Boat explosion sends 6 people to hospital

CARTER WEINHOFER

STAFF WRITER

Aboat explosion that occurred Saturday afternoon in New Pass, off the south end of Longboat Key, sent six to the hospital and drew multiple agencies to respond.

Authorities were alerted to the incident at approximately 4:45 p.m. on June 24, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Longboat Key Police and Fire Rescue departments were called along with the FWC, U.S. Coast nAll students must develop dispositions that enable and motivate them to engage in thinking independently, listening with understanding to the points of view of others, working in groups and being able to discuss, debate and solve problems. nAll students need to be taught in a physically, intellectually and emotionally safe environment that encourages listening to different perspectives, enabling them to solve real-life problems in a cooperative fashion within their local institutions, including family, friends, clubs, teams and communities. nA successful education is a collaborative product of teachers, school boards, administrators and parents, all with important roles. nWe acknowledge that there are different points of view about educational issues; conversations about these issues should respect these differences and all participants should be treated with respect and dignity. nWe believe that different options should exist for educating students and parents have the right to choose what they think is best for their children. nIn Sarasota, 66% of the students score level 3 and above in reading (meaning ready for the next grade level, likely to excel at the next grade level or highly likely to excel at the next grade level) and 71% in math, according to Niche.com’s Florida State Assessment data. nStatewide in Florida, students in grades 3-8 score 52% in reading and 55% in math. (Florida State Assessment data) n Nationally, 33% of our fourth grade students are considered at grade level or above in reading and 31% of our eighth grade students are at or above, 37% of our high school seniors across the country read at grade level and 24% of our seniors nationally are proficient in math. (NAEP Nation’s Report Card 2019) nOur eighth graders rank 12th out of 29 other countries around the world and our fourth graders rank 15th out of 58 countries in math. (2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science)

Guard, and Sarasota Police Department and Fire Rescue.

All six individuals on the 24-foot Yellowfin boat were transported to a nearby hospital. Longboat Key Fire Rescue assisted in the treatment and transportation of some of the patients, according to Public Information Officer Tina Adams. One had been transported as a trauma alert, and all others were transported as nonemergency, Adams said in an email.

The FWC is currently investigating the incident, but no further updates were available as of publication.

How does our local report card look?

What can we as responsible citizens do? As parents: Support our children and grandchildren in their educational process. It starts with the family! Get involved in your local parent association.

Stay abreast of the most current information about our students’ performance, i.e., test scores, graduation rates, post-secondary placements, etc. As citizens: Elect responsible, high-quality school board members who reflect the characteristics stated earlier.

— Miracle on the Key: Robert Gary, Nancy Greenhouse, Scott Gray, Paul Hylbert, Lucie Lapovsky, Lynn Larson, Ed Sabol, Herb Soroca, Becky van der Bogert, Shawna West. Miracle on the Key is a group of five Democrats and five Republicans devoted to civil dialogue as a means to address our country’s opportunities and problems.

Compromise for everyone

Mr. Whittall has exhibited vision, foresight and business acumen, which most residents of Bay Isles must recognize as what they possessed in order to earn the success of living in one of Longboat Key’s most elite neighborhoods. Give Mr. Whittall every chance at making this stellar property the best it can be with no constraints. He is ensuring the resort is able to accommodate parking for every patron (that’s us, dear locals). Your property values will reflect his success.

Critics cringe at the thought of a wall of concrete with years to wait for trees to conceal it. Have you not heard of fast-growing evergreen vines? Within one year, they will miraculously shroud the garage providing a sound and sight buffer for us at the utility corner of this property. You will thank Mr. Whittall for sparing you what Matt Walsh so eloquently described as “the constant clanging and rumble of big truck rigs delivering food and hauling away garbage.”

As Mr. Walsh pointed out in the May 18 edition of the Longboat Observer, the total height of the proposed parking structure was to be 27 feet, 4.5 inches. Since the allowable height of a singlefamily residence on LBK is 30 feet, I’m sure a compromise could be achieved if an extra 2.5 feet were added to the rooftop so that headlights will be imperceptible to humans and turtle hatchlings.

Contemplate this if you are still adamantly opposed to the parking structure: Mr. Whittall has increased your property values while you have diminished ours. Perhaps there should be a height limit proposal for trees on the island. As we on the west side of Gulf of Mexico Drive, look eastward; your Bay Isles trees are blocking the bay views we once enjoyed and paid dearly for. As they grow, your trees will further restrict the bay views of the St. Regis as well. I fully endorse Mr. Whittall and Unicorp to build this legacy property with no restrictions.

Let the compromise begin.

— Karen Thomson, Longboat Key

Peppi Elona

Neé Elona Peppi

Gruber

July 18, 1936—

May 29, 2023

Peppi Elona, a vibrant, colorful, unconventionally imaginative and kind woman passed away peacefully at her home on Siesta Key.

Peppi’s children, her life as an artist and her wife made every day meaningful for her; fulfilling and enriching her 86 years.

Peppi had an innate sense for bold, creative thinking in her artwork and how she lived her life. If there was an artwork on display that was out of the ordinary, that was a Peppi piece. Making art and being an inspiration to other artists was very gratifying to her. She was quick to help and advise her art colleagues. She showed a kind heart and generous spirit with her eloquent and honest art critiques.

Peppi’s almost 23 years in Sarasota were filled with showcasing her artwork as an exhibitor and/or member of Women Contemporary Artists, The Petticoat Painters, Art Center Sarasota, Longboat Art Center, Manatee Art Center, Palmetto Art Center, Morean Art Center, Towles Court Gallery, Harmony Hall, State of the Arts Gallery and Selby Gallery at Ringling College. Peppi was selected twice to be on the Fine Arts Creators and Collectors Tour. Her artwork was also exhibited at the Newark Art Museum, The Johnson & Johnson Art Gallery at their corporate headquarters, and at galleries in New York City.

Peppi was one of the 13 Founding Members of the Sarasota Museum of Art (SMoA). Her gift for creating promotional materials and her masterful writing helped move the project from idea to reality. She made SMoA look professional and real. The ArtFul Restroom was her brainchild that many still talk about. Peppi devoted many hours to SMoA including hosting ArtMuse artists, members of the art community and donors in her home. When she wasn’t in her studio or at SMoA, she was home preparing meals for visiting artists and their guests. This energy, time, and devotion was second only to playing an integral support role to her wife, SMoA Founding President Emerita, Wendy Surkis. They were a remarkable duo. Family was Peppi’s glow and deep heartbeat. She always wanted to be a mother to four children –and she did it!

Married at 19 years old, this Paterson, New Jersey gal and her former husband, Edward Henig, had four children together. They lived in several cities during their 17 years of marriage as an IBM couple. Each time her family moved, though still busy rearing children, opportunities arose for Peppi to further her art studies, earning her Bachelors of Arts from Rutgers in 1966, Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University in

1973 and her Master of Arts from Montclair State College in 1983. Though they divorced, Peppi and Ed always remained close friends.

During her life she briefly taught in the New Jersey school system; worked as a licensed commercial real estate agent with Cross & Brown; and helped her father and his associates in his real estate development business in Paterson, New Jersey.

Peppi impacted the lives of numerous people who had a myriad of life challenges. She was quick to step forward when she perceived that they could benefit from her help. She was a philanthropist and generous soul. Peppi helped and gave without being asked. She never sought a thank you.

Peppi met her best friend and classmate, Wendy Surkis, in 1973 at the University of Louisville. They shared 47 years of a mutually wonderful life; supporting each other’s goals, desires and dreams. This twosome was each other’s confidante, companion, cheerleader, project partner, adventurer, support system and helper. They were genuine soul mates.

Peppi was the family’s treasured gift. She was the initiator of gatherings for the blended family. Peppi and Wendy, the Grammas, journeyed with each grandchild to places around the world. These were trips for the three of them – no parents! It was a time to get to know each other much better, and to adventure to a place of the grandchild’s interest.

She

The idea for these trips was all Peppi’s. Each grandchild reflects on their trip as a very special moment in their teenage life. Peppi and Wendy dabbled in this with Wendy’s three nephews. Peppi loved and was beloved by her wife, Wendy Surkis; her children, Robert Henig (Sara Mrsny), Lee Henig-Elona (John Orenczak), Jane Fellows (Philip Fellows) and David Henig (Dr. Noreen Henig); her bonus children, Jennifer Deare (Christopher), Susan Schneider, and Neil Schonwald (Virginia); her sister, Joan Faust; her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, niece, nephew, cousins, relatives, friends, and Wendy’s nephews and their families and the many, many people who comprise Peppi’s blended family. www.VisualInnovator. com

Peppi’s final resting place is at Mt. Nebo Cemetery in Totowa, New Jersey. She is buried next to her mother and father, Isabelle and Jack Gruber, to whom she was very close.

The cruelty of dementia stole Peppi from us. We ask that everybody remember Peppi for the sparkle and exuberance that she brought to our lives.

Thank you for enriching PEPPI’S life.

Those who have asked where they can send a donation in honor of Peppi may do so to the Sarasota Museum of Art (SMoA), a division of Ringling College. 1001 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236 Attn: Virginia Shearer, Exec Director.

DONATIONS:

Those who have asked where they can send a donation in honor of Peppi may do so to the Sarasota Museum of Art (SMoA), a division of Ringling College. 1001 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236 Attn: Virginia Shearer, Exec Director.

Daren

Rhett