East County Observer 1.30.25

EAST COUNTY

Observer

Seeds of learning

Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998

PAGE 12A

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

VOLUME 26, NO. 24

YOUR TOWN

Medical services expand to serve LWR’s growth More facilities mean area residents can stay closer to home for their health care needs. SEE PAGE 3A

Vinnie Portell

Giving thanks at Hunsader Farms Rabbi Michael Shefrin (above) of Temple Emanu-El led an annual Tot Shabbat celebration at Hunsader Farms in East County on Jan. 25.

Tot Shabbat is a family oriented celebration of Judaism intended to introduce children to faith in a fun and engaging way.

Shefrin led the group in songs of prayer and a reading of “Happy Birthday Tree.”

He also shared challah with those in attendance. The event included a train ride and an opportunity for kids to feed the animals at Hunsader Farms.

“This is the month in the Hebrew calendar of Shevat, and on the 15th day, the Torah tells us it’s the birthday of the trees,” Shefrin said. “So we’ve taken that in many ways to understand that this is a time to focus on the environment, to be outside, to appreciate nature, and to thank God for all of the things that have been created in this world.”

GOING BUGGY IN MYAKKA Jay Heater

Navigator Sierra Inabnett balances the carriage in a turn as driver Amy Cross, a 2024 national champion in Single Pony, works through a water hazard during the Combined Driving at TerraNova event Jan. 25 in Myakka City.

National and world champions among the competitors at the first Combined Driving at TerraNova event in Myakka City. SEE PAGE 1B Lesley Dwyer

For the kiddies

Just like the students who attend the Kiddie Academy, the child care franchise is growing fast in the Lakewood Ranch area.

Melodie and Sanddy Marchena (pictured above) broke ground on a new facility near University Parkway and Lorraine Road Jan. 24. The couple already own one academy on Concept Court and a third is planned for State Road 64, near White Eagle Boulevard.

Sanddy Marchena said he expects the location on University Parkway to open in August.

The new day care will serve 190 children.

“We’ve got a wait list like many other centers in the area,” Marchena said.

A+E

MISSING ALERT!

Fascinated by a Fig. INSIDE

Myakka mare still missing The owners of Cloud fear the horse was stolen, issue a $10,000 reward.

SEE PAGE 2A

$0.10

Courtesy image

Cloud, a missing 16-year-old grey mare, is known as a snuggler.

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

$10,000 REWARD

MISSING ALERT!

Call Connie Smith at 600-3002 or email Connie4031@gmail.com with any leads. Florida Beach Horses is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the safe return of Cloud.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for the safe return of Cloud.

Courtesy image

Search continues for beloved Myakka horse Cloud is a 16-year-old grey mare who has been missing since Jan. 10.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

C

onnie Smith hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since Jan. 10, when she realized one of her horses was missing from outside her Myakka City home.

The 16-year-old grey mare, a draft cross, has a white coat with bluish gray undertones and was aptly named Cloud. Smith rescued her 12 years ago from what she called an “overbreeding barn,” which essentially is a puppy mill for horses.

Smith’s husband, Jimmy Edwards, owns Florida Beach Horses, which offers guided rides on the beach

along with opportunities to swim with the horses.

The business is offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to the safe return of Cloud, which is one of the beach horses used for rides around Palma Sola Bay. So far, only scammers have called with bogus tips.

Smith has a “gut feeling” that Cloud didn’t leave on her own because it doesn’t add up with the horse’s behavior or surroundings.

There were no fences down or gates open. In the nearly three years they’ve lived on Betts Road, Cloud has never wandered off or jumped the fence.

If Cloud did jump the fence, Smith said she would have had to jump several of the neighbors’ fences, too.

It’s more likely that she would have stayed to graze or looked for a way to get back inside Smith’s fence to be with the herd.

Sgt. Robert Hendrickson of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said there’s only evidence to prove there’s a missing horse, not whether the horse was lost or stolen. Hendrickson is the supervisor of the county’s Rural Unit.

Timing raises red flags for Smith.

She said the Garden Brothers Circus had a tent set up at Dakin Dairy between December and January during the same time period Cloud disappeared.

Smith said Cloud was fed on the evening of Jan. 9, and the circus was packing up to leave. By the next morning’s feeding, Cloud was gone.

She said the horses can’t be seen from the main road, but can be seen from the dairy’s property where the circus camp was set up.

Hendrickson wouldn’t comment because it is an open investigation.

Smith values Cloud at more than $25,000 because she’s a working

horse and still of breeding age, but that’s not why there’s a $10,000 reward. She said Cloud is part of her family.

Smith’s worries are parental.

Cloud gets anxious when shut up in a stall too long, and she’s still recovering from injuries.

On Nov. 29, their trailer was T-boned on State Road 70 at County Road 675. Cloud was one of eight horses in the trailer when it flipped.

Another horse, Hoss, died in the crash.

Smith said Cloud didn’t have any open wounds left, but she was still experiencing muscle swelling and receiving electromagnetic wave treatments.

Smith doesn’t believe Cloud is lost because of how much they searched with drones and on horseback, but it does happen.

Hendrickson said a bull and two cows went missing during Hurricane Ian in 2022. They were found about three months ago, and by that time, the bull and two cows had three offspring.

They were found because they had become a nuisance by regularly crossing State Road 64. Residents and drivers kept reporting the loose livestock to police. Finally, someone got a photo that revealed a brand.

“They were living just fine on their own in the woods,” Hendrickson said. “Granted, that is an unusual case.”

In most cases, he said lost livestock turn up within a week or two.

If Cloud is found to be stolen and an arrest is made, Hendrickson said the charge would be the same as if a car was stolen. Grand theft is at least a third-degree felony that can result in penalties of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

“I pray every morning,” Smith said. “It’s a needle in a haystack, but I’m always going to keep up hope that she’ll show up or somebody will want to speak out for the $10,000.”

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

A freestanding emergency room is now open at 7250 University Parkway.

More medical choices

come to Lakewood Ranch area Hospital and safety officials say more facilities can mean better outcomes for the patients due to proximity.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

A

s Lakewood Ranch’s population continues to grow, medical services have been increasing to keep pace.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital opened a freestanding emergency room on University Parkway in January that can serve up to 150 patients a day. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is under construction to add another 60 beds to its facility by December, and Exalt Health is opening a 40-bed rehabilitation hospital in 2026.

Those are just some of the facilities that have either opened or are planning to open in the near future in the Lakewood Ranch area.

“For any master-planned community, integrating medical services is essential to fostering a high quality of life,” said Laura Cole, senior vice president of Lakewood Ranch Communities. “Homebuyers, regardless of age or need, consistently prioritize access to health care and wellness options when making their decision to move.”

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Cole said health care is a significant driver of employment in Lakewood Ranch, accounting for 21% of all employers and providing jobs for nearly 7,000 health care professionals.

When first opened in 2004, the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center employed 160 physicians. In 2024, the hospital employed 525 physicians, plus 233 nurses and physician assistants.

The five-story tower will add 100 more employment opportunities.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s freestanding ER contributed an additional 50 jobs to the area.

Additional facilities can mean more ambulances in service, reduce emergency room waiting times, and can give patients more choices.

The Lakewood Ranch Medical Center has a freestanding ER on Fruitville Road in Sarasota that opened in 2020, and SMH now has a freestanding ER in Lakewood Ranch as well.

Dr. Marshall Frank, medical director for the Sarasota Fire Department, said in many cases, patients have a choice when being loaded into an ambulance ... If the patient’s condition doesn’t dictate where they should go.

He said having more ERs enhances emergency services operations as well. “(A nearby facility) reduces the time we’re out of service,” Frank said.

“The sooner we can get that unit back in service, the sooner it can go to another 911 call.”

MEETING DEMAND

Dr. Tara Wendt, medical director at the ER on University Parkway, said the volume of patients SMH sees in its main ER, and where those patients are coming from, drives the decision of where to open a freestanding ER. The hospital opened an ER in North Port in 2009. At that time, it was only the second freestanding ER in the state. Now, the location on University Parkway is the second freestanding ER in Lakewood Ranch.

HCA Florida Healthcare operates the other one on State Road 70 near Interstate 75. It’s one of more than 50 freestanding ERs for HCA Healthcare across the state.

Wendt started with Sarasota Memorial about 11 years ago. At the start, she could see a clear delineation in patient volumes between season and nonseason. Three years in, she said that delineation was nearly nonexistent.

“The volumes we’re seeing, we’re seeing year-round,” Wendt said. “It’s not just a snowbird community anymore.”

The ERs are “continuously full.”

Having just opened Jan. 7, the ER on

Courtesy image

Exalt Health expects its rehabilitation hospital in Lakewood Ranch to open in 2026.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

“We want to be able to keep Lakewood Ranch patients in Lakewood Ranch. Every health system has to chip into that growth.”

— Philip Reber, interim CEO at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center

University Parkway is already seeing about 40 patients a day, which is exceeding the hospital’s initial expectations.

Philip Reber, interim CEO at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, said the community is growing so quickly that it can be difficult to keep up with the demand. Phasing its expansion is an example of how the hospital is adapting to a rapidly growing population.

Only three floors of the five-story tower will be used when the tower first opens. The top two floors will remain shells.

Currently the hospital has 120 beds. Each phase of the tower will add 60 beds, doubling that capacity.

Already having a space with plumbing and electricity makes it much easier to expand in the future.

At the rate Lakewood Ranch is expanding, Reber anticipates construction on the top two floors to begin within two years of the tower’s opening.

Reber said the hospital is constantly looking for opportunities in the freestanding ER space, as well, because “not everyone that needs health care needs to be admitted to a hospital.”

It’s better to have access points throughout the community, even if the access is via competing health care systems.

“We want to be able to keep Lakewood Ranch patients in Lakewood Ranch,” Reber said. “Every health system has to chip into that growth.”

Both Reber and Wendt stressed that timing is crucial when it comes to clinical outcomes, so additional facilities always benefit patients.

“Think about the volumes of people moving into the area and the strain on the family and internal medicine practitioners locally,” Wendt said.

“Freestanding ERs are always available to be used, and many people do use us as primary care.”

The ER includes fast-track bays, specialty rooms for pediatric and behavioral health patients, resuscitation rooms and onsite laboratory and imaging diagnostics.

By means of referrals and patient choice, the health systems work

BY THE NUMBERS Sarasota Memorial Hospital ER at Lakewood Ranch, 7250 University Parkway.

■ 15,000 square feet ■ 21 treatment rooms ■ $28 million ■ Open now Lakewood Ranch Medical Center expansion, 8330 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.

■ 170,000 square feet ■ 120 additional beds over both phases ■ $120 million ■ Expected to open December 2025 (first phase only) Exalt Health rehabilitation hospital, 5800 Lake Osprey Drive.

■ 40,000 square feet ■ 40 beds ■ $30 million ■ Expected to open 2026

together. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is already working with Sarasota Memorial’s ER, so patients in need of inpatient treatment can stay in Lakewood Ranch if they so choose.

The hospital and ER offer acute care, which is on-the-spot, shortterm treatment.

Last July, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “high performing hospital” for heart attack care. But if a patient is in need of care post-heart attack, they’re currently referred out of the area for rehabilitation.

Exalt Health broke ground on a $30 million rehabilitation hospital at the intersection of Professional Parkway and Lake Osprey Drive that will offer the post acute care that’s currently missing in Lakewood Ranch.

Reber said the average hospital stay is three to five days. Rehabilitation facilities are for anyone who needs a week or two of hospitalization.

Exalt expects to be seeing patients sometime during the first quarter of 2026. Services will include intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy, along with specialized programs for neurological, orthopedic and cardiac recovery.

“Because so many things in health care are time dependent, being able to stay as close to your home as possible is going to be the best thing for you,” Reber said. “Whether that’s heart attacks, strokes, you name it, time is of the essence in a lot of those situations.”

Construction on the fivestory tower at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center can be viewed from inside the hospital.

Interim CEO Philip Reber says its not uncommon to see people stop and stare.

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icholas Haas struggled to relate to his students when he first became a music teacher.

A guitarist who grew up as an admirer of the Beatles and played in the jazz band at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Haas found that the music he relates to doesn’t resonate with young students today.

However, that’s no longer an issue for Haas, who was selected as the 2024-25 Imagine School at Lakewood Ranch Teacher of the Year in a vote of his peers.

“I’ve had a lot of transition,” said Haas, who used to play local gigs and give private guitar lessons before becoming a teacher. “Just because you are a good musician doesn’t mean you can necessarily teach music. My first few years were really challenging. When I taught guitar, it went pretty well, but everything else was challenging. I’ve had to learn how to manage a class of 20 and keep them engaged and keep them on task.

“Sometimes, it’s like organized chaos. I try to get them exposed so they can try all of these different things.”

Many students want to practice music with songs that top the charts.

Some popular requests that Haas hasn’t been able to accommodate have been “Fe!n’” by Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti and the discography of YoungBoy Never Broke Again.

Songs like that can’t be used in a school setting, but Haas has found a compromise that works.

Songs by Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd are some examples that are suitable for children and keep them excited about showing up to class.

“I’m still stuck in the ’50s or the ’60s,” Haas said. “I like all music, but I don’t really listen to current music unless the kids ask me to. They keep me young in that way.”

Haas has worked at a number of schools in the state, including Blackburn Elementary, Manatee School for the Arts, Braden River Middle

Vinnie Portell

NICHOLAS HAAS’ FORMER BAND NAMES ■ “Three Songs” ■ “Rad Jacket” ■ “C’est La Vie” ■ “Bankrupt in Panama”

and Imagine School at North Manatee before arriving at Imagine School at Lakewood Ranch.

At one stop, he said he had a student who often skipped their classes throughout the day, but would show up for music class.

“There was a student who told me, ‘The only reason I come to school is to be in your class,’ so that was cool,” Haas said. “That kid was skipping school for most of the day, but then would come to the last period for my class, and they’d be like, ‘What’s that kid doing in here? He hasn’t been here all day.’

“So they made a deal with the kid to get him back on track, and that was satisfying.”

Haas said he warms up his students with body percussion sounds that can be made by tapping their legs and shoulders and stomping their feet to create a beat.

Then, he puts instruments in their hands.

Nicholas Haas, the Imagine School at Lakewood Ranch Teacher of the Year, is a longtime guitarist who has parlayed his passion for music into a career in teaching.

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

Imposing challenges for Meals on Wheels Plus CEO and President Maribeth Phillips says the considerable community needs in 2025 are real.

Meals on Wheels PlusManatee’s Maribeth Phillips and Daybreak Adult Day Center’s Stefanie Guido hope the community continues to support the programs in 2025.

JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR

M

eals on Wheels Plus-Manatee drives its many programs into 2025 with a similar plea to its community.

More is needed.

Maribeth Phillips, the nonprofit’s CEO and president, understands the needs are repetitive. As soon as one demand is met, another emerges.

But she is confident the public understands. She said the support from the community always has been incredible, and she believes it will continue to be that way in 2025 and beyond.

“The programs of Meals on Wheels are life changing and life saving,” Phillips said. “We try to incorporate that into our conversations. People

Jay Heater

can’t survive without food. And that’s why you see somebody in a car, lining up at 11:30 a.m. when we are not starting at a food pantry until 4 p.m.

“When you see somebody sitting in a car without air conditioning — you know because the windows are

HOW TO SUPPORT MEALS ON WHEELS PLUS

Ways to donate and volunteer can be found at MealsOnWheelsPlus.org.

You can also attend or sponsor a major Meals on Wheels Plus-Manatee event. (Go to MealsOnWheelsPlus.org for information or tickets.)

FEB. 9 — Galentines Brunch and Bubbly, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Meals on Wheels Plus, 811 23rd Ave. E., Bradenton, $25 ($35 at door). Enjoy a champagne brunch. Bring a $10 wrapped gift to be included in the Cupid Red Elephant Gift Exchange.

MARCH 1 — Tropical Nights, 6-10 p.m., Grove, 10670 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch, $250. The 31st annual Tropical Nights Under

Paris Lights will include entertainment, food, and live and online auctions.

MAY 16 — Drive Away Hunger Golf Classic, 8:30 a.m., Rosedale Golf and Country Club, 5100 87th St. E., Lakewood Ranch, $500 a foursome or $130 a single golfer. The scramble tournament includes green fees, cart, driving range, food and beverage, along with prizes and contests.

rolled down even though they are sitting in the hot, blazing sun — you know they need it. You see the need.

The need is real.”

COVID-19 obviously presented its own challenges in Manatee County due to unemployment, illness and other strains on citizens. The community came through with food and monetary donations and Meals on Wheels moved people through a tough time.

“But we have not seen a drop-off since COVID,” Phillips said. “We started to see COVID in the rearview mirror, then the cost of gas, housing and food went up. That wave never went down, and then we had the hurricanes. We were hit so hard.”

Meals on Wheels had special distributions to help those affected by the hurricanes.

She said those affected finished repairs and got their power back on, then went to the pantries looking for food.

“We don’t expect the numbers to go down in 2025,” said Phillips, “We have to secure food and the resources to secure food.”

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BY THE NUMBERS: 2024 MEALS ON WHEELS HOME DELIVERED MEALS 190,000 — Home-delivered meals to clients 535 — Average number of homebound and disabled seniors served 110 — Average number of clients who received food for their pets each month 2,400 — Bags of supplemental food provided to low-income seniors, in addition to regular meal delivery

preparation for hurricane season 110,000 — Meals provided to Manatee County residents impacted by the storms 38 — Neighborhoods affected by the storms that received supplies such as food, cleaning supplies, tools and drinking water 209 — Number of mobilized volunteers who provided hurricane relief service

FOOD BANK OF MANATEE (2024) 3,800,000 — Pounds of food distributed 115 — Number of food pantries and partner agencies feeding those in need 38,000 — Pounds of fresh produce delivered free through Mobile Produce Pantry distributions 2,100 — Emergency baby baskets including diapers, wipes, and formula provided to infants in crisis 250 — Families who received emergency food baskets MEALS ON WHEELS HURRICANE RELIEF 3,100 — Shelf-stable meals provided to seniors in June in

Besides supplying food to those in need, Meals on Wheels Plus also has other programs of significant value to the county, such as the Daybreak Adult Day Center in Lakewood Ranch. The center provides a secure environment with social, recreational and therapeutic activities for those adults who live at home but can’t be left alone without a caregiver.

It is the only licensed and federally funded program of its kind in Manatee County. The cost is $15 an hour and includes all supplies, snacks, meals and more. Partial and full-day enrollment is available.

The Daybreak Adult Day Center’s Stefanie Guido said those who visit or tour the facility immediately see

OTHER MEALS ON WHEELS PROGRAMS 19,500 — Pounds of fresh produce delivered through Produce on Wheels 65 — Average clients each month who attend the Daybreak Adult Day Center 54 — Average clients participating each month in Friendship Dining Centers 41 — Average number of clients who received door-to-door transportation to the Daybreak Adult Day Center and the Friendship Dining Center each month MEALS ON WHEELS COMMUNITY SUPPORT 23,000 — Volunteer hours worked 40 — Outreach events in Manatee County

the value.

Among the programs is the monthly Traveling Chair where Kahoot! technology is used to take the clients to different locations in the world and to experience different cultures.

Music Mondays allows clients to revisit their musical talents.

“We were very lucky to receive some musical instruments,” Guido said. “We have one lady who used to play piano 50 years ago. She comes into the room with her walker and sits down and begins to play. It has been extremely therapeutic for her.

It is fascinating what music does to the brain.”

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

Local schools soar in graduation rates Lakewood Ranch, Parrish Community and Braden River each recorded better than a 92% graduation rate for last year.

VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER

T

wenty years ago, just 59% of high school seniors in Florida walked across a graduation stage with a diploma in hand.

That number has since surged to a record-high 89.7% for the 2023-24 school year, and the results are mirrored for Manatee County students, as well.

Manatee County wasn’t in as bad of shape as the rest of the state 20 years ago, graduating 75.3% of its students, but that number is up to 85.7% as of this past school year — up 3.4% from the previous year and was its highest mark for a school year in which statewide assessments were not waived.

School officials said each school faces its own unique challenges, but that it’s undeniable monumental progress has been made in the School District of Manatee County.

LAKEWOOD RANCH SETS THE POSITIVE EXAMPLE

No school in Manatee County had more success graduating students this past year than Lakewood Ranch High School.

The Mustangs graduated at a 96.5% rate in 2024, an exceptionally high number considering 2,450 students attend the school.

Principal Dustin Dahlquist is no stranger when it comes to the barriers to graduation, and his previous struggles are being put to good use.

Once at Palmetto High School — a D-rated school at the time — Dahlquist became familiar with pinpointing what it takes to get students back on track.

“I know what the struggle is in

other places,” said Dahlquist, who spent 18 years at Palmetto High, and made stops at Southeast High and Buffalo Creek Middle. “We’ve taken some of those things we’ve learned in other places and applied them here.

That’s how we’ve gotten from 92, 93, 94 percent to 97.”

Dahlquist said he is blessed to lead a school filled with students who are high-achievers, but no high school is without some students who fall behind.

Individualized attention has been key.

Dahlquist said counselors at Lakewood Ranch High School have implemented annual meetings with each student in the spring semester over the past few years to see if they’re on track to graduate.

Then, a graduation team identifies at-risk students and comes up with a plan to address the problem, whether that be better attendance or credit recovery.

If a student needs to catch up, there are several different pathways for them to receive their diploma on time.

Credit recovery classes are offered both before and after school, and tutors are made available so students can pass state-mandated testing.

If that’s not enough, senior students can take summer classes and tests to meet requirements.

Lakewood Ranch has a graduation rate significantly higher than the rest of Manatee County and the state, but Dahlquist said he and his staff still aren’t satisfied.

“Once you get to 94 or 95 percent of the graduation rate, it comes down to individual work to get those last few points,” Dahlquist said. “The other side is we’re not satisfied at 97 percent. I don’t know if we can (get to 100 percent) or not, but we’re going to try.

“Is it acceptable for someone to go from K-12 and not graduate? It’s reality, however, we’re going to continue to work on ways. Maybe there was something we didn’t do their freshman year or something got lost

MANATEE COUNTY GRADUATION RATE

BY THE YEARS ■ 2003-04: 75.3% ■ 2004-05: 81.5% ■ 2005-06: 76.9% ■ 2006-07: 78.7% ■ 2007-08: 79.3% ■ 2008-09: 79.4% ■ 2009-10: 79.2% ■ 2010-11: 64.7% ■ 2011-12: 76.2% ■ 2012-13: 76.8% ■ 2013-14: 76.1% ■ 2014-15: 77.9% ■ 2015-16: 83.5% ■ 2016-17: 81.1% ■ 2017-18: 85.4% ■ 2018-19: 83.2% ■ 2019-20: 85.8%* ■ 2020-21: 85.1%* ■ 2021-22: 80.3% ■ 2022-23: 82.3% ■ 2023-24: 85.7%

Ava Horne, a Mustang graduate, celebrates during the 2024 ceremony.

File photo

Statewide assessments waived due to coronavirus pandemic

*

along the way their sophomore year.

If you get to 97, you have to get to 98.”

Over the past decade, Lakewood Ranch has hovered anywhere from 92% to this past year’s mark of 96.5% — the best graduation rate in school history.

SIX MANATEE COUNTY SCHOOLS INCREASE GRADUATION RATE

Several schools contributed to the county’s increased graduation rate this past year, with a few making eye-popping changes.

Southeast High jumped to 89.2% (up 12.7%), Bayshore High climbed to 81.4% (up 9.1%), Palmetto High went to 90.7% (up 5.9%) and Manatee High increased to 85% (up 4.4%).

Braden River had a marginal 1.7% increase, but it’s now at 92.4% — third best in the district behind Lakewood Ranch and Parrish Community (95.1%).

Though that may not seem like much of a difference on the surface, it’s been a battle just to stay above 90% at Braden River.

The school was graduating students at a 92% rate in 2019, but the coronavirus pandemic pushed that rate down to 90% in 2021 and 87% in 2022.

Administrators said they had a hard time transitioning their students back to a traditional classroom setting, if they could track them down.

It’s taken some concentrated effort to get back to normal, and see that be reflected in the school’s graduation rate.

“Some of those are classic, but seem to be more heightened after COVID,” Braden River Principal Wendell Butler said of the reasons why some students don’t graduate at his school. “I’ve found it boils down to students having to make life choices sometimes. If they have to worry about a roof over their head, food on the table, or things of that nature.

“If they have to help out with family financial obligations because of having to rebound, especially after COVID, the students are going to choose the immediate need over that long-term desire of trying to graduate. Especially if that impacts them in their 10th or 11th grade year and they might not get to that 12th grade year.”

Braden River has found its way

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back above the county and state graduation rate via a method similar to that of Lakewood Ranch.

Butler said that the school has assembled a “graduation team” over the past few years to track students from Day 1 to graduation day — looking at attendance, behavior, credits, grades and testing.

“We always know our at-risk students. If they are in that category of at-risk, is it one risk factor or multiple? We have a solution for one of each of the four at-risk factors,” Braden River assistant principal Laura Gonzales said.

Gonzales said the four at-risk factor categories are GPA, credits, and the state-mandated math and English assessments.

Sometimes, graduating a student is beyond the control of teachers, counselors or administrators.

If a student leaves a high school and intends to transfer to a different school, it’s up to the original high school to make sure they enroll. If that doesn’t happen, that’s one more student who didn’t graduate — leaving the school with no way to combat the issue.

“The disparity between not having a high school diploma and graduating with a high school diploma, in terms of your potential earnings over your lifetime, it’s astronomical,” Dahlquist said. “There are many jobs you’re just not going to qualify for.”

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

7A

The Most Wildly Successful

New Waterfront Community 16 Designer-Decorated Models Now Open

NEW HOMESITES RELEASED IN PHASE 2

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ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. ALL RENDERINGS AND PLANS ARE PROPOSED CONCEPTS SHOWN ONLY FOR MARKETING PURPOSES AND ARE BASED ON THE DEVELOPER’S CURRENT PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN. DEVELOPER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY, REVISE OR WITHDRAW THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PLAN IN DEVELOPER’S SOLE DISCRETION WITHOUT NOTICE. NOTHING HEREIN OR IN ANY OTHER COMMUNICATION SHALL BE DEEMED TO OBLIGATE THE DEVELOPER, OR ANY AFFILIATE OF DEVELOPER, TO CONSTRUCT THE PROJECT OR OFFER ANY OF THE PROJECT FOR SALE, AND NOTHING HEREIN SHALL BE DEEMED A GUARANTY OF ANY KIND. THIS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SALE OR SOLICITATION OF OFFERS TO BUY.

8A

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

Sotheby’s International Realty ® Affiliate Worldwide*

CONCESSION 19405 Ganton Avenue Donna Soda & Joel Schemmel

Scan below for a full list of Open Houses, property details, driving directions and more

MANASOTA KEY 7159 Manasota Key Road Joel Schemmel

$11,900,000 941.587.4894

FOUNDERS CLUB 3809 Founders Club Drive Donna Soda

8532 Pavia Way Laura Stavola

$3,890,000 941.447.4875

COUNTRY CLUB EAST 16543 Kendleshire Terrace Michele NeSmith

$2,495,000 941.330.3429

LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE 899 Seascape Place Judy Heuerman & Valerie Esposito

$1,095,000 941.356.5260

COUNTRY CLUB EAST 16442 Hillside Circle Donna Soda

$899,000 941.961.5857

POLO RUN 17335 Polo Trail Joe Harris & Charles Totonis

THE CONCESSION $3,950,000 941.961.5857

HAMPTON LAKES

THE LAKE CLUB

3582 Recurve Circle Charles Totonis & Joe Harris

$2,850,000 941.524.8299

3548 Founders Club Drive Jerry Zaback

$2,199,000 941.232.8055

8276 Redonda Loop Donna Soda

ENGLEWOOD 1910 Oregon Trail Denise Mattmuller

$1,075,000 941.524.8299

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB 7139 Sandhills Place Bridgett Tackett-Byzewski

7116 Presidio Glen Donna Soda

$3,199,000 941.961.5857

PANTHER RIDGE $2,650,000 941.350.6885

20504 65th Avenue East Laura Stavola

$1,835,600 941.961.5857

4515 Terrazza Court Donna Soda

THE ISLES

SHOREVIEW AT WATERSIDE LAKEWOOD RANCH 7989 Grande Shores Drive Charles Totonis & Joe Harris

19458 Beacon Park Place Donna Soda

FOUNDERS CLUB

$860,000 941.780.0462

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB $815,000 941.539.0974

$4,099,000 941.961.5857

$799,000 941.961.5857

ESPLANADE

WATERFRONT AT MAIN STREET 10530 Boardwalk Loop #601 Joel Schemmel

$1,045,000 941.587.4894

$859,900 941.228.9206

COUNTRY CLUB EAST 7833 Valderrama Way Gloria Bracciano

$1,025,000 941.229.4000

7996 Sandstar Way Joe Harris & Charles Totonis

$850,000 941.539.0974

MOTE RANCH

COUNTRY CREEK 4457 Sandpine Lane Andrew Tanner

$1,195,000 941.961.5857

LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE

BOCA ROYALE 75 Cayman Isles Boulevard Bob Linthicum

$2,600,000 941.447.4875

$795,000 941.539.0998

6828 Coyote Ridge Court Kevin Milner

Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity. Property information herein is derived from various resources, including, but not limited to, county records and multiple listing services, and may include approximations. All information is deemed accurate. *Peerage Group Sotheby’s International Realty. Source: BrokerMetrics®

$775,000 941.539.3287

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

SARASOTA PLANTATIONS 5645 Churchill Downs Road Bill Blume

COUNTRY CLUB EAST

$2,195,000 941.525.6257

7014 Whittlebury Trail Gloria Bracciano

COUNTRY CLUB EAST 7220 Whittlebury Trail Donna Soda

BRADENTON

$1,295,000 941.229.4000

LAKEWOOD RANCH $1,115,000 941.961.5857

7131 Sandhills Place Katy McBrayer

9A

9915 Old Hyde Park Place Laura Stavola

$1,249,000 941.447.4875

COBBLESTONE | PALMER RANCH $839,000 941.400.2406

8752 Bellussi Drive Judie Berger

$699,900 941.928.3424

THE GULF COAST LUXURY LEADER

SUNRISE PRESERVE 5433 Hope Sound Circle Jaya Brossard & John Odorzynski

SARASOTA $775,000 941.914.8414

4553 Chimney Creek Drive Tom Hedge

BOCA ROYALE 4 Dominica Drive Bob Linthicum

$765,000 941.587.6660

COLONIAL OAKS $759,900 941.228.9206

LAKEWOOD RANCH

5706 Bent Oak Drive Catherine Seress

$739,900 941.928.1187

16435 Daysailor Trail Tom Hedge

$2,099,950 941.587.6660

ESPLANADE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB

INDIGO 3817 Azurite Way Judy Heuerman & Valerie Esposito

6847 Bay Hill Drive Art Paterson

$1,499,000 941.961.5857

$569,000 941.302.8194

12667 Sorrento Way Mary Ann Hartmann

$649,000 941.914.8414

4501 Murcia Boulevard #7 Joel Schemmel & Sharon Chiodi

SUNRISE PRESERVE

LAKEHOUSE COVE 7917 Mainsail Lane Donna Soda

LAKEWOOD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB VILLAGE

$689,000 941.356.5260

SUNRISE PRESERVE 8792 Rain Song Road Tamara & Todd Currey

5436 Hope Sound Circle Jaya Brossard & John Odorzynski

PRESTANCIA

LONGWOOD RUN $517,000 941.587.1776

4336 Callista Lane Fernando Viteri

$685,900 407.466.1538

$625,000 941.587.4894

PINE RUN III $495,000 941.400.7676

232 Woodland Drive Denise Mattmuller

$285,000 941.232.8055

Featured New Developments

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10A

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

EAST COUNTY

Julie Fanning holds the ceremonial gavel in taking over as the 2025 chair of the board for the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.

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

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 Publisher and President / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com Associate Publisher — East County Observer / Lori Ruth, LRuth@YourObserver.com Executive Editor and COO / Kat Wingert, KWingert@YourObserver.com Managing Editor / Jay Heater, JHeater@YourObserver.com Sports Reporter / Dylan Campbell, DCampbell@YourObserver.com Staff Writers / Lesley Dwyer, LDwyer@ YourObserver.com; Vinnie Portell, VPortell@YourObserver.com Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com Digital Content Producer / Jim DeLa, JDeLa@YourObserver.com Copy Editor / Gina Reynolds Haskins, GRHaskins@YourObserver.com Senior Editorial Designer / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com

Photos by Jay Heater

Pull up a chair — and get to work Julie Fanning of Benderson Development says she is ready for the rigors of being the LWRBA chair.

JAY HEATER | MANAGING EDITOR

A

fter taking over as the new

Digital Fulfillment Specialist / Emma B. Jolly, EJolly@YourObserver.com Tributes Coordinator / Kristen Boothroyd, Tributes@YourObserver.com Director of Marketing / Robin Lankton, RLankton@YourObserver.com

chair of the board of the Lakewood Ranch Business

Alliance for 2025, Julie Fanning was asked about her hobbies.

Silence.

What, no hobbies?

“I go to events,” said Fanning, the director of marketing for Benderson Development. “We had 439 events at UTC last year (with Benderson Development). We had more than 100 events with the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance.”

Fanning and her husband of 24 years, Tim Fanning, are empty nesters now, with their 18-year-old daughter, Madeline, at Florida State University and their 25-year-old son, Ethan, working in education guidance in Kansas City.

Still, Fanning knows that taking over as LWRBA chair will include a lot of responsibilities.

“I am confident in my role,” said Fanning, who received the ceremonial gavel at the LWRBA’s 20th anniversary luncheon Jan. 24 at the Grove in Lakewood Ranch. “I have an amazing team (at Benderson Development), a strong leader (LWRBA CEO and President Brittany Lamont) and a great board.

“This is my way of giving back.

The Alliance has been part of my life since I moved her 10 years ago. I was trying to make business connections and the Alliance supported me and introduced me to the community. I never pictured myself as the chair, but I am very proud. This is a huge honor.”

Fanning, who was born in Gainesville and grew up in West Palm Beach, will guide the nonprofit through its 20th anniversary year. While she said no special events have been added to the schedule to celebrate the 20 years, all their events will carry a 20th anniversary theme.

She said outgoing Chair Dave Otterness launched a three-year plan in 2024, so it’s her duty to keep that plan moving forward in 2025.

Marketing will be key in “getting the brand out there.”

“Dave did an amazing job setting us up for success,” she said. “We’re in a very positive place.”

She said spreading the word about the Alliance takes more work than ever because it “isn’t the best kept secret anymore.”

The LWRBA has approximately 750 members, so she will be focused on increasing membership by retain-

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

Schroeder-Manatee Ranch CEO and President Rex Jensen was honored with the Chairman’s Award at the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance’s 20th anniversary luncheon at Grove.

STILL GROWING

The Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance continues to add members.

2005: LWRBA founded 2010: 440 members 2014: Surpasses 500 members 2025: 750 members

ing the current members and reaching new potential candidates. She said the Alliance has new software that will help with that goal.

“As we look to 2025, we remain committed to advancing our three strategic priorities — engage, grow and impact,” Fanning said. “Together, we will continue to expand our reach across the region, strengthen our vision for the future, and, above all, stay focused on serving the needs of our members.”

One of her roles, as she sees it, is to attend committee meetings on each initiative and then report back to the board and the committees to build cohesiveness. Fanning, who lives in Nokomis, will hold a workshop where all the committee chairs can meet. She also will continue Otterness’ commitment to advocacy.

With all the events, all the committees, all her responsibilities, and a full-time job, she said Benderson Development’s commitment to the community will allow her to get things done.

“The biggest challenge for me is just finding the time required,” she said. “But I have an amazing support team (at Benderson Development) that will cover for me.”

Fanning was honored at the lun-

cheon along with Schroeder-Manatee Ranch CEO and President Rex Jensen, who received the Chairman’s Award. Wayne Parrish of Rite Technology was announced as the incoming chair for 2026.

The Chairman’s Award recognizes a member who has gone above and beyond in his or her role with the LWRBA and who has been a champion and a confidant, providing guidance and insight to the chair of the board and to the leaders of the organization.

The LWRBA was established in 2005 with an office at SMR’s headquarters.

Jensen, who is a board member emeritus, talked about how “incredibly important” it has been for the business community to be engaged in the success of the community as a whole. He said he wants to see the LWRBA continue to evolve.

Jensen said if artificial intelligence made a model of a master planned community, it would include a synergy with the residents, business community, and the government. He credited the LWRBA for helping that synergy exist in Lakewood Ranch and added that SMR did well by fostering the growth of the LWRBA. SMR and Jensen were lauded for their “community-centric approach” that led to a “place where people have a sense of belonging.”

As always, Jensen added a touch of humor to the proceedings. In talking about SMR’s contributions to the community, he noted that “Roads within Lakewood Ranch work ... roads outside Lakewood Ranch, not so much.”

Sometimes, fostering the growth of an organization, such as the LWRBA, can get expensive. Jensen said that he and fellow board member emeritus Lou Marinaccio “bought 30 tickets to every event the LWRBA held.”

“The biggest challenge for me is just finding the time required.

But I have an amazing support team (at Benderson Development) that will cover for me.”

— Julie Fanning

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SIDE OF RANCH

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

11A

JAY HEATER

Top-end home market reaches new heights Stock Development closes out Lake Club with a $6.3 million sale.

P

erhaps you are more middle class than blue blood, like me, and you’ve gone on a cruise.

One of the things I like is that my waiter, or the bartender, has no idea whether I am staying in the top luxury suite or the dungeon cabin on the bottom floor.

An Armani jacket from Goodwill, and I’m good to go.

Likewise, when I’m at the beach and people ask where I live, I like saying Lakewood Ranch.

When Rex Jensen and SchroederManatee Ranch planned Lakewood Ranch, they wanted a mix of housing opportunities. Sure, they wanted the high-end communities where the rest of us couldn’t see over the fence, but they also needed space for those scratching out a living in the service industry along with everything in-between.

And when you tell that beachcomber you live in Lakewood Ranch, he or she has no idea whether you live in the Lake Club or ... well ... not the Lake Club.

Just keep your 1997 Hyundai parked around the corner.

So I never have understood why people gripe when they hear Lakewood Ranch just broke ground on an elite neighborhood. I imagine Mick Jagger would still have to stand behind me in line at Taco Bell.

If he wants to live in a $5 million home near me, good for him.

The bottom line is that if you squeeze into the middle class homes in Lakewood Ranch and an elite neighborhood comes to your general vicinity, there is a good chance your own home is going to appreciate in value.

Moving on up. I am thinking

Jay Heater

Stock Development Sales Associate Dominick Giallombardo stands in front of the final new home to sell in the Lake Club at 15315 Anchorage Place. It sold for $6,295,000.

about a cruise upgrade.

When Stock Development’s Dominick Giallombardo says that the high-end market in Lakewood Ranch has “exploded” upward, that should be cause for celebration, for all of us.

For many places around the U.S., home sales slowed in 2024 due to high interest rates and people worrying about their finances. Lakewood Ranch, meanwhile, continues to show it is insulated to national sales trends. On Jan. 7, Lakewood Ranch was announced as the No. 1 selling, multigenerational, masterplanned community in the U.S. for the seventh consecutive year with 2,210 new home sales in 2024.

Included in those sales are the

elite homes, in places such as the Lake Club, which has been Lakewood Ranch’s marquee neighborhood. The Lake Club closed out its final new home sale in December, when the home at 15315 Anchorage Place went for $6,295,000.

Giallombardo has been selling homes in the Lake Club for 11 years, the last six as a sales associate with Stock Development. Since Stock Development closed on its first Lake Club home in 2015, it has sold 382 new homes in the neighborhood and 89 homesites.

Along the way, Giallombardo said Lakewood Ranch has significantly raised the bar when it comes to its custom homes.

“Since September, the $3 million-

plus market has been on fire in the Lakewood Ranch area,” Giallombardo said. “When I started here, $2 million was the high end. Three years ago, it was $3.5 million. Now, most of the homes are starting close to $2 million in Wild Blue.

“I think you are going to see high $6 million to $8 million homes (in Wild Blue).”

He said he expects Wild Blue, in Lakewood Ranch’s Waterside area, to sell out in about three years, despite the rising prices. In the nottoo-distant future, he expects the top elite homes in Lakewood Ranch to sell for $10 million, or “north of it.”

“We set the tone on Anchorage Place,” Giallombardo said. “We built four higher-caliber, estatelot sized products that were spec homes (where the builder has mostly finished construction before the home is put on the market). Two of the homes were 5,000 square feet and the other two were 6,000 square feet. We broke ground on them 18 months ago and, realistically, they didn’t go on the market until September.

“Once the first one sold, they fell like dominoes. The first one validated the price point. You see it trending that way.”

The four homes sold for a combined $25 million.

Giallombardo said it isn’t Lakewood Ranch that has changed.

“It’s just the migration from other areas,” he said. “They still are coming from out of state.”

Hurricanes be damned.

“This market has shown it has an appetite for the high-end product,” he said.

Stock Development already has planned 15 estate homes of the 505 total homes or lots for homes for Wild Blue.

Claudine Leger-Wetzel, the vice president of sales and marketing for Stock Development, said SMR

turned to Stock Development to fill the demand for custom homes.

Stock began buying large parcels in the Lake Club in 2017.

“The challenge for SMR was finding custom builders who could fill the demand,” she said. “With Stock, it is so unique. The developer is a custom builder. When we came into the Lake Club, they were selling 20 homes a year. Each builder was building five to 10 homes, but they didn’t have the volume. SMR knew it needed more. They decided to sell the land and let someone else manage the project.

“There was a demand for luxury homes in a luxury community.”

Leger-Wetzel said demand started to grow significantly for luxury homes on Florida’s west coast following COVID-19. She said the east coast of Florida had dominated the luxury price point.

“People were looking around for alternatives. When they saw Lakewood Ranch, it was, ‘Wow, this place offers a lot.’ We started to build a lot of specs. Momentum breeds momentum. The custom four homes on spec in the Lake Club filled an unmet demand.”

She said Stock expects the elite home market to continue to thrive.

“We’re betting on it,” she said.

I won’t be buying one, unless I hit the Powerball, but I am going to toast the future with a little champagne anyway. “Waiter! Bring me the good stuff. I live in Lakewood Ranch.”

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

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

Photos by Vinnie Portell

Students at William H. Bashaw Elementary School planted a new garden Jan. 14 with the help from Supervisor of Student Nutrition Skye Grundy (left), EBD self-contain teacher Ms. Bratton, EarthBox representative Will Carlton and Principal James Dougherty.

Bashaw improvement project grows with garden School’s new garden to be used for cooking, math, science lessons — and lunch.

VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER

T

he 40th anniversary of William H. Bashaw Elementary is coming up in August, and the school is working on a facelift so it can look its best for the occasion.

Several campuswide improvements have been underway this school year, from fresh paint in the interior buildings to a new playground for Pre-K and kindergarten students.

On Jan. 14, some students had a chance to help give the school’s garden a makeover with freshly planted

tomatoes, peppers, milkweed and flowers.

BASHAW PLANTS NEW EDIBLE GARDEN

Bashaw Elementary is one of six schools in the School District of Manatee County, along with Bayshore Elementary, Moody Elementary, Samoset Elementary, Sugg Middle School and Braden River High School, that received part of the $37,250 awarded via the USDA’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant for turnkey edible school gardens.

Bashaw had a unique need for the funds after its longstanding garden — the Dr. Bashaw Garden — needed some work after years of use.

“What’s happened over the course of time is that things start breaking down,” Bashaw Elementary Principal James Dougherty said. “So this past January, I got with our SAC (student advisory council) and we discussed

Other plants harvested, like peppers, flowers and milkweed, will be used for cooking lessons as well as math and science lessons.

Skye Grundy, supervisor of student nutrition for the School District of Manatee County, said math lessons, like learning how to use fractions, can be easily applied to recipes while the science of the plant, including pollination and physical makeup can be studied in a way that’s easy for students to see.

“Those hands-on visual learning moments are priceless,” Grundy said. “Especially for educators to be able to see that light bulb go off for a student that learning it out of the book didn’t do it. All of a sudden, that light bulb goes off.”

The plants will be tended to and maintained by Bratton and an inschool and after-school garden club.

There will be more mulch added to the garden, pavers added and picnic tables brought in to finalize the project in the coming weeks.

MORE CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS COMING TO BASHAW

money via pledge sheets, and the money is already being put to use.

Along with freshly painted walls, a new playground and a new edible garden, Bashaw is planning to add a sensory pad near its new playground — helping younger students and students with disabilities learn in a fun and interactive way — along with a new school mural that’s nearing completion.

Although these additions aren’t as directly related to education as new textbooks or new teachers, Dougherty said they’re necessary additions for what Bashaw Elementary is trying to accomplish.

“We’ve needed something to make everything a little bit more lively and give everything a little bit more of an elementary school feel, but also something that makes the kids excited to come here,” Dougherty said. “It increases school pride, and you should have seen when the kids first came out of campus and they saw (the mural) and how excited they were.”

Bashaw’s new edible garden is one step in a campus-wide improvement project.

The school raised $15,000 in November during a color run in which it asked students to raise

various campus improvements that we can make here at our school.

“So this was 12 months ago, and the garden was one of the areas that was pinpointed among other areas of the campus, too.”

Students from Kamille Bratton’s emotional and behavioral disorder self-contained class learned how to use EarthBoxes to grow plants with some hands-on experience with instruction from Will Carlton of EarthBox Garden Center.

With some assistance, students stuffed dirt into their EarthBox — a planter that protects against flooding and makes gardening easier to manage — inserted their plants and then watered the soil.

The garden will have a variety of applications.

Tomatoes grown from the garden will be harvested for the National School Lunch Program at the school.

Bashaw Elementary student Dimpana Yogish helps classmate Zaedin McNeir figure out how to get his plant out of its container during the planting of a new garden on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

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12A

JANUARY 30, 2025

SPORTS

“When things get hard, don’t get too down on yourself. Always pick yourself back up.”

— Braden River High’s Payton Mangay-Ayam SEE PAGE 15A

FAST

BREAK

Photos by Dylan Campbell Dylan Campbell

Braden River junior Chloe Pogoda finished first in the Olympic discipline of the 183-pound weight class at the Class 2A District 12 championship at Lemon Bay High on Jan 23. Pogoda finished with 300 points.

T

he Braden River High girls varsity weightlifting team won its third consecutive title at the 3A Region 3 District 12 weightlifting meet at Lemon Bay High on Jan. 23. The Pirates finished first in the Olympic discipline with 81 points, beating second place Lemon Bay High. Braden River finished second to Lemon Bay in the Traditional discipline with 57 points. ... Braden River’s individual champions included junior Payton Mangay-Ayam in the Olympic and Traditional 154-pound class, junior Chloe Pogoda in the Olympic 183-pound class, junior Alora Parcells in the Olympic 139-pound class, senior Baylee Hinkle in the Olympic and Traditional 199-pound class and sophomore Emily Gonzalez in the 110-pound Olympic class. … The Lakewood Ranch High girls varsity wrestling team competed at the Queen of the Castle tournament on Jan. 25 at North Fort Myers High. The Mustangs finished sixth out of 26 teams, with sophomore Francesca Bisordi (17-1), going 3-0 on the day and defeating Parrish Community High’s Isabella Montanaro (13-6) by fall in the 170-pound championship match. … The Lakewood Ranch High girls varsity basketball team (15-4) notched its fourth victory in a row when it defeated Braden River High 44-26 at home Jan. 21. … The Sarasota Paradise of the United Soccer League 2 is holding player tryouts for its upcoming 2025 season on Feb. 8-9 from 10 a.m. to noon at Premier Sports Campus.

The Paradise went 8-1-3 last season, winning USL2’s South Florida division title and will kick off its season May 17 at Premier Sports Campus. Players interested in trying out must register online in advance.

For more information go to SarasotaParadise.us.

HANGING TOUGH PAGE 14A

Power of dragon boat racing unleashed Hundreds of cancer survivors gathered at Nathan Benderson Park for Unleash the Dragons.

DYLAN CAMPBELL SPORTS REPORTER

H

undreds of pink flowers floated in the water at Nathan Benderson Park, carried away from the bank by the stiff breeze that had billowed through for most of the morning.

They had been placed by the hundreds of dragon boat paddlers, all cancer survivors, who gathered at the park Jan. 25 for the Unleash the Dragons: Dragon Boat Festival and Leadership Camp.

Some of the paddlers wept as they placed roses in the water. Others laughed and embraced their fellow survivors. Many held back tears.

The flower ceremony was a somber moment during a day of celebration. The ceremony was designed to remember those who had crossed life’s finish line before them. Every paddler who had survived the disease carried with them the memories of those who had not.

The paddlers, who hailed from 99 different teams across 24 states and 13 countries, had come to Nathan Benderson Park three days prior for the start of the program. Unleash the Dragons, presented by the park and Linked in Pinks, a group of breast cancer survivors dedicated to promoting excellence in dragon boat racing, was designed to be more than just a series of races.

There are teams around the world of dedicated breast cancer and all cancer survivor dragon boat teams, inspired by a movement started over 20 years ago by Canadian sports medicine specialist Dr. Don McKenzie to prove breast cancer survivors could — and should — exercise.

EXERCISE IS GOOD

The sport, previously restricted from breast cancer survivors because of the notion that rigorous upperbody exercise would encourage the spread of lymphedema, has become a landing spot for cancer survivors to become active once again.

Unleash the Dragons was designed to foster growth among the international community of cancer survivor dragon boat paddlers, a connection point for those who have found this sport to be a saving grace in their post-diagnosis lives.

Unleash the Dragons began on Jan. 22 with a two-day leadership camp, featuring a lecture from McKenzie.

Individual leaders from each home team registered for the leadership training portion, where they could grow their skills.

On Jan. 24, the rest of the participants joined in — the only catch was that the paddlers were purposefully not assigned to their home teams, instead placed on composite crews of new boats, with new team names from paddlers across the world.

This gave the participants a chance

to connect with new faces. It also gave team leaders, who had participated in the leadership camp, a chance to practice their skills before the actual race day on Jan. 25 when the newly formed teams competed.

“Every team that you see is a composite team made up of six or seven teams from around the world,” said JoAnn Moore, a Lakewood Ranch resident and founder of Linked in Pinks. “It’s a mixed bag of different skill levels and different languages and backgrounds, so that they have to jell together as a team and operate as a team on the water.”

It was not an easy task for the newly formed crews.

“The first couple of days were definitely challenging,” said Water Warriors steerer Nadia McConnville, who races with Pink Phoenix Dragon Boat Team and the Catch-22 Ospreys out of Portland, Oregon.

“Every paddler has a different idea of how they paddle at home. Some of the paddlers had never even raced before.”

Moore said the leadership camp and the purposeful assigning of composite teams is meant to empower future groups of breast cancer and all cancer survivor paddlers. By bringing in race officials and experienced Dragon Boat coaches from across the world, paddlers can not only learn the skills of leading a team — coaching techniques, off-water management, steering and more — but also go through the motions of actually starting their own team.

TIME TO RACE

On Jan. 25, 24 teams of 20 paddlers each raced in three divisions, racing in knockout rounds of 500 meters and a final round of 1,000-meter races. The results, however, weren’t the focus. None of the composite teams were going to be as competitive as that of the paddlers’ home boats.

It was the stories behind them, of what dragon boat racing has done for the paddlers, that mattered the most.

There are paddlers like McConnville, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 14 years ago, and has stayed with the sport even as she’s fought through successive surgeries in her postdiagnosis journey.

“Unfortunately, a year after my treatments, I found out that my bones had deteriorated from the chemotherapy and I had to replace my shoulders and hips,” said McConnville. “I couldn’t paddle anymore, so I switched to steering. I’m a bionic steerer.”

Linked in Pinks member Annette Johnson, a breast cancer survivor, credits dragon boat racing in changing

her outlook on post-diagnosis life.

Johnson was introduced to dragon boat racing by her physical therapist after developing lymphedema while in remission.

“I like to refer to finding dragon boating as the lemonade from my cancer lemons,” said Johnson. “I lost my mother and grandmother to breast cancer. When I was diagnosed, I didn’t have examples of my chapter after diagnosis being positive. After joining my team 12 years ago, I had examples of women who were stronger, fitter versions of themselves after their breast cancer diagnosis.”

There’s a special bond formed among cancer survivor Dragon Boat paddlers, one that can only be forged on the water. It’s a bond that makes it difficult to stay out of the water, according to Susan Balmert, a 75-year-old breast cancer survivor from Akron, Ohio.

“I’ve tried to wean myself away from it a couple of times, thinking that I should leave a spot for the young people coming into it,” Balmert said. “But I keep coming back and they keep welcoming that. So I will be in the boat as long as I can pick up the paddle and keep moving forward with these women.”

Above: Breast cancer survivor Nadia McConnville, of Washington (back), steers the Water Warriors boat.

McConnville made the switch from paddling to steering after undergoing shoulder and hip replacement surgeries as a result of her cancer.

THE STAT SHEET

While the results weren’t the most important part of the festival, the paddlers still fought hard for their respective boats. Three divisions (A,B,C) with 24 boats of 20 paddlers each — not including the steerer on the back and drummer, who sets the pace, on the front — battled for bragging rights at Nathan Benderson Park.

OVERALL RESULTS: 1ST PLACE: Flamazing Flamingoes, 31 points 2ND PLACE: Not Wimpy Women/Water Warriors, 29 points each 3RD PLACE: Pink Tastic Dragons/Synch or Swim, 28 points each 4TH PLACE: Sunshine Dragons, 27 points 5TH PLACE: Heroes United, 26 points

Christine Trasteveri, of New York City, and Ellen Schell, of Long Island, New York, hold their flowers during the flower ceremony at the Unleash the Dragons festival at Nathan Benderson Park on Jan. 25.

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

CAMPBELL’S CORNER

DYLAN CAMPBELL

Tough season for local prep basketball teams C oaching a high school sports team, at least in Florida, is akin to managing a company that is in a constant state of flux. Not only are the employees adolescents, smack dab in the middle of the biggest growth period of their young lives, but they are also incredibly transient.

The transfer culture of the NCAA has seeped down through the cracks to the Sunshine State, where every year, student-athletes transfer from school to school, chasing coaches, opportunities and playing time.

Such is the case for the boys basketball programs of rival high schools Braden River and Lakewood Ranch.

Each program saw the transfer of impact players prior to the start of the season. Their matchup on Jan. 21, which Braden River won 65-45, depicted two programs still in a state of transition.

Braden River, 8-12 after the victory, seemed to be coalescing into the team head coach Dwight Gilmer envisioned. Lakewood Ranch, which fell to 3-16 after the loss to the Pirates, appears to just be hanging on. Since that game, both teams have split two games with the Mustangs now 4-18 while the Pirates are 9-13.

How both programs navigate the tumultuous waters of high school basketball leading up and into the start of their respective district tournaments Feb. 3 could be a telling sign of their futures.

BRADEN RIVER, CLASS 5A DISTRICT 9

The season had started off perfectly for Braden River. The Pirates were 4-0 through their first four games, with impressive wins over Cardinal Mooney (19-1) on Nov. 22 and Parrish Community High (14-6)

on Dec. 3. Despite the graduation of the team’s three top scorers in 2024 — Marcus Schade, Isaac Heaven and Jacobi Murray — and the departure of key pieces such as point guard Tatum Spikes and combo guard Dudache Belony, Braden River looked like the team that had captured the 5A District 10 title in 2024, its first since 2012.

Then the train fell off the tracks.

Starting with Dec. 6’s 57-46 loss to Palmetto High, Braden River failed to record a win for over a month, losing 11 consecutive games.

“We had just about everything that could go wrong with a basketball team go wrong, from injuries to personality conflicts to health scares,” Gilmer said. “But that’s why we coach the game. That adversity makes us stronger as a team and as a family.”

Figuring out team chemistry, Gilmer noted, has taken time.

“When you lose the number of guys that we lost last year and bring in the number of new players that we have, chemistry becomes a huge factor,” said Gilmer. “It’s been tough this year, figuring out who we are as a team and as a program. You never know with young people how fast they’re going to latch onto something and how quickly something will resonate with them.”

Gilmer is confident, however, that the Pirates are beginning to right the ship. The team’s 65-45 victory over Lakewood Ranch, was Braden River’s third in a row. The Pirates have been carried offensively by a pair of sophomore guards, 5-foot-9 Anquan Polynice and 6-foot-2 Jerrod Long.

Polynice, a transfer from Southeast High, has led the Pirates in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game and racking up 13 in the win

Bogdan Godlevskyi, a sophomore forward at Lakewood Ranch, drives to the basket against Braden River’s Charlie Wilson on Jan. 21.

Godlevskyi scored a season-high 11 points in the game, which Lakewood Ranch lost 65-45.

Dylan Campbell

over Lakewood Ranch. Gilmer noted that not only is Polynice the team’s lead guard, responsible for getting the offense into sets, but the sophomore also sets the tone with his toughness and tenacity.

Long, who scored 17 in the win, has been a natural compliment to Polynice with his length and shooting range. Gilmer also noted the contributions of senior guard Jaron Fields, a transfer from Lakewood Ranch who, Gilmer said, has been a “beautiful surprise.”

“As the season comes to a close, we’ve talked a lot about controlling what you can control,” Gilmer said.

“Control your attitude, control your effort, control your confidence, things of that nature. If we can do that, we can be right there in any game we have left and we can win.”

LAKEWOOD RANCH, CLASS 6A DISTRICT 11

Lakewood Ranch head coach George Holub knew that this season, his first as head coach, might be a tough one. The team’s two leading scorers from last season, 6-foot-3 guard Isaiah Allen and

6-foot-6 power forward David Young, had transferred out of the program.

Holub, a basketball lifer who led Long Island’s Elmont Memorial High to a New York state title in 2016, is Lakewood Ranch’s third head coach in four years.

Last season, the Mustangs, which went to the state championship final in 2019 under longtime head coach Jeremy Schiller, posted an 8-16 record.

While they won’t reach that win total this season, it hasn’t been for a lack of effort.

Against Braden River, which Lakewood Ranch defeated earlier in this season 78-67 on Dec. 10, the Mustangs played a gritty style of basketball, never giving up on possessions until the whistle blew.

Lakewood Ranch, down 34-14 at the half, scored 20 points in the third quarter, showing signs of life.

“We’re trying to find our footing again,” said Holub. “We’re transitioning and we have some players left over from previous regimes.

They’re trying, but we’re not the most talented team out here. We give effort every single night, but

we’re outgunned most of the time.”

While the Mustangs’ chances in the 6A District 11 tournament starting Feb. 3 might not look great, there are indications of a brighter future in the years to come. Holub was quick to point out the development of the team’s younger players throughout the course of the season.

Sophomore Bogdan Godlevskyi, a 6-foot-3 forward, scored a season high 11 points against Braden River.

Freshman Greg Dauer, a 6-foot-1 guard who is averaging 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, has shown flashes, racking up 14 points in Lakewood Ranch’s 59-54 season opening victory over Bayshore High on Nov. 19 and scoring 11 in the team’s 57-43 loss to Parrish Community High on Dec. 5.

Dylan Campbell is the sports reporter for the East County Observer. Contact him at DCampbell@ YourObserver.com.

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YourObserver.com

When did you start weightlifting and why?

I started weightlifting during my freshman year. I’d just quit gymnastics after a nasty injury and was introduced to the girls weightlifting team during our sports orientation at school. I thought it looked like fun, so I gave it a try.

What’s your favorite school subject?

Science. I’m taking anatomy right now. I love learning about how the body works, in college I think I want to major in something related to it.

What are your hobbies?

When I’m not lifting weights, I’m in the athletic training room shadowing the athletic trainer. I’m interested in working in that field.

What’s the best advice that you’ve received?

When things get hard, don’t get too down on yourself. Always pick yourself back up.

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Payton Mangay-Ayam is a junior on the Braden River High girls varsity weightlifting team. At the Class 3A District 12 meet at Lemon Bay High on Jan. 23, Mangay-Ayam was crowned the individual champion in the Olympic and Traditional 154-pound class, recording a 150-pound snatch and a 200-pound clean and jerk. Mangay-Ayam is to compete at the 2A Region 3 Regional Championship on Jan. 29 at Wesley Chapel’s Cypress Creek High.

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

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Payton Mangay-Ayam

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

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Pasta. I like pasta with Alfredo sauce and mac and cheese.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

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JANUARY 30, 2025

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Sarasota’s Amy Chenard, Wendy DeGilio and Katy Rosen enjoy champagne and a picnic lunch as they enjoy the combined driving at TerraNova Jan. 25.

Photos by Jay Heater

Multiple U.S. national champion driver Raymond Helmuth, of Cambridge, Iowa, was one of the top competitors at the Combined Driving at TerraNova event Jan. 25 in Myakka City.

The drive to be a champion

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akewood Ranch’s Misdee Wrigley Miller used one word to describe the course after her marathon run on Jan. 25 during the first Combined Driving at TerraNova event.

“Magnificent.”

It was four years ago that Wrigley Miller, who owns the Sarasota Polo Club with her husband, James Miller, “planted a seed” with TerraNova Equestrian Center founders Hannah Herrig Ketelboeter and her husband, Zach Ketelboeter, to host a combined driving event in Myakka City.

Molly Oakman was hired as president of the TerraNova Equestrian Center in 2024 and she pushed the event forward.

Wrigley Miller expects there to be more combined driving events at the facility.

“Having this the first time, they built three permanent hazards,” she said. “I think that means we can come back.”

Germany’s Henning Lemcke, an official for the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, said the TerraNova Equestrian Center in Myakka was a fabulous host

Driver Allison Stroud, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, competes in combined driving at TerraNova on Jan. 25.

Navigator Carrie Ostrowski-Place gives her horse a kiss at the start line for the marathon portion of the combined driving event at TerraNova on Jan. 25.

for its first combined driving event.

“Everything is flat and that is good for this sport,” Lemcke said.

“You have enough parking.

“You are going to see a lot of competitors here in the future. It is beautiful.”

Wrigley Miller was covering the course with her team of four horses — Corleone, Doorman,

Alonso and Calipso — along with navigator Dee Aldrich, and backstep Tristan Aldrich. But several classes were contested with one-, two- and four-horse teams competing in dressage, marathon and cones. The competition ran Jan. 23-26.

— JAY HEATER

The turns are so sharp when going through a hazard that Misdee Wrigley Miller’s team of four horses looks like it is going in opposite directions.

Lakewood Ranch’s Miller was competing Jan. 25 in the combined driving event at TerraNova.

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

“To be honest with you, for a lot of people, their animals are family members, so it’s just as important to them.”

— Dr. Devon Diaz

Vinnie Portell

Dr. Devon Diaz of Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch demonstrates how to check a dog for a pulse during a pet first aid presentation at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall on the morning of Jan. 25.

CERT teaches emergency pet prep Staying ready for disaster includes some steps many might overlook.

VINNIE PORTELL STAFF WRITER

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any Floridians have become well-versed in the dress rehearsal for hurricanes, but some aspects can be easy to overlook.

One of those can be knowing what to do for your pet before, during and after a natural disaster.

Lakewood Ranch’s Community Emergency Response Team hosted a Pet Emergency First Aid event, which was open to the public, at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall on Jan.

25 to address that issue.

“We’ve had neighbors who have come to other events who have said, ‘OK, this is what I do with CPR or stopping the bleed,’ and yes, we all are trained in that, but I wouldn’t have known how to apply CPR to an animal,” said Jim Curran, director of community outreach for Lakewood Ranch CERT. “To be honest with you, for a lot of people, their animals are family members, so it’s just as important to them. It just makes sense with what we do to bring it to the animal kingdom as well.”

Dr. Devon Diaz, a veterinarian at Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch who specializes in emergency critical care, gave a presentation on everything that pet owners should do to be ready, and what to do in case preparation isn’t enough.

Diaz said that 19% of emergency visits at his veterinary clinic after hurricanes Helene and Milton could have been prevented, and reducing that intake could make a difference.

HOW TO PREPARE

Planning for evacuation isn’t new to anyone who’s experienced a hurricane, but additional steps are a must when pets are involved.

Diaz recommended doing a test run of packing a vehicle with everything a family might need and everything a pet might need. Necessary pet supplies — such as a crate, leash, collar, food, medicine, sanitation, water, bowls and comfort items — can take up more space than some realize.

If evacuating to a hotel or shelter, it’s also important to check ahead of time to ensure your destination accepts pets. Some hotels and shelters don’t accept pets, while others

place limitations on the species and size of the animal.

Diaz said a good rule of thumb for pets is to have three- to seven-days’ worth of food (including a can opener, scoop/spoon and bowl), sevendays’ worth of water and two weeks’ worth of medication, at the least.

Typical items Diaz said is an afterthought for many are medical and identification records and proof of ownership.

WHAT TO DO IN A PET EMERGENCY

Even though 75 of the 395 pet emergencies from hurricanes Helene and Milton at Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch could have been prevented, that means 320 of them were unavoidable.

In some cases, cardiopulmonary resuscitation might be needed, and pets are administered CPR in a different manner than humans, Diaz said.

After checking for breath and a pulse, dogs are to be given chest compressions with two hands and cats with one — depressing from one-third to one-half of the chest cavity.

To blow air, the pet’s mouth must be sealed and hard breaths are to be administered into the nose.

Diaz said a good average to stick to is two breaths to every 30 compressions, if the CPR is being done by one person, or 10 breaths per minute with two people.

When pets are bleeding, Diaz said to apply direct pressure, pack the wound and use a stretch wrap and tuck tourniquet.

Overheating can also be an issue in Florida because humidity over 35% can jeopardize evaporative cooling.

Animals should be cooled down to 104 degrees Fahrenheit before transport, using immersion in tepid water if available.

For more information on how to handle pet emergencies, the staff at Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch can be reached at 15205 Garnet Trail, Bradenton, or by phone at (941) 739-1800.

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What Would the Founding Fathers Think of America Today?

It would be nearly impossible to overestimate the reverence afforded America’s celebrated founding fathers. They were real men whose brilliance launched our country, and they vigorously discussed and debated the important political issues of their time.

By focusing on key writings and speeches of founders such as Washington, Jefferson, Adams and others we can certainly speculate what they’d think about the issues of today. That’s the fascinating and unique idea behind the Observer’s upcoming event in Sarasota on February 6th. It will be presented by renowned Brown University Professor Wendy Schiller, Chair of the Department of Political Science.

Here’s an example. The partisan hostility of our two major parties

has certainly frustrated nearly everyone. It turns out that the “Father of our Country” and our very first President was concerned about that very issue. In George Washington’s words from his famous farewell address in 1796, “There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and keep alive the spirit of liberty. But then he went on to assert “the constant danger of excess” and ended by referring to a political party as “ a fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance topresent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume” Another subject area that was discussed thoroughly at the start of our country and continues to be a major focus today is the role of religion. While many believe

that the Founders felt that religion should be kept entirely outside political life, that’s really not what most of them felt. James Madison wrote that all men are “equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience”. In actuality the founders were less concerned about religious influences on government than they were with any effort to exclude some religions and favor others. That is what they had experienced as citizens of England and was what they were primarily concerned with.

One more example would be concerns about economic and wealth inequality. Many think of this as an area of concern only in recent times, e– launched in large part by the now well known “occupy Wall Street” movement in 2011. In fact, it was a subject ad-

issue for as long as our country has been in existence. It was Thomas Jefferson who wrote “That same prudence which in private life would forbid paying our own money for unexplained projects, forbids it in the dispensation of the public monies” Sounds a lot like something you hear every day on TV!

vanced by many founders, and some of their thinking was quite advanced. Thomas Paine wrote of the need to “make some provisions for people become poor and wretched not only at the time they become so. Would it not, even a matter of economy, be far better to devise means to prevent their becoming poor?”

And finally, apparently federal spending has been a hot button

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

Band boosters instrumental to Pirates’ success Braden River High’s band director calls the parent-led nonprofit ‘crucial’ to the program’s success.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

V

olunteers for the Braden River High School Band Boosters Association include several multitalented parents.

Of course, they fundraise. The nonprofit’s annual goal is to raise over $200,000 to support the high school’s band program. But these parents also act as travel agents, tailors, cooks, cleaners, movers and builders.

“It’s my second full-time job,” President Nicole Soler said in a halfjoking manner. “We’re all full-time employees. I work in IT.” Jessica Eastman is a nurse practitioner. Naturally, she serves as the “medic mom,” making sure the band members are fed and hydrated before competitions. Her official title is Color Guard representative.

Danny Abercrombie is a mechanical engineer by trade. His most recent side project was designing and building a giant jack-in-the-box for the marching band last season.

He engineered the walls to come apart during the performance and come back together for each show thereafter. The box was designed to have a student inside who pulled a

pin on cue, then all four walls collapsed onto the field for a dramatic effect.

Director of Bands Cliff Dawson said a productive booster organization is essential to the students’ success. There are 83 members of the marching band, but the band program serves 149 students.

The program includes three concert bands, three jazz bands, a percussion ensemble and the color guard, which is akin to a dance troupe, but they use flags and other props to enhance their performances.

“Without (the boosters’) support, we would not achieve the same level of excellence,” Dawson said. “Every task they undertake, no matter how small, is crucial to the success of the students.”

To perform in the marching band costs at least $800. Color guard has two seasons, so that’s about $1,500.

The boosters set aside $10,000 each year to pay for students who can’t afford the expense.

The nonprofit raises most of its funds through manning the concession stand at football games, but members also throw occasional fundraisers, too. They hold periodic bake sales and try to pull together an

Courtesy images

Sara and Danny Abercrombie support their daughter, Allyson, by wearing marching band T-shirts and volunteering for the Braden River High School Band Boosters.

auction once a year.

Outside of scholarships, the funds are spent on equipment, props and travel. A trip to the marching band championships requires charter buses, hotel rooms and a lot of pizza.

Anyone with organizational skills is encouraged to join, but ultimately, the boosters are successful because they all share a common goal to see their children succeed.

“It’s so much fun,” Soler said. “You really get to know the parents you’re volunteering with, and you make

friends. As adults, it’s harder to do that.”

Soler also pointed out that it’s not just the parents running around doing all the hard work. The boosters do what they do because of the dedication shown by the kids and the band directors, who are willing to put in equally long hours of practice.

All of the hard work paid off when Braden River High School’s Marching Band of Pirates won the Division 2A state championship Nov. 16. It was the band’s first state champion-

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THE SUPREME GOLF SWING PROBLEM

Millions of recreational golfers are inconsistent arm swingers, can’t hit it with their practice swing, do great on the range, but not on the golf course.

Braden River High School’s Kirsten Soler and Quinn McGettigan kiss the trophy after the Pirates earned their first state championship title in five years.

the same vicinity,” she said. “It’s hard to come by with teenagers.”

So the parents do what they do, just on a grander scale.

They hand wash multiple uniforms and line dry them. They pack 100 lunches and haul instruments in a trailer. When the teenagers forget their instruments or accidentally drop a mouthpiece into a drainage grate, both of which have happened, they find loaners.

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“It was like we won ourselves,” Soler said. “We’ve seen the growth going back to July, when these kids first started, and then it’s November, and we’re at their very last performance. I’m getting filled (with emotion). These kids are amazing and what they do is incredible.”

Soler’s daughter, Kirsten, is a junior. She started in the color guard as a freshman.

Kirsten Soler’s freshman-year reaction to her mom and dad volunteering at the concession stand during football games was, “Go home,” but her attitude has since changed.

Now, she wants an explanation if Soler has to miss a show.

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EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

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COMMUNITY THURSDAY, JAN. 30 THROUGH SUNDAY, FEB. 2 LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING Runs from 2:30-5:30 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Steve Arvey (Thursday), Deadwood Dick and the Drifters (Friday), The Garbage-Men Band (Saturday) and Rick “Rooster” Arrighi. The Friday and Saturday concerts are $5 and the others are free. For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.

FRIDAY, JAN. 31 AND SATURDAY, FEB. 1

MUSIC AT THE PLAZA Runs 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Frankie Lombardi plays acoustic rock and pop for those strolling through Waterside Place on Friday night. The Saturday night performer has not been announced.

For more information about the free music series, go to WatersidePlace. com.

SATURDAY, FEB. 1

Low-Maintenance Townhomes From Low $300s No CDD! Double brick-paved driveways Included covered lanai & lawn care Fenced-in dog park

DEL WEBB CATALINA GRAND OPENING Runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4844 Starlight Beach Lane, Lakewood Ranch. The new 55-plus community of Del Webb Catalina is hosting a grand opening party that is open to the public. Those who attend can explore seven model homes and get information about the community.

A complimentary lunch will be available to those who visit.

FIRST SATURDAY YOGA Begins at 9 a.m. at Bob Gardner Park, 2710 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Gentle/Yin yoga is held the first Saturday of each month.

LWR Yoga Barre leads the session, which is designed to stretch, soothe and restore your body and mind in a natural setting. All levels are welcome. Bring a mat. Go to LakewoodRanch.com for more information.

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GULF COAST GAMES Begins at 9 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. The 36th annual Gulf Coast Games for Life include

BEST BET SUNDAY, FEB. 2

POLO Gates open at 10 a.m. and the match begins at 1 p.m. at the Sarasota Polo Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane, Lakewood Ranch. General admission is $15; VIP tickets run $20 and up. Each week has a theme for those who want to participate. For more information, go to SarasotaPolo.com. The season runs every Sunday through April 27.

Olympic-style rowing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, which are as qualifiers for the Florida Senior Games. The event gives seniors the opportunity to compete at the local, state and national level. Register at Bit.Ly/GCGFLRegister or call 8617275 for more information. For more information about other events, sites and dates, go to visit FloridaSeniorGames.com.

SUNDAY, FEB. 2

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 voted as the top farmers market in Florida for the second year in a row in 2024, will run year-round every Sunday. For more information, visit MyLWR.com.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5

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

RANCH NITE WEDNESDAY Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place. Ranch Nite Wednesday features food trucks, dessert trucks, live music, weekly programing, outdoor bars and a recreational cornhole league. Please do not bring coolers or bring outside food or beverages. Go to Waterside.com for more information.

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LAKEWOOD RANCH 8388 Catamaran Circle 3 Beds 4 Baths 3,671 Sq. Ft. Tina Ciaccio 941-685-8420 A4635654 $3,450,000

BRADENTON 1259 Tyne Lane 3 Beds 3/2 Baths 3,460 Sq. Ft. Noel Morton 941-348-9129 A4626850 $1,375,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 16528 Berwick Terrace 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,783 Sq. Ft. Stacy Hanan 941-266-0529 A4631146 $1,350,000

BRADENTON 10619 Restoration Terrace 4 Beds 3 Baths 3,150 Sq. Ft. Sandi Dietrich 941-704-0697 A4636014 $1,295,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 8175 Redonda Loop 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 3,137 Sq. Ft. Izzy Pollack 941-404-0403 A4626050 $1,199,999

BRADENTON 2425 Riverview Boulevard 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,660 Sq. Ft. Lynne Callahan 941-720-3278 A4636144 $1,100,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 15016 Bowfin Terrace 5 Beds 4 Baths 3,851 Sq. Ft. Olivia Marciniak 941-400-1623 A4622891 $1,039,000

PARRISH 16026 39th Glen E 3 Beds 3 Baths 3,019 Sq. Ft. Nicole Ryskamp 941-807-1766 A4632165 $1,000,000

PARRISH 15808 42nd Glen E 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,782 Sq. Ft. Denise Gagne 941-400-6358 A4633789 $925,000

BRADENTON 3409 Anchor Bay Trail 4 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,859 Sq. Ft. Barbara A Milian, PA 941-504-0660 A4636405 $899,000

BRADENTON 4925 Surfside Circle 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,210 Sq. Ft. Sherri Mills 941-350-7112 A4632902 $899,000

BRADENTON 4967 Seafoam Trail 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,439 Sq. Ft. Melba Jimenez, Pa 941-356-3970 A4623305 $879,000

BRADENTON 14730 1st Avenue E 5 Beds 3 Baths 2,955 Sq. Ft. Angela Adams 941-809-9760 A4621980 $799,000

LAKEWOOD RANCH 17208 Corinna Place 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,177 Sq. Ft. Stacy Haas 941-587-4359 A4633591 $750,000

SARASOTA 5770 Long Shore Loop 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,098 Sq. Ft. Susie Pelton 941-321-1007 A4606537 $710,000

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8B

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

Concession home tops sales at $3.4 million

T

he following residential real estate transactions took place between Jan. 13-17.

A home in the Concession top all transactions in this week’s real estate. Iolanda and David Goodfellow, trustees, of Arden, North Carolina, sold the home at 19423 Newlane Place to John and Mary Geoghagan, of Bradenton, for $3.4 million. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, threeand-two-half baths, a pool and 4,351 square feet of living area.

ESPLANADE

Richard and Rita Hutchings, of Paris, Illinois, sold their home at 5008 Benito Court to Kristy Waters, of Bradenton, for $1,682,500. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, fourand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,139 square feet of living area. It sold for $997,500 in 2020.

Joan and Wes Martin, of Ocala, sold their home at 5237 Napoli Run to Kevin and Cheryl McCarthy, of Bradenton, for $845,000. Built in 2014, it has two bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,087 square feet of living area. It sold for $457,400 in 2014.

ISLES

Toll FL XIII Ltd. Partnership sold the home at 8006 Nevis Run to Karon Payne and Dennis Payne, trustees, of Lakewood Ranch, for $1.5 million. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 3,569 square feet of living area.

LAKEWOOD NATIONAL GOLF CLUB

Matthew Spenks, of Bradenton, for $975,000. Built in 2016, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,092 square feet of living area. It sold for $482,600 in 2016.

COUNTRY CLUB EAST

Kyle and Judith Kappes, of Sarasota, sold their home at 7507 Haddington Cove to Mohammad Abuel-Haija and Maria Alejandra Freire Santillan, of Bradenton, for $935,000.

Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,405 square feet of living area. It sold for $950,000 in 2022.

Charles and Patricia Diggs, of Lakewood Ranch, sold their home at 7266 Belleisle Glen to Philip and Marta Grande, of Sarasota, for $625,000. Built in 2012, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,752 square feet of living area. It sold for $367,500 in 2018.

MOORINGS AT EDGEWATER

David McCarthy, Janine McCarthy and Susan McCarthy sold their Unit 202 condominium at 6515 Moorings Point Circle to Delfine and Linda Martin, of Lakewood Ranch, for $895,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,155 square feet of living area. It sold for $572,700 in 2004.

LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE

Sharon and John Glees, of Georgetown, Texas, sold their home at 8067 Slipway Drive to Douglas Crouch, of Sarasota, for $890,000. Built in 2023, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,133 square feet of living area.

It sold for $846,100 in 2023.

EDGEWATER

Daniel Paver and Wakana Toki sold their home at 8474 Sailing Loop to Joseph Corbett, of St. Albans, Missouri, for $788,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,355 square feet of living area. It sold for $330,000 in 2015.

AZARIO ESPLANADE

Jo Anne DeSantis, trustee, of Marietta, sold the home at 4630 Trento Place to Louis and Gina Shapiro, of Bradenton, for $780,000. Built in 2022, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,144 square feet of living area. It sold for $554,300 in 2022.

Sandra May Hagenbrock and Alfred Alan Henke, trustees, sold the home at 5589 Mulligan Way to Edwin Ryan Akers III and Carolyn Joy Akers, of Bradenton, for $1.49 million. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,776 square feet of living area. It sold for $740,200 in 2020.

DEL WEBB

Kelly Cottone and George Francis Rickard sold their home at 5757 Cheech Glen to Kyle Yamashiro, trustee, of Bradenton, for $1.08 million. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,224 square feet of living area. It sold for $917,000 in 2022.

MILL CREEK

RIVERDALE REVISED

Paul Leskinen and Jennifer McCullen, trustees, of Sarasota, sold the home at 4735 Mainsail Drive to Claude Michael Hanbury, of Bradenton, for $1,465,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,602 square feet of living area.

PRESERVE AT PANTHER RIDGE

William and M. Jane Icely, of Bradenton, sold their home at 13509 Second Ave. E. to Gary and Lori Jones, of Bradenton, for $625,000.

Built in 1989, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,390 square feet of living area. It sold for $233,000 in 2002.

dominium at 7208 River Hammock Drive to Scott Hutter and Mary Hutter, trustees, of Bradenton, for $567,500. Built in 2012, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,108 square feet of living area. It sold for $312,500 in 2020.

Anthony Albert Cairo Jr. and Jean Louise Cairo, of Middletown, Maryland, sold their Unit 6502 condominium at 6818 Grand Estuary Trail to Phillip and Zanrha Esteban, of Bradenton, for $452,500. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,108 square feet of living area. It sold for $269,000 in 2018.

RIVER POINT OF MANATEE

Carol Ann Banks, of Flanders, New

Jersey, sold her home at 3912 Fourth Ave. N.E. to 3912 4th Ave LLC for $565,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,681 square feet of living area. It sold for $565,000 in 2023.

HERITAGE HARBOUR

Susan Hirsch sold her home at 405 River Enclave Court to Patrick Pribyl and Jamie Sehi-Pribyl, of Bradenton, for $560,000. Built in 2009, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,840 square feet of living area. It sold for $304,700 in 2014.

SEE REAL ESTATE, PAGE 10B

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GREYHAWK LANDING

Lee and Allison Pappas, of Parrish, sold their home at 12582 Cara Cara Loop to Cory and Heather Travalena, of Bradenton, for $612,500.

Built in 2005, it has five bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,854 square feet of living area. It sold for $515,000 in 2024.

WATERLEFE

SHOREVIEW

COUNTRY CLUB

TIDEWATER PRESERVE

COACH HOMES AT RIVER STRAND

Charles and Susan Hintz, of Fort Worth, Texas, sold their home at 5311 Tidewater Preserve Blvd. to

Courtesy image

This Concession home sold for $3.4 million. It has three bedrooms, three-and-two-half baths, a pool and 4,351 square feet of living area.

Martin and Bridget Mineck, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 6908 Gosport Cove to Robert Norrid Jr., of North Potomac, Maryland, for $775,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,000 square feet of living area.

It sold for $845,000 in 2022.

John and Josephine Leavy, of Bradenton, sold their home at 22296 Panther Loop to Jennifer Ann Petersohn and Christopher Petersohn, of Bradenton, for $1,425,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,615 square feet of living area. It sold for $535,000 in 2009.

James Faris and Nora Shuart-Faris, of Brentwood, Tennessee, sold their home at 7977 Grande Shores Drive to Lisa and Richard Ade, of Sarasota, for $1.31 million. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,674 square feet of living area. It sold for $730,700 in 2019.

JAN. 13-17

Edith Renee Chapman, of Sarasota, sold her home at 9822 Discovery Terrace to James Edward Burns and Lorna McMullen, of Bradenton, for $600,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,017 square feet of living area. It sold for $554,300 in 2022.

Sabrina Misiaszek and George Cooper, of Clinton, New York, sold their home at 7349 Wexford Court to Warren and Donna Bovich, of Lakewood Ranch, for $585,000. Built in 2006, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,562 square feet of living area. It sold for $570,000 in 2023.

David and Cynthia O’Connor, trustees, sold the Unit 3703 con-

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REAL ESTATE

ADAM HUGHES

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

9B

10B

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

Real estate

CARLYLE AT THE VILLAGE OF PALM AIRE

FROM PAGE 9B

HAMPTON GREEN

James and Eileen Heller, of Sarasota, sold their home at 6403 Saunton Place to Mary Goot, of Bradenton, for $552,000. Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,753 square feet of living area. It sold for $350,000 in 2017.

ARE YOU TIRED OF HIDING YOUR LEGS?

SONOMA

8240 Villa Grande LLC sold the home at 8240 Villa Grande Court to Pascal Florida Invest LLC for $530,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,121 square feet of living area.

It sold for $385,000 in 2024.

RIVERWALK

Matthew Robert Supernaw, of Rochester Hills, Michigan, sold his home at 10910 Water Lily Way to Lakewood Holdings LLC for $520,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,641 square feet of living area. It sold for $250,000 in 2012.

MAGNOLIA MANOR

Robert Kinney, trustee, sold the home at 2109 67th St. Court E. to 3705 Windsor Park 922 LLC for $500,000. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,206 square feet of living area. It sold for $103,000 in 1994.

GREENBROOK

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Yaya LLC sold the home at 6542 Blue Grosbeak Circle to Jennifer and Paul Labbato, of Clarendon Hills, Illinois, for $469,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,016 square feet of living area. It sold for $235,000 in 2014.

Warren Blake, trustee, of Loudon, Tennessee, sold the home at 6450 Blue Grosbeak Circle to Thomas and Nancy Savoy and Hillary and Oliver Joggi, of Lakewood Ranch, for $451,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,074 square feet of living area. It sold for $220,400 in 2003.

Susumu and Viviana Yamashita, of Gambrills, Maryland, sold their home at 5040 Creekside Trail to Jane Corsaro, of Sarasota, for $450,000. Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,727 square feet of living area. It sold for $205,500 in 2002.

WATERFRONT AT MAIN STREET

Michael Junk and Julie Junk, of Bradenton, sold their Unit 3-402 condominium at 10510 Boardwalk Loop to Scott Lewis Young, of Lakewood Ranch, for $450,000. Built in 2018, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,400 square feet of living area. It sold for $440,000 in 2019.

DEL TIERRA

Alexander and Patti Ann Robinson sold their home at 15236 Peaceful Bull Place to Martin Gerald Robinson and Deborah Louise Robinson, of Bradenton, for $445,000.

Built in 2016, it has five bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,868 square feet of living area. It sold for $271,500 in 2016.

CREEKWOOD

Michael Stevenson and Therry The, of Brazil, Indiana, sold their home at 7109 46th Ave. Circle E. to Anthony and Nancy Cothron, of Bradenton, for $430,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,617 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,100 in 2021.

Timothy and Lora Hahn, of Nashville, Georgia, sold their home at 4930 72nd St. E. to Donald James Cady, of Bradenton, for $405,000.

Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,613 square feet of living area. It sold for $117,900 in 1995.

ONLINE See more transactions at YourObserver.com

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11B

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WEATHER

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST THURSDAY, JAN. 30

SUNRISE / SUNSET Sunrise Sunset

High: 72 Low: 60 Chance of rain: 9%

FRIDAY, JAN. 31 High: 70 Low: 61 Chance of rain: 12%

Thursday, Jan. 30

7:17a

6:10p

Friday, Jan. 31

7:16a

6:11p

Saturday, Feb. 1

7:16a

6:12p

Sunday, Feb. 2

7:15a

6:13p

Monday, Feb. 3

7:15a

6:13p

Tuesday, Feb. 4

7:14a

6:14p

Wednesday, Feb. 5

7:14a

6:15p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, FEB. 1 High: 69 Low: 61 Chance of rain: 24%

Feb. 5 First

Feb. 12 Full

Feb. 20 Last

Feb. 27 New

RAINFALL

SUNDAY, FEB. 2 High: 72 Low: 59 Chance of rain: 8%

Monday, Jan. 20

0.28

Tuesday, Jan. 21

0.09

Wednesday, Jan. 22

Gordon Silver shot this photo of a black-bellied whistling duck in Country Club East.

0

Thursday, Jan. 23

0.02

Friday, Jan. 24

0.05

Saturday, Jan. 25

0

Sunday, Jan. 26

0

*Rainfall totals from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/Contests. All submissions will be entered for the 2024-25. Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2025, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

YEAR TO DATE: 2024 1.08 in.

2023 4.31 in.

MONTH TO DATE: 2024 1.08 in.

2023 4.31 in.

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Daily crossword puzzles available at YourObserver.com/crossword

MIND-BENDING by John Guzzetta, edited by Jared Goudsmit

126 Shredded

54 Needlefish

127 Shopping ___

57 Pastoral poem

128 Positive responses

58 Some backyard construc-

129 Toot your own horn

tions

DOWN

60 Strewed seeds 61 Early operating system

1 Do an autumn chore

63 Sword for Olympian Viv-

2 Possessed

ian Kong

3 Unimaginative writing

65 “That’s all ___ wrote”

4 Fantasy figure such as

66 “haha, good meme”

Legolas

69 Leave out

5 Scope

70 People logging on

6 Dig deep (into)

71 Stocking material

7 *Piece of software that

72 Digital real estate offering

combats pop-ups

73 Poet T.S.

8 Profile images

74 ___ of faith (trusting

9 “Let’s rest for a bit”

actions)

10 Airport projection (Abbr.) 78 Stockings 11 Total groaners 79 Granola bits

list pros

choice test

1 Wrap worn after showering 34 Director Guillermo del ___ 62 Chose 36 Rachel’s biblical sister 64 Tel Aviv’s country 5 Adjust to the times 10 Tweaks, as a draft 15 DVR pioneer 19 Way off base, for short?

20 TV, newspapers, etc.

21 Implied 22 Tabloid couple 23 Cutlery-storing object 25 “Rolling in the Deep” singer 26 Live on the ___ (be a risk-taker) 27 Fish in a dragon roll 28 In-person music performance

may set before a long drive

14 ___ Artois

81 Type of IRA

15 Do up, as a ponytail

84 Big fuss

16 *”Given the opportunity,

85 Sleep stage acronym

absolutely!”

89 Landline sound

17 Actress Paz

90 “Oedipus ___” (Tom

18 Some say breaking a

Lehrer song)

mirror is one

93 Tart summer drink

24 Enthusiasm

94 Bluish shade

29 “Mazel ___!”

96 Reject, in a legislature

31 Legendary Himalayan

97 Sphere

figure

99 Contemptuous or allergic

96 Extreme malice

33 Jazz genre

sounds

97 There are six in an inning

35 Substituted on a vol-

101 Apt rhyme of “Slam!”

37 Director Howard

67 Fe, in chemistry

98 Catches sight of

leyball team

102 Source of frustration

38 Take back

68 “Be wary!,” or a hint to

100 Container for a fedora

38 Caviar, e.g.

105 *People who kiss and

40 Without profit

understanding five Down

102 Garment with straps

39 Name hidden in “laser

cuddle

43 “Nosferatu” actress

entries in this puzzle

103 Its capital is Muscat

beam”

106 “The Way Home” actress

Lily-Rose

75 Stately trees

104 Aspiring atty.’s exam

41 Feeling that 5K

MacDowell

45 Rumaki meat

76 In a spooky way

105 In an adept way

42 “___ the night before

107 Tablets, etc.

48 Semester, e.g.

77 Banish

109 Car’s interior illuminator

Christmas ...”

108 “I’m shocked!”

50 “It’s obvious to me!”

78 Inn proprietor

113 Skin pigment

43 Finished in the middle of

109 Financial obligation

51 “___ see myself out”

82 Good clean ___

115 Lean-___ (shelters)

the pack, say

110 Home to Norway’s

52 Throb painfully

83 Piecrust fat

117 “Como ___ usted?”

44 Run off together

Akershus Fortress

53 Person who blabs and

86 Narrow inlet

118 Absolutely wow

45 Prohibit

111 Cafeteria mush

blabs

87 Rower’s need

120 Certain serving of udon

46 Perform in “Primary

112 “Witching” time

55 “New Look” singer Rita

88 Trampled underfoot

122 Ran, as colors

Trust”

114 Easy gait

56 ___ double take

90 Was a passenger

123 Wellspring

47 Gospel group

116 Word that aptly book-

91 Word before “brass” or

124 Its showers bring May

49 TV host Menounos

ends “slow going”

“banana”

flowers

53 *Scoring one ends a tie,

119 Hwy.

92 House-elevating pole

125 Greek liqueur

in baseball

121 ___ and weave

30 Bit of candy in a guessing 57 Totally digging 58 Youngster game 32 Team member who may

80 *Device that a vacationer

13 Cash drawer

95 Mix

©2025 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

12 Slushy brand

59 Removals on a multiple-

celebrity cipher

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“O LWT W IGJWBXC BGHCD OBZOTC JC, YVA O RWOT ALICC ZWODGIZ AG YCWA OA GVA GK JC POAL ZACCD RORCZ.” RWAAGB GZPWDA

“YRTVEF OYJ ICCIUODEVOZ OI JMCUJWW AZWJPL OYUIDFY ADWVH YRW GJJE JMOUJAJPZ HROYRUOVH LIU AJ AZ JEOVUJ PVLJ.”

WRURY AHPRHYPRE

“FSBAX CSDRH BJ JWS XZTSYFBYVSJ, XI XWIT GRJW ... YSZXBCAS TYIOZES CBDX. ... KRHO JWSF BJ SEICBDX.EIF.” XBYB DRACSYJ Puzzle Three Clue: C equals B

crossword

Puzzle Two Clue: M equals X

437913-1

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ESTATE SALE Saturday, February 01, 8:00 AM-3:00 PM, Sunday February 02 Rain or Shine 734 Foggy Morn LN Bradenton, FL Waterlefe subdivision (enter Upper Manatee River Road Gate) Furniture, lighted display case, lamps, pictures, housewares & decor, swivel office chairs, cut glass, tools, Weber gas grill, patio furniture, beach tent umbrella - chairs, books.

RED PAGES AD RATES

BEACH’ N RIDES Electric Bike Shop! eBike Sales and Rentals Ride easy on an eBike with as much exercise or assistance as you want.

Leave traffic and parking problems behind!

13 models available.

Daily and weekly rentals available.

We also repair other Brands.

Open 9 to 5 daily except Sundays and holidays.

12208 Cortez Rd, FL 941-251-7916 Ext. 1

WANTED TO BUY Vintage/ Antique Costume Jewelry 978-390-8803

Pets PREMIUM MINI AUSSIEDOODLES -ready 1/30/25 Genetic tested parents & both parents at our house. This is the only litter. 5 Pups are a variety colors/patterns and extremely smart! Two merles-1 with blue eyes. $1,500 (765) 215-5704

CALL 941-955-4888

HOMES FOR SALE

Painting

Starting in the low $100s Brand New Model Homes starting in the low $200s

OPEN HOUSE

CARLO DATTILO Painting Licensed & insured. Interior/ Exterior painting including drywall repair and retexturing.

Wallpaper installation & removal, pressure washing. Residential & commercial, condos.

Honest & reliable.

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

February 8th 10AM-2PM

SARASOTA PAINTING, LLC

NOW offering HOMES FOR RENT from $2,500/monthly *On select homes

PLACE YOUR AD: Call: 941-955-4888

SENIOR LOOKING to purchase precious metals, diamonds, time pieces, coins, jewelry, antique and estate jewelry, and some collectors plates. Personal and confidential.

Please call Marc: 941-321-0707

Use the RED PAGES to clean out your garage

AKERS IRRIGATION SERVICE Providing all irrigation solutions (941) 600-8563 www.AkersIrrigation.com

Business Hours MON-SAT 8AM-5PM SUN 10AM-4PM 2550 Pier Drive, Ruskin, FL 35570 www.riversideclubFL.com

Color background: $ 5 per week Ad border: as low as $3 per week

Merchandise Wanted

JAMES BOTTORFF HANDYMAN SERVICES Call or Text 941-807-0032 Registered in the state of FL.

The Premier Golf & Marina Manufactured Home Community 55+ Active Lifestyle

For home listings and tee times visit us online To schedule a tour, please call 877-211-5337

15% DISCOUNT FOR 4-WEEK RUN

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!

Handyman Services

Landscaping/ Lawn Services

First 15 words .................. $ 17.50 per week Each Add’l word ....... 50¢

Email: RedPages@YourObserver.com Online: YourObserver.com/Red Pages

PROFESSIONAL CLEANING Sissy, specializes in deep cleaning, window cleaning, and maintaining the sparkle in every corner of your home. Send a text now and enjoy a special discount on your first home cleaning.

(941) 287-8452

Autos Wanted CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

STORAGE FACILITY Boat/ RV/ Trailer. Secure facility, low monthly rentals, Clark Rd area.

941-809-3660, 941-809-3662.

WE BUY cars. top $$ paid for your vehicles.

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

Auto Transport SHIP YOUR car, truck or SUV anywhere in the United States.

Great rates, fast quotes. Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

RED PAGES. MADE FOR WHERE YOU LIVE. HERE! TO ADVERTISE, CALL

941-955-4888

INTERIOR / EXTERIOR / CABINETS WE ARE THE BEST!!!

Residential & Commercial.

Fully Insured.

CALL or TEXT Don 941-900-9398

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888

This week’s Crossword answers

©2025 Universal Uclick

You’re only cheating yourself.

ADVERTISE YOUR MERCHANDISE with the total value of all items $200 or less in this section for FREE! Limit 1 ad per month,15 words or less. Price must be included next to each item. No commercial advertising.

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks in 1 Observer.

Call 941-955-4888 Or Email ad to: classified@yourobserver.com (Please provide your name and address) Or Online at: www.yourobserver.com Or mail to: The Observer Group 1970 Main St. - 3rd Floor Sarasota, Fl 34236

Garage/ Moving/ Estate Sales

home services

Items Under $200

Homes for Sale

auto

stuff

kevin@kevinsapplianceservice.com www.kevinsapplianceservice.com

www.braziliancleaningbymk.com

peekers’ place

Appliances

real estate

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

The CRYSTAL CLEAR choice!

Cleaning

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “I had a romance novel inside me, but I paid three sailors to beat it out of me with steel pipes.”

Patton Oswalt

Puzzle Two Solution: “Having the opportunity to express myself through music has been extremely cathartic for me my entire life.”

Sarah McLachlan Puzzle Three Solution: “Meals begin at the supermarket, so shop with ... reusable produce bags. ...

Find them at ecobags.com.” Sara Gilbert

This week’s Sudoku answers

OR VISIT

YOUROBSERVER.COM/REDPAGES ©2025 NEA, Inc.

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

Aluminum

Computer

Handyman

Pegatronics Computer Instruction and Repair It’s Easier Than You Think!

Hardware Repair Virus / Malware Cleanup Software & Printer Install New Computer Setups New Purchase Consults Seniors & Beginners

“Specializing inin6” Gutters” “Specializing 6” Seamless Seamless Gutters”

941-735-3362

439534

YoderAluminum.com

Attorney

Contractor

KEENS HANDYMAN SERVICES INTERIOR RENOVATIONS & ANYTHING FROM THE GROUND UP

E&E GENERAL CONTRACTING

TEXT OR CALL 574-354-7772

“Your Home, Your Legacy”

Divorce is never fun, but it does not have to be nasty & hateful! Protect your family relationships and assets from expensive Court litigation. Consider Divorce Mediation, the peaceful alternative.

KEENS HANDYMAN SERVICES

Local Home Improvement Contractor: Kitchen & Bathroom Reno • Tile Floor & Showers Flooring & Trim • Siding & Windows • Fencing 941-529-1768 | eecontractingllc.com

Call me for a free 30 minute consultation before you call a Divorce Lawyer!

Health

GET YOUR LIFE BACK! Do You Have Neck or Low Back Pain?

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

Doors

We have mediated divorces involving up to 15 million dollars of assets over past 30 years.

DON’T let your

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

PATIO DOORS be a DRAG or your

William J. Leininger, JD

Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator 677 N. Washington Blvd Sarasota, FL 34236 SarasotaDivorceMediator.com 941-727-5555

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224 Recognized Among the Best Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Physicians in America

439333

WINDOWS be a PANE!!

Sliding Glass Door Repairs Sliding Glass Door Deadbolts | Window Repairs

Auto Service

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

FREE

SELL YOUR CAR! FAST • EASY • SAFE

WE COME TO YOU

IN-HOAMTEES ESTIM

Midtown Medical Park 1215 S. East Ave. Suite 210 Sarasota, FL 34239

Call us today!

The Only Thing You Have To Lose ... Is The Pain!!

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

941.628.8579 www.ezslider.com

5-Star Rated

Irrigation

LAWN SPRINKLER SERVICES

439546

HoHoBuysCars.com Brick Pavers

Flooring

In a Snap Flooring

Sales & Installation Laminate • Vinyl • Tile Refinishing/Concrete Coating Driveway • Patio • Garage Water Damage - Demolition - Epoxy

www.BIC - CC.COM

Over 100 Reviews Award Winning Services

439222

Call or text today for a FREE estimate:

941-592-0802

STUFF

found here.

The Red Pages is the perfect store to buy and sell locally! You’ll find a wide selection from antiques to furniture to condos!

RED PAGES Made for where you live. Here!

Call 941-955-4888 or visit YourObserver.com/redpages

• Systems Upgraded & Serviced • Troubleshooting & Repair • Serving Manatee County since 1979 ANDY AVALOS | 941-545-7280

ON TARGET OBSERVER RED PAGES

439537

• Paver Sealing • Pressure & Soft Washing • Concrete Coating • Painting

941-321-2859

439541

Services & Removal

Business in Christ

439988

Divorce without Lawyers

941.270.4400

Handyman

Call 941-955-4888 to reserve your ad YourObserver.com/RedPages

439531

439533

• Doors & Trim Licensed & Insured • Laminate & Wood Over 30 Years Flooring FREE ESTIMATE • Tile Cabinets & Drywall • Texture Paint & Wood Rot 941-929-3000

Pegatronics.com

941.650.9790 941.650.9790 YoderAluminum.com

Owner /Insured Operator Insured

JOE DAVIS HD LLC

439518

Dustin Yoder

Dustin Owner Yoder/ Operator

Learn Computer Basics Phones/Tablet Help Apple & Microsoft Problems Solved On-Site and Off Much More! Call Today!

YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling CALL BEFOREYOU YOU FALL CALL BEFORE FALL

GRAB BARS GRAB BARS

Painting

Transportation

SARASOTA PAINTING, LLC

BLACK LABEL CAR SERVICE “Luxury for Less”

SHOWER & BATH MAKEOVERS Call John 941.377.2940

RELIABLE • INSURED

941-920-8221

439519

www.showerandbathsarasota.com Landscaping & Lawn

GARDENS

Cut Your Energy Bill by Tinting Your Home or Business!

Tax benefits! FPL rebates!

affordablewindowcare.com affordablewindowcare@gmail.com

Serving Longboat Key Since 2005 Res. | Com. | Lic. | Ins.

Building & Roofing Contractor • Aluminum, Vinyl, & Wood Soffit & Fascia Repair & Installation • Roofing Repair & Installation • Metal Roofing & Tile Roof Repair Specialists

Storm Cleanup • Garden Beds • Landscape Maintenance • Weeds • Trimming

Formerly known as Sunrise Windows

941-626-3194

Allison J. Abizaid

941-400-0431 • gbyallison@yahoo.com • gardensbyallison.com

30+YEARS LOCAL EXPERIENCE.

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc.

by Allison

CREATE BUZZ!

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

Screening

found here.

Relax. You’ve got better things to do.

Find a professional here in the Red Pages.

RED PAGES Made for where you live. Here!

Call 941-955-4888 or visit YourObserver.com/redpages

160

25 $

STANDARD WINDOWS

SPECIAL 00 5

$

senior citizen discount.

www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

PURIFIED WATER WINDOW CLEANING AVAIL ABLE!!

439520

Call 941-955-4888

HEROES

UP TO

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

Advertise your business or services in the Red Pages.

YourObserver.com/RedPages

on US CAPITAL, SENATE & LIBRARY of CONGRESS buildings after 9/11.

CALL (941) 955.4607

Roofing

439227

439226

Plumbing repairs. Replace toilets, faucets, water filters, water softeners and repair leaks.

Free Estimates • Sarasota Resident Since 1974

Personal Gardening Services | Designer

Residential specialist for window cleaning & tinting

Mark’s Plumbing Service

Cleaned - Regrouted - Caulked - Sealed

No Job is Too Small!

439549

Plumbing

TRUSTED SECURITY FILM INSTALLER

439553

Kitchen/Bath Remodeling

AFFORDABLE WINDOW CARE

by John Larson

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES 941- 284 - 5880

439550

*DRILLING CHARGES MAY APPLY FOR MARBLE, GRANITE OR PORCELAIN. COUPON REQUIRED.

CALL OR TEXT 941-900-9398 TODAY! OWNER: DON HUBIAK

439631

DRGRABBARS.COM

All Florida Airports, Concerts & Dinners - Hourly Cruise Ships & Medical | See Specials at: www.blacklabelcarservice.com

Windows

FULLY INSURED • OWNER OPERATED

941.966.0333 LIFETIME GUARANTEE • LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED COVERAGEAREA: AREA:LAKEWOOD PARRISH TO NORTHPORT COVERAGE RANCH TO S. VENICE

Exterior / Interior / Cabinets

439548

$ $235

INCLUDES22MOEN MOEN STAINLESS INCLUDES STAINLESS STEEL STEELANTI ANTISLIP SLIP CONCEALED PEEN CONCEALED SCREW SCREW GRAB GRAB BARS (16”BARS & 24”)(16” & 24”)

364556 439225

249 235 *

410036

941 - 248 - 4734

COMPLETE INSTALLATION PACKAGE

$

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YourObserver.com

EAST COUNTY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

941.702.0437 | ShanahanLuxuryGroup@CBrealty.com | ShanahanLuxuryGroup.com

Shanahan Luxury Group made my home-buying experience in Lakewood Ranch seamless and stress-free, thanks to their unmatched local market expertise, tailored advice, and unwavering professionalism. Relocating from out of state came with challenges, but their team went above and beyond, managing every detail with care-from providing thorough market updates and comp analyses to coordinating inspections, documenting the home with videos and photos, attending builder walk-throughs, and recommending trusted maintenance services. What stood out most was their personable approach, building a level of trust that far exceeded a typical real estate transaction.

I wholeheartedly recommend Shanahan Luxury Group to anyone looking to buy or sell a home.

— Steve S., Wild Blue

Discover Refined Living in a Designer Model Home

Video Walkthrough

View Full Listing

1210 Blue Shell Loop | Sarasota, FL 34202 | Wild Blue | Offered at $3,680,000 The Taura | 3,474 Square Feet | 3 Bedrooms | 4 Bathrooms | Office | Flex Room | Saltwater Pool/Spa | South-Facing Lake Homesite Enjoy the pinnacle of coastal contemporary living in this professionally designed fully-furnished model home, ideally positioned on a south-facing premium lakefront homesite in Wild Blue, Lakewood Ranch’s newest luxury enclave. Crafted with impeccable attention to detail, this residence features hurricane-rated impact windows and doors, complemented by exquisitely curated finishes that enhance every space.

Sale subject to builder leaseback. Call 941-702-0437 or 941-702-0443 for details.

List price includes furniture, decor, artwork, rugs, window treatments, TVs, and electronics totaling $287,900.

Would you like to sell your home?

The Right Representation Makes All the Difference.

Contact Us to Learn More or to Schedule a Showing.

941.702.0437 | ShanahanLuxuryGroup@CBRealty.com 437227-1

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