Longboat Observer 8.11.22

LONGBOAT

Observer

Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

Commissioners will return with a to-do list.

PAGE 3A FREE • THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

VOLUME 45, NO. 1

YOUR TOWN

Resort work heats up

New structures begin reaching upward across St. Regis Resort property. PAGE 5A

Courtesy photo

Hayden of ‘The Bachelorette’ once a LBK Realtor Love him or, well, if there was something familiar about Hayden Markowitz, recently deposed from the 19th season of ABC-TV’s “The Bachelorette,” you might be onto something.

He might have sold you your condo.

The 29-year-old who now lists his occupation on an ABC promotional site as a “leisure executive” (where do we sign up for a gig like that?) worked for two Realtors — Michael Saunders & Co. and Coldwell Banker Global Luxury — on Longboat Key from February 2018 through July 2019.

Chatting and bagging A conversation at the check-out with Evan VandePolder.

PAGE 1B

Lesley Dwyer

One of three turtle hatchlings released into the gulf by LBKTW on Aug. 1.

Volunteers excavate turtle nest

Lesley Dwyer

Egret keeps his eyes on Longboat Publix Publix, where shopping is a pleasure — or, for one great egret, where window shopping is a pleasure.

The egret is a regular at the store on Bay Isles Road.

There’s a picnic area on the south side of the building where he spends hours longingly staring inside through the sliding glass doors.

No one seems to mind because he’s so well mannered for a seabird. As a man exited the sliders recently, the egret graciously side-stepped right to let him past and then returned front and center to the doors.

The bird only stepped inside once but is often caught perching on cars in the parking lot.

He prefers white cars to match his pretty plumes.

Lesley Dwyer

Evan VandePolder is a Publix employee of 30 years.

A+E The art of improv.

PAGE 9A

Turtle tracks LONGBOAT July 31-Aug. 6 2022 Nests 10 False crawls 4

2021 13 19

Totals since April 24 2022 2021 Nests 1,291 1,024 False crawls 1,518 1,427 Source: Mote Marine Laboratory

The Longboat Key Turtle Watch invited the public to a loggerhead nest excavation.

PAGE 2B

Courtesy photo

James Linkogle, left, receives a plaque for his service from Public Works Director Isaac Brownman.

Project manager retires (again) Public Works Department Project Manager James Linkogle retires a second time after 23 years of service. PAGE 2A

2A

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

Project manager’s second retirement sticks James Linkogle served the town of Longboat Key for 23 years.

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

A

fter 23 years of service to Longboat Key, Public Works Department Project Manager James Linkogle is retiring. Again.

In 2018 he was set to retire based on his benefits package through the town. He was approached by then town manager, Dave Bullock, and asked to stay on longer to aid in carrying out the town’s power line burying project.

“That was a kind of pre-negotiated decision,” he said. “I was officially required to retire because of the preferred retirement option plan.”

To receive his plan benefits, he retired for one business day and was off through Labor Day weekend before returning to the office the following Tuesday. His extension was set to expire in August 2021, but was extended incrementally until now.

A retirement party was held in honor of his service to the town last week with a few dozen people attending to wish him well in his retirement, which took effect Aug. 5.

“I was extremely humbled and honored,” Linkogle said of the turnout. “There were so many friends

from day one that showed up and even some of the most recent professional and residential relationships I have made.”

Attendees agreed Linkogle was a “fixture of the town” during his time in the department and rarely said no to assisting in a project.

“James has a very strong work ethic,” Public Works Director Isaac Brownman said. “He is a very dedicated and loyal individual. He is a humble servant and has served the community diligently for the last 23 years.”

Brownman also had a hand in ensuring Linkogle stayed on with the department as he knew his knowledge and help would be invaluable for the town’s power line project.

“James being the person he is and wanting to do good for the town decided to help us out,” he said. “Initially, he agreed on another extension through January 2022, but I asked him to stay longer. He’s given us an extra year beyond what he had ever planned.”

Among the projects he completed during his time in the department, the power line project, beach nourishment projects and the building of the second half of Joan Durante Park were among his favorites.

“It’s just a wonderful place to work,” Linkogle said. “I pinch myself when I cross the bridge coming over to Longboat Key. It really is a paradise; it’s really just a wonderful community.”

Prior to his career in the town, Linkogle worked as an electrician and even

Lauren Tronstad

started his own electrical contracting business. To him, the underground power line project being one of his last brought his career full circle.

When forming the second half of Durante Park, he vividly remembers the early stages of the project.

“I remember crawling on our bellies under Brazilian pepper trees, mangroves and through mangrove wetlands trying to create exactly where we were going to cut the trails,” he said.

Another standout project was the truck haul beach nourishment project in 2016, which consisted of between 14,000 and 15,000 truck

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“It was challenging just because of the magnitude of the trucks and getting all the little details ironed out to where it was a seamless project for the citizens,” he said.

Once retired, Linkogle and his wife, Gail, plan to travel, spend time with friends and family and become more involved in their church.

“I know we are going to stay busy, but we will at least be able to manage the schedule,” he said. “I’ve always been one of those guys that is just as comfortable at work as anywhere else, so it will be a bit of an adjustment.”

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

LIST

File photos

Pickleball plans

ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

S

ummertime typically brings a lull to Longboat Key, and we’re not just talking about traffic and crowds.

Elected officials are permitted by the town charter to cancel meetings in July, following a vote on a maximum millage rate for next years taxes, and in August, setting up a return to public meetings in September.

This summer, as in almost all summers, a few key issues will be addressed when all seven commissioners return on Sept. 12.

Tom Harmer Is Longboat Key’s next town manager someone already on the municipal payroll? On Sarasota County’s or Manatee’s?

Is he or she from out of the area?

As Tom Harmer looks for his successor from a field of hand-picked possibilities, one thing is clear: Town commissioners are not interested in fielding want-ad applications for Town Hall’s top administrative position, at least as a Plan A.

Smoking on the beach If you enjoy a nice cigar on the sand, you’re fine.

But, if you have a penchant for a Camel or Viceroy while watching the sun set, plan on getting all that puffing done either soon or on the way home.

Town commissioners will likely start working on a beach and park

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

3A

Budget decisions

TO DO Routine and out of the ordinary tasks await in September.

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City leaders are expected to pick up where they left off on Sept. 20 in their consideration of a plan presented by the Longboat Key Club to build four pickleball courts for the use of members and their guests alongside its Tennis Gardens.

On June 21, as opposition from residents of nearby Winding Oaks began mounting on the basis of noise, suitability, tree removal and potential alternative sites, board members granted the club’s request to put off a vote that would either support or reject the proposition in advance of Town Commission action.

While one of the nation’s fastest growing sports, pickleball has picked up a reputation along the way as being unreasonably noisy, especially when played vigorously or when multiple courts are in action at once, a point many enthusiasts dismiss.

One of the stickiest points in the process was the residents’ challenge of an exemption to town noise regulations for facilities to which the public has access.

“Intuitively, a private club is not a public facility,” said Edward Willner, a lawyer representing Winding Oaks residents.

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

Also still up in the air, a formal sound-level test by the club and consideration of residents’ request the courts simply be moved to a site farther away.

Sarasota County recently opened two new pickleball facilities within steps of residential areas — 12 courts at a Legacy Trail-connected park on Pompano Avenue and six in Longwood Run Park — with no public outcry.

By the time commissioners return to public meetings, Harmer will have about 90 days remaining until he retires from public service.

He announced in June that he does not plan to renew his contract after five years on the job.

Town commissioners in July discussed at length the direction they wanted the job search to go, initially deciding to rely on a method the town has used before: direct recruiting.

Harmer himself was recruited from his job as Sarasota County administrator in 2017.

In doing so, contacts aren’t ini-

tially brought before commissioners in a public setting and there are no open-to-the-public applications to sift through, if you’re so inclined.

Still, commissioners will have final say on recommended compensation and other contract details, but must agree by a supermajority to confirm a new manager.

Harmer was signed in July 2017 and didn’t take over for the outgoing Dave Bullock until December. This newcomer to the office will have about half the time transitioning with Harmer still on the job.

smoking ban as soon as they return from their summer break, which means a new rule could be in effect

by Halloween.

By virtue of a state law that relaxed a ban on local governments regulating smoking on the beach, cities and counties around Florida have already taken action to reduce butts in the sand.

Town commissioners signaled their intention in their final meeting of the summer, asking staffers to prepare similar regulations for an initial vote in September.

State laws still say cigar smoking can’t be banned by local govern-

ments, though.

According to Ocean Conservancy, cigarette butts have been the most commonly found litter on Florida beaches during the organization’s annual Coastal Cleanup for the past 31 years.

The butts are made of tightly packed plastic fibers that erode into smaller bits, which accumulate in fish and other organisms, adversely impacting sea life health and reproductivity as well as human health when consuming the affected fish.

Residents have two more chances to weigh in on the town’s budget, a revenue-and-spending document that must be approved by the end of September to take effect for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

At the heart of the issue is the town’s proposed millage rate of 1.99, a cut of 5.9% from the previous year’s rate of 2.1144, which is expected to still generate nearly $1 million more in revenue that in the previous year.

In comparison, Manatee County commissioners agreed to a maximum property tax rate of 6.3326 for 2023, down from 6.3826 and Sarasota County commissioners agreed to a maximum rate of 3.4463, down from 3.4561.

Town tax bills will likely drift downward for most, though when combined with county taxes, the final figures could end up higher.

The budget calls for $17.85 million in general fund spending against $18.5 million in general fund revenue.

All in, the budget that also includes capital project funds, enterprise funds, debt service and special revenue funds calls for $85 million in spending, $49.5 million in revenue, a beginning fund balance of nearly $91 million and more than $55 million in the fund balance at the end of fiscal year 2023.

Town commissioners will consider the final document at a public hearing first at 5:01 p.m. Sept. 12 and again on Sept. 27.

Charter changes?

As the summer approached and talk turned to the next round of elections, Mayor Ken Schneier floated the possibility of discussing in the fall changes to the town’s charter that might open the field of potential candidates for Town Commission.

Schneier said two main changes might accomplish that: n Changing some of the rules regarding in-person attendance, which he said was likely a bigger issue than . . . n Compensation for elected officials.

Though charter changes typically require voter approval and likely wouldn’t be in play for this upcoming candidate-qualification season and March elections, he said at the time they were worth discussing.

4A

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

P&Z Board halfway through comp plan review The first set of amendments to the plan have been approved by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

L

ongboat Key’s Planning and Zoning Board is in the process of chipping away at redoing the town’s comprehensive plan, an overarching document designed to provide a vision for the future of the town along with necessary steps to be taken to achieve the goals.

It also acts as a basis for land-use regulations, addressing all physical elements of the area for an extended period of time.

The process, which takes place at least every seven years, allows for the town to make optional changes to the plan along with making mandatory changes to sync with changing state laws. If the document is in sync at the seven-year mark, no alterations are necessary.

“One of the requirements at a minimum is being consistent with the statutory requirements and evaluating whether there’s been any changes to any statues that need to be reflected in the local plan,” Planning, Zoning and Building Department Director Allen Parsons said.

“There were a handful of those kinds of changes that are making our plan consistent with statutory requirements.”

Even so, the town is not required to wait seven years. The board is able to go into the plan and continually update it to meet state requirements as needed.

For example, in 2016, the state adopted a requirement to include conservation and coastal management elements.

The town opted to add them that year, rather than wait for their plan to be evaluated years later.

Eric Garwood

Among the items to be included in the town’s comprehensive plan: a transportation map.

UNDER CONSIDERATION Among the future land-use changes in the town’s second batch of comprehensive plan revisions sent to Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity for review: n A policy calling for the town to utilize “innovative land development regulations and efficient administrative procedures to implement the Comprehensive Plan and in support of the town’s stated goals and objectives. n A policy to “encourage energy efficient land development and redevelopment that through loca-

After the town sent its plan to the Department of Economic Opportunity, the department came back with the recommendation for the town to revise its plan.

Elements missing from the town’s current plan include a long-term

tion, scale and design minimize long-term energy commitments emphasizing renewable energy use.’’ n A policy to “encourage design principles that accommodate healthy lifestyles, safety and aging in place.” n A policy that will prioritize the development of accessible and efficient multimodal connections between neighborhoods, economic focus areas, Town Center and other destinations.

planning time frame covering at least 10 years, a future transportation map, a future land-use map and the incorporation of the recently adopted property rights element.

As the board progresses with redoing the plan, the process the board is

taking creates the opportunity for the plan to be broken up into manageable chunks of similar information or elements.

The board divided the plan into six sections, each to be worked on separately.

For example, in July, the Planning and Zoning Board reviewed its third batch, the infrastructure element of the plan, which included potable water, waste water, stormwater and solid waste subelements.

The board then went through each objective, policy and strategy to ensure it met state statutes and to update any incorrect or unclear language.

“We’ve taken the opportunity to look closely at the wording of the existing plan,” he said. “...They look at the wording of every single goal, objective and policy to ensure it is written clearly and it is written in a way that is an actionable kind of language.”

This time around, board members opted to include a glossary of

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terms at the conclusion of the plan to allow the language to be more easily understood by the everyday person.

The process, following the board’s conclusion of the amendment process, is extensive and includes numerous back-and-forth exchanges between the Town Commission and Planning and Zoning Board.

Once each batch of amendments are made, the board must send them to commissioners to approve.

Once the amendments are approved, the plan returns to the board as an ordinance.

For batch one, the board held a public hearing on the proposed amendments on Jan. 18. The Town Commission then held a hearing on March 7. Both voted unanimously to send the ordinance to the DEO for review. The Town Commission adopted the proposed amendments on June 6.

The first batch of amendments to the plan were approved by the DEO on July 22. In the letter to the town, the department marked the batch one changes as “in compliance” with state statutes and that necessary revisions were made.

Batch one revisions included the addition of the long-term planning timeframe of at least 10 years to the future land use element. The property rights element was already included in the document but was not included in the document first sent to the department as it had not yet been adopted, the letter from the town to the DEO read.

The second chunk, which is being reviewed by the DEO, deals with the future land use element of the plan in greater detail than was included in batch one.

The remaining elements the Planning and Zoning Board have to revise include the mobility element, conservation, recreation and open space element and the housing, government and capital improvement element.

Parsons estimates that the board will be finished revising the plan by the end of the calendar year.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

JOB 1: THE DOOR 4:14 a.m., 600 block of Broadway Street Unsecure premises: Officers on patrol found a door open on a home under renovation. After checking inside to make sure no crime was underway or had been committed, the officers closed the door and resumed their patrol.

ERIC GARWOOD MANAGING EDITOR

In case you were ever planning to build a nearly $1 billion beachfront condominium and hotel resort, here’s something you’ll need to know about.

Podiums.

No, not for your formal announcement to the media. (Actually, that would be a lectern, but we’ll let the elements of proper word usage slide for now). In this case, a podium is a critical structural piece essential to construction.

At the site of the Residences at St. Regis Resort Longboat Key Resort, crews from Moss and Associates Construction Management have been building podiums for months as new structures begin reaching upward across the property.

In construction parlance, a podium is a “table top” on which projects are built upon, said Natalie Farnella, marketing manager for project developer Unicorp National Developments.

Formed of 20-inch thick reinforced concrete, a podium forms a

JUST WAITING ON A FRIEND 7:07 p.m., Linley Street boat ramp Welfare check: As requested by a passer-by, police checked on the welfare of a man sitting on the ground near the town’s boat ramp.

The man, who lives aboard a moored sailboat, said he did not need medical attention but rather was waiting for a friend to arrive to help him mend a hole in his small boat. He assured officers he would call for assistance if required.

TUESDAY, AUG. 2

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN 3 p.m., 3700 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Welfare check: Police were called to check on the welfare of people with whom a resident had lost contact.

Police likewise could not contact the people but soon learned from neighbors they had flown back to their up-north home the week previous.

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SATURDAY, JULY 30 BUCKETS OF LAWFULNESS 10:42 p.m., 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Suspicious incident: An officer called to the beach to look into a report of a man possibly gathering shellfish in violation of the law instead found nothing illegal about the approximately three gallons of crabs he had collected.

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TONIGHT’S EPISODE: PACKAGE OF SUSPICION 11:04 p.m., 600 block of Longview Street Suspicious incident: A resident contacted police to report her porch light on and her security system’s camera triggered. An officer found no signs of a break-in, but did not see a package on the front porch. In a follow-up conversation, the officer was told a neighbor would check the interior of the home the next day.

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NO BUSINESS WITH AMAZON 4:26 p.m., 500 block of Sloop Lane Suspicious incident: A resident called police to alert them to a series of phone calls going back to 2020 claiming he owed nearly $1,000 to Amazon, a company with which the resident said he has never done business. The officer reminded the resident to never respond to requests for personal information.

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NEW BED? FOR US? 3:57 p.m., 500 block of Hornblower Lane Animal complaint: Police came to a neighborhood on a complaint of barking dogs and found an owner who had brought the dogs outside while a delivery crew brought a new set of mattresses inside. The dogs went back inside when the delivery was complete.

SWIM! BE FREE! 8:52 a.m., 4400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: A man and his sibling called police to report a pair of newly hatched sea turtles heading the wrong way. The callers had gently returned the turtles to the sand before calling police. The sea turtles were further assisted toward the water’s edge and released.

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Stepping up to the podium

surface from which further vertical construction can proceed. Below the podium deck, eventually, will be parking areas in the garage level of the condominium buildings on the south side of the property and the hotel and support areas on the north end of the property, she said.

In the most recent update to construction progress, Farnella said work crews have begun building roof forms for concrete pours on the hotel building closest to the beach, and concrete pouring of the roof of the hotel amenities building is underway.

Work crews are nearing the end of foundation work for the hotel and completing the pouring of a hotel building podium east of the beachfront segment.

Condominium foundations, too, are nearly complete. Masonry work is beginning in both the hotel and condominium segments, framers are expected to begin working toward the end of August and underground utilities work has begun.

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

The condo complex will have 66 units arrayed in three five-story buildings on the south side of the property. The 166-room hotel will be built on the north end, featuring two restaurants, a beach grill and three bars. Additionally, a ballroom with seating for 425 is planned, along with six meeting rooms and two board rooms.

Michael Saunders & Co. is handling the sale of the residential units, though all 66 are spoken for.

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CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE 3:30 p.m., police headquarters Found property: A resident of Longboat Key brought to the police a credit card he found on his daily visit to a town park. With some internet sleuthing, police found the telephone number of a relative connected to the card’s owner and left a message. The card owner came to the police department to pick up his card and deliver his thanks.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

OPINION / OUR VIEW

LONGBOAT

The school board dilemma OBSERVER RECOMMENDATIONS U.S. Congress, District 16, Republican: Flip a coin Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Republican: James Shaw

MATT WALSH

After Tom Edwards declared he is working for woke-ism, he triggered questions about Lauren Kurnov.

T

he emotionally intense revolution engulfing much of the United States over what is being taught in public schools brings to the fore, at last, the inevitable failure of taxpayerfunded, state-run education.

It is now a war. And, unfortunately, this war is going to rage well beyond this election cycle.

These are the spoils: Who is to control the minds of our children?

Will it be the politicians in the statehouses or the unionized teacher-class, whose mostly liberal members, unbeknown to parents, have been infusing their personal ideologies into their prey?

Here in Florida and in Sarasota County, the two sides are clearly defined: n The Republican-backed Sarasota School Board candidates are siding with the Tallahassee politicians who passed laws that require schools to communicate more with parents; and give parents more access to what is being taught and offered to their children. At the same time, they are siding with new laws that impose politically driven requirements on how educators are to teach civics and history. n On the other side, largely Democratic, are an unknown number of parents, leftist and liberal teachers and members of the LGBTQ and woke classes who abhor the influence of state mandates.

They want the freedom to teach what they believe should be taught, the way they want to teach. At the same time, many of them embrace wokeness — infusing into students the cultural issues of gender, critical race theory, systemic racism and the historical sins of America.

Pick your poison: State politicians or the liberal educ-class.

Two weeks ago, we recommended two of the three Republicanbacked school board candidates, incumbent Bridget Ziegler and Timothy Enos — Ziegler because

SARASOTA COUNTY State Senate, District 22: Joe Gruters County Commission, District 2, Republican: Mark Smith County Commission, District 4, Republican: Joseph Neunder Sarasota City Commission: Carl Shoffstall School Board District 1: Bridget Ziegler School Board District 4: Safe bet: Marinelli. Reasonable gamble; Lauren Kurnov School Board District 5: Timothy Enos Charter Review Board, District 1: Les Nichols

Hospital Board, Central District, Seat 2: Thomas Dart Hospital Board, Northern District, Seat 1: Brad Baker Hospital Board, Northern District, Seat 2: Nick Altier Hospital Board, Southern District, Seat 1: Patricia Maraia Hospital Board, Southern District, Seat 2: Joseph Chirillo MANATEE COUNTY State Senate, District 20: Jim Boyd County Commission, District 4, Republican: Misty Servia County Commission, District 6-At Large, Republican: Carol Whitmore School Board, District 5: Richard Tatem

RESIDENCY QUESTION Patient advocate Patricia Maraia is running for a seat on the Sarasota Hospital Board. She lives in Bradenton, where she and her husband own a home.

They have lived in Bradenton for the past 17 years.

But since 2016, the Maraias also have owned a home in Englewood.

Maraia told the Observer she and her husband changed their voter registration to Sarasota County and plan to move permanently to their Englewood home if she wins.

of her steadfast support for parents rights and a freedom agenda; and Enos because he is a respected law enforcement veteran who knows what school systems should be doing to protect our children.

The third race is more complicated — between Robyn Marinelli (Republican) and Lauren Kurnov (Democrat).

We previously recommended Kurnov. And we did so on the basis she repeatedly insists she wants to eliminate politics from the school board. What’s more, we supported Kurnov because, at 43, she represents a younger generation of civic-minded Sarasotans. We need more of her generation moving into leadership roles.

Nevertheless, the question still lingered. She declined to reveal to us her politico-philosophical beliefs on the cultural issues. We gave her the benefit of the doubt.

But as always in election season, unexpected events occur. Which brings us to Sarasota School Board member Tom Edwards.

Edwards aligns politically with the liberal left. That is fine. But when he declared at a forum last week that he is “woke” and “we’re working from the inside,” his comments triggered alarm.

He went on to say there are insider coalitions forming to protect teachers from state politicians’ rules. “People are coming to fix

this,” he said.

If he and other woke Democratic school board members around the state are working to win control, where is candidate Kurnov on that?

We queried Kurnov once again. In light of Edwards’ comments, Sarasota County voters would benefit from knowing where she stands on specific cultural issues.

Kurnov’s responses are below.

You, the voter, can reach your own conclusions on whether Kurnov would side with woke-ism or abide by her words against politics.

This is clear: Kurnov repeatedly is explicit about vowing to focus on what’s best for students. At the same time, her responses decline to say specifically whether she agrees or disagrees with the new state parental rights law.

She acknowledges the gender identity issue is likely to come before the board. She says the board should provide options to “parents and students that make sense for their families.”

Now weigh that against Kurnov’s opponent. Robyn Marinelli doesn’t mince. She supports the parental rights law.

For Sarasota voters, this is a dilemma: One candidate who declines to engage in the politics that has riled voters; the other who has stated explicitly her stand.

Two weeks ago, we gave Kurnov the benefit of the doubt. With

EDWARDS DECLARES HIS WOKENESS Sarasota County School Board member Tom Edwards declared at a public forum last week that he is woke and “working from the inside.”

Edwards made his comments during the question-andanswer period at the end of a forum entitled, “History in the UN-making,” at the Fogartyville Community and Media Center in Sarasota.

Sponsored by a new Sarasota-based nonprofit, Support Our Schools, the forum addressed educators’ concerns about the new standards being required of them when they teach civics classes.

Here is what Edwards said: “I just wanted to give a little reassurance that here in the state of Florida, there are school board members that are woke. We’re here. And we’re working. We have your backs.

“You need to know we have your backs. And we’re working in the best strategic spot because we’re on the inside.

We’re working from the inside.

“From my point of view, I’ve spent not quite two years to earn credibility and to earn trust. That is a long, slow process.

“But I’m not the only one in the state of Florida, and I need to tell you, so that you feel a little better. There are coalitions forming to protect you.

To stand up because — what I know about education, you can put in a thimble — but what you accept, you teach.

“And that’s what’s happened here in Florida is that a lot of the machinery has accepted all of the standards, all of the things, all of the next laws, all of the processes, and all of the teachers and all of the administrators and all of the superintendents have accepted that.

“And we’re forming that we are not accepting that anymore. So keep doing what you’re doing. And we have your backs. And people are coming to fix this.”

“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

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Edwards and other woke Democrats “working on the inside,” can Kurnov, a Democrat, resist the pressure to conform and join?

She has given voters her word.

Kurnov addresses positions on new parental rights law As a general response to your inquiry, I want to make clear I am my own person. I didn’t run for public school board to participate in partisan exercises.

I’m running for office because my kids are in our schools, I have a background in education and at this moment I’m interested in making sure every kid in our county has the best shot at a bright future.

This means making choices that make sense for our community and that provide our kids with a great education. I believe that means creating a school district where everyone feels included and accepted, and for me that does not mean advancing partisan agendas.

I identify with Sarasota parents who are interested in seeing their kids get a great education, have the ability to go to college or learn a trade and build a successful life.

Q. New state law prohibits school districts from adopting procedures or forms that prohibit school personnel from disclosing information related

to a student’s mental, emotional or physical health or well-being to parents, or that encourage students to withhold such information. Agree or disagree?

I’ve said from the beginning of my campaign that I want to take the politics out of our school board.

This means the school board needs to be laser focused on student success and career readiness.

In my view the school board needs to spend its time ensuring our students have a well-rounded education that is supported by a thorough curriculum so our students can read; perform math at grade level; have an understanding of history and social studies; are exposed to the arts; and learn physical skills to keep them healthy throughout their life.

The school board also needs to invest in wrap-around services to help support students who need additional time with subject matters; need to catch up from COVIDcaused learning loss; and to ensure career readiness. Any time the school board invests in fighting legislative changes is a poor use of time and is not something I will engage with on the school board.

Q. The new law prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through grade three or in a manner that is not age-appropriate. Agree or disagree?

I believe school board members need to work directly with parents to set standards about when and how to introduce concepts around sexual education, identity and orientation that make sense for our community and our kids.

Our schools should be spaces where all students feel safe, accepted and supported.

Given the very profound way this issue impacts students and families, it’s likely [to be] one of the more important issues the school board will address. It’s a topic on which the school board should welcome robust feedback and provide options for parents and students that make sense for their families.

I’m not interested in fighting legislative directives; I’m interested in working with our community to get to outcomes that help our students learn and build a successful future.

Q. The new law requires parents be notified of all health care ser-

vices offered at their student’s school and given the opportunity to individually consent to or decline each service. Schools may not administer a wellbeing questionnaire or health screening form to a student in kindergarten through grade three without first receiving consent from the student’s parent. Agree or disagree?

As a parent I want to know everything that is offered to my children, be it in the school health care facility, classroom, remedial or advanced education opportunities, all the way down to what equipment is on the playground so I can tell them to stay off devices on which they might get hurt.

It only makes sense that parents know what health care services are offered. In the K-3 space, parents should absolutely be involved in any health care decisions or questions given the extraordinary amount of development that takes place physically, psychologically, emotionally and educationally in this phase of a person’s life.

On the school board I’ll work to make sure parents are involved in any health care decisions about their children.

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MY VIEW

Hospital board deserves re-election Under this board’s oversight, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare has accomplished remarkable achievements. There is no need to change horses.

MORGAN BENTLEY

T

here is a reason they say you should not change horses in mid-stream.

The same is true for a well-run organization. When it is operating well, you don’t throw the leaders out.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is this community’s largest singular economic driver, its largest employer, its most consistently mentioned factor for attracting new residents, and — most importantly — a source of world-class care. It is a successful, well-run public health care system.

That is why it has been so startling lately to read what The Observer writes about its board. While on the one hand recounting the unprecedented accolades and successes overseen by the current board and system CEO David Verinder, even during the unprecedented challenges of the last 2 1/2 years, the editorial commentary — and, most recently, the endorsements in the upcoming hospital board elections — seem fixated on change in the board composition for change’s sake.

The logic goes something like this: When a board comes to nearunanimous agreement on critical decisions, the decisions (or at least the decision-making process) must be questionable.

This is wrong. With regard to

this board and these elections, it is also dangerous to the successes of the hospital that the Observer has touted.

The board members — all of whom have declared themselves and have shown that they are ready, willing and able to serve — have earned the respect and support of the community.

Joe DeVirgilio, Jim Meister, Dick Rehmeyer, Daryl Henry and Greg Carter have all demonstrated the kind of leadership that the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and the citizens of Sarasota County need and deserve.

This is no time, and there is no need, to change the majority composition of this nine-member board. We already have the right people leading this enterprise.

The argument against the proposition that the board agrees too much so it must be doing something wrong is right there in the public records. I know, because I looked.

With regard to Mr. Verinder’s compensation and contract: Without criticizing any prior CEO, it is clear the system’s consistent financial stability began in 2014, the year that Verinder became CEO. Further, the programs and services provided to the community have advanced beyond all previous achievements of this historically great health care system.

The certification of the trauma center; the establishment of graduate medical education; the opening of the SMH-Venice; the planning for the SMH-North Port; the much-needed replacement of the Behavioral Health Center; the expansion of outpatient services; and the creation of the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Center — all of these happened under the strategic direc-

tion of this board and Verinder’s executive leadership, most within these board members’ most-recent term. It is not surprising, and is in fact commendable, that the board agrees that they want to keep Verinder on Team SMH. The process for setting Verinder’s compensation and his contract tenure is also criticized, but the minutes of the Board’s Governance Effectiveness Committee show that the process was robust, was informed by market data from outside consultants and involved substantial debate and discussion including healthy disagreement and compromise.

That eight of nine, or even nine of nine, elected officials can come together is not a failing of an elected board. It is a triumph of good governance. It is an example of how experienced, responsible board members who have respect for each other and a strong commitment to their oath of office serve their community. It should be recognized and rewarded.

With regard to the SMHCS response to COVID-19: In the coming weeks, Sarasota Memorial will reach the sad milestone of caring for its 10,000th COVID-19 patient.

There has been an unfortunate politicization of the issues around vaccines, treatments and policies related to COVID-19. Reviewing the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board minutes, though, it is clear that the board kept its focus on patients, not politics.

It ensured that the health care team had all of the resources it needed, including the increasingly scarce personal protective equipment to keep staff and patients as safe as possible.

While the entire vaccine issue has been hopelessly politicized, the board tried to incentivize, rather

File photo

than mandate, staff to take the vaccine to keep team members healthy and patients safe.

With regard to the other candidates, the main question for me is: Why haven’t any of them gotten involved with Sarasota Memorial governance before? None of them has applied for open positions on the board when previous board members have left mid-term or shown any interest in serving as a community representative on any of the multiple board committees. They haven’t asked to serve on the board of Sarasota Memorial Healthcare.

The physician running isn’t even a member of the medical staff at either of the system’s hospitals.

The incumbents, on the other hand, have raised their hands again to continue to serve, despite the challenges of the pandemic, despite

the drain on their home and family life, despite working in relative anonymity (that seems to make them more vulnerable to political challenge than their records should allow). This community deserves the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, and the incumbents who have made it what it is deserve the community’s support.

I strongly encourage you to vote for Joe DeVirgilio, Jim Meister, Dick Rehmeyer, Daryl Henry and Greg Carter. Let’s keep the team that got us here together.

Morgan Bentley is the founder and managing partner of Bentley Goodrich Kison, P.A. He is a past chairman of the Florida Commission on Ethics and a long-time supporter of Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

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T

he town has been overrun by Gremlins. The White House has been obliterated by aliens.

A plane is coming in for a night landing with no experienced pilot on board.

Or something like that.

For eight weeks this summer, the improv cast of Florida Studio Theatre’s “We’re Doomed” will improvise a disaster movie on the spot.

They’ll come out and ask the audience to vote on a title, and then they’ll make up their roles and the plot to fill the 90 minutes quip by quip. No two shows are the same, but they’re all rooted in the same discipline.

“Some days, I’m not going to be the queen of the show,” says cast member Sarah Durham. “Some days, I’m going to be the D plot and I have to be OK with that. But once you’ve done it for a while, it’s just as fun to watch your teammates succeed and get those big laughs as it is for yourself to get the big laugh.”

Will Luera, Florida Studio Theatre’s director of improvisation, both directs and acts in “We’re Doomed,”

Every night is a disaster.

And that’s just the way the cast of Florida Studio Theatre’s ‘We’re Doomed’ likes it.

Photo by Harry Sayer

The talented improv cast of Florida Studio Theatre’s “We’re Doomed” can plot to survive any calamity that you can imagine.

and he says the hard work is done before they ever step on the stage.

The cast participates in a brainstorming exercise called the Genre Cauldron that helps them appreciate what they each think is funny in a given situation. They’re building rapport, an understanding of how and why these movies work on our psychology. The unifying thing about disaster movies is that we watch them because we’re rooting for the characters to beat the odds, and Luera says that’s because we see ourselves in each of the roles they play.

“I think in these movies that have

heavy archetypes, whether subconsciously or consciously, you’re placing yourself in there,” says Luera.

“Who would I be in this situation?

Am I going to be the protagonist?

Am I the overthinker? Am I the cynical character? The crazy conspiracy theorist? Am I the love interest or am I the follower? Am I the villain, the one that’s causing this? I think it’s very easy to watch these and find a character you bond with.”

One member of the cast, Valerie SEE DOOMED PAGE 10A

IF YOU GO “WE’RE DOOMED” When: Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. running through Sept. 24 Where: Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. Tickets: $12-$15 Info: FloridaStudioTheatre.org

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Cast members Sal Piccolo and Basia Sroka cut up at a rehearsal.

DOOMED FROM PAGE 9A

Dale, was recently a member of the FST summer intensives, and she worked on scenarios just like this with Luera as her instructor.

Now she’s a full-fledged cast member, and for Luera, the show is a natural extension of his work with improv actors of all levels.

The format of “We’re Doomed” is simple. Every night, the cast comes out and asks the audience to vote on a title. Then they perform it, no questions asked, without huddling or even whispering in each other’s ear.

That’s the art form, and it doesn’t matter what title you’ve suggested; they’ll find something funny in it.

“Sometimes the audience comes up with a title that maybe doesn’t sound like a disaster movie. Then it’s up to us,” says Luera of a night at the improv. “If the title is, ‘Planting Flowers With Mom,’ OK, we’ll take it.

If you vote for it, we’ll do it.

“We’re not going to milk anything more out of the title. We’re not going to ask you to change anything. But we will turn that title into a disaster movie.”

After they have the title, they’ll start with a “wide shot,” which allows the cast members to introduce each other and to subtly take cues about where the story is going.

If you watch closely enough, you can see their wheels turning as they each figure out their role.

That’s part of the magic; the cast doesn’t know where they’re going any more than the audience does.

They’re listening for the collaborative signals their fellow castmates are throwing down, and they’re adding details to the theatrical stew with every sentence.

“Once we all kind of find an overlapping space, then within that we start to play,” says Luera. “There’s a certain tension and releasing of tension that is important for disaster movies.

“If you look at the Poseidon Adventure, you’re still 25 minutes into it and they still haven’t had the New Year’s Eve party. You’ve got

to build up to that moment when everything goes wrong.”

Anything can go wrong. Frequently, it’s the thing you least expect.

That can be liberating for a performer. But it all unfolds so quickly, and it can get away from the actors if they’re not careful. In this case, a key improv skill is restraint.

“If we create aliens and tidal waves, and we create a building that’s burning down, and we create a hostage situation, we have to solve all those problems,” says Durham of the unintended consequences.

“The more problems we create, the harder it is to actually have a narrative through-line. Otherwise, we’re just trying to figure out how to take on each adversary thrown our way.”

The performers, whatever role they play, have to wear a lot of hats.

Literally.

Durham said she played seven different characters in one Halloween show, each of them signified by a different item of clothing. One of them wore glasses, and another wore a hard hat or a letterman’s jacket.

That’s all part of the fun. But since this is a disaster movie, it’s a cast that requires fleshing out. The audience frequently gets enlisted in these shows, and they have to be just as quick on their feet as the cast.

That’s not a problem because most of them have imagined escaping their own Titanic.

“I think that audiences are a lot more intuitive than we give them credit for,” says Luera. “If you just set up the right space, they’ll jump right in. If we need extra soldiers to fight the zombies or extra zombies to fight the soldiers, they’ll jump right in. They’ve never failed me.”

Photos by Harry Sayer

Valerie Dale graduated from student to fullfledged cast member for this performance.

Photos: Daniel Perales

Bring your friends and family to explore new art and participate in our fun activities for the whole family!

1001 South Tamiami Trail | Sarasota, FL 34236 SarasotaArtMuseum.org

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Photos: Daniel Perales

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HAIR • NAILS • SPA

DISTINCTIVE DISHES

SUMMER SPECIALS ON SPA SERVICES!!

An occasional series on signature dishes from local restaurants.

Call for reduced prices on all packages!

RABBIT TACOS AT MELANGE

UP TO

Address: 1568 Main St. Ambiance: Romantic, date-night bistro Price: $16-$32 Info: Melange Sarasota.com

CUTE BUT DELICIOUS: These aren’t the rabbits you see around Sarasota proper at dawn and dusk.

Why is rabbit so rarely cooked in the United States? Bradeen says it’s pretty simple.

“It’s a great food,” she says. “But

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CHEF LAN BRADEEN

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they’re fluffy.”

Bradeen says she had a line on local rabbit from a farm in Ocala at one point, but they couldn’t provide the volume she needed.

Now she sources the meat from rabbit farms out West and in Wyoming.

“Rabbit around the world is a very sustainable animal. It’s vegetarian and prolific,” she says. “It’s actually a great source of protein. I think we’re just not so used to it here in America, which is a shame because it has a lot more flavor than other white meats.”

Interactive Senior Living Guide

NOT LIKE CHICKEN: If you’re not going to cook the whole rabbit, the chef says you can get the best cut of meat out of the leg. She recommends braising the rabbit for at least an hour to make it tender.

“It’s not like chicken where you cook it and it comes out tender as soon as it’s done,” she says.

WET YOUR WHISTLE: What goes good with rabbit tacos? Melange, connected to the Pangea Alchemy Lab, recommends a martini.

“The Lychee martini has a touch of sweetness,” says Bradeen of the suggested cocktail. “That can balance the curry a little bit and complement the mango with the tropical.”

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LIGHT MEAT: Bradeen says that people who have eaten wild rabbit may be expecting a darker red meat, but farmed rabbit has more of the consistency of pork or chicken.

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HOW IT’S MADE: The rabbits are braised whole on the bone, and then the meat is cooled and shredded so it’s primed and ready for tacos.

Bradeen, a graduate of Pine View School, adds a Japanese-style curry to the meat. There’s blended turmeric, cumin, ginger and black pepper in the curry, and then it’s all served in a homemade fried wonton taco shell.

The result is a perfectly blended mixture of flavors and textures, with a mix of vegetables, succulent meat and curry all in the same bite.

“It’s not super spicy,” Bradeen says of the curry topping. “It’s more that turmeric, pepper and ginger flavor in the curry itself. So it’s nice and mild, but still flavorful.”

FACIAL PACKAGES!

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WHAT’S THE DISH: Rabbit. It’s a meat eaten all over the world, but not really in America. Lan Bradeen, the owner and executive chef of Melange, wants that to change.

Bradeen has been cooking braised rabbit tacos since she opened up on Main Street in 2007, and the dish’s staying power comes down to a subtle sleight of hand. Bradeen is cooking a meat you may not have eaten.

But you don’t need a fork and knife.

“It’s important when you’re serving something like rabbit that’s a little bit unusual that you put it in a form where it can be approachable,” she says.

“Everybody loves a crunchy taco.”

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

THIS WEEK THURSDAY

‘HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING’ 7:30 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W. $16.50-$38 Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a handy instructional guidebook to help you achieve all your hopes and dreams? Perhaps, but maybe also having all the answers would present a whole new host of problems.

That’s the crux of this drama, which takes its protagonist through a wide spectrum of experiences. Runs through Aug. 21 FROST 8 p.m. at Studio One @ Reflex Arts, 6260 N. Lockwood Ridge Road, $15-$25 Visit DingbatTheatre.org The weather outside isn’t frightful. But this show is so delightful.

The Dingbat Theatre Project brings you the tale of Jack Frost borrowing elements from Russian, Slavic and Northern European folklore.

This play is written by Luke Manual McFatrich and Emma Denson and inspired by “The Runaway Shadows”

by L. Frank Baum.

JAZZ THURSDAY AT THE SAM: ONA KIREI 5:30 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail $20 for non-members Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org Listen to the sultry jazz sounds of singer Ona Kirei and take in the sights of the Sarasota Art Museum

in one fell swoop. The museum’s galleries will be open to 7 p.m., and Bistro will be serving a dinner menu complete with beer, wine and cocktails. Kirei, born in Barcelona, released her debut album “Mirage” earlier this year.

FRIDAY BALLROOM FLORIDA 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road Free with museum admission Visit Ringling.org

which means you can visit exhibits like Katrina Coombs “I M(O)THER,” which examines femininity, sexuality and spirituality in the modern world.

‘THE TEENYBOPPERS’ 7:30 p.m. at Jervey Theatre, 140 W. Tampa Ave., Venice $10 Visit VeniceTheatre.org

SECOND SATURDAY AT THE SAM 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum Free Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org The only thing better than a great art museum is a great art museum for free. The Sarasota Art Museum opens its doors to the public for no charge every second Saturday,

Come out and support the area’s young improv artists. The Venice Theatre presents “The Teenyboppers,” a group of teen artists who have been working all summer to sharpen their comedic instincts and repartee. Guest teaching artist Casey Berkery and the talented cast are waiting to make you laugh, and even they don’t know how they’ll do it.

What do you know about Japan’s Jazz Age? Not much? Then you’re a perfect candidate for this exhibit, which features six evocative paintings by Japanese artist Enomoto Chikatoshi. These paintings depict taxi dancers at Ballroom Florida, which for a brief moment in time was a Jazz hot spot in pre-WW2 Tokyo. The era evaporated as war began, but the moment in time is eternally preserved by Chikatoshi’s tasteful brushwork.

SATURDAY ‘WE’RE DOOMED!’ 7:30 p.m. at Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $12-$15 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org

DON’T MISS FRIDAY FEST: BIG NIGHT OUT Sarasota just isn’t the same when the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is out of season. But Friday Fest was built to combat that very phenomenon. For four Fridays during the summer, the lawn at Van Wezel is transformed into a raucous outdoor party with the best bands in town. Big Night Out will take the stage on Friday

How do you like your disaster movies? Do you like aliens destroying the world or zombies running through the streets? Whatever you like, the improv crew at Florida Studio Theatre will do their best to bring it to you. They’ll tackle the tried and true disaster movie but bring you some fresh laughs along the way.

evening, and Jah Movement will play the final Friday Fest in September. And after that, the venue will return to its normal action-packed scheduling.

IF YOU GO When: 5 p.m., Aug. 12 Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: Free Info: VanWezel.org

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JAZZ HAPPY HOUR: AKEIM ESDAILE The librarian is not going to shush you. You’re free to move and dance and vibe to the smooth guitar sounds of Akeim Esdaile, who specializes in modern jazz and improvisation. Selby Library will be the scene, and for an hour, it will be transformed from a sedate housing of knowledge into a swanky jazz cabaret. This event is the third and final edition of the Sarasota Music Archive’s summer Jazz Happy Hour at Selby Library.

IF YOU GO When: 6 p.m., Aug. 17 Where: Selby Library, 1331 First St. Tickets: Free Info: SarasotaMusicArchive.org

SUNDAY

WEDNESDAY

‘HOME IS US’ BOOK SIGNING AND TALK 2 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court Free Visit wslr.org/fogartyville/

DEREK RICHARDS 7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

MONDAY MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ: VALERIE GILLESPIE ENSEMBLE 7:30 p.m. at John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $25-$39 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Valerie Gillespie, who both sings and plays saxophone, will be backed by a talented group including bassist Steve Boisen, drummer Jean Balduc and keyboardist Jody Marsh at the Jazz Club’s Monday Night Jazz Cabaret.

Derek Richards has made people laugh on Army bases across the world, and he’s coming back to Sarasota to bring laughs to the McCurdy’s Comedy faithful. Richards has worked in Las Vegas and on USO tours for years, and he’s a regular on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Network.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

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‘LET IT BE’ 7:30 p.m. at Studio 1130, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail $26.50 Call 365-2494.

There will be an answer. Let It Be. Follow this Players Centre of Performing Arts show, which tracks two families and their relationship as they work their way through the turbulent 1960s with the canon of Beatles songs as their soundtrack.

This Aug. 17 performance is just a preview, and the show’s regular run will conclude on Aug. 28.

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Author Dr. Jackie Ogega, a KenyanAmerican survivor of gender-based violence, will talk about her mother’s upbringing in Kenya and her fight to ensure a safe and equitable world for herself and her three daughters.

The author’s mother, Marcella, will be on hand, and Ogega will take questions about her memoir.

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T H E Y N E E D U S.

We Need

You. ELEANOR MERRITT

REMEMBRANCE

Meals On Wheels feeds Dan, a veteran with leukemia who appreciates the healthy meals and the companionship of our delivery drivers.

LAST CHANCE—CLOSES AUG 21

Your help delivers so much more than a healthy meal.

INFORMATION + TICKETS

Without federal funding, Meals On Wheels of Sarasota has been serving seniors, expecting mothers, veterans and disabled people of all ages in our community since 1971.

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Your generosity doesn’t just make it possible – it makes it happen. Donate today. Simply scan the code below to learn more or make a donation.

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This exhibition was paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues.

Support for this exhibition was provided by the William G. & Marie Selby Foundation and Ringling Museum Endowment.

MealsOnWheelsOfSarasota.org 421 North Lime Ave | Sarasota, FL 34237

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Eleanor Merritt, Remembrance (detail), Mixed media on paper, 36 x 28 in. Gift of the Estate of Eleanor Merritt, 2022. Collection of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. 374809-1

Meals On Wheels of Sarasota, Inc. delivers nutritious meals to persons in need in the Sarasota community who are unable to provide or prepare a meal for themselves in their homes.

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

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Experience this stunning bayfront estate in person! Just a sunny walk from famed St. Armands Circle. Situated on two lots in a corner location, spanning more than a half-acre, this impressive 5BR residence is set among lush, professionally managed greenery beside the coastal landscape of Sarasota Bay.

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5249 CAPE LEYTE DRIVE

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Direct waterfront, new construction is a rarity on Siesta Key. The modern, custom design of this 5BR John Cannon home in Siesta Isles will be built with exceptionally high standards.

Covering more than a half-acre, boaters will love the brand-new seawall, plus recently installed composite dock and lift.

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Country breezes rustling through century old oaks and pines welcome you to this unique, 821/2-acre property known as the Gaddy Up Ranch, offering many possibilities for a family compound.

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816 JUNGLE QUEEN WAY 862 GRANDE PASS WAY Create your ideal beach home experience at this private, gated enclave on the southern tip of Boca Grande. Offering more than a 1/4-acre in the exclusive Hill Tide Estates community.

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

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AUGUST 11, 2022

YOUR NEIGHBORS CONVERSATIONS AT THE CHECKOUT Evan VandePolder has worked at the Publix on Bay Isles Parkway for 30 years.

LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER

I

f Evan VandePolder seems like he’s been working at the front of Longboat Key’s Publix Supermarket for a long time, consider this.

He started the same year as Crystal Pepsi.

VandePolder is still here after 30 years. Crystal Pepsi? Well, let’s just say New Coke has some company.

“At Publix, we have a slogan that, you know, we’re in the people business, we just happen to sell groceries.

That was one of (founder George Jenkins’) famous quotes for us, and it’s true,” store manager Jonathan Enger said. “We’re grateful to have Evan as a Publix associate just because the emphasis he puts on his customers.”

Truth is, VandePolder, 52, did spend eight months at another Publix location, but only because the Bay Isles Parkway store was undergoing a top-to-bottom renovation.

Customers often choose a longer line to chat with VanderPolder, who has high-functioning autism and calls himself “a bit of a polymath,” another word for Renaissance man.

“Maybe I’m exalting myself. I’m speaking too highly of myself that way, but I just say often I understand many things more than most people do,” he said.

VandePolder grew up in Bradenton, left for Calvin College in Michigan, then returned to the area for good with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. His four siblings, parents, grandparents, nieces and nephews all attended the Christian university in Grand Rapids.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Evan VandePolder is a popular Publix associate at the Bay Isles Road store.

“We’re grateful to have Evan as a Publix associate just because the emphasis he puts on his customers.”

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— Store Manager Jonathan Enger

“We were kind of a Calvin College family,” he said.

As for his degree, VandePolder compares it to Morticia Addams’s response about her education in the comedy film “Addams Family Values.” “‘Private tutoring and hexes and spells.’ And the counselor goes, ‘liberal arts,’” he joked.

VandePolder can speak broadly on almost any subject but said he’s been told to stick to groceries when chatting with customers. So instead of asking, “What are you going to do with that marjoram,” which he says would be “poor form,” he offers a history of the item or how it’s often used.

And he certainly would never pack a fresh herb at the bottom of a bag.

With such a long history at the store, VandePolder can tell you things like Caro syrup is only used for baking and is the only brand sold in the store.

Or when the store was rebuilt in 2012, they didn’t just rebuild, they raised the level of the ground to put the store into a different flood zone.

VandePolder worked as a cashier for a while but went back to bagging groceries because, “I couldn’t focus on it, and yes, I was shooting off my mouth too much,” which is the same reason customers and management alike enjoy his company.

A couple weeks ago, VandePolder was on vacation in Georgia when someone recognized him from Publix at Anna Ruby Falls. Not only does he get to know his customers, he is committed to performing his duties with excellence even when receiving strange requests.

“I still feel funny when people say, ‘You can put it all in one bag,’ and you know there’s heavily scented fabric softener and sliced watermelon,” he said, “I can’t imagine anybody would want that.”

While the thought of combining laundry aids and fresh fruit in one bag goes against Publix policy and makes VandePolder feel squeamish, he says the customer is always right.

“This is something that I can devote myself to meeting people’s needs,” he said. “The customers say they’re quite confident that I’m going to bag their order as they want me to.”

But it’s equally the witty commentary and interesting conversations that keep customers waiting on VandePolder’s check-out line.

“He loves people and that’s a perfect Publix associate,” Enger said, “He does an outstanding job for us.”

Evan VandePolder and store manager Jonathan Enger

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Nest excavation a case of good news, bad news

WILD FLORIDA An exploration beyond the pavement.

Fire helps shape region’s ecosystems

About 200 people, hoping to see hatchlings head to sea, instead learn that more than 100 of them successfully waddled into the surf.

F

ire, as result of lightning, is one of the primary natural forces that shapes Florida’s ecosystems, and is critical for the health of 78% of Myakka River State Park.

And the Florida dry prairie, a globally imperiled ecosystem endemic to Florida, is the largest fire-dependent community in the park.

Fire is essential for the proliferation of diverse native flora and fauna in the Florida dry prairie, the second most biodiverse ecosystem in North America. Myakka’s dry prairies were species-rich prior to 46 years of fire exclusion, which began in the mid1930. At the time, the Civilian Conservation Corps, which built the park, instituted a no-burn system, maintaining that all fires were bad.

Alteration or suppression of fire leads to significant changes in a firedependent ecosystem. For example, many fire-dependent species aren’t able to thrive in the dense vegetation which forms in a fire-deprived habitat. In fact, during the years of fire exclusion, many native species, including the federally threatened crested caracaras, were not observed residing in the park.

Caracaras, largely dependent on the open, treeless habitats of the dry prairie landscape, are important, yet increasingly scarce, yearlong residents of Florida dry prairies.

The loss of the Florida dry prairie and its inhabitants would mean the loss of an important natural community that would never exist on Earth again. Therefore, a focus of Myakka’s Florida Park Service staff is the restoration and maintenance of the park’s extensive dry prairie, with prescribed fire being an important tool in this process.

Prescribed fires are planned burns, where fire is intentionally, and safely, lit. In addition to variables such as temperature, humidity, wind, and vegetation moisture, burn plans have to consider factors such as conditions for smoke dispersal, and impact on air quality.

Extensive suburban development around the park will likely progressively restrict the ability to effectively use prescribed fire. This highlights the importance of supporting and maintaining conservation easements and other buffer lands around protected public lands, to ensure the health of our critical, imperiled natural areas.

Friends of Myakka River exists to support Myakka River State Park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River.

Together, we’re protecting and sharing Myakka’s Magic, to the benefit of future generations, and our own. Follow us @FriendsofMyakkaRiver

Lesley Dwyer Staff Writer “When you watch a turtle go into the water, it puts tears in your eyes,” Ginny Kissling said.

Kissling, along with nearly 200 others, huddled around a turtle nest on the beach in front of The Westchester condominiums last week, hoping to tear up at the sight of a hatchling.

The Longboat Key Turtle Watch invited the public to a loggerhead nest excavation. Excavations are a routine part of the volunteer group’s work but are usually conducted privately.

Typically, they’re performed about three days after the first hatchling finds its way out of a buried nest to ensure there aren’t others still under the sand in need of assistance.

In this case, it was a good news, bad news situation.

Good news: The nest was empty, so all the baby turtles made it out.

Bad news: The nest was empty, so the dozens of people hoping to glimpse a rare sight didn’t get the full experience.

Still, there was a lot to see and touch. And learn.

Excavations provide data for Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium and

Brenda and Caleb Jameson pull egg shells out of a loggerhead turtle nest.

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

Children curiously peer into the empty turtle nest.

the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This excavation showed 106 sea turtles hatched and four eggs were left unhatched.

The eggs are slightly smaller than a golf ball, and the shells are soft.

The kids on hand couldn’t keep their hands off them after the presentation.

Members of Turtle Watch said they were OK to touch but urged everyone to wash up later.

Caleb Jameson and his mom, Brenda, conducted the excavation.

They started going on turtle patrols when Caleb was 8 years old. By 13, he was a permitted volunteer. He’ll be 17 on Aug. 9 and has no plans to stop.

“I want to major in marine biology,” he said. “I want it to be my career.”

After the sun set and the crowd dissipated, when it wouldn’t be too stressful or disorienting for the turtles, Jameson and a small group stayed behind to release three hatchlings. Two were found in other excavated nests, and one was a late hatch.

A sea turtle hatchling enters the water for the first time.

WORSHIP

An Ecumenical Church that Welcomes all People Founded in 1956 384708-1

directory

Miri Hardy

Crested caracaras didn’t live in Myakka’s dry prairie during the years of fire exclusion, but have returned since the reintroduction of fire.

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

Prescribed fires are planned burns, where fire is intentionally, and safely, lit.

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.

All are welcome at All Angels no exceptions

St. Armands Key

LUTHERAN CHURCH

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

JOIN US

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

Saturday at 5pm - Contemporary Style Worship Sunday Worship at 10am - (Coffee Hour at 9am)

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

Growing Growing in in Jesus Jesus’’ Name 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 With Us At Our Church Worship With Us at Our Church Worship With Us At Our Church Worship With Us at Our Church Sunday Service 10:00 AM Sunday Service 10:00 AM Sunday Service 10:00 AM Sunday Service 10:00 AM The Rev. Dr. Norman Pritchard The Rev. Dr. Norman Pritchard The Rev. Dr. Norman Pritchard The Rev. Dr. Norman 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 Men’s Bible Study: Monday 9:00 Masks AreWednesday Optional@ @ Women’s Bible Study: Masks AreWednesday Optional @ 10:00 Women’s Bible Study: 10:00

Visitors Welcome Visitors & & Residents Residents Welcome Visitors Welcome Visitors & & Residents Residents Welcome

• •

941.383.8833 (office) 941.383.8833 (office)

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www.christchurchoflbk.org www.christchurchoflbk.org

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6400 Gulf of Mexico Dr. 6400 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

384666-1

Watch AMService ServiceLive: Live: WatchOur Our10:00 10:00 AM Watch Our AMService Service Live: Watch Our10:00 10:00 AM Live: www.bit.ly/cclbksermons or

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

Come join in singing your favorites at Hymn Sing Sundays at 9:45 before worship.

Garden Concert 8/21 at 4pm - Anne Tormela & Michael White

385967-1 379700-1

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

384638-1

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

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

Rev. Robert Dziedziak, Pastor

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 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

R DE N U

T AC R NT O C

RECENT ACTIVITY

BENCH M A R K R E SU LTS • S T R AT EGIC M A R K ET I NG • PER SONA L I Z ED SERV ICE D

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

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

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 SLEEPY LAGOON2067 SANCTUARY

2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 750 PENFIELD ST | $3,000,000

Perfectly situated on a deep water canal with easy access to Sarasota Bay, this 2 bedroom home offers 2 docks, a 2 car garage, a new roof and an ideal north Longboat Key location 2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E,with #4deeded beach 2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 access.

L on g b o at K e y | O f f ere d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4537570 L on g b o a t K e y | O f f e re d a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0

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

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

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

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 0 701 PENFIELD STREET | OFFERED AT $1,299,000 MLS# A4178487 MLS# A4178487

MLS# A4178487

MLS# A4178487

L on g b o at K e y | O f f e re d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487

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

D LLon g b o at K e y | O f f e re d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 SO MLS# A4178487

E

IN

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

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

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

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

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

I A N A DDY, PA R E A LT O R ®, M B A

IanAddy@MichaelSaunders.com

SAND CAY BEACH RESORT

2067 H A R BOUR 4725 LINKS DR E, #4 DR. #213 2067 H A R BOUR LINKS DR I V E, #4 GULF OFI V MEXICO | OFFERED AT $869,000

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

L on g b o at K e y | O f f e re d at $ 7 79, 0 0 0 MLS# A4178487 LD SO

G A I L W IT T IG

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

941.387.0100

L on g b2o bedroom a t K e y | vacation O f f e re dgetaway a t $ 7 79, 0 0 0over $63K in grossLincome on g b o afor t K2021 e y | and O f fcomes e re d afully t $ 7furnished.

79, 0 0 0 This earned MLS# A4178487 MLS# A4178487

The beachfront community of Sand Cay offers owners excellent amenities including a heated pool, shuffleboard, tennis courts, barbeque area and over 340’ of white sand beach to enjoy.

MLS# A4539173

I A N A DDY, PA R E A LT O R ®, M B A

IanAddy@MichaelSaunders.com

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

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

941.387.0100

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

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T EN L EL C EX

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

TRIBUTES Robert Wagner Mr. Robert Thomas Wagner (Bob), 90, of Sarasota, FL, died peacefully on July 21, 2022, with his children by his side. Bob and his late wife, Anne, lived in Sarasota for over 30 years. Prior to that they lived in Glen Ellyn, IL, for over 25 years.

Bob was born in Chicago, IL, where his late father, Guy Watts Wagner, MD, maintained his medical practice. Upon the death of his father, Bob, his sister Helen, and their mother Blanche, moved to Oak Park, IL, where he graduated from Oak Park/River Forest High School. Bob attended Northwestern University, and was elected president of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He graduated in 1955 with a BS degree in Business Administration.

Following college, Bob entered the Army and served at Ft. Knox and Frankfurt, Germany, where he was a radio operator. After the Army, he began working for a dairy company in Granite City, IL, where he met his future wife, Anne Bowers, RN. The two were married December 30, 1960.

In 1963, Bob and Anne moved to Glen Ellyn, IL, a suburb of Chicago. In addition to raising their family, Bob worked for Sears and was very active in the community. He joined the local chapter of the Jaycees, served as a Village Trustee from 1971-1975, and became

More Than A PLAN...

Chairman of the Glen Ellyn Civic Betterment Party, a non-partisan party of the Village. He also served as Chairman of the American Cancer Society, DuPage County, IL. In 1984, Bob joined the Northern Trust Bank in Chicago and in 1987, he transferred to Florida to open the Northern Trust office on Longboat Key. He served as Wealth Strategist and Managing Director for 16 years, retiring in 2003 as Sr. Vice President. He maintained his ties to the Wildcats by serving as President, VP and Treasurer of the Northwestern University Club of the Greater Sarasota Area for many years. He was also on the Board of The Florida West Coast Symphony (now the Sarasota Orchestra) and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. After retiring, Bob moved to the Sarasota Bay Club, where he enjoyed the men’s singing group and

He maintained his ties to the Wildcats by serving as President, VP and Treasurer of the Northwestern University Club of the Greater Sarasota Area for many years. spending time with his dear friend and fellow baseball fan, Dixiana Crawford.

Bob is survived by his son, Tom (spouse Joanna) and grandchildren Jack, Ben, and Sophie; and by his daughter Nancy (spouse Adrian) and grandchildren Emily, Trevor, and Chloe.

DONATIONS: Memorial donations may be made to SPARCC at 2139 Main Street, Sarasota, FL, 34237.

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ANNOUNCING THE RETURN OF:

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2022 SUMMER LUNCH & LEARN SERIES

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International Expert on Antisemitism, Holly Huffnagle Speaking in Sarasota!

This is Not To Be Missed!

Holly Huffnagle AJC U.S. Director, Combating Antisemitism TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2022

America’s Wakeup Call: What Rising Antisemitism Means for the United States

Limited Seating Advanced Reservations Required.

RSVP Online at AJC.org/Sarasota/summer2022 Or Email: sarasota@ajc.org Or Call American Jewish Committee at 941.365.4955

941.955.4171 • www.ToaleBrothers.com

Proudly serving Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice since 1912.

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Antisemitism, the world’s longest hatred, is rising in the United States. Americans must wakeup to the fact that what begins with Jews, rarely ends with Jews. The current rise of hate, prejudice, and conspiratorial thinking should be a warning for all.

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LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

5B

REAL ESTATE BY A REAL EXPERT

OVER $134 MILLION SOLD IN 2021 • OVER $70 MILLION PENDING, AND SOLD IN 2022 GRAND BAY III 3030 GRAND BAY BLVD. #316 LONGBOAT KEY, FL $2,995,000 An inspiring, breathtaking panorama of the Harbourside golf course, the city skyline, Sarasota Bay and the tranquil, bobbing vessels of Longboat Key Moorings serve as the dramatic, everyday backdrop from most rooms of this spacious 3BR/3BA, 2,925+/- sq. ft. residence in one of the best locations in Grand Bay.

3030 GRAND BAY BLVD. #316 • LONGBOAT KEY, FL • NEW LISTING

ISLANDER CLUB 2295 GULF OF MEXICO DR., #93 LONGBOAT KEY, FL $995,000 Spectacular views spanning the tropical, resort-like grounds and stretching along miles of sandy coastline to the endless horizon of the Gulf of Mexico is all yours to enjoy with each day from most rooms from the expansive terrace of your 2BR/2BA, 1,235+/- sq. ft. residence soaring above the shore.

2295 GULF OF MEXICO DR., #93 • LONGBOAT KEY, FL • NEW LISTING WESTON POINTE 617 WESTON POINTE COURT LONGBOAT KEY, FL $2,995,000 Spacious and spectacular in every way, this special 4BR/5BA, 2-story courtyard style home boasts an expansive tropical courtyard with pool, spa and a detached, fully equipped cabana. Walls of windows overlook the water and landscape. Just steps from Weston Pointe private mooring and moments for a world of nautical adventures.

617 WESTON POINTE • LONGBOAT KEY, FL • NEW PRICE

VIZCAYA 2333 GULF OF MEXICO DR., #1C2 LONGBOAT KEY, FL $4,895,000 Stunning Gulf and Bay views from this luxurious and sprawling 4BR/4.5BA residence with a wraparound terrace, separate guest suite, voluminous 2-car garage, and private elevator.

2333 GULF OF MEXICO DR. #1C2 • LONGBOAT KEY, FL

WATER CLUB 1241 GULF OF MEXICO DR., #201 LONGBOAT KEY, FL $6,495,000 Double the luxury and lifestyle with two sweeping stories of front-row views of the Gulf of Mexico from this 5BR/6.5BA, 2-level residence with a private walkdown to the beach.

1241 GULF OF MEXICO DR. #201 • LONGBOAT KEY, FL TWO NEW HOMES TO BE BUILT 2315 WEBBER STREET SARASOTA, FL $1,895,000 The Laurel Oak model is a 4BR/5.5BA, 3,250+/- sq.-ft. contemporary-style residence by Vertical Design+Build, professionally designed for leisurely entertaining and elegant living. Fine appointments and luxury features are found at every turn to create a brilliant showplace of both form and function, from the decorative porcelain tile floors flowing throughout to the private gate entrance, 20,000+sq. ft. lot and everything in between.

2315 WEBBER STREET • SARASOTA, FL - NEW CONSTRUCTION

Bruce Myer

Realtor ®

Bruce@BruceMyer.com • www.BruceMyer.com

385438-1

941.387.1847

6B

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

CLEAR THE SHELTERS

Temple helps students get ready for school

AUGUST 1 - AUGUST 31

COME ADOPT YOUR NEXT FOREVER FRIEND!

T

379609-1

During this time we will be offering $25 off all adoptions, Donate now at catdepot.org to support all the kitties we care for and help!

941-366-2404 | 2542 17th St., Sarasota, FL 34234 | www.catdepot.org

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 384738-1

941.724.7228

CathyMeldahl@michaelsaunders.com

Private Sanctuary on 7 acres

9363 Swaying Branch Road, Sarasota, 34241 $2,395,000 • MLS A4535852 • Newly constructed in 2021 • Great room concept; 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, office, & family room, 3256 sf • 2 car attached garage with a 2 car detached garage, workshop, & RV pad

emple Beth Israel helped children get ready for school by adding to 150 backpacks already filled with supplies for Second Chance Last Opportunity.

TBI filled in the gaps with pencil cases, water bottles, crayons and more.

In total, SCLO gave away 350 filled backpacks to registered youths participating in their programs.

CEO April Glasco thanked Arlene Skversky for the donation and said, “Helping them to be ready for the first day of school makes a difference.”

Each student also received a box filled with juices and snacks to promote a new campaign, “I am what I eat,” running through Nov. 1.

Glasco takes a personal interest in the well-being of her clients.

After five clients died because of poor health caused by diabetes and high blood pressure, she was determined to do something about it.

“It really hurt me,” she said.

“We have to meet people at their needs. This is why we started ‘I am what I eat.’”

The campaign is meant to bring

TBI makes a donation of school supplies to Second Chance Last Opportunity.

awareness to healthy eating and show children the benefits of good choices.

The backpacks and food boxes were distributed over two days from the SCLO Women’s Center in Sarasota and the Twin Angels office in Palmetto.

When Glasco says “meet people at their needs,” she means that literally, too.

SCLO serves about 1,500 families across Sarasota and Manatee counties, some of whom live in Palmetto, so she collaborated with Twin Angels on distribution.

“With gas prices going up, we’re meeting them,” she said.

Nayland Giles, Apryl Habner and April Glasco

Scan for a full virtual tour

• Expansive caged salt water pool with travertine lanai & outdoor kitchen • Gated community of The Forest @ Hi Hat • Landscaped to enhance the privacy & available NOW

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Larry Brzostek, RE/MAX Call, Text, or eMail: Larry@lbrzostek.com LarrySellsSarasota.com • 941-993-3125

Do More Than Manage.

Make Heartburn History.

For too long, millions of people suffering from chronic acid reflux have been left with only two choices: daily discomfort or a lifetime of medication. But at First Physicians Group’s Reflux Clinic, modern breakthroughs in minimally invasive surgical remedies mean more and more patients are getting rid of their heartburn for good.

Thanks to the latest advances in medical technology, surgical treatment is no longer a last resort, but a routine and realistic long-term solution that is already changing lives in our community. At the Reflux Clinic, our multidisciplinary team of gastrointestinal surgeons and reflux specialists meets with every patient to explore all of the available options and find the approach that works best for their unique health and lifestyle.

At the Reflux Clinic, it’s never too early to be heartburn-free.

Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance accepted.

Information & Appointments: (941) 917-GERD (4373)

The Reflux Clinic

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5880 Rand Blvd., Ste. 101 Sarasota, FL 34238 firstphysiciansgroup.com

—LESLEY DWYER

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

7B

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

WHY? WHY?

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

Photos by Lesley Dwyer

April Glasco and Arlene Skversky

Backpacks fill the back room of the SCLO Women’s Center.

Consider Selling Your Property In ThisProperty Robust Market Consider Selling Your

In This Robust Market

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

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

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

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

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More than 35 years of combined experience

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Longboat Key • Anna Maria Island • Sarasota www.WagnerRealty.com Lakewood Ranch • East & West Bradenton

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The Home Service Pros Who Care

The Area’s most Trusted Name since 1974

New AC System Starting at

4,800!

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+ 12 Months 0% Financing Available!

Some restrictions apply. This offer applies to a 1.5 T, 14 SEER HVAC System with heat strip and thermostat included. Includes reconnection to existing ductwork, wiring, refrigerant piping and drain. Not valid on prior purchases and cannot combine offers.

Limited time offer.Contact Aqua Plumbing & Air for details.

Offer expires 8/31/22.

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Whole House Water Treatment System Cannot be combined with other offers.

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Offer expires 8/31/2022.

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Cannot be combined with other offers. Must present coupon at time of service.Contact Aqua Plumbing & Air for details.

Offer expires 8/31/2022.

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SEE HOW MUCH MORE YOU CAN SAVE!

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

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

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

LONGBOAT KEY 597 Bayview Drive 3 Beds 3 Baths 2,450 Sq. Ft. The Walter Group & Steve Walter 941-232-2000 A4537864 $2,699,000

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

SARASOTA 204 N Adams Drive 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,068 Sq. Ft. Denise Gagne 941-400-6358 A4544104 $2,367,000

SARASOTA 3537 Founders Club Drive 3 Beds 3 Baths 3,544 Sq. Ft. Richard Hearn 941-313-1591 A4535534 $2,300,000

SARASOTA 1155 N Gulfstream Avenue 608 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,700 Sq. Ft. Deborah Beacham & Bibi-Ann Allard, PA 941-376-2688 A4543821 $1,900,000

ANNA MARIA ISLAND 218 82nd Street 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,802 Sq. Ft. Kathy Harman 941-900-9828 A4541555 $1,895,000

SARASOTA 1654 Arlington Street 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,514 Sq. Ft. Ryan Heers 941-726-1703 A4538711 $1,697,000

SARASOTA 2524 Arlington Street 3 Beds 2/1 Baths 2,205 Sq. Ft. Molly Clothier Atwood 941-549-0594 A4543282 $1,500,000

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

SARASOTA 770 S Palm Avenue 901 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,532 Sq. Ft. Barbara Dumbaugh & Victoria Lear 941-951-6660 A4538482 $1,250,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4545 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 309 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,340 Sq. Ft. Julia Mcclung 941-356-6499 A4540729 $1,125,000

SARASOTA 707 S Gulfstream Avenue 1003 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,305 Sq. Ft. Marybeth Flynn 941-704-1477 A4535832 $1,050,000

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

SARASOTA 236 Cosmopolitan Court 2 Beds 2/1 Baths 1,929 Sq. Ft. Stuart Lawrence & Laura Lawrence 941-894-4001 A4538164 $925,000

SARASOTA 3113 6th Street 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,500 Sq. Ft. Rudy Dudon 941-234-3991 A4540438 $900,000

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 4800 Gulf Of Mexico Drive PH4 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,312 Sq. Ft. Tryla Brown Larson 941-962-1122 A4539305 $889,000

SARASOTA 1709 N Tamiami Trail 510 1 Bed 2 Baths 1,332 Sq. Ft. Lenore Treiman 941-356-9642 A4539807 $875,000

LONGBOAT KEY 4725 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 213 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,071 Sq. Ft. Ian Addy, PA & Gail Wittig, LLC 941-961-8850 A4539173 $869,000

LONGBOAT KEY 730 Spanish Drive S 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,255 Sq. Ft. Sean Clark 941-312-1146 A4541965 $740,000

LONGBOAT KEY 3320 Gulf Of Mexico Drive 203-C 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,187 Sq. Ft. Sandi Layfield & Michael Nink, PA 941-914-2807 A4542770 $549,000

SARASOTA 309 Ringling Point Drive 5 Beds 3/2 Baths 7,009 Sq. Ft. Kim Ogilvie 941-376-1717 A4535001 $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

SARASOTA 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive 1703 3 Beds 3/1 Baths 4,276 Sq. Ft. The Walter Group & Steve Walter 941-232-2000 A4537226 $4,995,000

888.552.5228 | MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM 373743-1

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YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

JULY 25-29

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

A

condominium in L’Ambiance at Longboat Key Club tops all transactions in this week’s real estate.

Maurice Cunniffe and Carolyn Dursi Cunniffe, of Greenwich, Connecticut, sold their Units J-204 and K-205 condominium at 435 L’Ambiance Drive to Joseph Kevin O’Donohue and Laura O’Donohue, of North Salem, New York, for $6.75 million. Built in 1994, it has four bedrooms, two-andtwo-half baths and 5,185 square feet of living area. It sold for $4.8 million in 2017.

JOHN RINGLING ESTATES

Edward Jacob Berenbaum and Jennifer Locke Berenbaum, of Seville, Spain, sold their home at 301 Jackson Drive to David Palatnik and Dafna Revah, of St. Louis, for $2,625,000. Built in 1951, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,028 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.35 million in 2020.

227 Grant LLC sold the home at 227 Grant Drive to Bruce Vincent and Sheri Vincent, trustees, of Sarasota, for $2.45 million. Built in 1947, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,656 square feet of living area. It sold for $850,000 in 2020.

LANDWIRTH

Kriston Leigh Barnett, of Nokomis, sold her home at 560 Broadway St. to Glen Fabian and Lori Fabian, trustees, of Longboat Key, for $1,598,000. Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,838 square feet of living area.

It sold for $580,000 in 2016.

SEA GATE CLUB

Jeanne Harrington, of Croton-onHudson, New York, sold her Unit 2-A condominium at 2425 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Curt and Stephanie Kassab, of Bradenton, for $1.25 million. Built in 1973, it has two

9B

REAL ESTATE

L’Ambiance condos sell for $6.75 million

|

File photo

Built in 1994, units J-204 and K-205 have four bedrooms, two-and-two-half baths and 5,185 square feet of living area.

bedrooms, two baths and 1,513 square feet of living area. It sold for $650,300 in 2009.

SANDS POINT

Piquette Corner LLC sold the Unit 202 condominium at 100 Sands Point Road to John Taft and Laura Delaney Taft, of Minneapolis, for $1.11 million. Built in 1966, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,492 square feet of living area. It sold for $900,000 in April.

SAND CAY

Kenneth and Sharon Nelson, trustees, of Southlake, Texas, sold the Unit 318 condominium at 4725 Gulf of Mexico Drive to P3&T Family LLC for $1.1 million. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,104 square feet of living area. It sold for $680,000 in 2004.

LIDO REGENCY

Timothy Christensen, of Racine, Wisconsin, sold the Unit 3-G condominium at 1700 Benjamin Franklin Drive to David Crowe, of Bradenton, for $720,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,507 square feet of living area. It sold for $498,800 in 2021.

THE PRESIDENTIAL

Patrick and Evachristina Wilton, of Stockholm, Sweden, sold their Unit 207 condominium at 845 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Courtney Ann Campbell, of Columbus, Ohio,

HARBOUR OAKS AT LONGBOAT KEY CLUB

for $637,500. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 991 square feet of living area. It sold for $260,000 in 2009.

LONGBOAT HARBOUR

Jac and Mary Lentz, of Brighton, Michigan, sold their Unit 205 condominium at 4400 Exeter Drive to Alexander and Donna Aldama, of Sarasota, for $425,000. Built in 1970, it has one bedroom, one bath and 644 square feet of living area. It sold for $200,000 in 2017.

In with the new NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Judith Hurst, of Sarasota, sold her Unit 803 condominium at 2153 Harbouside Drive to J&B’s Beach Pad LLC for $800,000. Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,224 square feet of living area. It sold for $575,000 in 2005.

Longboat Key

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

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 July 28-August 4 in order of dollar amounts.

NOW TAKING CONTRACTS

L O N G B OAT K E Y ADDRESS 1561 GMD

PERMIT Electrical

APPLICANT AMOUNT($) Unicorp Acquisitions II LLC $6,000,000

1571 GMD

Electrical

Unicorp Acquisitions II LLC $6,000,000

1581 GMD

Electrical

Unicorp Acquisitions II LLC $6,000,000

1591 GMD

Electrical

Unicorp Acquisitions II LLC $6,000,000

1601 GMD

Electrical

Unicorp Acquisitions II LLC $4,000,000

500 Harbor Cove Circle

New construction

IT Living Trust

2101 GMD

Balconies &

Sunset Beach Club

walkways

Condominiums

Balconies &

Sunset Beach Club

walkways

Condominiums

Balconies &

Sunset Beach Club

walkways

Condominiums

Interior alterations

Theodore M. Romanow

1241 GMD #408

Interior alterations

RBSC Properties LLC

6430 Gulfside Road

Elevator

James I. Black III

$123,850

541 Chipping Lane

Exterior alterations

James W. Green

$117,076

605 Buttonwood Drive

Interior alterations

Joachim Winter

$99,420

500 Harbor Cove Circle

Plumbing

IT Living Trust

$91,000

548 Spinnaker Lane

Seawall

Trading Waves FL LLC

$79,756

4651 GMD

Pool bath

4651 Gulf of Mexico Drive

$76,220

3420 Fair Oaks Lane

Re-roof

Robert D. Staton

$75,600

3802 GMD #A303

Kitchen remodel

Roman A. Leskiw

$71,475

2109 GMD 675 Longboat Club

$1,500,000 $576,938 $576,938

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

$576,938 $281,320

Road #24A

Downtown Sarasota

$200,000

5114 GMD

Stairway

White Sands of Longboat

$70,692

525 Putter Lane

Seawall

Shane M. Mikula Enterprise

$60,129

4805 GMD Unit 102

Interior alterations

Thomas Palumbo

$57,927

1145 GMD #104

Windows and doors

JMCK Investments LLC

$55,755

1125 GMD #101

Windows and doors

Vincent Quiros

$50,792

3565 Mistletoe Lane

Re-roof

Frank J. Burke

$46,100 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

373665-1

2105 GMD

Downtown St. Petersburg

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

JODENE MONEUSE – YOUR LOCAL REALTOR® • 32 year Longboat Key Resident • Top Agent - 2019, 2020, 2021 Mid-Longboat Key office • Top 1.5% Florida Realtors - Real Trends America’s Best Realtors • Professional Stager • Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist • Voted Sarasota Magazine Best in Customer Service

seitreporp esitrepxe stluser

YRANIDREXTRAORDINARY OAEXTRAORDINARY RTXE

941.928.3559

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11

NETWORKING AT NOON From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Chart House, 201 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce invites you to have lunch and network. There is a $30 reservation fee for members, $40 for nonmembers and guests. Call 383-5593 for a reservation.

RECURRING EVENTS MONDAYS

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

Call 383-6493.

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

Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

941.302.4913 JoDeneMoneuse@michaelsaunders.com LongboatKeyLiving.com

properties expertise results

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS

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

Call 383-4738.

UNRIVALED UNRIVALED

DELAVIRNU

Certified Residential Specialist LBroker-Associate ANOITPECXE

YOUR CALENDAR

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

385983-1

t silaicep S lai tn edis eR defi it reC e t a i c o s s A - r ek o r B EXCEPTIONAL

EXCEPTIONAL

9553.829.149

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

TUESDAYS

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

LD SO

845 LongboatevClub 65 Lighthouse dPoint irD tRoad nioP esuohthgiL 56 aoR bDrive ulC taobgnoL 548 Rivo Sarasota 19,300 SF | A4440615 0845 0 0,Longboat 59|7$19,750,000 ,3$ |Club 181Road 834 4|ARegent | FS 3Court 39,4 4,933 SF | A4438181 0 0 0Penthouse ,057|,9$3,795,000 1$| |Downtown 5160 4 4 4A | FS 0 03,91 2,873sf | 3BR + Den | $2,975,000 | A4532280

19,300sf | 140’ on the Gulf | $16,500,000 LD SO

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

LD SO

Water Club #401 501 Halyard Lane enaL draylaH 105 104 # bulC retaW 70 Lighthouse 35 Lighthouse 3,400 SF | A4421764 SF | A4448464 0 0 0,|5$2,575,000 99,1Point $ | 4Drive 64 8 4| 4Gated 4A | Community FS 043,2,340 2 0 0 0,5| Point 7$1,995,000 5 , 2Drive $ | 4 6| 7Gated 124 4Community A | FS 0 04,3 5,474sf | 4BR | Gulf Front | $8,000,000

finest

SARASOTAS .com of Florida a di440 rolFGulf ,yePROPERTIES KMexico taobgDr no|LLongboat | r D ocKey, ixeM fo f lu G 0 4 4

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

ROTARY CLUB Meets at 5 p.m. on first and third Tuesdays in All Angels Parish Hall, 563 Bay Isles Road. To learn more, call Nancy Rozance at 203-605-4066 or email Info@LongboatKeyRotary.org.

File photo

SATURDAY, AUGUST 13

JAZZ IN THE CIRCLE 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Armands Circle Park, 1 St. Armands Circle. JAC of All Trades will be performing with their lead singer, former American Idol finalist, Jonathan Cortez. This is a free event.

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY

BREATH BALANCE AND BLISS YOGA From 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Cost is $10 for members, $15 for non-members.

Call 361-6411 ext. 2212.

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

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 383-6493.

THURSDAYS

KIWANIS CLUB OF LONGBOAT KEY At 8:30 a.m. at Lazy Lobster, 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive. This service organization meets every first and third Thursday of the month for breakfast and a speaker. Breakfast is $10. Email Lynn Larson at LynnLarson@comcast.net to register.

We’re neighbors covering neighbors.

Liz Ramos STAFF WRITER

Beat: East County Education Hometown: Carol Stream, Illinois Currently Living: Bradenton Alma mater: University of Missouri What you do when you are not working?

I love to spend time with friends and family, bake, craft and go to Disney.

Connect: lramos@yourobserver.com

Whether it’s a classroom assignment or a big School District of Manatee County issue, I love that the Observer covers it all. I have the opportunity to share the great things happening in our schools while also writing about important topics and decisions affecting every student in the district.

JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD //

Support independent local journalism today at YourObserver.com/newsies

386745-1

10B

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

SUNRISE / SUNSET

FRIDAY, AUG. 12

Sunrise Sunset

High: 89 Low: 78 Chance of rain: 17%

11B

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

WEATHER

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

|

Thursday, Aug. 11

6:59a

8:11p

Friday, Aug. 12

7:00a

8:10p

Saturday, Aug. 13

7:00a

8:09p

Sunday, Aug. 14

7:01a

8:08p

SATURDAY, AUG. 13

Monday, Aug. 15

7:01a

8:07p

High: 88 Low: 76 Chance of rain: 35%

Tuesday, Aug. 16

7:02a

8:07p

Wednesday, Aug. 17

7:02a

8:06p

MOON PHASES SUNDAY, AUG. 14 High: 87 Low: 76 Chance of rain: 43%

Aug. 11 Full

Aug. 18 Last

Aug. 27 New

Sept. 3 First

TIDES Highs Lows

Sergio Albuquerque captured a family of willets walking the shore on Longboat Key.

Thursday, Aug. 11

2:23a

11:36a

5:12a

8:10p

Friday, Aug. 12

2:35a

12:32p

6:21a

8:48p

Saturday, Aug. 13

2:48a

1:25p

7:24a

9:21p

Sunday, Aug. 14

3:02a

2:17p

8:25a

9:50p

Monday, Aug. 15

3:20a

3:11p

9:26a

10:16p

Tuesday,Aug. 16

3:42a

4:09p

10:29a

10:40p

Wednesday, Aug. 17

4:08a

5:20p

11:36a

11:03p

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.

MANASOTA FLOORING INC 941.355.8437 | Bradenton

941.748.4679 | Venice

941.493.7441 | www.manasotaonline.com

celebrity cipher 51 Muscat’s land 52 16/2 54 Chewy Japanese treat 58 Carries out 61 World’s fairs, e.g.

62 Like a Florida room 63 Cheese lover 64 Connections 65 Like Chichen Itza 66 Cold, sweet brews 68 New York, but not York DOWN 69 Place for pastrami 1 Reputation, informally 70 Stand the test of time 2 LPGA star Thompson 74 “Understand?”

3 Strike callers, for short 75 Signed off on 4 Suffered a loss 76 Condition stemming 5 Drugstore chain from excess cellphone use 6 Tush 77 Chinese spice whose 7 Doesn’t keep up shape has points 8 Words before “king” or 78 Feminist spelling that “mode” avoids “men” 9 ___ au vin 79 Actress Gadot 10 Who’s solving this puzzle 81 Party mix cereal 11 LuPone of Broadway 83 Morrison who wrote 12 Diamondbacks, on “Love is or it ain’t. Thin love scoreboards ain’t love at all.”

13 Fifth zodiac sign 85 Picture of health?

14 Pacific flatfish 86 Springy type of stick 15 “Chill out, dude!”

87 “Pants on fire” person 16 Spare tire 88 Weasel out of 17 Like two best friends 90 “Howdy!” treatise, perhaps?

20 Bloke 94 Half a play, say 89 Strands in your body 24 Christmas, in certain 95 Full of attitude 90 It’s where the heart is carols 96 Teacher with a 91 Churn up 25 Blue view 71-Across, often 92 Horror film descriptor 31 Not Rx 97 Passenger ships 93 Like old footage, 33 Play a prank on, say 98 Finished perhaps 34 Villainous 99 Some Scouts 95 Many a tabloid story 35 TV warrior princess 100 A Stooge 96 Theoretical orbiter 36 Lit ___ (coll. class) 104 Skiing surface beyond Neptune 37 Animal with antlers 106 Erase, as changes 98 City official with high 38 Humorist Bombeck 107 HP competitor standards?

39 Aid’s partner 108 Arizona city or land101 Go up 40 They’re only checked form 102 Third of a third once 111 Crossed (out) 103 Apple’s mobile platform 41 Squirm 112 Venmo money to 104 Prince, to a king 45 Swab 113 Patriotic uncle 105 U.S. Pacific island 46 Oklahoma city 114 Michael of “SNL” 109 Latin gods 48 Puffed cereal 115 Tic-tac-toe win 110 Meeting on a fast train?

50 Covered, as a bathroom 116 Pi follower 117 Martians, e.g. floor 118 Not fictional 119 AOL alternative 120 Island once known for its colossus 121 Coloring liquid 122 Ice cream brand 123 (Stop touching my whiskers!)

124 Southern neighbor of Arizona

©2022 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

34 What Hamlet did at the start of his soliloquy?

1 Tightly grasp 39 Roller for a core workout 7 Frilly 42 Aloe ___ 11 Buds 15 U.K. org. that announced 43 Ancient prophet “There is no news” on April 44 Johnson of U.K. politics 45 Bite-size crossword, e.g.

18, 1930 46 Pyramid, for a pharaoh 18 Cut out 47 ___ Day (Jan. obser19 Like a cold fish 21 2D geometry calculation vance) 49 Doesn’t beat an escape 22 Fish in unagi sauce room?

23 Uncovering a query’s 53 When repeated, a patrimany flaws? otic chant 26 Corp. head honcho 54 Mansa Musa’s African 27 Frisbee, for one empire 28 Passing comments?

55 Vietnamese spring 29 Allow festival 30 “Light My Fire” band, 56 Cowardly sort with “The” 57 Loafing around 32 French for “friend”

59 Banded gemstone 60 Percussionist ___ E. 62 Buds, in Bolivia 65 It’s dropped on stage 67 What a teacher gets after too many students request more time?

71 High deg.

72 Has faith in 73 Peering at 75 Guess qualifier 78 ___ and Means Committee 79 Happy 80 Xmas mo.

82 Shaving ___ (sets with razors) 83 Word after “tiny” or “Tater” 84 Goal of a philosophy

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

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“RW’B ZBBZPWRMN WIMW M KMCW UH AUX PUW FCUO XK. DIRNVIUUV OUPVZC FRSZB XB UXC BKMCG MPV TZMXWA.” – CUTRP LXRSZCB

“O’B ... E BTNOAOEL JZEJ CLMPXN HZEJ ZC RPCN ELR E APWPBGOEL JZEJ RVCEBN ELR KOIZJN KPV DCEAC OL ZON APTLJVX.”

– MTELCN

“RYJYCXEKY KUY LIYE KUEK VTM ITZ’K SLK LZ. SLZI VTMX TDZ SLK. WKEV MZLBMY.” – RTMKMXLYX CYKWYV ATUZWTZ Puzzle Three Clue: J equals L

EXPANSION by Garrett Chalfin. Edited by David Steinberg

Puzzle Two Clue: G equals B

crossword

Puzzle One Clue: H equals F

Sarasota

386740-1

STOP BY ONE OF OUR SHOWROOMS TO SEE OUR COLLECTION OF PERGO® EXTREME™ LUXURY VINYL - WHERE TOUGH MEETS TASTEFUL

© 2022 NEA, Inc.

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

©2022 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

8-11-22

Made for where you live. Here!

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

RED PAGES INFORMATION & RATES: 941-955-4888

Vacation/ Seasonal Rentals

redpages@yourobserver.com • yourobserver.com/redpages DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at 2PM

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

Call 941-383-3338.

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

POST HOLE digger, new $25.

Pick, wooden handle $15.

Telescopic gutter cleaner, $10.

941-228-9467 STUDIO COVERS for twin beds.

New, custom-made, rust coloreddenim. 38”x75”. $75 each.

941-349-8130 VINTAGE ROYAL Gallery Flatware 7-Piece Setting, Gold, Photo Like New, $20 per Setting (973) 356-8898

Announcements SPORTS CARD Show! Calling all sports card enthusiasts!!

Buy/Sell/Trade! OPEN TO PUBLIC 515 Palm Coast Pkwy SW, Suite 15. Palm Coast.

(704) 291-0674 8/13/2022 www.theeliteballroompalmcoast.com/events

Merchandise Wanted BUYING BASEBALL card collections! Looking to free up space and make $$? Need to sell sports cards? Collector looking to expand collection.

Pay top dollar. Text/call 941 548 6492 with photos.

MERCHANDISE WANTED! PAYING TOP DOLLAR!!!

Pre Colombian Pottery, Native American Arrow Heads, Sharks Teeth, Crystals, Antique Bottles & Primitive masks. Call or Text photos to J.M. (941)374-7214 SENIOR LOOKING to purchase precious metals, diamonds, time pieces, coins, jewelry, antique and estate jewelry, and some collectors plates. Personal and confidential.

Please call Marc: 941-321-0707

Sporting Goods ELLIPTICAL HORIZON EX59 like new $395. (732) 740-6022 (text)

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

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

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!

Houses or Condos Reservations 941-383-5577 wagnerlbkrentals@gmail.com Visa/MC 5360 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Suite 101

auto

MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN Looking for reliable FT/PT maintenance technician for Longboat Key resort. Hours include weekends & holidays.

General building/pool maintenance skills required. Send resume to fwkathleen@gmail.com

Autos Wanted CASH FOR YOUR CAR We come to you!

Ho Ho Buys cars.

941-270-4400.

SELL YOUR STUFF FAST!

GARAGE SALE Advertise as low as $17.50 per week!

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

941809-3660, 941-809-3662.

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

Call Hawley Motors: 941-923-3421.

Condos/Apts. for Rent LONGBOAT KEY beachfront Seaplace 2BR/2BA turnkey furnished condo with greenbelt & bay views, W/D in unit, guard gated, heated pools, no smoking/pets, long-term, $4100/mo + elec & internet, avail now 440-623-9068 Jim GREAT FINDS LOCATED HERE!

Homes for Rent LBK 3B/3B private deeded beach access, pool, canal-front home with hardwood floors, 22' living room ceilings, and screened porches. Available Jan 21-April 29. $14,000/month.

(941) 809-4554

Rental office 9a.m. - 5p.m.

M-F Ask about our special rates!

Wagner Realty Since 1939 www.rentalsonlongboat.com

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

FIND BUYERS & SELLERS HERE!

RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888

Advertise your business or service in the Observer

RED PAGES CALL TODAY 941-955-4888

Auto Transport

PUBLIC NOTICE

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

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

LOST OR ABANDONED PROPERTY Held by

Painting

Longboat Key Police Department 5460 Gulf of Mexico Dr.

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

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

Honest & reliable.

Free estimates. 941-744-1020.

35+ years experience.

THE LONGBOAT KEY POLICE DEPARTMENT IS HOLDING AN IPHONE AND A GOLD WEDDING BAND TURNED IN AS FOUND DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL 2022. IF NOT CLAIMED BY OWNERS, ITEMS SHALL BE DISPOSED OF AS AUTHORIZED BY F.S.S. 705.103. INQUIRES 941-361-1976 x1928

This week’s Crossword answers

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “It’s essential that a part of you not grow up.

Childhood wonder gives us our spark and beauty.”

Robin Quivers Puzzle Two Solution: “I’m ... a musician that enjoys what he does and a Colombian that dreams and fights for peace in his country.”

Juanes Puzzle Three Solution: “Celebrate the idea that you don’t fit in. Find your own fit. Stay unique.”

Couturier Betsey Johnson

This week’s Sudoku answers

©2022 Universal Uclick

©2022 NEA, Inc.

PITTSBURGH PRESS Newspapers (7) from the earth to the moon 1958-1969, $10.

941-741-9727

Sell Your Item for Free! $200 or less YourObserver.com/RedPages

Between

home services

HEXAGONAL PATIO table with umbrella and 6 chairs. $125.

Call 941-925-3084 to see.

Want Some Mad Money?

FRONT DESK Attendant Wanted: reliable FT/PT front desk person for a resort on Longboat Key. Hours will include nights, weekends, and holidays. Basic computer and customer service skills required. Send resume to fwkathleen@gmail.com

real estate

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

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks in 1 Observer.

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

Help Wanted

You’re only cheating yourself.

Items Under $200

Retired, world-renowned glass antique Dealer/Collector with over 10,000 pieces of glass and pottery 95% of this collection is in mint condition. This collection includes Blinko, Pilgrim, vintage mid-century glass, Fiesta Ware, Fenton, Heisey, Cambridge, art glass, Vaseline, custard, black amethyst, jadeite, Duncan Miller, Millersburg, Northwood, Tiffin, Advertising glass, carnival glass, Amberina, cranberry, Paris glass, pressed, cut, frosted, and satin glass. Depression glass, Fostoria, Jasperware, Fire King, Pyrex, Anchor Hocking, Hazel Atlas, Indiana Slag Glass, Viking, Swedish, Amber, Green Glass, Chartreuse, Milk Glass. Pottery Names include Roseville, McCoy, Shawnee, Abingdon, Weller, Hull and Rookwood. The home is 1100 square foot and it is wall to wall glass. Due to this delicate and massive collection a limited number of people will be allowed in at once. Please be respectful of parking. Also bring your packing materials there will be a limited supply available.

For more Information call Ken at: 941-356-3318.

Antiquesandchatchkes.com Estate Sales Conducted By: Antiques & Chatchkes

Beachfront, Bayfront and In

Longboat Key, FL 34228

peekers’ place

stuff

HEART OF GLASS ESTATE SALE 3030 Hatton Street Sarasota, FL 34237 August 12 th -14 th Friday, Saturday, Sunday From 9am to 5pm Numbers go out at 8am

SEASONAL Rates

Paint the town RED! Paint the town RED!

Garage/ Moving/ Estate Sales

WEEKLY MONTHLY

jobs

The Longboat Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Longboat Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with towncodes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

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

YourObserver.com

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

Health & Fitness Helping seniors stay fit and independent since 2009 Brian M Simpson NASM, AMFPT, CPR, AED & First Aid Certified

Kenneth Fuhlman Inc. Building & Roofing Contractor

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

(614) 395-5854 · linkedin.com/in/brian-simpson-aba37093

Insurance

MIC INSURANCE

385420

HoHoBuysCars.com Doors

Sliding Glass Door Repair

Transportation

BLACK LABEL CAR SERVICE

386322

Res./Com.

SPECIAL 00

386620

Masonry

Furniture Sales & Repairs Cushions • Slings • Re-powdercoating

386323

Health

GET YOUR LIFE BACK!

386598

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Do You Want To Avoid Surgery?

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Board Certified in the specialty of non-surgical spinal decompression

By appointment only

DR. DAVID CIFRA, DC

Advertise as low as $85 per week.

MediCupping & Massage Therapy services for healing

Rest your mind & body.

Connect with your spirit.

385776

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

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Massage

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senior citizen discount.

Purified water window cleaning available!!

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Give Us a Call - We Can Help

150

INCLUDING SCREENS, TRACKS, MIRRORS & FANS

OBSERVER RED PAGES

Patio Furniture Repairs.com

ws

$

STANDARD WINDOWS

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

Furniture Repair

Serving Longboat Key Since 2005

25

UP TO

ON TARGET

gulfcoastestateauctions.com • Free Consultations 941-274-6537

Lic./Ins.

& Pressure C Window lean t e s i Sun merly known as Sunrise Windo ng

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For

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941-504-0903

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“FIX IT - DON’T REPLACE” New Deluxe Rollers Will Make Your Doors Roll Better Than Ever Call Mark 928-2263 proslidingglassdoorrepair.com

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386325

www.SarasotaDiscCenter.com DrCifra@SarasotaDiscCenter.com

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

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385783

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

941-345-5264

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specialty screens / screw replacement / paint Doors and more!

Insurance

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SECUR-ALL INSURANCE AGENCY (941) 345-5264

Sandra Smith

| 941.383.3388

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

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Clinical Exercise Specialist · Private In-Home Services

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941.270.4400

Roofing

FUNCTIONAL FITNESS TRAINING

SELL YOUR CAR!

13B

386563

Auto Service

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

|

LONGBOAT OBSERVER

|

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

Coldwell Banker CONGRATULATES the TOP team!

JUDY KEPECZ-HAYS TEAM Sarabande

340 South Palm Ave #75 3 bed, 3.5 bath | 2,761 Sq Ft www.Sarabande75.com Offered for $3,300,000

SCAN TO VIEW MORE INFO!

The Beach Residences

Ritz-Carlton Managed

1300 Benjamin Franklin Dr #1009 3 bed, 3 bath | 3,582 Sq Ft 1300BenjaminFranklinDr1009.com Offered for $2,950,000

Longboat Key Towers

601 Longboat Club Rd Unit #302S 2 bed, 2 bath | 1,458 Sq Ft www.LongboatKeyTowers302.com Offered for $1,750,000

Queen's Harbour

3633 Fair Oaks Place 3 bed, plus den, 3.5 bath | 2,892 Sq Ft www.3633FairOaksPlace.com Offered for $1,925,000

2509 Marblehead Drive

2509 Marblehead Drive 3 bed, 3.5 bath | 2,869 Sq Ft www.2509MarbleheadDrive.com Offered for $1,434,800

Thinking of selling your Residence? Please call me!

423 St. Armands Circle | Sarasota, Florida 34236 595 Bay Isles, Suite 250| Longboat Key, FL 34228

LongboatKeyLuxury.com | (941) 587-1700 385917-1

14B