Key Life Winter 2026 by The Observer Group Inc.

KEYLIFE

STYLE

THE BARRIER ISLANDS’ COMMUNITY, NATURE, PEOPLE

LIQUID LEGENDS

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WINTER 2026

ON A ROLL

Although it’s not a local, lobster remains a much-loved treat — especially on a roll.

FEATURES

ROUGH & TOUGH

These tennis players unite for the love of the game — and ribbing each other.

SPLASH ZONE

From flips to ballet, Ski-A-Rees have done it all on the water since 1957.

Lori Sax

Dry Dock manager Stacey Karas presents the restaurant’s signature lobster rolls — a longtime favorite on the Longboat Key waterfront.

4205 HIGEL

20 FROM THE EDITOR

HOT TOPICS

Sarasota Sailing Squadron continues its path of recovery, Siesta Key Chamber’s new leader takes the helm and an urban planner shares bold ideas to solve flooding on St. Armands.

42 KEY PEOPLE

Mirabai Holland is all about living well. And she knows just how to help others get on the path to wellness.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Annual fishing tournament helps children with cancer and their families breathe a little easier.

50 CALENDAR

As spring arrives, so does a bouquet of area events to attend.

56 STYLE

Time pieces that will ensure you never run behind again.

83 OASIS

This Longboat Key home is all about the views — which is why every room is designed around them.

92 ART AND ABOUT

Whether it’s contemporary art from America, folk music from the Nordics or greatest hits from the radio, there’s something for everyone this season.

BEHIND THE MENU

Mar Vista’s chef shares how he reinvents the classics at the iconic restaurant.

98 KEY ENCOUNTERS

President and Publisher Emily Walsh

EDITORIAL

Executive Editor and COO — Kat Wingert

Managing Editor — Su Byron

Departments Editor — Mark Gordon

Design — Melissa Leduc and Nicole Thompson

Contributors

Marty Fugate, Nancy Guth, Mark Gordon, Elizabeth King, Heidi Kurpiela, Louis Llovio, Robert Plunket, Lori Sax, Eric Snider and Mark Wemple

ADVERTISING

Chief Revenue Officer — Jill Raleigh

Advertising Managers — Kathleen O’Hara, Penny Nowicki and Lori Ruth

Advertising Executives — Jennifer Kane, Honesty Mantkowski, Richeal McGuinness, Toni Perren, Anna Reich and Brenda White

CREATIVE SERVICES

Director of Creative Services — Caleb Stanton

Creative Services Administrator — Marjorie Holloway

Graphic Designers — Luis Trujillo, Taylor Poe, Louise Martin and Shawna Polana

CONTACT KEY LIFE

To submit story ideas or calendar listings, contact Kat Wingert at KWingert@YourObserver.com. For advertising inquiries, call 941-366-3468.

GOOD OLD-FASHIONED FUN

They say the best things in life are free. As someone who enjoys a good hike in nature, enjoying a sunrise (or sunset) or, my favorite, going for a long bike ride, I can get on board with that.

But, also as someone who enjoys traveling in comfort to enjoy said nature, savoring a spectacular meal and riding a bike that goes really fast, I also know there are some things you can only attain with your wallet.

No matter which camp you’re in, our area offers plenty of options for both. From taking in free art shows (Page 50) to savoring the best lobster rolls (Page 62), you have your pick of experiences and price points of things to bring you joy. Lucky us.

But my favorite of the offerings in this issue is a local tradition going back nearly seven decades: the Ski-A-Rees. Every Sunday during season, you can drive to City Island where the group is headquartered and enjoy a 45-minute, familyfriendly water-skiing show (Page 74).

When I first moved here in 2004, I couldn’t believe such a thing existed. A water-skiing troupe? In Sarasota Bay?

You have to see a performance to believe it. Water skiiers of all ages, decked out in colorful costumes doing fully choreographed shows and stunts. Squads made up of entire families, sometimes even parading babies hoisted up on shoulders out on the water.

Sitting on a metal bleacher facing the water, you’ll feel like

you’ve been transported back in time. Sarasota’s skyline is the only indication that you’re still in the present day.

It is absolutely fabulous, and it is absolutely free.

Of course, the all-volunteer group asks for donations, and spectators gladly oblige, throwing crinkled bills in buckets circulating for the purpose, or, nowadays, snapshotting QR codes to donate digitally via Venmo or Paypal.

It’s one of those Sarasota legacies that runs on community spirit and goodwill, and one of the groups that makes this area special.

Of course, as our writer, Eric Snider, points out, it takes a lot of energy and people to keep this tradition alive, in addition to modest monetary support. Comparatively, they do a lot with a little. And the Ski-A-Rees are always recruiting new members.

But if you’re not up for strapping on water skis and launching off a ramp, perhaps you can find some time to stop by one of these Sundays and support this group by enjoying an afternoon of good old-fashioned fun.

After all, it’s pretty great. And it’s free.

Kat Wingert Executive Editor

Lori Sax

Tom Bartos launches off a ramp during a Ski-A-Rees show. The ski team performs every Sunday through May 3 given good weather.

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HOT TOPICS

TIMELY

PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS

Improvement makes the rounds on St. Armands Circle. PAGE 36

Photo

Mark Wemple

Squad Goals

The Sarasota Sailing Squadron has come a long way since Hurricanes Milton and Helene. More work remains.

BY LOUIS LLOVIO | CONTRIBUTOR

Alittle more than a year after feeling the double wallop of back-to-back hurricanes, the Sarasota Sailing Squadron is rebuilding. And few are better suited to judge its progress than a Boston sailor in town for a December weekend.

“It’s incredible,” Cole Constantineau tells Susan Clark, the general manager of the squadron, as he works on his Viper class sailboat two weeks before Christmas.

“Have you seen the club?” she asks him.

“I haven’t been in yet.”

“Go!” she says. “You’ve got to see it.”

The members-only Sarasota Sailing Squadron sits on a 6.2-acre stretch of land on the tip of City Island. It’s easy to spot from the water on Sarasota Bay but a bit tougher from Ken Thompson Parkway. One way to tell you’ve reached it by land is finding the lot packed tight with sailboats.

The squadron, says Clark, has made great progress since facing the fury of Hurricanes Milton and Helene in 2024. That left about $4 million in needed repairs. The progress for the organization, with a mission to promote the sport of sailing and other non-motorized water sports with instruction and education activities, can be seen in multiple ways.

Financially, for one. It has restructured as a 501(c)3, which became effective Jan. 1, and it recently received a 30-year lease extension on its property from the city of Sarasota.

Physically, it’s come a long way, too. Its damaged docks have been repaired; its clubhouse has been redone; and new digital systems have been put in place to back up records, among other work.

Continued on Page 30

Courtesy photos

Hurricanes Milton and Helene caused some $4 million in damage to the Sarasota Sailing Squadron facilities.

The Sarasota Sailing Squadron has been operating on City Island since 1958, according to its website.

Cole Constantineau, a sailor from Boston, came to the Sarasota Sailing Squadron for a December regatta.

Continued from Page 28

But walking around the property, one can still see there is debris in certain spots; some of the docks and pilings remain in need of repair or replacement and the building for the Sarasota Youth Sailing awaits city approvals to be rebuilt.

(Sarasota’s Planning Department in December delayed a hearing on the plans for the sailing school. Despite that, Dustin Domer, the executive director of the youth program, says new software systems are being put in place and that the plan is to soon start a capital campaign with the goal of raising $7 million.)

Of all the damage, the most noticeable is the wave fence that protects the basin from rushing water. It now stretches out into the bay twisted, folding into the water at its outer reach like a strand of DNA. There are studies being done to see how best to repair it, and the cost could top $1 million, says Clark.

HEAVY METAL

A big help to fuel, and fund, the remaining work and prepare the squadron for its future was earning the 501(c)3 status, an IRS designation allowing it to operate as a tax-exempt organization for public benefit.

The squadron had been a 501(c)7 before — a tax exempt status for social clubs, according to the IRS.

Clark says the new designation will help with the fundraising and, eventually, help fund youth and other programs she has in mind.

Members had been discussing the change for several years, but the hurricanes “really set it in motion.”

Walking around the squadron property on a chilly Thursday afternoon in December, Clark, working with Facilities Manager David Hobbs on the repairs, is upbeat when discussing the progress the club has made over the past year.

She remembers the early days, soon after the hurricanes hit, sometimes not sure which of the two caused which bit of damage. But she knows Milton, a direct hit, was the most devastating.

“It was boom, boom, but it was the second one that did the most damage,” she says.

The squadron lost 28 boats, with

one of its own winding up on Bird Key. The property was flooded under about 3 feet of water, destroying the clubhouse, bathrooms and club records. A crane had to eventually be brought in to clean up the basin.

Just how bad was it? There were “millions and millions of stainless-steel screws” spread out across the property because a repair shed was ripped out during the storm.

“I had to have members walk through every inch of this yard with a Home Depot bucket,” Clark says. And you couldn’t use a metal detector because the screws were stainless steel. “No, they had to pick up everything by hand.”

It took months to find them all — assuming some are not still embedded in dirt somewhere.

GOOD STUFF

Clark says that in the initial aftermath, membership suffered but has bounced back over time. Since the storms, members have logged more than 70,000 hours of volunteer time helping restore the property. “It was them that got us up and running.”

But to get a sense of just how far the squadron has come, one needs to go no further than Constantineau.

The Boston sailor is part of a Viper club that comes out to the squadron each December to compete in a regatta.

The group showed up in December 2024, about two months after Milton,

unsure of what it would find.

“We were like, ‘There’s no way the squadron is going to pull this off,’” he says.

What the Viper club found were boats scattered all over the property, the destroyed clubhouse and screen doors that were still down. The docks, disconnected and floating around, had been taken over by birds and there was splintered wood and nails everywhere.

Worse, a crane that helped put the boats into the water was inoperable. There was a crew working on it, but the alternative would have been to put the boat in the water by car at a boat ramp. (It was repaired in time for the regatta.)

But sailing is a community, an oftrepeated message, and Constantineau and his fellow sailors pitched in to help with what they could while in town.

A year later, he was back at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron for another regatta. Clark stopped to chat as he did some work on his boat, still on its trailer. They talked logistics for the race weekend, and she let him know there would be a live band Friday night and a lighted Christmas boat parade Saturday.

Looking around, there were obvious signs of work that remained: a grill area to be rebuilt, the wave fence in need of repair. But for these two, at least, things were far on the way, if not all the way, back to normal.

“Now look at it,” Clark says. “Yeah,” he answers, “it’s good.”

Courtesy rendering

Plans for the Sarasota Sailing Squadron Youth Education Building need to be approved first by Sarasota city officials.

A Perfect Fit

Homegrown CEO brings fresh ideas and steady leadership to the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce.

BY EMILY LEINFUSS | CONTRIBUTOR

Sarah Firstenberger was barely six months into her job as CEO of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce when the organization launched into one of its biggest events: the 15th anniversary of the Siesta Key Crystal Classic International Sand Sculpting Festival. If you’ve never watched world-class sculptors build

castles and creatures out of sugar sand, it’s quite an experience.

For Firstenberger, 41, it was a good early test, having been hired as CEO of the 400-member organization in June. (She passed.) Firstenberger, who came to the chamber role after working for two other local organizations, handled the Crystal Classic with

Continued on Page 34

Photos by Lori Sax

Sarah Firstenberger was named CEO of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce in June.

Continued from Page 32

confidence and kindness. She greeted people, kept the energy up, problemsolved on the fly and made it all look easy. “The event was a huge win for our small and mighty team,” she says.

Now it’s on to the next big event: the Fourth of July fireworks on Siesta Beach.

This year, the Crystal Classic stayed traditional. But Firstenberger has new ideas brewing for next year and the years to come that center on ways to partner more with the community and collaborate with Sarasota County. “Events are very creative,” she says. “You have to figure out ways to keep people engaged, offering value so they come back year after year while keeping the tradition and integrity of the event alive.”

CREATIVE JUICES

That creativity is seemingly embedded in Firstenberger’s DNA. “We were true Florida kids,” she says. “We’d ride our bikes from where we lived in town out to Siesta Key and back all the time.”

That early sense of freedom and adventure was matched by a home life filled with Bohemian-style musicians jamming. She later attended the Booker High School Visual and Performing Arts program. “I absolutely cannot play a tune myself,” she says, laughing. Instead, she channeled her creativity into exploring, observing and figuring out what the world had to offer.

After earning a bachelor’s in marketing at the University of South Florida, Firstenberger headed into the workforce intending to get a job, get some experience and pay the bills. The first two came more easily than the third. So she picked up a restaurant side job, and, through that, was introduced to the Sarasota-Manatee Originals. When the position for executive director opened in 2015, she went for it. It turned out to be the moment when everything clicked. “It was that job where I truly saw the path I wanted to take in my career,” she says.

At the Originals, Firstenberger met her early career mentors. Michael Klauber of Michael’s On East taught her how to trust her instincts and make quick, confident decisions. Public relations and marketing pro Nikki Logan Curran showed her that

SARAH’S SIESTA KEY FAVORITES

Having grown up in Sarasota and now, as CEO of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, Sarah Firstenberger offers up an insider’s take on some of the “endless” ways to have fun and make memories on Siesta Key:

1. Have an adventure on the water with CB’s Saltwater Outfitters.

2. Enjoy live music at local spots like Gilligan’s Island Bar & Grill, Siesta Key Oyster Bar or The Hub Baja Grill.

3. Don’t miss the tableside Caesar at Miguel’s Restaurant.

creativity doesn’t have to come with limits. Those lessons stuck.

So did the support of the Firstenberger matriarchs. Her mother, Carmela Pedicini — a well-known area local musician — instilled the kind of persistence that doesn’t waver. Her grandmother Carole Firstenberger, who spent 25 years at Tropicana in Bradenton, is someone she still turns to when she needs to talk through professional or creative challenges.

“They’ve both always been in my corner,” she says.

In 2022, Firstenberger moved to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County as director of marketing and events. She wasn’t planning to leave that job — until she read the description for the Siesta Key Chamber CEO position. (The previous chamber leader, Ann Frescura, retired.) “It felt like a perfect fit,” she says. “Working with local business owners who build our community and give back so much. I wanted to support that.”

LOOK AHEAD

A big strength of Firstenberger’s leadership is her ability to hold space for tradition while introducing fresh ideas. Since starting in June, she’s deep into long-term planning, looking closely at

what the chamber can become. Her goals are straightforward: increase visibility, amplify members’ voices and keep celebrating what makes Siesta Key, well ... No. 1.

“At the end of the day, kindness is at the core of everything we do. Every person and business is equal and important, no matter what role they play. I strive to make decisions with that principle in mind.”

She also believes in protecting the island itself — maintaining the health and well-being of Siesta Key is nonnegotiable. “The natural beauty of the Key is a big draw for visitors and newcomers. We have to support and invest in the land, in environmental efforts, and in overall infrastructure to keep offering a vibrant, nurturing and fun experience here.”

For someone who has lived, worked and grown up in this community, leading the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce feels both full-circle and forward-looking. “I’m so lucky to have built a career here,” says Firstenberger.

And the best perk of the job?

“I didn’t realize how cool it would be to walk out of my office, put my toes in the sand, take a breath and reset.”

4. Stop for breakfast sandwiches from The Siesta Key Coffee Shop at Captain Curt’s.

5. Sit outside at the Village Café with a Greek omelet and people watch.

6. Pack a sunset picnic with goodies from Crescent Beach Market or Morton’s Market.

7. Steal away for a weekend at Siesta Key Beach Resort and Suites.

8. Sip cocktails at Blasé Martini Bar.

9. Enjoy a pizza at Lenny’z Pizza & Island Bar.

10. Celebrate a special occasion with friends and family at the Siesta Key Summer House.

11. Always indulge in salty fries, mini donuts and ice cream with the kids at the Siesta Beach Eats concession.

Sarah Firstenberger grew up in the region and recalls she and her friends would ride bikes to Siesta Key often.

Circle of Life

An urban planner takes a big-picture look at solving one of the region’s most vexing issues: flooding on St. Armands Circle.

BY MARK GORDON | DEPARTMENTS EDITOR

Nearly every person who has spent time on St. Armands Circle — residents, tourists, locals guiding out-of-town friends and family — has a memory about the retail and restaurant mecca. A lobster dinner at a fancy restaurant. A pair of shoes bought with friends. An ice cream cone.

Sarasota resident and urban planner Philip DiMaria’s Circle story revolves around his parents. His dad was

a police officer who worked at Ground Zero after 9/11 with the NYPD. The DiMaria family — young Philip was in elementary school — visited Sarasota for a much-needed vacation in 2002. His parents, in a not-so-unfamiliar story, loved the area so much they moved here soon after visiting. And in retelling their Sarasota origin story to their kids, they often cite the Circle as their favorite spot. “St. Armands is basically why my parents moved here,”

says DiMaria, who attended middle school and high school in Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota, before going to University of Florida and graduating from Arizona State. Now, he’s a project manager with engineering, planning and design firm Kimley-Horn. In the shadow of these memories, the Circle faces a conundrum: A trio of 2024 storms — Debby, Helene and

Continued on Page 38

Photos by Mark Wemple

Philip DiMaria says “there is a great opportunity here for St. Armands to evolve and become incredible again.”

Continued from Page 36

Milton — led to a variety of flooding issues, causing millions of dollars in damage. Nearly every store was impacted. Some closed and reopened, others moved, others left for good.

While the Circle has flooded before, the crippling aftermath of those storms, and fresh memories, moved future structure resiliency to the top of the priority list for many connected to the Circle — store owners, landlords, city officials, residents and more. To cite one example, as 2025 came to a close, Sarasota city officials, backed by the town of Longboat Key, requested $24.5 million from Sarasota County to improve its resiliency to flooding; the money stems from Resilient SRQ, a $210 million federal grant the county controls.

The county ultimately granted St. Armands a little more than half that amount, $13.5 million. The funds are to be directed toward projects such as retrofitting pump stations and generators and installing tide check valves.

SEE SOMETHING, DO SOMETHING

Into this breach steps DiMaria. He chose St. Armands Circle as his topic for a 10x10 presentation last fall. Held at the Sarasota Art Museum and organized 15 years ago by local architect Michael Halflants, 10x10 events are buzzy and well-attended. They are designed to be a quick glance at a person, place or issue in the community. The gist: 10 community leaders get five minutes to present 10 slides. Each slide is up for 30 seconds.

For the Sept. 25 10x10 event, DiMaria chose St. Armands — and his 10 slides detailed a three-step resiliency plan. “I wanted to get this out in the community and say ‘we really have to do something there before (flooding) happens again,’” he says. “The storms (of 2024) offered the perfect opportunity for us to re-examine St. Armands. It would be a shame if we didn’t do something with this opportunity.”

DiMaria and his firm have done some work for clients on St. Armands. The firm also bid, unsuccessfully, on a St. Armands roadwork project the city put out a Request for Proposals on. Beyond that, DiMaria recently worked on a comp plan for St. Pete

Beach and has worked on resiliency projects in Pinellas County. DiMaria’s St. Armands ideas even go back to New York, where he analyzed how the city responded to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. “I was aware of and studied these concepts,” he says.

LOOK UP

In an interview with Key Life a few months after his 10x10 presentation, DiMaria stresses his slideshow is a theory, not a total solution, and the ideas are based on his experience, not for a client. He realizes there will be naysayers, especially in Sarasota, where just about every project proposal seemingly draws some kind of opposition.

That context is key for the first step: Because St. Armands is basically built in a bowl, DiMaria says it’s crucial to floodproof the buildings. The problem is how. Lifting everything on stilts is a hard no, for that, he says, would ruin “the retail experience.”

A solution, DiMaria points out on one slide, is to go up. That means raising the sidewalk elevation 2 to 3 feet and the base flood elevation of the current buildings 7 to 8 feet. A few developers have recently floated the idea of three-story buildings on St. Armands — and were met with heavy pushback. So DiMaria knows going up is a big ask for many on the Circle. “The key challenge,” he says, “is how do you incentivize people to raise the infrastructure? You have to find a solution to that.”

The second step in DiMaria’s plan is to better utilize the city-owned, 521-spot parking garage on the Circle that opened in 2019. The garage’s occupancy dropped from 66% in 2024 to 25% in 2025, DiMaria points out on one 10x10 slide, and at the same time, shopowners and landlords are required by zoning rules to have onsite parking spots. That rule, what DiMaria calls “idiosyncratic zoning,” can be curtailed, he suggests, freeing up more space on the Circle for resilient building improvements. And that parking, he says, can be shifted to the underused garage.

The third step in DiMaria’s plan is to activate and reinvest in the Circle. In a go-big-or-go-home moment, this step includes building an observation deck on the Circle in the middle of St. Armands. He’s inspired by an observation deck in Seville, Spain, where

you can walk around and see multiple views. With the Gulf around multiple Circle corners, a viewing area, to DiMaria, is a no-brainer. “I know it’s a bit out there,” he says, “but there is such a unique opportunity here to be as creative as we want to be.”

DO IT DIFFERENT

At least one St. Armands leader, Rachel Burns, executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association, disagreed with some of DiMaria’s 10x10 presentation, especially with his views on the parking garage and zoning. Burns, whose husband, Jason, owns a restaurant on the Circle, Lynches Pub, spoke with DiMaria about those issues after the 10x10 event.

But while they differ on specifics, they agree St. Armands is a jewel worth the time and effort — and resources. “We have to look at priorities,” says Burns, who has been at the helm since 2021 of the 100-member association that supports commerce, merchants and events on the Circle.

DiMaria acknowledges he doesn’t have all the answers, while also acknowledging the axiom that “if you don’t change what you’re doing, you’re just gonna repeat the same mistakes.”

“There is a great opportunity here,” DiMaria adds, “for St. Armands to evolve and become incredible again.”

I know it’s a bit out there, but there is such a unique opportunity here to be as creative as we want to be.

PHILIP DIMARIA

Philip DiMaria believes the St. Armands parking garage is underutilized, with low occupancy.

The Bellwether Group

Named to Forbes’ Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams — 2023, 2024 & 2025

Being named to Forbes’ 2025 Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams list for three consecutive years, is a testament to your experience, focus, and dedication to your clients’ financial future.

Thank you for the work you do each day and for carrying forward the standard of excellence at our firm.

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[L-R] Financial Advisors: Rochelle A. Nigri, QPFC; Richard T. Williams III, CFA®; Aimee Cogan, CFP,®CIMA®, Managing Director—Wealth Management; Scott Rockwell; Paul C Alexander, CRPC®

2023, 2024, 2025 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams

Source: Forbes.com (2023, 2024, 2025) Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams ranking awarded in 2023, 2024 & 2025. Each ranking was based on an evaluation process conducted by SHOOK Research LLC (the research company) in partnership with Forbes (the publisher). This evaluation process concluded in March of the previous year the award was issued, having commenced in March of the year before that. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors paid a fee to SHOOK Research LLC, for placement on its rankings. This ranking is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each Financial Advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations, and quantitative criteria, including assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research LLC and may not be representative of any one client’s experience; investors must carefully choose the right Financial Advisor or team for their own situation and perform their own due diligence. These rankings are not indicative of the Financial Advisor’s future performance. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is not affiliated with SHOOK Research LLC or Forbes. For more information, see www.SHOOKresearch.com.

HIGH TIDES

THE HEART OF COMMUNITY ON THE KEYS

Annual tournament casts for a cause. PAGE 46

Photo by Mark Wemple

Move It Move It

Mirabai Holland’s dynamic backstory has many twists and turns. It all leads to one central theme: Just keep moving.

BY MARK GORDON | DEPARTMENTS EDITOR

When Mirabai Holland says she’s flexible, it means two different things.

For one, it’s being flexible physically. She lives and works exercise and has been moving, dancing and swimming for some 60 years — with two hip replacements in her 70s to show for it. Holland is also flexible mentally. She meditates and makes sure to focus on her breathing, her self-talk and her attitude through life’s hiccups.

In a sense, the physical side of flexibility is her passion and purpose; the mental side is her mindset and mentality. “If I’m good with anything, it’s that

I’m flexible,” Holland says. “I roll with the punches.”

Holland is additionally good at many other things and topics related to health and wellness. Her 55-year career includes some entrepreneurial twists, innovations born of necessity, and a keen ability to adapt — quickly — to changing consumer tastes. (One of her businesses started out selling VHS exercise tapes; that entity now offers virtual fitness classes.)

Holland is also a certified health coach, exercise physiologist and wellness consultant with clients in Sarasota and nationally, all behind a justdo-it north star. “Taking charge of your health doesn’t have to feel like

Continued on Page 44

Photos by Mark Wemple

Mirabai Holland says “taking charge of your health doesn’t have to feel like getting your teeth drilled.”

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getting your teeth drilled,” she writes on her website. Holland, who, with her husband, F. Sebastian Marino, runs a health education and video production company, NuVue LLC, developed a health and wellness program for Manatee County employees in 2013 that remains in play today; teaches movement and exercise courses at the Bayfront Park Recreation Center on Longboat Key; and runs a hybrid concierge wellness program for patients with hip and knee replacements at the office of Dr. Edward Stolarski in Sarasota. All told, her wellness programs are implemented in hospitals, fitness facilities, resorts and corporations worldwide.

And there’s more: Holland is a poet, writer and artist. The art includes painting and digital art, while her articles and writing have been published in multiple outlets, including the Longboat Observer and the Sarasota Observer. She has also appeared on “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show” and dozens of other TV outlets. Holland turned 75 in January — with no signs of slowing down. She and Marino live on Longboat Key and have a home in Colorado. She’s been coming to the area since the 1970s, when her family, from Chicago, bought a place here. The couple have been Florida residents since 2010. “We have the water and the mountains,” she says. “We have the best of both worlds.”

Key Life spoke with Holland about her life and career in early December. Edited excerpts:

Holland grew up in Chicago. Her grandfather, MZ Holland, had a prominent jewelry store business in the Windy City. Her father, Wesley, later ran the company. “I went to a very progressive high school, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, and my dad said, ‘Why don’t you just go to the University of Chicago?’ But I wanted to go as far away from Chicago as possible for college.”

She went to the University of Denver, drawn to Colorado from a trip she took there for a summer camp when she was 13. “It was a horseback riding camp, but I did a lot more

swimming in Colorado than horseback riding.” She and her husband remain fond of the Centennial State and have a place in Crested Butte, south of Aspen.

Holland was not into fitness or health as a young child. “I hated exercise as a kid. I was a chubby kid. You would find me in the nurse’s office more often than you would find me in the gym.” Her parents signed her up for ballet, but she balked, saying “it was too rigid.” When she was 12 or 13, she had a gym teacher who was also a modern dancer. That teacher put on some “upbeat jazz” and told the class to make up some movements. Holland was hooked. “I was like, ‘Boom this is what I want to do.’ Modern dance allowed me to do my own thing. I’d found my calling.”

After Denver, Holland attended the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Staying in Boston, she and some friends opened a food co-op in Central Square in Cambridge. The spot had some extra space, where Holland opened a dance studio. “I didn’t really know what I was going to teach, but I immediately had business.” She called the studio New Combinations for the Non-Dancer.

Holland had a life-changing accident in Egypt in her 30s. She was hiking with a boyfriend and fell off a cliff, dropping 30 feet. She was unconscious for a spell. She tore a meniscus in her knee, broke her pelvis and had broken ribs. She said physical therapy wasn’t working and she didn’t like the rigidness of it, so she did rehab on her own, rediscovering swimming. “I never thought I would move again, but in nine months, I was back,” she says. “It was a miracle.” The experience also led her to get a degree in nutrition and exercise and physiology from Columbia University. “I wanted to know and learn as much as I could about the brain and about the body.”

The 1980s fitness boom led Holland to chase a new path. She launched a company, Mirabai Holland International, based on the idea, popular in Japan, that physically active and engaged people were happier and healthier — and more productive employees. Holland went into big companies — in-

person coldcalls — and got business one by one, teaching fitness classes to employees. A stop at the offices of Forbes magazine led to a spot pitching the business on “The Today Show.” “I got so many classes I had to hire out other teachers.”

Holland and Marino met in the 1980s. He had a TV production company that was producing the Reebok World Aerobics Championship for ESPN. She was a judge for the competition. They saw each other infrequently at first. Then, they began to work on projects together and saw each other more often. They were married in 1999, and, adds Holland, “have lived happily together” since 1992.

Holland is motivated today by using the power of small changes to help people. “One of the things people ask me all the time is I want to get started, but how do I start? I want to lose 40 pounds. I want to quit smoking. I want to get a new job. I say you have to pick something and start, and not all at once. Maybe it will be 5 pounds this month. Maybe it will be five minutes of walking. Maybe it will be mediating. You have to look inside yourself as to what makes you happy. You have to take control of your own life.”

“I wanted to know and learn as much as I could about the brain and about the body.”

Mirabai Holland’s art goes from dancing to the canvas.

Reel Deal

Ben Shroyer has turned a parent’s nightmare — childhood cancer — into a cause for good, helping families in the same boat as his was a few years ago. The waters off Siesta help fund the work the organization does.

BY ERIC SNIDER | CONTRIBUTOR

In the second week of November, Ben Shroyer was making one of his monthly visits to the cancer ward at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg when a social worker approached him about a family in need of financial assistance. Shroyer promptly walked into a hospital room and introduced himself to a boy and his mother.

“What can I do to help you guys?” he asked. When the mother hesitated, he said, “Seriously, what can I do to help?”

“We’re actually late on our rent,” Shroyer recalls the mother replying.

“Well, how much is your rent?”

“It’s like $1,500.”

Shroyer pulled out his checkbook, wrote a check for that amount and handed it to her. “She just, like, started crying,” Shroyer says.

These impromptu encounters are among the most rewarding Shroyer experiences in his job as co-founder

and executive director of Casting For The Kids, a Sarasota nonprofit that helps the families of children with cancer up and down the region. The charity’s name comes from a fishing tournament it holds in September in Sarasota Bay off Siesta Key that not only raises money but frees cancerstricken children from hospital floors and onto boats for a day of sun, fresh air and angling.

Working with a gift-giving budget that hovers around $100,000 annually, Shroyer also provides aid to families who apply through the organization’s website and via word-of-mouth. Some of the nonprofit’s beneficence is bit-

tersweet — like the $6,000 it gave to a family of a terminally ill boy so the parents could stay home with him during the last three months of his life. Or the time Shroyer set up a trip to One Buc Place for a football-loving kid, where he met such Buccaneers as Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans. A couple of weeks later, with the help of Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive Brian Ford, Casting for The Kids set up a wingding for the young man at Raymond James Stadium, replete with a police escort that included a motorcycle cavalcade. He died the following Thursday.

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Ben Shroyer has been involved with charitable groups for children’s cancer for nearly a decade.

Mark Wemple

Continued from Page 46

Shroyer’s entry into the charity world resulted from his family’s own cancer crisis. Starting at age 2, daughter Hannah battled Stage 4 neuroblastoma, which required surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and two bone-marrow transplants. When Hannah achieved remission, Shroyer felt the tug to give back to Johns Hopkins All Children’s, the hospital that had saved his child’s life.

He reached out to Big Top Brewing and the Lucky Pelican Bistro in Lakewood Ranch about doing a beerfocused fundraising event. Their owners readily agreed, and Big Top created a special banana wheat ale called Hannah Banana. Lucky Pelican chipped in the barbecue. In September 2018, Brewing Up Awareness, held at Big Top, raised about $7,000, Shroyer says. The following year’s version pulled in roughly $13,000. They gave the money to All Children’s.

How did this cancer warrior pivot from a beer event to a fishing tournament? Simple answer: COVID-19. “We couldn’t do it in bars anymore,” Shroyer says. “But I remember saying, ‘I don’t think childhood cancer stops just because there’s a pandemic going on.’”

With the help of some key friends — folks he’d met during long hours on the oncology floor while tending to their sick children — Shroyer hatched the idea of taking the fundraiser outdoors, and coined it Casting For The Kids. All they had to do was build a fishing tournament from scratch. “This was before AI,” Shroyer quips.

Around this time, Shroyer had a meeting with another child cancer warrior, a famous one: Dick Vitale. “He said, ‘Listen, I admire you wanting to donate to the hospital, to research, but when you’re talking about the money you’re bringing in, it’s a drop in the bucket,’” Shroyer remembers. “He was like, ‘but think about how much that money could help families?’ And I’m like, ‘You’re not wrong.’”

The first Casting For The Kids tournament was held Sept. 26, 2020, and featured 20 boats angling for cash prizes and trophies. With money from sponsorships and on-site donations, the inaugural event raised $25,000,

which the organization used to help families pay for rent, mortgages, car payments and maintenance, Christmas presents and other necessities.

“There were days on the cancer floor where you would hear kids screaming for mom and dad,” Shroyer says, his raspy voice rising. “No parent should have to worry about not being able to stay in the hospital with their kid because they have to work, or figuring out how to keep the lights on. They need to worry about their child.”

In 2021, Casting For The Kids garnered $50,000; the third year leaped to $117,000 and the fourth to $175,000.

The 2024 edition, held between two major hurricanes, still reeled in nearly $86,000. This year saw a dip to about $75,000. Shroyer is puzzled that the event had the largest number of boats but the lowest amount of donations, but he’s undeterred.

Shroyer runs Casting For The Kids essentially on his own from a home office and credits his board of directors for providing essential help. He puts in “every bit of 40 hours a week,” he says. His 2025 salary was $45,000. “It’s definitely not a livable wage,” he adds.

MORE INFORMATION

For information on Casting For The Kids or to help with donations, go to CastingForTheKids.org. Casting For The Kids runs a holiday toy drive and hosts an annual gala. The 2026 event, the Sea of Courage gala, is scheduled for Feb. 7 at the new Mote Science Education Aquarium. The Leland Family Foundation Corp. is the presenting sponsor and covers all costs.

That’s why he’s also a real estate agent, selling houses on the side. His wife, Ginger, works as a trauma registrar at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Hannah Shroyer is now 10. A year after her doctors saw no evidence of neuroblastoma, she was stricken at age 4 with a brain tumor, which required surgery and two years of chemo. It came at a cost. “She wears hearing aids now because the chemo caused her to lose her hearing,” Shroyer says. “She has a lot of life-long effects, and she’s going to have to deal with them.” Shroyer pauses, then adds, “But at the end of the day, she’s still here.”

Courtesy images

The Casting for The Kids tournament has raised over $525,000 since 2020.

of hope for cancer patients and their families. Today, as our population grows, so does the need for cancer care. The new outpatient Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion will expand critical patient programs and services. Many are fully supported through philanthropy.

You can play a vital role in ensuring that families continue to find the hope and healing they deserve.

Learn how you can make an impact, call 941.917.1286 or visit smhf.org.

Led by Danielle Gladding, the models of the 2025 St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church fashion show take a last lap on the catwalk at Sarasota Yacht Club.

WINTER 2026

FEBRUARY

1 SIESTA KEY FARMERS MARKET

From 9 a.m. to noon at Siesta Key Village, 5104 Ocean Blvd., the Siesta Key Farmers Market features a variety of vendors selling produce, rum, bread, wellness products, artwork, natural candles and more. Continues every Sunday. n Visit Facebook.com/SiestaKeyFarmersMarket.

COQUINA BEACH MARKET

The Coquina Beach Market is open at South Coquina Beach, 1800 Gulf Drive S., Bradenton Beach. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. n Visit CoquinaBeachMarket.org.

BRIDGE STREET MARKET

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday through April, the Bridge Street Market, at 105 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach, offers food, jewelry, art and more from local vendors. n Visit AnnaMariaIsland.com.

SIESTA KEY DRUM CIRCLE

Siesta Beach closes out the weekends with a friendly and lively drum circle right outside the main parking area, at 948 Beach Road, Siesta Key. Peace and solace are good, but when you’ve had your fill, head over for a communal music space that has recurred weekly since about 1996. Bring a drum and join, or stand outside of the circle and enjoy the growing beat as the sun sets. Starts an hour before sunset every Sunday. n Visit SiestaKey.com.

6-7

FEED THE ISLAND ART & CRAFT SHOW

Support handcrafted artisans at the second Feed the Island Art & Craft Show, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Bayshore Park, 316 N. Bayshore Drive, Anna Maria. Bring canned or nonperishable items to support the food pantry. n Visit BlueRibbonEvent.com.

7 AIRING OF THE QUILTS

More than 100 modern quilts will hang in the gazebo and under the palm trees at Maxine Barritt Park, 1800 S. Harbor Drive, Venice. Sarasota and South Sarasota Modern Quilt Guilds’ annual Airing of the Quilts display and sale begins at 10 a.m.

n Visit SarasotaCountyParks.com.

THE CREATION OF ‘WICKED’

With a multimedia presentation, acclaimed dramatic musical theater historian Charles Troy examines the inspiration behind “Wicked,” the longest-running Broadway musical of the 21st century. The lecture is 3-4:30 p.m. at The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Tickets for the single lecture are $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers.

n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ NIGHT

Kid Dutch returns to The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, with guest jazz artists. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. and is $30 for members or $35 for nonmembers. Advance registration is recommended.

n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.

SAY ‘I DO’ AGAIN

The annual tradition of love returns to Siesta Beach and Nokomis Beach Park for couples looking to renew their vows of love. The event includes a certificate, a gift, a flower, music and refreshments. Details to come. n Visit SarasotaCountyParks.com.

VALENTINE’S ART SHOW

St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church Women’s Guild brings back the Valentine’s Art Show it debuted in 2025. Guild members volunteer works either by themselves or from their personal collections to be displayed and raffled off to lucky winners. The show begins at 5 p.m. at the church, 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. n Visit StMaryLBK.org.

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BRADENTON GULF ISLAND CONCERT

Enjoy a concert by Atlanta Rhythm Section at The Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the headliner at 7 p.m. Tickets from $60. n Visit CenterAMI.org.

BILLY JOEL: ‘JUST THE WAY HE IS’

The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, hosts a concert of popular Billy Joel tunes intertwined with the story of his life. The program is from 3-4:30 p.m. and costs $50 for members or $60 for nonmembers.

n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.

LUNCHEON: JAZZ CLUB OF SARASOTA

Arts Advocates presents a luncheon talk with Jazz Club of Sarasota President Ed Linehan ahead of the 46th Annual Sarasota Jazz Festival. The luncheon begins at 11 a.m. at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd. Tickets are $45 for Arts Advocates members and $50 for nonmembers.

n Visit ArtsAdvocates.org.

21-22

FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

The Festival of the Arts will be at Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Dozens of local vendors will be selling art, jewelry, photography and more from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is free. n Visit ArtFestival.com.

25AMERICAN AND BRAZILIAN JAZZ ADVENTURES

The Thomas Carabasi Jazz Quartet journeys through innovative melodies and rhythms of American and Brazilian songbook classics — from Antonio Carlos Jobim to Charles Mingus. The happy hour performance is 5-6:30 p.m. at The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. $40 for members or $45 for nonmembers. n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.

FEB. 28-MARCH 1

HOLMES BEACH FINE ART SHOW & CRAFT SHOW

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at City Field, 6001 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, browse goods from 50 regional vendors at the boutique show.

n Visit BlueRibbonEvent.com.

MARCH

1 ‘ANYTHING GOES:’ THE COLE PORTER STORY

The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, hosts a performing arts program about the life of composer and songwriter Cole Porter, from luxurious adventures to unimaginable tragedy. Sandra Moulin will narrate as Porter’s wife, Linda Lee Thomas. The program is from 3-4:15 p.m. Registration is $40 for members or $45 for nonmembers.

n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.

BRADENTON GULF ISLAND CONCERT

Enjoy a concert by John Oates and The Good Road Band at The Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the headliner at 8 p.m. Tickets from $77.

n Visit CenterAMI.org.

5 ARCOSTRUM

Artists Series Concerts presents violin-guitar duo ArcoStrum for its Lunch and Listen Series at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd. ArcoStrum blends multiple eras and cultures with its innovative chamber music. The performance begins at 11 a.m. Tickets are $75.

n Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

‘NATHAN-ISM’

Join Temple Beth Israel and The Education Center for a free screening of the film “Nathan-ism,” featuring Rabbi Jessica Mates. After World War II, Nathan Hilu took an assignment from the U.S. Army to guard Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg Trials. He spent the next 70 years

creating a visual narrative from his memories. The film begins at 4 p.m. at 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, and will be followed by a discussion and a wine reception with appetizers. n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.

6-7

ROYAL

RUMMAGE SALE

Shop for a variety of new-to-you items at St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church, 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. The sale is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. n Visit StMaryLBK.org/WomensGuild.

‘POPERA’

Enjoy an afternoon of operatic pop at The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Soprano Joy Leitner and tenor Arthur Saldanha, accompanied by pianist Natalia Van Genderen, will perform familiar favorites and new songs to love. The program is from 3-4:30 p.m. Regis-

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Ezra Dominguez Hernandez, 8, comes in at the Run for the Turtles finish line.

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tration is $40 for members or $45 for nonmembers.

n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.

12-29‘THE SECOND TIME AROUND’

The Island Players, at 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, presents the play “The Second Time Around.” When Samuel and Laura, a widower and a widow who have fallen in love, announce their plan to live together but not marry so they can keep their social security benefits, their grown children hit the ceiling. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $28.

n Visit TheIslandPlayers.org.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARTY

The annual St. Patrick’s Day Party returns to St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church, 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Details to come.

n Visit StMaryLBK.org.

15FASHION SHOW

Members of the St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Catholic Church Women’s Guild model the best seasonal offerings, from casual to elegant. The fashion show begins at 11 a.m. at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd. n Visit StMaryLBK.org.

LOS RUMBEROS

The Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, hosts a performing arts program by Los Rumberos, a band that fuses world music from flamenco and classical to latin jazz. The program is from 3-4:30 p.m. Registration is $40 for members or $45 for nonmembers.

n Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

The Center of Anna Maria Island hosts its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Details to come.

n Visit CenterAMI.org.

LUNCHEON: MOTE MARINE LABORATORY & AQUARIUM

Arts Advocates presents a luncheon talk with Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, which opened its Science Education Aquarium at Nathan Benderson Park in October. The luncheon begins at 11 a.m. at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd. Tickets are $45 for Arts Advocates members and $50 for nonmembers.

n Visit ArtsAdvocates.org.

APRIL

4 EASTER EGG HUNT

Children are invited to the annual Siesta Key Easter Egg Hunt at Siesta Key Chapel, 4615 Gleason Ave., Siesta Key. There will be five heats with 40 children each; ages 7-8 may only participate in the 10:40 a.m. heat. Doors open at 9 a.m. The Easter Bunny will be available for photos, and all registered children will receive a goody bag.

n Visit SiestaKeyChamber.com.

4-5

COQUINA BEACH SPRING ART & CRAFT SHOW

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Coquina Beach, 2651 Gulf Drive, Bradenton Beach, browse jewelry, ceramics, mixed media, bath and body products, and other work from artisan vendors.

n Visit BlueRibbonEvent.com.

RUN FOR THE TURTLES

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium hosts its annual 5K and 1-mile races to support sea turtles at Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Road, Siesta Key. The 1-mile fun run begins at 7:30 a.m.; the 5K begins at 8 a.m. An award ceremony will follow the 5K. Registration details to come.

n Visit Mote.org.

LUNCHEON: SARASOTA ORCHESTRA

Arts Advocates presents a luncheon talk with Sarasota Orchestra, which is planning its new music center on Fruitville Road near I-75. The luncheon begins at 11 a.m. at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John

Ringling Blvd. Tickets are $45 for Arts Advocates members and $50 for nonmembers.

n Visit ArtsAdvocates.org.

17-19

SUNCOAST BOAT SHOW

Boat enthusiasts will assemble for the annual boat show in Sarasota Bay to admire cruisers, motor yachts and other types of watercraft on display. The show will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Marina Jack, 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota.

n Visit SuncoastBoatShow.com

30

SAXOPHONE SPLENDOR Artists Series Concerts presents saxophonist Valentin Kovalev, with Joseph Holt on piano, for its Lunch and Listen Series at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd. Kovalev developed his unique style after studying in Russia, France and the U.S. The performance, which begins at 11 a.m., will include music by Bach, Rachmaninoff, Bizet and Piazzolla. Tickets are $75.

n Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

Hunter Kneifl, 1, searches for eggs at Siesta Key’s 2025 Easter Egg Hunt.

Keeping Time

From classic to quirky, these timepieces brighten spaces, elevate outfits and make tracking the hours surprisingly delightful.

BY EMILY LEINFUSS | CONTRIBUTOR

Garden Argosy 18 S. Boulevard of the Presidents 941-388-6402

GardenArgosy.com

Whimsy meets wall art with Garden Argosy’s delightfully offbeat designer clocks. Think teapots brimming with flowers, mermaids, flamingos, lizards — even Westin the Westie — all brought to life with “imperfect perfection.” These creative timepieces don’t just tell time; they spark joy, add character and turn any room into a conversation starter. Fun, fresh and fabulously unexpected.

Teapot and Westie wall clocks: $78.50

Love Pendulum clock: $175

Oval Pendulum clock: $470

Datejust 36 watch: Around $24,000

McCarver & Moser

1601 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key 941-330-7246

McCarverMoser.com

GMT-Master II watch: Around $15,000

When the moment calls for unmistakable prestige, reach for Rolex. For him, the GMT-Master II blends its iconic Pepsi bezel with a traveler’s dream: an hour hand that leaps to new time zones on command. For her, the Datejust 36 shines in Everose gold, its mother-of-pearl dial lit by a diamond at every hour — elegant, radiant and quietly commanding.

Siesta Key nautical map clocks: 16” $250; 24” $340

Giving Tree Gallery 5 N. Boulevard of the Presidents 941-388-1353

TheGivingTreeGallery.com

Art and time converge in these sculptural clocks, each one a small act of modern magic. Minimalist circles, squares and ovals gain warmth through handfinished copper and nickel patinas, turning simple geometry into statement design. The Love Pendulum clock enchants with a laseretched 1904 dictionary definition of “love,” while the horizontal Oval Pendulum clock impresses with brushed steel and copper detail.

Gidget’s Coastal Provisions

5242 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key 941-343-7646

GidgetsSiestaKey.Shop

Bring a touch of island time home with handcrafted Siesta Key nautical map clocks — sculptural maps that bring the island’s curves and contours to life. Each one is made by hand and can be personalized with meaningful dates, places or memories. It’s sun, salt and story, carved in layers of wood that echo the shoreline you love.

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Steff’s Stuff Antiques

5380 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key 941-383-1901

SteffsStuffLBK.com

Turn back time in the most dazzling way with these tabletop treasures. The 1904 Gilbert bronze Cupid clock is pure romance with its porcelain face, ornate brass workings and adorable Cupid statuette. The 1940s German crystal wind-up clock shimmers with diamondcut brilliance — a petite piece that catches every flicker of light. Two heirlooms, twice the magic, all timeless allure.

1904 Gilbert bronze Cupid clock: $125

Tabletop crystal wind-up clock: $50

Lakewood Ranch’s premier waterfront community offers exceptional resort-style living with stunning single-family homes by the region’s most sought-after builders. In response to phenomenal demand, Wild Blue at Waterside has released new premium homesites.

The spectacular 30,000-square-foot clubhouse, opening Fall of this year, will feature resort pools, dining, putting course, golf simulator, cinema, and fitness center. Residents are already enjoying Midway Sports Park, now open with tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts.

Secure your place in Sarasota’s most distinctive waterfront address.

Actual Patients

Smile Makeovers and Veneers

Dental Implant Surgery and Reconstruction

On-Site Laboratory with Master Technicians to Customize and Control Results

Burr Bakke, DDS

• Fellow of the American Dental Implant Association

• Fellow of International Congress of Oral Implantologists

• Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics

• Member of American Academy of Implant Dentistry

• Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction

Jill Morris, DMD

• Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (only 550 accredited dentists worldwide)

• Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics

• Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction

• Member International Academy of Oral Biological Dentistry and Medicine

• Practicing dentistry for 33 years

Cameron Johnson, DMDSydney Johnson, DMD

• Member of North American Association of Facial Orthotropics

• Member of the American Orthodontic Society

• Member of the International Association of Orthodontics

• Member of American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine

• International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology

• Member of International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology

• Member of International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine

• Member of Academy of Holistic Dental Association

• RG Recognized Dental Laboratory Technician

ROLL MODELS

Meet the island kitchens setting the standard for a seriously good lobster roll.

BY SU BYRON AND MARTY FUGATE | CONTRIBUTORS

Blanka, Laszlo and Csenge Bevardi with Lido Island Grill’s signature lobster roll.

Few dishes offer a humble take on a high-priced catch quite like a lobster roll. It’s lobster without the white tablecloths — just the sweet snap of the meat, a warm or chilled bun and whatever mix of butter or mayo the chef swears by. On our barrier islands, this no-nonsense classic fits right in. From walkup shacks to swanky waterfront restaurants, chefs across the keys are putting their own spin on it: some stripped-down, some dressed-up and all anchored in honest flavor. If you’re hunting for the real thing, these four key spots are worth the chase.

LIDO ISLAND GRILL AT THE LIDO BEACH PAVILION

Chef and restaurateur Laszlo Bevardi has worked in four-star kitchens across the globe, but his lobster roll at Lido Island Grill proves that simplicity steals the show. For Bevardi, it comes down to the basics: “It starts with choosing quality lobster meat and the right roll to showcase it. We keep seasoning minimal so the star ingredient can shine. The ratio of the salad components is everything.”

His roll is classic New England: a soft split-top bun brushed with butter and toasted to a golden crunch. Inside? Chilled lobster salad — a must for Lido’s sundrenched beach crowd. “The beach vibe calls for cold lobster salad.”

On the great butter-versus-mayo divide, Bevardi doesn’t hesitate. “I keep it straight with cold mayo,” he says. “Never butter.” Why not both? Absolutely not. “You can’t use both. Butter’s warm, mayo’s cold — and it breaks down if it gets warm.”

His lightly dressed mix pairs lobster with diced celery, kosher salt, pepper, lemon juice, zest and chives. “You don’t want to overdo it,” he says.

Bevardi’s obsession began on the Maine-New Hampshire coast. One revelatory roll later, he was hooked — and cooking fresh lobsters from a local boat convinced him how much sourcing matters. Today, he uses only wild-caught Maine claw and knuckle meat, handled by a team of trained chefs. “Even though it’s a concession stand, they’re all trained chefs. We make everything fresh, and people love to watch us through the window.”

IF YOU GO 400 Benjamin Franklin Drive, Lido Key (Lido Beach Pavilion); 610-999-9838.

Continued on Page 64

LASZLO BEVARDI ON THE ART OF THE PERFECT LOBSTER ROLL

What makes a lobster roll great: “Quality lobster meat and the right roll. If you start with the best, you don’t need to add much.”

Most overlooked detail:

“People overdo it. Too many ingredients mask the flavor. Keep it minimal so the lobster shines.”

Warm vs. chilled:

“On the beach? Chilled. It fits the vibe — refreshing, cool and perfect for Florida heat.”

Lobster roll epiphany:

“Tasting lobster rolls in New England and cooking lobster fresh off the boat — you never forget that flavor.”

Photos by Lori Sax

Lido Island Grill’s lobster roll, filled with chilled Maine lobster and served with tortilla chips and lemon.

Dry Dock’s general manager Wil Stutzman doesn’t claim their lobster rolls are “traditional.” They march to a different drummer — and customers love it. His version is Maine-style at heart: chilled lobster salad, lightly dressed with mayo, with a bright layer of lettuce and tomato. “People from up north tell me they like that,” he says. “It just makes the taste really bright.”

For Stutzman, the lobster is the star of the show. Dry Dock uses only knuckle and claw meat. “We’re very selective,” he says. “Knuckles and claws. That’s what makes it shine.”

Why chilled lobster? Stutzman’s just giving people what they want. “We tried both warm and cold when we started,” he recalls. “Our guests told us what they wanted — the chilled roll with light mayo. We’ve been keeping it cool for 15 years now.”

His lobster roll’s buns also get star treatment. Each bun is brushed with butter and toasted until it forms a crisp, golden crust. “You want that light crunch. If it’s too dark or too soft, the whole roll gets soggy.”

What makes a lobster roll great? Knowing when to stop. “Restraint is key,” Stutzman says. “Not too much mayonnaise. Just enough to coat the meat.”

WIL STUTZMAN ON THE ART OF THE PERFECT LOBSTER ROLL

What makes a lobster roll great: “Restraint is key. “ When a lobster roll goes bad: “A soggy bun ruins it. Flat out.”

Warm vs. chilled: ”We’ve been keeping it cool for 15 years now.”

Lobster roll epiphany: “I got my first taste in a restaurant in Maine. It was very sweet, very succulent, very delicate.”

Not too little and not too much. Finding that sweet spot isn’t easy. When you do, you’ve got a great lobster roll. How would he describe it? “It’s luxury in your hands.”

Stutzman’s first lobster-roll encounter also happened in Maine. A restaurant, not a fishing boat. “It was very sweet, very succulent, very delicate,” he says. “It instantly spoiled me.”

IF YOU GO 412 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key; 941-3830102.

Dry Dock Waterfront Grill’s chilled lobster rolls, packed with knuckle and claw meat and served with golden fries.

Chilled Maine lobster, lightly dressed and nestled in a buttered, toasted split-top bun, served with hot, house-made potato chips and a glass of rosé — simple, classic and quintessentially Longboat Key.

DID YOU KNOW?

Lobster wasn’t always a big-ticket treat. Back in the old days, it was cheap meat fed to prisoners and tossed into fields as fertilizer. When tastes shifted in the late 1800s, the crusty crustacean became a rich man’s delicacy. In the mid20th century, the lobster roll became everyone’s delicacy. Its exact birthplace? Everyone argues, nobody knows. Most roads lead back to the salty shoreline towns of Maine and Connecticut.

LAZY LOBSTER OF LONGBOAT KEY

When it comes to lobster rolls, Lazy Lobster co-proprietor Michael Garey has a single guiding principle: “Start with the best, and you can’t go wrong.” For him, “the best” means live Maine lobster, delivered five days a week from Boothbay Harbor and steamed fresh daily. “Other rolls might be bigger or cheaper,” he says. “But chances are they’re using frozen meat. Ask them to show you a live one. That’s the difference.”

Lazy Lobster’s roll is both cool and warm: a toasted, buttered bun and chilled meat inside. The combination is intentional. “Lobster is easy to overcook,” he explains. “Chilled is best.” The seasoned mayo dressing is used sparingly, with just a touch of celery salt, enough to coat the meat without overshadowing it. Minimalism rules here. “Keep it simple,” he says. “Don’t overthink it.” Executive Chef Sebastian Villaseca holds the same view. The bun stays true to New England tradition: a split-top roll, lightly buttered and toasted on the flat top for crisp edges and the perfect cradle. Garey fell in love with lobster rolls years ago in Boston. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is great! Why isn’t this everywhere?’” He brought the idea home — and it stuck. Today, Lazy Lobster’s roll is a Longboat Key favorite, served with hot, homemade potato chips. “You can substitute fries, but most people don’t,” he says.

IF YOU GO 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key; 941-383-0440.

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director Mon. Feb 16, 2026, 7:30 pm | Van Wezel

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, hailed as one of the great interpreters of the symphonic works of Brahms, conducts the world-renowned Orchestra performing Brahms Symphony No. 3 and No. 4.

DANISH STRING QUARTET

Tue. Feb 24, 2026, 7:30 pm

Riverview Performing Arts Center

PIANIST ALEXANDER MALOFEEV

Tue. March 10, 2026, 7:30 pm Riverview Performing Arts Center

JOSHUA BELL & THE ACADEMY OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS

Sun. March 15, 2026 7:30 pm | Van Wezel

Only Sarasota Concert Association sells valid tickets to our performances. Artists, programs, and ticket prices subject to change.

Courtesy image

OLD SALTY DOG (CITY ISLAND)

This old-school seafood shack has earned a pack of fans with its laid-back vibe and flopping fresh fare. Old Salty Dog’s lobster roll is the leader of the pack. Jeremy Bowe, the house manager, knows he’s got a winner. His winning secret? Finding the right balance. Minimal mayo or butter. He lets the lobster dazzle your tastebuds.

What makes a lobster roll great?

“Balance,” he says. “The essential lobster roll is all about the right ingredients in the right proportions.”

Bowe’s recipe for greatness? “We use just a touch of mayo and let the butter live on the bread. Only toast the outside of the bun. When you take a bite, you’re first met with the crunch of the bread and then you’re enveloped by the gentle butteriness, which is balanced by the carefully curated ingredients.”

A beautiful thought. It sparks a beautiful memory.

“The essential lobster roll is all about the right ingredients and the right proportions.”

“I tasted my first roll at a ballpark,” Bowe says. “I took a bite. The taste was so good, I instantly forgot about my surroundings. When that happens, you know you’ve hit a home run.”

Old Salty Dog’s fans agree. They think his lobster roll hits it out of the park.

IF YOU GO 601 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota; 941-388-4311

Old Salty Dog’s lobster roll with an Attitude Margarita — best enjoyed with a waterfront breeze.

THE ROLE OF THE ROLL

A lobster roll is only as good as its bread. While purists say there’s only one “right” choice, inventive chefs have multiple choices. Here’s the bread lineup that shapes the bite.

New England Split-Top Roll: The undisputed classic. Soft-sided, top-split and built to be butter-griddled, it cradles the lobster without upstaging it.

Brioche Bun: A richer, more decadent take. Buttery, lightly sweet and pillowy soft, the brioche gives the roll a little luxury without stealing the spotlight.

Potato Roll: Tender, subtly sweet and wonderfully soft. Not traditional, but a popular modern swap that keeps the focus on the lobster.

Soft French Roll: Used occasionally for a sturdier bite; rarely used in New England. A lightly crusted roll adds contrast but be careful. Too much crunch can overwhelm the lobster.

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Jill Charland shows off Old Salty Dog’s fan-favorite lobster roll, piled high with chilled Maine lobster.

ROUGH RIDERS

A love of tennis — mixed with razzing, rallying (if ever so slowly) and rounding out lives well-lived — keeps a resilient band of buddies on task at a longstanding tennis meetup. BY

ERIC SNIDER | CONTRIBUTOR

If this is the end of an era, you wouldn’t know it by the fun these old-timers are having on the tennis courts at the Resort at Longboat Key Club. It’s a Monday morning in December and a dense fog has lifted, allowing the sun to crack the clouds. Eight players, ranging in age from late 60s to mid-80s, occupy two courts, playing doubles. Their shots are mostly soft, their knees don’t bend much, they rarely chase down balls. The fellas banter as they play, talk lighthearted trash, gently berate themselves for lousy shots. Occasionally, a cry of frustration rings out — but no profanity, never that.

Continued on Page 70

Photos by Mark Wemple

Front: Elliot Salenger, Larry Coleman, Dr. Lee Edstrom

Back: Steve Davidson, Bob Nusbaum, Paul Levenson

These senior gentlemen are part of the Ruff Group, an informal club of tennis players at the Longboat Key Club that has lasted so long none of its current members can say specifically when it began. The best guess is the mid-1980s. Over four decades, age has taken its inexorable toll, attrition has accelerated and there is some concern that the sun may be about to set on a proud tradition.

The club is named after its founder, the late Bob Ruff, who organized a network of games that, at its peak, would see some 40 players on eight or more courts. Bob, who died in 2021 at age 93, pronounced his name “Roof,” but for the sake of catchiness, the contingent is commonly known as the “Rough Group.”

These days, the name has a tinge of irony. The club’s numbers have been steadily dwindling. Eight players is a rare turnout. Larry Coleman, who at 85 is blessed with a resplendent head of silvery hair, has for several years carried the mantle of organizing the games and reserving the courts. He sometimes has trouble coming up with just four players. On rare occasions, that has forced him to resort to drastic measures — recruiting women at the club to fill in.

The attrition in the ranks is no surprise. Members move away, bodies break down, guys get sick, they just get worn out and retire. Then, of course, there’s death. These fellows attend their share of funerals.

And then there are the near-funerals. One of the younger members, in his mid-60s — who will remain anonymous because he was not interviewed for this story — took a summer trip to New Zealand, where he had a major cardiac arrest and remained in Kiwi Land for open-heart surgery. “He was a really good player,” fellow player Elliot Salenger says, then adds halfjokingly, “except that he almost died.”

The man made his comeback in December.

HOLDING SERVE

Diehards. That’s an apt word to describe the Ruff Group guys still hanging in there. Aldo Massara is the oldest

at age 90, and the longest standing — 27 years. (The oldest ever, according to those on hand, was the late Lou Meltzer, who was 99.)

Massara, who’s been out of action with a bad back, has graciously come out to the courts to be part of a group interview. He grew up in Italy and still has the accent to show for it. A genial sort, quick with a smile and a story, he worries his playing days may be over but holds out hope for a comeback. “The nice thing about tennis, and this group, it’s not just the tennis. It’s the camaraderie,” he says. “We joke around, tease each other. I mean, we play competitively but don’t take it that seriously.”

Some aren’t so sure about the competitiveness. Salenger, 82, cites a recent occasion when, after a game, someone asked, “Does anyone remember the score?” then adds, “These guys are more interested in remembering where their cars are.”

On a more serious note, he says, “At this age, the social interaction is much more important than the quality of the tennis. It’s more important that guys get together, get out of the house to do things.”

Paul Levenson celebrates a shot at a recent game.

Larry Coleman works hard behind the scenes to keep the Ruff Group alive.

“At this age, the social interaction is much more important than the quality of the tennis. It’s more important that guys get together, get out of the house to do things.” ELLIOT SALENGER

Salenger is a retired trauma surgeon who grew up in Queens, New York. He attended Columbia University, where as a member of the basketball team, he guarded Bill Bradley, who went on to become the AP College Player of the Year in 1965 (and a U.S. Senator). “I said to my coach at halftime, ‘Coach, I think he scored 30 points on me.’” Salenger quips. He started playing tennis in his 30s, after med school.

On this Monday morning, the players briefly gather under a shelter between games, just as they do during their regular Wednesday and Friday sessions. Bonhomie permeates the group. It’s readily evident that they’re glad to be here and able to play, to have people in their age and skill range to play with. And to be part of the tradition that is the Ruff Group.

RUFF BEGINNINGS

Bob Ruff’s high school in Springfield, Illinois, didn’t have a tennis team, so he started one. Thus began a lifelong devotion to the game. While in the U.S. Army just after the Korean War, he captained the First Army tennis squad. Ruff practiced law in Indiana for decades, then retired to Longboat Key in the early 1980s.

No one seems to recall the precise origins of the club, other than that Ruff wanted to put together a regular schedule of tennis games. “Bob was a lovely, cantankerous old man who loved to play and played all the time,” Salenger says. The club has always been open to all ages, but over time it tilted toward seniors. That became self-perpetuating because younger players understandably prefer to play among themselves instead of napping their way through games with the old dudes.

The Ruff Group members did some math and figured out that their founder had arranged at least 30,000 contests. “He was a very smart guy,” says John Woods, director of tennis at Longboat Key Club when the Ruff Group started. “He put

Continued on Page 72

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together different levels and would match players up.”

And legend has it that Bob Ruff organized these thousands upon thousands of games in his head.

Ruff auditioned prospective members on the court, mostly to gauge their skills and slot them into the proper level. Massara, who’s known for his killer dropshot, remembers his entree: “After about 10 minutes, Bob said, ‘Fine, you’re doing fine.’ And at the end, out

of nowhere he told me, ‘By the way, we don’t use foul language around here.’ I said to myself, ‘Do I have tattoos? Do I look like a Hell’s Angel?’ I didn’t say anything. We had a memorial brunch for him and I spoke a little bit. I said that from then on, I always insulted in Italian.”

At one point the club was so robust it held parties in the Longboat Key Club ballroom to bid farewell to the snowbirds in the spring and welcome them back in the fall. With wives joining in, these bashes would gather more than a hundred attendees. In addition, the men regularly held post-game lunches at Spike ’n Tees, an on-site restaurant. That stuff doesn’t happen anymore.

GAME, SET — MATCH?

The Ruff Group continues to play on the clay courts of the Longboat Key Club as pickleball sweeps the nation. The members are not so much antagonistic as agnostic about that game with the paddles instead of rackets, the small court, the perforated plastic balls and something called “the kitchen.” Interestingly, none of the mem-

The tennis often takes a back seat to camaraderie at the Ruff Group.

bers at this Monday session can think of someone in their ranks who defected to pickleball. And no one in this gathering has plans to do so.

Still, the outflux of Ruff-ians has far outpaced the influx. Coleman, a 25-year member, is getting weary of wrangling players, not to mention calling in at 7:30 a.m. to reserve courts — three days in advance. Just mentioning that brings out the grump in him. With the games concluded and our little confab beginning to break up, Coleman says, “This could be my last year running it. It’s too much aggravation.”

“So who’s gonna step up?” a reporter asks the group.

After a moment of silence, “We all appreciate what Larry does for us, very much so,” someone says. “It’s a thankless job.”

Salenger, for one, thinks the rumor of the Ruff Group’s impending demise has been greatly exaggerated. “We have a few guys age 65 or 70 who are in a perfect position to take over,” he says. “They just don’t realize it yet. One of them will be anointed director.”

Photos by Lori Sax

This page: Perfectly in sync, Ski-A-Rees skiers Natalie Brannon, Debbie Brannon, Ella Walker and Steph Ouellette skim across Sarasota Bay, blending athleticism and grace.

Right: David Tomaszewicz and Matt Brannon form a powerful base as they carry Shannon Hall through a classic Ski-A-Rees pyramid routine.

MAKING

WAVES

For nearly 70 years, Sarasota’s iconic Ski-A-Rees has blended athleticism, showmanship and community spirit in a tradition that draws hundreds to their beloved Sunday performances.

BY ERIC SNIDER | CONTRIBUTOR

In the mid-20th century, Sarasota had already established itself as a small city with a big cultural scene. High culture, mostly — theater, classical music, architecture, visual arts, performing arts.

Then, on Oct. 30, 1957, a group formed with another type of culture in mind. They called themselves SkiA-Rees and planned to promote waterskiing and present show-skiing events. The city of Sarasota embraced the amateur, all-volunteer group and allowed it access to facilities for practices and performances. The ski shows launched in 1958. These aquatic extravaganzas drew crowds of tourists and locals and even lured highfalutin residents out of museums and into the sunlight.

Ski-A-Rees is still very much afloat in its 69th year. The troupe presents water-ski shows on Sunday afternoons in spring and autumn in a sweet spot of Sarasota Bay that’s tucked in among Lido Shores, City Island and St. Armands. Their choreographed routines include synchronized ballet skiing, ramp jumps and flips, barefoot skiing, all manner of dazzling stunts and, of course, the ever-enduring ski pyramid.

Amid an increasingly complex world, with an endless menu of diversions and distractions, there’s something to be said for heading to the waterside to take in some good, oldfashioned family fun — that’s free.

The Ski-A-Rees shows, which last

Steph Ouellette and Ella Walker glide in unison during a graceful ballet pass across Sarasota Bay.

No matter what their role, Ski-A-Rees performers get to bathe in the applause emanating from the shoreline. And who doesn’t like that?

ABOUT THE NAME

No one is entirely sure how the team got its whimsical name. Some say it began as “ski-rays,” others think it reflects the playful slang of the 1950s. Whatever its origins, Ski-ARees has endured for nearly seven decades, and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

Continued on Page 78

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about 45 minutes, generally draw between 600 and 1,000 people during springtime, a little less in autumn. Onlookers sit in bleachers set up for the event or line the shoreline with beach chairs and blankets. During performances, a few members go through the crowd with buckets, requesting donations (they have a QR code for Venmo or PayPal), which is the organization’s primary source of income. Another is dues collected from its all-volunteer membership.

Ski-A-Rees operates on a budget of about $50,000, says Brad Satterlee, 41, the group’s president and show director. The money goes toward paying rent to the city, maintaining and fueling two boats and buying equipment like tight-fitting vests, special skis, ropes and more.

Ski-A-Rees has had its ups and downs over the years. In 2017, a robust group won the Show Ski National Championships in Illinois with a themed program called “Star Wars: The Skiquel.” The team is currently

enduring something of a down cycle, with membership at a lower-thannormal ebb. Satterlee estimates that 15 to 20 skiers perform on any given Sunday. They’re joined by a roughly equal number of support personnel.

The hurricanes of 2024 wreaked havoc on the Ski-A-Rees infrastructure, requiring a long phase of repair and replacement. Still, the shows went on.

Growing the membership is now top of mind. “Our team’s pretty small right now, so we are working to bring in new members so we can pass this along for generations to come,” Satterlee says.

He emphasizes that Ski-A-Rees is in no danger of extinction, but the fact remains that to put on a ski show, you need skiers.

All you recreational water-skiers, take special note: Ski-A-Rees is open to anyone. You do not have to be an accomplished skier to join. The veterans will teach you the skills, stunts and routines. You can aim high — like jumping off a 6-foot-high ramp and doing a gainer; or skiing with one foot in

Continued on Page 80

“Our team’s pretty small right now, so we are working to bring in new members so we can pass this along for generations to come.”

Ski-A-Rees onlookers sit in bleachers set up for the event.

Brad Satterlee, left, president and show director of the Ski-A-Rees, at the team’s Sarasota Bay home base

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the handle while facing backward; or being part of a quintet that jets a full circle around a moving boat. Or you could opt for something more basic. And no one will give you the side-eye if you mess up.

No matter what their role, Ski-ARees performers get to bathe in the applause emanating from the shoreline. And who doesn’t like that? Come to think of it, who among us even gets to hear cheers from a crowd? “Yeah, it’s nice,” says Debbie Brannon, 17, who joined Ski-A-Rees at age 12. “It makes it so much fun to ski because everyone just loves to watch you.”

Satterlee reckons that Ski-A-Rees members range in age from 5 to 70+. For some, it’s a family tradition, passed down through generations. Lance Robbins — who’s been a performing member for most of his 40 years — gets to see his mother, Sandy Robbins, her two daughters-in-law and one granddaughter perform together. Three generations water-dancing in the ballet line.

Ski-A-Rees is more than a team, it’s a community — actually more like an extended family. They practice on Saturdays and perform on Sundays, get together for the occasional cookout and some of them socialize away from the team. The group makeup engenders real friendships between people of vastly different ages, which is rare. “I’ll be friends with a girl who’s my age, but then I’m also friends with her mom at, like, the same level,” says Debbie Brannon. “It’s a little bit weird, but overall, it’s nice.”

Ski-A-Rees benefits are boundless — vigorous physical activity and skill development, enhanced focus and diligence, team building, an expanded social circle, a regular escape from the humdrum, a sense of purpose beyond paid employment or school. And happiness. Lots and lots of happiness.

“I have, like, zero ability to imagine my life without Ski-A-Rees,” Robbins says.

IF YOU GO

Ski-A-Rees shows run through May 3. For more information, visit SkiARees.com.

Debbie Brannon and Family

Sisters Debbie and Natalie Brannon learned to ski at a young age under the tutelage of their father, Matt Brannon. The family lives in Venice and hadn’t heard of the Ski-A-Rees until learning about it from a guy who sold them a boat.

Intrigued, they checked it out. “I was a little nervous because there was a bunch of highly skilled skiers,” Debbie recalls. “One girl, her name was Jac (Lyman, now in her early 40s), was really good, and it was a little intimidating. But she was really nice and encouraged me to join up.”

Debbie, who was 12 at the time, signed on. Natalie, a year younger, played soccer and held off. She joined a year later.

At Debbie’s first practice, team members evaluated her abilities and liked what they saw. She had only dabbled in slalom skiing, and as it turned out she was using the wrong foot. To be in sync with the other Ski-A-Rees performers, she had to switch from her left to her right foot, which took her about three months to master.

Then came learning to start off of docks — first sitting, then standing. Then using a ski that swiveled. Then Debbie’s first real trick, skiing with the rope between her legs and her hands free. Things got harder with the toe hold, skiing with one foot in the handle. After that, a major hurdle — the toe

turn, where the skier executes a halfturn with one foot in the handle to a position facing away from the boat.

“It took me and my sister about one year to master,” Debbie says. They practiced the maneuver repeatedly, 10 to 20 times per session. “There were times when I thought, ‘I kinda wanna give up.’” Debbie recalls. “It got discouraging. But my sister and I learning it at the same time really helped. We just kept at it, encouraging each other, and we finally got it.”

While the girls were learning the toe turn, Debbie started training to be part of the pyramid, which required first building the human triangle on land — for safety’s sake — then gradually taking it into the water. At 5-foot-4, she’s usually in one of the middle sections of four tiers. The sisters also perform in the water ballet segments.

Debbie and Natalie take Ski-ARees seriously. With five- to six-hour practices on Saturdays and shows on Sundays, the endeavor eats up their weekends. (Debbie says she’s not one for parties, anyway.) During the offseason, she goes to the gym about three times a week to strengthen her legs, arms and core and also does a lot of skiing during the down periods. Dad and mom, Jenny, are members — Matt skis, Jenny is the costume director and a safety rider in a boat. It’s a Ski-ARees family affair.

Brannon and Natalie Brannon gear up for their next act, proudly posing with their skis between shows.

Debbie

Lance Robbins and Family

Lance Robbins has been a member of the Ski-A-Rees for 40 years. He’s 40 years old. In other words, he was born into it. Robbins can’t remember his first performances because he was too young. “My specific memories come probably when I was more like 10 and learning to do tricks,” he says.

Robbins is one of the team’s linchpins. He skied professionally for about seven years — at SeaWorld, at Cypress Gardens and at Universal Studios in Singapore, which was his last stop in 2019. (He’s now a physician’s assistant.)

During the shows, Robbins executes the show-stopping 360 around a moving boat, often with his brother Brian at his side. He performs doubles routines with women, showing off moves similar to figure skating. He vaults off a ramp and does front flips, gainers and helicopter spins.

Talk about a family affair. His mother, Sandy, still skis, and his father, Russell, helps out with other duties such

as driving the boats and running the sound system. “Every single weekend growing up I spent with my parents,” he says. “Who does that?”

There’s more. “I met my wife on the team,” he says of Jennifer, who still performs. “My brother met his wife on the team. I have three nieces who joined the ski show as little kids. My children (daughters, ages 2 and 3) aren’t there yet — but they will be.”

Talk about a family affair.

Lance Robbins’ mother, Sandy, still skis and his father, Russell, helps out with other duties such as driving the boats and running the sound system. “Every single weekend growing up I spent with my parents,” he says. “Who does that?”

Experience

Photos by Ian Swaby

Brothers Lance and Brian Robbins execute synchronized flips off the ramp — one of the team’s most thrilling high-difficulty stunts.

Brian Robbins lifts his daughter, Quinn, into the air mid-ride. With Ski-A-Rees, the family tradition starts young.

Veteran performer Lance Robbins greets the crowd with a wave during a smooth, crowd-pleasing run.

OASIS

INSIDE THE ISLAND LIFESTYLE

Natural forms inspired by the sea add drama to a Longboat Key showplace. PAGE 84

All About the View

The Fangmeyers’ Longboat Key estate has classic charm, graceful style and spectacular vistas that elevate every room. BY

ROBERT PLUNKET | CONTRIBUTOR

Photos courtesy of Walter Group Real Estate Palm trees and a white sand beach provide a classic tropical setting.

Longboat Key is famous for many things. The golf and the tennis. The endless beach. The atmosphere of luxury that surrounds the place. But let’s face it: When it comes to Longboat it’s all about the view.

That’s the secret of the appeal of this 4,200-square-foot home up toward the northern end. From virtually every room, every porch, every veranda — even the bathroom window — you look out to a classic view. You’re facing west, which means as the sun descends every afternoon, you’ll see some spectacular sunsets. In the near foreground, there’s a pool and then generous swaths of sand that run down to the Gulf. The color of the sky is always different, always changing. It’s a wide, open view; chances are there’s not another human being in sight.

This is the home of Dan and Belle Fangmeyer. They used to have a place in Holmes Beach and naturally, they had driven up and down Longboat Key many times. There was a house that

Continued on Page 88

Nautical-themed sculptures provide a touch of whimsy to the pool area.

Belle always looked forward to seeing. It had a stately, traditional look, a sort of Caribbean/Georgian style.

The home had an excellent provenance. It was designed by Clifford Scholz, one of the town’s most prominent architects, and it was built by Perrone Builders, well known for their superior work. It actually dates back to 1997, but the style, as defined by Scholz, doesn’t date. It has, in fact, a graceful quality that many more modern homes lack.

Then one day as Dan was driving past on his way to Sarasota, he saw the house was for sale. The Fangmeyers quickly arranged a tour. “We fell in love with it,” he says, and in no time at all they made an offer.

The Fangmeyers also have a home in North Carolina. It’s a much more rustic place, set on the side of one of the picturesque mountains that cover the western part of the state. It’s also rather large — over 5,000 square feet — and pure “country” in feeling, with so much charm that it has even served as a wedding venue. With the acquisition of their Longboat Key estate, the family now had a lifestyle that was hard to top — a beach home and a mountain retreat.

The Fangmeyer home is set on three quarters of an acre, a lot that seems larger due to the expansive beach on the Gulf side. The property is gated, with a circular, paved drive and extensive tropical landscaping that provides an extra measure of privacy. This part of Longboat is called Sleepy Lagoon, and with good reason; there are no high-rises here, just large, private residences.

Dan is quick to thank Belle for providing the home with its heart and soul. “She’s got an eye,” he says proudly. “She decorated it all herself. It’s her vision, her taste.”

At first glance, the interior is surprisingly formal for a beach house. But it is this traditional feeling that gives the home its charm. Belle’s color choices are spot on. The color blue predominates, an appropriate choice that draws in the blue from the water and the sky and unifies the space — indoors, outdoors, it’s all sunlight and the colors of nature.

Continued on Page 90

Dan is quick to thank Belle for providing the home with its heart and soul. “She’s got an eye,” he says proudly. “She decorated it all herself. It’s her vision, her taste.”

A cook’s kitchen with a twist — an endless view out to the Gulf.

The expansive living room has a traditional flair, with colors that bring the outdoors in.

Artist’s Rendering

Located on the highest level, where the view is at its best, this may well be one of the most noteworthy bedrooms in town.

Continued from Page 88

Architect Scholz’s homes are famous for their perfect proportions, and you sense this immediately in the living room, an 18-by-22-foot space with travertine marble floors and a crystal chandelier. Three large windows (the center window is also a door) open onto a spacious terrace. Classical pillars frame the wide expanse of sand and water, making it one with the architecture.

A fireplace topped with a colorful landscape dominates one side of the living room. On the opposite side is the kitchen, sort of attached but discretely separate. This is a house with beautiful manners.

Gleaming white with touches of gray, it boasts premium appliances (Sub Zero, Viking, Neff) and an old-fashioned wooden island with a selection of copper pots hanging over it. Nearby is an informal eating area, and yes, it has a view, as does the kitchen sink.

But it is the primary suite that gives the home its most spectacular feature. Located on the highest level, where the view is at its best, this may well be one of the most noteworthy bedrooms in town. Eighteen by 24 feet, it looks out at the Gulf, past a terrace and the sand. Congratulations are due to Scholz. He figured out the perfect way to frame this incredible view. And you don’t

even have to get out of bed to enjoy it.

You’ll also see the view from the bathtub. The two enormous closets are viewless, as they should be, but in the adjacent study you will see it again, although subtly muted as to provide the right mood for contemplation or just a good hockey game. And check out the fresh flowers. They are everywhere. They are, in fact, Belle’s passion. On the lower level, you’ll find her completely equipped flower arranging workshop. Some of her creations are for the home; others are for the Fangmeyers’ church, Christ Church.

Dan and Belle have two daughters, five grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren, so the feeling of the place is that of a real home, yet one packed with amenities and perfect for family life. “It’s a warm home,” Dan says. One amenity that stands out because it’s so rare on Longboat is a deeded boathouse just across Gulf of Mexico Drive. It’s where the family keeps their 30-foot pontoon boat, along with its 12,000-pound lift.

The Fangmeyers will soon be altering their lifestyle — slightly.

“We don’t need two big houses,” Dan says, so they are looking for something smaller on Longboat, all the while keeping the place in North Carolina.

What will he miss most?

His immediate answer: “The view at sunset.”

Left, the primary bedroom opens to a spacious veranda.

Spring Forward

A season of new creations, global voices and celebrations that light up our cultural horizon.

BY SU BYRON | MANAGING EDITOR

RADICAL SOFTNESS

Sarasota Art Museum’s “Janet Echelman: Radical Softness” is a sweeping retrospective of the celebrated artist’s four-decade career. Her recent work includes massive, outdoor net sculptures like “Butterfly Rest Stop” and “Remember the Future.” These floating, multicolored webs seem to sculpt the sky. The artist’s latest series of cyanotypes is also on display. Created from 3D digital models and photos of Echelman’s installations, these prints translate her massive, netted forms into evanescent imagery. This show also traces the artist’s first steps in paintings, intimate textile works and sculptural studies.

From Echelman’s earliest work to her latest, it connects her love of soft materials with her tough artistic credo. It’s a joyful celebration of interconnectedness, resilience and humanity’s impact on each other and the planet. Through April 26. Visit: SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

LATINX ART IN MOTION

The Ringling’s “Nuestro Vaivén (Our Sway)” is its first major exhibition devoted to contemporary Latinx art. Representing 11 Latin American nations and 11 Florida counties, the show pairs four of Sarasota’s community leaders with exhibiting artists. Their resulting collaboration sparked these socially engaged installations, each informed by shared stories and lived experiences.

Photo by Ryan Gamma

Work by Janet Echelman in “Radical Softness” at Sarasota Art Museum through April 26.

Courtesy photo “Florida Cowboy” by Emily Martinez is part The Ringling’s “Nuestro Vaivén” exhibition through March 8.

A companion exhibition also celebrates work by 14 other Latinx artists with a vast range of voices and styles. Both shows offer moving artistic tributes to their artists’ communities and heritage. Through March 8. Visit: Ringling.org.

NORDIC VIRTUOSOS

The acclaimed Danish String Quartet makes its Sarasota debut as part of Sarasota Concert Association’s Great Performers Series, performing Beethoven’s String Quartet in Bflat major, Op. 130, and the explosive “Grosse Fuge,” Op. 133. With their signature blend of precision, warmth, and bold interpretive vision, the ensemble also shares its own arrangements of traditional Nordic folk tunes; music that bridges centuries and cultures. February 24 at Riverview Performing Arts Center. Visit: SCAsarasota.org.

KEYBOARD LEGENDS

Florida Studio Theatre presents “Three Pianos,” an original musical revue created by Rebecca Hopkins, Richard

Hopkins and Sarah Durham, with arrangements by Jim Prosser. Their electrifying cabaret celebrates the keyboard legends who reshaped popular music, including Ray Charles, Alicia Keys, Fats Domino and Freddie Mercury. Iconic hits include “Crocodile Rock,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “I’m Still Standing” and “Beautiful,” performed with FST’s trademark energy and pizzazz. Through March 29 in FST’s Goldstein Cabaret. Visit: FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

SWINGING INTO SPRING

The Sarasota Jazz Festival is coming back to the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, March 9-14. Based on this year’s talent, the return engagement looks like a triumph. The festival’s stellar lineup of jazz greats includes Arturo Sandoval, John Pizzarelli, Terell Stafford, Sammy Figueroa and Danny Sinoff. If you feel like a moving musical feast, there’s also a lively 12-stop Trolley Pub Crawl. It adds up to six days of rhythm, improvisation and world-class artistry. Visit: SarasotaJazzFestival.com.

Photo by Caroline Bittencourt

The Danish String Quartet performs in concert as part of Sarasota Concert Association’s Great Performers Series on Feb. 24.

Justin Kurtz of Mar Vista

This innovative executive chef honors tradition — and keeps reinventing it.

BY MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub at the north end of Longboat Key is an oasis of classic coastal flavors, Old Florida charm, fresh-off-the-boat seafood and serene waterfront views. Under Executive Chef Justin Kurtz’s leadership, it offers something deeper — a true sense of place. Kurtz brings a decade of Ritz-Carlton training to that vision, having honed his craft at RitzCarlton properties around the country. That foundation in precision, hospitality and consistency shapes every menu he touches. Today, as culinary director for Beachside Hospitality Group, he oversees all three of its time-honored restaurants — Mar Vista, Beach House and Sandbar — creating a cohesive, coastal-driven identity across them. For Kurtz, being an executive chef is never about standing still. It’s about carrying forward a culinary tradition while continually finding fresh ways to reinvent it.

The secrets of Mar Vista’s success include … Our seafood, first and foremost. We have local grouper and American red snapper delivered fresh several times a week, plus beautiful bay crab and Argentinian red shrimp. And then, there’s our people. We’ve got a loyal staff who have been with us a long time and a loyal customer base that treats Mar Vista like a beloved local secret. (Some folks still say, “Don’t tell anybody where it is!”)

My recipe for coastal cuisine starts with … Keeping things simple but never boring. I’m all about balance: sweet, salty, spicy, acidic. I love working with different spices and textures, and I always want to play with the palate a little. The goal is to wow people without overcomplicating the dish.

Photo by Lori Sax

Chef Justin Kurtz showcases two of Mar Vista’s signature dishes beneath the restaurant’s iconic waterfront canopy.

Once I find outstanding ingredients …

… I build a dish around harmony. Whether it’s something sweet, spicy or bright with acid, I’m always looking for the right balance. Simplicity doesn’t mean plain; it means intentional.

Signature dishes include ...

Our Island Trio is a longtime guest favorite: sautéed fresh corn and zucchini with American red snapper, shrimp and scallops — three seafood stars sharing the spotlight. My jalapeño grouper is another dish I’m especially proud of. We sear the fish, glaze it and finish it in the oven for a beautiful crust, then serve it over quinoa, Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries and toasted almonds. It’s not overly spicy — just balanced, flavorful and uniquely Mar Vista.

Don’t leave Mar Vista without trying …

The tater tots. Everybody will tell you that. And definitely our desserts. We

make a whiskey bread pudding and a mango crème brûlée that are the perfect final act to a great seafood meal.

The three restaurants in the world I’d love to visit are… Roberta’s in New York City, The French Laundry in Napa and Alinea in Chicago.

My top culinary heroes are … Thomas Keller and Eric Ripert for their classical precision and Marco Pierre White for his old-school intensity. And I’ll always credit the talented chefs I trained with at the Ritz, Thomas Cannell and Ruben Garcia. They shaped the chef I am today.

When I unwind after a long day in the kitchen … I take the long way home off the island, sit in a bit of traffic, put on some music and relax. By the time I get home, I’m ready to enjoy a glass of wine and call it a night.

IF YOU GO

Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub 760 Broadway St., Longboat Key 941-383-2391; MarVistaDockside.com

A duo of favorites: sweet and spicy shrimp alongside the crab and corn-baked scallops — coastal comfort with refined technique.

Designer Roller Shades

CAFE GABBIANO

In this intimate dining getaway located on Siesta Key, Chef Paolo di Costanzo, hailing from Ischia Italy, brings you a diverse seasonal menu. Certified sommelier, Marc Grimaud, specializes in pairing the perfect wine with your food. Enjoy dining in one of our wine rooms, or choose outdoor seating in our climate-controlled patio.

• Open Daily at 5pm

• Locally Sourced

• Award-Winning Wine List

• Handmade Pasta

• In-House Aged Steaks

• Events & Catering Available

5104 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key 941-349-1423 | www.cafegabbiano.com

CAFÉ ON ST. ARMANDS

Café on St. Armands is your destination from morning to night. Start the day with rich espresso and flaky pastries from Café Soleil, or sip a Mimosa with breakfast on the patio while the Circle comes alive around you. Linger over a fresh lunch in the Garden Room, where crisp salads, hearty sandwiches, and coastal specialties set the perfect midday pause. In the afternoon, unwind at the Wet Bar and enjoy handcrafted cocktails, fine wines, and light bites during Happy Hour from 2 to 5pm in a chic and relaxed setting. Evenings shine in the Gallery with fresh seafood, savory steaks, and chef inspired dishes served with Five Star Fun hospitality that makes every meal memorable. Whenever you crave something sweet, indulge in Chef Jayna’s housemade pastries and decadent desserts that are unforgettable from first bite to last.

431 St Armands Cir, Sarasota (941) 388-4415 | CafeOnStArmands.com

C’EST LA VIE

Locally owned and operated by Christophe and Geraldine Coutelle, this award-winning local favorite opened in 1997. Experience an authentic French café for breakfast, lunch, coffee, house-made French dessert, or a glass of wine! The Downtown Sarasota location is open seasonally for dinner starting in December; hours are posted on cestlaviesarasota.com. Featuring monthly wine-pairing dinners on select evenings, C’est La Vie is also available for creating party platters and customized cakes and desserts!

9118 Town Center Pkwy, Lakewood Ranch 941.961.0111 • Open Tue-Sat 7:30a-5p, Sun 8a-4p

1553 Main St, Sarasota • 941.906.9575

Open Mon-Tues 7:30a-6p cestlaviesarasota.com

Chef Rolf offers the perfect location at the CASEY KEY RESORTS MAINLAND for your private event and can accommodate up to 200+ people.

Enjoy all of Chef Rolf’s Amazing Dining Experiences:

• The TIKI BAR serving lunch and dinner daily from 12-9pm, happy hour & live music.

• INSIDE DINING ROOM open daily for dinner and Sunday brunch.

• CORAL ROOM FINE DINING open daily for dinner.

• THE OSPREY CAFE serving breakfast daily 8-11am and Sunday brunch 11-2pm.

21660 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey 941.966.2121 | www.ChefRolf.us

IT’S A SHORE THING!

Get hooked on Lotsa Lobster - Sarasota’s favorite Maine and New England seafood market!

From fresh haddock, cod, swordfish, tuna, and salmon to scallops, mussels, steamers, stuffed clams, and crab cakes - we’ve got LOTSA of your favorites.

Try our legendary clam chowder or lobster bisque, and don’t forget to explore our “freezer treasures” - frog legs, langoustine, octopus, and more. Not into seafood? No problem! We’ve got marinated meats from Danvers Butchery and sweet treats like key lime pies from Caribbean Pie Company. Come on in or call ahead - and remember to order early for Valentine’s Day!

8780 S Tamiami Tr, Sarasota 941.918.2529 | LotsaLobsterSarasota.com

SIESTA KEY OYSTER BAR

Welcome to Siesta Key Oyster Bar (or SKOB, as the locals call it), your ultimate beachy hangout where the Island vibes are always flowing! We’re #1 on the Key for a reason-our mouthwatering menu! Whether you’re craving fresh oysters, seafood, all-natural burgers, or crispy chicken wings, we’ve got you covered. Sip on one of 21+ beers on tap, from local craft brews to imports, or try one of our creative specialty cocktails. Don’t miss our happy hour, $12 a dozen oysters from 3-6 PM daily! With live music every day and night from the best local musicians, SKOB is your go-to spot. And hey, we’re serving up brunch Sundays from 9-11:30 AM. Stop by, chill out, and enjoy the good times!

5238 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key 941.346.5443 | skob.com

KEY ENCOUNTERS

CANAL OFF ST. ARMANDS KEY

PHOTO BY LORI SAX

Some places ask you to enter not just their waters but also their quiet mysteries. A canal off St. Armands is one of them — a narrow passage where the familiar world loosens, and you feel yourself moving through something older than memory. The paddle dips, the surface parts and the waterway becomes a kind of threshold,

guiding you deeper into its shifting reflections. Here, exploration feels less like searching and more like listening. The docks, the palms, the gentle bends of the canal speak in their own soft language, revealing only what you’re willing to notice. You may think you know a place from its shore, but it’s in drifting through its hidden channels that its subtler enchantments appear — the ones you sense more than see and carry long after the journey ends.

Alexander Calder at the opening of an exhibition of his mobiles in Rome, Italy, in 1956. Photo by Keystone/ Hulton Archive/Getty Images.

Key Life Winter 2026

KEYLIFE

STYLE

THE BARRIER ISLANDS’ COMMUNITY, NATURE, PEOPLE

LIQUID LEGENDS

Nowhere but here.

HARRY ROA

FINE ART JEWELRY DESIGN STUDIO

CONTENTS

WINTER 2026

ON A ROLL

FEATURES

EDITORIAL

ADVERTISING

CREATIVE SERVICES

CONTACT KEY LIFE

GOOD OLD-FASHIONED FUN

DISTINCTIVELY DIFFERENT

CRAFTED WITH BRILLIANCE

Consider Yourself our Primary Patient.

HOT TOPICS

TIMELY

PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS

Squad Goals

HEAVY METAL

GOOD STUFF

A Perfect Fit

CREATIVE JUICES

SARAH’S SIESTA KEY FAVORITES

LOOK AHEAD

Circle of Life

SEE SOMETHING, DO SOMETHING

LOOK UP

DO IT DIFFERENT

The Bellwether Group

HIGH TIDES

THE HEART OF COMMUNITY ON THE KEYS

Move It Move It

Reel Deal

MORE INFORMATION

WINTER 2026

FEBRUARY

1

SIESTA KEY FARMERS MARKET

COQUINA BEACH MARKET

BRIDGE STREET MARKET

SIESTA KEY DRUM CIRCLE

6-7

FEED THE ISLAND ART & CRAFT SHOW

7

AIRING OF THE QUILTS

THE CREATION OF ‘WICKED’

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ NIGHT

SAY ‘I DO’ AGAIN

VALENTINE’S ART SHOW

MARCH

1

‘ANYTHING GOES:’ THE COLE PORTER STORY

BRADENTON GULF ISLAND CONCERT

5

ARCOSTRUM

6-7

ROYAL

LOS RUMBEROS

LUNCHEON: MOTE MARINE LABORATORY & AQUARIUM

APRIL

4

EASTER EGG HUNT

4-5

RUN FOR THE TURTLES

17-19

SUNCOAST BOAT SHOW

30

Keeping Time

Gidget’s Coastal Provisions

Actual Patients

Smile Makeovers and Veneers

Dental Implant Surgery and Reconstruction

On-Site Laboratory with Master Technicians to Customize and Control Results

ROLL MODELS