Longboat Observer 6.9.22

LONGBOAT

Congrats, grads!

PAGE 1B

Observer

Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 44, NO. 44

FREE • THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

YOUR TOWN

Key property values hit $7B Estimated valuations reach new high, passing previous 2008 peak. PAGE 2A

Lesley Dwyer

Trading shells for smiles The Beach Harbor Club became a more colorful place to live when Joan Gill moved in five years ago.

Gill was inspired by the Kindness Rocks movement when she found some painted rocks on a beach in California.

“I thought I could do that with shells,” she said. So Gill began collecting, painting and scattering large quahog and cockle shells around her condominium complex to make her neighbors smile.

They can be found on window sills, in garden beds and along pathways. Gill doesn’t keep track but estimates she’s left more than 100.

“I like to see people’s reactions,” she said. “It’s fun; it keeps me occupied.”

PREP TIME Hurricane seminar shares the science behind this year’s forecast. PAGE 3A

File photo

Let’s get ready to march Mark your calendar for 9 a.m.

July 4 on Bay Isles Road.

Freedom Fest, featuring one of the most-spirited parades in the country, especially if measured by distance, will step off for its annual march.

Town commissioners on Monday waived (as they almost always have) the $100 fee for a public event.

Canceled in 2020 over COVID-19 and brought back in 2021, the 2022 version will include all the usual trappings, such as fire trucks, police cars, dignitaries in convertibles, dogs in costumes and more.

Stay tuned for word on the event’s grand marshal, which should be announced soon.

Lesley Dwyer

Meterologist Bob Harrigan broadcast live June 3 from the Longboat Key Club during the Longboat Key Chamber’s annual hurricane preparedness seminar.

A+E Sweet returns.

PAGE 11A

Turtle tracks LONGBOAT May 29-June 4 2022 Nests 134 False crawls 135

File photo

Boats line up on the beach near the Land’s End dock regularly on the weekends.

2021 95 143

Totals since April 24 2022 2021 Nests 382 260 False crawls 368 312 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory

Back up those boats Commission starts process to establish a motorboat-free zone on Greer Island to promote safe swimming. PAGE 4A

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

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Property value estimate reaches record high Appraiser offices in Manatee and Sarasota estimate the town’s taxable property is worth 13.5% more than last year.

THROUGH THE YEARS Town property valuations for the following fiscal year budgets: 2023: $7.34 billion (estimated) 2022: $6.47 billion 2021: $6.10 billion 2020: $6.16 billion 2019: $5.96 billion 2018: $5.74 billion 2017: $5.46 billion 2016: $5.19 billion 2015: $4.93 billion 2014: $4.69 billion 2013: $4.57 billion 2012: $4.64 billion 2011: $4.86 billion 2010: $5.35 billion 2009: $5.94 billion 2008: $6.59 billion

ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

L

ongboat Key leaders will head into their budget discussions this month understanding that the value of residential and commercial property on which taxes will be based has never been higher.

Preliminary estimates from the property appraisers’ offices in Manatee and Sarasota counties show a combined taxable valuation for property in the town of $7.34 billion, an increase of about 13.5% from last year. The total is about $700 million higher than the previous high of $6.6 billion at the height of the 2008 housing-value run up.

By county, Sarasota values are up 13.31% to $5.04 billion and Manatee values are up 13.92% to $2.3 billion.

The numbers from the two tax appraisers’ offices confirm earlier informal estimates of double-digit increases in valuations, Town Manager Tom Harmer told commissioners last week.

“At the first budget workshop, we were expecting an increase of approximately 13%, so these numbers are in line with our original forecast,” he said. “It is expected that the numbers may change slightly between now and July 1 but are good planning estimates going into our next budget workshop.”

The tax appraisers will formalize their calculations by the first of July and submit them to the town. On the

same day, the town commission will meet to set a not-to-exceed millage rate, which could be reduced to account for the sharp rise in values.

At the town’s first budget workshop of the season in May, town commissioners raised the possibility of reducing the rate on which property taxes are paid. If that happens, it would be the first change in the town’s general fund millage rate of 2.1144 since the 2017 budget. Town properties rose 5.99% in taxable value for the 2021 budget over 2020.

“We’ve talked internally, with the increase in the tax base that a decrease in the operating millage is likely,” Harmer said then.

If the town’s tax rate is unchanged, property taxes would deliver around $14.8 million in revenue for the fiscal year 2023 budget, compared with about $13.1 million based on the pre-

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Eric Garwood

vious year’s valuations fed into the 2022 fiscal year budget.

In May, Chief Deputy Tax Appraiser Brian Loughery said the values of homesteaded properties, which make up about a third of the town residences, will likely rise by the maximum allowed 3% and nonhomesteaded properties by the maximum 10%. For sales of properties that took place in 2021, unless the owners bring homestead portability from their previous Florida property, the taxable value will likely rise to about 85%-88% of the sales price.

Loughery said this tax season is the first in the last 10 in which the taxable values for homesteaded properties have reached the 3% limit, saying they typically rise by 1%-2%.

The five parcels that make up the property on which The Residences at the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort are also rising in value as work progresses. Loughery told commissioners the property would likely be valued for this budget cycle at around $60 million. In 2021, the just value for the 244 individual parcels was

$36,285,500.

If the project is completed as expected in spring 2024, its full value would be on the tax rolls for the 2025 budget season.

Property appraisers in Manatee and Sarasota counties estimate property values in town rose past $7 billion for the first time.

GOING UP MANATEE n 2021 actual: $2,018,788,176 n 2022 estimate: $2,299,835,905 n Estimated change: 13.92% SARASOTA n 2021 actual: $4,451,725,597 n 2022 estimate: $5,044,049,443 n Estimated change: 13.31% OVERALL n 2021 actual: $6,470,513,773 n 2022 estimate: $7,343,885,348 n Estimated change: 13.5%

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

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Photos by Lesley Dwyer

HURRICANE SEASON IS

HERE Increasing climate temperatures are leading to more hurricanes, data shows, and having a plan in place before a storm hits is key.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

W

ith storm warnings looming in the clouds and on the news, June 3 was the perfect day for the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce to hold its annual Disaster Preparedness seminar.

The region got lucky with Tropical Storm Alex, which drenched South Florida on Saturday, but the message was clear: Hurricanes are increasing in numbers and strength.

Bob Bunting, the keynote speaker and CEO of Sarasota’s Climate Adaptation Center, said, “Our threat has really gone up quite a bit as the climate has warmed.”

He backed up that statement with some alarming comparisons. From 1960 to 1990, the average number of storms per year was 12. From 1990 to 2000, the average rose to 14. Between 2017 and 2021, there were 16-30 storms per year.

There have been 101 named storms recorded in the past five years.

Bunting described that number as unprecedented. Not only are the numbers rising, but the categories are, too. Category 4 and 5 hurricanes have doubled since 1980.

“We’re seeing these explosive development cycles that are becoming common,” Bunting said. “Only one in 100 storms in 1980 would increase 35 mph or more in wind speed in a day’s time, and now we’re having one out of 15 do that.”

Hurricane paths are also shifting as the climate warms. Paths are shifting to the right, bringing the West Coast of Florida closer to the eyes of hurricanes coming up from the Caribbean.

PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2022 HURRICANE SEASON

The Climate Adaptation Center is predicting 22 named storms in 2022.

It believes at least nine, possibly 11, will reach hurricane force, and five will be major hurricanes.

Bunting explained what the CAC looks for in analyzing hurricane data.

“The most-important inputs are the sea surface temperatures,

whether we’re having a La Nina or an El Nino, and then there’s an oscillation called a Madden-Julian oscillation that becomes important during hurricane season.”

An analysis from two days prior showed temperatures in the Atlantic hurricane basin are 3-6 degrees warmer than normal. Bunting called the warmer water “rocket fuel for hurricanes” and said it’s one of the main reasons the CAC is predicting such an active season.

There is also the rare occurrence of a La Nina for the third straight year; CDC models predict it will continue.

“When we have a La Nina, we have less wind shear in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, which allows hurricanes to stack up vertically,” Bunting said. “When there’s wind shear, it blows the top of the clouds downstream, and the hurricanes can’t get organized as easily.”

Wind shear came up again during the Q&A following the seminar.

Wind speed is dangerous. Compared with a 75-mph Category 1 hurricane, a 100-mph Category 2 hurricane will cause 10 times the wind damage.

A Category 5 hurricane will cause nearly 1,400 times more damage.

On the other hand, wind shear mitigates the danger of a hurricane forming. It’s the one number you want to see rising in the models.

CONCERNS FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Bunting’s biggest concern for residents of barrier islands like Longboat Key are rising sea levels. “Since 1950, you might be surprised to know that sea levels have already gone up 9 inches.” He further emphasized this point:“We’re not talking about sea level rise or in the future. We’re talking about the fact that we’ve already had 9 liters of sea level rise.”

He also showed a picture along the main escape route for Longboat, Lido and Bird keys when you reach the mainland side of the John Ringling Bridge. The sky was blue without a foreboding cloud in sight, and the water was only inches away from overflowing onto the nearby sidewalk and roadway.

Bunting is calling for infrastructure changes and has already brought the issue to state and local officials.

Population plays a part because there’s less of a margin now. Longboat Key and other keys need to replenish their beaches more often.

He suggested the crowd start asking questions of their local government, such as, how is your area going to adapt to these serious changes in hurricane behavior given climate

LOCAL SOLUTIONS PROVIDED Vendors at the seminar offered their own solutions to help businesses prepare for hurricane season.

Ken Jackson and Tom Martin from Aqua Plumbing & Air, which sponsored the seminar

Aqua Plumbing & Air sponsored the event, as it has since the seminars started 20 years ago. Several attendees asked about water damage products. Trainer Tom Martin had a solution on hand: the Phyn Plus. It’s a small, easy-to-install smart device that detects irregularities in water flow and allows users to shut off their water remotely and immediately.

Kristin Fourie at the Wrightway Emergency Services booth encouraged attendees to start planning now.

Wrightway Emergency Services stressed the importance of having an emergency plan in place well before disaster strikes. It uses a 3D program to build personalized profiles for each client.

“If we go to your building, and you already have your plan in place, we know where your equipment is,” said Kristin Fourie.

The full-service plan includes an emergency response during the disaster and restoration afterward.

None of the approximately 100 guests left empty-handed. Michael Saunders & Co. provided checklists for hurricane preparedness kits along with miniature starter kits that included matches sealed in Ziploc bags. Florida Southern Roofing gave away handy, magnetic flashlights.

But most guests were happy just to have drinks in their hands. The last two seminars were held remotely via Zoom.

ABC 7’s Bob Harrigan broadcast his weather report live from the back of the ballroom. In addition to offering localized hurricane statistics, he calmed nerves and provided some comic relief.

“Our coast is one of the safest coasts in the state of Florida,” he said, adding jokingly that it’s not because Native Americans blessed this coast. “It’s because of our latitude.”

More seriously, he noted that Manatee County has never recorded a direct hit by the center of a hurricane in more than 120 years.

Then Harrigan shared an industry secret: “I think I’ve spoken to three or four national hurricane directors. They said the No. 1 question they get when they go to a hurricane conference or from people in the public is, ‘When is my name going to be on the list?’”

warming? When will communities begin to raise their critical infrastructure like roadways, and should we wait until we have a big disaster before we do it?

Until major changes are made, residents need to know their evacu-

ation route and have a plan in place to evacuate early.

Steve Litschauer is the deputy director of public safety in Manatee County. He said Sarasota and Manatee counties work so well together they can almost finish each other’s sentences.

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

Town eyes ordinance to create barrier from boaters Longboat leaders work to ban motorboats from Greer Island area to eliminate safety, noise and environmental concerns.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

PROPOSED NO-BOATING ZONES The red boxes show the two proposed swimming areas that would prohibit motorboats from beaching there or navigating between them.

GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE

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Public bathing and swimming area

180 FT.

Land’s End dock

100 FT.

50 FT.

Mean high water line

T. 50 F

ongboat Key leaders came a step closer to establishing a prohibited zone for motorboats in the southeastern area of Greer Island on Monday, but they also clarified that the area might not be safe to swim in due to dangerous currents.

The Town Commission approved a motion to create a public bathing zone on first reading Monday, and the matter has been forwarded to a special meeting on June 20 in the hopes that it will be OK’d and implemented in time for the July 4 holiday.

The protection zones are in the vicinity of the Longboat Pass Bridge and the Land’s End property dock.

One major clarification was made in the proposal: The ordinance was adjusted to reduce the area prohibiting motorboats to a 50-foot width from a 100-foot width. That decision was made in the interest of keeping people from moving into deeper water.

Alan Parsons, Longboat Key’s Planning, Zoning and Building director, said that people have traditionally used the area for “wading, lounging and congregating in shallow water,” and he said the strip of land across from it in Manatee County is designated as no swimming. However, said Parsons, there are currently no recommendations to restrict swimming in the area, and the point of the ordinance to prohibit motorboats is to protect people in the water.

“The ordinance has a purpose statement to it that is encouraging the same kind of activity that’s generally been going on, which is the wading, lounging, congregating in shallow water,” he said. “The ordi-

nance doesn’t indicate that this is a safe place to swim.”

The restricted area will be marked with uniform waterway marker buoys with the words “Motor boats prohibited” on them, and Parsons suggested that the town could add signs on land warning that there are no lifeguards present and currents could make swimming hazardous.

The town has been working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to swiftly place the uniform waterway markers in time for July 4, but town commissioners said Monday they might not know about their buoys’ availability until the June 20 meeting.

Longboat Mayor Ken Schneier wondered aloud about the penalties for breaking the motorboat prohibited zone, and Town Attorney Maggie Mooney informed him that violators would be subject to uniform boating citations. Fines are dictated by state statutes, she said.

“Our local police department marine patrol, the FWC marine patrol, as well as the Manatee County Sheriff, will all be able to enforce the UBC,” she said.

Earlier this year, in concert with Manatee County, signs were erected posting the area as reserved for the launch and recovery of nonmotorized vessels only. About a month later, the signs were removed following word from Manatee County officials that the restrictions couldn’t be enforced. Boaters fairly routinely ignored the signs when they were up.

The issue has resurfaced because the wraparound beach on Greer Island has reformed, and sand has once again encroached on the Land’s End dock, putting boaters near private property and closing the Greer Island lagoon from water flow. Although an emergency action to reopen the link to the lagoon to ensure tidal flushing for water quality and wildlife access is planned for this month, a larger project to move sand away from the dock will likely not be started until late 2022.

North-end property owners have

Edge of salt tolerant dune vegetation No impending navigation

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100 FT

Mature mangroves

complained about noise and bad boater behavior, which led to the commission to consider forming a swimming beach zone to keep boaters farther from the dock and shallow channel leading to the lagoon.

Michael Saunders, whose family owns the Land’s End dock, said Monday that the police are overstressed, and she is certain the law will not be adhered to by boaters.

Saunders said she’d even be willing to hire someone to sit on the dock to call the police every time a boater breaks the law, but she doubted that would be welcomed by anyone.

“If we were going to try to enforce this and be certain it’s enforced, we’d be calling every five minutes,” she said. “They back in, they get stuck at

“They back in, they get stuck at low tide, they reverse their engines, they churn. Somebody’s going to be really hurt one day.”

— Michael Saunders, Land’s End property owner

low tide, they reverse their engines, they churn. Somebody’s going to be really hurt one day.”

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

So much concrete MANAGING EDITOR

Trade Your Small Diamond for a Larger Diamond

A

Construction progress in April

s construction moves into the summer on the Residences at St. Regis Resort Longboat Key, milestones are being passed one by one.

The town recently granted five building permits for the residential and hotel complex’s five main buildings, totaling $331.1 million: n At 1601 Gulf of Mexico Drive, a five-story hotel building valued at $175 million n At 1561 GMD, a five-story condominium building valued at $55.57 million n At 1591 GMD, a five-story condominium building valued at $53.24 million n At 1581 GMD, a five-story condominium building valued at $42.64 million n At 1571 GMD, a single-story amenity building valued at $4.67 million As far as construction operations go, 2,700 piles have been driven.

More than 18,000 cubic yards of concrete have been poured, averaging about 250 a day. For comparison’s sake, a fully loaded ready-mix cement truck can carry about 10 cubic yards.

About 350 workers are shuttled to and from the worksite each day from a mainland staging area.

Workers recently poured concrete for the hotel’s second floor (the northernmost building), and work is underway on an underground stormwater vault. The base of the condominium building closest to GMD has been poured, with preparations underway to move to the second floor, and footings for the middle condominium building are being prepared now.

The project, which will have 69 residences and 166 hotel rooms, is expected to be completed in 2024.

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The equivalent of about 1,800 cement truckloads have been poured.

The base of the condominium building closest to GMD has been poured, with preparations underway to move to the second floor.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

ANOTHER WAY AROUND? To provide the public a way around two seawalls, the town investigated creating two new beach accesses, which it deemed unfeasible.

6677 Gulf of Mexico Drive GU LF O

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Ohana property

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6489 Gulfside Road

Beach accesses explored

File photo

Beach walkers have few options to circumvent the seawall at the Ohana house.

Half moon property

Stumped on seawalls Two private seawalls remain obstacles for the town to provide beachgoers uninterrupted access.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

L

ongboat Key leaders remain perplexed about the best method to ensure pedestrian access to the beach due to a pair of private properties that jut out beyond the erosion control line.

The Longboat Key Town Commission heard presentations Monday from coastal engineer Al Browder and Public Works Director Isaac Brownman about the difficulties beach walkers have had navigating around seawalls at 6633 Gulf of Mexico Drive and 6541 Gulfside Road.

The presentations yielded no easy solutions.

The Town Commission can consider spending money to continually renourish the beach near those pro-

truding properties, but state statute dictates that it cannot add a parallel walk or promenade in front of the seawall. Brownman also said he has investigated building additional public beach access points, but that effort does not appear to be feasible.

The presentation led the town commissioners to question the overall strategy for Longboat Key going forward: Does it make sense to renourish the beach if the town will be tending to private property?

“That’s the slippery slope we have,” said Vice Mayor Maureen Merrigan. “If you have a private property owner that doesn’t let the public cross the area, then you have a public that doesn’t want to pay for beach renourishment. That’s why this is such a tough issue.”

Commissioners asked engineers to survey the area because of trouble navigating around the private Ohana property located at 6633 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The town negotiated with the property owners regarding the possibility of an easement agreement, but when that failed, it began to look for alternate arrangements.

One option was to continue maintaining sand in front of the seawall to allow beachgoers to walk around the property without trespassing or wading into the water. Brownman said a study indicated that it would cost the town $3.1 million annually to place 200,000 cubic yards of sand every three years. If the town built groin structures to go with the sand, Brownman indicated that the annual costs would drop to $931,000 a year.

“This just illustrated some of the financial challenges to keep sand in front of this area just for the purpose of maintaining a walkable route in front of the wall,” he said.

Brownman also explained that Florida statues prohibit building a a walkway in front of the seawall. That led Commissioner Debra Williams to question where the public access is at that point.

“There’s really no public beach access walking area,” said Brownman. “There probably hasn’t been since the (erosion control line) has been set except when there’s a bunch of sand there.”

The engineers also explored the possibility of adding additional public access points and were stymied.

Brownman said he spoke to property owners north of the Ohana property, and the only feasible access point would be at the property line of 6677 Gulf of Mexico Drive. There’s already an existing pedestrian access easement there, but because of the

way the ordinance was written in 1988, it’s not really technically available to the public.

“It is an easement specific to the residents of the town of Longboat Key now,” said Brownman. “How do you enforce such a thing? You don’t. … There’s a space there. There’s a walkway that people use there.

Because it is dedicated to the residents of the town of Longboat Key, the property owner actually maintains it. But it’s not technically 100% public.”

There are also problems in building a public access point south of the Ohana property. If one is built between it and the half moon property, which is at 6541 Gulfside Road and also has a seawall, it would trap beachgoers between it. Brownman cited a vacant parcel at 6489 Gulfside Road as a potential place a path could be built, but he said the owner is not open to granting an easement.

There are also remnants of older seawalls in the area, which might make it difficult to access.

“The more we dug into it, there’s really no good place south of the wall,” said Brownman. “You trap people here between 6633 and the half moon (or) you trap people between the half moon and these set of rocks.”

Mayor Ken Schneier asked the engineers if the town has the ability to remove a private property’s seawall if they don’t maintain it and

if it’s an obstacle to pedestrians.

Brownman replied that he doubts whether the town can remove the wall for walkability.

Schneier said he’s also not clear whether the town has authority to rule the properties are unsafe because they endanger beachwalkers. “That’s sort of what I’m asking.

This is a new issue that’s come up now,” he said. “We’ve had more and more issues come up over time as things pop out of the ocean that we don’t want to be there. We’ve talked about where mistakes were made in the past.

“Was there any mistake when Ohana was allowed to redo their wall? Maybe yes and maybe no. We may not have had the right to interfere with that but we may want to look more carefully at other opportunities to avoid problems.”

Commissioner B.J. Bishop lent more perspective on the issue; she said that at one point, the commission voted against purchasing the Ohana property before it was redeveloped and decided it wasn’t a great enough priority.

“The commission voted 1-6 to not do it,” she said. “So, unfortunately, those people who served before us did not see this as an impediment, and we are now faced with decisions made almost 12 years ago.”

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MARKET WATCH

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

7A

GEORGE RAUCH

Best of times, worst of times “I

t was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolishness” starts Charles Dickens’ 1859 novel, “A Tale of Two Cities.” There could not be a better description of where we find ourselves. It is the best of times for the economy, with the stock market hitting recent all-time highs, but the worst of times for government economic leadership. Our economy is full of innovative and creative ideas displaying more commercial wisdom than ever; our growth is hampered only by the foolishness of our government’s policies.

One must ask how the economy is helped, the future advanced, and public welfare promoted by shutting down a significant percent of domestic oil and gas production and creating trillions of unnecessary dollars out of nowhere that will do nothing but produce a high rate of inflation for years. The incompetence of our central government’s policies might both crush the economy and destroy existing constitutional government, which has sustained this country for almost 250 years. This mess started with forcing interest rates to unrealistically low levels. This has created two problems: one in the public sector and one in the private sector that’s a result of the mess in the public sector. n Low interest rates for the government are self-serving and encourage the government to borrow more. The cost of interest on our $30 trillion of public debt already exceeds $400 billion annually.

Each percentage point increase in the cost of interest adds $300 billion to the cost of servicing the debt annually. The government has suppressed interest rates to make it easier to make payments on its debt, not because it loves the people in the country it serves. n These uneconomically low interest rates created malinvestment in the private sector, a result of companies borrowing money at abnormally low interest rates. Abnormally low interest rates also drove investors out of bonds, which paid almost no yield, and into stocks.

Retirees, who represent the largest block of wealth in this country, receive almost no yield on bonds, so they have been buying highdividend-yielding stocks, driving up stock values. With interest rates going up, there will now be selling pressure as investors switch out of stocks into higher-yielding bonds.

Isn’t that switch a good thing for everybody who likes income?

It’s a double-edged sword. Bondholders will now receive more income, but it is done at the expense of the taxpayer. With government debt exceeding $30 trillion, each 1% increase in the cost of interest costs the public $300 billion in interest payments. In 1980, the Fed increased its key rate to 20%. Inflation peaked at 14.8%.

Should we reach that percentage of inflation and the Fed funds rate is 20%, that would add a staggering $5.6 trillion to our annual budget, almost doubling the entire current budget now estimated to total $6

trillion. Interest payments alone will dominate the federal budget.

What can the government do about this?

The government is responsible for every bit of it. It started with the government flooding the market with cash. Inflation is caused by too much cash in the market. Adding trillions to the spending stream created huge demand and left producers unable to meet demand. That is an example of the current inflationary cycle. The United States was an exporter of petroleum products.

We are now an importer, and we are at the mercy of world demand, which is being disrupted by war in Ukraine.

How do we get out of this situation?

The resolutions are bankruptcy or inflation. The government talks about keeping inflation low, but that’s misleading us, again, as it would love to have 6%-8% inflation sustained over several years. It would eat away at the real “principal amount” of the debt. Five years of 8% inflation would reduce debt by a third, making the “principal amount” less than $20 trillion.

It’s mentioned above that the market is overpriced. If the market was selling at an average price, what would that be?

To determine the historical average price of the Dow, one needs to determine the average dividend yield on the Dow. The average long-term dividend yield is 4.1%. If the market were selling at the 4.1% yield, the Dow would be 15,400 points instead of 32,500. The market is yielding 1.9%.

How would one assess the current position of the United States in economic and world affairs, and how might that affect the stock market?

One has to take into account that this country is in trouble politically, economically and militarily. While our mortal enemies, Russia and China, build and train their militaries, we are holding classes on how to treat each other “civilly” and taking our eye off the ball on China’s military innovations. That ignorance is likely to lead to catastrophic consequences. Politically, we’re spending billions of dollars pushing agendas helping children decide if they are really males or females and other confusing and distracting subjects. These interferences create a disorderly society, and they are dominating the national agenda.

Rising interest rates, escalating oil prices, years of inflation, and investors switching into the bond market for higher yields represent a set of obstacles to overcome if the market is going to move forward.

It is hard to fathom any set of circumstances in the next 12-24 months that mitigate other than a continuously depressed market pushing stocks well below present values.

Caveat emptor!

George Rauch, Longboat Key, is chief executive officer of Bradentonbased General Propeller and a former Wall Street investment banker.

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More than a line from Dickens, it’s our economic situation today.

8A

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

OPINION / OUR VIEW

LONGBOAT

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

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 President and Publisher / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com Executive Editor and COO / Kat Hughes, KHughes@YourObserver.com

The disastrous Fed ‘It is unbelievable that any member of the board of governors could think that the Fed could finance a $4 trillion increase in federal spending without causing inflation.’

unbelievable that any member of the Board of Governors could think that the Fed could finance a $4 trillion increase in federal spending without causing inflation.

Chairman Powell agreed to use money creation to finance the big spending increases of President Trump during 2020 and those of President Biden in 2021. Even after the inflation rate had already soared to 5% during the summer of 2021, the Powell Fed continued pouring gasoline on the inflationary fire with its monthly purchases of $120 billion of Treasury and mortgagebacked securities for another nine months.

12-MONTH PERCENTAGE CHANGE, CPI March 2022, not seasonally adjusted

32%

W

hen do government spending and budget deficits cause inflation?

Answer: When the government spending is financed by borrowing from the Federal Reserve.

The Fed is the great money creator. When the Fed purchases assets, it does not have to check its bank account. It can merely write a check and thereby create money out of thin air.

When a substantial share of government spending is financed by this method, the money supply will increase, and soon thereafter the inflation rate will rise. This linkage between rapid money growth and inflation is a basic law of economics, something like the law of gravity in physics.

This is precisely what has happened during the past two years.

Regardless of supply chain challenges, monetary policy is primarily responsible for the current inflation. Between March 2020 and March 2021, Congress passed and the president signed three Covidrelated bills totaling $5.5 trillion.

These bills caused federal expenditures to increase from $4.8 trillion in 2019 to $6.8 trillion in 2020, for a $2 trillion increase. The increase grew to $7 trillion in 2021, a $2.2 trillion increase over 2019. That combined $4.2 trillion increase in federal spending over the two years was financed entirely by borrowing from the Fed. Fed holdings of financial assets, mostly Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities of federal housing authorities, rose from $4.2 trillion in February 2020 to $8.8 trillion in December 2021. Thus, the Fed has funded all of the increase in federal spending in the past two years and even a little more.

During 2020, the M2 money supply, a broad measure of money flowing through the economy, increased by 25%. This expansion is far greater than both the annual money growth of 6% during 20102019 and the economy’s long-term annual real growth rate of 3%.

Given this huge 2020 expansion in the money supply, forecasting the surge of inflation in 2021 was an easy call.

In February 2021, AIER published an article by one of the authors of this paper (Gwartney): “Yes, this time there will be inflation.” Of course, events confirmed the analysis of the article.

The situation for 2022 is similar.

REGRESSIVE REGRETS

In 2021, the Fed provided the financing for the American Rescue Plan of the Biden Administration and the $2.2 trillion increase in federal spending. Reflecting this financing of government with money creation, the M2 money supply increased by another 13% in 2021. Again, this expansion in the money supply is far greater than the growth of output, and it is sure to

8.5% All items

8.8%

6.5%

Food

Energy

All items less food & energy

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

CONSUMER PRICES CHANGES (Seasonally adjusted)

March 2022

12-month

1.2% 1.0 1.5 0.3 11.0 18.1 18.3 22.3 1.8 2.2 0.6 0.3 -0.4 0.2 -3.8 0.6 0.2 0.6 0.5 2.0 0.6

8.5% 8.8 10.0 6.9 32.0 48.3 48.0 70.1 13.5 11.1 21.6 6.5 11.7 12.5 35.3 6.8 2.7 4.7 5.0 7.7 2.9

All items Food Food at home Food away from home Energy Energy commodities Gasoline (all types) Fuel oil Energy services Electricity Utility (piped) gas service All items less food, energy Commodities less food, energy New vehicles Used cars, trucks Apparel Medical care Services less energy Shelter Transportation Medical care

cause inflation in 2022.

Monetary expansion exerts an impact on output and prices with a lag. Historically, the initial observable effects appear in the form of rising prices of commodities and real assets.

Output and employment are generally affected with a lag of six to 18 months. We are currently experiencing the impact of the money growth on the prices of real assets (houses and stocks) and output.

The lag between monetary expansion and the general level of prices is typically longer, 12 to 30 months. Thus, the inflation rate in 2022 and 2023 will reflect not only the 13% money supply increase during 2021, but to a lesser degree the 25% money growth of 2020.

Unfortunately, these high rates of money growth make continuation of the current high inflation rates in 2022-2023 a virtual certainty.

Inflation is a regressive tax that hits those with low and middle incomes the hardest. The inflation tax harms these households disproportionately because they spend a larger share of their income on food, transportation and other basic necessities that are more expensive as a result of the inflation.

And these households own only a small share of assets, such as houses and stocks, that increase

in value as a result of the inflation.

In contrast, the higher asset prices actually benefit those in upperincome categories who own most of these assets.

Most politicians, particularly those favoring big government, constantly let everyone know how they despise income inequality.

Nonetheless, their spending policies, financed via money creation, generate more of the income inequality they say they abhor.

The Fed is mandated to pursue the twin goals of price stability and full employment. These goals are complementary. If Fed policies achieve price stability, they reduce uncertainty and provide the foundation for full employment.

Beginning with the tenure of Paul Volcker, the Fed has done a reasonably good job of keeping the inflation rate low and maintaining full employment. But tragically, this hard-earned stable price credibility has been squandered during the past two years by the Jerome Powell-led Fed. Rather than focusing on Fed responsibilities, the Powell Fed has pandered to members of Congress and presidents seeking to conceal the true cost of spending increases.

The actions of the Powell Fed during the past two years have been both puzzling and disastrous. It is

MORE PROBLEMS

Astonishingly, the Fed chair does not believe that money matters, even though the inflationary effects of his monetary expansion provide evidence to the contrary.

In the Fed’s Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress in 2021, Chairman Powell stated, “The growth of M2 … doesn’t really have important implications for the economic outlook.”

Later he argued that the connection between money and inflation “ended about 40 years ago.” He believes that we need to unlearn the idea that money is an important determinant of inflation.

Instead, we would suggest that the Fed chairman and other members of the Board of Governors need to look at the evidence and recognize that rapid monetary growth always leads to inflation.

The intended insulation of the Fed from political pressures has been undermined. The Treasury has co-opted the Fed and used it to make it easier for politicians to hide the cost of government spending.

Then, when the money expansion leads to inflation, the politicians blame the inflation on supplychain problems, corporate greed or foreigners. All of this highlights the need for rules holding monetary decision-makers more accountable.

We need to adopt something like the monetary arrangements of New Zealand, which may dismiss monetary decision-makers if they fail to keep the inflation rate low, for example, with price increases in the 1% to 3% range. A rule of this type would provide monetary policymakers with a strong incentive to stand up to politicians and maintain price stability.

Unfortunately, it is much easier to get inflation started than to bring it under control. Now the Fed faces another dilemma: a shift to a more restrictive monetary policy to control inflation is likely to result in a recession. One can only hope that the Fed is able to handle this transition better than it has handled the monetary policy of the recent past.

James Gwartney and David Macpherson are professors of economics at Florida State University and Trinity University, respectively.

They are also co-authors of Economics: Private and Public Choice, a widely used economics principles text. They would like to thank Jane Shaw Stroup for her assistance with this article. This article first appeared on the website of the American Institute of Economic Research, aier.org.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

FRIDAY, MAY 27

SKINNY WATER 3:06 p.m., near 100 block of North Shore Road Boating call: The town’s marine patrol officer responded to a report of a vessel in distress. The officer ascertained the boat had run aground and was not in need of emergency services. A commercial tow company had already been requested. Manatee County deputies and the U.S. Coast Guard also responded to assist.

Stanley Horwich

He was originally from Oak Park, Illinois. Stan is survived by his loving companion, Budee Jacobs, his daughter Carol Warsaw (Robert), his son David Horwich, his grandchildren Josh Warsaw (Monica), Jenni Warsaw, Matt Warsaw (Naomi) and great grandchildren Zoe, Cohen and Samuel. He will be remembered by his keen wit, generous heart, his love of golf and for always requesting his food to be hot and his rolls browned.

He will be remembered by his keen wit, generous heart, his love of golf and for always requesting his food to be hot and his rolls browned.

383193-1

Stanley Horwich age 99 passed away May 14 in his home on Longboat Key.

WATER, WATER — NOWHERE 10:41 p.m., 700 block of Binnacle Point Drive Citizen assist: A resident called police with a request to check his home following receipt of a water bill that indicated the use of 41,000 gallons – enough to fill nearly three typical backyard swimming pools. The officer looked around the property and into windows and determined nothing seemed wrong. The resident provided the officer with the code with which to open the garage door, leading to a more thorough but still dry inspection. The resident said he would speak with his sprinkler company and also talk with the town about a potential billing error.

SATURDAY, MAY 28

LOTS OF BOATS, NOT SO MUCH NOISE 11:50 a.m., near Jewfish Key Noise complaint: A marine patrol officer in the vicinity of a popular boating area was advised of a noise complaint from a land-based caller. The officer reported about 200 boats in the area while he monitored the area for about 30 minutes and couldn’t single out a noise source that rose to the level of an offense. Other agency patrol boats and even a law enforcement helicopter were also in the area.

SUNDAY, MAY 29

NADA QUE VER AQUI (NOTHING TO SEE HERE) 7:14 p.m., North Shore Road Citizen dispute: Two officers were sent to investigate a report of two people yelling at each other in Spanish. Officers arrived promptly but found no one yelling in any language, despite speaking with

FRIDAY, JUNE 3

iFOUND 11:13 a.m., police headquarters Found property: An employee of a cable company came to the police department to turn in an iPhone that he discovered in the center console of his work truck.

The phone was in a case that also contained a credit card from one of the United Kingdom’s largest supermarket chains. The phone was taken for safekeeping.

several people in the neighborhood and along the Longboat Pass bridge.

FOUR WHEELS, BUT NO GAS 8:32 p.m., 3800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Traffic hazard: An officer stopped to speak with the driver of a car parked in the bicycle lane. The driver said he had run out of gas and was awaiting the arrival of a friend who went to get some. The officer and driver pushed the vehicle to the shoulder of the road.

MONDAY, MAY 30

HARD PASS 2:35 p.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

A Longboat Key Landmark

Traffic hazard: An officer on patrol stopped to remove a bag of concrete mix he found in the middle of the road. The officer disposed when he returned to the police station.

THURSDAY, JUNE 2

EASIEST. SLALOM. EVER. 11:09 a.m., 5900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Traffic hazard: An officer found a single traffic cone in the bicycle lane. He removed it.

FRIDAY, JUNE 3

GUSHER 8:24 p.m., 600 block of Halyard Lane Citizen assist: A resident called police to report a fountain of water spraying up from a neighbor’s yard. The officer tried to reach the caller for information on his neighbor’s contact information but could not. The officer arrived to find no spraying water.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1

9A

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

COPS CORNER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

Diana Corrigan calls it a career at St. Armands Circle After serving more than 22 years as executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association, Corrigan is looking forward to being a visitor.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

T

File photo

“It was really us falling in love with St. Armands in the first place that brought us to Sarasota. Little did I know that it was going to be my career.”

destination, and you’re going over the John Ringling Bridge, and you’re coming to this beautiful, charming little island. Then, a block-and-ahalf away is the Gulf of Mexico, so you can’t duplicate that.

“There are so many unique stores that you don’t find any place else, and it’s that charming atmosphere while walking around, and then you’ve got that beautiful park right in the center of it all.”

— Diana Corrigan

NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT

In her letter, Corrigan wrote, “We’ve come a long way, baby!!!”

It was a long way from those first interviews in the SACA office in what is now the Wells Fargo building just a block removed from the Circle. As a staff of one, when Corrigan was introduced to her office she found a word processor and a rotary dial princess-style phone.

“I said to my husband, ‘I think I made a mistake,’” she said. “But they really had such faith in me. They told me to just get what I need, and they gave me the wings to fly. It wasn’t just me that accomplished all this.

Unless you’ve got amazing horses to run with, you can’t get it done, and I’ve always had Triple Crown winners with me every step of the way.

“I’ve been blessed.”

Chief among those accomplish-

ments: working with the city of Sarasota to build a parking deck and with the state of Florida — Ringling Boulevard is State Road 789 — to make safety improvements on the approach to and through the circle, allowing heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic to coexist.

The changes made to both safety and streetscapes – sometimes at the same time – have only added to the charm of the Circle, Corrigan said.

“The atmosphere on St. Armands is just another one of the reasons why we fell in love with it. When you walked around during season, it sounded like a mini-United Nations because there were people from all over the world,” she said. “It was just quaint, and it was charming, and it was just beautiful to be out-

side. It looks different today than it did then because of the projects that we’ve done, but that special feeling is the same today as it was back then.”

After two decades of serving the merchants there, Corrigan leaves the SACA better than she found it, along with an office fully equipped with a real computer and modern phone system. Now she can love St. Armands the way everyone else does: as visitor and customer.

The Corrigans aren’t going anywhere except to travel. Her church is there, so she’ll be there often.

“I’ll be able to come to the Circle and won’t be looking around saying, ‘That was supposed to get done over the weekend’ or ‘What happened with that?’ she said. “I’m actually going to be able to walk around the Circle and not have people say, ‘Hey, I really need to talk to you about this.

“When we would do special events on the Circle, and especially when we did our Smooth Jazz series, I would watch people out there dancing and having wine and having a great time and look at some of my board members who were working with me and say, ‘I’m looking forward to that. I really, really am.’”

St. Armands Key

All are welcome at All Angels no exceptions

LUTHERAN CHURCH

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

SUMMER WORSHIP

Saturday at 5pm Sunday at 10am (with Fellowship at 9am)

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

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

UPCOMING EVENTS:

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

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941.383.8833 (office)

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An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956

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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

Sunday July 3 at 4pm A Patriotic Celebration featuring The Swing Sisters Community BBQ * Free

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

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

Diana and Richard Corrigan expect to enjoy retirement now.

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

379417-1

he next time Diana Corrigan visits her beloved St. Armands Circle, it will be as a visitor for the first time in more than two decades.

In a heartfelt letter to merchants, former board members and other friends of the Circle, Corrigan last week announced her resignation as emeritus executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association, relinquishing her duties on Tuesday to successor Rachel Burns after an 18-month transition.

She wrote that she was looking forward to spending time in retirement with her husband, Richard, albeit 22 years later than planned.

It was in the late 1990s when the couple closed their business in upstate New York, sold their homes and intended to move to Virginia. In the interim, both of their children moved to Florida, altering their destination southward. They were in Sarasota staying with one of their children when they happened upon St. Armands Circle.

“We got there a little early, so we drove over the Ringling Bridge, and as soon as we got to St. Armands, we looked at each other and said, ‘This is the place. This is where this is where we need to move,’” Corrigan said.

Move here they did, but her retirement didn’t last long. Having been involved in her community in Syracuse, New York, Corrigan wasn’t quite ready to call it a career. Two months after arriving, she saw an ad for the merchant association’s executive director position.

“I applied and met with the interview committee twice, and the rest is history,” she said. “It was really us falling in love with St. Armands in the first place that brought us to Sarasota. Little did I know that it was going to be my career.”

It was a career that has brought numerous improvements to St. Armands, largely from the creation of the St. Armands Business Improvement District, which has applied additional property tax dollars paid by the merchants to several projects over two decades.

“You can go any place and go shopping or whatever, but the one thing we have at St. Armands you can’t recreate is the physical plant,” Corrigan said. “It is this beautiful island

JUNE 9, 2022

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Homeward bound Jnana Wilson Cooper isn’t just a founding member of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe; she’s more like family.

Photos courtesy of Sorcha Augustine

Jnana Wilson Cooper, shown at the WBTT 20th Anniversary Celebration in 2019, is excited to come home.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

H

e was always there as a presence in her life, perhaps even before she was born.

And to hear Jnana Wilson Cooper tell it, Nate Jacobs knew her before she knew herself. Now, 35 years after she was a student in his kindergarten class and 20-plus years after she became a founding member of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Cooper is coming home to perform for the first time in the Donelly Theatre, the stage her talent helped build.

“To see it now and remember where we’ve come from? It’s kind of mind-blowing,” says Cooper, who will perform her special concert on June 13. “It was Nate’s vision, and we went along with his vision.

“But I don’t think that we knew that it would turn out to be this big and this awesome when we first started.”

Cooper, who last performed with the WBTT at their 20th anniversary show in 2019, can’t help but take a mental journey through the years when asked about Jacobs. Her parents knew him from church, and she wound up knowing him as a kindergarten student at the Westcoast School for Human Development.

Jacobs was fresh out of college at that point and says he was still figuring out how to chart his own career.

The future theater founder was working at the school founded by his mentors, Henry Porter and Cynthia Porter, and moonlighting as an actor at the Asolo Repertory Theatre.

Each and every day, he began finding his own talent while nurturing the talent of his students.

“I came in to teach art, and I stayed longer and longer,” says Jacobs. “I did one year and said, ‘I’ll stay another year.’ It ended up being 12 years. And

while I was there, that school provided an incubator for me to discover the gift I had with young people. For me, it was like a sixth sense.

“I saw it as clear as day: That one should be singing, and that one right there has the ability to dance. I was just like the guru pulling out the talent out of these kids. It was amazing to the church and the church members and the parents of these kids. So that’s where the orbit of me founding this theater company began, because all of them were still children.”

Jacobs began thriving as an actor and was so taken with the abilities of his students that he looked for new ways to showcase his talent. He started wondering why there was no local community theater seeking to develop the talents of young African American children. And that’s when it hit him: If it was going to happen, he’d have to build it himself.

“I was doing this thing with kids of color in the school, but I didn’t see that anywhere else in the city. That began to bother me,” says Jacobs. “I began to ask questions to the theater community of Sarasota, and they were looking at me like I was from Oz. You know the sitcom ‘Mork and Mindy?’ I was Mork.”

Cooper, for her part, was growing up and thinking about the next steps of her life. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be a performer at first and was studying at Manatee Community College to figure out what would come next. Jacobs, at first, asked her if she’d be willing to help with administrative tasks at the office.

She was only too happy to help.

But then fate intervened.

A PUSH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Jacobs, who incorporated the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in 1999, got an opportunity to stage his first shows in Sarasota at TheatreWorks.

But he was short-staffed and needed

IF YOU GO UNBREAKABLE: AN EVENING WITH JNANA WILSON COOPER When: 7:30 p.m. June 13 Where: Donelly Theatre (1012 N. Orange Ave.) Tickets: $35 adults, $15 students and active military Info: WestcoastBlackTheatre.org

performers he could trust to nail their roles no questions asked. Jacobs says that when he held his first auditions, nobody showed up for two hours.

Then came Teresa Stanley, whom he had worked with at the school since she was about 12 years old.

The next person to come in, Tsadok Porter, was the daughter of his mentors.

“It was the three of us and a musician and a friend of mine in the studio, and I thought, ‘OK, I need a few more people to do what I’m trying to do,’” he says.

“I got on the phone and called Jnana, and she said to me, ‘I don’t sing like those other girls.’ She was still a beginning singer, but she always did my narration work because she was so good at expressing words.

“I actually kind of forcefully told her to come over. She and another girl, Apphia Campbell; I said, ‘Girl, come over here to this studio. You can do everything I want you to do.’ Jnana came because she respected me and trusted me, not because she wanted to at that moment.”

Henry Porter II became the final founding member of the company, SEE WILSON, PAGE 12A

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

Wilson FROM PAGE 11A

and the troupe’s first play was “The Cotton Club Cabaret,” part musical revue and part history lesson of the Harlem Renaissance.

Cooper realized she wanted to be a performer, full stop.

“You grow up and you’re finding yourself. That’s where I was,” she says of her mindset before that first play changed her perspective.

“I knew who I was the whole time.

What am I finding, trying to be all deep? Young people try to be extra.

It wasn’t even that deep at all. It was there the whole time.”

And if you ask Jacobs, the rest was predestined or divinely ordered.

Jnana Wilson Cooper became one of the rocks on which he built his theater company, and for more than a decade, she was ever-present as the WBTT found its legs.

Cooper’s siblings, Earley Dean and Kristin Wilson, also performed for WBTT, and Dean is still active with the troupe.

But the success of the company was never a foregone conclusion, says Jacobs. There were many years when they had to fight to make their voices heard.

Though the early years were difficult, says Jacobs, one thing was constant: Cooper wasn’t just an outstanding performer; she was a fierce advocate for everything WBTT aspired to be.

“She protected what she did,” says Jacobs. “There was a lot of pushback to a black theater organization introducing itself to Sarasota. We weren’t embraced with welcoming arms like we are now. We were not the popular WBTT, but Jnana was one of those young people who is resilient. She endured sometimes hearing people being nasty and disrespectful to me.

“She endured the ups and downs and the in-betweens and rehearsing in closets. She was the one that stood with me during those eras and always brought excellence to the stage whenever she performed. And I said to her, ‘I will never forget you.’”

Cooper, meanwhile, was growing up and falling in love. She married her husband, an engineer, and

Nate Jacobs, Jnana Wilson, Teresa Stanley and Tsadok Porter in the WBTT’s Cotton Club Cabaret show in 2000.

Courtesy photos

Jnana Wilson Cooper is coming back to where it all began.

ultimately left Sarasota to move to Michigan in 2013. Cooper stresses that she was not ending her performing career; she was just pausing it to raise her children. Now, her first-born daughter, Gabriella, is 10, and her second child, Elisha, is 6.

She’s not sure if either one has been bitten with the performance bug, but she says she can see the faint ember of their talents if they choose to pursue it.

Cooper, coming home for her onenight performance, says it will be humbling to look out into the audience and see faces that she’s literally seen since she’s a child.

“It will be an honor,” Cooper says.

“It will be a time to let them know that things that were sown into me did not go to bad soil. It’s humbling to know that people still remember me and still want to see me. It blows your mind because you think these people forgot about me. Out of sight, out of mind. But no, I made an impact.”

Not only did she make an impact, she also built bonds that will last a lifetime. Jacobs says Cooper is like a daughter to him, and Cooper says she’s eternally grateful to have met him as a child.

A few months ago, she says, she was sent a link to a New York Times article featuring Jacobs and WBTT, and she was just thrilled to be part of

Jnana Wilson, Tsadok Porter and Teresa Stanley in 2007’s WBTT production of “Dreamgirls.”

the journey.

“You made it, Nate!” she says. “It’s weird that we call him Nate because forever he was Mr. Jacobs. He moved from our teacher to friend. It was so exciting to read.

“He still mentioned us; that’s what I love about him. There are so many things, but I appreciate him for never allowing people to forget who helped him. ‘You see me a lot, and I’m the

face of the company, but it was a lot of people who helped me to get here.’

He never forgets about the six of us.”

STARTS TOMORROW! THE CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY & THE RINGLING present

SEE FOR YOURSELF

Incredible Family Entertainment

Visitors experiencing Katrina Coombs’ I M(O)ther: Threads of the Maternal Figure at Sarasota Art Museum, Photo: Daniel Perales

FRI JUN 10 – SAT AUG 13

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Katrina Coombs I M(O)ther: Threads of the

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Photo courtesy of Sophia Marquart

Anthony Chatmon II and Billie Aken-Tyers rehearse to bring “Hood” to the stage.

Timely & timeless SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

T

he material has been marinating for 1,000 years. You know it even if you don’t know it.

And that’s where the challenge comes in for the creative team behind “Hood.” Douglas Carter Beane, the playwright behind the Asolo Repertory Theatre production, is attempting to bring the story of Robin Hood into the current day.

His husband, Lewis Flinn, has the task of writing original songs that will only burnish the existing legend.

“Hood” last saw the stage in Dallas in 2017, but it’s been tweaked a bit in the intervening years. The script is a living and evolving creature, says Beane, who recently joined Flinn and the Observer on a call to discuss the upcoming production.

“If you’re really good at what you do, it can be timely and it can be timeless,” says Beane, a five-time Tony Award nominee. “The stories we’re basing this show on have been around since the 1100s. They were ballads. There was no one author; there are several different people who would make up these stories. I would say, except for one throughline of our show, every one of them was one of those original stories.”

“Hood” has had a long gestational cycle since being created at

the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. It had iterations at the Royal Academy of Music in London and a Shakespeare Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania, before having its run at the Dallas Theater Center. But then came a turbulent political time in the United States, and then came the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inevitably, some of the play had to change. Beane says that before the pandemic, the play might have come to the stage pretty much the way it had been written. But Flinn was able to use the time between productions to make the play more musical, adding flourishes that just weren’t possible the first time around.

“When we were writing at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, it’s not a musical program,” says Flinn. “So none of the actors were singers at all. None wanted to be.

None pretended to be. The challenge was to write songs that non-singers could sing and still sound good. Even though it’s since gone on to professional productions, and I’ve put a lot of arrangements into it, it has a score that is, in my mind, sort of for the everyman singalong.”

Flinn allows that there are no “Sondheimian intervals” in the music, but he says the songs have influences ranging from Celtic sources to Kurt Weill, folk rock and soul. And that’s part of the charm of the material, Beane says: It can adapt itself to a number of tones.

Beane says he was encouraged to write “Hood” after reading bedtime stories to his children; they loved the tales of Robin Hood even though they were a thousand years removed from when they were created.

That’s because the stories have an elemental structure to them that people instinctively appreciate.

“They are first and foremost sto-

IF YOU GO

‘HOOD’ When: Previews June 3-10; June 11-26 Where: Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $33-$93 Info: AsoloRep.org

ries of of a hero. But they have a lightness and humor to them that I respond to,” says Beane. “A friend of mine who’s a writer said, ‘Robin Hood is always laughing. When you think of Robin, he’s always standing on a log and laughing.’ I said, ‘Yeah, he’s a fun guy.’ That image was obviously an influence. But the stories are fun stories, and somehow they’re in our brains, even if we don’t remember ever seeing them.”

Beane mentions the Errol Flynn and animated Disney versions of Robin Hood that have become ubiquitous in pop culture, and he says there are moments in the legend we all recognize instinctually.

There’s Robin donning a disguise to enter an archery competition, and there’s the moment Robin meets Little John on a bridge. The art comes in taking those moments and still saying something original.

Beane and Flinn met while working on “Music From a Sparkling Planet,” which was directed by “Hood” Director Mark Brokaw and had its theatrical run in 2002.

“I would say that actually we met as collaborators,” says Beane.

“I had written a play. Mark Brokaw was directing that play, and he hired Lewis Flinn to bring music into the play. I initially was very upset because I had selected some bound music for the show. But when I heard

Lewis’s music, I remember I started to cry because I thought it was so beautiful.”

“It’s been 20 years of tears ever since,” jokes Flinn.

The pair have collaborated with Brokaw several times; Brokaw, for instance, directed Beane’s wildly successful adaptation of “Cinderella.” Together, Beane and Flinn have created “Lysistrata Jones,” and Flinn contributed music to Beane’s “The Little Dog Laughed.” They’ve also worked together on things that haven’t yet seen the light of day.

“We have an easy rapport. We get along,” says Beane. “We have very similar tastes in theater. Rarely do we leave a show that we didn’t write, and he says, ‘Oh, I loved that,’ and I say, ‘Oh, I hated it.’ Usually, we have a very similar aesthetic.”

How do they work together?

Are you picturing the married playwright and lyricist sitting side by side at a keyboard and carrying out their tasks?

That’s not really the way it works.

“We don’t sit in the same room, creatively,” says Flinn. “We do when we want to review or discuss something. But a lot of time, it’s separate.

And you have to be careful; I’ll be working, but Doug may have moved on to a different project.

“I’ll be on this and want to bring it up, so I just have to say, ‘OK, I need to schedule a time to discuss this tomorrow at 11 a.m.’”

Flinn often works in a studio across the street from their apartment.

“I’ll be working on something else or maybe watching television,” says Beane. “Then a little bling will show up on my phone, and he’ll send me an email on the draft of a song. And that’s always like a nice little bonus treat. If I’m in a restaurant, I get to just run into a bathroom and play it.”

The pair has been working on this play since the Obama Administration, but they’ve taken time out in that span to work on other projects.

Beane singled out one cast member, Billie Aken-Tyers, who has been a part of the project since the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Aken-Tyers began as an assistant director on “Hood” but stepped in and played a role when an actor took ill. Now she’s a permanent member of the cast.

Beane and Flinn say that the cast of “Hood” is an instant community, a family that has worked to bring the story to life over a number of years.

The show has evolved with the times they live in, but neither Beane nor Flinn wants to get ahead of themselves and predict what happens to “Hood” after Sarasota.

“Honestly, we’re not thinking beyond this opening,” says Beane.

“The minute you start putting stars in your eyes like, ‘This will go into the Majestic Theatre and kick out “Phantom of the Opera,”’ you’re dead because then you’re not doing the work.”

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Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn, the married couple behind Asolo Rep’s ‘Hood,’ chat about their creative process and collaborative partnership.

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The play you see in previews might not be the play you see on opening night.

Douglas Carter Beane, the playwright behind “Hood,” says that despite putting years into penning the script, the play is still a work in progress all the way until the first curtain.

“The fact that we’re not down there in Florida at this particular moment screaming in hallways and shoving new pages under people’s faces is a sign that things are going very well,” says Beane of the creative process before previews begin.

Interestingly, he says, the most collaborative part of the theater-making process is the time between previews and the opening curtain. “Hood” will be in previews June 3-10, and the actual production will run June 11-26.

In those first performances, Beane will be watching for audience reaction when making his edits.

“When a writer does his work in the preview process, it’s the first time it’s seen by an audience that dictates what the show is going to be,” he says. “Something that you think is hilariously funny and just leaves people staring at it incomprehensively, then you know to cut it. Something that may seem slightly funny turns out to be a bigger laugh.

“If people are very moved by something, that can reshape the scene. So with (Director Mark Brokaw’s) guidance and the choreographer’s guidance and our musical director’s guidance, we’ll all be working on that together. This is total collaboration time.”

Lewis Flinn, Beane’s husband and the lyricist and composer behind “Hood,” has a much more poetic way of describing the creative process during previews.

“Our job is to build the boat,” says Flinn. “Then, it’s Mark’s and the cast’s job to make it sail. And then producers decide the path it’s on. But right now we’re just focused on building the boat and to make sure it’s not leaking.”

Beane, without missing a beat, adds, “Or the rats aren’t jumping off.”

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

MOVING PIECES

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

OUR PICK CHUANG PLAYS CHOPIN We’ve got some alliteration in this event on the Sarasota Music Festival docket. Pianist Ya-Fei Chuang, a festival alumna, will take center stage on Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor.

The Festival Orchestra, led by conductor Yaniv Dinur, will play Jessie Montgomery’s “Starburst” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 to complete the program.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Tickets: $29-$65 Info: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

THIS WEEK THURSDAY

DARKNESS TO LIGHT 4:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $29-$40 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org The Calidore String Quartet is the guest of honor at this, the opening event of the Sarasota Music Festival.

The quartet, which consists of violinists Jeffrey Myers and Ryan Meehan, viola player Jeremy Berry and cellist Estelle Choi, was formed at The Colburn School in Los Angeles in 2010. Other standout musicians are pianist and festival music director Jeffrey Kahane, clarinetist Franklin Cohen and flutist Carol Wincenc.

TEN-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL 8 p.m. at The Cook Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $28 Visit TheatreOdyssey.org.

How do you like your drama? Theatre Odyssey will present the best quick-and-dirty plays from artists throughout Florida over four days at the Cook Theatre. None of these plays run more than 10 minutes, but they’re full realized works that fast forward to the denouement. Former drama teacher Connie Schindewolf, a Bradenton resident, has won best play at this festival twice and returns with a work entitled “Ancestry” for this year’s festival. Runs through June 12.

JAZZ THURSDAYS AT SAM: DARCIE ALLEN AND THE FIVE POINTS QUINTET 5:30-8 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail $20 guests, Free for museum members Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Local vocalist Darcie Allen is fronting an all-star band that took its name from a famous Sarasota intersection. Allen will be supported by Marc Mannino, Pete Carney, Bob Lunergan and Peter Innocenti, who’ll play a selection of jazz songs in a contemporary format. The beautiful Marcy and Michael Klein Plaza will serve as backdrop for the show, and the museum’s galleries, bistro and shop will remain open for the duration of the concert.

DEAN NAPOLITANO 7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Come down for some comedy Napolitano style. Napolitano, a native of Long Island, New York, has done the hard work of building a name for himself by relentlessly touring comedy clubs in Florida and around the country. Nothing is sacred for Napolitano, and he’ll joke about anything and everything that will bring a laugh from the audience.

GET A $40 PREPAID VISA® CARD* WITH QUALIFYING BRAKE PARTS PURCHASE OF $250** OR MORE!

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SATURDAY

Come meet the artists who are helping artists. Elizabeth Goodwill and Barbara Gerdeman started Creative Liberties with the hope of providing studio space and assistance in staging exhibitions for less-experienced artists, and Here Comes the Sun will give patrons a chance to peruse and purchase art from local artisans in a variety of mediums.

FRIDAY IN-STUDIO PERFORMANCE FEATURING LISA DEL ROSARIO 7 p.m. at SCD Home Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts $20 Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance. org.

Lisa del Rosario, a Texas-based ballet instructor, will be performing for one night only at Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s home studio. There will be a virtual showing of the event at 7 p.m. Saturday.

‘ATHENA’ BY GRACIE GARDNER 7:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. $20-$36 Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.

You’ve seen rival dramas in just about every sport, but have you tried fencing? This play, written by Gracie Gardner and directed by Summer Wallace, centers on a pair of aspiring fencers who compete against each other and practice together, but do they really like each other? June 10 is the opening night, and it will run through July 10.

REUNION 7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $29-$50 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

This Sarasota Music Festival event will reunite faculty members and fellows to make beautiful music. Faculty violinist James Dunham will lead a group of string fellows in Bach’s famous Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, and the woodwind fellows will perform on Carl Nielsen’s Wind Quintet.

The fellows will also play Florence Price and Dvořák in this show.

NEXT TO NORMAL 7:30 p.m. at Rise Above Performing Arts Center, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail $17-$27 Visit RiseAboveArts.com

‘HOOD’ 8 p.m. at Mertz Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $30-$76 Visit AsoloRep.org.

You can feel good about Hood. This musical adaptation of the timeless Robin Hood tales has been reworked substantially since its last theatrical run in Dallas in 2017. The musical comes from the real-life partnership of playwright Douglas Carter Beane, a five-time Tony nominee, and his husband, lyricist Lewis Flinn. Runs through June 26.

SUNDAY HD AT THE OPERA HOUSE: ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’ 1:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $22 Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

Get your popcorn and settle in for a classic of ballet cinema. Shakespeare’s timeless romance is set to music by Sergey Prokofiev and choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, and the music is played by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Dancers Marcelino Sambe and Anna-Rose O’Sullivan hit their marks in this eternal production.

RISING STARS 1 2:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $15-$22 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Come hear fellows work together on ensembles that play many of the giants of the classical genre. Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert will all be on the bill for this festival event, which will run 90 minutes with an intermission.

RING OF FIRE 7 p.m. at Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $45 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Love is a burning thing, and it makes a fiery ring. Scott Moreau stars as Johnny Cash in this show, which will take you on a tour through the beloved artist’s canon. The show, created by Richard Maltby Jr. and conceived by William Meade, made an outsized impact on Broadway before touring Sarasota. Runs through June 19.

This show has made its mark on the American theater, taking home three Tony Awards in 2009. It’s a complex family drama set to music,

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

15A

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SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR Sarasota, a circus city, is bracing for the summer spectacular, which will bring the art of circus to the Historic Asolo Theater.

The event, a partnership between the Circus Arts Conservatory and The Ringling, will bring a number of phenomenally talented artists to Sarasota from June 10 to Aug. 13.

Heidi Herriott, a third-generation circus performer, will serve as master of ceremonies, and the acts will include an aerial duo, a hand balancing team and a hand balance/contortion act.

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IF YOU GO When: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 2 and 5 p.m. Saturday Where: Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road Tickets: $18; children over 12 $12; children 12 and under free Info: Ringling.org

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

It’s the debut of Florida Studio Theatre’s Summer Cabaret show, which will run through Aug. 7. This production, based on the classic music of Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, has successfully toured the country and performed in more than 150 cities. The musical arrangements are done by Jared Mancuso and Nick Gallardo.

Is it standup comedy or a musical revue? Maybe it’s both?

MICHAEL MACK AND THE FACES OF ROCK 7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Michael Mack brings his off-color song parodies to this show, which also thrives on audience participation. Runs through June 19

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Abreham Mola, a skilled acrobat and juggler, will perform on the rolla bolla, and Chris Allison, a graduate of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown College, will provide comic relief.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

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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

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Classifieds 14B Games 13B Real Estate 9B Weather 13B

JUNE 9, 2022

YOUR NEIGHBORS Hats off

to the Class of 2022

T

hey’ve received their diplomas and walked the stage. Whether it’s high school, college or something else, these

grads are ready for their next steps.

Congrats, Class of 2022! You did it.

Here’s a selection of graduates who either live on Longboat Key or have family here.

—ERIC GARWOOD

THE BANKERT CHILDREN Longboat Key’s Darin and Meghann Bankert are thrilled with the progress of their two children in the last school year.

Colin graduated from fifth grade at Anna Maria Elementary School and received the Presidential Award for earning all A’s. He will attend Sarasota Military Academy this fall.

Guilliana finished third grade at Anna Maria Elementary and participated in the Battle of the Books. She will remain at the school in the fall, advancing to fourth grade.

THE NOCK CHILDREN Longboat Key’s Eugene and Jessica Nock couldn’t be prouder of their three children, moving ahead not only in school but also in their favorite pastimes.

Garrett graduated from Martha B. King Middle School on the A&B honor roll. He will continue his education

at Manatee School for the Arts.

Lauren-Taylor graduated from Martha B. King Middle School on the A&B honor roll. She was awarded two superior ratings in band this year, participated in cross-country and sang the national anthem at the Sun n’ Fun Air Show in Lakeland this year. She will continue her education

NATHANIEL THOMAS ATKINS The grandson of Longboat Key’s Molly Schechter took part in the Sarasota High graduation ceremony.

Nathaniel Thomas Atkins received his diploma at an evening ceremony at Cleland Stadium.

at Manatee School For the Arts.

Easton completed first grade at Anna Maria Elementary School and looks forward to second grade there in the fall.

GRIFFIN CHASE MCKEE The son of Longboat Key residents Jeff and Christina McKee graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in digital arts. Griffin Chase McKee appeared in this feature in 2018, upon his graduation from Pine View School.

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Courtesy photos

SOPHIA RIESEN Tim and Jorie Riesen’s daughter Sophia is heading to St. Augustine in the fall to study political science at Flagler College.

Sophia was dual-enrolled as a home-schooled high school student and a student at State College of Florida and graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average and 33 college credit hours.

In her spare time, she served as a high school intern at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium for four years.

Sophia, who said her most-amazing high school moment was studying diseased coral in St. John with Mote scientists, hopes to one day work in the intelligence community.

Eric Garwood

2B

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Barbara Koetsier, Anne Summers, Janie Peterson, Muriel Klosterman and Michelle Giannico

Longboat Island Chapel donates to high school day care to help teen parents earn diplomas.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

D

iapers were piled high June 2 at the Longboat Island Chapel. As if you were walking into a friend’s shower, everything spelled “baby,” from oversized blocks to white and gold “Oh, baby” tablecloths.

The chapel’s charitable outreach program supports 20 organizations.

“The outreach community is a big community and are very active,” said Peggy Lammers, scholarship committee chair. “They review the programs carefully and request annual reports to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”

This month, the outreach group

collected baby items for the Cyesis Teen Parent Program at Riverview High School. The donations will be delivered to its day care on the Riverview campus.

“We have supported Cyesis for a number of years,” co-chair Anne Summers said. “In addition to drives, we’ve had volunteers go and watch babies while their parents go to school.” Unfortunately, the snuggling and rocking stopped with the pandemic when Cyesis was closed along with all the other area schools.

Cyesis accepts volunteers through the Lullaby League. All volunteers must be vetted and trained and commit to two hours a week. They are then assigned a classroom, in which they’ll see the same children

each week. The program found that the warmth and extra cuddles from volunteers has a positive impact on the children.

“I like programs that enable people to be successful, so the school providing a day care to unwed mothers enables them to take care of themselves and their babies,” Muriel Klosterman said.

According to a 2018 study by Child Trends, of girls who gave birth as teens, 53% received a high school diploma; of those who did not, 90% received a diploma.

“In order for them to finish their high school degrees, they have to have something to do with their children. A lot of times, they don’t have a lot of money,” Summers said.

The Cyesis program started in 1978 offering pregnant and teen parents free services to ensure they graduate on time with a diploma. Teen fathers are also eligible for the program, which offers parenting classes,

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Lamaze, child care through the summer and mental health services.

Eligible students are matched with a peer mentor, another pregnant or parenting teen already enrolled in the program. They’re also assigned a social worker who can refer them to other community resources if they are needed.

Students can choose traditional or online courses. If they choose to continue in person, bus transportation is provided. The bus is specially equipped with car seats for safety.

But the goal exceeds simply receiving a high school diploma. The teen parents are offered education and career counseling, so they have a plan to support themselves and their children after high school, too.

The outreach group met in Shook Fellowship Hall for a potluck social hour. Everyone brought an appetizer, beverages and baby supplies.

Just more than 20 church members attended and brought a mountain of

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blankets, books, wipes and toys.

Bigger items included a crib, a stroller and a high chair. They also collected more than $120 from members who were unable to attend the drive. You name it, it was in the pile — plus a little extra. “We try to put something in for the mothers, like nail polish,” Summers said.

Summers has been co-chair of the chapel’s outreach program for about eight years. At the start, most of the contributions were financial and volunteer work. About six years ago, the program started hosting drives.

The chapel’s drives support a different charity each month. The main goal for this month’s drive was diapers. “You can’t go wrong with diapers, and they told us that is the big need,” Lammers said. The group delivered: More than a dozen packages of diapers are boxed up and ready to stock the Cyesis day care by the end of the month.

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Oh, baby!

Joyce Welch, Diane Covino and Peggy Lammers stand amid donations for Riverview’s day care program for teen parents seeking a high school diploma.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

3B

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

ANNOUNCING THE RETURN OF:

2022 SUMMER LUNCH & LEARN SERIES Proudly Sponsored by Williams Parker Attorneys at Law

June 21 | July 19 | August 16 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Michael’s On East, Sarasota Only $39 Per Lecture—Includes Luncheon!

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Summer reading recommendations

AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2022

Securing Israel’s Future in a Changing Middle East Against the backdrop of terror attacks, regional aggression, and nuclear ambitions of Iran, the Abraham Accords of 2020 have introduced the prospect of mutually beneficial Arab-Israeli Peace— a prospect that will fundamentally alter Israel’s strategic posture.

Great beach, travel reads are flying off the shelves at the Longboat Library.

Rabbi Noam Marans AJC Director, Interreligious and Intergroup Relations TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

LESLEY DWYER

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STAFF WRITER

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hether you’re headed to the beach or hunkering down for a storm, summer is reading season. Luckily, the Longboat Library is full of options, recommendations and friendly faces.

According to volunteer Debbie Calpin, “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah is one of their most-popular books. “It comes in and goes right back out,” she said. Another hot read, “All the Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr, was returned Friday and checked out 10 minutes later.

“I’m looking forward to reading ‘The Sun is the Compass,’” Nancy Curtis said. She and her husband, Jim, wanted to stock up for the rainy weekend. He checked out a few military history and fiction books. “I like adventure-type stuff,” he said.

If you like to read ahead like Nancy, her pick by Caroline Van Hemert is the subject of the library’s next book club in November. “The Sun is the

Compass” is a personal account of the author and her husband’s 4,000mile journey from the rain forest in Bellingham, Washington, to the Alaskan arctic without using any form of motorized transportation.

An impromptu book club discussion began at the checkout when patron Rebecca Goldthwaite was talking about author Ann Patchett.

Another patron, Kip O’Neill, joined in to rave about the same book, “These Precious Days.”

“This is a small-town library,” Goldthwaite said, “You can’t chat up other librarians like you can here.”

She recommends Patchett’s collection of fast-moving essays for the beach because it can be read in bites.

As far as what’s always on the shelves, Calpin said John Grisham, Stuart Woods and David Baldacci fans won’t leave disappointed.

“There are always popular ones that you can check out or buy because people donate them,” she said.

As Goldthwaite waved goodbye and said, “See you next Friday,” she offered a tip: “If I go Friday to Friday, the donations build up.”

The library’s summer hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.

Nancy and Jim Curtis check out a half-dozen books to prepare for a rainy weekend.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

WILD FLORIDA An exploration beyond the pavement.

Raccoons are handy, adaptable There’s no masking this mammal’s role in the state’s habitat.

A

native species, raccoons are among the most-intelligent of Florida’s wildlife.

Historically found in our forests, wetlands and along river and stream corridors, these highly

PREVIOUSLY IN THE WILD . . .

Miri Hardy

Raccoons are nocturnal but can be active during the day. A mother raccoon out with her kits is likely teaching them how to forage.

For more of Miri Hardy’s Wild Florida, hover your smartphone over the QR code and tap the screen when instructed.

January: Myakka’s Christmas bird count February: Alligators keep wetlands healthy March: Rattlesnakes best appreciated from afar April: Limpkins learn to thrive May: White-tail deer nearly hunted to extinction

adaptable omnivores, which will eat just about anything, have, by necessity, learned to thrive in close proximity to humans.

In their natural Wild Florida habitats, their typical diet consists of fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables, along with small mammals, amphibians, insects and reptiles.

In urban Florida, where wild food is less abundant, they will also happily help themselves to anything they find in your garbage.

Raccoons tend to do most of their foraging at twilight and night. Their dark masks are believed to help reduce glare and improve vision in low-light environments, and although they have very keen night vision, their most highly tuned sense is touch: Their extremely dextrous hands, capable of highly complex tasks, are full of sensitive receptors.

And wetting their hands helps increase the responsiveness of those nerves, which explains why you’ll often see raccoons “washing” their food or hands.

Despite habitat reduction due to development, as well as being extensively hunted for their meat and fur, raccoons have been able to thrive in Florida. Given their important role in Florida’s ecosystems, this is a very good thing. In addition to being helpful seed dispersers, raccoons are important predators and pest controllers. Indeed, raccoons have a great affinity for insects in both larvae and full form. They will even eat wasps, which helps protect bees, and other threatened pollinators critical to Florida ecosystems. And, as scavengers, by removing rotting meat or plant matter, raccoons play a central

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.

role in helping keep Wild (and less wild) Florida healthy.

But once accustomed to being fed or having easy access to food, raccoons lose their natural fear of humans and will move closer to food sources. To keep these important residents of Wild Florida safe and away from our living spaces, we should avoid leaving trash, bird seeds or pet food outdoors (especially overnight). And when spending time in Wild Florida, we should never feed wildlife.

—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.

We’re neighbors covering neighbors.

Melissa Leduc EDITORIAL DESIGNER

Hometown: Woodstock, New York Currently Living: Sarasota Alma mater: Ringling College of Art and Design Observer Employee: 4 Years What you do when you are not working?

Play soccer, run, go on the boat and enjoy trying new restaurants around Sarasota.

Connect: mleduc@yourobserver.com

Good design’s not about what medium you’re working in.

It’s about thinking hard about what you want to do and what you have to work with before you start.

- Susan Kare

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Support independent local journalism today at YourObserver.com/newsies

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

7B

Coldwell Banker CONGRATULATES the TOP team!

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

Judy Kepecz-Hays Team THIS IS THE VIEW!

SARABAND

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 3.5 bathroom corner Contemporary flavor residence has panoramic views of Sarasota Bay, the Marina, downtown skyline, and epic sunsets.

L’AMBIANCE 435 L’Ambiance Drive #G601 | www.Lambiance-G601.com Offered for $6,880,000

Updated to perfection! Southwest 6th-floor corner residence with incredible views. Features include Three bedrooms-3400Sq. Ft. -open floor planlatest 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.

RITZ-CARLTON RITZ-CARLTONRESIDENCES RESIDENCES 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive #1204 | www.Ritz-Carlton1204.com Offered for $3,750,000. $3,299,000

EMBASSY HOUSE

770 South Palm Ave #503 www.EmbassyHouse503.com Offered for $1,098,500

You will be HYPNOTIZED in this residence with 30 feet of glass walls offering vistas of Sarasota Bay, Her Islands, & Sunsets. Semiprivate elevator, Updated 2 BDRM & 2 BA boasts 1520 square feet of inspired living.

LAKEWOOD RANCH WATERSIDE Waterside | 8052 Grande Shores Drive Offered for $2,699,000

New home in Waterside of Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, living at its finest!

Never-ending views of the sunrise and sunset. Custom infinity pool with spa.

Open floor-plan with 4 ensuite bedrooms. Expansive unobstructed lake views from the private outdoor oasis. 4 bedroom, 4 ½ bath, 4,027 sq . ft.

LONGBOAT KEY TOWERS 603 Longboat Club Road #604 | www.LBKtowersN604.com Offered for $1,798,000

Luxury Knows No Limits! Sought after residence at the Ritz-Carlton Beyond imagination! Magical views from sunrise to sunsets envelope this in the heart of the city. Beyond Imagination, this home affords terrific views of meticulously designed updated corner residence with walls of windows & the marina, Sarasota, and her islands. glass doors. Instant enjoyment.

383333-1

If you're thinking of buying or selling, please call 941-587-1700

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 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

ANNA MARIA ISLAND 820 N Shore Drive 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 3,953 Sq. Ft. Kathy Harman 941-900-9828 A4524887 $4,350,000

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

SARASOTA 1771 Ringling Boulevard PH302 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,873 Sq. Ft. Michael Moulton 941-928-3559 A4532280 $2,975,000

SARASOTA 650 Golden Gate Point 302 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,949 Sq. Ft. Dana Westmark 941-356-5091 A4531159 $2,600,000

BIRD KEY 628 N Owl Drive 3 Beds 2 Baths 2,534 Sq. Ft. Kathy Valente & Gregory Zies, LLC 941-685-6767 A4526783 $2,495,000

LONGBOAT KEY 311 Firehouse Court 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 2,352 Sq. Ft. Cindy Fischer 941-465-1124 A4534473 $2,395,000

SIESTA KEY 681 Avenida De Mayo 3 Beds 3 Baths 3,324 Sq. Ft. Camille Buck 941-894-4771 A4535840 $2,295,000

SARASOTA 1350 Main Street 1410 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,288 Sq. Ft. Bibi-Ann Allard PA 941-685-0422 A4534087 $2,285,000

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

LONGBOAT KEY 518 Bayview Drive 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,740 Sq. Ft. Cathy Meldahl & Susan Smith 941-724-7228 A4534262 $1,990,000

LONGBOAT KEY 1465 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 504 3 Beds 3 Baths 1,837 Sq. Ft. Lindsay Nock 941-735-7005 A4534263 $1,875,000

SARASOTA 1111 N Gulfstream Avenue 7D 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,736 Sq. Ft. Bernadette Caswell 941-320-8265 A4535300 $1,700,000

LONGBOAT KEY 548 Bayview Drive 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,084 Sq. Ft. The Walter Group & Steve Walter 941-232-2000 A4536371 $1,550,000

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

SIESTA KEY 5880 Midnight Pass Road 310 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,713 Sq. Ft. Linda Stowe 941-228-5685 A4536003 $1,285,000

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

SIESTA KEY 5760 Midnight Pass Road 404D 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,361 Sq. Ft. Joseph McDonald 941-375-9646 A4531860 $1,100,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4311 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 401 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,293 Sq. Ft. Victoria Lear 941-350-1064 A4522542 $995,000

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

SIESTA KEY 6500 Midnight Pass Road 509 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,086 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon 941-234-3991 A4534472 $900,000

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

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

SIESTA KEY 7722 Sanderling Road 2 Beds 3 Baths 2,580 Sq. Ft. Brian Loebker 941-735-4393 A4527041 $9,000,000

LONGBOAT KEY 2161 Gulf Of Mexico Drive PH3 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 6,002 Sq. Ft. Jenifer Schwell 941-780-0968 A4534425 $8,950,000

LONGBOAT KEY 3060 Grand Bay Boulevard 1101 4 Beds 5/1 Baths 4,413 Sq. Ft. Stacey Fredericks 239-823-0277 A4535637 $5,250,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

9B

REAL ESTATE

Country Club Shores home sells for $3.1 million

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RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

MAY 23-27

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

A

home in Country Club Shores tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Carl and Patricia Cooper, trustees, of Longboat Key, sold the home at 540 Putter Lane to John Pleune, trustee, of Holland, Michigan, for $3.1 million. Built in 1967, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,083 square feet of living area. It sold for $950,000 in 2018.

SLEEPY LAGOON PARK

Debra McKenna, trustee, of Longboat Key, sold the home at 723 Marbury Lane to Craig and Pamela Cairns, of Rochester, New York, for $2.5 million. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,508 square feet of living area.

Brian Proctor and Coraleen Jo Kelly Proctor, of Olympia, Washington, sold their home at 602 Juan Anasco Drive to Roger Lusins and Angela Barbato, of Longboat Key, for $1,775,000. Built in 1963, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,867 square feet of living area. It sold for $580,000 in 2014.

GRAND BAY

Marc Bloostein, trustee, sold the Unit 485 condominium at 3010 Grand Bay Blvd. to Pelican LBK Ltd. for $2,011,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,143 square feet of living area. It sold for $665,000 in 2000.

BEACHPLACE

Domus Partners LLC sold the Unit 401 condominium at 1145 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Maria Muzio, trustee, of New York City, for $1,599,000. Built in 1980, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,172 square feet of living area. It sold for $600,000 in 2012.

PROMENADE

Leslie Donald Weinstein and Helaine Weinstein, trustees, of Saddle River, New Jersey, sold the Unit 403D condominium at 1211 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Richard and Barbara Clark, of Penfield, New

Lesley Dwyer

The home at 540 Putter Lane sold for $3.1 million. Built in 1967, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,083 square feet of living area.

York, for $1.25 million. Built in 1985, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,585 square feet of living area. It sold for $659,000 in 2005.

Longboat Key, for $655,000. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 992 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in February.

Vincent Bonica and Mary Ellen Bonica, of Conover, North Carolina, sold their Unit 406C condominium at 1211 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gordon White, of Longboat Key, for $1,033,000. Built in 1985, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,598 square feet of living area. It sold for $650,000 in 2017.

LIDO SURF AND SAND

SAND CAY

J&B’s Beach Pad LLC sold the Unit 211 condominium at 4725 Gulf of Mexico Drive to ML&B Beach Pad LLC for $805,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,246 square feet of living area. It sold for $520,000 in 2020.

Jennie Grimm, trustee, of David Grimm, of Byron Center, Michigan, sold the Unit 515 condominium at 1104 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Harold Pisciotta Jr. and Beth Pisciotta, trustees, of Montgomery, Ohio, for $605,000. Built in 1976, it has one bedroom, one-and-a-half baths and 918 square feet of living area. It sold for $375,000 in 2008.

LIDO SHORES

Robert Hesse, trustee, of Sugar Mountain, North Carolina, sold the

FAIRWAY BAY

Qu Jing, of Ontario, Canada, sold the Unit 442 condominium at 220 Harbourside Drive to Daniel Fangmeyer and Janet Belle Fangmeyer, of Longboat Key, for $765,000. Built in 1984, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,192 square feet of living area. It sold for $168,600 in January.

Unit 206 condominium at 350 S. Polk Drive to Briana Costa, trustee, of Ardsley On Hudson, New York, for $550,000. Built in 1977, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,036 square feet of living area. It sold for $133,000 in 1998.

LIDO TOWERS

Shea and Brigitte Rustein, of Columbia, Maryland, sold their Unit 412 condominium at 1001 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Renee Nagel, of Bedminster, New Jersey, for $450,000. Built in 1980, it has one bedroom, one-and-a-half baths and 813 square feet of living area. It sold for $89,000 in 1981.

In with the new NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION

LONGBOAT HARBOUR

Mark and Terri Haas, trustees, of Mt. Washington, Kentucky, sold the Unit 205 condominium at 4410 Exeter Drive to Danny Herron, of

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

Longboat Key

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

These are the largest building permits issued by the Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Department for the week of May 27-June 2 in order of dollar amounts.

NOW TAKING CONTRACTS

L O N G B OAT K E Y PERMIT Building addition

APPLICANT 4651 GMD Owner LLC

AMOUNT($) $400,000

and renovation 340 GMD #116

Interior alterations

Bob and Barbara Davis

$310,000

1241 GMD #105

Interior alterations

George Gronwall

$298,000

676 Tarawitt Dr.

Exterior alterations, Erik M. Bergenholtz

Downtown St. Petersburg

$236,452

windows and doors 100 Sands Point Rd. #304 Interior alterations

Norman B. Fiedler

Revocable Trust

4825 GMD Unit 405

Interior alterations

Marilee H. Garlanda

525 Spinnaker Ln.

Interior alterations

Mak Revocable Trust

$132,608

1241 GMD #606

Interior alterations

Robert S. Libby

$109,500

$170,981

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

$141,055

4651 GMD 102

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 103

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 104

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 202

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 203

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 204

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 302

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 303

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 304

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 402

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 403

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD 404

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD PH-1

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD PH-2

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD PH-3

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

4651 GMD PH-4

Electric

4651 GMD Owner LLC

$100,000

771 Emerald Harbor Dr.

Interior alterations

Todd Gertz

$97,439 Source: Town of Longboat Key

Downtown Sarasota

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

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

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

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

Licensed Real Estate Broker

373656-1

ADDRESS 4651 GMD

10B

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

Memorial Day celebration

A

bout 50 residents gathered for a Memorial Day celebration May 30 at Longboat Harbour.

It was a classic American barbecue complete with hot dogs, hamburgers and a whole lot of red, white and blue. Flags lined the complex, and partygoers dressed to match. Connie Hauber went all out wearing patriotic sunglasses, beads and a big blue hat.

While the chatter and laughter of old friends filled the room, there was also a moment of silence for lives lost.

Bonnie Coughlin noted the contrast when welcoming guests. “It’s a day off work,” she said, “It’s such a solemn day, too.”

In recognition of that sentiment, Karen Pasnkow put together a fallen soldiers table near the entrance of the banquet hall.

“The glass is inverted because they are not here,” Pasnkow said.

— LESLEY DWYER Bucky Vicari, Georgianna Vicari, and Bob and Lisa Berlin

Jane Sheeny, Connie Hauber and Mary Bock

Callen and Taryn Finnigan

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Carol Pacheco and Tina Hyatt

Andreas Gutzeit and Kakali Barergee

Michael and Kay Cantrell

Customized just for you1 you!

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377047-1

CONTACT US TODAY

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

Cathy C. Meldahl, P.A. Your Longboat Key Community Realtor • Consistent top producer on Longboat Key • In-depth knowledge of the real estate market • Active in our community with Longbeach Village Association Longboat Key Historical Society Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce Longboat Key Garden Club

MONDAYS

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. Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome.

Call 383-6493.

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.

379366-1

941.724.7228

CathyMeldahl@michaelsaunders.com

CONDO ON THE BAY

LORD’S WAREHOUSE THRIFT STORE The thrift store will be open 9 a.m. to noon at 6140 GMD. Donations are accepted during business hours.

Call 383-4738.

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 first and third Tuesdays in All Angles Parish Hall, 563 Bay Isles Road. To learn more, call Nancy Rozance at 203-6054066 or email Info@LongboatKeyRotary.org.

GROUND FLOOR END CORNER UNIT 988 BLVD OF THE ARTS, UNIT 109

SPACIOUS REMBRANDT 2,315 SQF living area split 3 bd, 2.5 ba with 10’ ceilings and 1,835 Sq’ private outdoor open patio overlooking unobstructed Sarasota Bay, ICW & Longboat Key. Steps to heated pool, fitness center and covered parking. 24 hour gatehouse attendants, Concierge service, boat docking, 2 pools, 2 tennis/pickleball courts, near Van Wezel, CBD, The ARTS, St Armands, SRQ Airport and Publix. Must see!!!

Ron Stahl Ron Stahl Realty

$1,995,000

941-374-1671 rstahlrlty@aol.com

383545-1

RECURRING EVENTS

info@FLVacationConnection.com FLVacationConnection.com info@FLVacationConnection.com FLVacationConnection.com FLVacationConnection.com

Living and Working on Longboat Key for 40 Years

WORLD OCEAN DAY From 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the aquarium courtyard at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway. Celebrate with oceanthemed games, face-painting, educational displays and appearances by a children’s author and the Mote mascots. This event is included with admission.

Call 388-4441 for information.

ST. ARMANDS CRAFT FESTIVAL AND SIDEWALK SALE From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in St. Armands Circle. More than 175 artists and crafters will have their work displayed throughout the weekend.

This is a free outdoor event. Call (561) 746-6615 for information.

3720 Gulf Key, of Mexico Drive Longboat FL 34228 3720 GulfKey, of Mexico Drive Longboat FL 34228 info@FLVacationConnection.com Longboat Key, FL 34228

Locally owned and Locally owned managed sinceand 1994 Locally owned managed sinceand 1994 managed since 1994

SATURDAY, JUNE 11

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS

11B

941-387-9709 941-387-9709 3720 Gulf of Mexico Drive 941-387-9709

BEST BET

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, JUNE 11-12

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

Specializing in Specializing Specializing Longboat Keyininand Lido Key Longboat Key Lido Longboat Keyand andHomes, LidoKey Key Private Vacation Condominiums Private Vacation Homes, and Beachfront Private VacationResorts Homes,Condominiums Condominiums and Beachfront Resorts and Beachfront Resorts

377552-1

YOUR CALENDAR

File photo

EXCEPTIONAL EXCEPTIONAL EXCEPTIONAL VACATION RENTALS RENTALS VACATION VACATION RENTALS

|

JUST LISTED MOVE IN READY

537 Spinnaker Lane, Longboat Key

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

WHY? WHY?

Our sellers are receiving Our sellers are receiving multiple offers and top dollar! multiple offers and top dollar!

Consider Selling Your Property In ThisProperty Robust Market Consider Selling Your

In This Robust Market

Consider Selling Your Property In This Robust Market Call today for a no-obligation, no-cost market analysis!

Home values are up. Inventory is low...it’s a seller’s market.

CallGet today for trusted a no-obligation, no-cost analysis! the most source of local market market conditions from

This charming home feels larger than 2,046 of living space, w/ a great split floor plan, open to the beautiful pool and patio, a true 3BD/3BA w/an ensuite den enjoying peaceful waterviews. Location, waterfront luxury lifestyle & move in ready are all possible to start living the dream you deserve!

KATHY CALLAHAN 941-900-8088 KathyCallahan@michaelsaunders.com LBKathy.com

383266-1

440 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, FL 34228

REAL ESTATE... REAL PARADISE

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 More than 35 years of combined experience

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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BOATING TO BEACH LIFESTYLE - $2,575,000

Home values arereal up.estate Inventory is low...it’sata Wagner seller’s market. your local area professionals Realty.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 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 the It’s Read Everywhere Contest and submit your photo!

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SUNRISE / SUNSET

FRIDAY, JUNE 10

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.

13B

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

WEATHER

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

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Sunrise Sunset

High: 84 Low: 78 Chance of rain: 44%

Thursday, June 9

6:34a

8:24p

Friday, June 10

6:34a

8:25p

Saturday, June 11

6:34a

8:25p

Sunday, June 12

6:34a

8:25p

SATURDAY, JUNE 11

Monday, June 13

6:34a

8:26p

High: 84 Low: 79 Chance of rain: 52%

Tuesday, June 14

6:34a

8:26p

Wednesday, June 15

6:35a

8:26p

MOON PHASES SUNDAY, JUNE 12 High: 85 Low: 78 Chance of rain: 32%

June 14 Full

June 20 Last

June 28 New

July 6 First

TIDES Highs Lows Thursday, June 9

8:44a

9:19p

2:46a

3:58p

Friday, June 10

9:09a

10:45p

3:24a

4:56p

Saturday, June 11

9:37a

—

3:58a

5:49p

Sunday, June 12

12:05a

10:09a

4:28a

6:41p

Monday, June 13

1:24a

10:46a

4:52a

7:33p

Tuesday, June 14

2:46a

11:28a

5:07a

8:27p

—

12:15p

—

9:22p

Wednesday, June 15 Jenelle Alber captured this white ibis walking in the waves along Longboat Key.

The Observer’s

Weather ENTER: &Nature

Sponsored by

YourObserver.com/contests KITCHEN | CABINETRY OUTDOOR PAVERS

383363-1

2022-23 PHOTO CONTEST

A REFLECTION OF NATURE’S BEAUTY

celebrity cipher

58 Part of BDSM 59 Vladimir who helped overthrow a 13-Down 60 End of Wikipedia’s URL DOWN 62 Gum or a paper clip, to 1 Skyrocket MacGyver 2 BBs and such 63 Lifesaving skill, briefly 3 Wet sponge’s spot?

64 Greek H 4 Burn treatment 65 Energy 5 Gibberish 66 Mobile device with a 6 Alert about a missing Super Retina display person, say (Abbr.)

67 Angola’s capital 7 Toxin in Victorian 68 Oscar winner Meryl wallpaper 72 Books that let you fol8 Lineups of songs to low Rte. 66 perform 73 Soda container 9 Zilch 74 Where to go after leav10 Iowa city ing home?

11 City west of Tesla Giga 75 Captain who fought Nevada Khan 12 Summer setting in 76 Site for film lovers NOLA 78 Blue-green 13 Former Russian ruler 80 Skills, slangily 14 Natural flavors, surpris- 81 Neighbor of China ingly 82 Understood by few 15 Head honcho 84 1977 Paul Davis hit with 16 Pilots’ zones the words “When I look in 17 Main M.D. your eyes” 19 CNN doctor Sanjay 85 Grand ___ (wine desig20 Humiliate nation) ©2022 Universal Uclick 25 Cuttlefish’s pouch, e.g. 89 Piece of a certain metal 92 ***”Conan” channel, 59 Textile machine (Last two letters) ACROSS 27 DNA strands, footprints, gate once (Last two letters) 28 “Old-fashioned” way to 61 *Observation about 1 Plastic wrap brand etc.

90 Dream sleep initials 93 *Jumping-in line observation make money 6 Some batteries 29 Irish actor Stephen 93 Drink that “platter” sur30 Three letters in “lullaby” 69 Guest columnist’s essay 96 Whole bunch 9 One might seize dope 30 Raison d’___ rounds, aptly 97 Tough H.S. courses 70 Mesh material 31 Water source 13 “Toodles!”

32 ___ party (sleepover) 94 Thrown for a loop 98 Precise type of clock 71 ___ your foot down 32 *Tip for a waiter?

17 Grapefruit cousin 33 Director Judd 95 Bark sharply 99 Chances to hit 72 Willing to do 18 ***Tailgated on campus, 40 ___ pickle (stuck) 34 Sweet’N Low alternative 100 Beyond dry 101 Bold and shameless 75 Children 41 “Top Chef” garments say (Note this answer’s 35 Charged particles 101 Champagne descriptor 104 **Get down on one 77 Pal, in Paris 42 Perform onstage first two letters) 36 Suffix with “differ” 102 Repetitive learning knee 78 In that place, to a whaler 43 Not just like?

20 “Same here!”

37 Four-leaf clover, for the method 110 Begin 79 Garden bed filler 44 Carpet cleaner, for short 21 Began airing clover plant 103 Swear to 111 Book after Psalms ... or, 80 It’s hot in the tropics 22 ***Above-average pupil 45 Took a short trip 38 Two-word confession 105 High woodwind read as one, two or three 83 “That was good!”

47 Pixies (First two letters) 39 Deteriorates 106 Okra parts 86 ***Credit card fig. (Last parts (as indicated by the 23 ***Celeb’s image prob- 49 TV star Leakes 46 Had the courage 107 “Garfield” dog stars), this puzzle’s theme two letters) 50 Off-roaders, briefly lem (Last two letters) 48 **Take a knee, maybe 108 Homes for many fish 113 Homes 87 Feature of Ghana, but 51 Sound booster 24 **Declare 49 Pixar clownfish 109 Corner computer key 114 Borden cow not Germany?

54 Purges (of) 26 “Old” city in a Tex-Mex 52 Club ___ resort 111 Faux ___ 115 Robocall setting 88 Madam’s counterpart 55 Tablelands brand name 53 Energy 112 Sneaky 116 Heavenly signs?

91 Starbucks size above 56 Me, in Montreal 27 ***Dominican people 55 Swarm around 117 Pomegranate tidbit Tall 57 Arboreal snake now called the Kalinago 57 Rock ___ boat

“S ZOGT NTRXNBTU ... RE ZEBEN RZT GOISOBR CTB FZE USTU. ... TGTNJ COB FZE VTR PEER EB ECOZO DTOLZ ... FOV O ZTNE.”

– ECON B. DNOUITJ

“A’W JADF G WFVX GP GV FHTFVKABF IFKPGXIGVP; CYX RGV JYYD GP WF, SXP CYX RGV’P GMMYIL WF.” – GVVG DYXIVADYBG

“WMSRUZNU ML X CMI HDSCRUB. OSS BXZF NTMRKDUZ XDU KFMZI. OSS BXZF NTMRKDUZ. AU BYLO KS LSBUOTMZI.” – IXCDMURRU IMGGSDKL © 2022 NEA, Inc.

Puzzle Three Clue: H equals P

118 Slow-cooked meal 119 Holler 120 Affirmatives

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: T equals P

THREE-WAY SWITCH by Michael Schlossberg. Edited by David Steinberg

Puzzle One Clue: L equals C

crossword

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

©2022 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

6-9-22

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

RED PAGES 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.

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals

We’ll SWEEP you off We’ll We’ll SWEEP SWEEP you you off offyour your your feet! feet! feet!

We’ll SWEEP you off your feet!

We’ll SWEEP you offfeet! your

INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

WEEKLY MONTHLY SEASONAL Rates Beachfront, Bayfront and In 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

SELL YOUR STUFF FAST!

GARAGE SALE Advertise as low as $17.50 per week!

CALL

941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

Boat Slips for Rent/Sale BOAT STORAGE Slip For Rent Fits boat 8'6" wide, 8'6" tall and 31'6" long. Boat House on Longboat Key. (Dry Dock Restaurant). Text or call: 404-918-3811

real estate

auto CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

2BR/2BA NORTH Longboat key Spanish Main Marina. Water front view out your patio door. Deeded beach access. Town home, stand alone, includes utilities and attached parking for 2. Annual lease. Over 55 community. No pets or smoking please. 5k month 957 Spanish Dr. N LBK (941) 545-7460

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.

Help Wanted BOAT DECK Hands for Cruising West Coast of Florida. Please have experience with Anchoring, placement of Fenders, Navigational signage, minor cooking and cleaning. Email resume to Charles at: ECEONLBK@msn.com or call 303-944-8300

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE! Advertise items less than $200 for FREE!

Merchandise Wanted

YourObserver.com/RedPages

SENIOR LOOKING to purchase precious metals, diamonds, time pieces, coins, jewelry, antique and estate jewelry, and collectors plates. Personal and confidential. Please call Marc: 941-321-0707.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT. Experienced business manager with Fortune 50 companies available as personal assistant, chauffer, butler, connoisseur and property manager. 60 mile radius of Bradenton. (717) 825-1739

Use the RED PAGES to clean out your garage

Auto Transport

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 July-December.

Owner/renter. Flexible terms.

570-239-0431 marketreps@aol.com

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

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

LONGBOAT KEY Incredible views Private boat dock Pet friendly condo Owner/agent $650,000 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.

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals 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 LONGBOAT KEY: Beachfront Condos, 1st or 2nd floor, 2BR/2BA, W/D in units, free Wi-Fi, heated pool, & parking.

Call 941-383-3338.

TREASURES FOUND HERE!

LOST OR ABANDONED PROPERTY Held by Longboat Key Police Department 5460 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

CALL 941-955-4888

Homes for Sale

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE LONGBOAT KEY POLICE DEPARTMENT IS HOLDING AN APPLE IPHONE RECEIVED AS FOUND PROPERTY DURING THIS TIME PERIOD OF 05-012022 THRU 05-31-2022. IF NOT CLAIMED BY OWNERS, ITEMS SHALL BE DISPOSED OF AS AUTHORIZED BY F.S.S. 705.103.

INQUIRES 941-361-1976 x1928

POST YOUR AD WITH EASE YourObserver.com/RedPages

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

RED PAGES RED PAGES PAGES RED CALL TODAY CALLyour TODAY Advertise business 941-955-4888 CALL TODAY or service in the Observer 941-955-4888 941-955-4888

RED PAGES

This week’s Crossword answers CALL TODAY

941-955-4888

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888

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

15% DISCOUNT FOR 4-WEEK RUN PLACE YOUR AD: Call: 941-955-4888 Email: RedPages@ YourObserver.com

Cleaning CLAUDIA C. Cleaning Services.

Experienced, dependable, and ready to begin!

Residential.

Excellent references.

941-773-6895.

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

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

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

©2022 Universal Uclick

You’re only cheating yourself.

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

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks in 1 Observer.

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

Condos/Apts. for Rent

Since 1939 www.rentalsonlongboat.com

peekers’ place

4-DRAWER DESK, plus chair.

Like new, $125. Pick up only.

917-991-7409. Leave a message.

Autos Wanted

Wagner Realty

home services

Items Under $200

jobs

stuff

Ask about our special rates!

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “I have returned ... to honor the valiant men who died. ... Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach ... was a hero.”

Omar N. Bradley Puzzle Two Solution: “I’m like a menu at an expensive restaurant; you can look at me, but you can’t afford me.”

Anna Kournikova Puzzle Three Solution: “Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. Too many children.

We must do something.”

Gabrielle Giffords

This week’s Sudoku answers

Pressure Cleaning CLEAN BAY Pressure Washing and Window Cleaning. 20 years experience. Licensed and insured.

Family owned. 941-685-5597

©2022 NEA, Inc.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 941-955-4888 OR VISIT

YourObserver.com/RedPages

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

Health

$100 COUPON

$100 COUPON $100 COUPON

Give Us a Call - We Can Help

FREE CONSULTATION 941.358.2224

382660

Rescreening & Repairs

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

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

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

383272

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

941-345-5264

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

specialty screens / screw replacement / paint Doors and more!

AMANDA

Insurance

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

MIC INSURANCE

Carpet Cleaning

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

941-778-2882 • 941-387-0607

Warranties

(941) 345-5264 Kenneth Fuhlman Inc.

Building & Roofing Contractor

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

EXPERIENCE KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS

941-626-3194

Licensed & Insured CCC - 058059 CBC - 1253936

Windows

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

382206

Serving AMI, LBK and Bradenton for 25 years Check out our 5 Star Reviews on Google

Like Us on Facebook

Doors

Res./Com.

382204

Sliding Glass Door Repair

Form Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

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

STANDARD WINDOWS

382754

LMT, CMCE

609-820-4251

By appointment only

Furniture Repair

MediCupping & Massage Therapy services for healing

Rest your mind & body.

Connect with your spirit.

Personal Services

Patio Furniture Repairs.com

ows

140

$

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

382759

Chrissy Stites

25

UP TO

Massage

“FIX IT - DON’T REPLACE”

Lic./Ins.

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

Home • Condo • Auto • Umbrella • Boat • Flood

SPECIAL 00 5

$

senior citizen discount. www.sunsetwindowcleaningsrq.com

Purified water window cleaning available!!

Call Tibor for FREE ESTIMATES | 941- 284 - 5880

383273

Furniture Sales & Repairs Cushions • Slings • Re-powdercoating

941-504-0903

Manufacture and workmanship

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

DRIES IN HOURS – NOT DAYS • SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

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

Roofing

382755

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

Made for where you live. Here!

FREE PICKUP / DELIVERY • FREE ONSITE QUOTES

BOOST YOUR BUSINESS

382760

Showcase your products or services each week in the Red Pages.

RED PAGES YourObserver.com/RedPages

CALL 941-955-4888 Insurance

SECUR-ALL INSURANCE AGENCY

Sandra Smith

| 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!

CALL 941-955-4888 YourObserver.com/RedPages

382455

RED PAGES

FREE INSTANT ESTIMATES when you Call RICK for SCHEDULING

382762

382453

SERVING YOU IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME

House Washing, Roofs, Screen Cages, Pavers, Driveways and Walkways.

941-CLEAN IT 2 5 3 - 2 6 4 8

Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

Beauty

PRESSURE WASHING

WE ARE THE SOFT WASH PRESSURE WASHING PROS

$100 COUPON

HoHoBuysCars.com

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

SOFT WASH

382209

5-Star Rated

$100 COUPON

382763

WE COME TO YOU

$100 COUPON

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Do You Have Neck or Low Back Pain?

Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

FAST • EASY • SAFE

941.270.4400

Power Washing

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

SELL YOUR CAR!

15B

$100 COUPON $100 COUPON

Auto Service

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

|

16B

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022

Local Expert Since 1983 Global Reach Since 1744 When a home is marketed by Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, it is presented to highly qualified clientele worldwide through exclusive channels and relationships. Our network spans 79 countries, making us a truly global brand.

1 ,0 0 0

79

2 5,0 0 0

$204 BILLION

O F F I C ES WO R L DW I D E

C O U N T R I ES & T E R R I TO R I ES

SA L ES ASSO C I AT ES

A N N UA L SA L ES ( US D )

THE CHOICE WHEN SELLING YOUR HOME

L I ST W I T H U STO DAY.C O M

SARASOTA 1479 Bay Point Drive Louis Wery

NORTHWEST BRADENTON 8413 9th Avenue NW Jayne Kocher

1005 Riviera Dunes Way Cindy Pierro

$2,600,000 941.920.6818

1750 Benjamin Franklin Drive #8E Nancy Endara & Peter Laughlin

$989,000 941.350.0807

1309 63rd Street West Nathan Mathers

$2,999,000 941.915.6000

550 Norton Street Kathleen Wingate & Steve Branham

$2,995,000 813.731.3332

PALMA SOLA POINTE $790,000 941.720.0408

LONGBOAT KEY $724,900 941.720.0408

LONGBOAT KEY

$1,375,000 941.323.1700

VILLAGE GREEN

FAIRWAY ACRES 5815 7th Avenue Drive West Nathan Mathers

6821 Hughes Street Jayne Kocher

$3,499,900 941.313.1301

KEY TOWER SOUTH

AZALEA PARK 8811 11th Avenue Terrace NW Maureen Morris & Matthew Morris

1718 Bay Street Robert Sherman

LONGBOAT KEY VILLAGE $19,500,000 941.915.6000

ISLAND AT RIVIERA DUNES

HUDSON BAYOU $6,900,000 941.232.3001

641 Fox Street Dennis Girard

9804 2nd Terrace NW Amy Royall

$3,850,000 941.807.2863

BAYOU HARBOR $550,000 941.809.0041

1011 66th Street NW Lisa Gullick

$425,000 941.321.6973

View a rea list ings

7 RESIDENCES

Located in Sarasota’s lively Rosemary District, Collage on Fifth encompasses seven luxury condominiums. Priced from $1,350,000, these unique residences offer a contemporary oasis just moments from the city’s cultural center.

1469 5th Street, Sarasota, FL 34236 | 941.920.1500 Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity. Property information herein is derived from various sources including, but not limited to, county records and multiple listing services, and may include approximations. All information is deemed accurate.

WORTH MORE

SARASOTA - DOWNTOWN | 941.364.4000

VENICE | 941.412.3323

LAKEWOOD RANCH | 941.907.9541

Contact us for a confidential consultation PremierSothebysRealty.com LONGBOAT KEY | 941.383.2500

RENTALS | 941.203.3433

382031-1

your home has never been