Longboat Observer 5.12.22

LONGBOAT

Observer

Shark Lady honored.

PAGE 26

Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

FREE • THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

VOLUME 44, NO. 40

YOUR TOWN

Court challenge Noise concerns drive opposition to Key Club’s pickleball plans. PAGE 2

File photo

Congrats, grads Got a 2022 grad in the family?

The Longboat Observer wants to wish them well.

Families of graduates of any level, be it elementary, middle, high school or college, should get in touch with reporter Nat Kaemmerer at NKaemmerer@ YourObserver.com or editor Eric Garwood at EGarwood@ YourObserver.com. Graduates from St. Armands Key, Bird Key, Lido Key and Longboat Key will be included in an upcoming package celebrating the class of 2022.

Send us an email and we’ll send you a questionnaire — we want to hear a thing or ’22 about you. Submissions must be made by June 2 to be included in the newspaper.

VIEW OF A VISION Residents help reimagine Gulf of Mexico Drive.

PAGE 3

File photo Eric Garwood

Fire station’s story told

The writers and editors of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine took a look in this month’s issue at Longboat Key’s Station 92 construction project and the challenges the town and designer Sweet Sparkman Architecture and Interiors faced.

The trade publication spoke to Fire Chief Paul Dezzi and Todd Sweet about how the town and company worked together to build the structure at 2162 Gulf of Mexico Drive, which opened in August 2021.

Among the hurdles: building the station 12 feet higher than the previous building to meet modern storm surge requirements and designing the interior to segregate potentially hazardous contamination from living and sleeping quarters.

“The old station was built in 1982 and was very antiquated,” Dezzi told magazine writer Alan Petrillo. “Besides being below flood elevation and not being able to withstand hurricaneforce winds, it was not ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant, and didn’t address gender issues because it had group bunks and showers.”

Project Manager Colleen McGue of Kimley-Horn explains a diagram of a Gulf of Mexico Drive cross-section to Buttonwood Drive resident Dave Bishop.

Teeing it up again

A+E

Tournament returns.

SEE PAGE 23

Fusion of cultures.

Nat Kaemmerer

Katrin Burnie of Bermuda watches a tee shot fly during last week’s Kitty Michael Golf Invitational.

PAGE 13

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Residents slam noise, notifications in pickleball project Residents of Winding Oaks say Key Club’s proposal for four new courts is out of bounds.

WHAT THEY SAID “I do not understand why it is illegal for contractors to perform noisy work after 5:00 and never on Sundays or holidays, but this noise nuisance might be approved?”

ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

R

esidents of Winding Oaks, in a series of objections emailed to Town Hall, say potential noise from four proposed pickleball courts on the northwest corner of the Longboat Key Club’s Tennis Gardens threatens their quiet way of life.

And, they say, they weren’t notified by mail of a public hearing on the matter until days after Planning and Zoning Board’s meeting took place on April 19. The Town Commission is expected to hear a presentation and conduct a public hearing on the proposal at its 9:15 a.m. meeting on Monday, June 6 at Town Hall.

Rick Konsavage, the managing director of the Longboat Key Club, said the proposed courts are 328 feet from the nearest Winding Oaks home, farther away than existing courts are from residential property alongside the Moorings.

“Presently we have four pickleball courts next to Marina Bay ... and

HOW DID WE GET HERE? The town’s Planning and Zoning Board on April 19 unanimously approved the Longboat Key Club’s proposal for an Outline Development Plan amendment and a site development plan application to build four pickleball courts adjacent to the Tennis Garden’s courts, in an area where trees now stand between the golf course and the tennis facility. The vote was advisory in nature, not a final decision.

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Nat Kaemmerer

The pickleball courts are proposed between a golf fairway and existing tennis courts on Key Club property.

no one has mentioned or even complained about noise from the pickleball courts that have been in effect for the past four years,” he told the Longboat Observer in an email, adding the existing courts are about 290 feet from the nearest homes.

Those four courts, among the first on the island, were converted from two tennis courts in 2019 to meet the demand of the sport that was just beginning to catch on locally.

Winding Oaks residents began emailing Town Hall shortly after a story was published in the Observer detailing the proposal for the new courts, many saying it was the first they had heard of the proposal.

Town commissioners on May 2 discussed the mail-notification issue and learned that George F. Young Inc., the engineer of the project, mailed the notifications on April 5, meeting the town’s prescribed two-week period. Commissioner BJ Bishop said she received a $4.28 certified letter on April 21.

Some Winding Oaks residents said they received notification even later.

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Allen Parsons, the town’s director of planning, zoning and building said he hasn’t seen such a mail delay in the five years he’s been with the town.

“I don’t know if this one, if there was something unique that happened here with the postal service,” he told town commissioners.

Parsons told the Observer that the town is looking into the issue with the U.S. Postal Service and that an examination of some of the letters’ tracking numbers show they were scanned in Tampa on April 18 after being mailed from Lakewood Ranch 13 days earlier.

Town Attorney Maggie Mooney on May 2 said the notification requirements relate to due process in a quasi-judicial setting, but mailings are only part of the public-notification process.

The proposal was, for example, advertised in a public-hearing notice in the April 14 edition of the Longboat Observer.

“You truly wouldn’t think it would take until the 21st of April to get

there, especially paying that much money for it,” Bishop said.

In addition to complaints about notification, residents of Winding Oaks wrote to the town that the noise of pickleball can be distracting, especially if windows and doors are open, an issue that was raised in the Planning and Zoning Board meeting by member Jay Plager, recalling a similar dispute at the Bird Key Yacht Club in 2017.

“The neighbors raised such a fuss that they gave it up because pickleball courts do have a very distinct sound, as you know,” Plager said.

Mike Rissman, vice president of engineering with George F. Young Inc., responded that he didn’t expect any sound issues.

“I know one of the complaints about pickleball courts is the funny noise the ball makes when it hits the racket or the paddle, but I don’t really anticipate the sound is really going to travel any more than the tennis courts,’” he said.

One Winding Oaks neighbor who registered his displeasure urged the

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“I play golf, tennis and pickleball so I do have a vested interest in continued improvements to the club facilities, but not at the expense of the neighbors ...”

Longboat Key Club to find a better site.

“I might suggest that given the extensive acreage that is owned by the Longboat Key Club they might find a better location that would not impact the peaceful use of homes in a residential neighborhood,” Charlotte B. Cooper wrote.

Konsavage said the club plans to move ahead with its proposal.

“There are many club members that reside in Bay Isles that are totally excited to have more courts available,” he said.

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“The recent influx of new residents and visitors along with the popularity of the game has no doubt prompted this addition to the facility.

It’s wonderful to respond to demands from members.

However, in haste to install these new courts, no one in our neighborhood was consulted about this plan.”

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

LEADING THE WAY

MAPPING THE FUTURE Photos by Eric Garwood

A large-scale map allows attendees to see the entirety of Gulf of Mexico Drive in detail.

Town and consultant gather views on the path forward for island’s main road, Gulf of Mexico Drive.

ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

L

ongboat Key residents took a test drive last week, but not of a snazzy new roadster or sensible, frugal hybrid.

In fact, no one got behind the wheel or shifted into gear.

But about 25 people, including a handful of elected officials, did indeed keep their eyes on the road – Gulf of Mexico Drive, specifically – in a Town Hall try-before-you-buy session highlighting the vision for the island’s largely two-lane thoroughfare.

Measuring 10 miles from drawbridge to drawbridge, Gulf of Mexico Drive serves as a residential street, tourism artery, commercial boulevard, fitness route and segment of a state-controlled road that extends 18 miles from Sarasota’s bayfront into the middle of Holmes Beach.

Five traffic accidents involving motorists, pedestrians and cyclists have killed six people since May 2018 on Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Town leaders and consultant Kimley-Horn have for months been working on proposals to one day make Gulf of Mexico Drive safer for everyone through a series of upgrades to cycling lanes, crosswalks, adjacent multiuse pathways and tricky intersections.

With what is called a complete street corridor, project manager and KimleyHorn senior planner Colleen McGue

said the idea is to “provide people safe and comfortable travel options regardless of their mode of travel.”

Through a presentation, question and answer session and opportunities to mark up giant maps of the Gulf of Mexico Drive corridor with stickers and Post-its to note specific ideas and locations, residents weighed in on what they liked, what they didn’t and suggestions that had not been envisioned.

‘A UNIQUE SEGMENT’

Resident Lenny Landau cautioned planners to carefully consider where crosswalks are proposed, saying he sees plenty of people crossing within sight of a marked path across the pavement because many of the actual crosswalks “go from someplace to no place.”

“If they’re there, they don’t use them because they don’t go where they want to go,” he said. “You need to pick the spots ... up at the north end at Broadway is a good example of people who go from here to there.

But to put one in the middle of the street where there’s a condo on one side and nothing on the other, they just don’t go to it.”

Residents of Bayport, just south of Bayfront Park along the only stretch of Gulf of Mexico Drive with beach immediately to the west, raised the point to town officials that theirs is the exact opposite situation.

A trip across Gulf of Mexico Drive to the beach there can be a harrowing one, in some places traversing an extra lane of traffic or two, when accounting for turn/acceleration lanes, to one of just a few breaks in an adjacent parallel hedgerow.

Not that a crosswalk in that area is a new idea.

Two projects for Gulf of Mexico Drive are already working their way through planning and design phases. Both are high priorities for the town in terms of state construction funding, but no such money has as yet been allocated: n A roundabout at Broadway Street, the engineering design of which is about halfway through. The town plans to pursue state funding for construction and potentially some federal funding. n A center-turn lane for Country Club Shores, the design of which was paid for by the town and is substantially complete.

FDOT is committed to funding construction, with a target of 2023-24. Additionally, engineering plan upgrades and final certifications are necessary additions to the town’s design to gain state money, which will be coordinated throughout this year.

Well, an officially sanctioned one, anyway. Nearly 20 years ago, residents one January morning awoke to hand-painted pedestrian-crossing stripes leading from near Gulfshore to the beach. Then-Public Works Director Juan Florensa saw it on his way to work that morning and notified FDOT. It was quickly painted over in black.

“I think it had to be a two-man job, and I don’t know how they could have done it without being seen by motorists,” a resident told the Longboat Observer in 2004, adding that what really was needed was a pedestrian bridge.

No bridge is part of the proposals the town is considering, but resident upon resident of Bayport emailed Town Hall seeking a reduction to 35 mph and requesting a crosswalk that lines up with one of the pathways through the hedge.

Ben Johnson, a full-time Bayport resident who attended the Town Hall workshop, said an official crosswalk would be a big help. Town officials reminded residents of limitations on what can be built in 45 mph zones and how unlikely it was to win a lower speed concession from FDOT. A so-called switchback crosswalk, which features a refuge for pedestrians halfway across, would be “nirvana” for the community, Johnson said, especially when coming back from a sunset visit to the beach as darkness is falling. “This is not one of those places where there’s a crosswalk to nowhere.”

“The problem is that traffic is starting to become pretty intense. A lot of us are older, 60s, 70s, 80s, and we walk a little slow, so it’s pretty hard to judge whether you have a big enough gap.”

David Bishop and Town Commissioner B.J. Bishop look at a proposal for a roundabout on the north end of the island at Broadway Street with Kimley-Horn’s Mike Donahue.

— Ben Johnson

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

“The problem is that traffic is starting to become pretty intense,” Johnson said. “A lot of us are older, 60s, 70s, 80s, and we walk a little slow, so it’s pretty hard to judge whether you have a big enough gap.”

Public Works Director Isaac Brownman said there are 13 connections to Gulf of Mexico Drive in the roughly half-mile south of Bayfront Park, including Bayport, Twin Shores and Gulfshore. “We know this is a zone where people like to cross whereever because the beach is right there,” he said, adding that FDOT said the nature of the highway at that point is unlike any other on the island.

He said FDOT officials indicated that it might be similar to a school zone or wildlife-crossing zone, but no one was truly interested in setting a slower speed limit there commensurate with such an off-the-shelf traffic solution. “But they’re willing to be creative and think outside the box because it’s such a unique segment,” Brownman said.

TWO WHEELS

While some residents expressed an interest in a bikes-only pathway instead of a sidewalk on the west side, the consensus of avid riders was for a wider and better-buffered pair of lanes for cycling within the boundaries of the roadway.

Today’s bike lanes are 4 feet wide, with a single stripe separating the motor-vehicle lanes. Proposed is a 7-foot-wide bike lane that includes a 2-foot-wide transition zone marked by double stripes.

Previously, town commissioners leaned away from reflectors or rumble strips in the transition zone but supported painted lines that give drivers a sensation of their wheels leaving their portion of the roadway.

WHY SPEED IS IMPORTANT

Kimley-Horn’s initial recommendations included conversion from 45 mph to 35 mph speed limits in three zones: the northern end, the southern end centered on Country Club Shores and a mid-island segment roughly from Bay Isles Parkway to Bayfront Park.

Town commissioners have recommended sticking with 45 mph speed limits. With new state guidelines, the town’s existing crosswalks augmented by yellow flashing lights are no longer permitted to be built in 45 mph zones, though they are allowed to stay for now.

The only crosswalk signals allowed in 45 mph zones are the more expensive, red light-equipped, pedestrian-hybrid beacons, which carry the same traffic regulations as a stoplight. Two such lights were proposed to replace the yellow-lighted crosswalks at Bayfront Park and Longboat Key Club Road.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

Following the public outreach portion of the project, Kimley-Horn will work with FDOT, other agencies and the town to finalize plans and perhaps group them in phases and work out cost estimates. Remaking the road along its entirety as one project is likely cost-prohibitive.

The town and Kimley-Horn tentatively plan for a package to be presented to town commissioners by the fall, though state funding would still have to be sought through the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Participants point out locations on a large-scale map of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

All Angels proposes a pet memorial garden “It starts with the Blessing of the Animals, and the natural next step is to say a few words and have a way to remember them at their passing.”

Church hopes to have contemplative spot ready for October’s annual animal blessing event.

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

J

erry and Gay Bowles loved their English cocker Maggie for 12 years until she died in January 2021.

The loyal dog, whom they adopted at 3, lived to be 15, and Jerry Bowles said she was a wonderful companion. Since her death, Maggie’s cremated remains have rested in an urn on their desk. They wanted a permanent resting place for their dog that they could visit, but they live in a condominium.

“Most people living in condos have the same problem, where there’s no place to put your pets’ ashes,” Jerry Bowles said.

A member at All Angels by the Sea Episcopal Church, Jerry wasn’t alone. In talking with other members of the church, he found another man who had been carrying several urns of pets from his past, and another member had even more.

Pets have a high level of importance at All Angels, given that the Rev. Dave Marshall began the tradition of the annual pet blessing on St. Francis Day when he became rector in 2019. Marshall did some research and found the history of people being buried with pets or memorializing their pets over thousands of years.

“It’s an outcropping of the pet blessing we do. … It starts with the Blessing of the Animals, and the natural next step is to say a few words and have a way to remember them at their passing,” Marshall said. “We have folks here who have lost their pets and need a way to grieve because losing a pet is real grief. So I have helped people with prayers, and I have helped with memorials for pets. … You don’t have to belong to All Angels, so if you wanted to come by with ashes and put them in a special

— The Rev. Dave Marshall

Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

The Rev. Dave Marshall stands in front of the future memorial area.

spot and have a way to remember and say goodbye to your pet, you can.”

The church team is clearing out brush and carving out a space for reflection. Marshall wants to put a statue of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment, in the garden as well. The church’s governing board has approved the project, and Bowles is contacting the town to move forward with it. Marshall hopes it will be in place by the next St. Francis Day in October.

Marshall is quick to say that the idea came from his parishioners and their need for a final resting place for their pets. When the space is cleaned up and dedicated, people can make an appointment and bring their pets’ ashes to scatter them in the garden after a brief ceremony.

“It’ll be really nice to have her (Maggie) in the yard of the church. … It’ll be the new home of our pet,” Bowles said.

The church will clean the space and strive to keep the area as natural as possible from now on.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

5

Sarasota art board won’t Dwell on rejected proposal After the City Commission turned away a coral-like sculpture for Fruitville traffic circle, advisory group heads back to drawing board for a revised recommendation.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

E

ven when you mind your p’s and q’s, sometimes you can still find yourself in a quandary. That’s where Sarasota’s Public Arts Committee found itself when the City Commission on April 18 rejected its recommendation of “Dwell,” a coral-style sculpture by artist Sujin Lim, for the roundabout at Fruitville Road and Tamiami Trail.

The “Dwell” recommendation was the first product of the PAC’s new request for quote process, having previously procured options for pieces via request for proposal.

Underwhelmed by the PAC’s preferred “Dwell” — and not much more enthusiastic about its other two finalists — the commission sent PAC Chair Wendy Lerner and Sarasota Senior Planner Mary Davis Wallace back to the committee with a message: Bring back something locally relevant, and bring more than a single recommendation.

“I was hoping in this different (request for quote) process that we would bring a single selection to you,” Wallace, who heads the Office of Public Art, told commissioners at that meeting. “That way, the efficacy of the Public Art Committee is preserved. It’s difficult when the Public Art Committee makes a decision, but then we go back to the drawing board

when we bring it to commission.”

Back to the drawing board they went, but not back to the beginning.

During the PAC meeting, members discussed for some 90 minutes options ranging from initiating a new request for quote to working singularly with Lim to submit a new piece.

Options included revisiting the original 140 applicants for the project, reconsidering the PAC’s top 10 and considering only the three finalists plus two previous selected alternates. The other two finalists — which were included in the commissioners’ packets but not recommended by the PAC — were “Whorligig,” a stainless-steel representation of orchids by Mark Aeling of St. Petersburg, and “Open Gate,” a blue archway made of glass over a steel structure by Shan Shan Sheng of San Francisco.

Ultimately, the committee decided to revisit the top 10 artists and either reconsider prior submissions for the roundabout or invite new ones. The general consensus was that reopening the process from the beginning would result in largely the same field.

Wallace said she will construct a new time frame for the PAC’s work relative to the roundabout project and suggest dates for a special meeting in June.

City commissioners generally agreed that none of the finalists spoke to Sarasota’s history or geographic relevance. The PAC’s mission now is to invite candidates to try again without stifling creativity.

Lerner said she viewed the commissioners’ rejection of “Dwell” and the others as an opportunity for the PAC to step up its game. She also said it was a signal for members of the committee to become more involved in their advocacy of recommended pieces. Two other PAC members

File photos

Above: The requested artwork is intended to be displayed in the Fruitville Road roundabout at Tamiami Trail.

Left: The “Dwell” recommendation was the first product of the PAC’s new request for quote process, having previously procured options for public pieces via request for proposal.

WHAT’S AN RFQ?

An RFQ is a request for quote; an RFP is a request for proposal. Entities will invite an RFQ when they know what products or services are desired. An RFP is opened when more complicated factors must be evaluated. An RFQ is a more simple purchase process as opposed to a lengthier buying process.

RFQs reduce the amount of time needed to procure goods or services because the entity receives only bids from preferred submitters. RFPs advise bidders with specific guidance on how the bids should be presented.

that, in the interest of efficiency, it should work within the current request for quote, with one important tweak: Assuming they all wish to continue to participate, provide the candidates with a creative brief that lays out parameters that stop short of a theme. The idea is to foster creativity within the realm of what commissioners — who have a vocal and critical citizenry in their ears — are seeking in public art.

“I got some conflicting information because on the one hand we are saying we need to listen to what the commissioners are saying, and then within that same conversation, turned it around and said we all need to fight for our choice,” said PAC member Joanne McCobb. “I don’t know. I just feels like there’s a conflict there.”

attended the April 18 meeting.

“I think that a lot of times some of us are just amenable to pieces that we know should be reworked,” Lerner said. “I think the other thing is, as we’re making decisions, even more broadly think about the overall collection. The commission has asked us to go back and rethink this choice, and it’s an opportunity for us to do better.”

Wallace advised the committee

Wallace said that where public art intersects with politics, conflict is inevitable.

“We’re dealing with elected officials,” she said. “We’re dealing with people who are constantly being barraged with public comment. I can tell you that it’s very difficult sometimes to not listen to public feedback, and we encourage public feedback, but I also feel like there’s a difference between this committee unanimously selecting something and standing behind this process and not seeing that through the lens of the people we’re trying to convince.

“There was a missing step there because you were unanimous on what you felt, but not one time did anybody ask how is this going to be seen by the City Commission. I think that the responsibility of this committee is to be considerate of the next step.”

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

WILD FLORIDA An exploration beyond the pavement.

White-tailed deer nearly hunted to extinction

W

hite-tailed deer are an integral part of Myakka’s ecosystems, but by the 1930s, unregulated hunting practically eliminated deer from Sarasota County. In fact, when Myakka River State Park was established in 1941, to protect the Myakka River valley from development, many species of wildlife, including deer, had been hunted to near extinction. To restore deer, Allen Crowley, one of the park’s first managers, brought them from the Everglades and bred them in a 6-acre fenced area in the park. They were then introduced into the newly protected lands, where they now thrive.

Deer are herbivores whose diet consists of leaves and tender tips of shrubs and vines, as well as many plants, acorns and mushrooms. As a prey species popular with predators such as humans, Florida panthers, bobcats and even American alligators, speed is a deer’s primary defense.

When they sense danger, before bolting to safety, they hold their tail upright, exposing its white underside for which they are named. This quietly alerts other deer nearby and also might signal to the predator they’ve been spotted. The white flag of the doe’s tail also helps her fawns follow her in dimly lit forests.

Fawns are able to stand, walk and even run shortly after birth. But because their legs are still weak, running from danger is not a viable option. As the fawns have no scent, predators can’t detect their presence unless they’re seen.

Therefore, they spend most of their time hiding from predators in tall vegetation, aided by their spotted coat, which keeps them practically invisible. Other than quick visits for nursing, does will limit contact with their offspring so as not to attract predators.

So, this spring, if you find a young fawn curled up in the woods or hiding in tall grass, please leave it alone and quickly move away from the

More Than A PLAN...

Miri Hardy

ENJOY THE WILD Wild Florida is a monthly feature written by Miri Hardy, the first executive director of the Friends of Myakka River. Miri has been a Sarasota resident since 2014 and holds a doctorate in social psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. She is happiest exploring wild Florida, often on her bike, and capturing its beauty though the lens of her camera.

IT’S A PROMISE.

In a remarkable adaptation, a fawn’s spotted coat blends in with the dappled pattern of sunlight on the forest floor, helping conceal it from predators.

area. Its mother is likely nearby, and a fawn’s best chances of survival are with her.

Also, when driving through wooded areas, please be mindful of deer near the road, who might be getting ready to cross with precious little ones likely close behind.

—MIRI HARDY FRIENDS OF MYAKKA RIVER

Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. Together, we’re protecting and sharing Myakka’s Magic, to the benefit of future generations and our own.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

7

The Tallest Trees Have The Strongest Roots And at Sarasota Memorial, we stand tall thanks to the tireless efforts of the finest nurses in the profession. They are the living foundation of what we do and the source of our greatest strength. When they dig deep, we all rise to the challenge.

And when the storm hits, they are the ones who keep us upright through the worst of it.

To all of our extraordinary nurses, we see you and we thank you.

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

OPINION / OUR VIEW

LONGBOAT

Not learning from history on affordable housing The labor market in Sarasota is adjusting all the time — and fairly quickly.

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 President and Publisher / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com Executive Editor and COO / Kat Hughes, KHughes@YourObserver.com Managing Editor / Eric Garwood, EGarwood@YourObserver.com Staff Writer / Nat Kaemmerer, NKaemmerer@YourObserver.com Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com Copy Editor / Shawn Candela, SCandela@YourObserver.com Editorial Designers / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com; José Valle, JValle@YourObserver.com A+E Editor / Spencer Fordin, SFordin@YourObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Harry Sayer, HSayer@YourObserver.com

ADRIAN MOORE

R

ecently, the Manatee County Commission decided to spend county funds buying land to set aside for affordable housing, arguing that it would take the cost of land out of the equation for those seeking affordable housing. And the Sarasota County Commission is applying $25 million of COVID-19 relief funds to subsidize homebuilders to build affordable housing.

Both ideas might have sounded brilliant decades ago when first proposed, but you would think they would learn from their consistent failure. Decades of subsidizing land, subsidizing construction costs, mandating affordable set-asides and constructing public housing have failed to cause even a blip in housing prices and the stock of affordable housing.

That’s because both counties — and the major cities in them — don’t want to confront the fundamental reality of affordable housing. Every year both counties gain thousands of new residents and allow the construction of only hundreds of new homes. Every year that population growth outstrips housing growth makes housing more scarce and less affordable.

The problem is made worse by the counties and their cities rarely, if ever, permitting the construction of low-cost housing, despite many applications by some developers.

For housing to be affordable, supply must be allowed to keep up with demand, and even better if developers are allowed to build some low-rent, mixed-use projects along with grand 5,000-square-foot single-family homes.

But “not in my backyard” activists who oppose housing growth in general and low-rent projects in particular carry too much weight with local governments. Local land-use restrictions in the form of density laws, exclusionary zoning, lot size requirements, caps on construction, impact fees and many other laws raise costs of development and restrict supply of housing.

Harvard scholar Ed Glaeser and his colleagues have conducted a series of studies over the past two decades that examine the connection between housing regulation policies and housing prices. They conclude that local government restrictions on the supply of new housing is directly responsible for

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

Courtesy photo

about 90% of the rise in a local market’s housing costs. A World Bank analysis of this phenomenon around the globe concluded that local governments that restrict housing supply can see up to 60% less affordable housing than markets that allow housing supply to keep up with demand. And since 2007, the famous Wharton Residential Land Use Regulatory Index has shown that while construction costs are similar across the nation, housing prices are much higher in localities that restrict housing supply or impose higher-than-average fees and costs for development.

I think all of that research just formalizes what is really common sense and what we all know about housing markets. We need to confront the reality that our quality of life and local economy rely on many working class individuals in service, tourism and recreation industries.

We regularly see new reports showing that the average salaries paid for many good jobs in Sarasota are not sufficient to pay average housing prices in the area.

Now, the market for labor and the market for housing are very, very different. Labor is mobile, as people move to chase jobs or better pay all the time.

Supply and demand for labor change a lot and rapidly with changes in the national, regional and local economy. Housing obviously is not mobile, and supply and demand change much more slowly — especially supply, because building housing takes time. That is why it is important not to fall behind on housing supply, as the Sarasota region has.

But if businesses have a hard time finding certain workers at the salary

they are offering, they will have to raise pay to attract the workers they need, or new workers who are willing to work for that pay will move in, if they can find housing, or the business will suffer worker shortage and be unable to serve customers.

Put simply, the labor market in Sarasota is adjusting all the time — and fairly quickly. If we allow the housing supply to adjust too, even if more slowly, things will balance out. Especially if we let go of the strange notion that everyone needs to be able to buy a house, rather than embrace the idea that everyone needs to be able to find a good place to live, including renting and low-rent housing.

Unwilling to let housing supply keep up with demand or to allow markets to supply low-cost housing, our local governments resort to subsidizing a trickle of affordable housing projects at high cost with very low benefits. It has failed for years and will continue to fail.

This needs to be reversed. Local governments should get out of directly intervening in a pitiful handful of affordable housing projects and instead commit to working with developers and planners to allow adequate housing growth to keep up with demand for the construction of low-rent and affordable homes. At the same time, they need to review and reconsider rules that needlessly increase housing costs, including some parking requirements, impact fees and zoning and density rules, as well as standing up to NIMBY groups.

Adrian Moore is vice president at Reason Foundation and a resident of Sarasota.

Unwilling to let housing supply keep up with demand or to allow markets to supply low-cost housing, our local governments resort to subsidizing a trickle of affordable housing projects at high cost with very low benefits. It has failed for years and will continue to fail.

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File photo

A golden brunch for Kiwanis The Lazy Lobster will host the club’s 50th anniversary celebration on May 15.

WHEN AND WHERE WILL THE FOOD BE SERVED? Brunch goes from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Lazy Lobster, 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The cost is $30 plus gratuity and includes one bloody mary or mimosa.

Food includes made-to-order omelets, homestyle potatoes, shrimp quiche, smoked salmon Benedict, chicken and waffles, mini crab cakes and more.

Reservations are appreciated; call 3830440.

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

The Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key is celebrating its golden anniversary with a gold-plated brunch menu.

Club members, supporters and brunch lovers will gather at the Lazy Lobster on May 15 — just one day before the club’s incorporation anniversary on May 16 — to eat, drink and celebrate 50 years on the Key. “(Member) John Wild brought our 50th anniversary to our attention, and he and Woody Wolverton are our two longest-tenured members,” club President Michael Garey said.

“We thought a great way to celebrate it would be Sunday brunch at the restaurant (Lazy Lobster) that could replace the old pancake breakfast we used to do before COVID.” Garey, who owns the Lazy Lobster and hosts breakfast meetings for the club, has been organizing the event along with members to spread the word and compile the club’s history.

He’s working on a placemat for the brunch that has a timeline of the club from its founding in 1972 as the Kiwanis Club of the Sarasota Keys until its historic fundraising effort in 2021 with the annual Lawn Party.

“It’s an honor (to be president),”

Garey said. “I look back on the rich history of all the things Kiwanis has done and how the island has benefited from its presence and from Rotary’s presence and the folks from our civic organizations which are all volunteers who do a terrific job at it.”

The pancake breakfast was one of the club’s main fundraisers and brought in money for scholarships.

“Our focus is certainly on children, and our focus tends to go off-island to Sarasota and Manatee counties,” Garey said. “But through the years with the Lawn Party we’ve obviously shifted the focus to Children’s Guardian Fund and education, and we’ve awarded scholarships throughout the years… . That impact goes back to 1972. Kiwanis Club has always done good work and largely for the betterment of local kids in need.”

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Pickleball plan will be too noisy

Consider the manatees in plan

Among the reasons I bought my home is the spectacular view I have of the lake and golf course. My outdoor area is a peaceful haven for entertaining, relaxing and watching wildlife.

I was disturbed to find out through an article in the Observer that pickleball courts were planned for construction directly across the water from the homes on the western side of Winding Oaks.

To my knowledge, this came as a surprise to everyone in Winding Oaks. We got notice of the meeting after it took place. Whether this was an unfortunate accident or an intentional omission remains to be seen, but the outcome is the same: lack of confidence in the club and the approval process. Furthermore, many of us will travel to our summer destinations and be unable to attend any meetings in the near future.

The plan is unacceptable. Here are some of the reasons: n Pickleball is loud, the pitch is shrill and the noise is constant. n Water amplifies sound; n Mature trees have been marked for removal. Replacements will take decades to achieve their size; n Many of our homes are a short iron shot from the planned courts. It will be like having a game going on in our bedrooms, especially if we like our doors and windows open; n Golfers will be disturbed by the noise; n Nets will be needed to protect players from errant golf balls. What is this going to look like? TopGolf? n No amount of noise mitigation will solve the problem of light pollution; n Our property will be less attractive and could lose market value.

I object in the strongest possible terms to having pickleball near my home. LBKC has plenty of property — put them somewhere else.

As I am packing up to leave Longboat Key and saying “goodbye” to the beloved manatees lolling in Crane’s Bayou, I am struck by the peacefulness of being here. I’ve been coming to Longboat Key every April for over 25 years, and the manatees never fail to greet me. Such a pleasure! And such a treasure for Longboat Key. This makes me concerned over the planned commercial development just to the south of where I stay each year. Equally as disconcerting is the bare area that used to hold lush trees and bushes, a barrier to Buttonwood Harbor just beyond. I am sure they are not happy either.

I understand progress, but sometimes progress is not in our best interest. I am not certain Longboat Key understands how important Crane’s Bayou is to the manatee population, already at a high morbidity rate in Florida.

Perhaps no one has undertaken a study of how increased drainage from the Buttonwood Harbor area might affect this endangered species. Given their protected status, I’m sure there will need to be a study of some sort.

This letter is just a reminder that Crane’s Bayou is critical to the local manatee population — perhaps a fact of which Longboat Key is unaware. We’ve had a mom with her baby here along with a juvenile and two other adults — very Zen to watch them frolic and roll around in the bayou.

What an educational opportunity to watch these gentle giant herbivores. I don’t want to see that end.

9

LETTERS

Cash Register, Tony Maniscalco, Michael Garey and Jim Larson at the 2019 pancake breakfast.

|

KATHE STANDER WALDPORT, OREGON

CAROL SWED

BE HEARD

LONGBOAT KEY

Surely you have an opinion on a town issue. Let us hear it through a letter to the editor. Email them to managing editor Eric Garwood at egarwood@ yourobserver.com. Be sure to include your name and where you live.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

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FRIDAY, APRIL 29

NOPE 3:17 p.m., 100 block of Sands Point Road Boating: On a routine patrol, the town’s marine officer saw a personal watercraft grounded just off a private beach. The officer watched as the craft’s apparent operator walked toward the sand. The officer hailed the person and advised him the beach is private and only residents were permitted. The person said he was from out of the area, not familiar with the beach restrictions and left without incident.

REFUGE FROM THE RAIN 9:15 p.m., 100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: While on patrol on the south end of the island, an officer was flagged down. The woman told the officer she had just been dropped off in a downpour and was waiting for a co-worker to pick her up. She asked if she could wait in the officer’s patrol vehicle. The officer obliged.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30

SHELL WE HELP? 12:41 p.m., 1000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Animal complaint: Police received word of a turtle in the road and responded to investigate. The officer found the turtle in the road and moved it to a safer location.

REELED IN AN OFFICER 2:11 p.m., 500 block of Bay Isles Road Trespassing: Police were alerted to the possible presence of trespassers on the golf course near the intersection of Bay Isles Road and Bay Isles Parkway. The officer sent to investigate found two men from Bradenton fishing on the course and explained to them they were on private property. The two men packed up their gear and left without incident.

DRIFTING AWAY 4:45 p.m., Longboat Pass Abandoned vessel: An officer patrolling along the Longboat Pass bridge spotted an empty red kayak drifting from east to west under the bridge. Without a town or Manatee County marine officer on duty, the

officer notified the U.S. Coast Guard in Cortez. That agency launched a small boat and found the kayak, with no evidence of a person nearby.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

BUNNY RESCUE 8:48 a.m., 3500 block of Fair Oaks Lane Animal: Police were called to a neighborhood in reference to a report of an injured rabbit. The officer found the rabbit, determined it was injured and summoned Sarasota County Animal Control officers, who took the injured rabbit for treatment.

SUNDAY, MAY 1

NEVER ON SUNDAY 10:37 a.m., 600 block of Longview Drive Noise complaint: Police spoke to a landscaping crew following an anonymous report of work being done in violation of town regulations governing such Sunday work. The crew immediately shut down and left the area.

BONE, BRANCH, BARNACLES 3 p.m., 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: A report from a beachgoer of a possible femur bone found along the shore attracted the attention of police. An officer examined the find and determined it was a piece of driftwood covered with barnacles.

TUESDAY, MAY 3

CASE (AND TRUNK) CLOSED 4:45 a.m., 3500 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Suspicious incident: An officer stopped to examine a SUV parked in a community garage with its tailgate open. A look inside led the officer to believe nothing was out of the ordinary. The officer learned the vehicle was registered to a limited liability corporation but was unable to connect it with a local address.

The officer closed the tailgate and left the scene.

Suspicious vehicle: While conducting a patrol request, an officer spotted a vehicle parked in the rear parking lot of a retail center. As the officer approached, it appeared initially that a figure occupied the rear seat. Upon closer evaluation, the officer found it was a golf bag.

THURSDAY, MAY 5

SANDY PAWS 2:57 p.m., Beer Can Island Dogs on the beach: While on marine patrol, a town officer watched two dogs on the beach alongside a pontoon boat. The officer advised the operator of the boat that dogs were not permitted on town beaches without service-dog bonafides. The dogs were removed from the beach, and the boaters left the area.

NOT A FALL AFTER ALL 2:51 p.m., 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: Emergency dispatchers received an alert from a beachgoer’s smart watch that she had suffered a hard fall. While an officer was on the way to the scene, dispatchers further learned that the woman had not fallen but reported banging her watch while packing up to leave the beach. She told dispatchers she was fine and had left the area.

WRONG KEY FOR A DRUM CIRCLE 6:48 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Noise complaint: Police received a complaint about drum noise adjacent to a tennis court at a town park.

When an officer arrived, he heard no

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4

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BLOCKED IN 6:40 p.m., 800 block of Tarawitt Drive Suspicious vehicle: A resident called police to say she and three friends were about to leave home on the way to a town restaurant when they found a vehicle unknown to them parked in the driveway, blocking her vehicle in the garage. Police linked the registration of the vehicle in the driveway to a home under construction nearby. The officer spoke to a neighbor, who left a message for the vehicle owner. A note was also left on the vehicle’s windshield. The woman and her friends enlisted the help of a ride-sharing service for their outing instead of driving themselves.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

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FURNITURE & MAT TRESS

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

YOUR CALENDAR

TRIBUTES Robert Marshall Hurst 1933-2022 The Honorable Robert Marshall Hurst, 89, of Longboat Key, Florida passed away Friday April 22, 2022.

Born April 12, 1933, in Providence, RI, his formative years were spent at Moses Brown Prep School in Providence and then Bowden College in Brunswick, Maine. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served on the U.S.S. Tidewater during the Korean War. After the Navy, he attended the University of Richmond Law School then took a job at the law firm of John Rust, Sr. in Fairfax, VA. Bob became the Chief Judge of Fairfax County Court Judicial System until he retired in 1991.

After retirement, his first wife, Jane Hutton Hurst passed away. He traveled extensively with his second wife, Judith Price-Hurst.

They move to Longboat Key, FL where they have been residents ever since.

He was an avid golfer and past member of the Country Club of Fairfax in Fairfax, VA and the Meadows Country Club in Sarasota, FL. He was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He is survived by his three children: Dr. James Hurst and his wife, Barbara, Rob Hurst and his wife, Connie, Susan Edgar and her husband, Tom; eight grandchil-

THURSDAY, MAY 12

LEARN PICKLEBALL From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road, learn pickleball from Terri Noyes.

Learn the basics of play and scoring while participating in demonstrations. Fee is $10 for nonmembers.

Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493 to RSVP.

FRIDAY, MAY 20

BEST BET FRIDAY, MAY 13

MOVIE MATINEE At 1 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road, watch “Mamma Mia.” There will be popcorn and soft drinks.

Free for members, and $10 for nonmembers. Walk-ins welcome. Call 3836493 for information.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GOLF TOURNAMENT With a shotgun start at 9 a.m. at the Harbourside Golf Course at the Longboat Key Club, play 18 holes and get the chance to win games and prizes along the way. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and is $200 per golfer and $750 for a foursome.

Register at LongboatKeyChamber. com.

RECURRING EVENTS MONDAYS dren; four great-grandchildren; his stepdaughter, Leigh Harris; stepson, Joseph Price and his wife, Dawn and his brother, Dr. Alfred Hurst and his wife, Jean of Cape Cod, MA. A celebration of life will be held 1:00 pm Thursday May 26, 2022, at Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Road 72 Sarasota, Florida 34241.

Bob was a big supporter of the police and would like donations to be made to the Police Benevolent Fund in lieu of flowers.

STRETCH & STRENGTHEN From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Focus is on strength training and flexibility for balance. Suzy Brenner leads the class. Fee is $10. Walk-ins welcome.

Call 383-6493.

Bob became the Chief Judge of Fairfax County Court Judicial System until he retired in 1991.

THINKING OUT LOUD: TIMELY TOPICS WITH MIKE KARP From 1-2:30 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Topics will include U.S. and world current affairs, popular culture and topics relevant to seniors. Cost is $10.

Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

CELEBRATION OF LIFE: Thursday, May 26, 1PM Sarasota National Cemetery 9810 State Road 72 Sarasota, Florida 34241

MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

DONATIONS: Bob was a big supporter of the police and would like donations to be made to the Police Benevolent Fund in lieu of flowers.

LONGBOAT LIBRARY The Longboat Library is open again from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. Visit the library at 555 Bay Isles Road. There will also be a half-price sale on the library’s collection of used books every Wednesday. Call 383-2011 for information.

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS LORD’S WAREHOUSE THRIFT STORE The thrift store will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 6140 GMD. Donations are accepted during business hours. Call 383-4738.

File photo

TUESDAYS

QI GONG From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Qi gong is a mind-body-spirit practice designed to improve mental and physical health. Class is outdoors, weather permitting. Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

MAH JONGG From 1-3 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Fun time for experienced players. To check availability at the tables, email MaryAnnBrady@TheParadiseCenter.org.

ROTARY CLUB Meets at 5 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday in All Angles Parish Hall, 563 Bay Isles Road. To learn more, call Nancy Rozance at 203-6054066 or email Info@LongboatKeyRotary.org.

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TOWN OF LONGBOAT KEY PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD NOTICE OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PUBLIC WORKSHOP MAY 17, 2022 9:15 AM Please take notice that the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Board will hold a Workshop to review and consider amendments to the Town of Longboat Key’s Comprehensive Plan. The following Comprehensive Plan Elements will be discussed at this meeting:

TOWN OF LONGBOAT KEY Infrastructure ElementBOARD PLANNING AND ZONING NOTICE OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PUBLIC WORKSHOP Capital Improvements Element MAY 17, 2022 The workshop will be held Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 9:15 a.m. at 9:15 AM

the Town Commission Chambers, 501 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Please take that the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Board will hold a Workshop to Key,notice Florida.

review and consider amendments to the Town of Longboat Key’s Comprehensive Plan. The followingAll Comprehensive Plan Elements be discussed this meeting: interested persons may will appear and beatheard with respect to

donate shop donate & & shop

any potential amendments to the Infrastructure and Capital ImInfrastructure Element provements Elements. Copies of the proposed Comprehensive Plan and related material be viewed at the Planning, Zoning & Capitalmay Improvements Element Building Department and Town Clerk’s Office, 501 Bay Isles Road, The workshop will be held Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 9:15 a.m. at the Town Commission between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays. Questions may be diChambers, 501 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, Florida. rected to the Planning, Zoning & Building Department at 316-1966.

Building Materials Appliances Building Materials| |Furniture Furniture | | Appliances Art Art | Decorative | Lamps | DecorativeAccessories Accessories | Lamps

All interested persons may appear and be heard with respect to any potential amendments to the No verbatim record by a certified court reporter is made Comprehensive of these Infrastructure and Capital Improvements Elements.

Copies of the proposed Plan and related material may be viewed at the Planning, Zoning & Building Department proceedings. Accordingly, any person who may seek to appeal and Town Clerk’s Office, 501 Bay Isles Road, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays. Questions may any decision involving the matters noticed herein will be responbe directed to the Planning, Zoning & Building Department at 316-1966.

sible for making a verbatim record of the testimony and evidence at these uponreporter which isany appeal is to be based Accordingly, (see No verbatim recordproceedings by a certified court made of these proceedings. any person who may 286.0105, seek to appeal anyStatutes). decision involving the matters herein will be Section Florida In accordance withnoticed the Amerresponsible for making a verbatim record of the testimony and evidence at these proceedings icans with Disabilities Act and Section 286.26, Florida Statutes, upon which any appeal is to be based (see Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes). In accordance a special accommodation participate this needing a with the persons Americansneeding with Disabilities Act and Section 286.26, to Florida Statutes,in persons special accommodation to participate in this shouldoffice contact Town Clerk’s office at proceeding should contact theproceeding Town Clerk’s atthe 941-316-1999 941-316-1999 forty-eight (48) hours in advance of this proceeding.

If you are are hearing impaired, forty-eight (48) hours in advance of this proceeding. If you please call 941-316-8719. hearing impaired, please call 941-316-8719.

3 Stores n 1 Location n Location n 1 10:00am - 5:00pm Monday - Saturday Tuesday-Saturday 3 Stores David Green, Chair, n Sarasota 17th Street Green, n 10:00am PlanningDavid & Zoning BoardChair, - 5:00pm Monday 2095 - Saturday Published: 5/12/2022 Planning &

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MAY 12, 2022

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

A NIGHT OF

UnidosNow is celebrating its belated 10th anniversary with an event that aims to celebrate the union of culture and tradition.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

W

hat happens when you take a classical art form and merge it with something equally distinctive from a different culture?

They make beautiful music together.

That’s the lesson UnidosNow has been preaching for 12 years as it seeks to level the playing field for the Latino population of Sarasota and Manatee counties, and it’s the recipe for success that it designed for its longdelayed 10th anniversary celebration.

Held over two “For us, as an days at Van Wezel organization Performing Arts Hall and Venice Perthat seeks to forming Arts Center, NocheUnidos will integrate our merge the talents of an orchestra and a immigrant world famous mariachi band. community Kelly Kirschner, co-founder of Uniinto the fabric dosNow, said he had seen a similar perof our region formance a decade ago with Mariaculturally and chi Cobre and the Philharpolitically and Orlando monic Orchestra.

Now it’s Mariaeconomically, chi Cobre and the 72-piece Venice it’s really such Symphony combining their talents. a beautiful “From the moment we saw it, it genermetaphor of ated goosebumps,” said Kirschner, the our work.” mayor of Sarasota from 2010 to 2011.

— Kelly Kirschner “When you think about it initially, it’s like, ‘How in the heck is that going to work?’

“But then when it happens, it’s just such a rich sound. For us, as an organization that seeks to integrate our immigrant community into the fabric of our region culturally and politically and economically, it’s really such a beautiful metaphor of our work.”

UnidosNow was born to confront a simple reality: The Latino population of Sarasota and Manatee counties was exploding, but representation was not moving along with it. Kirschner said he initially was moved by the 2010 census, which showed that the local Latin American community had grown by 300%

UNITY

Courtesy photos

SEE NOCHEUNIDOS, PAGE 14

At top: Mariachi Cobre is one of the world’s foremost ambassadors of mariachi music. Above: This painting by Yulner Diaz will be auctioned off at the May 20 performance at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

JOIN US THIS JUNE AND JULY FOR

NocheUnidos

SUMMER TEEN STUDIOS

FROM PAGE 13

Photos: Daniel Perales

THE STUDIOS @ SAM Let’s Make Some Art!

SarasotaArtMuseum.org/studios-at-sam Photo: Ryan Gamma

Photo: Matt Holler

Photo: Rich Schineller

IF YOU GO

ART + SHOP + BISTRO

NOCHEUNIDOS When: 7:30 p.m. May 20; 2:30 p.m. May 21 Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on 5/20, Venice Performing Arts Center on 5/21 Tickets: $30-$120 Info: UnidosNow.org/NocheUnidos

BECOME A MEMBER

SarasotaArtMuseum.org/Membership

1001 South Tamiami Trail| Sarasota, FL 34236 | 941.309.4300

over a 20-year span. And as far as Kirschner could tell, there was no nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing that demographic.

UnidosNow filled that niche and has assisted more than 3,000 students over the last 12 years.

It’s helped its students earn more than $8 million in scholarships to higher education, paving the way for a generational shift in Sarasota over the coming decades.

“If you look downstream at where we’re headed and the future of this community, many of the Manatee County elementary and middle schools are already at majority Latin populations,” said Kirschner. “High school is getting that way. As a community, we have to start looking at that and make sure that this is not an isolated and segregated community.

“We have to make sure we’re working very closely with them to push engagement across all sectors.”

It isn’t just about education, but that’s an important place to start.

One of the signature achievements of UnidosNow is its Future Leaders Academy. Kirschner said that it’s like a college prep program that prepares students for their lives at a major university and beyond, and he hopes that many of its alumni will someday come home and pay it forward.

For Christina Unkel, the honorary chair of NocheUnidos, that’s an amazing development.

Unkel, a local attorney, said that her parents immigrated to America with the hope of giving her a better future, and UnidosNow is providing a road

“When I learned what UnidosNow is doing with all their programming and helping to fill those gaps, I was like, ‘Shoot, my family could’ve used that.’”

— Christina Unkel

map to success for the next generation.

“It’s knowing what opportunities are out there and how to go about those opportunities,” she said.

“When I learned what UnidosNow is doing with all their programming and helping to fill those gaps, I was like, ‘Shoot, my family could’ve used that. Families now can use that. Families moving forward can use that.’ This can launch our current generation and our next generation to do so much more and to truly have a seat at the table. If you see someone that looks like you succeeding, consciously or subconsciously, you believe you can fill that position at some point in the future. You can be that person.”

Unkel, a groundbreaking soccer referee in her spare time, said that phenomenon was hammered home for her at an event sponsored by The Florida Bar. Law Day exposes students to practicing attorneys who tell them about their career. The first question that day, said Unkel, came from a young Hispanic boy who didn’t know that Hispanic women could be lawyers.

The teacher looked mortified, said Unkel, and then a young Hispanic girl spoke up and said that she also didn’t know about the possibility.

“That’s when it hit me. For me, I’m just doing my thing,” said Unkel. “This generation of kids — and they’re probably now 10 or 11 years old — didn’t know Hispanic women could be attorneys because their moms and aunts are working jobs in the service industry. They’re not seeing women in professional capacities; they’re only seeing men in professional capacities. I want to make sure those kids get it and do it.

And then there’s another generation

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

A NEW MUSICAL!

Courtesy photo

Local attorney Christina Unkel has warmed to being a part of the NocheUnidos mission.

e n a e B r K BY e O t O r B a C s BY a l S g C I u Do S I C A N D LY R n MU n i l F Lewis

“They’re not seeing women in professional capacities; they’re only seeing men in professional capacities. ...

I want to make sure those kids get it and do it.”

— Christina Unkel

of the audience,” he said.

“What we saw in Orlando — and what we expect to see on May 20 and 21 — is a wide range of our Latin American community that will be there. But we also hope that the people who love orchestral music and go to Sarasota Orchestra or the Venice Symphony will attend as well. On the stage, it’s going to be a reflection of that rich diversity, but hopefully it will also be one in the seats in both the Van Wezel and the Venice Performing Arts Center.”

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behind them. That’s what UnidosNow is really doing. When I learned that there was not just their mission but truly what they’re practicing, I wanted to be a part of it.”

That same mindset — wanting to be part of the change in the making — is what inspired artist Yulner Diaz, who designed the poster for NocheUnidos. Kirschner said that Diaz arrived in Sarasota as an undocumented immigrant with a dream of making it as an artist.

He attended Ringling College of Art and Design and ultimately moved to Europe, but he’s been active in Sarasota’s community and was thrilled to be a part of NocheUnidos.

His poster, which fuses the elements of the upcoming performance, speaks volumes.

Kirschner went through just a few of the images portrayed; there’s the Sarasota Bay at sunset and the iconic Ringling Bridge.

Then there’s a piñata, shaped like a cello, flanked by mariachi band members and an image of guest conductor Michelle Merrill.

The cello is emblazoned with the colors of the American flag, and the knot fastening it consists of red and blue threads symbolizing political divisions in America.

But the hope behind it all, said Kirschner, is that these disparate elements strengthen one another.

“Immigration can be additive,” he said. “It’s not a zero-sum game that it steals jobs and leads to issues of crime in a community. It builds upon what a community already has.

“You have that Old World genre of music in your classical orchestral music, and you have this New World genre of the iconic Mexican music that’s celebrated all throughout Latin America. You’re bringing them together to create something that’s really new. It has both aspects but is something unique and beautiful.”

At root, said Kirschner, NocheUnidos is all about improving access and strengthening the community.

He hopes this festival will become an annual tradition, and over time, he wants to help Sarasota and Manatee counties do a better job of strengthening the figurative knot imagined by Diaz.

“What I think will be really unique and rewarding is to see the diversity

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

THIS WEEK Derric Gobourne Jr. will perform songs from his album “SH!NE” on Monday, May 16, at the Donelly Theatre.

THURSDAY MATT HOLT 7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com Matt Holt isn’t going to let you leave without laughing. Holt has been touring comedy clubs for two decades, and his schtick is only getting richer. Holt will bring jokes, but he’ll also spend some time just riffing on the audience. Show up and settle in for an evening of conversational comedy. Runs through May 15.

JAZZ THURSDAYS AT THE SAM 5:30 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum.

Members free, non-members $20 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org The Paul Gavin Quartet will rock the Marcy and Michael Klein Plaza, bringing smooth jazz sounds to one of the most-scenic settings in Sarasota. Gavin will be supported

by James Suggs, Zach Bartholomew and Brandon Robertson.

‘LEGALLY BLONDE’ 7:30 p.m. at Rise Above Performing Arts Center, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1105 $15-$30 Visit RiseAboveArts.com.

Don’t underestimate Elle Woods.

The impeccably attired law student, brooking no backtalk from skeptics, is determined to make her dreams of becoming an attorney come true no matter the cost. Runs through May 22.

FRIDAY ‘HAMLET’ 7:30 p.m. at Pinkerton Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W. $25 adult, $20 college, $12 youth Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

www.manasotaonline.com

Shakespeare’s beloved drama about murder, betrayal and family intrigue has thrilled worldwide audiences for four centuries and will come to the Venice Theatre for a fortnight. Vera Samuels stars as the titular Prince of Denmark, and Murray Chase directs. Runs through May 29.

TONY MONACO HAMMOND B3 ORGAN TRIO 8 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court $20 members, $22 non-members Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville He’s billed as the best organ player you haven’t heard of, and he’s coming to Fogartyville. Tony Monaco has been tickling the ivories since age 8 and began working jazz clubs while still a teenager in Columbus, Ohio.

Monaco will be supported by guitarist LaRue Nicholson and drummer Rick Costa.

SATURDAY BROADWAY MEMORIES 11 a.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton $9.80-$20 Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. org.

This show will feature kids and young adults ages 7 to 17 who have trained for months. The youngsters will take on songs from hit shows like “Pippin,” “Gypsy,” “Chicago,” “Frozen,” “Matilda” and more.

SUNCOAST MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS 2022 WINNERS CONCERT 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, 2050 Oak St. Free Visit SarasotaMusicClub.org See Sarasota’s best and brightest before they embark on their careers.

Talented musicians from seven area

1734 South Tamiami Trail Venice, FL 34293 941.493.7441

high schools will perform works by Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, Chopin and other masters in this celebration of local students.

‘OOPS UPON A TIME’ 7 p.m. at Studio 1130 – Crossings at Siesta Key $15 Visit ThePlayers.org.

The Players Kids presents this play about a young writer attempting to write a story for her sister. The nascent playwright pulls out all the stops and receives assistance from her fairy godmother in this comingof-age tale.

POETS UNPLUGGED: AN EVENING OF SPOKEN WORD & MUSIC 7 p.m. at Fogartyville Community Media & Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court $5 Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville.

It’s the final episode in a four-part series hosted by spoken word artist Melanie Lavender, and many of the area’s top poets will be coming down to get back on the mic. Lavender will also present a segment highlighting students from Booker Middle School who participate in a spoken word program of their own.

DON’T MISS ‘DISCOVER MOZART 3: GENIUS OF YOUTH’ Genius is stunning enough, but it’s even harder to comprehend when it comes from a prodigy.

Sarasota Orchestra will celebrate the early works of Mozart at this concert conducted by Stephen Mulligan, formerly associate conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Violinist Maria Ioudenitch and viola player Jordan Bak will play on Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola, written when the phenom was just 23 years old.

The orchestra will also play Benjamin Britten’s “Sinfionetta,” written when he was just 18 years old, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 25, composed when the master was 17 and making his mark on the world.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m., May 14 Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Tickets: $27-$65 Info: SarasotaOrchestra.org

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IN-STUDIO PERFORMANCE SERIES FEATURING SCDE: SPRING SHOWCASE Settle in for the Spring Showcase, which will feature choreography by Sarasota Contemporary Dance Ensemble codirectors Melissa Rummel and Xiao-Xuan Yang Dancigers. The ensemble consists of aspiring student dancers who are afforded not just top-notch tutelage but

IF YOU GO When: 7 p.m. May 13; 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

May 14 Where: SCD Home Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts Tickets: $20 Info: SarasotaContemporaryDance.org

GARDEN MUSIC SERIES — HALIE LOREN 1-3 p.m. at Selby Gardens Spanish Point Campus, 337 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey Free; included with general admission for non-members Visit Selby.org

BROADWAY ON THE BAY — SARASOTA DIVAS 6:30 p.m. at Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St. $25 Visit ThePlayers.org

DERRIC GOBOURNE JR. — SH!NE 7:30 p.m. at the Donelly Theatre, 1012 N. Orange Ave. $27 Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org Derric Gobourne Jr. will hit the stage as part of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s Young Artist Program and play through many of the tracks on his album “SH!NE.” Gobourne, who will be joined by several guest artists, will play several instruments during the show. He’ll be supported by drummer Fancy Karema.

R O T C E P S ES N N A O J H E T N A R E N V O A J L y B NCA y BIA

b Directed

TUESDAY

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also the opportunity to dance alongside professional dancers.

SUNDAY

Halie Loren, the pride of Sitka, Alaska, is performing about as far as she can get from home without leaving the continent. Loren, now based in Oregon, will bring her rich timbre and deep catalogue of jazz-inflected songs to the lovely backdrop of Selby Gardens’ Spanish Point Campus for one performance only.

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

An

DY E M O C E V es EXPLOSI

n do e h w “ , s t h a t a s k e THEM?” US becom

A number of talented local performers, including Kathryn Parks, Berry Ayers and Eve Caballero, will take on some familiar Broadway tunes right in the shadow of Sarasota Bay, and the lush and fertile backdrop of Selby Gardens will serve as a perfect sounding board for their voices. Performances will run through Friday.

NOW–JUNE 4 941.351.8000 | 800.361.8388 | asolorep.org

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WEDNESDAY WORLD SERIES OF COMEDY 7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater, 1928 Ringling Blvd. $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com

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This traveling comedic showcase is going around the country and trying to find talented performers to compete on a grand stage. Forty professional comedians will be hitting the McCurdy’s stage as part of this event, which runs through Saturday, and a spot in the finals in Las Vegas will be on the line.

PRESENTED BY

— 2 Guys —

GUN SHOW MAY 14 & 15

Robarts Arena • 3000 Ringling Blvd • Sarasota Saturday 9am - 5pm • Sunday 9am - 3pm

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A unique, first of its kind concert for the region that ill feature the internationally acclaimed Mariachi Cobre band and the 72-piece Venice Symphony www.unidosnow.org/nocheunidos

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

To jab or not to jab Laughter is contagious in the Asolo Rep’s upcoming production of ‘Eureka Day.’ Here’s a diagnosis of where the humor originates.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

T

o vaccinate or not to vaccinate? That is the question.

Playwright Jonathan Spector explores it in “Eureka Day,” his savvy satire coming to the Asolo Rep stage later this month.

It’s incredibly timely, but it wasn’t at the time Spector wrote it.

The action unfolds in Eureka Day School, a progressive (but privileged) elementary school in Berkeley, California.

It’s normally a peaceful place, but that changes when one student is diagnosed with a highly contagious disease. Parents and educators wrestle with vaccinating their children. But the virus is the mumps. And the year is 2017.

What led Spector to write this play? The germ of the idea came from random talks Spector had with people in the San Francisco Bay region. Friends or friends of friends. These were smart, welleducated individuals.

Spector assumed they shared his politics and worldview. Most did, but every now and then a few of these smart people dropped a conversational bomb – a casual aside that they were skeptical of vaccines or didn’t vaccinate their kids.

Spector recalls his shock in a video interview with Bob Hupp, Syracuse Stage’s artistic director.

“And you sort of feel the floor dropping out from under you, because it seems so bizarre that somebody you thought saw the world the way you did, in this one regard seems to live in a different universe.”

That bizarre opinion sparked Spector’s curiosity and led to notso-random interviews with antivaxxers in the Bay area.

These conversations became the inspiration for “Eureka Day.” His comedy revolves around a life-and-death discussion, but it begins with a trivial one.

Five parents and educators meet at the school. They’re Eureka Day’s “executive committee” and must all agree before any action takes place.

The committee’s arcane opening debate is worthy of Medieval Scholasticism.

In this case, the question isn’t how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

What’s up for grabs? A dropdown menu on the school’s website.

Specifically, the descriptions of races and ethnic origins.

On the admission form.

Debate ensues on this topic with a flurry of PC terminology and no declarative sentences.

The discussion gets serious when it shifts to a letter from the Alameda County Health Department regarding one Eureka Day student diagnosed with the mumps. “… if your child has no documentation of immunity to Mumps he or she will be excluded from school until such time as it is determined by the County Health Officer that there is no longer a risk of exposure,” it reads.

It’s an order, not a request.

But giving orders is not the Eureka Day style.

About half of the school’s parents and two of the parents in the circle are vaccine hesitant.

The talk in the circle gets heated.

When the discussion opens up to live-stream comments from parents, it turns into a firestorm.

About half of the students’ parents haven’t vaccinated their kids.

And don’t plan to now.

Anti-vaxxers are an easy satiric target, but Spector’s play doesn’t simply scold them.

It fleshes them out as specific personalities without becoming a soapbox for their theories.

The five characters on stage are highly individualized. Only two oppose vaccines. But they all have a distinctive voice and worldview.

Director Bianca LaVerne Jones went the extra mile to stay true to Spector’s well-drawn characters and their origins. She worked closely with a cultural competency specialist to get the details of each individual’s body language, dialect and attitude right.

Jones says the committee’s group dynamic is equally true to life.

“In a typical PTA meeting, there’s a dichotomy between the rocket scientists and the rocking chair people,” she says.

“The rocket scientist has all the answers and always speaks up. The rocking chair person holds back — unless an issue really pushes their buttons and they explode. That’s just what you see.”

Having read Spector’s hilarious script, here’s what I see.

The clash between philosophy and reality fuels the humor in the play. Berkeley’s progressive culture celebrates dialogue, agreement and respecting other people’s viewpoints. But when progressives have a dialogue and disagree, they don’t know how to handle it.

The committee’s discussion begins with upbeat affirmations.

It ends with name-calling and dirty laundry. The infighting reminds me of “The God of Carnage.”

It’s hilarious, but is it hyperbole?

The director doesn’t think so.

“Some people agree with Dr. (Anthony) Fauci; some people don’t,” Jones says. “That’s the discussion we’re having today. If we take it personally, it goes off the rails. And you see that happening in ‘Eureka Day.’ This play is so reflective of what people think and feel about vaccinating or wearing masks. People get into all-out fights and brawls about these issues. It’s

Photo courtesy of Sophia Marquart

Paul Slade Smith and Director Bianca LaVerne Jones work in the rehearsal room for “Eureka Day.”

not hyperbole; it’s reality.”

Jones adds that this realism is what drew her to “Eureka Day” in the first place.

“The play feels like art imitating life,” she says. “This is the way people talk, the way people act. At the same time, it’s so full of surprises and so amazingly funny. I laughed out loud reading the script. I know the Asolo Rep audience will too.”

The playwright was also surprised. Since he is a New College graduate, you might assume he’d set out to tackle a big picture issue.

He didn’t. Spector’s focus was close to home. He’d originally envisioned “Eureka Day” as a microcosm of the Berkeley scene.

Like “Portlandia,” the play’s satire flows from the culture of a very specific community. Spector figured his play would probably

remain an in-joke for a limited, local audience. He never dreamed it would become universal.

As the playwright noted in his talk with Hupp, “Specificity is the secret to universality.”

“Because it was commissioned by the Aurora Theater in Berkeley, I was very intentionally writing a play that would feel very Berkeley — a gift to that audience,” he says.

“And the people there responded to it very positively. But there was this question: Of course everybody here likes it because it’s about them and they’re seeing themselves reflected on stage, but will anyone connect to it anywhere else?”

There are “Eureka Day” productions in Australia now.

The answer is obvious.

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William and Karen Soscia

DICK VITALE GALA

Kevin Negandhi, honorees Scott Drew and Rod Gilmore, Dick Vitale, honoree Keyshawn Johnson and V Foundation CEO Shane Jacobson

Friday, May 6, at The RitzCarlton, Sarasota | Benefiting V Foundation for Cancer Research

S

ports celebrities made their way to The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota for the annual Dick Vitale gala on May 6.

Around 900 guests attended this year’s event benefiting the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The annual fundraiser has brought in more than $40 million for pediatric cancer research.

This year’s event honored NFL player and ESPN host Keyshawn Johnson, tennis hall of famer and analyst Chris Evert and Baylor University men’s basketball coach Scott Drew. ESPN college football analyst Rod Gilmore also received the V Foundation John Sanders Courage Award.

Vitale, V Foundation CEO Shane Jacobson and other figures spoke about the importance of ending pediatric cancer at a pre-event news conference.

Vitale and other celebrities then mingled with guests during the cocktail hour before it was time for the dinner and the program to start.

Pat, Josh and Jessica Fisher and Brian Ford

Above: Bryant Young autographs a helmet.

Left: Elizabeth Holland, Jeane Bowman and Jammie Serrano

—HARRY SAYER Chris Sforzo and Ryan Sforzo with Lorraine and Terri Vitale

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Celebration luncheon Tuesday, May 3, at Sarasota Municipal Auditorium | Benefiting Girls Inc. of Sarasota County

G Photos by Harry Sayer

The program started with singing by the Girls Inc. choir.

irls Inc. made a lively return to the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium for its 32nd Annual Celebration luncheon on May 3.

This year’s “Growing The Girl” theme brought supporters wearing their most-vibrant and elegant floral patterns to the luncheon to celebrate this year’s honorees. The audience shopped at the Dream Harbor market and then sat for the program, which featured songs from Girls Inc. choir members.

Co-Chairwomen Mary Pat Radford and Tammy Karp welcomed the audience and thanked them for supporting the nonprofit’s programs encouraging growth for girls in the community. Dr. Laura Kingsley, Aaliyah Mitchell-Davis, Dr. Heidi Anderson, her daughter Avery Brannan and Zuleima Martinez were this year’s honorees.

—HARRY SAYER

President and CEO Angie Stringer with Claudia Cardillo and Lisa Binkley Jody Beresford, Maria Mandler and June Adesanya

Above: CoChairwomen Tammy Karp and Mary Pat Radford welcome the audience.

Left: Lauren Wohlwend, Nikki Taylor and Beth Green

Honorees Laura Kingsley and Dr. Heidi Anderson

Knickole Barger, Tamara Williams and board Chair LaShawn Frost

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The C rys Tal G a la Celebrating Iain Webb’s 15 th Season as Director

Thanks to the generosity of our table sponsors and paddle raise participants, we were able to achieve and surpass our goal of $1 Million to support The Sarasota Ballet’s artistic, education, and community programs for the upcoming Season.

Bud and Betty Shapiro

DIAMOND PATRONS

Karol Foss Patricia A. Golemme and Timothy Fullum Julie A. Harris Frank and Katherine Martucci

EMERALD PATRONS

Sydney Goldstein Joe and Mary Kay Henson Richard Johnson Harry Leopold and Audrey Robbins Jean Weiller

SAPPHIRE PATRONS

George Allison, ASID and Alan Watkins, ASID Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation BMO Wealth Management Community Foundation of Sarasota County Jan and Bill Farber Marnie and Stephen Grossman Gulf Coast Community Foundation JoAnn Heffernan Heisen Pat and Ann Kenny Phil and Kim Lombardo Richard March Bill and Linda Mitchell Stu and Gini Peltz Kimberley Anne Pelyk Micki Sellman Alison Gardner and Jan Sirota Hillary Steele Melliss Swenson Marcia Jean Taub and Peter Swain David Welle and Rosemary Reinhardt Anonymous

RUBY PATRONS

Bob and Ginger Cannon Bailey Neil and Sandra DeFeo Fred and Lynda Doery Richard and Cornelia Matson Peter B. Miller and Dr. Martha Harrison Rosemary and Lou Oberndorf Mercedita OConnor Rich and Clare Segall Maureen and Tom Steiner Robin Klein-Strauss and Michael Strauss

PEARL PATRONS

Peggy and Ken Abt Carol Arscott Ronelle Ashby Shari and Steve Ashman Sumner and Irene Bagby Ruth Barker Maria Beck Isabel Anchin Becker Patricia Belote Marty and Barbara Bowling James Brooks Bonnie and William Chapman Katie Couchot Cumberland Advisors Robin and Chase Curtis Sona and David Degann Kay Delaney and Murray Bring Rosalyn and Joel Ehrenpreis Laura Feder Frances D. Fergusson and John Bradbury Geoffrey W. Fulton Martine Flamen Patsy and Ed Garno Valerie Gill Suzanne Gladfelter

Jane C. Gould and Stephen W. Fillo Gerald and Deborah Hamburg Family Foundation Amy Harding Charlie Huisking D’Anne Hurd and George Forsythe Ann and Robert Jackson Barbara Jacob Andrea Justiniano Merrill Kaegi Erika Kahwaty Henry Kahwaty and Mary Dooher Linda Klein Vivian Kouvant Waldron Kraemer and Joan Lovell Peter E. Kretzmer Joan Switt Langbord Ron and Katherine Lee Alan Lenowitz Melvy Erman Lewis Tina and Rick Lieberman Dr. and Mrs. Louis Marquet Joan Mathews Donna Maytham Dorothy O’Brien and Richard Antoine Rose Marie Proietti Pamela Revels Arthur Siciliano and B. Aline Blanchard Barbara Staton Michael Thompson and Cindy Thronson University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Campus Joan Volpe and Ronald Kluck Lauren Walsh Thomas and Gwendolyn Watson Anonymous 1st Source Bank Williams Parker Attorneys at Law

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

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Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

Left: Karen and Sparky Pashkow came festively dressed for the occasion. Above: Dozens of attendees joined in the celebration.

Dan Miller wheels food to the party.

Above:Bob and Pat Geraci and Denise and John Macumber linked up at the party.

Right: Linda Beekman with Joyce Hecklau and Linda DiOrio and their festive hats

Cinco de Longboat I dedicated to food, of which there was plenty throughout the night.

Slowly, more and more food arrived for attendees. Chili, trays of nachos, various dips and cheesebased dishes and more lined the tables by the shuffleboard courts.

Other attendees began mixing up drinks, including frozen margaritas. Before long, the Longboat Harbour community was having itself a fiesta.

Above: Alex, George, Joann and Aubrey Holtzer arrive.

Left: Connie Haubert pours frozen margaritas.

—NAT KAEMMERER

All are welcome at All Angels no exceptions

St. Armands Key

LUTHERAN CHURCH

• We’ve ramped up, anyone of any mobility is welcome

JOIN US WORSHIP

• In-person worship services Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Saturday at 5pm Sunday at 9 & 11am or worship with us online at saklc.com/live or via Facebook

• Live-stream at AllAngelsLBK.org to participate on-line

UPCOMING MUSIC EVENT:

Growing in Jesus’ Name

St. Armands Key Lutheran Church • 40 North Adams Dr., Sarasota, FL • 941.388.1234 • Questions? Contact: michael@saklc.com

St. Mary, Star of the Sea,

Worship WorshipWith WithUs UsAt atOur OurChurch Church Sunday Service 10:00 AM Sunday Service 10:00 AM The Rev. The Rev.Dr. Dr.Norman NormanPritchard Pritchard

Catholic Church

Would like to Welcome & Invite You, Your Family Members & Friends to Celebrate Mass with Our Parish Community SUMMER MASS SCHEDULE (May-December) Saturday: 4:00 PM Sunday: 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM Daily Mass at 9:00 AM; Rosary at 8:30 AM Monday - Friday Daily Chaplet of Divine Mercy following Mass

Men’s Bible Study: Monday @ 9:00 Masks AreWednesday Optional @ 10:00 Women’s Bible Study:

Visitors Welcome Visitors & & Residents Residents Welcome

•

941.383.8833 (office)

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An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956

•

www.christchurchoflbk.org

Please join us for worship in person on Sunday at 10 a.m. or online at our website and Facebook Live Stream at 10 a.m.

6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive • Longboat Key, Florida 34228 • 941-383-6491

Follow us on Facebook • www.longboatislandchapel.org

The Lord’s Warehouse is OPEN Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 9am - noon.

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6400 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

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Watch AMService ServiceLive: Live: WatchOur Our10:00 10:00 AM

www.bit.ly/cclbksermons www.bit.ly/cclbksermons oror (followYouTube YouTubelink) link) www.christchurchof lbk.org(follow www.christchurchoflbk.org

Garden Concert May 15 at 4pm Featuring Dave Morgan & Band

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563 Bay Isles Rd • 941-383-8161 AllAngelsLBK.org

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• Discussion Groups on Tue & Wed at 10 a.m.

4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive Longboat Key, FL 34228 383-1255 • www.stmarylbk.org

Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor

Temple Beth Israel

The Center of Jewish Living on Longboat Key

Please join us for Friday Evening Shabbat Services at 7:30pm each week in our Sanctuary, and morning Shabbat service & Torah Study at 10:00 am every Saturday.

Check our website for more information on upcoming events & programs, including the NEW Education Center at TBI offerings!

If you’d like to join our mailing list, send an email to office@tbi-lbk.org to stay up to date!

Due to the rise of Covid cases in our area, we will require masks & encourage social distancing until further notice.

941.383.3428 | www.tbi-lbk.org

RABBI STEPHEN L. SNIDERMAN, D.D.

567 Bay Isles Road • Longboat Key, FL

379413-1

t was nacho average party at Longboat Harbour on May 5.

Dozens of residents showed up to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, where the nachos were plentiful and the margaritas were flowing.

Attendees made their way to the bayside for the festivities, where twinkling lights, tiny piñatas and Mexican candies awaited. Plenty brought their own drinks, but others shared the wealth — and tequila. Three long tables were

Classifieds 34 Games 33 Real Estate 29 Weather 33

MAY 12, 2022

YOUR NEIGHBORS

Top: Carol Patmore, Estela Lopez, Katrin Burnie and Diane Burns stand at their first hole of the last day.

Above: Ana Maria Motta, Carroll Baker, Martha Greenhalgh and Diane Drury line up for their next hole.

Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

Kathy Weiland prepares to putt as Linda Condon and Mayita Alfaro watch.

BIRDS & BIRDIES Amateur women’s golf event comes to Longboat Key with a wary eye on a local nemesis.

NAT KAEMMERER STAFF WRITER

I

379194-1

f you’re a Longboat Key golfer, you’ve likely heard of (and probably used) the “crow rule.”

The island’s infamously clever birds rule the roost on the Longboat Key Club’s courses, and golfers from time to time are left watching helplessly as the winged thieves disappear with a $4 Titleist or two. Because of the frequency of the thefts, the club reminds its patrons that it’s OK to replace a disappeared or moved ball to its original spot without penalty.

Golfers at last week’s 42nd-annual Kitty Michael International Invitational, to which about 100 women golfers from North America and the Caribbean flocked May 2-6, got a quick refresher on the provisions of golf’s Rule 9.6, on which the Longboat Key Club’s “crow rule” is based.

“One golfer had three balls taken in one day,” Bermuda golfer Katrin Burnie said.

During the course of the amateur event, not only did competitors have

TOURNAMENT RESULTS INDIVIDUAL LOW 54-HOLE GROSS (KITTY MICHAEL FOUNDER’S TROPHY) n Jen Polich, SW Florida: 228 INDIVIDUAL LOW 54-HOLE NET (MAGGIE CASSELLA MEMORIAL TROPHY) n Katyna Rabain, Bermuda: 196 LOW 54-HOLE GROSS TEAM (BERMUDA BOWL) n SW Florida: 733 n Runner-up: Panama: 738 LOW 54-HOLE NET TEAM (BALANDRA CUP) n Bermuda: 602 n Runner-up: Ocean Reef: 613

to keep their eyes on the feathered fauna, but also on the native flora.

One tree on the sixth hole had several balls on its boughs.

“It looked like a Christmas tree with all those decorations,” said Estela Lopez, a golfer from Puerto Rico.

Other than the crows, the wild-

life on the course was wonderful, St. Croix golfer Diane Burns said. She’d never seen pink birds before and loved seeing the spoonbills around the course.

A few golfers have played the annual event long enough to be making their second appearance here since 2010, but many were newcomers to Longboat Key. Burnie came three days in advance of the tournament to soak up the atmosphere, walk the beaches and visit the area, while another golfer from Puerto Rico had been spending her evenings on St. Armands Circle trying restaurants such as Crab and Fin. Once they got to golfing, it got even better.

“The club is amazing,” Burnie said.

“It’s so well kept, and there are very friendly folks here.”

More than 100 Kitty Michael golfers played four rounds during the week, starting with a practice round on May 3. When the Kitty Michael Invitational started in 1979, there were eight teams from the Bahamas, Bermuda, Curacao, Florida, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Thomas and Trinidad and Tobago, but now there are 11 teams, adding New Jersey, Canada and Panama. Each member team hosts the tournament every year, so the last time it was on Long-

Crows caused a few problems throughout the tournament.

boat Key was in 2010.

The Southwest Florida team, led

by Bradenton resident Liz Findley, put this year’s tournament together.

Next year, it will be in Panama.

Several golfers were playing in their first tournament and enjoyed playing the course.

Montreal golfer Diane Drury said it was a beautiful but challenging course; she got herself in trouble on the first day.

“I’m a freshman,” Puerto Rican golfer Ada de la Vega said. “The course was really good, but I did better on some holes than others. The course was in perfect condition.”

Golfers played every day with women from different teams. The goal of the tournament is to inspire friendship and friendly competition, so golfers frequently clapped for their partners, whispered, “Good shot,” after a drive and shook hands after a round.

More than trying to beat their fellow players, the golfers were there to have a great time and soak in the beauty of Longboat Key. The tournament won’t be back for 10 years, after all.

HISTORY OF THE KITTY MICHAEL INTERNATIONAL INVITATIONAL The Kitty Michael International Invitational Ladies’ Golf Tournament was started in 1979 by the eponymous golfer, who made it into the Puerto Rico Golf Hall of Fame’s class of 1981. She wanted a way to bring her friends together and grow the game of golf through a fun tournament.

Now, it brings golfers from 11 teams together for four days every year. The tournament consists of 54 holes and several awards, including low net and low gross first place and runners up, a putting trophy, the Kitty Michael Founder’s Trophy for the individual low gross and the Maggie Casella Memoral Trophy for the individual low net. No individual can win more than one prize.

“It’s a friendly competition, just like Kitty wanted,” Southwest Florida Vice Captain Dee Romito said.

24

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

Left: Margaritas and iced tea were the available drinks.

Below: Deborah Duffey, Robert Ferrara and Tory Newman bonded over their Boston roots.

Doug White with Rick and Mary Jo Stauffer

Photos by Nat Kaemmerer

Cinco de Mayo in Paradise Barbara Pappas, Judy Lomax and Sandi Love caught up at the party.

T

he Paradise Center attracted more than “cinco” attendees to its fiesta on May 5. More than two dozen members and board members turned up to celebrate as a thank you from the center to its members for their support. The date happened to be May 5, so they ran with the timely theme.

The rec room was turned into a taco and margarita bar, and attendees danced to festive music. Some dressed in themed prints and patterns to fit the fiesta.

The grand finale of the party was a piñata that had been dangling in the room, tempting attendees to pick up a frilly green stick and give it a whack.

Executive Director Suzy Brenner passed out face masks with googly eyes on them instead of blindfolds for those who wanted to take a crack at it. After several swings and misses, frustratingly resilient dents and several powerful whacks, the piñata burst.

Above: John Brill, board President Dick Pelton and board member Barbara Koetsier strike a pose.

—NAT KAEMMERER

Fran Van Zandt and Reuben Fernandez feasted on Mexican appetizers.

Suzy Brenner arms Angela Bennink for the piñata.

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Living and Working on Longboat Key for 40 Years

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MichaelMoulton@michaelsaunders.com moc.srednuasleahcim@notluoMle ahcMichaelMoulton@michaelsaunders.com iM

W NE

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4,430sf | 4BR | Bay Front | $3,300,000

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Early 1930s: Visits the New York Aquarium for the first time 1942-46: Receives a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Hunter College and a master’s degree

NAT KAEMMERER

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1922: Eugenie Clark is born

STAFF WRITER

YRANIDREXTRAORDINARY OAEXTRAORDINARY RTXE

Certified Residential Specialist LBroker-Associate ANOITPECXE

LIFE OF EUGENIE CLARK

Now is a GREAT Now GREAT time is toaSELL! time to SELL!

ne shark lady honored the original Shark Lady at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium on May 4.

“I’m now a shark biologist who grew up wanting to be a shark lady like Eugenie Clark,” Jennie Jannesen said.

Jannesen served as master of ceremonies at the First Day of Issue Dedication Ceremony for Clark’s commemorative U.S. Postal Service stamp. More than 200 people attended to hear from women in marine science, leaders of Mote and the family of Clark herself.

“She made marine science accessible to everyone and shared her knowledge,” Mote CEO Michael Crosby said. “It’s fitting we have come together on what would’ve been her 100th birthday... . Her passion for marine science will always be the heart that makes Mote beat.”

Clark lived to be 92 and packed a lot into those years. She received the Franklin L. Burr Award from the National Geographic Society and a posthumous award from Congress in 2018.

That same year, a dogfish shark species was named for her. The species, Squalus clarkae, also known as Genie’s dogfish, was identified from the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic Ocean.

She’s pictured on her stamp with a lemon shark, which her daughter Aya Konstantinou said is the shark that got her the nickname “Shark Lady.”

Clark so loved sharks that when she met a Japanese prince, she didn’t know what to get him, so she brought him a trained shark. Her fun-loving and curious nature go hand in hand with her legacy.

“To me, she was Grandma Genie,”

1946-47: Studies poisonous fish in Micronesia for the Pacific Science Board of National Research Council 1950: Earns a doctorate in zoology from New York University 1955: Founds Cape Haze Marine Laboratory in Placida, Florida, as a precursor to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium 1958-59: Demonstrates that sharks can learn through training 1960: Laboratory moved to Siesta Key 1967: Cape Haze Marine Laboratory is renamed Mote Marine Laboratory to honor benefactors William R. Mote and Elizabeth Mote Rose 1978-80: Becomes a professor at City University of New York, then at University of Maryland College Park 1986: Begins diving in submersibles, eventually to 12,000 feet with a submersible in 1988. Completes more than 70 submersible dives during her life 1980s-90s: Mote Marine moves to City Island 2008: Earns Explorers Club Medal for scientific exploration and resource conservation 2014: Dives for the last time on her 92nd birthday to study deepwater triggerfish 2015: Eugenie Clark dies at age 92

grandson Eli Weiss said. “She was a force to be reckoned with and taught me so much.”

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Call our experts at Wagner Realty Call our experts Dia Wilson Rae Ellen Hayo at941.383.5577 Wagner Realty More than 35 years of combined experience 941.383.5577 Dia Wilson Rae Ellen Hayo Longboat Key Office • 5360 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Ste 101 • Longboat Key, FL Longboat Anna Maria Island • Sarasota Longboat Key Office • 5360 Gulf of Mexico Drive,Key Ste•101 • Longboat Key, FL Lakewood Ranch • East & West Bradenton Longboat Key • Anna Maria Island • Sarasota www.WagnerRealty.com Lakewood Ranch • East & West Bradenton

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The founder of the aquarium was honored at a ceremony on what would have been her 100th birthday.

ALF# AL12727

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

27

Coldwell Banker CONGRATULATES the TOP team!

The #1 sales team in the state of Florida $134 Million Sold in 2021

1

#

Small Team

Lori Lawson

941.735.4385

Judy Kepecz-Hays 941.587.1700

Steven Kepecz

941.376.6411

Judy Kepecz-Hays Team E US , 1-4 O h H EN AY 15t P O AY, M

BAY ISLES

EMBASSY HOUSE

D

SUN

3312 Bayou Road | www.3312BayouRoad.com Offered for $2,600,000 In the Bayou Section of Bay Isles on an 80-acre lake. Kitchen w/fireplace opens to large family room w/fireplace, 3 bedrooms-reception room w/ fireplace, guest/children wing, the pool is on living level overlooking the lake. This home features fine architectural details, an elevator, and flex rooms for hobbies.

770 South Palm Ave #503 | www.EmbassyHouse503.com Offered for $1,098,500 Superb Location! You will be HYPNOTIZED in this residence with 30 feet of glass walls offering vistas of Sarasota Bay, Her Islands, & Sunsets into the Gulf of Mexico. Semi-private elevator, Updated 2 BDRM & 2 BA boasts 1520 square feet of inspired living. Covered parking-2 cats welcome.

RITZ-CARLTON RESIDENCES

LONGBOAT KEY TOWERS

1111 Ritz Carlton Drive #1204 | www.Ritz-Carlton1204.com Offered for $3,750,000. $3,495,000 Luxury Knows No Limits! Sought after residence at the Ritz-Carlton in the heart of the city. Beyond Imagination, this home affords terrific views of the marina, Sarasota, and her islands.

603 Longboat Club Road #604 | www.LBKtowersN604.com Offered for $1,798,000 Beyond imagination! Magical views fromsunrise to sunsets envelope this meticulously designed updatedcorner residence with walls of windows & glass doors. Instant enjoyment.

L’AMBIANCE

SARABAND

435 L’Ambiance Drive #G601 | www.Lambiance-G601.com Offered for $6,880,000 BETTER THAN NEW-Updated to perfection! Southwest 6th-floor corner residence with incredible views. Enjoy Sunrise and Sunsets- Features include Three bedrooms-3400Sq. Ft. -open floor plan- latest Miami Dade rated windows and doors-oak floors-new kitchen-new bathroom. Amenities include 24-hour security, on-site concierge, private elevator to private foyer, indoor secured parking and storage.

340 South Palm Ave #75 | www.Saraband75.com Offered for $3,800,000 Bayfront elegance – downtown location at its best! This 7th floor 3 bedroom corner Contemporary flavor residence has panoramic views of Sarasota Bay, the Marina, downtown skyline, and Exploding sunrise & Epic sunsets. Sarabande offers exceptional amenities, including club rooms for private use, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a 25-meter swimming pool, spa, sauna, and 2 guest apartments. The community is pet friendly.

Call us today for similar results 941-587-1700 $2.3 BILLION IN CAREER SALES

Judy Kepecz-Hays | 941.587.1700

COLDWELL BANKER REALTY 423 St. Armands Circle | Sarasota, FL 34236 595 Bay Isles Road, Suite 250 | Longboat Key, FL 34228 Email: Kepecz@JudyHays.com Website: LongboatKeyLuxury.com

$134 MILLION IN CLOSED SALES IN 2021

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If you’re thinking of buying or selling, please call us for exceptional service.

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

ST. ARMANDS KEY 66 N Washington Drive 4 Beds 3/1 Baths 4,983 Sq. Ft. Kristina Waskom 941-266-8658 A4519666 $10,900,000

SARASOTA 650 Golden Gate Point 302 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,949 Sq. Ft. Dana Westmark 941-356-5091 A4531159 $2,900,000

SIESTA KEY 6326 Midnight Pass Road 508 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,318 Sq. Ft. Karen Chandler 941-544-4919 A4523199 $2,159,000

SARASOTA 1704 Arlington Street 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,545 Sq. Ft. Barbara May & Fred Sassen 404-822-9264 A4529406 $2,100,000

TERRA CEIA 109 Michiana Drive 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,818 Sq. Ft. Debbie Vogler 941-705-3328 A4527498 $1,999,000

SIESTA KEY 6146 Midnight Pass Road 10S 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,204 Sq. Ft. Marlene & George Marshall 941-539-8850 A4527968 $1,500,000

SARASOTA 8149 Grande Shores Drive 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 3,214 Sq. Ft. Drew Russell 941-993-3739 A4529184 $1,445,000

SIESTA KEY 1280 Dolphin Bay Way 504 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,840 Sq. Ft. Diana Kryszak 941-993-4078 A4533845 $1,390,000

SARASOTA 1646 7th Street 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,340 Sq. Ft. Valarie Wadsworth 941-780-3858 A4528362 $1,369,000

LONGBOAT KEY 775 Longboat Club Road 906 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,524 Sq. Ft. Lenore Treiman 941-356-9642 A4527843 $1,299,000

PARRISH 16003 39th Glen E 4 Beds 3 Baths 3,225 Sq. Ft. Laura Navratil & Mary Pat Pihl 941-806-7436 A4532572 $1,295,000

SARASOTA 1651 4th Street 2 Beds 2 Baths 2,640 Sq. Ft. Valarie Wadsworth 941-780-3858 A4533056 $1,250,000

SIESTA KEY 5920 Midnight Pass Road 304TOW 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,234 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon 941-234-3991 A4528197 $1,200,000

SIESTA KEY 6140 Midnight Pass Road 502 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,521 Sq. Ft. Barbara Dumbaugh & Victoria Lear 941-951-6660 A4532193 $1,200,000

LONGBOAT KEY 1926 Harbourside Drive 1304 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,135 Sq. Ft. Cindy Fischer & Mark J Baron 941-465-1124 A4528490 $1,095,000

SIESTA KEY 5128 Oxford Drive 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,908 Sq. Ft. Mimi Kruk 941-587-5188 A4533555 $990,000

SARASOTA 628 42nd Street 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,506 Sq. Ft. Francoise Borel 941-228-3768 A4534123 $949,000

LIDO KEY 2110 Benjamin Franklin Drive 104 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,248 Sq. Ft. Drew Russell 941-993-3739 A4532913 $915,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4600 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 205 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,312 Sq. Ft. Ann Martin & Joanna Benante 941-356-7717 A4529849 $875,000

SIESTA KEY 6236 Midnight Pass Road 107 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,150 Sq. Ft. Tara Lamb & Judy Greene 941-266-4873 A4528175 $849,000

SARASOTA 8555 Park Shore Lane 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,380 Sq. Ft. Judy Nimz 941-374-0196 A4532950 $825,000

MANASOTA KEY 7305 Manasota Key Road Maryann Casey 941-468-3741 D6119746 $799,000

SARASOTA 2409 Tanglewood Drive 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,840 Sq. Ft. Jonathan Abrams 941-232-2868 A4533896 $795,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4390 Exeter Drive I-103 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,152 Sq. Ft. Malihe Karimi 941-376-5099 A4526696 $615,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4400 Exeter Drive J106 2 Beds 2 Baths 992 Sq. Ft. Malihe Karimi 941-376-5099 A4534112 $595,000

SARASOTA 3300 Old Oak Drive 4 Beds 4/3 Baths 6,428 Sq. Ft. Barbara May & Fred Sassen 404-822-9264 A4520464 $8,495,000

SARASOTA 491 Partridge Circle 4 Beds 5/1 Baths 4,535 Sq. Ft. Joanna Benante & Ann Martin 941-356-7717 A4533316 $4,000,000

LONGBOAT KEY 540 Harbor Cove Circle 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,081 Sq. Ft. Julie Klick & Beverly St Hilaire 941-780-6001 A4534178 $3,600,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

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YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

APRIL 25-29

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

A

home in Country Club Shores tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. James McNally Jr., of Longboat Key, sold his home at 548 Hornblower Lane to Scott Ashton, of Roswell, Georgia, for $4.65 million. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, four-andtwo-half baths, a pool and 3,976 square feet of living area. It sold for $2,625,000 in 2019.

REAL ESTATE

Country Club Shores home sells for $4.65 million

|

Photo courtesy of Melissa Perrigoue with Coldwell Banker Realty

THE PIERRE

Darashon Delaware LLC sold the Unit 508 condominium at 455 Longboat Club Road to Beth Shribman and Peter Shribman, trustees, of Swampscott, Massachusetts, for $2.8 million. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,780 square feet. It sold for $517,000 in 1991.

JOHN RINGLING ESTATES

Linda Candino, as Personal Representative, of N. Tonawanda, New York, David Eckman, Jennifer Waugh, of Tacoma, Washington, Thomas Eckman, of Lockport, New York, Victoria Witte, of Rochester, Minnesota, Matthew Eckman, of N. Tonawanda, New York, and Christopher Eckman, of Torrington, Wyoming, sold two properties at 551 S. Washington Drive to 551 S. Washington LLC for $2.7 million.

The first property was built in 1951 and has two bedrooms, two baths

This home in Country Club Shores sold for $2.6 million in 2019.

sold the Unit 112 condominium at 3060 Grand Bay Blvd. to Robert Friedman, trustee, of Union Pier, Michigan, for $1.4 million. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, threeand-a-half baths and 2,143 square feet. It sold for $650,000 in 2019.

and 1,910 square feet. The second property was built in 1951 and has two bedrooms, one bath and 514 square feet of living area.

COUNTRY CLUB SHORES

Nima Prakash, trustee, and Shailendra Prakash sold the home at 530 Yardarm Lane to Triple M Partners LP for $2,495,000. Built in 1966, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,543 square feet.

CONRAD BEACH

WINDING OAKS

399 Firehouse LLC sold the home at 399 Firehouse Court to Lawrence and Frances Nevins, of Jersey City, New Jersey, for $1,885,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,623 square feet.

GRAND BAY

William and Becky Oneil, trustees,

Antoinette and Raymond Maloney, of Southampton, New York, sold their Unit 34 condominium at 3467 Winding Oaks Drive to Ellen Goldner, of Longboat Key, for $1 million.

Built in 1988, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 2,112 square feet. It sold for $445,000 in 2012.

WESTCHESTER

Gail Palo, trustee, sold the Unit 106 condominium at 4805 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Alexander and

These are the largest building permits issued by the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department for the week of April 29-May 5 in order of dollar amounts.

APPLICANT Bob and Taube Levitt

1945 GMD #312

Interior alterations

Strothman Living Trust

223,688

545 Sanctuary

Windows and doors

Jane R. Rebholz

176,052

The LUU Properties LLC sold the Unit 18 condominium at 660 Cedars Court to Richard and Lillie Masidi, of Sarasota, for $600,000.

Built in 1988, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,440 square feet. It sold for $257,000 in 2016.

BEACH HARBOR CLUB

James Knab, of Cincinnati, sold his Unit C208 condominium at 3806 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Casa Rentals LLC for $350,000. Built in 1970, it has one bedroom, one bath and 712 square feet. It sold for $147,500 in 2009.

NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION

L O N G B OAT K E Y PERMIT Interior alterations

CEDARS EAST

In with the new

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

ADDRESS 2120 Harbourside

Shirley Bono, of Longboat Key, for $850,000. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, one baths and 1,393 square feet.

AMOUNT($) 260,370

Drive #623

Drive #A302

Revocable Trust

350 GMD #218

Interior alterations

Andy Shaer

137,500

1045 GMD #203

Interior alterations

Paul and Kelli Humphries

125,000

711 Russell St.

New pool

Neil Richard Edwards

119,055

1095 GMD #404

Interior alterations

Trends US Inc

110,000

380 GMD #512

Interior alterations

William L. Kimbell, Jr.

90,000

651 Emerald Harbor Drive

Dock and lift

John and Kimberly Wise

82,214

4390 Exeter Drive Unit 301 Interior alterations

Virginia M. Leon

66,925

535 Sanctuary

Scott R. Kennedy

61,500

Interior alterations

Drive #A703

Revocable Trust

1965 GMD

Concrete repair

Seaplace Association Inc

52,160

1975 GMD

Concrete repair

Seaplace Association Inc

52,160

1965 GMD

Concrete repair

Seaplace Association Inc

52,160

1045 GMD #401

Interior alterations

Roy Kenneth Zitomer

46,000

Revocable Trust

3545 Fair Oaks Lane

Joseph P. McNamara

Re-roof

Revocable Trust

3115 GMD #204

Windows and doors

James Leonardo

Longboat Key

The Residences at the St. Regis | 941.213.3300 | From $2.4MM to $10.9MM | Call for appointment | SRResidencesLongboatKey.com NOW TAKING CONTRACTS

Downtown St. Petersburg

45,894

400 Central | 727.209.7848 | From the $1MM’s | Call for appointment. | Residences400central.com 2 UNITS LEFT

43,718

525 Putter Lane

Dock and lift

Shane M. Mikula Enterprises

41,507

1095 GMD #405

Electrical

Alan M. Lestz Revocable Trust

38,550

801 Broadway

Elevator

Stephen J. TR Kring

37,500

2550 Harbourside

A/C change-out

Alice C. Harper Revocable Trust 36,912

Drive #341 5930 Emerald Harbor Drive

Seawall

Frank D. Cox

Downtown Sarasota

33,700

100 Sands Point Road #111 Interior alterations

Judith Ochsner TTEE

31,104

775 Longboat Club

Doors

Marcene M. Greif

30,513

1211 GMD #1004

A/C change-out

Vladimiar Savcenko

30,203

1095 GMD #405

Interior alterations

Alan M. Lestz Revocable Trust

27,000

560 Linley St.

Electrical

William Whalen

23,525

Road #407

Lift

Laurie Branch

23,200

Re-roof

William Whalen

21,863

6529 Gulfside Road

Re-roof

Jeff Nalin

16,000

3302 Sabal Cove Lane

Door

Adam Waller

15,868

561 Putting Green Lane

Pool resurface

James K. Cheney

15,800

1465 GMD #302

Mechanical

W A S Tower L B K LLC

13,926

629 Kingfisher Lane

Demolition of single Nancy A. Jenkins

12,987

family residence Source: Town of Longboat Key

Sales galleries open and available for virtual or in-person presentations.

Virtual home tours | OnDemand local experts | Interactive site and floorplans

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25 Lighthouse Point Drive 560 Linley St.

The Collection | 941.232.2868 | From the $2MM’s | Call for appointment. | thecollection1335.com

MichaelSaunders.com/New-Homes | 844.591.4333 | Sarasota, Florida Prices as of February 2022.

Licensed Real Estate Broker

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL A PROPERTY ON LONGBOAT KEY, BIRD KEY, OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE SARASOTA ISLANDS?

PET PICS Have photos of your four-legged family members? We want to see them! Share them at YourObserver.com/contests/petpics to be published online and for a chance to see them in print!

Walter Group is the right choice!

As 20-year Longboat Key residents, Janet Walter and Steve Walter know the Sarasota islands and would love to share their knowledge of the local real estate market!

Walter Group Real Estate specializes in leveraging state-of-the-art digital marketing - with a concierge service.

The result is Walter Group gets you the maximum exposure to sell your Longboat Key property sold fast and for the most money.

STEVE WALTER 941.809.0907

steve @waltergrouprealestate.com

JANET WALTER 941.232.2000

janet @waltergrouprealestate.com

waltergrouprealestate.com #1 TEAM - LONGBOAT KEY 2020

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SANDY PAWS: Lola enjoys the sunset on Longboat Key.

We’re neighbors covering neighbors.

Jay Heater

MANAGING EDITOR EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

Hometown: Middletown, New York Currently Living: Lakewood Ranch Alma mater: University of Arizona Observer Employee: 6 Years What you do when you are not working?

Go to beach and take photographs in East County Connect: jheater@yourobserver.com

A strong newspaper is a wonderful asset to any community, and I believe we work hard to make sure the East County Observer fills that role.

JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD //

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

31

Thank I am honored and most humbled to accept this lifetime achievement award.

It has been my privilege to serve the Sarasota community.

48 CAR CENTEDIOVASCU LA R OF SARA R SOTA

YEARS

SERVING THE SARASOTA COMMUNITY The City of Sarasota proclaims February 4, 2022 as Dr. El Shahawy Day in recognition of his 48 outstanding years of dedication to our community healthcare and cardiovascular disease prevention.

380810-1

DR. MAHFOUZ EL SHAHAWY

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

IT’S REA D

Everywhere Bring the Observer with you on your next trip!

Go to yourobserver.com and click on the Contest tab.

Click on It’s Read Everywhere and submit your photo!

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

SUNRISE / SUNSET

FRIDAY, MAY 13

WEATHER

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

Sunrise Sunset

High: 82 Low: 68 Chance of rain: 18%

33

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

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Thursday, May 12

6:42a

8:10p

Friday, May 13

6:42a

8:10p

Saturday, May 14

6:41a

8:10p

Sunday, May 15

6:41a

8:11p

SATURDAY, MAY 14

Monday, May 16

6:40a

8:12p

High: 84 Low: 70 Chance of rain: 15%

Tuesday, May 17

6:10a

8:12p

Wednesday, May 18

6:39a

8:13p

MOON PHASES SUNDAY, MAY 15 High: 85 Low: 73 Chance of rain: 12%

June 14 Full

June 20 Last

June 28 New

July 6 First

TIDES Highs Lows

Brian Wamback captured this tour boat sailing along the sunset near Longboat Key.

Thursday, May 12

10:22a

10:47p

4:34a

5:18p

Friday, May 13

10:39a

11:51p

5:06a

6:03p

Saturday, May 14

10:59a

—

5:34a

6:48p

Sunday, May 15

12:53a

11:23a

5:59a

7:35p

Monday, May 16

1:58a

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6:18a

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Tuesday, May 17

3:10a

12:28p

6:32a

9:19p

—

1:09p

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10:18p

Wednesday, May 18 Submit your photos at YourObserver.com/Weather. All submissions will be entered for the 2022-23 Weather and Nature photo contest. In February 2023, you will vote for your favorite photo, and the submission with the most votes will win a $500 gift card.

The Observer’s

Weather ENTER: &Nature

Sponsored by

YourObserver.com/contests KITCHEN | CABINETRY OUTDOOR PAVERS

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2022-23 PHOTO CONTEST

A REFLECTION OF NATURE’S BEAUTY

celebrity cipher

©2022 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

38 Prefix for “nautical” 39 Make a typo, say 1 Of the mouth 40 Chophouse cut 5 Caribou’s kin 41 ... about contestants 8 At the ready navigating a gigantic corn 14 Sickly white maze?

19 Mani’s mate 48 Forty winks 20 “I’ll be!”

49 Zombie’s sound 21 Heath bar base 50 Photo finish?

22 Concave navel 23 Reality show “remake” 51 Tree with acorns about aspiring actors who 53 Rambunctious 57 Binary digits won’t settle for bit parts?

59 One may wear black 26 Add sequins to, say lipstick 27 Black Friday events 61 Sombrero features 28 In favor of 63 Shade 29 Follow, as a tip 64 Dolphins’ home 31 Cheerios grain 67 Lasagna cheese 32 They rarely pass to 69 Chick’s chirp teammates 70 ... about choreographic 35 ... about a single guy whose dates aren’t private? pairs dressed like Romanov

rulers?

74 Muppet with a unibrow 75 Fall sign 76 English county 77 Tats 78 Cheese that may be smoked 79 Boxing bout enders, briefly 82 ___ fright 85 How ocean liners travel 87 Go bad 88 Words on Alice’s cake 91 Congresswoman Ilhan 92 Umami enhancer, for short 94 ... about people investigating an Area 51 conspiracy theory?

98 Make no changes 101 Beatle’s hairdo

102 “Frozen” queen 103 ... about meetups at a Hoboken sub shop?

106 Protected against competitors, in a way 110 Environmental prefix 111 “Till ___ do us part” 112 Kid-lit’s Sam-___ 113 Was broadcast 115 Jazz great who claimed to be from Saturn 117 ... about a superhero’s crusade to teach ASL? 122 Test run 123 The Onion genre 124 Same old routine 125 Bring on board 126 Splinter groups 127 Punctual 128 Tempeh protein 129 Ticked (off)

“L IVAY KIY MYXK SNM LW KIY ENJHO: L FJYKYWO CNJ V HLALWU. TNB DVW’K UYK KNN FJYDLNBX VMNBK KIVK.” – JNXVJLN OVEXNW

“GPX LSRPG GM AX SLLXEDMBESAFX TBO EGZDSO SE EMJXGPSBR S PMFO WXLC OXTL. TBO FZNVSFC SG SE EMJXGPSBR S OM IXFF.”

– AMBM

“NVXXYRBFNJ FN IYNKXVSKFPY, AVK FK IYNKXHCN HZBC DURK FK SHZNFIYXN KH AY NURSLBYN BFJFKFZT HVX – NRBPRIHX IRBF

PFNFHZ.”

Puzzle Three Clue: T equals G

62 The “M” of STEM 65 Paste in Japanese 1 Decides (to) cuisine 2 Building restoration, for 66 Rack up short 68 Get very emotional 3 Screenwriter ___ Rogers 69 Integral to St. Johns 70 Turn down 4 Written defamation 71 “Waiting for ___” (Beck5 One might be poached ett play) 6 Triangle side 72 Intense anger 7 “Continue!”

73 Venus, to Serena, 8 Palindromic Italian informally number 74 Crab shack wear 9 Here-there link 78 Accelerators 10 Corp. $$$ overseer 80 Rower’s implement 11 Insurer with a spokes81 They’re seen hanging at duck some parties 12 Freeloader 83 ___ pal (female friend) 13 NBC anchor Holt 84 Before, to a bard 14 Establishments with 86 Accident responders benches and stools (Abbr.)

15 Fish-chips link 89 Hot sandwich 16 “Peanuts” pooch 90 Lessen, as pain 17 Angry tweetstorm 93 “Marvin ___” (2015 hit) 18 Shtetl busybody 95 Angsty music genre 24 Quran’s religion 96 Distress call letters 25 Some ACT takers 97 Island west of Maui 30 Lena of “Chocolat” 98 Clinch 33 Recover 99 Like a driving instructor 34 Minestrone pasta, getting ticketed perhaps 100 “For real?”

35 It may be wireless 103 Kids around 36 Sun’s path, seemingly 104 Actor Hawke 37 Seized property, slangily 105 “Country Again” singer 39 “Journey” you take by Thomas yourself 106 Neighbor of India 41 Celebrity news site (Abbr.)

42 Clod-busting tool 107 Word before “squeeze” 43 Appropriates, as funds or “schedule” 44 Bless with oil 108 74-Across’ bestie 45 Grp. such as World 109 Big name in tractors Vision India 112 “Got it!”

46 Roomba, e.g.

114 Scott who sued for 47 Mother ___ (our home) freedom 52 High flyers 116 Snitch 54 Lost person’s question 118 Personal racer in 55 Union fees “Mario Kart 8” 56 “Uh-huh!”

119 Humerus’s limb 58 Cul-de-___ 120 Wayne and Garth, for 60 “Start playing,” to a one bandleader 121 Pigs’ digs

DOWN

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

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

Puzzle Two Clue: N equals C

UNREAL! by Tracy Gray and Tom Pepper. Edited by David Steinberg

Puzzle One Clue: C equals F

crossword

© 2022 NEA, Inc.

sudoku Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

©2022 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

5-12-22

Made for where you live. Here!

INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at 2PM Service Directory - Friday at 3PM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card The Longboat Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Longboat Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

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

1BR/1BA GULF of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key Fully furnished beachfront condo located on Gulf of Mexico Drive. 35 unit, 2 story beachfront complex. Heated pool, owner laundry, on-site management. Perfect for rental income and/or personal use.

Enjoy beautiful sunsets from your living room, bedroom, or private balcony. Unit 238. $676,000.

(313) 820-6900 www.seahorsebeachresort.com

3BR/2BA SLEEPY Lagoon.

Monthly rental, available May 2022 and next season. Heated pool, large screened lanai, one car garage, breakfast nook, quiet street, on canal $3,500.

Ask for Bruce (302) 420-4289

941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

General Merchandise BUYING CARD collections!

Looking to free up space and make $$? Need to sell cards?

Collector looking to expand card collection. Pay top dollar. Text/call 941-548-6492 with photos.

OFFICE CLOSURE- desks, chairs, electrical equipment, water cooler, refrigerator, lamps, pictures, examination table, file cabinets, laser printer and shelves. Please call if interested.

941-356-0770

Medical Supplies/ Equipment PENTAIR POOL-LIFT Like new mobile Pentair Aqua Trim pool lift.

Serial# baj1-u022-00. Perfect for condo, hotel or private residence.

400 LB capacity. (941)350-1395

CALL 941-955-4888 STORAGE FACILITY Boat/ RV/ Trailer. Secure facility, low monthly rentals, Clark Rd area.

941809-3660, 941-809-3662.

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

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

Condos/Apts. for Rent LUXURIOUS CONDO on Anna Maria Island For Rent - Upgraded granite/strainless kitchen.

Incredible water views through floor length windows. Waterfront patio, luxury furnishings, 2BD/2BR, king bed. Pool, tennis, walk to the beach. Private carport.

Monthly rent May-November.

Owner/renter. Flexible terms.

570-239-0431 marketreps@aol.com

The Lake Club LWR 4 bed 4.5 bath Pool/Spa Dazzling with upgrades 2.5 Million Buy or Sell with Brooke O’Malley as your Realtor, and CLUB REALTY will Pay your title insurance.

Call 941-726-2677.

SELL IT FAST! Vacation/ Place Your Ad Online Seasonal Rentals YourObserver.com/RedPages

BEACH HARBOR CLUB, LONGBOAT KEY FLORIDA: 2 Bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,046 sq. ft. 3rd floor, water view.

Fully upgraded and equipped.

Walking distance to Sarasota Bay and Gulf. Rent is $2,0004,000/month. Contact (440)371-5008 lin44139@yahoo.com

You’re only cheating yourself.

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!

Use the RED PAGES to clean out your garage

LONGBOAT KEY Incredible views Private boat dock Owner/agent $650,000

peekers’ place

FRAMED CANVAS Print Mt. Vernon Ships by James Mitchell 26"(w) x 23"(h) $10 (412) 527-7434

CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

real estate

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

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks in 1 Observer.

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

Autos Wanted

Between Houses or Condos Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC 5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite 101 Longboat Key, FL 34228 Rental office 9a.m. - 5p.m.

M-F Ask about our special rates!

Wagner Realty Since 1939 www.rentalsonlongboat.com

Adult Care Services

Homes for Rent

Homes for Sale Items Under $200

SEASONAL Rates Beachfront, Bayfront and In

RED PAGES AD RATES First 15 words .................. $ 17.50 per week Each add’l word ....... 50¢

15% DISCOUNT FOR 4-WEEK RUN Color background: $ 5 per week Ad border: as low as $3 per week PLACE YOUR AD: Call: 941-955-4888 Email: RedPages@ YourObserver.com Online: YourObserver.com /RedPages

Epic Home Care Personal Care-Respite Care Alzheimer’s Care Light Cleaning Med Administration Meal Prep Shopping, Errands & More Call for a FREE Evaluation!

941-536-6372 EpicHomeCare@yahoo.com Rosa Torres- Owner KNOWLEDGEABLE CARE LLC, Personal Care Companionship Meal Prep Medication Reminders Errands & Shopping Light Housekeeping References License/Bonded and Insured Short term-Long term 24/7 Affordable Rates If you need any of our services, please don't hesitate to give us a call. Thanks Tammy Roberts: Owner (941) 567-8499

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!

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

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

This week’s Crossword answers

Advertise your business or service in the Observer Advertise your business or service in the Observer

RED PAGES RED AdvertisePAGES your business

CALL TODAY 941-955-4888 Advertise business CALLinyour TODAY RED or service PAGES the Observer 941-955-4888 Painting RED CALLPAGES TODAY CARLO DATTILO Painting 941-955-4888 Licensed & insured. Interior/ CALL Exterior paintingTODAY including drywall repair and retexturing.

941-955-4888 or service in the Observer

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

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

Transportation LONGBOAT LIMOUSINE Your local luxury transportation provider since 1994.

New luxury Sedans and SUVs. Fully Licenced and insured.

Call/Text 941-383-1235 E-mail: longboatlimousine @yahoo.com

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “I have the best job in the world: I pretend for a living. You can’t get too precious about that.”

Rosario Dawson Puzzle Two Solution: “The right to be irresponsible and stupid is something I hold very dear. And luckily it is something I do well.”

Bono Puzzle Three Solution: “Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.”

Salvador Dali

This week’s Sudoku answers

©2022 Universal Uclick

RED PAGES. MADE FOR WHERE YOU LIVE. HERE! TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-955-4888 OR VISIT YOUROBSERVER.COM/REDPAGES

©2022 NEA, Inc.

auto

stuff

Condos/Apts. for Sale

WEEKLY MONTHLY

home services

RED PAGES

MOW OVER thethe competition!

MOW OVER the competition!

MOW MOW OVER OVER competition! the competition!

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

Auto Service

Handyman

381026

SELL YOUR CAR! FAST • EASY • SAFE

Personal Services

GladysKhabbaz@gmail.com 805 Molly Circle, Sarasota

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

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

SERVING YOU IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME

Rescreening & Repairs • Pool Cage Restoration • Rescreening Specialists • Specialty Screens • Paint • Doors and more!

Satisfaction guarantee Satisfaction Guarantee Pool cage Restoration/ Rescreening specialists Manufacture and Workmanship Warranties

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224 381779

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

941-345-5264

specialty screens / screw replacement / paint Doors and more!

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

AMANDA

Roofing

Manufacture and workmanship Warranties

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

424-333-0713 | rockstarmobilehair@gmail.com www.rockstarmobilehairsalon.com

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc. (941) 345-5264

University Health Park 2415 University Parkway Bldg. 3, Suite 216 Sarasota, FL 34243

Carpet Cleaning

Building & Roofing Contractor

381313

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

941-626-3194

Insurance

MIC INSURANCE

DRIES IN HOURS – NOT DAYS • SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

941-778-2882 • 941-387-0607 380570

Check out our 5 Star Reviews on Google

Like Us on Facebook

Doors

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

Windows

EXPERIENCE KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS

Res./Com.

Form Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

Our team of professionals provides superior service and expertise for all of your insurance needs.

Sliding Glass Door Repair

STANDARD WINDOWS

380572

381324

FREE PICKUP / DELIVERY • FREE ONSITE QUOTES

Chrissy Stites

RED PAGES Bring Results | 941-955-4888

By appointment only

381780

Furniture Sales & Repairs Cushions • Slings • Re-powdercoating

LMT, CMCE

609-820-4251

140

$

SPECIAL 00

595 Bay Isles Rd. Suite 215 941.554.8909 | www.micinsurancefl.com

5

$

senior citizen discount. www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

Purified water window cleaning available!!

Massage

Patio Furniture Repairs.com

ows

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

Home • Condo • Auto • Umbrella • Boat • Flood

Furniture Repair

25

UP TO

Mike Mailliard ~ Lacey Weaver Allen Hovis ~ Chloe Gardner Matthew Mailliard ~ Julia McIlrevey Haley Jestings ~ Samantha Ryan Jaimie Simpkins

“FIX IT - DON’T REPLACE”

Lic./Ins.

ndow & Pressure Clea et Wi nin s n wn as Sunrise Win g Su erly kno d

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES | 941- 284 - 5880

MediCupping & Massage Therapy services for healing

Rest your mind & body.

Connect with your spirit.

GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE RED PAGES

381314

Serving AMI, LBK and Bradenton for 25 years

941-504-0903

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

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

CARPET, TILE, UPHOLSTERY CLEANING ODOR CONTROL • AREA RUG SPECIALIST

381311

Beauty

380575

381025

HoHoBuysCars.com

381315

Health

5-Star Rated

New Deluxe Rollers Will Make Your Doors Roll Better Than Ever Call Mark 928-2263 proslidingglassdoorrepair.com

35

381323

941.270.4400

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

CONSTRUCTION HANDYMAN • Home Repairs & Maintenance • Interior & Exterior 941.504.2745 • Garage Floor Paint 941.400.1563 • Power Wash

Naji Aoun

WE COME TO YOU

|

Call to reserve your ad space: 941-955-4888

Insurance

SECUR-ALL INSURANCE AGENCY | 941.383.3388

510 BAY ISLES ROAD, SUITE 1 • LONGBOAT KEY, FL (Next to SUNTRUST BANK)

CHUBB, AIG, UNIVERSAL, UNITED, SAFECO, PROGRESSIVE, VAULT, FLOOD, WE HAVE YOU COVERED!

YOUR HOME found here.

Find a place where you can visit listings, not just imagine them.

RED PAGES Made for where you live. Here!

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

381028

Sandra Smith

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022

ROGER SELLS LUXURY WATERFRONT PROPERTIES MORE THAN $206 MILLION CLOSED IN 2021

97 SOUTH WASHINGTON DRIVE

$11,995,000

There is no end of luxurious accommodation at this stunning bayfront estate, just a sunny walk from St. Armands Circle.

Situated on two lots in a corner location, spanning more than a half-acre, this 5BR residence is set among lush, professionally managed greenery beside the coastal landscape of Sarasota Bay.

www.97SouthWashington.com

3731 INDIAN BEACH ROAD

$6,495,000

Built in 2006, this gorgeous 5BR estate offers exceptionally high quality construction, designed with energy efficient and sustainable materials. The enviable central locale minutes from downtown, plus spectacular bay and sunset views perfectly complement the lavishness at this custom residence.

www.3731IndianBeach.com

15111 GADDY UP RANCH ROAD

$3,995,000

Country breezes rustling through century old oaks and pines welcome you to this unique, 82.5-acre property known as the Gaddy Up Ranch, offering many possibilities for a family compound.

www.GadduUpRanchSRQ.com

916 GOLDEN BEACH BOULEVARD #301 862 GRANDE PASS WAY Create your dream beach home experience at this private, gated enclave on the southern tip of Boca Grande. Offering more than a 1/4-acre in the exclusive Hill Tide Estates community.

wwww.862GrandePassWay.com

$2,995,000

$1,295,000

This 3BR beach getaway with 2-car garage is waiting for you to make it your own. Sweeping views of azure waters and sandywhite shores welcome you to this top-floor corner residence. This quaint community is perfectly positioned in the heart of Venice Island’s Golden Beach Neighborhood, a short walk to downtown.

www.BermudaSunset301.com

CALL TODAY FOR YOUR EXCLUSIVE TOUR (941) 387-1840 443 John Ringling Boulevard, Suite F | Sarasota, FL 34236 595 Bay Isles Road, Suite 250 | Longboat Key, FL 34228 Pettingell.com | www.bestSarasotarealestate.net Twitter.com/RealRoger | Instagram.com/RogerPettingell | Roger@Pettingell.com Owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC 379688-1

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