Longboat Observer 6.23.22

LONGBOAT

Observer

Celebrating the sea.

PAGE 6B

Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 44, NO. 46

FREE • THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

YOUR TOWN

Town OKs delay of game Key Club asks to put off contentious pickleball-court discussion until fall. PAGE 5A

Lesley Dwyer

Town gives awards

Longboat Key celebrated its employees June 10 with a barbecue lunch at Bayfront Park.

Donna Chipman received the Longevity Award for more than 35 years of service. Her first day was March 30, 1987.

Maika Arnold (above) won the Town Manager Award; the recipient is selected by Town Manager Tom Harmer.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work on great projects that will have a lasting impact on the town,” she said.

“This has been a great position to have for seven-and-a-half years.”

Arnold has been a winner from the start of her tenure.

In March 2015, she raced an Observer editor through traffic.

Arnold was on her bike; the editor was in her car. Arnold won by 11 minutes.

FOCUSING ON LONGBOAT Retired firefighter lights up his life with a passion behind the lens. PAGE 1B

Lesley Dwyer

John Harkness takes the majority of his pictures from this dock behind his Longboat Harbour condominium.

Courtesy photo

Turtle trap

Patrick Engle was vacationing at the Beach Castle Resort last week. He and his family took a long walk down the beach to watch the sunset when they spotted something extraordinary to a Pennsylvanian.

A turtle was coming out of the Gulf onto the sand. He called seeing the sea turtle a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity turned tragic because it got stuck underneath a beach chair. Luckily, Engle was there to remove the chair.

“It’s so easy to take for granted the beautiful nature here on Longboat Key,” Engle said. “Seeing it firsthand really solidified the importance of the signs, posts and notices about cleaning up after oneself.”

Turtle tracks LONGBOAT June 12-18 Nests False crawls

2022 132 167

2021 122 141

Totals since April 24 2022 2021 Nests 651 482 False crawls 690 612

Photos courtesy of John Harkness

Harkness is still waiting for the chance to capture a black skimmer dipping a beak into the water, but he has pelicans aplenty.

Harkness spends a lot of time on the beach with his camera.

A+E

Performing on a tight budget

Head to head.

PAGE 10A

Town moves to save stage project after higher-than-planned bids. PAGE 3A

Source: Mote Marine Laboratory Courtesy rendering

Two bids to finish the Town Center Green were received, both over budget. Then one bidder withdrew.

2A

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

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Big boat prompts examination of town rules Residents of a Longboat community are frustrated by the presence of a large boat that they say is tough to navigate past.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

A

question of maritime law has left a Longboat Key community flummoxed and the Town Commission searching for a suitable resolution.

Kathy Callahan, president of the homeowners association of Country Club Shores I and II, brought a detailed presentation to the June 6 commission meeting regarding a large boat that has been moored in the canal between Ketch and Sloop lanes since November.

Multiple agencies have inspected the stretch of waterway and concluded that it is not a violation of current laws, and the commission has asked Town Attorney Maggie Mooney to investigate whether a new ordinance should be written to deal with such matters in the future.

“They’re looking into whether or not it’s appropriate to regulate the width or size of a boat,” said Town Manager Tom Harmer. “Some of the issues that were brought up there are: ‘Is that boat too big or too wide to be in the canal?’ We currently do not regulate that. ‘Is it appropriate for the commission to regulate that?’ ‘And what issues should they be aware of legally?’”

Callahan’s presentation included a petition signed by 11 residents and also featured pictures of the canal

RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE

Using the police department’s boat as a guide, officers found adequate space to navigate.

and a timeline of the issue’s development. The presentation states that the vessel was first moored at its location in November, and a photo exhibit purports to show that it is taking up more than 50% of the canal’s width.

Initial complaints were received about the boat’s positioning within days. The town dispatched a marine patrol boat to assess the situation in early November and found that navigation was not impeded.

Town management was again notified of the boat’s positioning in January, and it determined the canal was still navigable.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission examined the issue in January and found that it was a local matter outside of its jurisdiction, bringing Callahan right back to the Town Commission.

“We did go through all the proper channels, notifying everyone and submitting all of our forms,” Callahan said of the process leading up to the presentation. “Unfortunately, because this is a gray area that nobody really wants to enforce, talk about or go any further, we’ve had no choice but to take up a petition and provide you with all the documentation necessary.”

The Town Commission discussed the situation June 6 and could not come to any conclusions.

It found that existing regulations dictated how structures such as docks can be built but did not include language about the size of boats tied to them. The relevant town ordinance says that structures may not project into the canal more than 30 feet or 30% of the total width of the navigable waterway.

Commissioner Debra Williams

16’ 1-1/2”

Marine Patrol vessel (32’ Yellowfin) 1/2 canal width

1/3 canal width

looked at the pictures provided by the presentation and said that it appears to represent a “clear violation” of keeping the center lane clear.

But actually doing something about it might require rewriting the law.

“The state of our law now has two components to it,” said Mayor Ken Schneier. “Our zoning law involves structures, and that is docks and other things that are affixed, … which I would assume includes platforms, boat lifts (and) anything else that’s attached. That’s where the 30 feet or 30% rule applies.

“The other part of the law is a rather subjective one, and that’s interference of navigation. That’s day by day. It’s not measured in feet or inches. It’s measured by whether there is a determination you can’t move the vessel down the canal.”

So what happens next?

Harmer said that Mooney will

“It’s not measured in feet or inches.

It’s measured by whether there is a determination you can’t move the vessel down the canal.”

investigate whether the town should write a new ordinance to deal with this boat and future cases of canal navigation.

If there are other complaints about the navigability of the channel, the town will investigate them and determine whether anything has changed.

But otherwise, said Harmer, the town will hear Mooney’s recommendations in September when it returns from its summer break.

“Depending on what she says, if the commission does want to consider some type of ordinance, we’d have to bring that back through a public hearing process,” he said.

“Right now we’re just working with the town attorney on her research.

We’re not preparing an ordinance at this point because the commission hasn’t directed us to do that.”

— Ken Schneier

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

Courtesy rendering

In November, Town Manager Tom Harmer announced that the Karons will donate up to $500,000 to fund and design the construction of the Town Center stage in exchange for naming rights.

STAGING A REDUX Longboat Key shifts gears on financing stage project after contractors’ bids come in high.

ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

M

ight you have a few thousand in spare change between the sofa cushions or rattling around the cupholders of your Ferrari?

Longboat Key would like a word.

The prompt construction of the pavilion at Town Center Green could rest in the balance of a few more private donors joining Paul and Sarah Karon’s $500,000 pledge in helping pay for the project after the town’s two contract bids for the site work and construction came in over budget this month.

And now, town leaders have half the options after one of the contractors, Stellar Development Inc., notified staff first of a six-figure error in its bid and then on Monday withdrew entirely, leaving only Jon Swift Construction’s $2,227,000 bid, which is about $887,000 over the town’s budget.

Stellar’s withdrawn bid was $2.06 million.

Sixty-one contractors viewed the town’s bid solicitation. Bids were opened on June 9.

“At the time, we were actually impressed that two bid, because it is an extremely busy time,” said Public Works Director Isaac Brownman.

“There’s a lot of construction work going on.’’

The town sought a contractor to not only build the centerpiece stage and pavilion on the Town Center Green, but also raise the level of the largely featureless acreage and add walkways, bathrooms, utilities, a retention pond suitable to serve the runoff of the land and a potential library/community center the town is also hoping to build.

Swift’s $1.44 million bid for that site work was about $477,000 over budget, and the stage and pavilion bid was about $780,000, about $360,000 over budget.

Faced with the options of rebidding the project, awarding the site-

work contract only and putting off work on the stage or moving ahead with the site work and seeking to round up additional private donors, town commissioners chose the latter on Monday, hoping to hear encouraging news by July 1, their final meeting before their summer hiatus.

Jim Brown of the Longboat Key Foundation said he’d get started immediately making some contacts, but the recent stock market downturn has some potential donors wary.

“We have an election in November, and everybody is wondering which way it’s going to go,” he said. “Everybody is being cautious in terms of raising funds. The way the economy is going right now, it affects people who were willing to donate.”

He said in recent days he and Mayor Ken Schneier spoke with one such person who “said they’d love to, but right now, they’ve got other problems, and they did donate, what did they give, $2,000?”

Schneier then remarked, “We only need 100 of those.’’

Brown and several commissioners said waiting longer to proceed or rebidding the project soon would likely result in the same outcome – or worse. Adding to commissioners’ concerns was the potential for not only losing momentum on a high-priority project, but also that momentum loss’s effect on ongoing work with Sarasota County on a possible library/community center building on the same land.

In a nonbinding show of consensus, commissioners by a majority of 6-1 signaled their desire to push forward toward a possible vote July 1 to amend the 2023 budget to account for the site-work budget overage and try to round up private commitments to keep the project on track.

Commissioner Sherry Dominick, who opposed the idea, said she was uncomfortable with moving ahead with a project for which one viable bid had been received – one that was over budget. Commissioner B.J. Bishop supported moving ahead and suggested commissioners should consider donating personal funds to the cause.

“I just think we’re in a climate now where we shouldn’t expect it to get better,” Commissioner Mike Hay-

THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLAGE A look at town millage rates through the years: 2.5 2.07 2.0

1.5

2.176 2.13 2.114 2.114 2.114 2.114 2.114 2.114

1.88 1.88 1.88

1.4

1.5

1.49

1.0

0.5

FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22

Millage cut could bring lower taxes Town residents who didn’t buy or sell a home or condominium in the past year can finally gain something from Manatee and Sarasota counties’ superheated real estate market beyond paper gains in property values.

Lower taxes.

Based on early looks at property-tax millage rates proposed by Longboat Key leaders for the next budget year, homesteaded owners could see a reduction in what they owe the town in 2023.

And even owners of non-homesteaded properties could see reductions while the town potentially gains revenue against its proposed expenditures.

“We think there is potential next year and the year after that we may need some of that to make up for a potential downturn that may be occurring,” Town Manager Tom Harmer said.

Though the final millage rate will be set in September, town commissioners on July 1 will set a not-to-exceed rate, likely dipping below $2 per $1,000 of taxable value after staying unchanged at 2.114 since 2017. Town millage hasn’t been below 2 since fiscal year 2013.

Town staff is proposing a millage rate of 1.95, though some town commissioners are informally leaning toward 1.99 to ensure adequate reserves in what could be an uncertain three-year economic stretch.

“We felt like that was a good balance because of the significant increase in taxable value to find a rate that would still be safe for the town to maintain its fiscal sustainability over more than a one-year period but a three-year plus period,’’ Harmer said.

The catalyst to the potential tax reduc-

cock said. “I don’t want to see this project delayed for three years for all the reasons everybody stated, so we have the funds, they’re just sitting there, they’re not doing the taxpayers any good by sitting in our budget, so I think we should find the funds to

tion lies in how state regulations cap how sharply homesteaded properties can gain taxable value, no matter how hot the local market. Even in a year with massive increases in median sales prices, homesteaded values are capped at 3% and non-homesteaded properties at 10%.

In comparison, the sale prices of singlefamily homes in Sarasota County rose from $380,000 in April 2021 to $515,000 a year later. Town property values are estimated for the upcoming tax year at more than $7 billion, up 13.5% from 2021.

In the Manatee County portion of town, 29% of properties are homesteaded; in the Sarasota County portion, it’s 38%.

If the town left the millage rate unchanged at 2.114, about $1.76 million in additional tax revenue would flow into the operating budget. At 1.95 (a 7.8% decrease), that figure falls to $608,917. At 1.99, it’s $890,000.

The proposed 2023 budget calls for $18.3 million in revenue, with $13.7 million of it coming from ad valorem taxes based on 1.95 millage. Expenses are budgeted at $17.8 million.

According to figures provided by the town, a homesteaded resident of the Gulfside taxing district would pay about $185 less in 2023 on a $1 million property, accounting for beach millage, operating millage and the millage rate levied for the rebuilding and remodeling of the town’s two fire stations. A Bayside resident would pay about $100 less.

Non-homestead property owners would see smaller reductions, ranging from less than $10 to about $58.

ERIC GARWOOD

go ahead. On the stage, it’s 15 phone calls, and we’re going to know within a week whether we got a shot at getting the money or not. I don’t think anybody has to study this; they’re either going to say yes or no.”

3A

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

Green boat, blue water Ed Kolodzieski won’t just order an electric boat for you. You can visit his showroom and take one home the next week.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

I

magine being on the water, just you and your family, and no sounds of an engine.

That might have only been possible on a sailboat at one point, but now, Longboat Key residents can avail themselves of a local business that stocks the latest in nautical technology.

Ed Kolodzieski, a marine patrol officer with the Longboat Key Police Department who moonlights as a boat salesman, has been running Ultra-Yacht since 2020, and he says he is one of the only local stocking agents for the Duffy Boat, a zeroemissions electric vessel that can be charged via a shore power cord.

The Duffy Boats are manufactured in California and have been made for a half-century, but Kolodzieski says he finds himself fighting a battle of low awareness.

People know about electric cars, he says, but for some reason they don’t know as much about electric boats.

And when they find out? It sparks a whole new life adventure.

“If you think about people who own a Harley-Davidson, they don’t say it’s a motorcycle. It’s a lifestyle,” he says. “The Duffy is more likely to be bought by someone later in life.

“They’ve boated for a while and they want to be out on the water. It’s not about how fast the boat goes; it’s almost about being in your floating living room and enjoying nature with your friends.”

Kolodzieski says that Sarasota Bay is one of the ideal places in the country to operate a Duffy boat; it has protected inland waters, and you can go boating year-round.

The boats can operate up to 12 hours on a full charge, so the occupants don’t need to go out on the water searching for gas stations before they return home.

In most cases, says Kolodzieski, you wouldn’t be able to just walk into a dealership and buy a Duffy boat.

You’d go in and place an order, and it could take eight months to process and be delivered. Kolodzieski says he tries to keep a few in stock, but it’s nearly impossible to keep them around that long.

“We can sell every boat we get our hands on,” says Kolodzieski. “We’re proactively ordering the most common boat people are going to want, and we have them in stock. If they want a Cuddy Cabin, we’ll have to order it.

“But if you want a Sun Cruiser, we’re going to say, ‘We have a couple Sun Cruisers to choose from. Do you like one of the ones we have? If you do, you can own it next week.’”

When he’s talking to customers, Kolodzieski says he frequently asks them questions cast in the negative.

Are you looking to go fast, go waterskiing or wakeboarding? Are you looking to go far off-shore?

Because if you are, a Duffy boat might not be for you.

Are you somebody who likes to fiddle with the boat? You might be out of luck. There’s not much boat maintenance on the electric vessels, and the motor carries a full warranty for the life of the original owner.

So who is a candidate for the Duffy? Someone who doesn’t want to be forced to do a lot of work on their boat, and someone who’s looking for a peaceful day on the water.

“You would never think of this

Courtesy photo

“It’s not about how fast the boat goes; it’s almost about being in your floating living room and enjoying nature with your friends.”

— Ed Kolodzieski

boat if you need to go 40 miles off shore,” says Kolodzieski. “It’s interesting. The youngest generation is concerned about having zero emission boats, but people of my age are also interested in it. It’s not about how fast you go; it’s about slowing down and taking in nature and enjoying it.”

The boats retail at a price starting in the high $40,000s and ranging all the way into the $70,000 range, and Kolodzieski says there are three basic models that you can purchase.

There’s the Sun Cruiser, the most-

popular version, and the Bay Island and the Cuddy Cruiser. All three models fit 12 people; the difference is the layout of the cabin.

With the Bay Island, the whole cabin is covered, but the Sun Cruiser can only fit eight people inside the enclosed cabin plus three or four standing exposed on the deck.

The Cuddy Cabin can be completely enclosed, plus there’s the option of adding a small marine head.

“If six or eight people go out on the boat, I’m pretty confident that three or four people will want to sit outside,” says Kolodzieski of the Sun Cruiser. “It’s kind of the best of both worlds.

“If it’s inclement weather or really cold, you still can have eight people out enclosed just like the Bay Island.

But you’re limited to eight people.

Most people aren’t taking 12 people out.”

Captain Ed Kolodzieski and two clients enjoy a sunny day on Sarasota Bay in a Duffy Sun Cruiser.

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LONGBOAT

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

Key Club granted extra time for pickleball plans MANAGING EDITOR

T

he Longboat Key Planning and Zoning Board on Tuesday approved the Longboat Key Club’s request to continue discussion of its proposal to build four new pickleball courts adjacent to its Tennis Gardens until Sept. 20.

The continuance concluded a contentious morning in which residents, mostly from neighborhoods near the site of the proposed courts, spoke out against the possibilities of noise, lighting disturbances and tree removal and offered alternatives that would mitigate all of those concerns.

It was a different scene from the original public hearing on the topic in April.

Instead of April’s nearly empty Town Commission chamber, about 40 people, including commissioners Debra Williams and Penny Gold, attended on Tuesday.

Instead of a few minutes of discussion about sound, arguments Tuesday not only focused on the sound created by the play of the sport but also a key segment of the town’s sound ordinance that exempts recreational facilities “to which the public or community has access.”

New discussion areas also focused on removal of trees planted in 2007 in the area of the proposed courts meant to screen light from the thennew Tennis Gardens and the potential of an alternative pickleball site elsewhere on Key Club property, perhaps even supporting construction of quieter tennis courts to accommodate. The board also encouraged residential outreach by the Key Club.

Board members voted 6-0 to accept the Key Club’s request for

a continuance. Member Margaret Nuzzo was absent.

Attorney Edward Willner, who represents Winding Oaks residents, questioned the town staff’s assertion that the project meets the criteria of the noise-rule exemption, arguing that the Longboat Key Club is anything but accessible to the public.

“Intuitively, a private club is not a public facility,” Willner said.

Town Attorney R. David Jackson, when asked his opinion, said he leaned toward agreeing with the town staff’s assertion about the exemption, adding that there was no mention in the ordinance about private clubs and noting there was a difference between a pay-to-play club and a private residence or condominium association to which the public has no access.

Allen Parsons, the town’s director of planning, building and zoning, said the Key Club’s golf courses are also entitled to the noise-rule exemption, as is the town’s own public Tennis Center, even though fees are required to play in both places.

“The public would still have access by paying,” Parsons said.

Board Chair David Green cautioned the other five members in attendance and members of the public that the legal issue had not been thoroughly researched. “Right now, we’re only going to have dueling legal opinions,” he said.

That those dueling opinions were even voiced Tuesday was a result of the Key Club withdrawing its original application and starting over as a result of a delay in mailed-out notices announcing the first public hearing in April. Following the Planning and Zoning Board’s original approval, Winding Oaks residents argued

Eric Garwood

A notice of Tuesday’s public hearing was posted at the north gate to Bay Isles.

against the proposal citing noise concerns, worries about lighting at night and the lack of notification.

E-mails to Town Hall throughout May and June repeated the complaints of the specific noise created by the game, some claiming health issues would follow if the courts were approved at about 360 feet from the nearest homes. In one e-mail, a writer claimed: “headaches, sleep issues and mental distress have been reported by residents living near pickleball courts . . . With almost every game being four (or more) players, pickleball also has a

higher ‘excitement’ level than a singles game of tennis, leading to more participation cheering and noise.”

Attorney John Patterson, representing the Longboat Key Club, said the club performed an informal sound test from a strip of clubowned land across the water from the proposed site but did not submit the results of that test as part of its presentation.

Saying the test was not performed by experts with a device of unknown calibration, Patterson, without revealing the findings, said the results were encouraging.

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“It’s not going to be an issue,’’ Patterson said.

Patterson told board member Gary Coffin that the club would be amenable to a more formal acoustic study before the issue is heard again in a public setting.

He also said the club’s application meets all the town’s criteria for the development plan amendment with no legal justification for rejection.

The club also is now proposing a 3-foot high-berm on the north end of the project, with a double row of fast-growing vegetation on top to help screen potential noise.

“If the pickleball courts were to overlay the existing courts, we wouldn’t be here today,” said board member Michael Warnstedt, referring to the town’s requirement for such a change to the development plan. Similarly, the Key Club’s conversion of tennis courts into pickleball courts in 2019 adjacent to the marina required no approval because the tennis facility was in place.

The residents’ group also requested the Key Club consider an alternative site for the courts, converting tennis facilities farther away and perhaps building new tennis courts at the proposed site on the assumption that tennis is quieter.

The town required four specific conditions: n Show the position of a required bike rack on the site plan; n Submit a tree permit to deal with removal and replacement; n Court lights will be turned off by 9 p.m. Adjacent tennis court lights already turn off automatically at the same time. n A stormwater narrative will be submitted to the town.

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The Planning and Zoning Board’s leadership will remain the same for another year, following a quick round of elections to kick off Tuesday’s meeting. Re-election was unanimous for Chair David Green Vice Chair David Lapovsky and Secretary Jay Plager. “It’s a priceless opportunity,” Green said.

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Noise arguments revolve around questions about public access and sound-rule exemption.

ERIC GARWOOD

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

HAIR • NAILS • SPA

Longboat Key leaders finalize no-boat zones

Les Ciseaux Salon & Spa has a new owner, Dawn Lewis!

An employee at Les Ciseaux for over 24 years, Dawn recently purchased the business and will continue its legacy of unparalleled service.

Two areas nearest private land are now designated as bathing zones.

ERIC GARWOOD

The weather is getting Humid!

MANAGING EDITOR

Get a Keratin Treatment to tame the Frizz!

segment of a popular boating destination on the northern tip of Longboat Key will likely be off limits to boaters but not swimmers by the July Fourth weekend after a final vote Monday by the Town Commission.

Commissioners gave final approval in a special meeting to bathingbeach designations for two stretches of beach on the eastern-facing portion of Greer Island designed to block access to powerboats that typically anchor or beach there on weekends.

The 6-0 vote, with Commissioner Mike Haycock absent, means powerboats will be barred from a 50-by180-foot rectangle that starts about 50 feet north of the dock extending from the property at 7300 Gulf of Mexico Drive, owned by real estate company CEO Michael Saunders. A second 50-foot-wide zone extends 140 feet east from the Gulf side of the Longboat Pass Bridge.

Additionally, a banana-shaped zone connecting the two bathingbeach zones will be enforced to ensure no vessels anchor or beach in the narrow stretch between the dock and the sand, using existing regulations that forbid anchored boats from blocking navigation.

Buoys and signs will be added by the town in those areas, and police will enforce the regulations, backed by first-time fines of $250 and subsequent fines of $500 for repeat offenses.

State wildlife officers could also assist town police with enforcement, Town Manager Tom Harmer said.

Powerboat access to the remainder of the beach, on either side of the Longboat Pass Bridge, will be unaffected.

No residents spoke in favor of or opposed to the measure.

“The ability of staff, counsel and everybody to step up to pull this thing together before the Fourth of July has been heroic,” Mayor Ken Schneier said. “It’s been a great job.

I think it’s a great ordinance; I hope it works. And being able to get the buoys and the signage and all this ready on a very tight schedule has been really, really spectacular work.”

Following emergency dredging work in early 2021 to push the waterline back north from the dock, the

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wraparound beach that forms Greer Island has reformed, and sand has once again encroached on the Land’s End dock, putting boaters near and on the private property and closing off the Greer Island lagoon from tidal 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 near the dock will likely not happen until late 2022.

As the sand spit grew, north-end property owners complained about noise and bad boater behavior, which led to the commission to consider action. It initially found navigating the issue difficult to address until landing on the bathing-beach idea, which has been reviewed by state wildlife officials without objection.

Town commissioners initially approved the measure June 6, then scheduled an out-of-sequence special meeting on Monday for a final vote to ensure enough time to install informational signs and markers, and get word out by the holiday weekend.

It’s not the first time Longboat leaders moved quickly on an issue that involved north-end residents and boaters. In 2021, commissioners passed an emergency noise ordinance on the Friday before the holiday setting civil fines and allowing police to enforce its provisions.

In that case, a single vote put the emergency rules in place with a twothirds majority. It passed 6-0.

The beach on Greer Island is a popular boating destination.

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 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 Managing Editor / Eric Garwood, EGarwood@YourObserver.com Staff Writers / Lesley Dwyer, LDwyer@yourobsever.com Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com Copy Editor / Shawn Candela, SCandela@YourObserver.com Editorial Designers / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com; José Valle, JValle@YourObserver.com A+E Editor / Spencer Fordin, SFordin@YourObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Harry Sayer, HSayer@YourObserver.com

Where’s the party?

Sarasota is known for its robust social scene full of fundraisers and events. But with its lack of large-capacity venues, area organizations fret about where to host their events in the future.

EMILY WALSH PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

O

n June 17, the Sarasota Chamber hosted its Frank G. Berlin Sr. Small Business Awards at the Hyatt Regency. With nearly 600 people in attendance, President and CEO Heather Kasten said even sponsors were seated near the back of the 9,879-square-foot ballroom.

Which made us wonder, with the impending redevelopment of the Hyatt Regency, what venues are left to accommodate indoor events for more than 400 people?

In a town that is very much centered around events for both the business and nonprofit communities, and with 75 major events already booked on the 2022-2023 social calendar (and surely more to come), event and meeting space is a hot commodity. Currently the only event spaces with enough square footage to accommodate large indoor events are the Circus Arts Conservatory, with 15,000 square feet; Hyatt Regency, with 9,879 square feet; The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, with 12,100 square feet; and the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, with 10,000 square feet.

Phil Mancini, co-proprietor of Michael’s On East, has 35 years of experience in the event and catering business. He said there are venues to accommodate dinner functions, but hosting lunch events is where the problem lies.

“In the evenings, we have a lot of big groups over at the Circus Arts Conservatory,” said Mancini.

In April, due to weather conditions, Mancini persuaded the Sarasota Ballet to move its gala from a tent in front of the Sarasota Opera House to the Circus Arts Conservatory. “Now the ballet wants to have their event there for the next four or five years,” he said.

Mancini said space is going to be needed after the Hyatt Regency closes to be demolished and rebuilt, and especially with the possibility of the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium being managed by The Players Centre for the Performing Arts.

But he also thinks parking is more of problem than space. Michael’s On East is the exclusive caterer for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, and, Mancini said, “Selby can’t do any lunches or brunches until next summer because there’s no parking.” He added: “I think my ballroom is going to be very busy.”

In May, the Sarasota City Commission denied a proposal from The Players to lease and manage the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium and instead instructed The Players, Bay Park Conservancy, Sarasota Film Festival and city staff to continue discussions on how best to manage the auditorium. (Full disclosure, I serve on the Bay Park Conservancy Board of Directors.)

Many area groups that have held their fundraisers and events at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium were worried about its availability if The Players took over management. CEO William Skaggs said The Players still wants to host events for other nonprofits. “We want to continue to have availability for the Library Foundation, Girls Inc., certainly, and the Debutante Ball has been there forever.”

Luckily, area organizations don’t need to be too concerned right now.

Wes Santos, general manager of the Hyatt Regency, said things are still business as usual.

“Kolter hasn’t officially taken over,” he said. “We have business booked through July of 2023 and are cautiously looking at business in the fourth quarter of next year.”

He said there is a lot that is still being discussed and they will have more insight when Kolter closes in July.

“There will be a lot of collaboration with Kolter on where things go regarding a sales perspective,” he said.

Director of Sales and Marketing Debbie DeVito reiterated: “We’re not turning away any business.”

Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota, said that in recent talks with Kolter, the Thompson Hotel replacing the Hyatt will have a ballroom not as big as the Hyatt, but with more square footage than the 5,510-square-foot Westin, and notes that nothing is official until permits are filed. Not only will this affect event business, but also meetings.

“With the St. Regis coming online in June 2023, it’s going to be a different kind of meeting that comes to Sarasota,” said Haley. “It’s going to be continued high-end meetings and incentive travel that right now mostly goes to the Longboat Key Club and The Ritz. What we’ll lose is the lower-rated state association events and what to do

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with our big local events, proms and fundraisers.”

At a recent Observer Media Group event exclusive to our members, “Newsies,” Haley shared that there is real opportunity for a conference center. She thinks that the last piece of land large enough to build a conference center is the land where the U.S. Postal Service office resides at 1661 Ringling Blvd. in downtown Sarasota. She said, “I don’t own it, but I’ve been told that post office leases are really long and almost impossible to break.”

Other organizations have seen this opportunity. The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee is about to start construction on a 10,000-square-foot ballroom inside its 28,000-square-foot Morganroth Event Center on the Larry and Mary Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life, which will open in summer 2023.

“This is mostly an existing building, previously a large theater and gathering place, and we have the opportunity to update it for today’s needs,” said Shep Englander, CEO. “There is a shortage of event venues that have a large capacity in the market. We’ve taken over the role of the former Jewish Community Center for our Jewish events, film festival and book and lecture series.”

Chief Advancement Officer Hermonie Gilpin said the space is not only for the federation’s own events, but also for other non-profits and diversifies the organization’s revenue model. Englander said the space is aimed at serving families celebrating weddings, anniversaries, bar mitzvahs, non-profit events and local business conferences.

So for now, everyone can take a short sigh of relief and party on.

What will be interesting is to see who else comes to the table with a solution for larger event spaces.

There are four event sites in Sarasota with about 10,000 square feet or more. One of them is the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium (pictured top) and another is The RitzCarlton, Sarasota (above).

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

TUESDAY, JUNE 14

LBK Democrats, Republicans suggest gun reforms Given the events of the last several weeks and the initiatives in Congress to address gun violence, we would like to urge your support for the following elements which are contained in the various legislative alternatives.

To begin, we are a group of concerned citizens calling for bipartisan action. Four of us are members of the Republican Club of Longboat Key and four of us are members of the Democratic Club, also of Longboat Key. We fondly refer to our group as “The Miracle on the Key.” We have been meeting for the past 18 months in an effort to support, among other things, the development of a civil dialogue among all our citizens, the media and, particularly, our political leaders.

The elements of productive legislation focused on reducing gun violence include: n Mandating background checks for all gun purchasers; n Raising the age to 21 to purchase a firearm. The logic for minimum age of 21 to buy alcohol should be applicable for guns as well; n Eliminating large-capacity magazines from purchases by the general public; n Eliminating armor piercing and soft point ammunition purchases by members of the general public; n Prohibiting sales of body armor to the general public; n Establishing a waiting period for all firearm purchases.

While it is certainly true that there is always a person pulling the trigger to create the tragic events like Uvalde and Buffalo, and also true that we need to develop better ways of identifying and treating these potential perpetrators before they take action to harm their fellow citizens, there is also no question that restricting the ability to procure firearms used for mass casualties will have a positive impact on reducing deaths and

injury by gun violence.

All of us come together, Democrats and Republicans, to urge you to collaborate with your fellow Senators and the House to develop bipartisan legislation to reduce gun violence now.

ROBERT GARY, SCOTT GRAY, PAUL HYLBERT, LUCIE LAPOVSKY, LYNN LARSON, ED SABOL, HERB SOROCA, BECKY VAN DER BOGERT LONGBOAT KEY

Focus on issues we can fix I was overjoyed to read your opinion in the June 2 Observer.

It solidified my idea that you have continued to inflame, mislead and generalize the reasons for this country’s current inflation woes, which you cannot fix.

Do you think there are people that will change their opinions based on your column?

There are those who might agree with you, but the “low, middle” income citizens know that the real answer is greed, the almighty dollar. Corporations in this country just rake in the dough and pass on to the little guy price increases caused by so called “shortages.”

It has just gotten ridiculous.

Baby formula? Eggs? Meat?

Supply line issues? It is always something.

In addition, while we are at the mercy of the “market” economy, prices go up without a shortage.

Apple juice at Publix went from $5.99 to $8.29 in one week. It is still for sale at Detweiler’s for $5.99.

Isn’t it a little obvious?

Check out the price increases at Goodwill. Now that is suspicious when they are granted nonprofit status and the items for sale are donated. Package size at the grocery store decreases, but the price stays the same or even increases. It has all become quite boring, in fact.

But the most important reason for my letter is to ask to please, please direct your column toward local issues that you might be able to help change. A city Affordable Housing Town Hall meeting was held on June 13. I hope you had someone report on that. Reports of car break-ins, porch pirates and thefts are greeted with perceived apathy by the police department.

But patrol cars can be dispatched to a call about a dispute over a drinking cup or a complaint about a condominium’s governing board.

Reckless driving and speeding are out of control.

How about kudos for adding more instructional signs at roundabouts and the Legacy Trail? A continuous update on the roadway mess at Beneva and Bahia Vista would be beneficial. Details of the road construction on Tuttle Avenue and Ringling Boulevard could allow proactive changes to our commutes.

You could discuss issues for the betterment of our local community.

Your leadership could bring answers and solutions! I am very doubtful that you can change the inflation mess.

MAGGIE ROSE SARASOTA

BE HEARD

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

UNKNOWN ITEM 9:59 p.m., 5000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Suspicious Incident: A resident called police to say that she had returned home to find an unidentified bracelet in her home at a time when nobody should’ve been there. Police responded, and the complainant advised that the bracelet belonged to her son.

SATURDAY, JUNE 11

MISTAKEN IDENTITY 7:11 p.m., 200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Suspicious incident: Police were notified of a potential battery, but when they arrived, the parties had left the scene. Police ran a license plate of the car in the incident and responded to the address, but the people there said they hadn’t been involved in any altercation.

REPTILE REMOVAL 6:08 p.m., 500 block of Harbor Point Drive Animal Complaint: The police responded to a call regarding a snake on a resident’s patio. Police conferred with the occupant of the home, found the same and removed it from the area.

SUNDAY, JUNE 12

SAFE ASHORE 12:47 p.m., Longboat Pass Boat — Miscellaneous: Police were advised that there was a report of a disabled personal watercraft near Longboat Pass. Prior to arrival of the police, though, it was ascertained that the personal watercraft had been able to make it to shore and was not in need of assistance.

PRIVATE BEACH 3:49 p.m., Sands Point Road Trespassing: A complainant called the police to report that a pair of individuals were walking on private property on the beach. The

9A

COPS CORNER

LETTERS

|

police responded and spoke to the complainant before approaching the individuals to advise them they were on private property. Police noted that there is no sign or any notice posted to indicate it is private property.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15

TOO LOUD 7:44 a.m., 600 block of Cedar Street Noise Complaint: Police were dispatched to deal with a noise complaint, and when they arrived, they found a man with a tractortrailer running who was operating a front-end loader to drop landscape paver pallets on the property. Police informed him that he was in violation of a town ordinance sound regulation and issued him a civil citation for the offense.

WRONG ROAD 10:13 a.m., 1200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Traffic Warning: Police were advised that a golf cart was being operated on the roadway. They responded and observed a “Zoom Around Golf Cart Rental” cart being operated and stopped the driver. The police issued a warning to the operator and towed the golf cart.

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JUNE 23, 2022

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT Ricardo Sosa epitomizes strength, grace and dexterity.

Think this act wasn’t hard enough? Abreham Mola builds it even bigger.

SUPER FEATS & LYING EYES

Olga Coronas and Holly Legare bring synchronized dance and aerial acrobatics to their act.

The Summer Circus Spectacular lives up to its lofty billing with unbelievable feats of coordination and skill.

SPENCER FORDIN A+E EDITOR

F

or an hour, anything is possible.

When you sit down at the Historic Asolo Theater for the Summer Circus Spectacular, you might not be sure what you’re about to see. But you can be sure it

will be remarkable.

Depending on when you arrive, you might see Pedro Reis, the cofounder and CEO of the Circus Arts Conservatory, in the lobby of the Ringling Museum. You might even be needled by Chris Allison, the clown college graduate, before you get a chance to sit down.

That’s when it gets really interesting. Allison, a veteran of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, provides interstitial comedy throughout the performance, interacting with the audience and providing time for the sets to change behind the curtain.

But it’s the main acts that will thrill

and energize your soul.

The first act, Abreham Mola, performs on the rolla bolla, which basically looks like a plank on top of a tomato can. He stands on it, moving from side to side, looking like he might well be about to hurt himself.

But he doesn’t; he recovers and starts doing stunts.

Mola, at one point in the act, receives assistance from someone on the ground. He’s standing at least 5 feet up on the platform, perched precariously, and someone is throwing shelves at him. Mola deftly catches them, stacks them on the cylinder, stands on top of them.

He’s building a bookcase.

Photos by Harry Sayer

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Audience member Caleb Overholt helps Chris Allison bring the funny.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

11A

The cast of the Summer Circus Spectacular will leave you flabbergasted.

And he’s standing on top, shelf by shelf, without missing a beat.

He’ll also take it apart, stepping down, tossing the planks back off the platform.

And if you’ve ever assembled or disassembled an IKEA bookcase, you know it shouldn’t look this easy.

Mola, born in Ethiopia, will perform a couple more death-defying feats of balance.

He’ll put a ball on top of the platform and a plank on top of the ball, and then he’ll stand on that. By the time he gets down, you’re just happy that nobody has hurt themselves.

The next act, Ricardo Sosa, is even harder to believe.

Sosa, a Cuban hand balancer and contortionist, will flex his body into anatomically impossible positions, and he’ll be able to support all of his weight on one strengthened hand.

There are times when Sosa, 56 years old, resembles an Olympic gymnast on the uneven bars, suspended upside down and spreading his legs. And there are times where

IF YOU GO

SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR When: Runs through Aug. 13; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tues. to Fri.; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sat. Where: Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road Tickets: $18 adults, $12 children 12 and under Info: Ringling.org

he resembles something almost inhuman. He’ll stand on a platform, poised on one leg, and curve his other leg all the way behind his head without losing his balance. At one point, he turns around, back to the audience, and puts his entire torso though his leg split. This man is made of Silly Putty and somehow always snaps back into shape.

Allison has the hard act of stitching the show back together when the main acts leave the stage, and he’s

assisted by master of ceremonies Heidi Harriott.

Allison interacts with the audience and calls them up to assist in his juggling and comedy acts, sometimes kids and sometimes adults to help him. But when the laughs subside, another act hits the stage.

The third act, Olga Coronas and Holly Legare, would absolutely be at home in the Olympics.

The pair of acrobats perform on the duo lyra, and their synchronized dance routine is reminiscent of rhythmic gymnastics. But that’s before they get off the ground.

Coronas and Legare grab onto what looks like a giant hula hoop and hoisted into the air, where they continue their high-flying acrobatics. They hang precariously from one hand, using each other’s bodies for support, limbs spelling out impossibly acute angles.

At another moment, they cross over each other’s bodies, weaving into and out of the hoop, legs split and arms akimbo.

One member of the act sits atop the hoop, 15 feet off the ground, while her partner sits inside it.

They’ll use each other’s bodies to perform incredible feats; there will be moments when you can’t tell where one performer begins and the other ends. Somehow, at one point, one member of the team is thrusting outside of the hoop, arms behind her to support herself, and her partner is pointed straight down, head toward the floor. They right themselves again and again before returning to Earth and a relieved ovation.

The final act, well, you have to see it to believe it.

For instance, I can use my words to tell you that one member of the act will balance his partner in his palm, holding her by the head, while she is completely inverted and pointing her legs directly up in the air.

But that doesn’t mean anything until you’ve seen it performed for yourself.

Cuba natives Julio Fajardo Arjona and Seida Maite Ramirez Lobaina’s

act is incredibly sensual, full of elements of ballroom dancing and also balancing acts of wizardry.

Their strength, grace and dexterity cannot be overstated.

Arjona won’t just balance his partner in one hand; he’ll toss her and catch her, guiding her through incredible movements.

At one point, she’ll balance herself … ON HER HEAD … on top of his head.

There are no wires. No nets.

And no chance you can picture it until you see it in person.

By the point Arjona and Lobaina leave the stage, you’ll be emotionally drained, uncertain of how any human being can learn the acts they’ve performed over the last hour.

You’ve seen balancing acts, contortionists and nimble acrobats who perform stupendous stunts without acknowleding the laws of gravity.

And they’ll all come out together, so you can shower them with one final round of applause.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

THIS WEEK THURSDAY SUMMER CIRCUS SPECTACULAR 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road $18; children over 12 $12; children 12 and under free Visit Ringling.org.

Sarasota, a circus city, is bracing for the summer spectacular, which will bring the art of the circus to the Historic Asolo Theater. The event, a partnership between the Circus Arts Conservatory and The Ringling, will bring a number of talented artists to Sarasota through 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. 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.

‘TRIUMPHS’ 4:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $29-$40 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

New festival faculty members perform an afternoon focused on individual instruments. Demarre McGill plays Francis Poulenc’s popular “Flute Sonata,” Teng Li leads Rebecca Clarke’s groundbreaking “Viola Sonata,” and Robert DeMaine, Ani Kavafian and Jeffrey Kahane join for Robert Schumann’s expressive “Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor.”

ART WITH A TWIST: GALLERY TOURS 5 p.m. at Art Ovation Hotel, 1255 N. Palm Ave. $15; hotel guests free Visit Facebook.com/ArtOvationHotel.

Art Ovation Hotel’s Overture Restaurant & Gallery Lounge offers a tour of its art exhibitions every Monday to Friday through July 1.

The tour begins in the lounge. Tickets include a glass of champagne and two hours of complimentary parking.

‘ATHENA’ 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? Runs through July 10.

‘RING OF FIRE’ 8 p.m. at FST’s 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.

FRIDAY ‘RISING STARS 3’ 2:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $15-$22 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

The third “Rising Stars” concert of the Sarasota Music Festival features several short chamber works and movements, including Mozart’s “Allegretto” movement from “Piano Quintet in E-flat Major,” the second and third movements of Jean Françaix’s “Quatuor,” and Brahms’ “Andante, un poco Adagio” movement from “Piano Quintet in F Minor.”

‘ROCK & ROLL REIGNITED WITH NOT FADE AWAY’ 6 and 9 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $36 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Florida Studio Theatre’s Summer Cabaret show, 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. Runs through Aug. 7.

KEITH ALBERSTADT 6:30 and 8:50 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

OUR PICK

‘WENDY AND PETER PAN’ Off to Neverland! In an adaption of the beloved tale, “Wendy and Peter Pan” features everyone’s favorite characters, from thieving pirates and jungle rulers to the most lovable, unlikely heroes.

Explore what it means to grow up and the role gender plays in society from a young age in this Dingbat Theatre Project production. Runs through July 10.

Keith Alberstadt is a funny guy, but he also has a big heart. A regular performer for the U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Alberstadt has been described as “absolutely hilarious” by Armed Forces Entertainment and “a hidden gem” by the Boston Globe. He’s also a contributing writer for “Saturday Night Live’s” Weekend Update and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”

‘DAMAGED GOODS’ 7:30 p.m. at Studio 1130, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail $21.50 Visit SarasotaArts.org.

IF YOU GO When: 8 p.m.

Where: Studio One @ Reflex Arts, 6260 N. Lockwood Ridge Road Tickets: $10-$20 Info: Visit DingbatTheatre.org.

subject matter, painter Rita Rust explores how to find joy and light in the darkest of times with “Moxie.”

The exhibit is on display through July 30, and an opening reception will be held from 6-9 p.m. July 1.

Loretta is a fading star who once shined bright as a child actress.

She decides to re-create herself — and hopefully regain fame — via her gifted daughter, which is exactly what Loretta’s mother did to her. Presented by The Players Centre for Performing Arts, the play by Ron Pantello was the 2019 winner of the New Play Festival.

Runs through Sunday.

‘THE LITTLE MERMAID’ 1 p.m. at Riverview High School, 1 Ram Way $25 Visit FutureOfDance.org.

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

Wind and string instruments intermingle in this Sarasota Music Festival program. The evening begins with “Theme and Variations”

by Amy Beach, the first American woman to compose and publish a symphony. Jean Françaix’s “Dixtuor” for 10 players follows, and the program ends with Beethoven’s “Septet in E-flat Major.”

OPEN MIC 7:30 p.m. at The Reserve Retreat, 1322 N. Tamiami Trail Free admission; two-item minimum Visit TheReserveRetreat.com.

Every Friday night is open mic night at The Reserve, and with Brittany Loeffler hosting, it’s bound to be a fun night. Interested singers, rappers, spoken word poets, comedians, etc., are welcome. Sign-ups start at 7:15 p.m., and the entertainment begins at 7:30.

SATURDAY ‘MOXIE’ BY RITA RUST 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Art Uptown, 1367 Main St. Free Visit ArtUptown.com.

Art Uptown’s newest exhibition opens. In a change from her typical

Future of Dance presents its youth program’s spring production perfect for all ages: a dance interpretation of the classic under-the-sea tale. The Sarasota dance school fosters youth dance education, with performances a collaboration of students and faculty.

‘FROM AMERICA TO ITALY’ 7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $29-$65 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

The final Sarasota Music Festival program opens with George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings,” a tribute to his grandmother, a formerly enslaved person. Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor follows, with a feature performance by violinist Francesca Anderegg. The evening concludes with Felix Mendelssohn’s joyous Symphony No. 4.

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

Giacomo Puccini’s “Turandot,” completed posthumously in 1926, tells of a prince who falls in love with a princess but must solve three riddles in order to marry her.

One wrong answer and the suitor is executed. In this production, the

opera finale is changed by Luciano Berio from the traditional ending.

HOPE FROM THE HARP 5 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road Suggested donation $36; students $18 Visit HopeFromTheHarp.org.

Temple Sinai hosts a benefit concert, with all proceeds going toward the nonprofit Emergency, which helps Ukrainian refugees with medical aid and relief efforts.

Giuseppina Ciarla, the principal harpist at the Sarasota Opera, will perform original and classic songs from her album “A Ticket Home.”

BENEVA FRUITVILLE’S DRAG QUEEN BINGO BONANZA 8 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Come see Sarasota’s beloved queen, Beneva Fruitville, in the naughtiest game of bingo in town.

Enjoy performances by special quests and plenty of surprises at the penultimate show of the “longest continuously running theatrical production in Sarasota,” as Beneva Fruitville is conquering a new adventure nationwide. The final Bingo Bonanza will be July 31.

WEDNESDAY ‘MAYTAG VIRGIN’ 8 p.m. at FST’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. From $36 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Over the year following the death of her husband, Alabama teacher Lizzy Nash gets to know her neighbor, the unflappable Jack Key. Their bond grows while they explore self-enlightenment in this love story, and they face the question: How do you know it’s time to love again? Runs through July 31.

WHERE SUMMER FUN BEGINS!

For program details visit catdepot.org

2542 17th St, Sarasota • 941-366-2404 • info@catdepot.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

A+E REVIEWS

Merry Men ‘Hood’ reimagines the legend of Robin Hood in Asolo Repertory Theatre’s inventive musical adaptation.

MARTY FUGATE

IF YOU GO

THEATER CRITIC

‘HOOD’ When: Through June 26 Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota Tickets: $31-$98 Info: Call 351-8000 or visit AsoloRep.org

“H

ood” is the Asolo Repertory Theatre’s final summer production.

This musical is the brainchild of Douglas Carter Beane (playwright) and Lewis Flinn (composer and lyricist). It’s an old story — 700 years old, at least. I didn’t expect to see anything new. I was off the mark.

Here’s Beane and Flinn’s spin on the legend: Robert of Loxley (Anthony Chatmon II) is the musical’s hero. He starts out as a zero, the coddled son of a nobleman who’s never had to fight for anything.

After the Sheriff of Nottingham slaughters his father, he flees to the forest and gets an arrow in the back.

He’s left for dead, but Meg (Aury Krebs) nurses him back to health. He then slowly rallies the forest fugitives around him.

Originally, he’s just helping them survive; becoming a folk hero isn’t Robert’s plan.

That changes when a panicky aristocrat riding through the woods assumes Robert’s a bandit and mishears his name as “Robin Hood” before tossing him his purse.

A strolling minstrel witnesses this scene and makes up the legend of “Robin Hood” on the spot.

The folk hero’s legend spreads, his followers grow, and Robert/ Robin goes along with it. His merry band gets increasingly skilled at stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

The sheriff, meanwhile, finds out that the man under the hood is Robert of Loxley — who’s very much alive. To change that, the

sheriff decides to lure Robin out of hiding.

First, he uses the threat of his forced wedding to Maid Marian, the love of Robin’s life. Then he tries an archery contest in which the winner gets a golden arrow.

In this retelling, the woman (Savy Jackson) is the ace archer who wins the contest.

Besides Maid Marian’s archery aptitude, the legend is mostly the same. The key difference is the order of cause and effect. Here, the legend of Robin Hood comes first. The man becomes the legend as a result.

Under Mark Brokaw’s direction, this postmodern pastiche unfolds with verve, gusto, brio and panache.

He keeps the show moving and keeps taking you to surprising places. The actors do, too.

As this is a large-cast production, here are just a few highlights: Chatmon’s Robert/Robin grows into the legend. Truth be told, he’s a second-rate archer, but he’s an excellent leader and strategist.

The people need him; he becomes the hero they need.

Jackson’s Maid Marian is no damsel in distress. As noted, she’s a first-rate archer in this retelling.

When the bad guys threaten the people she loves, Marian’s aim is always true.

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Photo courtesy of Frank Atura

The cast of Asolo Rep’s “Hood”

Luke Antony Neville’s Will Scarlett is a badass who’s good with his fists. (Imagine Paul Lynde after extensive training with Rocky’s fight coach.)

Nick Rehberger’s naughty Sheriff of Nottingham chews up human lives but doesn’t chew up the scenery. (Like most bad guys in real life, he thinks he’s the good guy.)

“Hood” is a moving musical, in more ways than one.

Ellenore Scott’s choreography is artful and sophisticated but looks natural and spontaneous.

Although the troupe is seriously trained, their dance moves evoke what simple country folk could do.

Scott’s approach helps you relate to the musical’s characters.

They’re human, just like you.

Speaking of dance, Flinn’s merry tunes give Robin’s merry band a reason to move their feet.

In a weak musical, songs are a lazy gimmick to telegraph plot points.

You quickly forget them after the

curtain closes. In a strong musical like “Hood,” you’ll be whistling them on the ride home. Tunes like “There’s a Hero” and “I Say Yes” could stand on their own as pop hits (and probably will).

Music Director Brad Simmons does them justice. Adam Rigg’s inventive set design makes the magic work. His set is a tangle of scaffolding.

Dimly lit, it’s Robin Hood’s tree-fort community in Sherwood Forest.

A push of a button brings LED lights to life and transforms the set into the cold geometry of castles and dungeons. Rigg’s clever costumes also undergo metamorphosis.

Before the show starts, you see the cast in 21st-century gym clothes, doing stretching exercises on stage. As the story unfolds, they gradually put on doublets and breeches.

The musical’s alternate history takes shape before your eyes.

Pretty cool! And only one of

many cool, creative touches.

Nick Lehane’s puppetry and shadow play are two of my favorites. Lehane’s oversized puppets aptly portray corrupt members of the ignoble mobility. They’re hilarious – and convenient if you want to turn a corrupt bishop upside-down.

But some puppets are no laughing matter. Toward the musical’s end, a giant effigy of Prince John looms over the stage. It’s monstrous and terrifying; the perfect image of corrupt, absolute power.

But don’t get the wrong idea, folks.

Merriment, not horror, is this musical’s default setting. Expect plenty of laughs, and just a few gasps.

This is a smart, fun show — and a fresh take on an ancient tale.

I’d assumed the legend of Robin Hood had been done to death.

“Hood” proves there’s life in the legend yet, and I was happy to be proven wrong.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

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JUNE 23, 2022

YOUR NEIGHBORS Second act LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

L

ooking at John Harkness’ photos, you’d think they were taken by a seasoned, professional photographer.

Not the case; he started with an iPhone two and half years ago. In that short amount of time, he’s accumulated a Facebook following and also sold photos.

Harkness was happy with his iPhone and wondered if he’d use a real camera. The question was asked and answered when his fiance bought him a Nikon D5600 for Christmas two years ago. “I haven’t put it down since,” he said. “I hate to call it an obsession, but it’s my new hobby.”

Harkness credits the “University of YouTube” for his education.

“There are world-class photographers out there that explain camera settings, techniques, whether it be for landscapes, seascapes, lowlight photography, whatever, but the majority of what I’ve done is watch YouTube videos and just practice.”

As a Longboat Harbour resident, Harkness takes most of his pictures in his backyard. His condominium is on the first floor and overlooks the bay. There’s a chair in the corner of his sunroom where he likes to read.

He’s often interrupted by a passing dolphin or a sunset he can’t resist.

Harkness is leery of photographing people because there’s too much pressure to get it right. He also prefers to socialize with friends and family in those special moments and says you miss too much when you’re behind the camera. He made an exception for his soon-to-be stepson’s engagement and was happy with the results, but animals and the sun are his two favorite subjects.

When photographing animals, Harkness focuses on the eyes. “The eyes tell the story. To me, that just makes the picture.” And flat water is his favorite when snapping the sunrise or sunset. “It turns into a black mirror, so all the reflection for the sky is transposed to the water.”

Harkness started visiting Longboat Key in the ’60s because his grandparents lived in Sarasota. “Of course, there was nothing on Longboat Key back in the ’60s,” he said.

He has an old picture of himself holding a bucket on an empty beach that he laughed and said he might recreate one day.

Harkness grew up in Detroit. After his parents and brother moved to Virginia, he followed and became a firefighter. He moved to Longboat in 2018, after his retirement. His earlier roles as an emergency manager and a fire chief showed him firsthand Facebook’s reach.

When conveying important information to the public, he saw better results from Facebook posts than alerts from the county’s emergency management system. “I hate to say it would go viral,” Harkness said, “But in a county of 30,000 people, we’d have 10,000 views, so that was a great route.”

Most but not all of his Facebook friends are complimentary; some criticize his use of Lightbox, a photo editing software. Those comments sound part incredulous and part suspicious, but they seem to be asking one main question: Why don’t my photos look like yours?

Harkness pays more attention to the criticism than the accolades because someone might see something he didn’t. But he also offers an astute argument as to why he’s not faking anything by using Lightbox.

Ansel Adams, a renowned pre-technology photographer, adjusted his camera settings before taking pictures, but a lot of the adjustments to those famous black and white pho-

Photos courtesy of John Harkness

A bird with an attitude, Harkness is always waiting for the perfect shot.

Lesley Dwyer

John Harkness is often found with a camera hanging from his neck.

tographs were done in the darkroom through the use of chemicals and other techniques.

Harkness also says the cool thing about photography is that a camera picks up details and motion the human eye either can’t or misses.

“We have 20/20 vision, but it’s only in the center of our field of vision.”

Still, Harkness agrees that there’s a fine line when it comes to using Lightbox.

“It’s not cheating. It’s just bringing out the best of an image,” he said.

“I’m trying to get it right from the get-go, but there are times that you have to adjust it in Lightroom. Most of the time, it’s adjusting the exposure. Either you’ve overexposed or underexposed, and that really makes a huge difference as far as the overall appearance of the picture.”

Harkness also admits to completely blowing it sometimes but was lucky enough to get a do-over recently. A friend messaged him that a turtle was nesting near the Zota Beach Resort. He used a slow shutter speed with a long lens and ended up with motion blur. “They just weren’t sharp,” he said.

He went back the next day just after sunrise and arrived in time to see the turtle finishing its nest and returning to the water. He fixed his mistakes from the day before and got his shots, but Harkness never stops looking for the next best one.

When talking about one of his favorite birds to photograph, black skimmers, he said he still hasn’t gotten the money shot. “It’s going to be coming by, you’ll be able to see its little beak in the water, and you’ll see the ripples in the water. I don’t have that yet, but I’m getting close.”

Harkness offered two easy tips for

Harkness loves photographing dolphins.

beginners to instantly up their photography game. When photographing animals or people, go for the eyes, and check that the horizon line is straight before snapping a shot of the next sunset.

But to Harkness, every picture comes down to the old adage, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Many of his personal favorites are photographs he said wouldn’t mean anything to most people. But to his eyes, they’re money shots.

The sun rising and setting is one of Harkness’ favorite subjects to photograph.

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A retired firefighter finds a more artistic pursuit.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

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Two heads are better than one Marion Levine and David Gorin, who took the helm in early June, agree that leading Temple Beth Israel is too much for one person.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

A

“We talk at least every other day, if not every day, when she’s around and I’m around.”

— David Gorin

Lesley Dwyer

son and that any final decisions are made together.

“It may look on a piece of paper like we’re divided,” Levine said. But, Gorin added, “We talk at least every other day, if not every day, when she’s around and I’m around.” Luckily, the co-presidents share a similar style and vision. The main goals for their two-year term are to increase memberships, deal with the temple’s financial issues and keep meetings to a two-hour max.

TBI took on three more employees because of the Education Center. “It was a decision that we made as a board. And we’ve had one year under our belt, but one year is hardly enough, especially during the pandemic,” Levine said. “It didn’t quite pan out with the number of in-house events that we had hoped for because of the pandemic. Teachers didn’t want to come in and teach.”

Leading up to the transition, Gorin and Levine spent time recruiting and encouraging other hard-working members to run for the board.

“We really needed to bring in people who were sympathetic to the

temple, who understood Jewish life on Longboat, who understood how temples operate,” Gorin said. “We were able to talk with them about responsibilities, and that we cannot do this ourselves.”

Levine and Gorin are technically retired, but neither one might ever fully retire. Levine owned a chemical distribution company for 22 years. She sold the business in 1993 and still does sales consulting for her successor. Levine spent 30 years traveling back and forth to New York.

She didn’t become a full-time Longboater until three years ago.

Gorin merged his business into Gorin+Cohen Consulting Group in 2015 and continues to work regularly. The company consults, invests and develops RV parks and campgrounds. Gorin began visiting Longboat Key 20 years ago when his inlaws retired to Sarasota.

His business led him to a more full-time stint in 2007 when he bought a property to develop in Cortez. Three years later, he and his wife bought a place on Longboat. They called themselves “snowflakes” and

visited for a couple weeks here and there. In 2018, his wife retired, and they made the switch to year-round Longboat Key residents.

Levine and Gorin’s term lasts two years, but given the temple has been around 43 years, their work will live on. “We are lucky to have two people who can work in harmony, so it becomes very easy to run things.”

Executive Director Isaac Azerad said.

EDUCATION CENTER UPDATE The temple essentially picked up where the Longboat Key Education Center left off when it closed in June 2021. Staff and courses found a new home at the temple.

Students will still have Zoom as an option but can also attend in person when classes resume in October. Anyone can register and take classes, but members of the Education Center receive a discounted tuition rate. Temple members are automatically members of the Education Center.

Call 383-3428 for more information.

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

•

941.383.8833 (office)

379340-1

An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956

•

www.christchurchoflbk.org

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

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

Follow us on Facebook • www.longboatislandchapel.org

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

379407-1

6400 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

379236-1

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

379708-1 379700-1

379214-1

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

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

Marion Levine and David Gorin are the new co-presidents of Temple Beth Israel.

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

379419-1

re two heads better than one, or are there too many cooks in the kitchen? Temple Beth Israel is about to answer that question. For the first time in the temple’s history, the board will have co-presidents. Marion Levine and David Gorin took the helm of the temple this month.

So far so good, the pair says.

They’ve only worked together for a couple months but have known each other socially for years. The copresidents had dinner with a group of friends last week but left the work talk at the temple.

The role of president has been knocking on Levine’s door for eight years, but when it first came up, she wasn’t a full-time resident, and her husband was against the idea because Levine was already running a household and a full-time business.

When the role was placed in her lap again, she wanted to accept but insisted on a co-president title. The head of the nominating committee, Murray Bluegrass, was initially against the idea of two leaders simply because they’d never done it before.

After some back and forth, he agreed, mostly because Gorin seemed a natural counterpart.

While Levine keeps her thumb on events and the more social aspects of temple life, Gorin keeps his nose in the books and stays on the business side of things. Both agree that the job is simply too much work for one per-

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

3B

#1 LONGBOAT KEY TEAM 2021 Michael Saunders & Company & TOP 1.5% OF AGENTS NATIONWIDE!

I NADRI N IN V ELTS N TO I SAT OU R S P EMCAI ARLT Y •I NG C O N•NPER E C TSONA I O N S LM T ESERV R! BENCHFM K GR E SU • RY STR EGIC K ET I ZAT ED ICE

E IC R P

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L on gPerfectly b o a t K esituated y | O f f eon re da deep a t $ 7water 79, 0 0canal 0 with easy access L on b o a t K eBay, y | Othis f f e2rebedroom d a t $ 7 79, 000 togSarasota home MLS# A4178487 MLS# A4178487 offers 2 docks, a 2 car garage, a new roof and an ideal north Longboat Key location

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U

G IN T S LI

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 L on g b o at K e y | O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4

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I A N A DDY, PA

R E A LT O R ®, M B A SAND KEY BEACH RESORT

IanAddy@MichaelSaunders. com 4725 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #218 | OFFERED AT $869,000 in grossHincome for 2021 and comes fur-#4 2067 This H A2Rbedroom BOUR vacation LINKSgetaway DR I Vearned E, #4over $63K2067 A R BOUR LINKS DRfully I V E, nished.

The beachfront community of Sand Cay offers owners excellent amenities including a heated L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 pool, shuffleboard, tennis courts, barbeque area and over 340’ of MLS# white A4178487 sand beach to enjoy.

MLS# A4178487 MLS# A4539173

L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 549 YAWL LANE | $1,600,000 MLS# A4178487

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BROK E R-A SSOCI ATE GailWittig@MichaelSaunders.com 2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4

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230 SANDS POINT ROAD #3907 | $2,703,000

G A I L W IT T IG

BROK E R-A SSOCI ATE GailWittig@MichaelSaunders.com

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W W W . L O N G B O AT L I F E . C O M

379353-1

W NE

L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487 CT A 2067 THR A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 N CLOon g b o at K e y | O f f e re d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487 ER D N

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

YOUR CALENDAR

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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

WHY? WHY?

BEST BET

SUNDAY, JUNE 26

SUNSET YOGA ON ST. ARMANDS CIRCLE From 5-6 p.m. in St. Armands Circle Park, 1 St. Armands Circle. This is a free event, but participants are asked to bring their own mat, towel and water.

File photo

TUESDAY, JUNE 28

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

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS From 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway. The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce is inviting you to socialize among the sea creatures. Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for future members and guests. Call 387-9000 for more information.

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!

RECURRING EVENTS

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

Get the most trusted source of local market conditions from your local area real estate professionals at Wagner Realty.

MONDAYS

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

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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.

TUESDAYS

ROTARY CLUB Meets at 5 p.m. on first and third Tuesdays in All Angels Parish Hall, 563 Bay Isles Road. To learn more,

Customized just for you1 you!

call Nancy Rozance at 203-6054066 or email Info@LongboatKeyRotary.org.

TUESDAY AND FRIDAY

LONGBOAT LIBRARY The Longboat Library is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays at 555 Bay Isles Road. A halfprice sale on the library’s collection of used books is held every Wednesday. Call 383-2011 for information.

WEDNESDAYS

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

Call 383-6493.

381816-1

BEGINNER TAI CHI From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Class is outdoors, weather permitting. Cost is $10. Walk-ins welcome. Call 3836493.

THURSDAYS

ST. ARMANDS KEY LUTHERAN CHURCH BRIDGE CLUB Every Thursday beginning at 1 p.m. at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 N. Adams Drive, join an ACBL-sanctioned game of contract bridge with a certified teacher. All skill levels are welcome. There is an $8 suggested donation for each session. Refreshments will be provided.

RSVP to 952-9251.

You could receive

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4B

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

BIRD KEY

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA

440 MEADOW LARK DRIVE | ACTIVE LISTING $10,995,000

1507 BAY POINT DRIVE | ACTIVE LISTING $9,499,000

CASEY KEY

LAKEWOOD RANCH 15713 CASTLE PARK TERRACE | ACTIVE LISTING $1,500,000

4005 CASEY KEY RD | ACTIVE LISTING $3,990,000

BIRD KEY

BIRD KEY

394 BOB WHITE DRIVE PENDING $5,295,000

378 BOB WHITE DRIVE PENDING $4,400,000

5B

LONGBOAT KEY 5089 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE SOLD $2,250,000

375350-1

YourObserver.com

6B

One of a kind

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

Tidy Island Estate

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Shaina and Jaxton Johnson check out the touch tank.

Mote celebrates World Oceans Day

LIVE THE LUXURIOUS FLORIDA LIFESTYLE In this stunning waterfront double lot home on Sarasota Bay’s Tidy Island! This palatial Parker Walter Group-designed home offers three levels of indoor/outdoor living space with a total of 11,330 square feet! Brazilian cherry floors and cypress-lined ceilings exemplifies the highest-end material and finishes. Complete with an elevator, the accessible 3-floors offer 5 bedrooms (plus a bonus room), 4.5 bathrooms, and a 4-car garage. Entering the home, the breathtaking staircase leads you to the 2nd level with an expansive view of the bay, a chef’s dream kitchen including a Wolf oven, large gas range, Sub-Zero refrigerator, dual Fisher-Paykel dishwashers, expansive counter space, beverage station with wine cooler, and storage. Enjoy this open concept living with limitless entertainment space for your family and friends with the master suite, guest, and bonus rooms nearby. Ownership on Tidy Island is the distinctive opportunity for you! $3,200,000 MLS #: A4537194

Games, experiments and painted faces filled the courtyard at Mote.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

M

ote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium mascot Gilly the Shark was making the rounds June 11 to celebrate World Oceans Day, and there were lots of happy little faces painted to match. The courtyard was filled with exhibits, games and shark lovers of all ages.

Mae Monnoc wore her love for sharks on her T-shirt. She was displaying her ocean conservation service project along with five other students enrolled in Mote’s homeschooling program.

The late “Shark Lady” and Mote researcher Eugenie Clark was there in spirit, and guests were provided card-making supplies to wish her a happy birthday.

Educational booths surrounded the courtyard to reinforce Mote’s missions, such as a booth encouraging visitors to leave the beaches turtle-friendly and another that explained how leftover manatee lettuce is composted.

One booth used vinegar to visually explain how coral reefs are being diminished by acidification by dropping a piece of coral into vinegar to watch it bubble and fizz. The oceans soak up carbon dioxide from the air, which makes the water acidic and kills algae, and thus corals have trouble forming skeletons. The vinegar was a small and effective simulation of what’s happening in the oceans.

Volunteer Julia Winters called cor-

Shandra Holbrook REALTOR® daltonwade.com Office: (502) 905-8528

Dalton Wade Real Estate Group

MOVE IN READY NEWLY LISTED

537 Spinnaker Lane, Longboat Key

al reefs the rain forests of the ocean and said Mote has a solution.

“Mote has a red coral that is being bred to be resistant to acidification and temperature extremes,” Winters said. “The big thing is: They’re replacing it.”

Sarasota County Environmental Services set up a booth to combat another problem in the oceans that many people might not consider: dog poop. The sign reading “poolution” made the kids giggle but offered some serious numbers.

The county estimates that 12 tons of waste is left by the area’s dog population daily. If 40% of owners don’t pick up after their pets, that leaves 5 tons of “poo-lution” washing into the waterways every day.

The day was a celebration with a message: Our daily habits impact our oceans.

Jiselle Sulinski is on a mission to protect clams.

Living and Working on Longboat Key for 40 Years

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 379367-1

941.724.7228

CathyMeldahl@michaelsaunders.com

CONDO ON THE BAY

BOATING TO BEACH LIFESTYLE - $2,375,000 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 3+BD/3BA w/an ensuite den enjoying peaceful water views. Location, waterfront luxury lifestyle & move in ready are all possible to start living the dream you deserve!

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

KathyCallahan@michaelsaunders.com LBKathy.com

383712-1

440 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, FL 34228

REAL ESTATE... REAL PARADISE

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

383967-1

KATHY CALLAHAN 941-900-8088

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

7B

383935-1

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

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

ANNA MARIA ISLAND 820 N Shore Drive 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 3,953 Sq. Ft. Kathy Harman 941-900-9828 A4524887 $3,999,999

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

ANNA MARIA 421 Alamanda Road 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 2,116 Sq. Ft. Kathy Harman 941-900-9828 A4534408 $3,495,000

LONGBOAT KEY 775 Longboat Club Road 1003 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,122 Sq. Ft. The Collier Group 941-313-1212 A4538783 $2,900,000

LONGBOAT KEY 597 Bayview Drive 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,450 Sq. Ft. The Walter Group 941-232-2000 A4537864 $2,750,000

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

LONGBOAT KEY 537 Spinnaker Lane 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,046 Sq. Ft. Kathy Callahan & Michele Burnett 941-900-8088 A4536497 $2,375,000

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

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

SARASOTA 3835 Pomegranate Place 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 3,179 Sq. Ft. Kelly Quigley 941-356-9954 A4519108 $1,875,000

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

LONGBOAT KEY 518 Bayview Drive 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,740 Sq. Ft. Cathy Meldahl & Susan Smith 941-724-7228 A4534262 $1,795,000

SARASOTA 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive 1008 1 Bed 1/1 Baths 1,768 Sq. Ft. Kim Ogilvie 941-376-1717 A4535190 $1,695,000

LONGBOAT KEY 701 Penfield Street 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,736 Sq. Ft. Ian Addy, PA 941-961-8850 A4537570 $1,575,000

SIESTA KEY 6300 Midnight Pass Road 505 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,240 Sq. Ft. Kristina Rain 941-320-2639 A4538428 $1,425,000

SARASOTA 1111 N Gulfstream Avenue 3C 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,736 Sq. Ft. Jodene Moneuse 941-302-4913 A4533731 $1,375,000

SARASOTA 1646 7th Street Valarie Wadsworth 941-780-3858 A4531752 $1,369,000

LONGBOAT KEY 775 Longboat Club Road 906 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,524 Sq. Ft. Lenore Treiman 941-356-9642 A4527843 $1,199,000

LONGBOAT KEY 1485 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 103 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,774 Sq. Ft. Sherri Mills 941-350-7112 A4538490 $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

LONGBOAT KEY 3806 Gulf Of Mexico Drive C404 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,514 Sq. Ft. Stephen Harris 941-780-2352 A4536940 $895,000

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

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 $4,999,999

CORTEZ 12925 42nd Terrace W 4 Beds 4/1 Baths 5,138 Sq. Ft. Joanna Benante & Ann Martin 941-356-7717 A4537365 $4,750,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM

373736-1

8B

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

JUNE 6-10

MARINA BAY

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

T

he following residential real estate transactions took place between June 6 and June 10. A home in John Ringling Estates tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Gretchen Rimmer, of Sarasota, sold the home at 96 N. Washington Drive to Paul and Beth Smith, of Sarasota, for $6.5 million.

Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, four-and-twohalf baths, a pool and 5,660 square feet of living area.

THE BEACH RESIDENCES

Kenneth Feld, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 1002 condominium at 1300 Benjamin Franklin Drive to 9712768 LLC for $5.8 million. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,964 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.9 million in 2012.

BIRD KEY

Joseph and Katie Padgett sold their home at 491 Partridge Circle to Jonathan and Christina Joseph, of Sarasota, for $3.85 million. Built in 2007, it has five bedrooms, fiveand-a-half baths, a pool and 4,535 square feet of living area. It sold for $2.9 million in 2021.

GRAND BAY II

Paul and Sandra Wood, trustees, sold the Unit 276 condominium at 3040 Grand Bay Blvd. to Earl and Jennifer Taber, of Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, for $2,975,000. Built in 1996, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,781 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.35 million in 2005.

PROMENADE

Maciej and Monika Stanczuk, of Warsaw, Poland, sold their Unit 401E condominium at 1211 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Albert and Monica Thigpen, of Libertyville, Illinois, for $1,905,000. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,100 square feet of living area. It sold for $750,000 in 2010.

9B

REAL ESTATE

St. Armands home sells for $6.5 million

|

Richard Illich and Mary Ann Pickering, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the Unit 232 condominium at 2450 Harbourside Drive to Robert and Kimberly Westfall, of Longboat Key, for $1,827,800. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,830 square feet of living area.

SLEEPY LAGOON PARK

Donald and Kathleen McCroskey, of Flowery Branch, Georgia, sold their home at 714 Norton St. to Thomas Lee McCollum Jr. and Kaltrina Mavraj, of Saint Johns, for $1.8 million. Built in 1967, it has two bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 1,231 square feet of living area. It sold for $635,000 in 2017.

SANCTUARY AT LONGBOAT KEY CLUB

Lesley Dwyer

The home at 96 N. Washington Drive sold for $6.5 million.

John and Beverley Rook sold their Unit B-103 condominium at 585 Sanctuary Drive to Lucia Italiano, of Longboat Key, for $1.55 million.

Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,823 square feet of living area. It sold for $765,000 in 2009.

baths and 1,382 square feet of living area. It sold for $129,000 in 1988.

SEA PINES

TANGERINE BAY CLUB

David Hughes, of Darien, Connecticut, Carolyn Hughes, of Bradenton, and William Hughes, of Moorestown, New Jersey, sold their Unit 115 condominium at 340 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Eileen O’DonnellWinokur, of Longboat Key, for $1.55 million. Built in 1991, it has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,298 square feet of living area.

It sold for $678,000 in 2002.

THE CASTILLIAN

J. Gregory Hale, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, sold his Unit 210 condominium at 4545 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Magnus Stephen Altmayer and Andrea Atlmayer, of Yakima, Washington, for $1,325,000. Built in 1979, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,340 square feet of living area. It sold for $475,000 in 2002.

Wayne Beyer, Personal Representative, sold the Unit 11 condominium at 6951 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Jeffrey and Heath Ames, of Saratoga Springs, New York, for $850,000.

Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,170 square feet of living area. It sold for $170,000 in 1985.

FAIRWAY BAY

Mark Mueller and Donald Kaump III, trustees, of Novi, Michigan, sold the Unit 121 condominium at 1930 Harbouside Drive to Walter and Elyse Capell, of Rochester, New York, for $800,000. Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,442 square feet of living area. It sold for $430,000 in 2013.

GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE

Robert Estel Dearwester and Sandra Key Dearwester, trustees, sold the

LONGBEACH

Kevin McDermott, trustee, of Springfield, Illinois, sold the home at 451 N. Shore Road to Stephen and Carolyn Kranz, of Longboat Key, for $995,000. Built in 1994, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,136 square feet of living area. It sold for $650,000 in 2015.

home at 5230 Gulf of Mexico Drive to 5380 LBK LLC for $775,000. Built in 1958, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,112 square feet of living area.

EMBASSY VILLAS

Sheila Ann Martin, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 11 condominium at 800 S. Blvd. of the Presidents to Gregory James King and Cristie Rivers King, of Arden, North Carolina, for $700,000. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,090 square feet of living area. It sold for $395,000 in 2020.

L’ELEGANCE OF LIDO BEACH

L’Elegance On Lido Beach Condominium Association Inc. sold the Unit B-208 condominium at 1800 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Sheila Ann Martin, trustee, of Sarasota, for $700,000. Built in 1996, it has one bedroom, one-and-a-half baths and 1,023 square feet of living area. It sold for $165,000 in 1999.

In with the new NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION

LIDO REGENCY

Ruth Lurz, of Sarasota, sold her Unit PH-E condominium at 1700 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Daniel and Amy Loepp, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, for $900,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two

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 June 10-16 in order of dollar amounts.

NOW TAKING CONTRACTS

L O N G B OAT K E Y ADDRESS 601 Longboat Club

PERMIT Interior alterations

APPLICANT Brian Wenzel

AMOUNT $450,000

4215 GMD Unit 401

Interior alterations

David C. Long

$71,910

Rd. #201 601 Golf Links Ln.

Pool

Jacqueline M. Meckstroth

$64,000

3440 Bayou Ct.

Siding

Richard Connolly

$63,000

3622 Fair Oaks Pl.

A/C

Benrock LTD

$55,000

531 Golf Links Ln.

Plumbing

Golf Links LLC

$40,650

1085 GMD #505

Interior alterations

James C. Diao

$40,000

2101 GMD #2503

Interior alterations

Carl Forster

$35,000

2301 GMD #53N

Sliding glass doors

Peggy Gluck

2020 Harbourside

Interior alterations

Ann Caruso-Marsh

$30,850

3444 Mistletoe Ln.

Windows and doors

Lenchner Family Trust

$29,063

608 Bayview Dr.

Roof

Anthony C. Skidmore

$27,160

6231 GMD

Generator

Lucia S. Spotte

$27,000

6830 Longboat Dr. S

Electric

Timothy Allen Haney

$23,000

4125 GMD #S102

Interior alterations

Jon and Kris Berg

$20,000

531 Golf Links Ln.

Gas line

Golf Links LLC

$19,510

1055 GMD #206

Electric

Bertha J. Scott

$19,000

Downtown St. Petersburg

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

$31,875

Dr. #432

A/C

Victoria K. McCue

$18,000

Electric

John A. Mehan

$18,000

580 Putting Green Ln.

Generator

Hans-Peter Teuber

$16,000

575 Sanctuary Dr. #A504

A/C

Rebecca M. Davis

$15,411

511 Putting Green Ln.

Generator

Jeffrey L. Tushar

$13,000

7175 GMD Unit 24

Electric

Peter Williams Butler

$12,000

1925 GMD #309

Windows and doors

Martin S. Nowak

$11,850

3440 GMD #10

Windows

Thomas C. Walters

$11,762

100 Sands Point Rd.

Electric

Sands Point Condominium

$11,583

Source: Town of Longboat Key

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

373658-1

586 Lyons Ln. 7175 GMD Unit 13

Downtown Sarasota

10B

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

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Lesley Dwyer

Longboat Key President Gail Loefgren with Cafe L’Europe owners John and Amanda Horne.

Chamber event held at Cafe L’Europe

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afe L’Europe was a mix of business and pleasure on June 15 as the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce held another successful Networking at Noon event. About 25 members networked over lunch in the back room of the restaurant.

The event was sponsored by Manatee Children’s Services. Krista Post, a chamber member and the development coordinator of MCS, offered her heartfelt thanks after MCS came up short on family sponsorships last Christmas.

“This group came together, I believe in 24 hours, and gathered all the donations that we needed for those families. So, thank you,” Post said.

Morgan Gerhart had a request on behalf of The Players Centre for Performing Arts.

On July 11, the theater is going before the Sarasota City Commission to obtain a lease agreement on the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, which was built in 1938.

“Here you have a 92-year-old organization with a historic building. It’s a perfect match. It really puts two community tenants together,” Gerhart said. The Players is asking the community to write letters

to the commissioners before July 11. “It would really make a difference that they know that we have community support.”

Becky Smith of Wagner Realty once opened for the headliner at McCurdy’s Comedy Club, a tidbit was revealed during the “tell us something interesting about yourself” portion. She also took over managing Wagner’s Longboat Key office in February. Smith has been running the Anna Maria office for more than 20 years.

Irina La Rose, the owner of Design 2000, reminded everyone to stop in Whitney Plaza on the third Friday of the month for Claws for a Cause. The Maine Line food truck serves lobster rolls, and plaza business owners donate 10% of their proceeds to charity.

RE/Max’s Andrew Vac emceed the event. While remaining completely professional, he also made sure things didn’t get too serious. When Cafe L’Europe owner Amanda Horne was discussing a summer dinner and wine special, she asked, “What’s a meal without wine?”

Vac chimed in: “Breakfast!”

—LESLEY DWYER

Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce

Longboat Key's

4

TH

of July

FREEDOM FEST

9:00 to 11 a.m. Monday, July 4, Bicentennial Park on Bay Isles Road $500 Prize. Cannons Marina is offering a $500 cash prize to the most patriotic business entry in the parade (as Parade long as there is a minimum of 10 business entries). Floats may be any motorized vehicle with 4 wheels e.g. golf cart, auto, van, trailer, etc. To enter, please call the chamber at 383-2466. Registration fee is $25 for business Food floats and there is no charge for non-profit floats.

Games Kid Games & Butterfly Release. Fun games for kids of all ages with loads of prizes for everyone. Kids can also take tours of Longboat Key's biggest fire truck and rescue unit. Kids will get to release dozens of butterflies, Sand Art supplied by the Longboat Key Garden Club.

Face Painting Presenting Sponsor Supporting Sponsors Balloon Artist Stilt Walker Chucko the Clown

"Hot Diggity Dog" Contest w/ Prizes

Patriot Sponsor

383600-1

Games Sponsor

Water Sponsor

Food Sponsor Venue Sponsor

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

SUNRISE / SUNSET

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

Sunrise Sunset

High: 88 Low: 80 Chance of rain: 15%

11B

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

WEATHER

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

|

Thursday, June 23

6:36a

8:28p

Friday, June 24

6:36a

8:28p

Saturday, June 25

6:36a

8:29p

Sunday, June 26

6:37a

8:29p

SATURDAY, JUNE 25

Monday, June 27

6:37a

8:29p

High: 88 Low: 78 Chance of rain: 46%

Tuesday, June 28

6:37a

8:29p

Wednesday, June 29

6:38a

8:29p

MOON PHASES SUNDAY, JUNE 26 High: 86 Low: 75 Chance of rain: 58%

July 6 First

July 13 Full

July 20 Last

July 28 New

TIDES Highs Lows

Sergio Albuquerque took this snapshot of a calm, sunny day on Longboat Key.

Thursday, June 23

8:44a

10:31p

2:41a

4:40p

Friday, June 24

9:12a

11:54p

3:12a

5:32p

Saturday, June 25

9:41a

—

3:41a

6:17p

Sunday, June 26

1:06a

10:11a

4:07a

6:58p

Monday, June 27

2:11a

10:43a

4:27a

7:36p

Tuesday, June 28

11:16a

—

—

8:13p

Wednesday, June 29

11:52a

—

—

8:49p

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

The Observer’s

Weather ENTER: &Nature

Sponsored by

YourObserver.com/contests KITCHEN | CABINETRY OUTDOOR PAVERS

383365-1

2022-23 PHOTO CONTEST

A REFLECTION OF NATURE’S BEAUTY

celebrity cipher

©2022 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

33 It has a screamo subgenre 1 “Doggone it!”

35 Gobbled up 5 Sailor’s “Stop!”

10 ___ sci (study of govt.) 37 “La Vie en Rose” Oscar winner (First two + last five) 14 Godsends 43 Hardly wordy 19 Fencing sword 47 Low-pH compounds 20 Apple product giant 48 Crave 21 Actor Leslie ___ Jr. 49 Say a bad word 22 “... never mind, then” 50 Tahoe and Santa Fe, e.g.

23 Reliable source of income (Note this answer’s 51 Field trip vehicle first two + last three letters) 52 “Buzz off!”

25 One is easy to buy (First 56 Stat for David Ortiz 57 Uno + due three + last two) 58 Societal practices in 27 Bridge capacity unit Hanoi (First one + last six) 28 Response at the door 64 Boot camp VIPs 29 Goes downhill 66 Wise person 30 Patch things up?

67 Place for breaking 31 “The X-Files” agent stories Scully 68 Canceled abruptly

70 French cap 73 Analogy phrase 74 Provincetown’s peninsula 77 ___ of March 79 Empty talk 83 “This is how things are ...” (First three + last two) 87 Sci-fi vessel 88 Tribute in verse 89 Cyber Monday events 90 Kitchen insect 91 Garden for 96-Down 92 Drink like a puppy 95 Like resistance bands 99 The first “A” of AAPI 100 Wipe clean 101 Course taught in Quebec (First four + last two) 104 Book with a legend 106 “Hulk” director Lee

1 Robin’s home 2 As many as 3 Adolescent behind the wheel 4 Clownfish’s home 5 “The Moon Lady” author 6 Promises 7 Molecule part 8 Potholes’ spots 9 Chastising sound 10 ___ stick (bouncing toy) 11 What nitrogen lacks 12 Less taut 13 “That’s hilarious!”

14 “Best of” collections, often 15 Tolkien brute 16 Burden 17 Place for a stud 18 Kimchi-jjigae or goulash, e.g.

24 Velociraptors and others, briefly 26 Rhinitis doc 29 Howling animal 32 Lends a hand 34 Sch. near Harvard 36 Just released 37 Poles on boats 107 Future OB-GYN’s hurdle 38 Luxury Honda 39 Board game with Dr. 108 Take the stage Orchid 111 Law grad’s hurdle 40 Deposes 114 Jargon 41 Get defeated 117 Asleep 120 Drowned out (First two 42 Tetherball paths 44 “Boston Legal” episode, + last four) 122 Icing on the cake (First now 45 Buffalo hockey pro three + last two) 46 Great Lake with 2,000+ 124 Walked anxiously shipwrecks 125 Fast time?

51 Splits in two 126 “America” singer in 53 One pushup, e.g.

“West Side Story” 54 Amazonian berry 127 Guthrie of folk 55 Picture with two views, 128 Makes a winter often blanket?

58 Irritates 129 Timeline segments 59 Capture 130 Parceled (out) 131 Winter Palace monarch, 60 At least 100, for a centenarian once 61 Promotion basis

62 Divulge 63 Tugboat’s signal 65 Stare in disbelief 69 Qatar’s capital 71 End of LSU’s URL 72 Oolong, for one 74 Tree for a totem pole 75 Food similar to a gordita 76 Marina ___ Rey 78 Curry may leave one on a shirt 80 Museum visitors’ downloads 81 “Sorry to say ...”

82 Chieng of “Crazy Rich Asians” 83 Place to sink a putt 84 Viewed 85 Mallorca, por ejemplo 86 Part of a foot 91 “Como ___ usted?”

93 Chloe Kim’s Olympic team 94 Places for kitties to dream 96 First person?

97 Envy, for one 98 Movie slogan 99 Austin Powers’ neckwear 101 Pop singer King 102 Signoff words in a letter 103 “So happy for you!”

105 Young bloke 108 Venmo and others 109 Group in Dundee 110 Chalupa alternative 112 Warrior princess of TV 113 Origami and ikebana, e.g.

115 Not out of contention 116 Kid-lit’s ___ the Great 118 Sch. west of Beverly Hills 119 Avenger with lightning power 121 Mostly poisonous tree 122 Closest peeps 123 Feed bag tidbit

“HWAMWX DKM VHW MWYA DFNRX HTMSR RKXIEXYUXE MF RKXNF YNOX XLZXFNXWVXE, NW IA INWP, NEW’R H UXFA BMMP DFNRXF.” – FMTXFR FMPFNBSXC

“YSLYIS MIGMJE EMJ, ‘VTSJ (VSSHE) HSSW M PLLW VMIBRHP-VL. R’US HSUSF MPFSSW GRVT VTMV. M BRW HSSWE M PLLW IREVSHRHP-VL.”

– HMLCR XNWW

“DVUDGV LMX EMCV BYV TUFGA OI BYV TMI BYVI BYPXN MXA OI BYV TMI BYVI OVYMCV MXA TYMB BYVI YUGA BU OV PRDUFBMXB.” © 2022 NEA, Inc.

– LIXAP GMWDVF

Puzzle Three Clue: N equals K

DOWN

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

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

Puzzle Two Clue: N equals U

STUFF THE BIRD by Doug Burnikel and Zhouqin Burnikel. Edited by David Steinberg

Puzzle One Clue: L equals X

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

6-23-22

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022

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Beachfront, Bayfront and In Between Houses or Condos Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC 5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite

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

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M-F

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This week’s Crossword answers

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This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “Anyone who can only write about themselves or their life experiences, in my mind, isn’t a very good writer.”

Robert Rodriguez Puzzle Two Solution: “People always say, ‘They (teens) need a good talking-to.’ I’ve never agreed with that. A kid needs a good listening-to.”

Naomi Judd Puzzle Three Solution: “People can save the world by the way they think and by the way they behave and what they hold to be important.”

Cyndi Lauper

This week’s Sudoku answers

©2022 Universal Uclick

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ART DECO 1930’s Westinghouse Collumnaire Radio 1’ W X 5’ T. Not working $125. (941)349-4875

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