Longboat Observer 5.18.23

Take us with you!

Are you headed to the Egyptian pyramids this summer? Or maybe you’re going on a nice Alaskan cruise?

No matter where you’re traveling, we want to go, too!

The Observer recently kicked off its annual It’s Read Everywhere contest, in which readers submit photos of themselves taking the Observer on their travels.

In November, a lucky winner will receive a seven-night cruise in a balcony cabin for two, courtesy of this year’s sponsor, Marc Bokoff of Cruise Planners.

To submit your entry, visit YourObserver.com/Contests/ Its-Read-Everywhere.

Money talks: Budget season’s here

Know a graduate?

Do you know a 2023 graduate or have one in your family?

The Longboat Observer wants to celebrate their accomplishment and wish them well.

Families of graduates of any level whether elementary, middle school, high school or college should email Managing Editor James Peter at JPeter@ YourObserver.com.

Graduates from St. Armands Key, Lido Key, Bird Key and Longboat Key will be included in an upcoming edition celebrating the class of 2023. Send an email and you will receive a questionnaire about your graduate, so we can learn (and share) more about them and their accomplishments.

Submissions must be made by (May 26) to be included in the newspaper.

LAUREN TRONSTAD

STAFF WRITER

Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier and Commissioner BJ Bishop were awarded Home Rule Hero Awards from the Florida League of Cities.

The league is “the united voice for Florida’s municipalities,” its website says.

Home rule is the ability for a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference.

Awards were presented at Thursday’s ManaSota League of Cities meeting at Longboat Key Town Hall.  Schneier and Bishop were awarded a 2023 Home Rule Hero Award for their hard work and advocacy efforts during the 2023 legislative session. Both Schneier and Bishop worked throughout the session to promote local voices making local choices, protect the home rule powers of Florida’s municipalities and advance the league’s legislative agenda, the organization said.

“The league and its legislative

team appreciate the individual advocacy efforts undertaken by municipal officials throughout the state,”

FLC Chief of Legislative Affairs Casey Cook said in a news release.

“Home rule heroes are some of our biggest advocates for protecting local decision making. These league members stand out for their high level of participation, knowledge, and effectiveness. This year’s home rule heroes continuously advocated for their communities throughout the 2023 legislative session.”

The town was the only jurisdiction that had two of its officials selected for the award. Other recipients included:

n City of Sarasota Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch

n City of North Port Commissioner Debby McDowell

n City of Venice Mayor Nick Pachota

n City of Holmes Beach Vice Mayor Terry Schaefer

“Our city officials use their voices to raise up critical issues before our state legislators,” FLC President Jolien Caraballo said in the release.

“Mayor Ken Schneier and Commissioner BJ Bishop from Longboat Key are two outstanding role models for how that work gets done.”

Recipients are local government officials — either elected or appointed — who consistently responded to the league’s requests to reach out

to members of the state Legislature to help provide local perspective on issues facing them.

Both Schneier and Bishop have had successful careers in governmental and political roles.

Bishop served for more than 15 years on the town’s Planning and Zoning Board; the majority of that time was as chair of the board. Prior to moving to Longboat Key, she served as mayor, vice mayor and council member in Leesburg, Virginia.

“Working on behalf of the citizens of Longboat Key with our federal and state elected officials has been a humbling experience,” Bishop said in the release. “These officials are greatly appreciative of personal experiences and knowledge of issues as they impact our community.”

Schneier is in his third term as mayor of Longboat Key and has worked to ensure Longboat Key’s voice is heard on subjects important to the town and its constituents.

“It is a true honor to be named an FLC home rule hero, especially this year as the advocacy team had great success in turning away most of the proposals designed to weaken local government and render it less effective,” Schneier said in the release. “We will continue to press for decisions to be made by the government closest to the people.”

City solicits feedback for Winter Spectacular

Residents can email their opinions through June 2.

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

Residents of Longboat Key are being asked to send in their opinions on the possibility of another St. Armands Circle Winter Spectacular.

Last year’s festival had residents surrounding the Circle complaining about the potential traffic such a festival would bring to the Circle. The main concern was traffic flow to and from the already congested area during the holidays.

“The city is asking barrier island residents and merchants to send an email with their opinions about whether or not the Winter Festival at the St. Armands Circle Park should run again,” St. Armands Residents Association President Chris Goglia said in an email.

His email detailed what some of the main issues with hosting another event may bring and include:

n The legality of leasing a public park right of way to a private business

n The appropriateness of closing a city park for over four months for private use, which would include the six-week festival and three months to repair grass

n The appropriateness of locating a festival in a known traffic choke point during one of the busiest traffic weeks of the year (between Christmas and New Year’s) rather than at another city venue such as Robarts Arena

n The “fit” of this festival with St. Armands businesses

“If we want to eliminate traffic mayhem in St. Armands, this opportunity is important to respond to for all our neighbors,” Commissioner BJ Bishop said in an email.

Goglia also wrote about what

information should be included in the email: your opinion on a festival return, an explanation for your opinion, name, address and which community you are part of, e.g. Longboat Key, Lido Key or Bird Key.

Ahead of last year’s event, Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier wrote a letter to the city of Sarasota on behalf of the town and its residents detailing the barrier’s island’s concerns with the origin of the festival and the potential for exacerbating an already present traffic issue.

However, after the festival, Schneier reported not hearing any complaints.

“I heard virtually no complaints at all about the fest,” he said. “There were some traffic issues getting downtown, but I am not sure any of them centered on getting around St. Armands.”

The festival ran for six weeks, from Nov. 18 to Jan. 3. It was open from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Activities and attractions included:

n Synthetic ice skating rink

n Carousel

n Trackless train rides

n Photographs inside a life-size snow globe

n Crafting and games

n Free daily entertainment by local performers

n St. Armands Circle merchants

scavenger hunt

A special email address, SRQComments@SarasotaFL.gov, has been created by the city of Sarasota for residents and interested parties to send their opinions. The comment period ends June 2. Anonymous comments will not be accepted.

Courtesy photos

Budget season kicks off on Longboat Key

The Town Commission held its preliminary budget workshop Monday, outlining investments in infrastructure and the community.

Financially, the town of Longboat Key remains in a good spot. With the start of the fiscal year 2024 budget cycle, commissioners received a presentation about important considerations, such as projects and the addition of new staff, before moving forward with the process.

In the 73-page presentation compiled by Town Manager Howard Tipton, Public Works Director Isaac Brownman and Finance Director Sue Smith, a number of projects were highlighted as priorities for town dollars heading into the next fiscal year.

“Generally speaking, the economy that we find ourselves in right now continues to be strong despite some uncertainty,” Tipton said. “The Florida marketplace is strong. The regional marketplace that we are a part of is even stronger; it’s strong on Longboat Key as well.”

Because of the state of the barrier island’s economy, Tipton said it helped him feel comfortable making recommendations for infrastructure projects in the near-term and in town staff.

“The budget is the ultimate policy document,” he said. “It is putting your money where your mouth is. As we develop (the budget), we do this with the community in mind.”

2 Major beach nourishment

The next major beach nourishment project is not planned until fiscal year 2029, with $35 million currently set in as a placeholder until a more accurate estimation can be made. A $6 million dredge is also planned for the time period. The number is estimated to be high as town staff contemplates placing additional rock groin structures in high erosion areas to help keep newly placed sand in the area for longer periods. For the fiscal 2024 budget, about $1.45 million is planned for interim nourishment projects. The beach capital plan accounts for an estimated $7.3 million in projects in the next fiscal year alone.

1 Gulf of Mexico Drive Complete Streets Corridor Plan

The town has previously approved plans to improve the state-owned road. The town’s seeking about $28 million for planned improvements. However, that money is not anticipated until 2030. For this year’s budget, Brownman recommended

$600,000 be added to fully fund the Broadway at Gulf of Mexico Drive roundabout and $200,000 be added to fully fund the Country Club Shores left-turn lanes. Other components of the corridor plan include 7-foot-wide buffered bike

lanes, a 12-foot multiuse trail on the east side, left-turn lanes at higher volume intersections, raised landscape medians where feasible and a 6- to 8-foot-wide sidewalk on the west side.

3 Greer Island dredge

Over $1.3 million is expected to be necessary for completing work at Canal 1A at Greer Island. The project is facing a setback, as shorebirds have made their nest in the area previously planned for depositing dredged sand, Brownman said. To continue work, plans would need to be altered to ensure work is not being done too near the nesting area. If the contractor decides to not agree to changing plans, work could be delayed for about two months. Regardless, costs are expected to increase for the project.

The area remains a magnet for sand, causing commissioner and staff concern for the possibility of a longer wait before sand is removed from the area. The most recent dredge was completed last summer.

4 Bayfront Park Recreation Center

The Recreation Center at Bayfront Park has been in need of a remodel for years. The town had previously worked with architects to mock up concept plans for a new center. However, work was paused when staff was considering putting a fitness center at the new Town Center Green. After deciding against that idea, staff came back to the commission with the recommendation of setting aside about $150,000 in next year’s budget for continuing concept planning. The town will be pursuing a similar two-story indoor building with space under the structure for parking, which has been a longtime issue at Bayfront Park during the busy season. Commissioners agreed that additional discussion was needed at a later

5 Street signs and lighting

The town is seeking additional street name signs and block lighting options. Currently, as part of the town’s underground utility project, 80 light poles are being placed along Gulf of Mexico Drive with costs at about $1.6 million. Many of the street signs on the state road have been in place for years. Nine of the street signs are dark brown, 25 are blue and six are backlit street signs. During their annual strategic planning retreat in April, commissioners asked staff to seek out backlit signs to provide easier readability for drivers at night. Staff returned with the news that such replacements are obsolete and can be hard to maintain. Instead, staff mentioned a recent sign replacement that used a reflective street sign with light on top of the post. To replace all of the street signs in this manner, about 40, would cost about $100,000. A backlit option is estimated to cost about $300,000. Staff is continuing to pursue potential vendors.

WHAT’S NEXT?

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

Lauren Tronstad

erosion areas are a focus for beach nourishment projects.

The Greer Island dredge project may be delayed because of a shorebird nest.

Courtesy photos The Recreation Center at Bayfront Park is in need of replacement.

BIKE LANE WITH TURNING LANE

Democratic club seeks ways to energize party

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried discussed her plans for the party.

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

After a disappointing 2022 election season, the Longboat Key Democratic Club looks to new Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried to help rally support and align its goals. The club held a Zoom meeting on May 9 with Fried as the guest speaker.

“November was the worst potential outcome that we have ever had as Florida Democrats,” Fried said. “It is my goal to make sure that that election is an outlier and stays an outlier, and we stop the bleeding.”

Fried outlined some of her plans to keep Republicans from dominating elections again.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” she told the over 100 virtual meeting attendees.

When going over her plans for the party, she separated her goals into three categories. The first being communication internally and externally. She said that more needs to be done to “support” and “lift each other up” within the party.

“We’ve lost the faith of the people of our state to be responding to their needs,” she said. “There is a disconnect in what we stand for and what they stand for and making sure that it is gelling.”

The second category she discussed was the party’s funding and the need to not only pursue state and federal dollars but also smaller donations from individuals looking to support the party.

The third category is focusing on the structure of the party. For the first time, she said, a leadership council was created to meet monthly.

“Once a month, we are getting together to go through what’s on

people’s minds, what is happening on the ground, making sure that we are listening to each other,” she said.

She added there is a need to get the younger generation involved as they continue to show intense passion for their ideals. A youth council was created of about 35 high school and college students already involved in Democratic clubs at their schools.

“We are working very hard to show the people of this state and the nation that this is a new day,” she said. “This is a new dawn for the Democratic Party. We’re going to organize differently. We’re bringing voter registration back in house … I’m making everybody laser focused.”

Following her opening remarks on how she intends to reunite the party and lead it toward success in future elections, she was given questions from the virtual meeting’s chat including strategies for enticing candidates to run for office and to get voters out to the polls.

As 2024 elections near, and in hopes of not repeating the results of 2022 elections, Fried is seeking greater outreach to not only known members of the party, but also to the general public.

“We have got to do a better job of making sure that we are in the communities, that we are talking to our voters, that we are talking to our potential voters,” she said. “We’re making the case year-round. Not just right before an election.”

One of the first things she is planning to tackle is the return of yearround, door-to-door canvassing of registered Democratic voters and independent voters.

“The work of the party is to help our candidates, and we have gotten away from that,” she said. “Now, it is incumbent upon us to get back to the boots-on-the-ground, so when the campaigns are up and running, they are just having to worry about turning out (no party affiliation voters). We are back to turning out the Democrats.”

ABOUT NIKKI FRIED

Fried has been the chair of the Florida Democratic Party since February 2023. Prior to Fried’s election as chair of the Florida Democratic Party, she served as the 12th Florida commissioner of agriculture and consumer services. She also ran for governor last year, but Charlie Crist won the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial primary to then face Gov. Ron DeSantis. She is the first woman to hold the position of chair in more than 20 years.

Nikki Fried speaks to the Longboat Key Democratic Club in January 2022.

“We have got to do a better job of making sure that we are in the communities, that we are talking to our voters, that we are talking to our potential voters. We’re making the case year-round. Not just right before an election.”

Nikki Fried, Florida Democratic Party Chair

Your Friends Are Waiting

When was the last time you swung a racket or hit a golf ball, biked the trail or simply took a long walk with your favorite person to talk to?

Joint pain can creep up on us, faster than we’d expect, robbing us of the activities and experiences we used to treasure. Shoulders get stiff. Hips hurt. Knees creak and the back aches.

Before you know it, you’re spending more time watching Friends than seeing your own.

At Sarasota Memorial, our award-winning team of orthopedic specialists and surgeons is nationally recognized for excellence in joint repair and joint replacement, using the latest robotic and minimally invasive techniques to rebuild and restore, so you can get back to the things you love and the people you love sharing them with.

smh.com/ortho

So don’t wait . Life’s too short to spend it on the sidelines.

Make A Plan.

FRIDAY, MAY 5 SUNSET RULE-BREAKER

8:10 p.m., 3400 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Dog on the beach: A family was spotted watching the sunset on the beach with their dog. The parents were advised of the town’s rule of no dogs on the beach. They said they were unaware of the rules, gathered their belongings and left the beach with their dog in tow.

FRIDAY, MAY 5

FINISH UP

6:18 p.m., 2900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Noise complaints from land: An officer was dispatched to the area following a noise complaint of construction work after 5 p.m. Upon arrival, the officer met with the site manager and issued the company a written warning. The site manager requested to finish cleaning up by using a blower machine. Afterward, they ceased work, packed up equipment and left the site.

SATURDAY, MAY 6

EARLY FOR WORK

12:04 a.m., 7200 Gulf of Mexico

Drive

Suspicious person: Officers were doing a check under the Longboat Pass Bridge when they spotted a male sleeping under the bridge. He told officers he worked at a nearby restaurant. He was told he could not sleep under the bridge and needed to gather his belongings. He was cooperative and left the area without incident.

RUNAWAY FISHERMEN

2:14 a.m., 7200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

It Makes a Difference.

Taking a few moments now can make a significant difference for your loved ones down the road. From removing the stress and financial burdens to fulfilling your exact wishes for your celebration of life, pre-planning is the best gift you can give your family.

Suspicious incident: An officer was sent to the area of Longboat Pass Bridge on a complaint of two unknown males illegally fishing. The complainant said he had seen two males catch and kill two fish that were out of season. He said they had run to their parked car and fled the scene prior to the officer’s arrival.

NOT A FISHING HOLE

9:09 p.m., 500 block of Bay Isles

Parkway Citizen assist: A passerby called police to notify them of a group fishing at the golf course. Officers met with the group, who said they did not know they could not fish on the golf course. They apologized and left the area without incident.

SUNDAY, MAY 7 NOT OUR PROBLEM ANYMORE

9:03 p.m., 3100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive Citizen assist: An officer was dispatched to the area from a call about a reckless driver. The caller told dispatch the vehicle was swerving on the road and into the grass. Police traveled southbound in the direction of the vehicle until dispatch was notified of the vehicle crossing into Sarasota Police Department jurisdiction.

MONDAY, MAY 8

NOTHING ALARMING

4:48 a.m., 7100 block of La Lenaire Drive Alarm: Police and the fire department responded to an alarm on Jewfish Key. Upon arrival, officers observed that all doors and windows

were secured and there were no signs of forced entry. The homeowners were contacted and told responders the residence was their vacation home and they were not in the area.

TUESDAY, MAY 9

SPECIAL EXCEPTION

11:18 a.m., Greer Island

Suspicious vehicle: An officer was sent to the area on report of a vehicle on the beach. Witnesses stated that they saw a female walking northeast on the beach with a ladder. Once the officer made contact with the female, she said she had authorization to drive on the beach because she was conducting a study for the town for beach replenishment. She was able to provide proof of her claims.

REMAINS UNKNOWN

1:09 p.m., 5600 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Suspicious vehicle: An unidentified ambulance was parked in an empty lot, prompting a call to police. Upon arrival, the vehicle was gone and it was identified as not belonging to the Longboat Key Fire Rescue.

THURSDAY, MAY 11

FOUND, IF LOST

6:34 p.m., 100 block of Broadway

Found property: An officer was flagged down by a citizen who told police about found car keys on the boardwalk railing of the Broadway beach access. A Jeep key fob with an orange string was taken back to the station and inventoried into evidence for safekeeping.

HEATED OVER AIR CONDITIONER

9:31 p.m., 4100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen dispute: Intoxicated guests upset over issues with air conditioning caused a dispute with property staff. After receiving the complaint, a member of the staff went into the residence to check out the issue and said shortly after one of the guests became rude and vulgar, leading to other staff calling the police. After police spoke with the guests, they agreed to let staff back into the room to look at the air conditioning. Shortly after, the issue was resolved.

FRIDAY, MAY 12

BACK INTO POSITION

11:10 a.m., 800 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive

Citizen assist: A surveying vehicle was observed parked on the right of way. Equipment had previously been set up. It appeared that as the vehicle was pulling away a wire from the equipment got caught on the trailer and was being dragged behind it onto Gulf of Mexico Drive. The officer assisted the operator with getting equipment back into position again.

Why the garage? People.

THESE TWO ARE THE BEST WE CAN DO?

Really? Is this the best the most powerful, dynamic country in the world can do: Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden for president?

Thank goodness for Longboat Key resident Bob Gault. He is what we all should be: passionately and patriotically engaged in the affairs of his town, state and country.

Some might say too involved. Judging from the emails he sends our way, Gault seemingly must be monitoring and reading the content of two dozen or more news sources 24-7. But that’s OK.

If you know Gault, you know the retired CEO of Universal Studios-Orlando and Sea World is a constitutionalist and freemarketeer. And he doesn’t hesitate to let local politicians know how he feels about the issues of the day. Indeed, we would be much better off as a country if more people were watchdogging government as doggedly as Gault.

On most issues, Gault’s political philosophy and ours are in perfect sync. But there is one issue on which we are not: The proposed parking garage for the new St. Regis hotel and resort.

Gault is adamantly opposed to the garage — as noted in his letter to the editor last week in the Observer. He wrote another letter this week to Longboat Key town commissioners, urging them not to approve the two-story St. Regis parking garage at the commission’s June 5 meeting. He says it would be “a major deviation” from the vision Longboat Key residents have expressed year after year in citizen surveys to “Keep Longboat Longboat.”

One of the comments Gault has made is he thinks the Marriott Corp., operator of the St. Regis hotel, must be pressuring developer Chuck Whittall and his Unicorp Developments to scrap the original car lift plans in favor of building a garage. So we went to the source — to Whittall himself — and asked if he is acquiescing to Marriott’s demands. Here’s what Whittall told us: “St. Regis (Marriott) didn’t pressure me into anything.

“Marriott has been saying it expects this hotel to do significantly better than we anticipated because of the desire of people to travel to Florida now.

“When I was at the (planning and zoning) hearing, a guy gets up and says: ‘Why are you asking for this change. Nothing has changed.’ And I said, ‘Well, no, that’s not accurate.’ I said, ‘The world has changed, because ever since COVID, Florida growth has exploded.’

“People are staying on Longboat Key longer. People are there more permanently than before.

“We just think this hotel is going to be so successful that we want to make sure we can accommodate everybody. Because I know the locals are going to want to come and have dinner.

“When I go to the Salty Dog, and I see you’re going to have an hour wait or an hour-and-a-half wait at the Dry Dock, there is a demand for restaurants out there.

“If the hotel is full and our parking lot is full, we will have to turn people away. We just don’t want to have to turn anybody away. And so we want to make sure we have adequate parking.

“It’s going to be hidden by landscaping. It’s going to be part of a five-star hotel.” (Whittall audibly exhales in apparent exasperation.)

“People jump off on these tangents for some reason. It’s just crazy.

“(Marriott is) not pressuring me in the least. We’ve just had conversations, and everybody believes the hotel is going to be so successful that we really want to make sure we have enough parking. It’s to accommodate not only our guests, but the locals.

“Everybody at the hearing was saying, ‘We love the hotel. We’re definitely going to be there.’ If they say they’re going to be there, and I

run out of parking spaces, what do you want me to do? I’d have nothing else to do but turn people away.”

To add to Whittall’s comments, Sarasota attorney Brenda Patten, who represents Unicorp, told us:

“There are many good reasons why the two-story garage (parking on grade-ground level, parking on roof of the first floor and parking on roof of the second floor — no third story) will be a better solution than 62 parking lifts in the podium garage:

“Did you know the total height of the new garage will be only 27 feet, 4 ½ inches high? The allowable height of a single-family residence on LBK is 30 feet!

“This garage will not be as tall as a typical two-story residence on Longboat Key. The garage will not be visible to residents driving by on GMD because of landscaping, site grade, etc.”

Patten went on to cite David Green, chair of the Longboat Planning and Zoning Board. Paraphrasing Green’s comments at a recent board meeting, Green said people are seeing the development at the worst possible time. It is just concrete going up with no landscaping. Unless you’re a developer, you cannot envision what it will look like at completion. For Gault, it’s more than that. He worries about the next developer and the one after that who will cite the St. Regis garage as justification for their free-standing garages.

We’ve tried to assuage Mr. Gault that the likelihood of large parking garages proliferating on Longboat is almost nil. The only other place where there is enough land for that to occur is at the Resort at Longboat Key Club. In fact, the resort’s previous owners designed a parking garage in their proposed $400 million expansion plans in 2010.

We all know their characters, and they are deeply flawed individuals. In fact, if you were to describe the ideal person to sit as the leader of the Free World, you would not even come close to describing Trump or Biden.

Trump: Bombastic, erratic, narcissistic beyond belief. Unacceptable, repulsive personal past. Smart as can be at dissecting a problem and what needs to be done. But really? Do you Trump supporters really want to live through another five-and-a-half-years of the previous seven years?

Even worse:

Biden: Seriously demented and getting worse; not smart enough for the job to begin with. His own many moments of a lecherous past. The lead stooge of a major influencepeddling crime family.

Can anyone seriously think that if either Trump or Biden is elected president in 2024 that the outcome will be a more unified nation that makes the United States a more pleasant, enjoyable and prosperous place to live and puts the U.S. on a trajectory of greatness?

If given the choice of these two — ugh, history shows the chances for prosperity and greatness are better with Trump. Hands down! But at what price?

No one can predict today who ultimately will be the Republican Party and Democratic Party presidential candidates. A lot can happen in a year. Pray for divine intervention. — MW

We’re with Unicorp’s Whittall. Relax. The St. Regis is going to be a landmark addition to Longboat Key in a great way. In our humble opinion, that one garage will not destroy or detract from the “Keep Longboat Longboat” vision.

Government by the people? Not for Siesta Key

Sorry, we don’t care what the will of the people is. We know what’s best for you minions.

Essentially, that’s the message once again to the leaders and members of Save Siesta Key Inc., the group that keeps trying to incorporate the island with its own town government.

Despite spending thousands of dollars to gather and provide the Legislature with virtually all the information state statutes require and to hire lobbyists to push their case, the power politics of Tallahassee sent House Bill 923 to its death in the most recent legislative session.

That bill, sponsored by Rep. Fiona McFarland, our Republican legislator who represents Sarasota and Siesta Key, would have given the residents of Siesta Key the opportunity to vote on whether to incorporate. It was not a bill for lawmakers to decide whether they want Siesta Key to become a selfgoverned municipality. It was a bill that would have given the registered voters living on Siesta Key the choice to decide whether to become a new city.

But alas, the philosophical preferences of one lawmaker, that of Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Plant City, stood in the way of letting the people vote.

It’s a frustrating, maddening process the way laws are made. The higher you go on the legislative food chain, the worse it is. Washington is the worst; Tallahassee is second worst.

Here is how it works in Tallahassee. If you’re a state legislator and want a particular bill to become law or win the approval of the House and Senate, the most sure-fire way is to win the support of the governor, House Speaker and Senate president before the session begins — preferably during the summer.

If your bill has their spoken support, you can count on that bill moving quickly through the requisite committees to the House and Senate floors. The word gets out to the committee chairs: “The governor wants this.” Or, “This is high on the president’s list.” Or, “This is important to the speaker.”

In turn, the committee chairs spread the word among their committee members. So, often

times the fix is in even before the session begins.

But it’s not all that easy to get the support of the Big Three. Keep in mind, more than 1,000 bills are filed each year.

If lawmakers can’t get buy-in from the Big Three early on, they must wait to see which committees will hear their bills; do their own lobbying; and hope to win the favor of committee chairs to at least bring up the bill in the committee.

Rep. McFarland knows this game. Prior to session, she had the support of Speaker Paul Renner — that it made sense to give Siesta residents the opportunity to decide their fate. But Renner, unlike his predecessor, gives committee chairs much more leeway in deciding what bills were to be heard.

That’s where the chances for HB 923 ran into the politics of Tallahassee. Even though McFarland’s bill made it easily through its first committee, it was then slated to go to the House Ways and Means Committee and then on to the House State Affairs Committee.

Of the two, the State Affairs Committee presented the toughest

challenge. Its chairman is Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Plant City. He is not a fan of government.

We reached out to Rep. McClure and did not hear back before deadline. But you can imagine how this played out. Faced with a huge stack of bills to get through his committee and limited time, he had to make choices. One choice was to put HB 923 near the bottom of the committee’s priorities.

And thus it died.

In essence, one lawmaker decided that rather than let the people decide their fate, he would do that for them.

The question now is whether the indefatigable Save Our Siesta Key group should continue pursuing legislative approval for the right to vote on incorporation, or to consider another option.

One option is to open conversations with the Sarasota County Commission on what it could do to better serve the citizens of Siesta Key. At least, presumably, Save Our Siesta Key would get an audience with lawmakers far more empathetic and sympathetic than those in Tallahassee.

President and Publisher / Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com

Executive Editor and COO / Kat Wingert, KWingert@YourObserver.com

Managing Editor / James Peter, JPeter@YourObserver.com

Staff Writers / Lauren Tronstad, LTronstad@YourObsever.com

Digital & Engagement Editor / Kaelyn Adix, KAdix@YourObserver.com

Copy Editor / Gina Reynolds Haskins, GRHaskins@YourObserver.com

Senior Editorial Designer / Melissa Leduc, MLeduc@YourObserver.com

A+E Editor / Monica Roman Gagnier, MGagnier@YourObserver.com

Black Tie Editor / Harry Sayer, HSayer@YourObserver.com

Director of Advertising / Jill Raleigh, JRaleigh@YourObserver.com

Sales Manager / Penny Nowicki, PNowicki@YourObserver.com

Regional Digital Director / Kathleen O’Hara, KOHara@YourObserver.com

Senior Advertising Executive / Laura Ritter, LRitter@YourObserver.com

Advertising Executives / Richeal Bair, RBair@YourObserver.com; Beth Jacobson, BJacobson@YourObserver.com; Jennifer Kane, JKane@YourObserver.com; Honesty Mantkowski, HMantkowski@YourObserver. com; Toni Perren, TPerren@YourObserver. com; Brenda White, BWhite@ YourObserver.com

Classified Advertising Sales Executive / Lexi Huelsman, LHuelsman@ YourObserver.com

Sales Operations Manager / Susan Leedom, SLeedom@YourObserver.com

Sales Coordinator/Account Manager / Lori Downey, LDowney @YourObserver.com

Digital Fulfillment Specialist / Emma B. Jolly, EJolly@YourObserver.com

Tributes Coordinator / Kristen Boothroyd, Tributes@YourObserver.com

Director of Marketing / Robin Lankton, RLankton@YourObserver.com

Marketing Specialist / Melanie Melone, MMelone@YourObserver.com

Director of Creative Services / Caleb Stanton, CStanton@YourObserver.com

Creative Services Administrator / Marjorie Holloway, MHolloway@ YourObserver.com

Advertising Graphic Designers / Luis Trujillo, Taylor Poe, Louise Martin, Shawna Polana

Digital Developer / Jason Camillo, JCamillo@YourObserver.com

Director of Information Technology / Adam Quinlin, AQuinlin@YourObserver.com

Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@YourObserver.com Controller / Rafael Labrin, RLabrin@ YourObserver.com

Office and Accounting Coordinator / Donna Condon, DCondon@ YourObserver.com

MATT WALSH

More and more people are flocking to Florida. And they want restaurants where they can get in. Don’t worry. Longboat will be Longboat. Even better.

County reinstates full Economic Development Corp. funding, for now

With new leadership and a new board, county commissioners decided to give the Economic Development Corp. one year to prove itself — or risk a funding cut.

ANDREW WARFIELD STAFF WRITER

The Sarasota County Commission has fully restored the county’s portion of funding to the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County for the next fiscal year, with conditions.

Among them: Show measurable, tangible results in one year or lose a large chunk of the county’s approximately $1 million contribution to the EDC’s annual budget.

With mixed reviews from the four commissioners, the long-running tenuous relationship between the EDC and county of years past was front and center during a May 9 meeting as they debated the merits of intangible benefits of the organization’s work against measurables demanded by commissioners Mike Moran and Joe Neunder.

The decision reverses, for now, a 2022 decision by the commission to reduce the county's contribution of revenue from business taxes only — approximately 44% of the total — to the EDC by one-third each year through 2025. For fiscal year 2023, that amounted to approximately $321,600, which, if eventually eliminated, would reduce the public funding by just less than one-third.

Public funding is projected at approximately $1.05 million of the EDC’s $1.7 million fiscal year 2024 budget. That comes from local business tax, a per capita allocation and tourist development tax revenues. The remaining $656,500 will be raised through private investors, grants, events and other fundraising.

In making his motion to approve full county funding for the next fiscal year, Neunder said, “The expectation for me is that you come back incrementally to report to us on your project. If I don’t feel like there is measurable, quantifiable outcomes next year, I'll be the first person to make a motion to deny the funding.”

Neunder's motion passed 3-1. Moran dissented.

Although they acknowledged much of the animosity between the commission and the EDC is long in the past — the organization has a reconstituted board of directors, new staff and a new leadership — the objection to funding the EDC remains the same in that, according to Moran, it has failed to demonstrate return on investment.

Erin Silk, recently named by the EDC board to succeed interim Executive Director Lisa Krouse, countered that much of the EDC’s work is intangible, that corporate recruiting efforts typically take years to be quantifiable and that this nextgeneration EDC is making strides to meet the county’s expectations.

Those include closing in on balanced financial support from government and private philanthropy.

“When I stepped into a leadership role with Lisa 18 months ago, our budget was 20% from private sources,” Silk said. “Today as we look toward the end of 2023, we’re close to 40% in private funding. I am committed to continue moving this ratio closer to 50-50.”

Of the $1.07 million public portion of the EDC’s budget, 44% comes from the county’s business tax and 20% from its per capita contribution.

Since 2009, the EDC has received $14.4 million in public funding, averaging about $1 million per year. The only year-over-year increase during that time, Silk told commissioners, is in the per capita contribution as the population grew. For that

investment, she attempted to offer commissioners some tangible data.

“Since we implemented (a) Salesforce CRM tracking system in 2019, the organization has received $4.2 million in public funding,” she said. “Of the business expansion and relocations we contributed to, they reported over $58 million in capital investment, 1,200 projected new jobs, almost $60 million in new yearly payroll, and the local taxing entities will collect $6 million over the next 10 years alone from those projects.” Moran and other commissioners repeatedly pointed out that their concerns are not directed at Silk or the new board, but contended they had heard the same arguments from the EDC for years.

“I feel like I'm in ‘Groundhog Day’ with this because a lot of these conversations are literally the same wording coming full circle all the way back to six years ago,” Moran said.

Silk said losing the funding would severely curtail the EDC’s activities, particularly its core mission of business recruiting.

“Our aggressive marketing programs and our business park initiative will no longer be an option for us,” she said. “We will only have the resources to address the incoming requests for service, and I believe our community deserves an economic development plan that aggressively chases down the diverse projects we want rather than sits around and waits for them to come to us.”

It appeared through the discussion that a vote to further reduce EDC funding would be deadlocked at 2-2 before Commission Chairman Ron Cutsinger, who is the commission’s representative on the EDC board, stepped in to describe it as a new EDC building a stronger relationship with the business community and local governments.

“Ask the business community do they support this? I’ve asked as many

people as I can to tell me about your thoughts about the EDC,” Cutsinger said. “I’ve had everyone say to me, this is a new EDC and we’re very excited about it. We support it. I’m concerned that perhaps we’re moving into a time of lower economic activity, but I think it’s important to continue driving forward with diversifying our economy and I think the EDC is a huge help and bringing companies that are year-round, high-paying jobs that will help through a time of slower economic activity when you have not as much tourism, not as much construction and other things that we normally rely on.”

Courtesy photo

Erin Silk will succeed Lisa Krouse as executive director of the EDC of Sarasota County.

A model career shift

LAUREN TRONSTAD STAFF WRITER

Although it may seem hard to believe given recent events, area resident Brad Kroenig needed a push to get into modeling.

The local real estate agent was recently the subject of a People profile thanks to his work and friendship with the late fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, whose career was celebrated in the theme of the Met Gala on May 1 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City.

Kroenig eventually gained recognition as Lagerfeld’s muse and as one of Vogue.com’s “Top 10 Male Models of All Time,” but he didn’t start his modeling career until the age of 20 and only after a female model friend encouraged him to give it a shot. At the time, he was a student on a soccer scholarship at Florida International University. After multiple tries to sign with agencies in Miami Beach, he finally got his break with Next Models and decided he would drop out of school.

“(The agent) said ‘No, no, whatever you do, do not do that. You can’t make a living being a male model,’” he recalled. “The next day I went to the dean and my soccer coach and told them I was leaving school … I called my dad to send me $500 to Miami Beach, and that was the only $500 I ever needed.”

He has since modeled for Fendi and Chanel, where Lagerfeld was head designer, as well as Ralph Lauren, Gap and Hermes, among others.

Now he lives in Lakewood Ranch with his wife, Nicole, and two sons, Hudson and Jameson. Both Nicole and Brad sell real estate in the area at Coldwell Banker Realty and on barrier islands including Longboat Key, Bird Key and Lido Key. Nicole has a claim to fame herself as the daughter of Nick Bollettieri, a famous tennis coach and founder of Bradenton’s IMG Academy. She also grew up on Longboat Key.

Longboat Observer staff writer Lauren Tronstad recently spoke with Brad about his career in both modeling and real estate and the decision to settle down in Southwest Florida.

What made you decide to pursue real estate?

I had a very good friend who was a photographer, who ended up becoming a successful real estate agent in Miami, and he said “you’ve got to get into real estate. You would be so great at it with all of your contacts.” So I got my license in New York City working with The Corcoran Group … When (Nicole and I) met, she was doing real estate and I was as well, but we moved back up to New York in 2009. When we came back down here, we started doing real estate full time.

What brought you to Sarasota and made you want to stay?

Nicole and I lived in downtown Sarasota for two years when we first met in 2007. I always loved it. It’s like a hidden gem in Florida not too many people knew about. It was just so peace-

“(The agent) said ‘No, no, whatever you do, do not do that. You can’t make a living being a male model.’ The next day I went to the dean and my soccer coach and told them I was leaving school … I called my dad to send me $500 to Miami Beach, and that was the only $500 I ever needed.”

Brad Kroenig

ful and relaxing here all the time. We always had plans to eventually move back here when my modeling career kind of slowed down or we just needed a change in life. That came two years ago, about two years after Karl passed away … (Nicole) had a lot of deep connections and roots here; a lot of our close friends are here. It was a perfect time to come back.

Do you still model?

Yes. I have a shoot next week and just had another shoot two weeks ago in Oregon. I’m still modeling, not like I was, but I am still working with a handful of international brands. I’ll model forever because I’m good at it and I enjoy doing it.

How would you describe your relationship with Lagerfeld?

At the beginning, it was just business because he’s a photographer and a designer and I was a model. Then, very quickly … we became almost like family. He had no kids or any family, so once I met Nicole down here in Sarasota and our first son came along, he became the godfather and when Jameson was born, too. He really enjoyed me as a model because he saw the passion I had and I was always changing my looks. I inspired him and he was always putting me in all the shoots and campaigns and shows.

Native wildlife, plants thrive at lower water levels

Shorebirds, including imperiled species such as black skimmers, benefit from ongoing efforts to restore natural hydrology in the park.

Myakka River State Park is known for its dynamic natural communities. Much of that variation is driven by the park’s namesake, the wild and scenic Myakka River, which winds through the park from north to south, for nearly 12 miles.

Levels of this rain-fed river and its two floodplain lakes (the Upper Myakka Lake and Lower Myakka Lake) are usually highest in the summer — our rainy season — when water overflows into floodplain marshes and wetlands. And in the fall and winter — our dry season — water levels gradually drop.

At the shallow lake and river edges, slowly decreasing water levels leave in their wake concentrations of fish and other aquatic animals, to the great delight of native and migratory birds. And native plants progressively spring back to life, as water recedes, further sustaining wildlife large and small.

Myakka’s ecosystems evolved to thrive and depend on this regular ebb and flow, which includes extended periods of low water, or drawdown.  But throughout the years, direct hydrologic alterations of Myakka’s watershed were introduced by

humans, including raised grades, ditches and multiple dams. These changes, as well as indirect ones, such as the introduction of invasive plants, significantly impacted the quality and quantity of water, to the detriment of Myakka’s natural communities.

Efforts to restore the park’s natural hydrology have been ongoing for over a decade, first through removal of invasive plants. And in early 2022, the removal of a deteriorating weir and culverts at the Upper Myakka Lake’s outflow represented a major step toward restoring the natural flow of the river.

Encouragingly, this dry season, wildlife responded favorably to the resulting improved habitats. For example, additional land exposed during seasonal low water level conditions, thanks to a more natural drawdown, attracted unusually large flocks of shorebirds to the park, including American avocets and imperiled black skimmers, a state threatened species.

Continued efforts to restore the park’s natural hydrology, which includes the potential removal of Downs’ Dam, near the south end of the park, should result in further improved habitats, to the benefit of both natural and human communities.

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

Forbes’ 2022 Best-in-State Wealth Advisor

MIRI HARDY CONTRIBUTOR

Miri Hardy

Unusually large flocks of black skimmers, imperiled because of habitat loss and degradation as a result of coastal development, found refuge in Myakka River State Park this winter.

Ronto Announces Plans to Develop The Owen Golden Gate Point in Downtown Sarasota

The award-winning Ronto Group, in partnership with Wheelock Street Capital, announced it is developing The Owen Golden Gate Point on the bayfront in downtown Sarasota. One of the last condominiums to be developed on Golden Gate Point, the gated, mid-rise boutique building will include just 29 residences on ten floors over two levels of parking. Situated on a 1.18-acre site, the building’s design features four residences per floor plus one residence on the amenity level that will include an oversized terrace outfitted with planters and a fire pit and direct access to the community pool. The residences, including four penthouses, will range from 2,266 to 3,073 square feet under air. Framed by Sarasota Bay, and with generous terraces included with each residence, the gated Owen Golden Gate Point will be the ideal spot to capture gentle bay breezes and the ever-changing colors of Southwest Florida’s glorious sunsets. The residences are fully customizable during the pre-construction phase of the project and extensive finish selections are available. Owen Golden Gate Point is the only new downtown Sarasota building offering full customization for pre-construction buyers. Secure parking under the building with two spaces per residence, private elevator foyer and secured bike storage are included. Pre-construction pricing starts from $2.4-million.

Owen Golden Gate Point’s concrete block walls and ample airspace between floors will make noise transmission nearly non-existent. The building’s amenities and common areas are being designed by Riley Interior Design Principal Carrie L. Riley, ASID. The LRM Group at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty located at the Plaza at Five Points, 50 Central Avenue, Suite 110 in downtown Sarasota will provide brokerage services for the project.

Residents of Owen Golden Gate Point will enjoy a comprehensive array of on-property resort-style amenities. In addition to its priceless amenity that is wrapped in its enviable location, Owen Golden Gate Point’s interior amenities will include a lobby reception area, a spacious Club Room with a bar and comfortable seating, a Board Room, and a Game Room outfitted with an assortment of table and arcade games. A Fitness Center will offer stateof-the-art equipment, men’s and women’s locker rooms, a massage suite that will allow residents to invite their favorite massage therapist or simply stretch and tone in the generous spaces, a steam room, and a spa. Residents may also invite personal trainers to work with them within the Fitness Center. Outside, an expansive landscaped pavered amenity deck will include billowing palm trees and tropical container gardens, a saltwater pool with an infinity edge, an outdoor grilling area, a bocce ball court, and a spa that will be ideal for soothing aching muscles or enjoying a perfect moonlight plunge with that special someone.

Designed by MHK Architecture and Planning, Owen Golden Gate Point’s contemporary design will be awash in the neutral tones of the shore with gentle curves suggestive of the building’s setting on the Point. The site encompasses the southern tip of the Point, gracefully arcing from east to west while providing partial bay and marina views from the residences. Wide, light-filled floor plans with full-height windows will feature Ronto’s signature luxury finishes and features. Sensitive to the comfort of each resident,

The popularity of downtown Sarasota is stronger than ever. With the growing number of high-end residences, the emergence of new restaurants, shops, galleries, workout facilities and spas, and the presence of world-renowned theater, opera, and ballet, as well as its location along a pristine bayfront, it is no surprise downtown Sarasota is often found on the nation’s “best places to live” lists. Ideally situated in one of downtown Sarasota’s most cherished historic locations, the 22-acre Golden Gate Point peninsula’s smart, relaxed personality is distinctive and perfectly suited to a luxury lifestyle. With its treelined sidewalks, brick pavered streets, gas lighted entry, and bayfront backdrop, Golden Gate Point is a peaceful neighborhood that is insulated from the hubbub, density, and congestion found in other downtown areas. Urban dwellers appreciate Golden Gate Point’s easy access by foot, bike, car, or trolley to St. Armand’s Circle, the beaches, and the shopping, dining, and gallery venues that continue to proliferate in the Sarasota downtown district. Protected sidewalks extend for miles in all directions, creating opportunities for an invigorating run, a peaceful walk with the dog, a trip to the marina or yacht club for fishing, boating, or dining. Just across from the entry to the Golden Gate Point community are the Ritz Carlton & Westin Hotels, where one can indulge in a meal, a cocktail, a rooftop encounter, or a spa treatment.

Ronto has made reservations for residences at Owen Golden Gate Point available now. Six of the 29 residences have been reserved to date.

For additional information about this extraordinary opportunity, contact the LRM Group at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty located at the Plaza at Five Points, 50 Central Avenue, Suite 110 in downtown Sarasota. Call 941.210.0987.

owengoldengate.com

GATEWAY TO THE INCREDIBLE

A+E INSIDE:

< CALENDAR: The best things in arts and culture to enjoy this week. 18A

REVIEW: ‘Man of La Mancha’ hits its mark. 19A >

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT TO MENTAL ILLNESS STANDING UP

Comedy boot camp helped Scott Ehrenpreis prepare for his one-man show, ‘Clowns Like Me.’

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. “Clowns Like Me” is premiering this month at FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Scott Ehrenpreis is starring in the lead role. Actually, it’s the only role.

It’s a one-man show; Ehrenpreis is the man in question. He’s playing himself. The play’s about his life, but he’s not the author. Director/playwright Jason Cannon wrote the script, distilled from hours of anecdotes and stories he’d absorbed hanging out at the actor’s home. Why go to all that trouble?

Because the actor’s story was worth telling.

According to Cannon, “Clowns Like Me” is a character study. (Strictly speaking, a character study of a character actor.) It’s what Ehrenpreis does. And he’s very good at it.

He’s played a dimwitted boy-toy in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” a high-strung TV technician in “Network,” a hardboiled police

reporter in “The Front Page” and a bullying Little League baseball coach in “Manager.”

I’d seen the actor’s shape-shifting talent on stage. But I didn’t see the mind-war inside him.

The actor’s father, Joel Ehrenpreis, saw it every day. He was close to his oldest son. Scott Ehrenpreis has waged a lifetime battle with OCD, bipolar disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, social anxiety and depression.

There was nothing to do but keep fighting. One day, the father made a suggestion to his son: “You’re an actor. Telling engaging stories is what you do. Why don’t you tell your own story?”

Scott Ehrenpreis loved the idea. And he tells his story in “Clowns Like Me.”

It isn’t a vanity project. It’s a survival strategy. And a call to action.

But a one-man play isn’t a oneman job.

The father-son team had many talents. But writing plays wasn’t one of them.

So they sent out a call to the local theater community. Florida Studio

Theatre veteran Cannon answered.

“This project basically fell in my lap,” Cannon says. “The three of us met — and we just clicked. Once I understood Scott’s story, I felt compelled to help him tell it.”

During that first brainstorming session, the young actor bubbled with funny, touching anecdotes. Cannon knew they didn’t add up to a play. He had to find the Big Story that tied all the little stories together. He wasn’t worried. Cannon had done this before.

To tell the man’s story, the playwright had to get to know him. And that would take time.

“I spent the first few months pulling stories out of Scott,” Cannon says. “I’d go to his condo a lot. No timetable, no pressure. He’d talk, I’d listen. I got to know how Scott lived, what he’d been through. I also talked to his parents and other people who knew him in different phases of his life.”

The young actor’s stories hit him with a revelatory punch. The impact reminded Cannon of Mike Birbiglia’s, Hannah Gadsby’s and Chris Gethard’s stand-up comedy. These come-

IF YOU GO

‘CLOWNS LIKE ME’

When: May 18 - 28

Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota Tickets: $20

Info: LifelineProductionsInc. com/Clowns-Like-Me

dians all had mental health issues.

Very different struggles. Very different stories. But a similar approach.

“They all work in the intersection of storytelling, stand-up comedy and one-man theater,” Cannon says.

“They’d all found that sweet spot. I knew that’s where we had to go.”

OK. Just do what Birbiglia, Gadsby and Gethard do! That’s a cakewalk if you’re a stand-up veteran. If you’re an actor, it’s a long hard road.

That road included a stint at boot

Courtesy photos Scott Ehrenpreis rehearses May 12 for the debut of his one-man show, “Clowns Like Me,” which runs from May 18-28 at the Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for Performing Arts.

“Once I understood Scott’s story, I felt compelled to help him tell it.”

Jason Cannon, director/ playwright

camp. Not the one on Paris Island, but Comedy Boot Camp at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater.

Ehrenpreis is a great actor. Wouldn’t his skills make him a great comedian?

Cannon shakes his head no.

“Stand-up is a very different skill set,” he explains. “You break the fourth wall; you open yourself up; you directly address the audience. Scott lacked those skills. As an actor, he didn’t need them. In scripted theater, that’s not the way it’s done. To perform the play I had in mind, he’d have to learn how.”

Cannon stresses that “Clowns Like Me” isn’t improv. There’s a script, and he wrote it. But it’s written in stand-up style, with audience interactions. To do it right, Ehrenpreis would have to master the notso-gentle art of stand-up.

Makes sense. But why would a playwright need stand-up skills?

“Because Scott needed a buddy,” he says. “I’d done improv at FST — and taken McCurdy’s Comedy Boot Camp course before. But it’d been awhile, and my skills were rusty. A refresher course couldn’t hurt.”

Actor and playwright took McCurdy’s crash course in stand-

up. Three days. Twelve hours. Both earned their comedy black belts. Then the play’s development process kicked into high gear.

Cannon polished “Clowns Like Me” over a series of drafts. He would perform the latest draft for a live audience. What gets a laugh? What falls flat? Based on audience feedback, Cannon would fine-tune the work-in-progress. The actor would then perform that version. Rinse and repeat. Five times.

At the end of nine months, Cannon finally had a play on his hands. “That’s normal for a baby,” he laughs. “It’s pretty quick for new play development.”

“Clowns Like Me” hasn’t opened yet. Lacking a time machine, I haven’t seen it. But I have read the script. I like it. Cannon’s a damn good writer. And he gets to the heart of the actor’s story.

Ehrenpreis doesn’t whine. His one-act play isn’t a poor-me story. He owns his mental illness but doesn’t let it define him.

The play’s not a diagnosis. It’s an introduction. Meet Scott Ehrenpreis! He’s large; he contains multitudes. Simply put, he’s a person. After seeing the play, you’ll get to know that person. But you have to see the play.

Courtesy photo

Scott Ehrenpreis workshops “Clowns Like Me” to help get the script right.

Father knows best

Joel Ehrenpreis used his marketing prowess to get his son’s one-man show off the ground.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Joel Ehrenpreis doesn’t think small. Yes, he wants to give his actor son, Scott Ehrenpreis, a creative outlet to talk about his personal struggles with mental health. But that’s not enough. He wants his son’s project to be a critical and commercial success.

Joel, a Baltimore transplant who spent a career in marketing, understood that while Scott is a talented actor, he isn’t a playwright or director. So Joel went out and found one.

After making the rounds in Sarasota’s vibrant theater community and interviewing potential collaborators, Joel hired Jason Cannon to work with Scott to develop his oneman play.

Before the pandemic caused him to pivot from plays to publishing, Cannon directed a variety of productions at Florida Studio Theatre, including the award-winning “Dancing Lessons.” He was eager to use his talents to making Scott’s vision a reality. Thanks to his creative collaboration, the play gradually took shape. Cannon also helped give it a name: “Clowns Like Me.”

Live theater development isn’t cheap. Joel reached out to philanthropists and foundations in the Sarasota area to help finance and market the production. Some donations came in over the transom after benefactors saw a workshop production of “Clowns Like Me.”

Joel created a nonprofit called Lifeline Productions to make this play possible. It did. And that opened up more possibilities.

“I realized we weren’t just doing a show for my son,” he says. “‘Clowns Like Me’ is part of a larger mission.

Lifeline Productions gave Scott a platform to tell his story. Hopefully we’ll empower other storytellers in the future. We’ll be using art to dent the stigma around mental illness.

Scott’s one-man play is a great step in that direction. But it’s only a first step.”

Scott wasn’t available for interviews about his upcoming show because he was busy with rehearsals. His father stood in for his son.

Along with acting as a producer for “Clowns Like Me,” Joel is also its hard-working publicist.

Videographer Brad Bryan will capture two of Scott’s performances of “Clowns Like Me” with a threecamera set-up. He’ll then edit the footage together along the lines of “Hamilton.”

“Along with the film, we’re planning a short documentary,” says Cannon. “We’ll also be publishing the script. We’ll get the story out there every way we can.”

Courtesy photo

Joel Ehrenpreis (right) helped son Scott find Playwright/Director Jason Cannon for “Clowns Like Me.”

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

MEET THE ARTISTS: OPENING RECEPTION

5-7 p.m. at Creative Liberties at Gaze Gallery, 340 Central Ave. Free Visit CreativeLiberties.net.

Join Creative Liberties for an opening reception to welcome artists David Munoz and Emily Baar as the May and June artists-inresidence at Gaze Gallery.

FRIDAY

‘THE DROWSY CHAPERONE’

7 p.m. at The Players Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts, #200 $15

Visit ThePlayers.org.

The Players Kids Next Gen presents “The Drowsy Chaperone,” about a Broadway fanatic who is visited by characters of the Great White Way as he listens to a recording of a fictional 1920s musical comedy.

Continues Saturday.

‘KEEP A SONG IN YOUR HEART’

7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre’s Raymond Center, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice

$22

Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

Pinky’s Players gives adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities a chance to experience the thrill of performing on stage. The theme of this year’s program is “Memories of the Lawrence Welk Show.” Continues Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

OUR PICK HERMITAGE SUNSETS

@ SELBY GARDENS: ‘CELLO ON POINT’

Hermitage alumna and cellist Karen Patterson plays favorites as well as original work as the Hermitage returns to Historic Spanish Point. From classical to jazz to spirituals, Patterson’s performance will celebrate cultural diversity and the resilience of community.

IF YOU GO

When: 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 19

Where: Historic Spanish Point, 401 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey Tickets: $5

Info: VisitHermitageArtistRetreat. org.

SUNDAY JAZZ ON THE WATER

2:30 p.m. at Marina Jack II at Marina Plaza $30-$35

Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Cruise to the beat of Art Siegel and Panama Drive during this two-hour musical excursion sponsored by the Jazz Club of Sarasota. Refreshments and snacks are available for purchase.

CHORAL EVENSONG

5:15 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer Sarasota, 222 S. Palm Ave. Free Visit RedeemerSarasota.org.

Don’t miss the last Evensong of the season. The Church of the Redeemer presents this choral series on the third Sunday of the month from September through May under the direction of organist and Choirmaster Sam Nelson.

SARASOTA CUBAN BALLET SCHOOL’S END-OF-YEAR SHOW

7:30 p.m. at Riverview High School, 1 Ram Way $37 Visit SRQCubanBallet.org.

All levels of SCBS dancers, including the Gulfcoast Studio Company, will be featured in classical and contemporary works. Seating is informal and not assigned.

MONDAY

JAZZ AT THE CABARET: LA LUCHA TRIO

7:30 p.m. at John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $34-$39 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

The trio features Alejandro Arenas, Mark Feinman and John O’Leary. Opens at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and bar service.

‘TITANIUM: A SOUL EXPERIENCE’

7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave. $23-$98 Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.

WBTT’s second Young Artist Program showcase of the season is a musical journey chronicling Raleigh Mosely II’s pursuit to cultivate his inner “titan” and to inspire others to listen and do the same with moving soul, R&B and gospel music.

DON’T MISS

OPENING OF ‘LORNA

BIEBER: NATURAL

WORLD’ When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 20

Where: John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bayshore Road Tickets: Free with $25 museum admission Info: Visit Ringling. org.

This solo exhibition includes new pieces by Lorna Bieber making their debut in the Keith D. and Linda L. Monda Gallery. Bieber’s art, which appropriates, recycles and manipulates imagery, developed while she was working as a photo editor for major magazines.

The Jazz Club of Sarasota will host a two-hour cruise featuring Art Siegel and Panama Drive on May 21.

Courtesy photos

“Lorna Bieber: Natural World” opens at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art on May 20 and runs through Oct. 15.

A Man on a Mission

‘Man of La Mancha’ captures a parallax view of a passionate dreamer in a stunning Asolo Rep production.

MARTY FUGATE

CONTRIBUTOR

The literary quest of Don Quixote is a tangled odyssey of forgeries, distortions, translations and adaptations, so I’ll cut to the chase.

“Man of La Mancha” playwright Dale Wasserman, lyricist Joe Darion and composer Mitch Leigh’s 1965 musical adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’ satiric novel has finally come to the Asolo Rep stage.

The skeleton of Cervantes’ plot is largely intact. Time: the 1600s. The place: La Mancha, an arid region of Spain. Alonso Quixano (Mauricio Martínez), an aging gentlemen on the lowest rung of nobility, reads too many heroic tales about knights in the days of chivalry. He reads, broods and loses his mind. He starts thinking that he could be one of those knights.

Reinventing himself as “Don Quixote,” he goes on a quest with his faithful sidekick, Sancho Panza (Aaron De Jesus). He tilts at windmills. He reimagines the lusty barmaid Aldonza (Janely Rodriguez) as the chaste Dulcinea and defends her honor. The world responds to his mad idealism with beatings and contempt.

In the musical’s clever frame story, the Spanish Inquisition throws Cervantes in a dungeon to await trial for heresy. The other prisoners try him first. The charge? Being an idealist, a bad poet and an honest man. The author pleads guilty. To incline the court to leniency, he acts out his famous book.

In this musical’s conceit, the novel is also a “troupe in a trunk” traveling show — and the author (conveniently) has the trunk with all the costumes. So … it’s showtime!

Director Peter Rothstein’s inventive, Broadway-quality production brings Quixote’s quest to the 21st century. The show’s prison and inmates evoke the modern-day holding pens of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service.

Michael Hoover’s set design is beautifully ugly. When Cervantes and his cast of prisoners act out Quixote’s quest, Marcus Dilliard’s lighting and Greg Emetaz’s projections transform the stage into the scenes of his story.

What you see is clearly a world of the imagination brought to life by the author’s words. Hoover, Dilliard and Emetaz bring it to life on stage. It’s

pure magic. Fabian Fidel Aguilar’s costumes also serve the musical’s parallax vision. They shift beautifully from the prisoners’ shabby garb to the rags and feathers of the play-within-a-play. Props become clever substitutes, as when suitcases stand in for horses.

The actors all have magic of their own.

Martínez’s gripping portrayal of both the author and his famous creation is from the heart. He makes you believe in the impossible dreamer and the writer who dreamed him up in the first place. On top of that? Damn, the man can sing!

De Jesus delivers a great comic performance as Sancho Panza. His character could easily come off as a sucker or a sap for putting up with his friend’s antics.

Rodriguez is also a standout. Her nuanced portrayal of Aldonza evokes a tough, working-class woman who’s been kicked around by life but refuses to be broken.

As Dr. Corrasco, the fiance of Quixano’s niece, Rodolfo Nieto is a haughty, manipulative sociopath. It’s a searing portrait. (When the bad doctor comes to life as a monstrously gigantic puppet, the scale of his heartlessness becomes clear.)

Quixote’s quest is a battle between good and evil — but it’s also a battle between imagination and reality. This musical paints him as a Christ figure. (His vigil under the stars echoes Christ’s night in the Garden of Gethsemane.)

“Man of La Mancha” is the passion of Don Quixote. But this is a musical, not religion. Is the trip worth taking? Most definitely.

IF YOU GO

‘MAN OF LA MANCHA’

When: Through June 11

Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

Tickets: $33-$93

Info: Call 351-8000 or visit AsoloRep. org.

FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE

Cliff Roles

Aaron De Jesus and Mauricio Martínez star in Asolo Rep's production of "Man of La Mancha."

1325 WESTWAY DRIVE

$15,000,000

Step into this tropical escape through the hidden courtyard that connects the 3BR main home to the private 2BR guest house, as the perfect introduction to a contemporary masterpiece designed by DSDG Architect Mark Sultana and built by Voigt Brothers Construction. www.1325WestwayDrive.com

3030 GRAND BAY BOULEVARD #346 $2,595,000

Panoramic direct views of Sarasota Bay, Harbourside golf course and downtown’s skyline are the star of the show as soon as you enter this lovely 3BR Antigua getaway. www.GrandBay346.com

97 SOUTH WASHINGTON DRIVE $11,500,000

Experience this stunning bayfront estate in person! Just a sunny walk from famed St. Armands Circle. Situated on two private lots in a corner location, spanning more than a half-acre. This impressive 5BR residence is set among lush, professionally managed greenery along the deep waters of Sarasota Bay. Boater’s dream with multiple boating options. www.97SouthWashington.com

3030 GRAND BAY BOULEVARD #316 $2,495,000

Prepare to be enchanted by the stunning, awe-inspiring views that await at this luxurious 3BR Grand Bay residence. Fall in love with its sprawling 2,925 SF and modern updates. www.GrandBay316.com

7652 SANDERLING ROAD

This spectacular Siesta Key beach home is a one-of-a-kind

$9,995,000

3040 GRAND BAY BOULEVARD #251 $2,295,000 Sunny bay views welcome you to this 5th-floor, nearly 3,000 SF retreat, featuring an open, 3BR layout waiting for you to add your personal touches. Includes private beach! www.GrandBay251.com

201 NORTH WASHINGTON DRIVE $2,195,000

The walkable location of this St. Armands home will immediately draw you in. Ideally situated on an oversized, 1/4-acre lot for you to design your dream home. www.201NorthWashington.com

#712 $679,000

Welcome to sublime city living, steps from downtown Sarasota’s “Cultural Coast”, where you can walk to the best this city offers. This newer retreat is move-in ready! www.1350Main712.com

YOUR NEIGHBORS

BEFORE THE SUNSET

excited, adamant: Do you want to start it again?

“Who is this pushy person who just showed up?” recalled Mali. “She was this instigator who was like, ‘We can do this.’”

Not long afterward, Mali found herself on the beach with a small group of students. With the pandemic still a concern, the beach was the perfect place for people to learn yoga in a safe, open environment.

“My teacher told me to just show up. It doesn’t matter if you have one person come or if you have 50 people come,” said Mali. Despite her initial reluctance, Mali soon found there’s something special about practicing yoga on the beach. For one, as Mali pointed out, it brings practitioners into contact with the five essential elements that ancient tradition holds make up the universe.

“What I love about teaching at the beach,” said Mali. (Is that) we have fire, air, earth, water and ether (space). The only challenges are weather and red tide — you can’t breathe.”

Every night is different, thanks to the setting, but every class starts the same way — with breathing. Mali is an advocate of box breathing, a technique Navy SEALs use to manage stress.

JAMES PETER MANAGING EDITOR

“Honor your body.”

It’s a simple but important mantra, and yoga instructor Angela Mali says it often while she leads yoga classes on the beach on Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island.

It’s a reminder to her students to practice the movements that feel good, to avoid straining themselves. The former dance instructor’s sunset yoga classes draw a wide range of ages and experience levels. Her students are generally ages 20-70 and mainly women, although several men do take her classes.

“I know what movements most everyone can do. We’re in the sand. It’s an uneven surface, so it has to be gentler. I’m not rushing from one pose to another pose. It’s very relaxing and fluid.”

Her Longboat Key class meets on Friday evenings at Bayfront Park before walking across the street to a strip of open beach near the public beach access. Mali wants everyone to feel welcome, which is part of the reason why the class is free.

“I just want to offer it so anyone can come. A lot of times you go to the yoga studio and it’s $15 or $20. If someone wants to give a love contribution, that’s great, but I want to make it so anyone can come regardless of their budget.”

Right now, the class starts at 7 p.m., but the time changes throughout the seasons to stay in sync with the sunset.

As many as 30 students have found their way to one of Mali’s classes. Many of them say things like, “Oh I saw your post on Facebook” or “I found you on Instagram.”

“There are different people every time — travelers and visitors who come. Although I do have my regulars,” said Mali. “I have to keep posting (on social media) on a regular basis.”

There’s something different about doing yoga on the beach, Mali said. You can’t get the same feel in a studio.

“The first few times when I taught beach yoga … I’m like it’s a whole different feel, you hear the birds, the ocean. We have had rainbows, we’ve seen sea turtles come out on the sand. It’s a connection with yourself and nature. Every night you get a different painting in the sky.”

Oddly enough, it wasn’t Mali’s idea to teach the beach yoga class. She’s approaching her one-year anniversary (June 6) of teaching the class on sand, but if it wasn’t for a conversation with an enthusiastic student, Mali may never have found this method of expressing her passion.

Mali was teaching adult yoga at the G.T. Bray Recreation Center in Bradenton. (She also teaches yoga to athletes ages 12-19 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton.)

At the end of class at the G.T. Bray, a newcomer approached Mali. Her name was Pilar Aqui. It was her first class with Mali; she had actually been looking for a Zumba class when she arrived at the rec center. But she wanted to know if Mali would bring beach yoga to Longboat Key. Due to the pandemic, classes had fallen by the wayside. She was

BOX BREATHING

While there are variations, practitioners most commonly follow these simple steps:

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed.

2. Breathe in through the nose, focusing on the breath, for four seconds.

3. Hold your breath for four seconds.

4. Slowly exhale, emptying the lungs, for four seconds.

5. Hold your lungs empty for four seconds.

6. Repeat at least three times or as needed to achieve a sense of calm.

“We start lying down and breathe on our backs for five to 10 minutes,” said Mali. “Nobody ever taught me to breathe (before yoga). How my breath can affect my emotions. How my breath can calm me down. We don’t think about it.”

Class is timed to end just before the sun sinks below the horizon, at which point the night’s practitioners gather at the water’s edge in silence and meditate on the moment and on their gratitude.

“(Indoors) you’re missing something so much bigger and deeper,” said Mali.

Mali said one of her dreams is to share that deeper connection with even more people. She said she’d like to eventually lead 100 practitioners through a yoga session on the beach. In the meantime, Mali said she's likely to add a 7 p.m. Monday class on Longboat Key for the summer, but those interested should confirm with her via phone (618-789-7226).

“There’s room for everyone,” said Mali. “I think that everybody gets a really special experience out of it no matter your level. When you’re doing it this way, you connect more with yourself and tune into nature.”

IF YOU GO SUNSET BEACH YOGA

When: 7 p.m. Fridays

Where: At the public beach access near Bayfront Park Tickets: Free Info: To RSVP or for more info, call or text 618-789-7226.

Beachfront yoga class on Longboat Key brings practitioners in touch with a holistic experience.

Pilar Aqui and Jade Grao feel the flow.

Yoga instructor Angela Mali stretches into a pose.

Photos by James Peter

Five Tennis for Fun athletes go to state championship

Tennis for Fun wraps up its third season with three gold and two silver medals.

SIDRA WALI

CONTRIBUTOR

Tennis for Fun athletes worked tirelessly to hone their skills and prepare for the State Tennis Championships on May 5 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Lake Nona, Florida, hosted by Special Olympics Florida.

Three local athletes took gold and two took silver.

The season started in November and wrapped up its last day with a goodbye party on May 3 at Arlington Park in Sarasota before heading to the state championship.

“It’s the best day of my life. The coaches are bad to the bone,” said Dylan Mayes, athlete.

Mayes handed out gift bags to each coach at the party and thanked everyone that helped make the season a success.

“These are the most loving people, and they’re just so happy to be here,” said Brenda Shields, director of Tennis for Fun in Sarasota. “I moved from Tampa three years ago, and I volunteered for the program there. Me and my husband, Ron, who is also the director, started the program in Longboat Key. We just wanted to do something for the community and a large percentage of the athletes are from The Haven.”

The program ran for two seasons on Longboat Key before moving to Arlington Park.

“We enjoy (Tennis for Fun) more than the athletes. We can show up in a bad mood and leave so happy because the athletes inspire all of us, and it’s just so fun,” said Stacey Allerton, volunteer coach.

Athletes range from 16 to 65 years old with 15 total athletes in the program.

Amanda Walsh, Bethany Heckler and Mayes won gold in red ball skills in their division and Nico Moschini and Wendy Mikula won silver, explained Shields.

“The divisions are based on age and skill level, but they were super happy. It was such a successful day at state,” said Shields. “We just got a donation from the Suncoast Men’s Tennis League where they donated $2,500 because they were so excited about our program. It’s so helpful because if we can get donations, we can house our athletes when they go to regionals or state, otherwise, they have to wake up at 4 a.m. the day of to get to where they’re going plus compete later that day.”

Tennis for Fun, a nonprofit orga-

nization that offers free clinics for athletes with disabilities, was established in 2000 by Nathan Moore, a high school student at the time.

“It was a high school project and it just grew. His mother, Judy Moore, took over and developed it further, which she runs in various states. Because it was so successful here, the program is now running in Richmond, Virginia, and Charleston, West Virginia,” said Shields. “I am so proud of all of our athletes in the program and it’s always a sad day when you have to say goodbye to them, but we hope to start our fourth season this November.”

TheRev.Dr.NormanPritchard

Men’sBibleStudy:Monday@9:00

Women’sBibleStudy:Wednesday@10:00

Visitors&ResidentsWelcome

WatchOur10:00AMServiceLive: www.bit.ly/cclbksermonsor www.christchurchoflbk.org (followYouTubelink)

Amanda Walsh, Wendy Mikula, Beth Heckler, Nico Moschini, Dylan Mayes, and Brenda and Ron Shields

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo Nico Moschini and Wendy Mikula won silver medals at the state championship.

Mary Padgett, Beth Heckler, Barry Gradert, Ben Shatott, Wendy Mikula, Amanda Walsh, Tessa Rager, Elizabeth Harrod and Dylan Mayes

Photos by Sidra Wali

Tennis for Fun athletes arrive to start playing tennis at Arlington Park.

Dylan Mayes receives a medal at the goodbye party.

This 3 bedroom/3 full bath floor plan offers east and west terraces boasting direct beach views from the main living area and partial golf course/garden views from the guest rooms. Freshly painted and ready for new owner to add their special touches!

MLS#

This spectacular 2 bedroom first floor residence is situated perfectly for Sarasota Bay views. Located in the pet friendly, double gated community of Grand Bay, this residence also comes with TWO under building parking spots and exclusive access to the Bay Isles Beach Club.

Kentucky Derby time on the Key

Longboat Harbour residents got together to watch the race with barbecue and mint juleps.

SIDRA WALI CONTRIBUTOR

Ah, the Kentucky Derby. The most exciting two minutes in sports. Yea or neigh?

Longboat Harbour Condominium residents got together to enjoy the finest horses in racing while wearing their most stylish hats and drinking mint juleps at their Kentucky Derby Party May 6.

Kakali Banerjee and Virginia Leon, coordinators, hosted their first event at the banquet hall.

“I am new to the community and I moved here a year and a half ago,” said Banerjee. “I'm a horse person, and I’ve always watched the Derby.

I had three horses, and when I had kids, I had to give them up.”

Both Banerjee and Leon decided to serve barbecue at the party. They sampled many items off the menu from Mission BBQ.

“We ordered one of everything there, and the brisket was hands down the best,” said Leon.

Banerjee also made Kentucky Derby pie with bourbon, which pairs well with a mint julep.

“It’s a chocolate pie; it’s very rich and buttery. There’s eggs, butter, bourbon, walnuts, chocolate and sugar,” said Banerjee.

There was also a “bring your own bourbon” mint julep station where residents were able to make their own mint juleps as the night progressed.

The banquet hall was filled with laughter and chatter, but as soon as the clock read 6:57 p.m., it was as if a switch had been flipped.

The only thing that could be heard was the pounding of the horses’ hooves hitting the ground emanating from the big screen that hung on the wall.

With 15-1 odds, Mage, ridden by Javier Castellano, won the 149th running of the Derby.

Brenda Yewell, placed the right bet on Mage.

“My husband, Patrick, and I moved to Longboat two years ago from Kentucky and know one of the owners of Mage,” said Yewell.

As the night came to an end, Banerjee and Leon gave Gail Gilvey the winning award for wearing the best Kentucky Derby hat.

Fox Leiter Team

Photos by Sidra Wali

Gail Gilvey was the winner of "best hat" at the Kentucky Derby party.

Virginia Leon, Kakali Banerjee, Karen Pashkow

Event coordinators picked out a cake well suited for a Kentucky Derby party at Longboat Harbour Condominium.

Residents of Longboat Harbour Condominium pose for a photo moments before the race.

LONGBOAT KEY

WATER CLUB $3,750,000

Spectacular 6th floor 3BR/4BA redesigned Dover plan. Highend finishes include private elevator opening to Sarasota Bay & city skyline views from floor to ceiling glass and mastersuite terrace offers Gulf vistas.. Luxurious resort style lving on beautiful beach w/all amenities.

PENDING

LONGBOAT KEY

SANCTUARY $3,695,000

Direct beachfront w/ amazing views. 8th floor offers fully unobstructed Gulf and Bay views. 3BR/3BA has private east & west terraces for gorgeous sunsets & sunrises . 24 hr guarded gate + full Sanctuary amenities.

LONGBOAT KEY EN PROVENCE $4,935,000

Spectacular 3BD/ 4BA 3,400sf open plan w/10’ ceilings & Gulf-side wrap around terraces. One of 21 in meticulously maintained Gulf front gated community w/ Gulf-side pool & spa. Conveniently located mid-key.

LONGBOAT KEY DREAM ISLAND ROAD $3,195,000

Your Dream House, lovely & tranquil on Dream Island Road. Completely remodeled updated home on lushly landscaped 1/2 acre. 100’ wide canal w/ great boat dock, open living & saltwater pool/spa.

LONGBOAT KEY L’AMBIENCE $3,695,000

Casually elegant, rarely available 3BR/4BA direct beachfront walk-out. Private staircase from your private Gulf front terrace leads directly to the beach & Gulf. Amenities include lobby concierge, 24hr guarded gate, olympic sized pool, 2 har-tru tennis courts, fitness center & more.

LONGBOAT KEY EMERALD HARBOR $2,346,000

Updated & meticulously maintained split-plan 4 BR/3 BA pool home on wide canal w/ direct Bay access. A boater’s dream w/new dock and 10,000lb boat lift. Deeded beach access.

LONGBOAT KEY BOATERS DREAM $3,100,000 Meticulous 4 BD/3 BA wide deep water canal with direct access to Sarasota Bay - no bridges! Great dock. 2 boat lifts. Private beach access directly across the street.

KEY

• CANAL LOT#1 $1,995,000

• CANAL LOT#2 $1,995,000

Build your dream home on one of north LBK’s most desirable streets. Premier boating location. Great canal leads directly to Bay & ICW No bridges. Walk to beach.

Paradise Center hosts members for party to cap off the season

The event was a special thank-you to members for their continued support.

JAMES PETER MANAGING EDITOR

While the Paradise Center welcomes members and nonmembers alike to its classes, learning opportunities and programs, the party the center hosted on May 4 was for members only.

It was a way to say a special thankyou to the center’s members for their ongoing support and to say farewell to some of the nonprofit organization’s snowbirds. Roughly 30 members turned up for the celebration, which was held at the Paradise Center.

“It’s a member perk,” said Executive Director Suzy Brenner. “It’s a nice way to thank them when it’s not so busy.”

It was also a chance for members to mix outside their regular class schedule.

“Some people come to every tai chi class (for example), but they don’t come to anything else,” said Brenner.

The extra opportunity to gather and share in the community is another inducement to join the Paradise Center, said Brenner.

Although people can pay per class, those who join as members are more

likely to attend more activities. And that’s part of The Paradise Center’s mission — to get people out of isolation and being more social to prevent loneliness. Encouraging people to try more programs is an overall goal.

“We had our busiest winter season yet. Attendance is almost 4,000 people year to date,” Brenner shared.

She added that while some members will be departing Longboat Key for the summer, more are staying year-round.

“We do seem to have more people who this is their only residence. We definitely have people who are here all summer long. It’s a mixture,” said Brenner. “We have activities all yearround where a lot of groups stop for the summer.”

The theme of this year’s party was “festive hats” to coincide with the Kentucky Derby. In the hat contest, Marilyn Kidd won the prize for best hat; her wide-brimmed topper was adorned with fresh red roses.

“It’s very low-key, and we focus on having fun,” Brenner said. “The party gave us an opportunity for our members to meet our board of directors, to thank those who have provided us financial support, and also just to have fun and socialize.”

For more information about the center and its ongoing activities (including its schedule through the summer) visit TheParadiseCenter. org.

Branching out with bamboo

SIDRA WALI CONTRIBUTOR

If you missed the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce ribboncutting for Cariloha Sarasota on May 4 at St. Armands Circle, then shoot.

All the products at Cariloha are made from viscose bamboo.

While St. Armands has had a Cariloha retail store since 2019, the May 4 event marked the store’s grand reopening under its new owners, Jeffrey Snell and Robin Snell.

They bought out the previous ownership at the end of January, explained Jeffrey Snell. The new owners then embarked on a remodel, which was recently completed ahead of the ribbon-cutting.

“We’re fully stocked with product,” said Jeffrey. “We have sheets, mattresses and a clothing line. We’re testing a bedding line as well.”

Jeffrey and his wife, Robin, bought their first Cariloha store in Naples five years ago, which they continue to run.

Jeffrey explained that when he was an airline pilot, he had back issues that gradually progressed until he couldn’t pass the medical test to remain a pilot.

“I had to pivot to a different career. We went on a cruise to the Caribbean in 2018 and saw they had cruise ports with Cariloha stores. That’s when it started. We are one of the only private owners of Cariloha,” said Jeffrey. “With our backgrounds, it went well.”

Jeffrey has a retail background, and Robin was a director of financial aid at the University of North Dakota for several years.

They explained that the benefits of bamboo outweigh those of cotton.

“It’s twice as soft, it’s cooler than cotton and it’s thermoregulating,” said Jeffrey. “It’s extremely sustainable. Think soft, cool and clean.”

Jeffrey explained that bamboo also keeps bedbugs away and is hypoallergenic.

“The toughest thing right now is that we are not allowed to have a website or a landing page because we’re private owners,” said Jeffrey. “Robin created a loyalty program where customers can sign up and we can tell them ahead of time about new products and when the sales are. I’d recommend customers to go to the website and pick out what they’d like and call us, directly tell-

ing us what they’d like, or come in. We tell customers how to take care of their bamboo products, as well, and how to wash it.”

The loyalty program is free, but Jeffrey cautions customers that if they do buy a Cariloha item from the company’s website, they cannot accept any returns.

“If they go to Cariloha’s website, it’s not us. So if they purchase something on the website, and they want to return it, they’ll have to ship it back in the mail because we can’t accept those returns.”

Jeffrey explained that their Cariloha store in Naples ranked No. 1 in sales for resort stores in the company. “Cariloha is great because there’s no chemicals in any of the products,” said Jeffrey.

NewPrice

Courtesy photo

Most attendees at the Paradise Center’s end-of-season party wore festive hats in honor of the Kentucky Derby.

Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce cuts the ribbon on St. Armands retailer selling bamboo-based goods.

Courtesy photos

Brian Wiffin, Janeane Diaz, Saraosta Mayor Kyle Battie, Cariloha owner Jeff Snell and Patti Bosco

Cariloha’s bamboo bedding is hypoallergenic and provides a cooling effect.

Headed on a trip? Snap a photo of you on vacation holding your Observer, then submit your photo at YourObserver.com/ ItsReadEverywhere for a chance to win a seven-night cruise for two, sponsored by Marc Bokoff -

FRIDAY, MAY 19

SUNSET YOGA

7 p.m. at Bayfront Park, 3970 Royal Road, Longboat Key. Free. Yoga instructor Angela Mali leads a holistic yoga class at 7 p.m. most Fridays near the public beach access by Bayfront Park, weather permitting. Get in touch with Mother Nature in a beautiful, tranquil beachfront setting during this relaxing and engaging yoga class appropriate for all ages and levels. Enjoy the sunset while practicing breath work, poses and gratitude. RSVP before class with a call or text to 618-789-7226.

RECURRING EVENTS

WEEKDAYS LONGBOAT LIBRARY

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, 555 Bay Isles Road. On Wednesdays, most books are on sale for $1 or less. Call 383-2011.

MONDAYS STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN

From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. This class is mostly seated and great for all fitness levels Focus is on strength training and flexibility for balance. Suzy Brenner leads the class. Fee is $15. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

THINKING OUT LOUD: TIMELY

TOPICS WITH MIKE KARP

From 1-2:30 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Topics will include U.S. and world current affairs, popular culture and topics relevant to seniors. Cost is $15. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS

LORD’S WAREHOUSE THRIFT STORE

The thrift store will be open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 6140 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Donations are accepted during business hours. Call 383-4738.

TUESDAYS QI GONG

From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Qi gong is a mind-body-spirit practice designed to improve mental and physical health. Class is outdoors, weather permitting. Cost is $15. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

BEST BET

SUNDAY, MAY 21

‘COOKING WITH FRIENDS’ BOOK SIGNING

1 p.m. at Daiquiri Deck on St. Armands Circle, 325 John Ringling Blvd. Free. The newly released cookbook from EHS Recruiting Co., a Sarasota-based staffing firm focused on the restaurant/hospitality industry, will be on sale ($40) on-site, with proceeds going toward a nonprofit, EHS Relief, that provides financial assistance to chefs and those in the culinary arts. The following local chefs will be available for signings: Greg Campbell, Pier 22 in Bradenton and Grove; Stephen Phelps, Indigenous; Jamil Pineda, Michael’s on East; Jeremy Thayer, Daiquiri Deck. National chefs featured in the book will be present for signings, too, including: Chrissy Benoit, culinary consultant; Ron Duprat, Bravo TV’s “Top Chef,” Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” “Bar Rescue” and “Beat Bobby Flay;” Phillip Valdez, executive chef, Universal Studios Hollywood, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, 3 Broomsticks.

YOGA

From 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Debbie Debile of Feel Good Yoga & Massage leads a gentle yoga class that can be done on a mat or in a chair. Cost is $15; free for members. Call 383-6493.

MAHJONG

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

ROTARY CLUB

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

WEDNESDAYS BEGINNER TAI CHI

From 10-11 a.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road. Class is outdoors, weather permitting. Cost is $15. Walk-ins welcome. Call 383-6493.

ONE PARK SARASOTA IS COMMITTED TO RAISING THE BENCHMARK OF LUXURY LIVING

Surrounded by a lively and evergrowing neighborhood, stunning waterfront, and expansive park, One Park Sarasota development is primed to elevate luxury within Sarasota’s real estate market. The property’s collection of masterfully crafted residences designed by Sarasota-based firm Hoyt Architects offer buyers an unmatched and sleek form of sophistication central to waterfront living. Its continued robust sales success underscores the demand for this level of high-quality, luxury condominium residences in the Sarasota market.

What sets apart One Park Sarasota is its commitment to providing a caliber of living experiences previously unseen in its neighborhood.

No element of comfort or convenience has been left unearthed in its design This includes generous floor plans, more than 13,000 square feet of retail, dining, and outdoor café seating at its base, and over 63,000 square feet of richly appointed amenities.

One Park Activates Community Connection

Outdoors on the ground level, One Park Sarasota will deliver an expansive beautifully designed, well-lit and safe breezeway above Quay Commons with access to The Quay and The Bay Park from the Boulevard of the Arts. This dynamic pedestrian walkway will

widen sidewalks and lush greenery to an otherwise vacant space but will also activate the space for Sarasota locals and residents. While the City of Sarasota code does not require the project to have any retail space, the developers of One Park are planning more than 13,000 square feet of retail space will be devoted to offering topnotch retail, dining, and outdoor café seating for those looking to meet up with friends, find respite during a particularly rainy or hot summer day, or shop the latest trends footsteps from home. This space will also attract business and liveliness to the area that will aid in maintaining its energy for years to come.

In addition to the ground level experience, One Park will provide plenty for owners to do and explore at their leisure. With over 63,000 square feet of amenities. Amenities include the One Park Wellness Spa, a 120-footlong resort-style pool, a 14,000-squarefoot state-of-the-art fitness studio with high-tech exercise equipment, executive office suites, a wine room, a private theater room and golf simulator room, a children’s playroom, and hospitality suites. Additional services led by the dedicated concierge staff include valet parking, package delivery and dog walking.

Creating Space

One Park Sarasota’s sizable floor plans not only serve to delight residents, but

also provide them with ample room to live and grow as they please. Each fully finished two, three, and five-bedroom plan ranges from 2,760 to 4,280 square feet. Units feature 10- to 12-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, expansive outdoor terraces, and unprecedented efficiency through PMG’s smart home technology experience for seamless personalization with a touch of a button.

In addition to these prime spaces, One Park Sarasota offers a stunning Penthouse Collection of six residences ranging from 3,800 to 8,460 square feet. These spaces include private rooftops equipped with a plunge pool and summer kitchen overlooking Downtown Sarasota and Sarasota Bay. As such, residents are able to both enjoy and entertain from the comfort of their homes.

Rooted in Success and Community

A development is only as strong as its team and the visionaries behind One Park not only have a proven track record of success, but are committed to the Sarasota community. Partner in the development, Kim Githler has roots in Sarasota dating back nearly 40 years where she has been deeply involved in community development, non-profit work and a devoted philanthropic figure in the area focusing on foster care and parent education. Since she and her partners, PMG first started working together, their focus has been on delivering a project that will evolve

and continue to transform the bustling Sarasota scene, elevating the caliber of development in the city.

PMG’s presence on the West Coast of Florida dates back decades through land ownership, and most recently in the form of the newly opened Sage Longboat Key, which was one of the fastest luxury projects to sell out in the region. Additionally, PMG has a threedecade track record of working closely alongside communities and cities to develop not only luxury residential projects, but also multi-family, mixedused and affordable housing projects to better the lives of the residents in the areas they choose to develop it.

This powerful team is all-in on having a hand and being a catalytic force that will continue to propel Sarasota forward as One Park continues to move forward in its development timeline.

Looking Ahead to Luxury

With an idyllic location, deliberately crafted spaces geared toward promoting effortless living community, and meticulously designed living spaces, One Park Sarasota is setting its own standard for what luxury living will look like in Sarasota for years to come. As the city continues to draw more people with its five-star, bayside lifestyle, and as One Park Sarasota will present residents with a truly unrivaled experience catered to their every need.

John Ringling Estates home tops the week’s sales at $4.2 million

ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR

Ahome in John Ringling Estates tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Alice Keisling, of Waverly Township, Pennsylvania, sold her home at 480 Cleveland Drive to 480 Cleveland Drive LLC for $4.2 million. Built in 1967, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,875 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.8 million in 2007.

LONGBOAT KEY ESTATES

Joan Leslie Galvin and Daniel Newhouse, of Longboat Key, sold their home at 566 Jessmyth Drive to KFK Longboat LLC for $3.25 million. Built in 1955, it has three bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,923 square feet of living area. It sold for $760,000 in 2000.

LONGBOAT KEY CLUB

Carri Trine, trustee, of Angola, Indiana, sold the home at 991 Longboat Club Road to Andrew and Ashley Warnock, of Hilliard, Ohio, for $2,633,000. Built in 1989, it has six bedrooms, fiveand-a-half baths, a pool and 5,101 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.1 million in 1992.

THE PRESERVE AT LONGBEACH

Michael and Lillian Carroll sold their home at 6840 Longboat Drive S. to Eric Fontana and Andrea Lee Fontana, of Longboat Key, for $2,225,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, four-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 2,665 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.45 million in 2019.

TANGERINE BAY CLUB

Martin and Susan Goodfriend, of Sarasota, sold their Unit 135 condominium at 340 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Gordon and Helen Graber, of Longboat Key, for $2.1 million. Built in 1991, it has three bedrooms, four baths and 2,529

million.

square feet of living area. It sold for $745,000 in 2000.

ST. ARMANDS TOWERS

Jason Cohen and Lori Palace, of Short Hills, New Jersey, sold their Unit 76 condominium at 1 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Thomas and Lisa Cahill, of Medfield, Massachusetts, for $1,685,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,389 square feet of living area. It sold for $662,000 in 2020.

Joan Rosato and Raymond Rosato, trustees, of West Chicago, sold the Unit 66 condominium at 101 Benjamin Franklin Drive to Roger Elliot Keller, of Studio City, California, for $1,487,500. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,275 square feet of living area. It sold for $675,000 in 2007.

BIRD KEY CCSHORESWATERFRONT LLC sold the home at 424 Pheasant Way to Dockside Homes LLC for $1.5 million. Built in 1961, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,964 square feet of living area. It sold for $1.36 million in 2022.

FAIRWAY BAY Lisbeth Spoll Coulombe, trustee, of Pittsboro, North Carolina, and Madelyn Josey Spoll, of Longboat Key sold the Unit 104 condomin-

TOP BUILDING PERMITS

ium at 1900 Harbourside Drive to Harold William Wheeler III, of Longboat Key, for $1,425,000. Built in 1982, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,135 square feet of living area. It sold for $340,000 in 1993.

Diane and J. Jeffrey Fischer, trustees, sold the Unit 518 condominium at 2110 Harbourside Drive to Michael Donnelly and Margaret Finnegan, of Wexford, Pennsylvania, for $1,375,000. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,550 square feet of living area. It sold for $504,100 in 2010.

LONGBOAT KEY YACHT AND TENNIS CLUB

Michael and Felicia Rudolph, of

Evansville, Indiana, sold their Unit 201 condominium at 3115 Gulf of Mexico Drive to George Rogers and Sheryl Roth Rogers, of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, for $1.35 million. Built in 1974, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,433 square feet of living area. It sold for $175,000 in 1995.

SEASCAPE Ralph and Maria Aiello sold their Unit 202 condominium at 5135 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Ada and Jeffrey Tikkanen, of Oak Park, Illinois, for $1.25 million. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,502 square feet of living area. It sold for $195,000 in 1986.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS MAY 1-5

HARBOUR OAKS II

Dennis McCloskey, trustee, of Chicago, sold the home at 2373 Harbour Oaks Drive to Leonhard Korowajczuk and Eliani Fritsch Korowajczuk, of Herndon, Virginia, for $1,125,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths, a pool and 2,245 square feet of living area. It sold for $530,000 in 2013.

Paul Tippet, of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, sold his home at 2328 Harbour Oaks Drive to Sandra Smith, of Longboat Key, for $810,000. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,554 square feet of living area. It sold for $390,000 in 2009.

LONGBOAT TERRACE

Kenneth and Malinda Siegel, of Lakeland, sold their Unit 207 condominium at 5393 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Theoharis and Maria Theoharides, of Sarasota, for $960,000. Built in 1979, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,300 square feet of living area. It sold for $625,000 in 2004.

COUNTRY CLUB SHORES

Phillip and Fanny Younger, of Longboat Key, sold their home at 1030 Botey Lane to Jorge Rodriguez and Maria Conception Rodriguez, of Bradenton, for $910,000. Built in 1968, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,522 square feet of living area. It sold for $61,500 in 1989.

ISLANDER CLUB OF LONGBOAT

James Bruce Elser, of Temple, Georgia, sold his Unit 11-S condominium at 2295 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Christopher and Angela Wetzig, of Longboat Key, for $862,500. Built in 1970, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,180 square feet of living area. It sold for $680,000 in 2005.

James Peter

This home, with three bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths, at 480 Cleveland Drive in John Ringling Estates, sold for $4.2

RITZ-CARLTON MANAGED RESIDENCE

1300 Benjamin Franklin Dr 907 | The Beach Residences - LIDO KEY

3 bed, 2 / 1 bath

Offered for $3,990,000

Luxury Knows no Limits in this home 3 bdrm residence laid out to perfection to take advantage of the Gulf of Mexico view through glass walls from every room and an oversized wrap-around terrace. Handcrafted interior finishes: wood floors in the main living area, a gourmet kitchen w/Décor oven & gas cooktop-Sub-Zero refrigerator, wood cabinets, granite counters opening to the family room perfect for entertaining. The Name Says It All Enjoy the best of SRQ in The Ritz-Carlton tradition: Resort style pool/spa-social room-theater w/tiered seating-fitness center-2 guest suites-2 pets, no weight limit. 2 underbuilding parking.

OPEN HOUSE: 05/19 (4-7pm), 05/20 (1-4pm), 05/21 (1-4pm).

408 Jackson Dr | St. Armands - SRQ

3 bed + den or 4 bedrooms, 3 bath

Offered for $2,988,000

Steps to St. Armands Circle! Home with a private pool in a botanical setting with updates. The soaring ceilings create abundant space, complemented by tile floors, a wall of sliders, molding, wood accents, and recessed lighting. The chef’s kitchen boasts eggshell color cabinetry, solid surface countertops, stainless steel appliances, a tile backsplash, and a breakfast bar. With a casita for loved ones. Enjoy outdoor living in the open pool area, which features stately brick pavers, an abundance of covered areas, and a privacy fence.

2 bed, 2 bath | 1,312 Sq Ft

Offered for $998,000

Sarasota Bay is your backyard. This residence has southeastern exposure with epic sunrises and Sarasota skyline views. Bright and airy. Imagine living in this renovated two-bedroom, two-bath residence where a high-end interior designer selected impressive new finishes and features. This resulted in a beautiful and peaceful sanctuary echoing the resplendent sparkling waters and beyond. The discriminating buyer will appreciate the gourmet kitchen, which boasts everything from quartz counters and backsplash to classic cabinetry to GE Profile stainless appliances. Enjoy a pool, tennis court, biking, and a DEEDED BEACH ACCESS.

newer kitchen appliances, a newer water heater, air conditioner.

435 L'Ambiance L207 | L'Ambiance - LONGBOAT KEY

3 bed, 3 bath | 2,525 Sq Ft

The almost new residence offers magnificent sunrise and sunset views from its wraparound terrace. Elevator to your private foyer, where your doors open to reveal elevated 10-ft ceilings and walls of glass, filling the room with natural light surrounded by tropical views. Offered for $2,600,000

435 L’Ambiance Dr #H802 | L'Ambiance - LONGBOAT KEY

2 bed + den or 3 bed, 4 bath | 2,525 Sq Ft

Updated to perfection is here and ready for enjoyment. Iconic luxury 270 degrees of endless views of the city and turquoise waters of the Gulf looking South. Wold/SubZero appliances. Offered for $4, 200,000

1930 Harbourside Dr 122 | Fairway Bay - LONGBOAT KEY

NATURE’S BEAUTY WITH

FORECAST

/

MOON PHASES

TIDES

“XEH AMP’S JMUK YEJKSVGPZ SVMS GY MBIMXY NDKMSVSMUGPZ, ED XEH IEHBL PKCKD NK MNBK SE NDKMSVK. XEH IEHBL AEBBMRYK.” NDGMP KPE

“GZGWTIJBRL LVVC IJSI’P GZGW JSEEGRGC BR HT XBOG JSP NVHG SP

IJG CBWGNI WGPKXI VO JGXEBRL PVHGVRG GXPG.” CSRRT IWGUV

Puzzle One Clue: C equals V Puzzle

“SPFO CNFPKR, XDZXBD RCLD CKKNRXFPZGK, INF PF’K JDAE IAZCU. ...

EZN OCJD FZ FADCF DCTO XDAKZG CK CG PGUPJPUNCB.” GPLLP ADDU © 2023

GREEN GROCERIES by Alex Eaton-Salners, edited by Jeff Chen

By Luis Campos

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.