after an election, were a $223,000 line item in a $841,340 midyear budget request made in May by Supervisor of Elections James Satcher. Satcher said the plan to use them is being pushed to the November general election.

“The machines performed perfectly,” Satcher said. “They’re up and ready to go.”

The canvassing board met Aug. 6 at the Supervisor of Elections office to perform Logic and Accuracy testing on all voting equipment, which ensures the machines are functioning properly and counting votes accurately.

Tabulating machines count votes, while audit machines only double check the votes.

Satcher said a final decision hasn’t yet been made, but there are two options for how to use the audit machines. Votes can be audited on the spot right after they’re cast on election night or they can be audited afterward. His staff has seven days to submit the completed audit.

The canvassing board voted not to use the audit machines because the

proper procedures had not been followed by the Supervisor of Elections office. Satcher said a noticing error was to blame. He said the language wasn’t specific enough to meet the requirement.

Scott Farrington served as chief of staff to Mike Bennett, the former Supervisor of Elections, for nearly 12 years. He’s running against Satcher in the Republican primary to be Supervisor of Elections.

Farrington attended the testing session and had additional procedural concerns beyond the notice, but said the canvassing board stopped there and didn’t consider anything else.

“The biggest one was the security procedures,” Farrington said of con-

cerns. “I didn’t see where they had adjusted the security procedures to accommodate the additional steps needed to be taken with ballots.”

Following the session, Farrington received a copy of the procedures and said they definitely had not been updated.

Security procedures are required to cover the custody and security of ballots. Farrington’s concern stemmed from the fact that the county has never used these machines before, so there’s no provisions in the current procedures that address how to deal with them.

Satcher said the updated security procedures will be submitted 45 days before early voting, as required. For now, staff will handle the audit as they did when Bennett was in charge — by hand.

Instead of 100% of votes being audited, 1% of precincts will be audited in randomly selected races.

Commissioner George Kruse credited Bennett and his team for being “disproportionately better than anybody else in the state in terms of our elections” when he voted against Satcher’s budget request.   Kruse is running for reelection, and he trusts the votes will be counted accurately because proce-

dures and most of Bennett’s staff are still in place. But this situation being on such a tight timeline is why Kruse voted against Satcher’s budget request.

“Whatever it is you’re doing with your money, there’s no need today to rush something through. That’s how mistakes happen,” he said. “We spent a quarter of a million dollars on machines that are unusable.”

Farrington agreed it was too soon to purchase the machines, but budgeting was only one of his reasons.

“The company’s been around awhile, but this particular version was certified in June of 2023,” he said. “I didn’t want to be one of the first counties to use it. I wanted other counties to use it and see how it worked for them.”

The noticing error was not ideal, but Satcher is confident in the staff to manage a secure hand audit and he’s looking forward to the security and timeliness the audit machines will bring to the general election.

“(The machines) are a great way to second check and audit the vote, especially for a large county where a hand vote could go for a really long time and make people worry,” Satcher said. “It’s going to be a great system, and we’re ready for November.”

Manatee County raises impact fees

Commissioners approved an increase, but George Kruse says they should have raised them more.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

Although Manatee County commissioners voted to increase impact fees for builders, some residents, along with Commissioner George Kruse, believe the process has been botched.

Myakka resident David Dean told commissioners at the Aug. 8 Land Use meeting that “we John Q. Public” will have to pick up the tab for insufficient impact fees.

Kruse agreed, saying the Manatee County Commission’s refusal to seek higher fees will cost citizens about $585 million over the next five years. Impact fees are charged to developers on any residential or commercial project. The fees offset the cost of building roads, parks, schools and emergency services the projects will require. By state law, impact fees can only be raised once every four years (although the raise can be divided throughout the four-year period).

In Manatee County, impact fees will now increase by 12.5% each year for the next four years.

Dean attended the meeting because, as a taxpayer, he said he doesn’t want to end up paying the cost of all the things necessary to deal with the county’s growth.

Kruse said commissioners could have taken measures to increase impact fees beyond 50% by establishing “extenuating circumstances” that the state could either approve or deny.

Kruse made a motion to direct staff to prepare an extenuating circumstances report, but no other commissioner would second it.

Commission Chair Mike Rahn, along with Commissioners Amanda Ballard and Jason Bearden, expressed concern about a change in legislation that will require an updated study to be adopted within one year of the increase.

The study the county is working with could now expire as of Oct. 1 because the last update was done in 2023.

Nilgun Kamp, with Benesch, the firm that completed the 2023 study update, said commissioners could have explored extenuating circumstances even with the deadline approaching.

“Oct. 1 is still a month-and-a-half away, so you could probably explore that option (extenuating circumstances), as well,” Kamp said. “It’s just a deadline to keep in mind.”

Rahn said he was comfortable with the increase. He understands that impact fees are a “necessary evil” but is opposed to them across the board because he sees them as another tax on citizens.

“Any builder or developer in Manatee County has never paid an impact fee,” Rahn said. “They write the check, but they pass it on to the homeowner.”

Rahn said the passing down of impact fees affects local businesses, too.

“We’re going to price them out,” he said. “Why would I bring my business here if I have to pay all these fees just to open?”

Kruse argued that without increasing the fees to the maximum amount of the study, not just new homeowners and business owners, but every resident in Manatee County will be saddled with the cost of building infrastructure in East County.

Manatee County resident Pat Simmons said the commission is pricing senior citizens and those with disabilities out of the county by not forcing developers to pay their fair share.

“People west of (Interstate) 75 shouldn’t be paying for what’s going on in Lakewood Ranch,” she said.

From the dais, Kruse told his fellow commissioners that since the last hearing in February, they were all given “concrete, quantifiable proof” that the proposed increase would not be enough to cover the cost of Manatee County’s growth.

The proof, Kruse said, came from CFO Sheila McLean and Public Works Director Chad Butzow in June, when they presented the FY2025 budget and FY2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan.

McLean suggested the county float $300 million more in bonds to bridge a gap in infrastructure spending. Butzow showed commissioners a list of more than $200 million worth of

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CIP projects that are being deferred.

Commissioner Ray Turner said the CIP shortfall is due to the board inheriting a backlog of projects, but they’re finding ways to manage that.

“There was a significant CIP budget that was reallocated prior to any of us being on the board,” he said. “I think that’s created a lot of the challenge. We’re having to redo the (Fort Hamer) bridge and all these different things.”

Rahn noted that the majority of projects on the deferred list were only pushed back a year or two and said the projects will still be funded.

Dean wasn’t satisfied with the board’s arguments. He said he knew the vote was a “foregone conclusion” walking into the meeting. But he said after 30 years of living in Manatee County, the arrogance and corruption of the current board compelled him to speak up.

“Carlos Beruff (owner of Medallion Homes) is not satisfied with just getting his developments built, but it’s every issue, and (commissioners) do what he wants,” Dean said. “They deliberately stalled this (fee increase), and now they don’t have time. How convenient.”

The first updated impact fee study that went unadopted was in 2020.

The most recently updated impact fee study was first presented to the board in April 2023.

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Cedar Mill is under construction off Lorraine Road. Future construction projects will face increased impact fees in Manatee County.

things to know as Manatee County students return to school 5

Speed cameras and scanning devices are among the things to know as the 2024-25 school year begins.

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Standing in the hall, waiting for the door to open, Tomas Martinez-Bartolomei was anxious to get into his kindergarten classroom at Braden River Elementary School.

He wanted to get the 2024-25 school year started.

His mother, Carolina Bartolomei, was anxious for a different reason. She had to say goodbye to him for the day, and she admitted to having mixed feelings.

She said the first day had been stressful for her because pre-K was only three hours per day while kindergarten is a full school day. However, she said knowing how much her son will learn makes the separation easier to take.

Tomas had plenty of support on Aug. 12, the first day of school, as his parents, Carolina Bartolomei and Emilio Martinez, and his brother, Liam Martinez-Bartolomei, all came to the campus with him.

Carolina Bartolomei said her son went to Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School for pre-K last year, but they wanted him to enroll at Braden River Elementary for its dual language program.

“We are from Puerto Rico and have been here since 2015,” she said. “It was a no-brainer to have him in the dual language program to learn a second language.”

Carolina Bartolomei wasn’t the only emotional mom dropping off a kindergartner.

Ali Carbon was holding back tears as she saw her son, Asa Overton, playing with Play-Doh at his desk.

“I'm more nervous than him,” Carbon said. “He’s thrilled to be here. He couldn’t wait. He went to pre-K, but it’s different (in kindergarten).”

The start of the new school year will be an adjustment for parents and students alike as they return to their school routines and adjust to the new rules and initiatives the School District of Manatee County and Manatee County have put in place.

Here are five things to know about the new school year:

1 WEAPONS DETECTION SYSTEM

Every high school in the School District of Manatee County will have a new weapons detection system.

Each student and visitor will walk through an Evolv Express Unit, which is similar to the screeners used at Disney World or the Tampa Bay Rays stadium.

The scanners will be used at all seven high schools in the district and randomly at after-school events and activities. There also will be scanners rotating around the middle schools to help students prepare for what to expect when they get to high school.

Students will be able to walk through the scanners without removing anything they are carrying, except laptops.

According to the Evolv website, the machines can screen up to 4,000 people per hour.

The goal for the district is to detect and prevent potential weapons from being brought into the school and to reduce the potential for violent incidents.

The School Board of Manatee County approved the purchase of 18 screeners, and the district already had four screeners.

For students who arrive late to school, a guardian will be available to supervise as students go through the screeners.

For the screening program, the district hired 11 guardians (armed

security guards) to join the district’s existing force, to have a minimum of two guardians on each campus to be able to assist during screenings.

2 ‘SAFETY OVER SECRETS’

The district is initiating a new security campaign that encourages students and families to use FortifyFL, an app and website where people can anonymously report suspicious activity to school officials and law enforcement.

At each school, there are banners and posters with “Safety Over Secrets” on them.

“We just live in a world today where you have to take every precaution you can,” said Michael Barber, director of communications, family and community engagement for the district, to the school board during an Aug. 6 meeting.

Barber said over the past 10 years of working closely with principals regarding threats to school campuses, “half, if not more,” of reported threats come from students.

“Our students do a good job of letting us know when they see something dangerous on campus,” he said. “It’s a major way we find out if there’s something that needs to be taken care of on campus.”

3 LET’S TALK APP

The School District of Manatee County has started using the Let’s Talk App with the hopes of streamlining communication between the public and the district.

The first departments in the district to use the app are transportation and Exceptional Student Education. It also will be used on the superin-

prepares to say

to his mother, Carolina Bartolo-

and brother, Liam

before entering his dual language kindergarten classroom at Braden River Elementary School.

Left: Braden River Elementary School first grader Charlotte Casey says goodbye to her little sister, Juliana Casey, as she’s dropped off in her kindergarten classroom.

tendent’s webpage on the district’s website. The app is currently active on the transportation’s page on the district’s website.

Kevin Chapman, chief of staff for the district, said the app will provide information faster and more efficiently.

The app also will collect data so the district can identify the most frequently asked questions and analyze other data.

To use the Let’s Talk app, people can select the yellow “Contact Us” tab on the department’s page on the district website (ManateeSchools. net).

Chapman said those wanting to contact the district will be asked preliminary questions that will help the district find the best person to address the question, comment, suggestion, concern or compliment.

4 SCHOOL ZONE SPEED CAMERAS

Watch your speed as you’re driving in a school zone, because the county has implemented school zone speed cameras.  Joe Ranaldi, deputy superintendent of operations for the district, said the installation of the cameras comes at no cost to the district.

The cameras only can be used in school zones during school hours, including the 30 minutes before and after.

A $100 fine will be given to those cited for speeding in the school zone. Drivers only will be issued a ticket if they’re traveling more than 10 miles above the posted speed limit.

Of the $100, $20 will go to the Florida Department of Revenue, $60 will go to Manatee County, $3 will go to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, $12 to the School District of Manatee County and $5 to

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the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The schools in East County that will have school zone speed cameras are:

n Willam H. Bashaw Elementary

n Braden River Elementary

n B.D. Gullett Elementary

n Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary

n Myakka City Elementary

n Tara Elementary

n Robert E. Willis Elementary

n Gene Witt Elementary

n Braden River Middle

n Dr. Mona Jain Middle

n R. Dan Nolan Middle

5 1-MILL PROPERTY TAX REFERENDUM

The 1-mill property tax referendum is on the ballot in November.

If approved, the referendum will support teacher and staff salaries, STEM programs, visual and performing arts programs, school security, early literacy programs, athletics, career and technical education programs, an additional 30 minutes in the school day and charter schools.

The referendum is on the ballot after being renewed in 2021, with 69.72% of the 68,267 people who voted in the special election. It was required that the referendum be on the ballot of a general election, causing the referendum to be up for renewal after three years instead of four.

If approved, the referendum will be renewed for July 2025 through June 2029.

The adopted budget for the referendum in 2023-24 was nearly $69.3 million.

The School Board of Manatee County decided to add athletics, early literacy programs and school safety and security to the referendum.

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Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned. Publisher of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer, West Orange Times & Observer,

Photos by Liz Ramos

Harper Daspit, a pre-K student at Braden River Elementary School, is excited to make friends while playing on the playground.

Marie Williams and her children, kindergartner Azavier Williams and second grader Alana Williams, are ready for the first day of school. Marie Williams says Alana Williams was so excited she couldn't sleep.

Tomas Martinez-Bartolomei

goodbye

mei, father, Emilio Martinez,

Martinez-Bartolomei,

Manatee County needs to study reasons for Lakewood Ranch flooding

Summerfield residents say the release of extra water at the Lake Manatee Dam could be responsible.

How could that be the case? The mouth of the Braden River flows into the Manatee River miles downstream from the dam.

Lakewood Ranch’s Paul and Cin-

dy Caputo were supposed to be sitting on Ka’anapali Beach in Hawaii.

They had a flight scheduled for the morning of Aug. 6, but a rude visitor arrived in Lakewood Ranch the day before.

The area felt the wrath of the outer bands of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Debby late on Aug. 4 and into Aug. 5, flooding many of the homes in the Caputo’s Summerfield neighborhood.

The Caputos never made their flight.

“I should be on the beach with a drink in my hand, and instead, I am dragging carpet out of the house,” Paul Caputo said.

Paul Caputo is angry. He moved to his home on Tumbleweed Trail a year ago in August. The home was built in 1996, and Caputo said it never had experienced flooding even though the Braden River is just “10 yards from the end of my property.”

That all changed on the morning of Aug. 5.

“The rain had taken a break Monday morning around 10:30, and I took my dog for a walk,” Caputo said. “It was about 11 a.m. when the water started coming up. Before I knew it, the water was in the house. The (East Manatee Fire Rescue) firefighters came to take my wife to safety. It took about 40 minutes from when the water entered the street to when it started coming in the house.”

He started to wonder how the water could come into the neighborhood so fast. He began to talk to his neighbors.

“I am not a geologist,” he said. “But we are not in a flood zone. Everyone in my neighborhood is blaming the opening of the (Lake Manatee) dam.

Could a rush of water — sent down the river to protect the Lake Manatee Dam as the lake rose to unsafe levels — cause the Braden River to back up all the way to Lakewood Ranch?

Consider that the mouth of the Braden River, at the Manatee River, is six miles from a weir that was built first in 1936 to form Ward Lake, now Evers Reservoir. It’s another six or seven miles back to Lakewood Ranch.

It seems unlikely. However, some residents at Jiggs Landing reported seeing several feet of water pouring over the weir on Aug. 5, but also a time when the Braden River, which should have been flowing, seemed very still.

Manatee County needs to put resources into investigating this storm to get a better understanding of why neighborhoods in Lakewood Ranch that had never flooded, were under water.

That study, preferably compiled by a private company, could also study dam procedures during extreme storms, as well as communication with those most likely to be affected when significant amounts of water are released from the dam.

That study might determine everything was done perfectly by Manatee County, and that would be good for the citizens to hear. If there were problems, they could be fixed. Does anyone think this storm is going to be a 100-year occurrence as we move forward?

It is likely that Lakewood Ranch and the Braden River were caught in the outer bands of a 100-year storm with those bands picking up unbelievable amounts of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Lakewood Ranch received up to 16 inches of rain in a 48-hour period.

But for those who have damaged homes, that seems too simple an answer.

Manatee County issued some answers about the storm on Aug. 12.

The county reported that water had been released from Lake Manatee for several days before the storm “per normal operations and to lower the lake level.” The lake was lowered from 39.5 feet to 36 feet elevation ahead of Debby.

A county statement said, “The dam functioned as designed before, during and after the storm with

“I am living day to day. It is human nature to want to find fault. I can’t unequivocally say it is the fault of the county, but it certainly seems that way.”

— Paul Caputo

from the dam causing the Braden River to back up.

“By the time the water released from the dam would have made it down the (Manatee) river, the Braden River already was receding,” was the county’s response.

A stream gauge station at the River Club Boulevard Bridge showed the river peaked at 19.62 feet, which was more than a foot higher than the 18.26 feet considered to be a 100year flood stage as referenced by the North American Vertical Datum.

That would seem to show there was just too much water for any stormwater system to handle. Even so, Lakewood Ranch residents still want answers.

“I am living day to day,” said Caputo, a retired dentist. “It is human nature to want to find fault. I can’t unequivocally say it is the fault of the county, but it certainly seems that way.”

water flowing through the primary and secondary spillways. Utility Department staff has done initial assessment, and there is no apparent damage to the dam or spillways. We expect to perform a follow-up assessment in the coming weeks.”

Initial countywide damage reports show $55 million in residential damage. In Manatee County, 308 homes are reported as having storm damage, although that number could increase as reports come into the county.

The county also responded to the question about water being released

He said releasing water down the Manatee River was “the lesser of two evils,” with a nod to the fact the county had to protect the Lake Manatee Dam while a few neighborhoods were the price to pay.

“We were lucky,” Caputo said. “We only lost 15(%) to 20% of our furniture. We lost all the carpeting in three bedrooms. We lost three feet of drywall around the entire house.”

That being said, Caputo said he has neighbors in their 80s who have no place to live for the time being.

“It’s been a shock,” he said. “But we’re all safe.”

Courtesy image

Summerfield Bluffs’ Asa Abrams wades through the water on his street Aug. 6.

LaborSpecial!Day

Elks need space to fight hunger

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

It is a basic feeling that has driven Andrea Hitcho during her eight years working with the Elks Feeding Empty Little Tummies program.

“Living here in a rich area, it’s hard to hear that any child should be hungry,” Hitcho said this past week at the Elks Lakewood Ranch Lodge 2855, where she is a member. “That’s sad to me. No child should be hungry, no matter the circumstances.”

For the past two years, Hitcho has been executive director of the program, which continues to grow in size and scope. The program, which is a joint venture between Lodge 2855 and Bradenton Lodge 1511, now serves more than 500 children during the school year.

Those children might be hungry if not for food the Elks collect and then deliver to Manatee County schools each Friday.

Collecting food from generous donors and delivering it has not been a problem for the Elks, who have amassed a volunteer staff of almost 50 people. However, the Elks now have a different kind of problem.

In the last few months, the Elks have lost two storage areas where they have kept the donated food.

One was the Christ Presbyterian Church on Upper Manatee River Road, which had provided space for the Elks the past five years. The church has grown and now needs its space.

The other was Tropicana, which decided it needed to rent the space it was providing for the program to

someone else.

So the Elks hope to find other storage possibilities in the Lakewood Ranch or Bradenton areas.

Hitcho said about 800 square feet is needed, whether it comes in one or two sites. Besides storing the donated food, space is needed for staging as approximately 12 volunteers pack bags to take to the schools.

The space also needs to be air conditioned to protect the donated food, which consists mostly of canned goods and nonperishable items. The program, which also depends on grants, began in 2010.

The Elks also could use donations of either food or funds to buy food.

Those who might want to donate a space or want to make a donation to the program, can contact EFELT@ gmail.com or call Lakewood Ranch Elks Exalted Ruler Kevin Burke at 315-439-9323.

Donations also can be dropped off at the Lakewood Ranch lodge at 4602 Lena Road, Bradenton.

The program delivers to 10 schools — Freedom Elementary, Blanche

The Re-Reading House

feel like we’re doing everything we know to do, and yet we’re not able to meet these kiddos’ needs.”

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Braden Woods’ Amanda Chandler remembered sitting next to then-third grader ReAnn Kolbe listening to her read out loud.

Kolbe was struggling.

Chandler knew her student was intelligent and applying all the reading techniques she had been taught, yet she was still having trouble.

A gut feeling told Chandler to look up the signs of dyslexia, and she started seeing them in Kolbe. Chandler worked with Kolbe’s mother to be an advocate for Kolbe to obtain a diagnosis and receive the resources she needed.

Working with Kolbe sparked Chandler’s interest in learning about dyslexia and the methods to best teach people who have dyslexia.

Chandler has taken the newfound passion she discovered in 2019 and started The Re-Reading House, in which she works one-on-one with students who have dyslexia or other reading deficiencies.

While trying to find ways to help students like Kolbe, Chandler discovered the Orton Gillingham approach, which breaks down reading and spelling into smaller skills involving sounds and letters.

When Chandler was a reading interventionist at Rowlette Academy in 2020, she was trained in the Orton Gillingham approach and began working with other teachers on how to implement the approach into more classrooms.

“It ignited this fire of ‘How can I help other teachers know this,’ because I know that ReAnn isn’t the only ReAnn sitting in classrooms,” Chandler said. “I know other teachers and I would

Chandler worked with Dr. Vanessa DeMocko, the school psychologist at Rowlette Academy, to understand the science and how the brain works when someone is reading and learning how to read. This inspired Chandler to go back to school and earn her master’s degree in reading and a specialist degree in dyslexia from the University of Florida.

Chandler helped the school implement a new curriculum focused on the science of reading. In April 2023, Chandler was writing in her prayer journal and said “God told her” that she would start her own business.

“I remember writing this didn’t make sense because I loved so much what I did, and I didn’t see myself going anywhere else,” she said.

But when her son, Landen Chandler, was diagnosed with cancer a month later and then started chemotherapy in August, she took leave through the Family Medical Leave Act. The priority became her family.

Throughout those months, Chandler said she kept being compelled to start her own business, and that’s what she did. She began The ReReading House in January to be able to continue her passion of educating children.

“It was literally a leap of faith,” she said. “If you ever told me in 2019 that you’re going to be an entrepreneur and have a business, I would have been like, ‘I’m OK, no way.’”

The Re-Reading House now has more than 30 students, most of whom are in elementary school, but there have been older students.

Chandler also has taught other teachers about the science of reading and the Orton Gillingham approach so they can implement it in their classrooms. She said teaching the teachers will cause the impact to multiply as there are at least 16 students in every teacher’s class.

“It is so cool to watch the science

work, to take my expertise and work one-on-one and offer specialized instruction for students that is tailored to their needs,” she said.

Chandler said her work with each student is individualized to cater to their needs and provide the learning strategies that will best help the student be successful.

“It’s kind of like unlocking the code of the English language with them,” Chandler said.

Working with children who have dyslexia also gives Chandler an opportunity to squash the stigma that can be associated with having dyslexia and other reading deficiencies. She said she reminds the students and their parents that their “brain just works differently, and that’s OK.”

“This isn’t anything to be scared of,” she said. “Does it take work? Yes, it does. Is it going to take more work to train our teachers and to make shifts in schools? Yes. But that doesn’t mean it’s scary, and that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”

Courtesy image

Braden Woods' Amanda Chandler works with students like ReAnn Kolbe, who inspired her to start The Re-Reading House.

never be a shortage.

“That’s three hours of your time in a year,” she said.

Leonard said the blood shortage mostly will affect people who need regular transfusions. The shortage also could cause elective surgeries to be postponed if not enough blood is available.

“This is an area where we have such good medical services,” she said. “People come here for hip and knee surgeries, but all those surgeries

Photo by Liz Ramos

Joan Leonard, the community liaison for SunCoast Blood Centers in Lakewood Ranch, hopes the shelves can be fully stocked with blood for the next hurricane.

WILD FLORIDA

Myakka wetlands help reduce flooding

By containing water, flooding in the park supports downstream human communities.

watershed is an area of land that channels rainfall into a common body of water. Myakka River State Park lies within the Myakka River Watershed, which encompasses approximately 600 square miles. Within this watershed, the Myakka River collects water from numerous creeks and sloughs. It provides drainage by channeling water into Charlotte Bay to the south, where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Four major depressions act as natural water detention areas in the Myakka River Watershed. These include Flatford Swamp near Myakka City, Tatum Sawgrass Marsh just north of the park, and Upper and Lower Myakka Lake within the park. Tatum Sawgrass Marsh, the largest of these detention areas, has the capacity to store an equivalent of 1.8 inches of rainfall, which is four times that of Upper and Lower Myakka Lakes combined. And in numerous smaller wetlands, water covers the soil periodically. During rain storms, the amount of water running over land in a watershed increases, and in severe storms, flooding may result. The low-lying areas of land, where water periodically spreads when a river or creek overflows its banks, are known as floodplains. Flooding in floodplains is an expected and important natural process. Indeed, as a rain-fed river, during our rainy season, the Myakka River routinely overflows into the park’s floodplain marshes, other wetlands and hydric hammocks. As Myakka’s ecosystems have adapted to this natural ebb and flow of water, it’s critical for their health. Therefore, restoring impacted wetlands

PARK CLOSED

Myakka River State Park is experiencing flooding, with high water levels expected in the park for a while. The park is closed to the public until further notice. For updates, visit FloridaStateParks.org.

and maintaining their health is a priority for Myakka’s team. To protect the park’s natural communities, and our own, Myakka is minimally developed. Impervious surfaces, such as those found in urban areas, greatly increase the rate and volume of runoff, resulting in a higher risk of flood damage. Conversely, wetlands, and particularly floodplain wetlands, have the capacity to temporarily store flood waters during high runoff events, such as the one we’re currently experiencing as a result of Hurricane Debby. By holding back flood waters and slowing the rate that water reenters the river channel, Myakka’s abundant wetlands greatly reduce the severity of downstream flooding and erosion. Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Together, we’re protecting and sharing Myakka’s Magic, to the benefit of future generations, and our own. Follow us @FriendsOfMyakkaRiver.

Miri Hardy In addition to benefiting native flora and fauna, wetlands within and upstream of urban areas are particularly valuable for flood protection.

City Furniture going big at UTC

City Furniture will open a 120,000-square-foot showroom in UTC’s East District by summer 2025.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

Afurniture store with more square footage than two football fields is moving into University Town Center.

City Furniture plans to open a more than 120,000-square-foot showroom next to Tesla in UTC’s East District by summer 2025. The East District at UTC is being developed between the Mall at UTC and Interstate 75.

In addition to featuring highquality mattresses and home decor, the showroom also will include a spot to relax with a cocktail or perk up with a coffee.

The KC Cafe & Wine Bar will offer wine, craft beer, coffee, tea and snacks, all within the store.

“We’re ridiculously excited,” CEO Andrew Koenig said. “My wife (Deana) and I, whenever we go to the mall (at UTC), we say this is one of the best retail shopping areas we’ve ever seen.”

He said UTC “checked all the boxes.”

Koenig said the company is expanding in the Tampa Bay area and noted that Sarasota is a thriving, growing city within that area, and UTC is near a major highway, which offers visibility and easy access to shoppers.

Koenig and his wife live in Plantation.

City Furniture is a Florida-based family business, and the UTC store will be the company’s 25th in the state and the third in Tampa Bay. Another store is under construction in Wesley Chapel and will open after the Sarasota store.

Koenig’s father, Keith Koenig, and

his uncle, Kevin Koenig, opened the first showroom in 1971. It was 900 square feet and sold mainly waterbeds, so it was aptly named Waterbed City.

In 1994, Waterbed City transitioned into City Furniture. The stores started selling furnishings for the whole home, not just the bedrooms. About 11 years ago, the company evolved again under the leadership of 41-year-old Koenig and a young staff.

DOING THE RIGHT THING

“I feed off the associates wanting us to be more green and environmentally friendly,” Koenig said. “There’s a lot of young people here that want to make sure that we’re doing right by the environment, doing right by the community and doing right by our customers.”

Koenig started down the green path after the foreign oil crisis hit in 2012. What he called a “fun project” to investigate alternatives turned into a company philosophy, resulting and in major cost savings over time.

The fleet started converting to compressed natural gas, which Koenig said at the time cost $1.25 per gallon versus $4 plus per gallon of diesel.

Now, the company’s Tampa Bay fleet runs entirely on compressed natural gas, which lowers emission by about 70% when compared to a diesel truck.

Koenig is also waiting on five Tesla semi trucks to be delivered. He said the company’s order number is just over 1,000. A year ago, he received a letter from Tesla that said the trucks were about a year out, so he’s hoping to have them by the end of next year.

The trucks will drive 500 miles before needing a charge. Koenig didn’t have the exact price on hand, but said each truck cost more than $200,000.

“We’re OK to pay more money up front in order to save in the long haul,” he said. “We’re pretty excited that once those trucks come in, we’re going to have the right solar energy strategy to charge them.”

The UTC store will be one of nine City Furniture stores that are LEED certified. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design; the designation is awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Koenig said earning the certificate requires using approved building materials, energy efficient air conditioning units and a lot of LED lighting to keep the energy consumption low.

Lung Associates Joins

First Physicians Group

First Physicians Group is delighted to announce the addition of Lung Associates of Sarasota to our award-winning healthcare system. As part of this exciting transition, they will now operate under the name First Physicians Group Pulmonology.

With over 30 years of expertise in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Lung Associates of Sarasota has delivered exceptional care for conditions such as asthma, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, and sleep apnea.

As part of First Physicians Group, the dedicated professionals of Lung Associates will continue providing the same services and level of care that patients have come to expect and rely on, but now with the backing of the entire Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and its quest to provide comprehensive and seamless healthcare to our community.

SOLAR TOGETHER PROGRAM

“A third of all of our electricity that goes to powering our stores and our warehouses is powered through solar via the FPL Solar Together partnership that we have,” Koenig said.

Solar Together offers solar power to the community without the upfront cost of installing solar panels. Instead, the power comes from energy centers.

Look no further than Myakka City to find an example of

He expects the UTC store will also be Energy Star certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Commercial buildings must be more efficient than 75% of similar buildings nationwide to earn the star.

“We are the No. 1 home furnishing retailer in the country with the most LEED certified square footage of retail space, which is kind of cool,” Koenig said. “So Sarasota is going to add to that.”

“For

FPL’s

“Over time, credits increase and lower the program participants’ bills.”

City Furniture’s new showroom in UTC's East District will have more square footage than two football fields.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

The art of getting sober

Florida Studio Theatre’s The Recovery Project works to diminish the stigma of addiction and support artists in recovery.

EMILY LEINFUSS CONTRIBUTOR

Learning how to navigate life successfully without using mood- or mind-altering substances is the core challenge for anyone seeking recovery from addiction — whether through a 12-step program or other means.

For performing artists, however, there’s an added twist: Many elements of the profession’s lifestyle are directly at odds with getting and staying sober.

And, as any recovering addict (this writer included) has learned, “If the drugs don’t kill you, the lifestyle will.”

While this saying typically refers to the risky situations and questionable behaviors many addicts engage in to get more of their substance of choice, it’s doubly true for performing artists. Sean Daniels, director of Florida Studio Theatre’s The Recovery Project and the Anti-Stigma director at Live Tampa Bay, knows this firsthand.

In his autobiographical comedy, “The White Chip,” which ran earlier this year at FST and returned to Off Broadway in New York City in February, Daniels fictionalizes his own descent into addiction and his eventual recovery. The title refers to the token given to addicts at 12-step meetings who want to stop drinking or taking drugs.

Through this work, Daniels sheds light on stumbling blocks specific to artists — including the belief that drinking is essential for creativity — and is an accepted part of navigating the social demands of theatrical success. “Going out after a show, attend-

LEARN MORE THE RECOVERY PROJECT

„ Visit SeanDDaniels.com/ RecoveryProject.

„ The “warm line” for artists seeking support is (883) OKIQUIT (654-7848).

ing opening night parties and being present at donor events where alcohol flows freely are all part of the job,” says Casey Murphy, a Sarasotabased actor who is 12 years clean and a supporter of The Recovery Project. Murphy adds that income instability and a culture in the arts that glamorizes drug use and drinking further hinder an artist’s path to recovery.

“With addiction, though, there’s a stigma around asking for help, so you might end up trying to handle it on your own — and that’s the trap.”

— Sean Daniels

Moreover, the nature of stage work exacerbates the problem. Actors and directors, like Daniels, often work nights — performing eight shows a week, with the expectation of being emotionally open and at their best every night at 9:45. That’s a tall order if you’re battling addiction.

“Being an actor is emotionally and physically draining, but the mindset is to ‘just power through it, no matter what,’” says Daniels. “Those suffering from a disease like diabetes or asthma know that ‘powering through’ could be deadly, so they seek help. With addiction, though, there’s a stigma around asking for help, so you might end up trying to handle it on your own — and that’s the trap.”

The isolation that comes with the profession can also be a trigger.

“Let’s say you live in New York or elsewhere and get hired by a regional theater. You’re now spending two months in a community far from your friends, family and doctors,” Daniels explains. Isolation and addiction are known to be destructive bedfellows, echoing another recovery truism: “An addict alone is in bad company.”

Despite these challenges, The Recovery Project has made significant strides since its inception nearly two years ago. The program has introduced key initiatives, such as new play commissions, educational

SEE SOBER, PAGE 18

Image courtesy of John Jones

Michael Flood, Saxon Palmer and Julia Brothers starred in Sean Daniels’ “The White Chip” earlier this year at Florida Studio Theatre’s Bowne’s Lab.

resources, artist workshops and a help line for artists. Yet, the overarching mission remains ongoing: to transform the narrative, break the stigma surrounding addiction and ultimately save lives.

A SUPPORTIVE LIFELINE FOR ARTISTS

One of The Recovery Project’s standout features is its “warm” line, designed specifically for artists who may be struggling or have questions but are not necessarily in “hotline” crisis.

“When an artist calls the warm line, they’re connected to peers or local resources through our partnership with Lightshare in Sarasota. It doesn’t require insurance and is designed to be accessible and supportive,” says Daniels.

Karina Clarke, vice president of operations at Lightshare, played a pivotal role in developing this service. Before joining Lightshare two-anda-half years ago, Clarke was program director of Sarasota County’s Drug Court for 18 years under 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Charles E. Williams. “Judge Williams, who is heavily involved in Sarasota’s artistic community, introduced me to this project,” she says.

Clarke explains that the warm line is like a concierge service for artists, assessing their needs and connecting them with appropriate services.

This can include screening for residential facilities, immediate detox placement, mental health crisis intervention, outpatient services and peer support. It’s also available

to family members seeking guidance.

“By creating a supportive environment, Lightshare aims to make it easier for artists, who often face unique challenges, to ask for and receive help without shame,” says Clarke. The ultimate goal, which aligns with The Recovery Project, is “to educate and reduce the stigma associated with addiction, ensuring individuals are treated with respect and have access to necessary services without bureaucratic hurdles.”

DEBUNKING THE MYTH OF THE WILD AND CRAZY ARTIST

A common misconception about and among artists is that substance use fuels creativity. Daniels calls this “the myth of the artist who sacrifices himself for supposed genius.” Murphy adds, “The notion of the wildly talented but self-destructive artist is just that — a myth.”

Playwright Jake Brasch is living proof this myth is untrue. He didn’t begin writing his award-winning

Smithsonian recognizes ‘Mermaid Fountain’

Sarasota’s downtown “Mermaid Fountain,” created in 1993 by artist Nancy Matthews, has been included in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection of public art sculptures.

In recognition of this honor, the city of Sarasota will hold a celebration at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 13 at Paul N. Thorpe J. Park at the intersection of Pineapple and Lemon avenues.

“We are happy to see Nancy’s ‘Mermaid Fountain’ receive the recognition it deserves from the Smithsonian Institution,” said Mary Davis Wallace, the city’s public art manager, in a statement. “Her work has not only beautified our city but has also become an integral part of Sarasota’s cultural and artistic identity.”

Matthews’ creation includes several pools and bas-relief imagery. The fountain gets its name from a depiction of a mermaid and two dolphins on the south-facing panel.

Raised in the Virgin Islands, Matthews’ work has been influenced by the cultures and spirituality of the Caribbean as well as the teachings of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.

Matthews attended the New York School of Visual Arts from 1969 to 1971. After receiving a grant from the government of the Virgin Islands, she attended the Art Institute of San Francisco, where she studied printmaking and ceramic sculpture.

Eventually settling in Southwest Florida, Matthews received her first commission for architectural ceramics from renowned Sarasota School architect Carl Abbott.

During the next four decades, Matthews received a series of commissions through word of mouth and client referrals. Her work has been shown at the Allyn Gallup Gallery,

plays until after he got sober. “That’s when I realized my way to process the world was through writing and comedy,” he says.

He also discovered that the shared experience of addiction, while painful, could be funny. “Recovery spaces are the best theater on earth,” says Brasch, reflecting another recovery truism: “If you’re not laughing in

“By creating a supportive environment, Lightshare aims to make it easier for artists, who often face unique challenges, to ask for and receive help without shame.”

— Karina Clarke

recovery, you’re not doing it right.”

Brasch first connected with Daniels in 2022 and held a workshop based on his play, “How to Draw a Triangle” at FST in April. He related to The Recovery Project’s “mission to reach people through stories about addicts or people affected by addiction (because it) aligns with my central mission as an artist — to reach other artists in our profession who are struggling.”

Daniels adds, “Casey and Jake are two sober artists I first encountered and wanted to support. They’re both incredibly talented, smart, open about their sobriety and game to help me save a few lives — especially those who are wondering if they should give sobriety a shot or are in early sobriety.”

Brasch emphasizes the power of storytelling in recovery. “Before I got sober, no one could tell me what was happening until it was too late. Stories have a different potential to advocate compared to usual meth-

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, The Ringling Museum of Art and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton.

Sarasota Players names new development director

Amy Gorman has joined The Sarasota Players as the new director of development.

Gorman brings experience from finance, education and nonprofit organizations to her new role at the nonprofit community theater. She was most recently director of development at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, where she focused on fundraising, community relationships and student programs.

Her previous positions include parents fund director and assistant annual fund director at The Taft School and corporate and community advancement associate at the State College of Florida Foundation. Gorman holds a law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree in English from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

“We are thrilled to have Amy join our team,” said Sarasota Players CEO William Skaggs in a statement. “She brings the perfect mix of experience and local knowledge that someone in this role needs to shine. We look forward to seeing what she’ll accomplish.”

Commented Gorman, “It’s a tremendous

ods. Being able to get people to say, ‘me too,’ is a big moment for recovery. Seeing someone else go through it, or showing someone going through something that mirrors their life is my ethos around writing recovery stories. It’s not about finger-wagging; it’s about saying, ‘Come on in.’”

STORYTELLING CAN HELP SAVE LIVES

Helping artists struggling with addiction connect with peers and find the help they need is vital, but The Recovery Project has further ambitions.

“We measure success through surveys, feedback and the impact of our educational and support initiatives,” says Daniels. A recent Anti-Stigma report shows that it’s working.

The community is responding to The Recovery Project’s storytelling, says Daniels. “Seeing and hearing stories that people relate and respond to can not only change national narratives, but can reduce stigma, which helps people to seek care, which ultimately saves lives.”

As for advice for performing artists struggling with substances, Daniels says, “I would tell you it’s better on the other end. I have a wife and a daughter who have never seen me drink.”

“Many artists and writers did their best work despite addiction, not because of it,” notes Murphy, adding, “the experience of getting sober humbled me and made me better on stage.”

Brasch offers these words: “Allow yourself to express as freely and openly as you can. Dance, write, sing — not to promote, but to process what’s happening to you artistically. It will help you understand how to recover, rebuild and realize what matters most to you.”

honor to join The Sarasota Players team. They are such an important and trusted part of this community, and their ongoing dedication to the performing arts and rich history instantly drew me to the position. I’m happy to have been chosen for this role.”

Local restaurant group hosts summer dining tours

Sarasota-Manatee Originals, which partners with Visit Sarasota for an annual restaurant week showcasing local eateries, has announced a summer dining series.

Scheduled for August and September, The Blend tours will take guests on a guided culinary trip abroad a trolley, with stops at five locally owned restaurants.

Each restaurant on the tour will serve a specially crafted dish paired with a complementing wine. At each stop, a wine expert and a chef will be on hand to guide the tasting experience.

The first tour is on Aug. 20 and will explore Venice and Nokomis, with stops at Pop’s Sunset Grill, Chaz 51 Steakhouse, Café Venice, Fins at Sharky’s and the Paradise Grill.

The second tour, which takes place Sept. 25, focuses on Bradenton and Palmetto, with visits to Mean Deans Local Kitchen, Birdrock Taco Shack, Ortygia, The Riverhouse and more. Tickets for available online only for $135 per person. The cost covers all food, wine pairings, trolley transportation and gratuities. Specific dietary restrictions and meal requests cannot be accommodated.

For more information, visit EatLikeALocal. com/Events/The-Blend.

Sean Daniels’ “The White Chip,” a play about his journey to sobriety, ran at Florida Studio Theatre and Off Broadway in New York.

Playwright Jake Brasch relates to The Recovery Project’s mission of reaching people through stories about addicts and people affected by addiction.

Sarasota actor Casey Murphy has been sober for 12 years and is a supporter of Florida Studio Theatre’s The Recovery Project.

Courtesy image

Sarasota’s iconic “Mermaid Fountain” has been included in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection of public artworks.

THIS WEEK

‘THE MUSIC OF LAUREL CANYON’

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret,1265 First St., Sarasota

$18-$42

7 p.m. at McCurdy’s

Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $53 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

“Saturday Night Live” veteran Rob Schneider tapped his personal life for his first Netflix comedy special, “Asian Momma, Mexican Kids,” which premiered in 2020. His credits include the NBC sitcom “Men Behaving Badly” and the feature films “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” “The Hot Chick” and “The Benchwarmers.” Runs through Aug. 18.

DON’T MISS

OPENING RECEPTION FOR NEW EXHIBIT

Art Center Sarasota hosts an opening reception for its latest round of exhibitions by artists

Precious Darling, Tanner Simon and teens from the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County. Darling’s show, “How He Sees Me,” uses black-and-white photography and sculpture to focus on the way women are viewed while Simon’s “Big Soup, Big Responsibility” explores the intersection of humor, seriousness and the absurd with large-scale paintings. All three exhibitions run through Sept. 28.

IF YOU GO

When: 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15

Where: at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail

Tickets: Free Info: Visit ArtCenterSarasota. org.

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 Sept. 1.

GREEN DAY’S ‘AMERICAN IDIOT’

7:30 p.m. at The Sarasota Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130

$30; $13 for students

Visit ThePlayers.org.

Broadway director and playwright Michael Mayer (“Spring Awakening,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”) collaborated with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and distilled his Grammy Award-winning album into a rock opera. This explosive production, directed by Brian Finnerty, is just the cure for the summertime blues. Runs through Aug. 16.

‘THE FOUR C NOTES’

8 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave.

$18-$42

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

For fans of Frank Valli and the Four Seasons, the doo-wop sound never goes out of style. With “The Four C Notes,” Florida Studio Theatre continues the tradition of presenting Four Seasons tribute shows in its summer cabaret series. Runs through Oct. 13.

‘THE OUTSIDER’

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

After the past few weeks in politics, we could all use some laughs. Florida Studio Theatre serves up a political comedy about the world’s least likely candidate for governor who just might be exactly what the voters want. Runs through Aug. 18.

FRIDAY

CLASSIC MOVIES AT THE OPERA HOUSE: ‘VIVA LAS VEGAS’

7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $12 Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

If you’re a fan of campy Elvis Presley movies, it doesn’t get much better than “Viva Las Vegas,” which created a lot of chemistry on screen (and off, according to gossip columnists) between the King of rock ’n’ roll and his sexy co-star Ann-Margret.

SATURDAY

COMEDY LOTTERY

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $15-$18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Everyone’s a winner in this FST Improv show, where audience members select the night’s lineup of games, replete with scenes, sketches and songs designed to provoke laughter. Runs Saturdays through Sept. 28.

SUNDAY

HD AT THE OPERA HOUSE: ‘COPPÉLIA’

1:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $12-$20 Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

Find out what happens when the lonely Dr. Coppelius brings a doll to life. His “daughter’s” beauty is so great that it threatens to derail the engagement of a peasant couple to be married during the village harvest festival.

WEDNESDAY

JAZZ HAPPY HOUR

6 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St. Free with reservation Visit JazzHappyHour.org.

OUR PICK

‘ANYTHING GOES’

Can’t get enough of Cole Porter? Then the Manatee Players’ revival of the 1934 musical “Anything Goes” is the show for you. Set sail on the S.S. American as two unlikely couples try to chart a course to lasting happiness with the help of singing sailors. Runs through Aug. 18.

IF YOU GO

When:When: 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 15

Where: at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton Tickets: $32-$42 Info: Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter.com.

Sarasota Music Archive presents the Barbara Jordan Quintet playing a program of “Swinging the Classics.”

Thinking small at 502 Gallery

The new 400-square-foot gallery in the Burns Court district showcases small, affordable works.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Somewhere, Syd Solomon is smiling.

The late artist and his wife, Annie, who died in 2020 at age 102, were known for bringing Sarasota’s visual arts community together and sparking dialogue, collaboration and fun.

As a result of the teamwork at Ringling College of Art and Design’s recent Solomon exhibition, a new gallery has opened in the historic Burns Court district.

The team behind the new 502 Gallery at 502 S. Pineapple Ave. — Ringling College Chief Curator Tim Jaeger, art collector and investor Dr. Richard Mones, and gallery Operations Manager Christina Antoniou — collaborated on “Fluid Impressions: The Paintings of Syd Solomon,” which ran from November 2023 to March in the college’s Lois and David

IF YOU GO

‘SHOPLIFTABLE’

Where: 502 Gallery, 502 S. Pineapple Ave. When: Noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Runs through Nov. 9.

Stulberg Gallery.

Rounding out the 502 Gallery team is Jaeger’s wife, Cassia Kite, who is an arts educator and an artist herself.

Including the Ringling College galleries that Jaeger oversees, the 502 Gallery brings the number of galleries that he’s actively curating to nine.  Like all artistic endeavors, 502 Gallery is a labor of love. But the partners aim to make money for themselves and for the Sarasota artists whose works are on display in the 400-square-foot gallery.

The grand opening of 502 Gallery

was scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 4, but Hurricane Debby threw a monkey wrench into the works, and the event was delayed until Aug. 11.

On Aug. 9, the partners in 502 Gallery were presiding over a soft opening of sorts, as friends and well-wishers dropped by the gallery, which was dealing with some airconditioning problems. Even with the last-minute opening snafus, the excitement was palpable.

Despite lifelong admonitions heard by every American to “think big,” 502 Gallery is doing exactly the opposite. Its first show, “Shopliftable,” features multimedia works no larger than six inches high, wide and deep.

The pieces are billed as “small enough to steal,” but they also seem like the perfect stocking stuffers for arts lovers. (It’s never too early to start your holiday shopping.)

The response to 502 Gallery’s request for entries was so great, its next show, in November, will be called “Shopliftable II.”

Even with a soft opening, artworks were being purchased on Aug. 9. Antoniou, a Boston native who graduated from Ringling College in May, slipped into the back room to pick up new pieces to replenish the gallery’s display.

The price points range from $300 to $1,300, Antoniou says.

The Jaegers and Mones see 502 Gallery as filling a niche in the Sarasota arts scene that has been overlooked.

By focusing on small works, 502 Gallery is offering affordability, giving both established and emerging artists the opportunity to connect with collectors who need art to fill a corner or a space on a bookshelf. “It’s all about being accessible,” Jaeger says.

For their new venture, partners considered South Palm Avenue downtown, home to other art galleries and the scene of First Friday Artwalks during season, but the rents were too high, Mones says.

The block of Pineapple Avenue where 502 Gallery is located is filled

SPONSORED CONTENT

with restaurants, antique stores and other retailers, and the sidewalk art has been refreshed ahead of this November’s Chalk Festival. Just around the corner is Burns Court Cinema. “It’s a perfect location for us,” Mones says.

About 50 Sarasota artists are featured in the first edition of “Shopliftable.” Among them are familiar names such as Omar Chacon, Keith Crowley, Jack Dowd, Joe Fig, Virginia Hoffman, Joseph Melancon, Marina Shaltout as well as Kite, who has been married to Jaeger since 2012.

Kite met her future husband when she took a class at Ringling College, which included a visit to Jaeger’s studio at the time. “We started talking and we haven’t stopped since,” she says.

Despite their small space, Jaeger and his collaborators envision 502 Gallery as a hub for artists and their collectors.

The gallery is just a few doors down from Project Coffee, and Jaeger hopes the space will be the kind of place where folks drop by just as they would a coffee shop. “We want to build community,” Jaeger says.

The pieces are billed as “small enough to steal,” but they also seem like the perfect stocking stuffers for arts lovers.

I will be forever grateful to the staff at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.” Kevin Parks Patient

PATIENT FINDS RELIEF FROM THE PAIN OF SPINAL STENOSIS

In his job as a driver for Manatee County Transit Services, Kevin Parks, 60, takes clients to and from their medical appointments. In addition to driving, the job includes door-to-door assistance of older individuals, people with disabilities and those with wheelchairs and walkers.

The fact that he was able to perform his job so well is surprising. Parks had a bad fall 10 years ago while playing basketball and had been experiencing numbness and pain in his hands and legs for a long time.

“It was hard to walk on certain days, especially if the weather was cold,” says Parks. “By the time my wife finally talked me into seeing a doctor, I had to drag the left side of my body, just to walk.”

He saw Huan (John) Wang, MD, board-certified neurosurgeon, at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

An MRI confirmed that Parks had cervical spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal in the neck that compresses the spinal cord and nerve roots, causing pain, tingling, numbness and muscle weakness. Three weeks later he had a cervical spinal fusion, performed by Dr. Wang at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. The procedure involves joining two or more of the vertebrae in the neck to help relieve pressure on the spinal cord.

“Dr. Wang told me having the surgery would relieve some or maybe most of my pain and that I wouldn’t get any worse,” says Parks.

With July being one year since the surgery, Parks shares that he now only needs ibuprofen, every now and then, for the pain. He rides his bike, plays a little basketball and enjoys walks around his neighborhood.

“I have my quality of life back. I will be forever grateful,” says Parks.

What Parks says he appreciates most was that everyone at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, including Dr. Wang, the surgical teams, X-ray, admissions and all the nurses on the orthopedics unit and in the ICU treated him with the utmost respect and compassion.

Photos by Monica Gagnier

502 Gallery Operations Manager Christina Antoniou and co-owner Cassia Kite pose in front of some of the small pieces featured in the “Shopliftable” show.

Dr. Richard Mones and Tim Jaeger are part of the team behind the new 502 Gallery in the Historic Burns Court neighborhood.

MINI GOLF, BIG FUN

LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Lakewood Ranch’s Jean Hubbard jumped for joy and screamed as she watched her husband, John Hubbard, bury a hole-in-one.

Besides enjoying their own game, the Hubbards got to know Lakewood Ranch’s Marty and Mollie Saia as they played 18 holes of mini golf Aug. 6 at Smugglers Cove in Sarasota through MVP Sports and Social’s mini-golf league.

The league rotates among Smugglers Cove courses in Sarasota and Bradenton and the The Fish Hole course in Lakewood Ranch.

As the golfers play the courses,

they tried to help each other, giving advice on the best approaches to sink a hole-in-one.

GreyHawk Landing’s Francis Lopez said the course, wet from the rains of Hurricane Debby, meant players had to hit the ball harder.

The players also knew how to make the game more challenging. Lopez and Lakewood Ranch’s Marcia Bailey said rather than just hitting the ball with the putter, mini golfers could try various other ways of hitting the ball.

They suggested using the putter as a pool cue, using their opposite hand to hit the ball or playing with their eyes closed. They also suggested kicking the ball instead or throwing it like a bowling ball.

Photos by Liz Ramos Lakewood Ranch's

Acting like a bowling ball, Lakewood Ranch's Marcia Bailey takes down Palmetto's Collin Thole, Bradenton's Jon Koll and GreyHawk Landing's Francis Lopez.

Lakewood Ranch's Jean Hubbard screams and jumps around to celebrate her husband John Hubbard's hole-in-one.

Lakewood Ranch’s Christine Monachos celebrates her hole-in-one.

Bradenton's Meghann Ehling and Tonya Dottellis and Sarasota's Casey Waugh and Anthony Pullara tackle each hole together, seeing who can get the best score. Every time MVP Sports and Social participants play, they're paired with new people.

TODDLERS GO FOR THE GOLD

About 15 area toddlers ran an obstacle course to earn medals.

With the competitive spirit of the Olympics on full display, the Lakewood Ranch Library hosted its own Toddler Olympics.

About 15 toddler athletes crawled, hopped and ran through an obstacle course behind the library Aug. 9.

“We have a lot of freedom to do whatever we want (for programs),” Youth Librarian Elise Montes said. “Since the Olympics are happening, why not do something around that?”

Montes was creative with the course.

Pencils were used as stakes to hold pool noodles that formed arches the toddlers could crawl under. Kids ran through HulaHoops spread across the lawn.

Instead of crawling under the pool noodle arches, Lakewood Ranch 2-yearold Maria Yopasa pulled a noodle out of the ground to chase her mom with it.

After the games were finished, the toddlers colored and collected medals. –LESLEY DWYER

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Lakewood Ranch resident Willow Reilly shows off her athleticism at the Toddler Olympics at Lakewood Ranch Library on Aug. 9.

Lakewood Ranch resident Maria Yopasa takes a break to chase her mom with a pool noodle.

Levi Mandile is only 14 months old. He needs a little help through the course from mom, Amanda Mandile.

Isla Robley, 3, hops through the course like she’s done this before.

Lakewood Ranch residents Derek Ober and Michael Ray add to the course by running to the fence and back.

Lakewood Ranch residents 4-year-old Elliot and 7-year-old Emory Cai take their medals.

COMMUNITY

THURSDAY, AUG. 15

THE LEGO CLUB

Begins at 4 p.m. at the Lakewood Ranch Library, 16410 Rangeland Parkway, Lakewood Ranch. The library is hosting The Lego Club, where kids ages 8-12 can come to create whatever they want with Legos. The class will be held in the Makerspace room. Register for the event at MyManatee.org/ Departments/Manatee_County_ Public_Library_System.

FRIDAY, AUG. 16 THROUGH SUNDAY, AUG. 18

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 A Pirate Over 40 (Friday), Al Fuller (Saturday) and Zack Pomerleau (Sunday). For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.

FRIDAY, AUG. 16 AND SATURDAY, AUG. 17

MUSIC AT THE PLAZA

Runs 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Singer/musician Ektor Keys, who plays a mix of saxophone and keys, will entertain those who stroll through Waterside Place on Friday as part of the weekly free music series. On Saturday, Frankle Lombardi will perform acoustic rock/pop. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS PADDLEBOARD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. More than 200 Special Olympics athletes from around the state compete in a varsity of stand-up paddle board competitions. For more information, go to NathanBendersonPark.org.

SATURDAY, AUG. 17

KNITTING CLASS

Begins at 1 p.m. the Braden River Library, 4915 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton. The Braden River Library presents Drop-in Knitting, which will allow adults (18 and older) to join other knitters to work on various projects. The event will be held in the maker space room, and those who

BEST BET

SUNDAY, AUG. 18

FARMERS MARKET

Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, which was just voted as the top farmers market in Florida for the second year in a row, will run year-round every Sunday. Vendors will be offering seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles, among other items. Other features are children’s activities and live music. For more information, visit MyLWR.com.

YOUR CALENDAR

attend are urged to bring projects they currently are working on. The program is suitable for knitters of all levels. Needles and yarn will be available for on-site use. For more information about the free event, call 727-6079 or go to MyManatee. org/Departments/Manatee_ County_Public_Library_System.

SUNDAY, AUG. 18

FAB AND FIT

Begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Macy’s Court at the Mall at University Town Center, 140 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center sponsors a free Fab and Fit class, this time featuring tai chi led by Sandy Bellino and hosted by Fabletics. For more information, go to MallAtUTC.com.

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.

“I had no idea my teeth would look this good!”

“Dr. Jeffrey Martins and the team at Paradise Dental make you feel like you have known them your whole life. They are such warm and caring people.

My teeth were such a mess when I started going. It’s one of those things where life gets busy and you just don’t take care of your teeth as much. I’m 71 and I still work, but I realized I had bad teeth. I had a chip or two, and the teeth in the front were half the size that they are now. They were a mess! So getting them fixed was a major transformation, no question about it!

I chose Paradise Dental because I heard of Dr. Jeffrey Martins’ work and his passion for reconstructive dentistry - and that’s what I experienced. The result was like night and day! I had no idea my teeth would look this good!

Dr. Martins definitely knows what he is doing. He is incredibly knowledgeable, experienced, and friendly. Plus, his whole team is so warm and caring. They make you feel like you are the only one in the room. They are always smiling and making sure you’re doing ok. The whole process was smooth and pain-free.

I never recommend anyone if I don’t truly believe in them. Dr. Martins and his team are what I call HTP - Highly Trained Professionals. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.”

The Cosmetic Dentist of Lakewood Ranch

MONTHLY SMILE

(941) 466-8222 1711 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch, FL 34211 www.paradisedentalsmiles.com

BRINGING JOY BY CREATING SMILES

Roy S. SMILE MAKEOVER PATIENT

Jeffrey Martins, DDS DENTIST AND OWNER

Photo by Jay Heater

The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch was selected as the top market in Florida in 2023 and 2024.

An idea brewed into reality

DRINK UP

Traveling Bard Coffee

Owner: Nathan Russell

Residence: Lakewood

Ranch Age: 25

LIZ

RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR

Growing up, Lakewood Ranch’s Nathan Russell spent time with his mother at Starbucks taking in the ambiance and drinking his frappuccino.

He said he remembers the smell of coffee creating a “warming atmosphere.”

Russell said he likes the concept of a coffee shop where coffee serves as a gathering place for people and a mediator for people.

He decided to become a barista some day.

So in 2021, when Russell was attending Florida State University majoring in finance — and hating it — he remembered his passion for coffee and wanted to see where it could lead.

He started interviewing coffee shop owners to understand all that it took to be a business owner in the coffee industry. Russell decided to apply to the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship at FSU.

After being accepted, Russell bought a small coffee roaster and started roasting coffee in his apartment.

He brewed a dream into reality.

Russell started Traveling Bard Coffee with the concept that a fantasy character was traveling the world looking for the world’s best cup of coffee.

It wasn’t long before Russell realized he didn’t know much about coffee and the industry.

Russell said his go-to cup Starbucks drink was a caramel macchiato. He recalled going to a coffee shop in Sarasota asking for a caramel macchiato and the barista told him he wants a caramel latte instead.

“That’s when I first realized, there’s a whole world I just don’t understand about coffee,” he said.

Coffee: Small-batch, craft coffee

Where to find the cart:

Keep up to date on locations on Traveling Bard Coffee's Facebook page. More information: TravelingBardCoffee.com

He went to previously named Serenity at FSU, and even after being told the espresso machine wasn’t working, Russell said he ordered a cappuccino, to which he was again told the espresso machine wasn’t working.

“From there, I got James Hoffman’s ‘The World Atlas of Coffee’ to learn about the origins and I started learning about coffee farming,” he said.

Russell and his Traveling Bard Coffee cart started traveling around Tallahassee and later returned to Lakewood Ranch to travel around Sarasota, Manatee and surrounding

counties. He set up shop at farmers markets, served beverages at weddings and found other venues and pop-up events where coffee would be a hit.

On Aug. 7, Russell had his cart at the Lakewood Ranch Library from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Russell said he hopes to develop a partnership with Manatee County where he would be able to set up his cart at the library once per week.

Russell also is working to shine a light on the impact the coffee industry can have in other countries.

He said after conducting research and learning about coffee farmers

struggling to

style, not having many rights and protections and receiving low pay for their product, Russell switched his approach.

Russell said he went from wanting to provide a variety of coffee from a plethora of areas to dedicating time and research on where his coffee is sourced and ensuring those farmers are fairly compensated.

“I want to make sure they’re working on a living-wage farm because the supply chain of coffee is very important from the farmer to the importer, the roaster and the barista,” he said.

“It’s making sure every character in the supply chain is being paid well for their work.”

He traveled to Puerto Rico in 2023 to help film a documentary in which he interviewed local coffee farmers and construction workers about the importance of coffee in the everyday life of Puerto Ricans.

“They drink coffee all throughout the day, and coffee is what brings the family together,” he said.

“When you’re heading over to someone’s house, that’s sort of the courtesy thing in Puerto Rico, to make a cup of coffee. That was cool for me to see because coffee is something we adapt from other cultures.”

Russell also has partnered with Neighborly, a nonprofit with a water program that provides water purification tablets to people in Nyeri, Kenya so they can have access to safe drinking water. When people purchase a bag of Neighborly Blend coffee from Traveling Bard Coffee, the proceeds go toward the nonprofit’s water program, which Russell said is rewarding.

Asked if the traveling bard of Traveling Bard Coffee has found the best cup of coffee in the world, Russell said there always are new coffee flavors being created, so the best cup could still be out there to be discovered.

Russell said the coffee industry is seeing innovations more from coffee farms rather than baristas as farms experiment with co-fermentations.

“I’m always finding something that surprises me,” he said.

“I want to make sure they’re working on a livingwage farm because the supply chain of coffee is very important from the farmer to the importer, the roaster and the barista. It’s making sure every character in the supply chain is being paid well for their work.”

Photos by Liz Ramos

Lakewood Ranch's Nathan Russell is working to develop a partnership to have his coffee cart, Traveling Bard Coffee, weekly at Lakewood Ranch Library.

Russell is working to develop a partnership to have his coffee cart, Traveling Bard Coffee, weekly at Lakewood Ranch Library.

Nathan Russell

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Concession home tops sales at $2.5 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

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

COUNTRY CLUB

Vahan and Geraldine Ayvazian, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 6914 Lacantera Circle to Rocco and Nancy Lombardo, of Lakewood Ranch, for $2,285,000. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,208 square feet of living area.

Susan Baird, of Ontario, Canada, sold the home at 7232 Lismore Court to Daniel Patrick Cafferty and Rachel Simone Cafferty, of Lakewood Ranch, for $715,000. Built in 2009, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,202 square feet of living area. It sold for $355,600 in 2010.

LAKE CLUB

Stephen and Dana Meek, of Jefferson, Georgia, sold their home at 16905 Clearlake Ave. to Thomas Rapacz and Mary Lou Rapacz, trustees, of Bradenton, for $2.04 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,730 square feet of living area. It sold for $820,200 in 2020.

Randy Lee Saputo and Gay Susan Saputo, of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, sold their home at 7908 Matera Court to Eldon Le Roy Boone and Debbie Renae Boone, of Springdale, Arkansas, for $1,337,500. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,552 square feet of living area. It sold for $678,000 in 2019.

POMELLO PARK

Kenneth and Judith Scheidt, of Bradenton, sold their home at 20410 79th Ave. E. to Mark Lyons and Tatiana Celis Lyons, of Bradenton, for $1,537,500. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,947 square feet of living area.

ESPLANADE

Bruce and Lisa Betters, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 13030 Sorrento Way to Katherine E. Daniel Revocable Trust for $1,525,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,927 square feet of living area. It sold for $819,700 in 2018.

WINDING RIVER

Donald and Antoinette McCutcheon, of Peterborough, New Hampshire, sold their home at 1026 143rd St. N.E. to Carlos Martinez-De Yarza and Madeleine Martinez, of Bradenton, for $1.4 million. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths, a pool and 4,113 square feet of living area.

BRADEN OAKS

Teresa and Michael Towns, of Parrish, sold their home at 5914 38th Ave. E. to Shoby LLC for $1,195,000. Built in 1979, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,927 square feet of living area. It sold for $175,000 in 2014.

POLO RUN

Todd and Elizabeth Lux, of Bradenton, sold their home at 17065 Polo Trail to Michael and Melanie Bettencourt, of Bradenton, for $1.03 million. Built in 2019, it has six bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,520 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.1 million in 2022.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

JULY 29-AUGUST 2

COUNTY CLUB EAST

Donald Rumsby, of Alpharetta, Georgia, sold his home at 16556 Hillside Circle to David and Dawn Piano, of Bradenton, for $1.01 million. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,390 square feet of living area. It sold for $545,000 in 2019.

M. Ann Walker, of Houston, sold the home at 14409 Stirling Drive to Kevin William Pendley and Marissa D’Agostino Pendley, of Lakewood Ranch, for $799,000. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 2,692 square feet of living area.

SWEETWATER

Ashley and Michael Rutcosky, of Naperville, Illinois, sold their home at 16910 Seraphic Trail to Anna Walsh, of Bradenton, for $1,005,200. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,183 square feet of living area. It sold for $872,500 in 2022.

MALLORY PARK

Bobby Plassat Burnett and Jillian Burnett, of Bradenton, sold their home at 12415 Blue Hill Trail to Alex Burger Lago and Connie Jane Lago, of Bradenton, for $970,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,859 square feet of living area. It sold for $851,000 in 2022.

RYE WILDERNESS ESTATES

Ann Stivers, trustee, of Port Charlotte, sold the home at 109 170th St. E. to Jeffrey and Lucinda Peters, of Bradenton, for $965,000. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,072 square feet of living area. It sold for $730,000 in 2021.

GREYHAWK LANDING

Shari Ford, of O’Fallon, Missouri, sold her home at 12412 Aster Ave. to Mark and Lauren Prisco, of Bradenton, for $920,000. Built in 2004, it has five bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,882 square feet of living area. It sold for $950,000 in 2023.

Courtesy image

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

Real estate

ROSEDALE HIGHLANDS

Robert and Marilyn Elizabeth Eisenbeis, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 5337 97th St. Circle E. to Neculai Burghelea and Claresa Fisher, of New York City, for $815,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,581 square feet of living area. It sold for $465,000 in 2012.

SAVANNA Jayne Dubin, trustee, of Chester, New Jersey, sold the home at 14107 Flat Woods Terrace to Oscar Henry Wistner III and Nicole Lazette Wistner, of Mertztown, Pennsylvania, for $767,800. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,448 square feet of living area. It sold for $735,000 in 2021.

Matthew Mulhall, trustee, of Ontario, Canada, sold the home at 3627 Savanna Palms Court to James and Janine Wagner, of Lancaster, New York, for $500,000. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,921 square feet of living area. It sold for $569,800 in 2022.

SUMMERFIELD

Charles and Susan Laber, of Mobile, Alabama, sold their home at 12104 Clubhouse Drive to Gerald and Krisztina Gilmartin, of Sarasota, for $760,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,551 square feet of living area. It sold for $265,000 in 2002.

Lindsay Landeche Harness, of Sarasota, sold her home at 12323 Mosswood Place to James and Marcia Lederhos, of Sarasota, for $575,000. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,789 square feet of living area. It sold for $299,000 in 2022.

ASCOT Charles Stelter, trustee, of Bradenton, sold the home at 7511 Ascot Court to Lisa and Michael Foster,

of Bradenton, for $750,000. Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,090 square feet of living area. It sold for $725,000 in 2022.

HERITAGE HARBOUR

Carolyn and Graydon Eggers, of Boone, North Carolina, sold their home at 423 Grand Preserve Cove to William and Deborah Thurmond, of Bradenton, for $725,000. Built in 2008, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,695 square feet of living area. It sold for $350,000 in 2014.

WINDWARD

James Patrick Aschmann and Joann

Elizabeth Aschmann sold their home at 2650 Butterfly Jasmine Trail to Kenneth and Caren Goldberg, of Mount Kisco, New York, for $688,000. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,335 square feet of living area. It sold for $572,100 in 2022.

COUNTRY CREEK

Dudley and Sigrid Waters, of Bradenton, sold their home at 247 147th St. N.E. to Rita Duncan, trustee, of Bradenton, for $675,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,248 square feet of living area.

DEL WEBB

William and Nancy Marrone, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, sold the home at 17309 Freeport Terrace to Dane and Christine Fader, of Ontario, Canada, for $670,000. Built in 2018, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,872 square feet of living area. It sold for $435,800 in 2018.

SADDLEHORN ESTATES

Michal and Pamela Molnar sold their home at 22211 26th Ave. E. to Evan and Amanda Rome, of Bradenton, for $635,000. Built in 1990, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,327 square feet of living area. It sold for $172,000 in 1999.

WATER OAK

Alexandra Cirjaliu, of Nokomis, sold her home at 6727 64th Place E.

to Rupinder Kaur, of Bradenton, for $600,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,328 square feet of living area. It sold for $505,000 in 2021.

CHAPARRAL

Susan Claire Sweeney, trustee, of Hickory, North Carolina, sold the home at 6855 Winslow St. to Philip Berry and Haley Hughes, of Sarasota, for $595,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,037 square feet of living area. It sold for $171,700 in 1997.

BRADEN WOODS

June and George Lamirata, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6504 93rd St. E. to Jake Joseph Fumagalli and Sonny Baialardo, of Bradenton, for $580,000. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,870 square feet of living area. It sold for $219,000 in 2002.

Timothy and Roberta Hochuli, of Anderson, South Carolina, sold their home at 6014 99th St. E. to Kelly Oatsvall, of Bradenton, for $572,500. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,289 square feet of living area. It sold for $166,000 in 1997.

GREENBROOK

Henry and Angela Magruder, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6257 Willet Court to Courtney Meredith Mateer, of Lakewood Ranch, for $570,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,073 square feet of living area. It sold for $331,000 in 2020.

DEL TIERRA

Brian and Marion Stace sold their home at 15213 Las Olas Place to David and Deborah Dubinski, of Bradenton, for $565,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,528 square feet of living area. It sold for $505,000 in 2021.

STONEYBROOK AT HERITAGE

HARBOUR

Pamela and James Bishopp, of Dawsonville, Georgia, sold their home at 121 New Briton Court to Ethan and Sarah Windham, of Bradenton, for

$549,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,487 square feet of living area. It sold for $205,000 in 2009.

CROSSING CREEK

Evelyn Saenz, of Bradenton, sold her home at 4711 69th St. E. to Tyler and Kayli Stampler and Harry Stampler, of Fort Lauderdale, for $545,900. Built in 2014, it has five bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,211 square feet of living area. It sold for $317,000 in 2014.

COACH HOMES AT RIVER

STRAND

William High Jr., of Ellenton, sold his Unit 7203 condominium at 7008 Grand Estuary Trail to Robert Michael Menster and Veronica Ann Menster, of Bradenton, for $545,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,108 square feet of living area. It sold for $293,000 in 2019.

BRADEN PINES

Geniece Hunt, of Syracuse, New York, sold the home at 10108 Oak Run Drive to Jessica and Eric Francis, of Alliance, Ohio, for $520,000. Built in 1980, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 1,896 square feet of living area. It sold for $215,000 in 2009.

FAIRWAY LAKES AT PALM AIRE

COUNTRY CLUB

Sally Brown, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the home at 7557 Fairlinks Court to Irish Border LLC for $515,000. Built in 1992, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,782 square feet of living area. It sold for $189,900 in 1997.

transactions

SPORTS

Fast Break

Greyhawk Landing tennis player

Hayley Roberts is ranked by TennisRecruiting.net as the No. 122 player in the national class of 2025.

Greyhawk Landing tennis player Hayley Roberts competed in the 18 division of the Billie Jean King Girls National Championship, held Aug. 3-11 in San Diego, California. Roberts won her first match, taking down West Virginia's Baby Jones Jordan (6-1, 6-4), before falling 7-5, 6-1 to California's Olivia Center. Roberts is ranked by TennisRecruiting.net as the No. 122 player in the national class of 2025 as of Aug. 12.

The Pickleball Club at Lakewood Ranch is starting an after-school program in September. The program will run Mondays and Wednesdays, with kids 13-18 playing 4-5 p.m. and kids 8-12 playing 5-6 p.m. The program is $250 per month. Players of all skill levels are invited to register. For more information, visit the club's Facebook page or call 271-4300.

Lakewood Ranch High junior girls golfer Emily Storm finished tied for 11th (73-77— 150) in the Girls 13-18 division of the Florida Junior Tour's Junior Amateur Match Play tournament, held July 22-25 at Streamsong Resort in Bowling Green.

While Florida High School Athletic Association football teams have their Kickoff Classic preseason games Aug. 16, Sunshine State Athletic Association teams, like The Outof-Door Academy (6-5 and an SSAA champion in 2023), will begin their regular season. The Thunder will play a 7 p.m. road game against Keswick Christian (6-4 in 2023).

Amy Nusbaum sank a hole-in-one Aug. 10 on the No. 17 hole of Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club's Royal Lakes course. Nusbaum used an 8-hybrid on the 118-yard hole.

“I’m a big, powerhouse hitter. I love hitting through a block. I love everything about it.”

MUSTANGS MUST OVERCOME THEIR INEXPERIENCE

Head coach Scott Paravicini says Lakewood Ranch’s inexperienced players have lots of talent to pull some surprises.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

There are plenty of unknowns surrounding the Lakewood Ranch High football team as the 2024 season begins.

However, the Mustangs believe a successful season is within reach.

Coming off a 4-7 season in head coach Scott Paravicini’s debut, Lakewood Ranch graduated 26 seniors from its roster. Many of them, like defensive back Jayden Munoz (46 tackles, six interceptions) and running back/linebacker Simon Freed (884 rushing yards, seven touchdowns, 66 tackles) were key onfield contributors. The team also saw some players transfer, including linebacker Cole Wetherington (67 tackles), who is now at Venice High.

Despite those losses, Paravicini said he believes the Mustangs have the talent to fill those positions. How fast those players get up to speed — and how often they perform at their best — will determine Lakewood Ranch’s ceiling.

“Consistency is going to be big,” Paravicini said. “If we can do that and limit the amount of mistakes and stay ahead of the sticks, that’s the test. That will determine if we do it (succeed) or not.”

The team’s biggest offensive strength is its skill position players, particularly its running backs. Senior Cullen McRae will step into a larger role after splitting time with Freed in 2023. Though his reps last season were limited, McRae made the most of his opportunity, rushing for 311 yards on 62 carries (5.0 yards per carry) and scoring two touchdowns.

Paravicini said McRae is the classic “Yes, sir” player who does whatever coaches ask him to do to the best of his ability. He will be joined in the backfield by Bradenton Christian School transfer Colton Dempsey, a junior who led the Panthers with 628 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this past season.

The running backs will carry the offensive load, as quarterback Liam Fernandez steps into the starting position. Now a junior, Fernandez was one of four quarterbacks to see

Paravicini admitted he was nervous about the transition, but said his knowledge of the defensive side of the game will allow him to see other teams’ strengths and weaknesses and exploit them.

“Hopefully, I can adjust,” Paravicini said with a slight smile. “We’ll see. Time will tell.”

On defense, the unit will be anchored by Richard De Paula, a senior middle linebacker. Though De Paula’s on-field experience was limited by other good Mustangs linebackers in past seasons, the 6-foot1 De Paula showed what he can do in this year’s spring game, when he had a sack, a quarterback pressure and five tackles in a 7-0 shutout of George Jenkins High.

De Paula will be largely joined by inexperienced players. Paravicini said he is excited for those players to make a name for themselves, particularly the defensive backs. Paravicini said sophomore Jayden Rivers, sophomore Ka’Marion Jones, junior Mike Turner and sophomore Caden Huffman have a chance to make an impact in the secondary right away.

reps for the Mustangs in 2024. Of the four, Fernandez’s audition was the shortest, yet the most successful. He completed 26 of his 42 passes (61.9%) for 334 yards, including leading his team to a 24-20 win over Bayshore High (4-6) while going 10-of-12 for 152 yards and a touchdown.

Fernandez also ran 14 times for 74 yards, a glimpse at another skill he offers. A key for Lakewood Ranch will be how Fernandez grows in his role.

Fernandez’s top target could be a tight end. Cooper Orzel, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior, is the team’s top returning receiver (167 yards). Five of Lakewood Ranch’s top receivers from last season graduated. Orzel showed his ability in the team’s 41-23 loss to rival Braden River High, catching seven passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Consistent production close to that performance would be a boon for the Mustangs. Lakewood Ranch also added transfer receivers Carsten Fuller, a 6-foot-1 junior from Sarasota High, and Tommy Bowdre, a 5-foot-9 junior from North Port High, who bring speed and big-play ability. Returning junior receiver Viktor Monoki, 6-foot-1, could also be in line for a larger role.

The personnel changes are not the only changes coming to the Mustangs’ attack. For the first time in his coaching career, Paravicini will take control of his team’s offense.

“They are largely untested at the varsity level, but I’m confident in what they can do,” Paravicini said.

“They got some good looks in the spring game. They are underestimated at the moment, but I’m excited for them.”

The Mustangs will play a home preseason game against DeSoto County High at 7 p.m. Aug. 16 before kicking off the regular season at home against Lemon Bay High at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23.

The team is ready for it to begin.

“People are sleeping on us,” McRae said. “But that’s good. They don’t know what’s coming.”

LAKEWOOD RANCH HIGH FOOTBALL: AT A GLANCE

Head coach: Scott Paravicini (second season)

2023 record: 4-7, missed the postseason Key to the season: Consistency. Paravicini said that is the hardest thing for inexperienced players to develop — but if it happens, he believes the Mustangs have enough talent to put together a winning season.

Schedule (All games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted): n Aug. 16 vs. DeSoto County High (preseason) n Aug. 23 vs. Lemon Bay High (7:30 p.m.) n Aug. 30 at Seminole High (7:30 p.m.) n Sept. 6 vs. Braden River High n Sept. 13 at Southeast

— Baylee Hinkle, senior outside hitter on Braden River High’s volleyball team SEE PAGE 31

File photo

Lakewood Ranch High running back Cullen McRae (23) and quarterback Liam Fernandez (28) will both get chances to shine in 2024.

Ryan Kohn

Lakewood Ranch High head coach

Scott Paravicini, a former linebacker and defense-focused coach, will be running his team's offense for the first time in his coaching career in 2024.

Ryan Kohn

Lakewood Ranch High football will lean on seniors Richard De Paula and Cullen McRae as leaders in 2024.

Elite athletes can grow at the Sports Farm

The facility is co-founded by former MLB relief pitcher Ryan

analytics breakdowns.

All at the same facility.

This is the goal of The Sports Farm, a Lakewood Ranch athletic facility co-founded by former professional baseball pitcher Ryan Reid. Reid spent a decade playing mostly in the minor leagues and appeared in seven games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013, accumulating a 1.64 ERA and a save.  Reid has spent 15 years coaching young athletes, starting before his own baseball career was officially done. It was a passion project, he said, but he hopes that The Sports Farm becomes something more.

The facility, which Reid cofounded with Daniel McSwain and Matthew Reid, had a soft launch in 2023. All three founders have children in sports, and they wanted a place for them to train in a safe and healthy manner. Reid also brought in a few of the local athletes he was already training.

A year later, and the Farm has flourished. The facility held an open house event in July to spread word throughout the Lakewood Ranch community that it is open for business. It is located at 7359 International Place.

Reid said the facility has approximately 45 athletes in its various programs, a number he is happy to have. The Lakewood Ranch facility has limited space, Reid said — approximately 4,500 square feet — so he does not want to get too large to give everyone the room and attention they need to thrive.

Though the Farm is open to athletes of any kind, the majority of the Farm’s athletes are baseball players. The Farm has two batting/pitching

At Clemson, Travis Koon’s focus was on the softball and men’s and women’s golf programs, and that aligns with the The Sports Farm’s focus. In time, Reid said he would like to add more softball players to mix in with its baseball players — and other female athletes as well, as long as they are willing to commit to the rigorous work the Farm requires of its clients.

Reid made it clear that this is not a facility for athletes just learning their sports or people whose commitment might waver. It is for athletes who want to take a shot at playing their sport at the highest possible level.

Reid said the Farm’s most intensive package, where athletes come six days a week, comes out to approximately $35 per session, or $750 per month. Other packages, like the Farm’s just-finished summer youth program that included speed work and Rapsodo-based training, came out closer to $25 per session.

cages where players can show off their skills.

The facility uses Rapsodo tracking technology to measure everything about a player’s performance. For pitchers, that means things like spin rate and break, while hitters get to see their launch angles and exit velocity.

Giving data you would see on a Statcast edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball to a 12-year-old might sound like overkill at first, but Reid said it is important for young athletes to get a handle on what these statistics mean.

“College coaches are expecting (players) to know these things,” Reid said. “With this, you can actually put a book of data together and have a conversation based off that. ‘Here are my strengths and my weaknesses.’”

It is data Reid wishes he had during his playing days. Reid said organizations kept data similar to what the Rapsodo tracks, but did

not share that data with players.

The secrecy “drove me nuts,” Reid said. By the time MLB started opening up to players, around 2016, Reid was on his way out of the league. He had Tommy John surgery in 2015 and never found his way back to the higher levels of the game.

Reid said he had seen and heard enough about the technology to know it was the future of the sport, which led to him investing in it for coaching purposes.

Reid even let a washed up youth baseball player turned sports writer take a few swings in the Rapsodo cage. My final and best swing, hitting off a tee, had an exit velocity of 69.4 mph and a launch angle of 9.9 degrees, with the ball landing 112 feet away, just to the left of second base. Rapsodo said it would have likely resulted in an out. I respectfully disagree. If the incoming pitch had any velocity, I have faith it would have been ripped up the middle for a

single. Then again, maybe that is the nostalgia for my Little League All-Star days talking.

The Farm will also use statistical analysis in its fledgling golf program, which was started by Trey Tobias in June.

For all athletes, the Farm offers a lot more than data. In May, the team brought in Travis Koon, a former sports performance coach at Clemson University, to be the Farm’s director of sports performance. Under his direction, the Farm’s athletes go through gym workouts tailored to their sport and position.

They also get advice on proper nutrition and sleep habits, which the Farm believes is just as important as the on-field training. Koon’s wife, Christina Koon, is a help in this area. She’s a nutrition coordinator for the Boston Red Sox.

The Farm also has a table where injured players can get worked on by physical therapist Dennis Colón a few days a week.

Before anyone pays, however, Reid and his team offer a free performance evaluation to get athletes comfortable in the space and see if it is a good fit for them.

“We’re having ‘Is the juice worth the squeeze?’ conversations a lot,” Reid said. “We are looking for dedicated athletes. We are going to work with the coaches of their (school and travel) programs to make sure that we’re not overworking them and not underworking them.

“When they go to a showcase event, we want them not just showing up, but showing out.”

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

Ryan Kohn

Ryan Reid said The Sports Farm is for athletes dedicated to getting to the highest levels of their sport.

Ryan Kohn

Rhys Klein takes a cut in The Sports Farm’s batting cages. Klein plays for Braden River High.

Reid.

Baylee Hinkle

Baylee Hinkle is a senior outside hitter on the Braden River High indoor volleyball team. Head coach Matthew McElhiney said Hinkle will be one of the team’s all-around leaders during the 2024 season. The Pirates’ regular-season schedule begins Aug. 20 with a 7 p.m. home match against Bradenton Christian School.

When did you start playing volleyball?

I started when I was 8. My mom (Jessica Kane) has played her whole life and she coached, so it was easy for me to get into it.

What is the appeal to you?

I love the team. I have been around these people for so long. We’re a family. I love the competition of it, too. I love getting better every year.

What is your best skill?

Hitting. I’m a big, powerhouse hitter. I love hitting through a block. I love everything about it.

What have you been working to improve?

Passing. My serve receiving has been my weakest point for a long time. I feel like I have gotten a lot stronger at it this year. I’m excited to see the improvement.

What is your favorite memory?

Last year’s district championship game. I got the winning kill. That was a big thing for me. I got to hug my sister (Rylee Hinkle), who was a senior on the team. We all huddled together and said, ‘It’s a three-peat; we did it.’”

What are your goals for this season?

I hope we can get past the regional semifinals. That has been a sticking point for us the last three seasons. I think with this team, we can do it. We want to get the (district tournament) four-peat and go from there.

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 is different about this year’s team?

There’s a better connection. The vibe is much better. There is a lot of positivity and good energy going around the team. I think we are ready to get back at it.

What is your favorite food?

Fruit is a big thing right now, like acai bowls. I love those.

What is your favorite TV show?

“Dawson’s Creek.” It’s an oldie, but I love it.

What is your favorite school subject?

I’m dual-enrolled at Manatee Technical College in practical nursing, so I would say science, especially biology and learning about the human body.

What are your hobbies?

I just hang out with my friends whenever I can. I see these people (her teammates) all the time, but I like to catch up with other people from school or with my family.

What is the best advice you have received? My mom is good at knowing when I’m in my own head. She always tells me to push through the mental stuff, because I know I can physically do it. I just have to push myself.

Finish this sentence: “Baylee Hinkle is … ” … Outgoing. I’m an extrovert. I like going (places) and talking to people. I’m just out to have fun.

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SOMEHOW YOU’LL MANAGE by Sam Koperwas and Jeff Chen, edited by Jeff Chen

By Luis Campos

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DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at Noon Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card

The East County Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only.

*All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher.

*It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the East County Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property

Notice: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis..