As a part of the Hurricane Helene relief effort, Gold Coast Eagle Distributing teamed up with Anheuser-Busch to deliver 2,084 cases of canned emergency drinking water to communities in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
This included Longboat Key, where volunteers from town staff were passing out the cases at the Neighborhood Point of Distribution in the Publix parking lot on Bay Isles Parkway. In preparation for Helene, Gold Coast Eagle Distributing asked Anheuser-Busch for the cases of water, which were delivered within hours, according to a press release.
Longboat Key received 490 cases of the 1,078 cases that were delivered within four hours to other local communities, the press release said.
A rainbow before the storm
In her high-rise condominium, former co-president of Temple Beth Israel Marion Levine knew she would be safe from Hurricane Helene.
Deciding not to evacuate, she went about her normal business on Sept. 27, when all of her friends had made it off the island to hotels in Sarasota. That morning, she was participating in a Zoom meeting. Amid the darkening skies, strengthening wind and showers, Levine saw what she described as the most colorful rainbow she had ever seen over Longboat Key.
To provide some comfort to her worried friends, Levine showed the rainbow to her colleagues in her Zoom meeting.
Carter Weinhofer
Luis Ortiz stands next to a pile of unsalvageable belongings from his family home on Buttonwood Drive after Hurricane Helene.
WEEK OF OCT. 10, 2024
BY THE NUMBERS
$50,000
The estimated amount of losses Save Our Seabirds had from Hurricane Helene. PAGE 5
$170 MILLION
The preliminary damage assessment from the town of Longboat Key as a result of Hurricane Helene. PAGE 6
3 FEET
The amount of water in some residents’ houses from Helene’s storm surge. PAGE 20 CALENDAR
n Vaccine Clinic at Town Hall — Monday, Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 501 Bay Isles Road n Town Commission Regular Workshop — Monday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m., 501 Bay Isles Road
n Town Commission Joint Meeting with Sarasota County — Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m., 501 Bay Isles Road
“It’s not catastrophic, but it’s a lot for an organization like ours.”
Save Our Seabirds Executive Director Brian Walton talking about the damages from Hurricane Helene Read more on page 5
Town implements fees for de-annexation
In January, the Jewfish Key Preservation Association, which represents the homeowners of Jewfish Key, filed a petition for de-annexation from the town of Longboat Key.
Florida state statute required the town to conduct a feasibility study into the request. This required additional legal advice, increased staff hours and an estimated $80,000 in expenses, all of which had to be covered by the town.
At the Town Commission’s Oct. 7 meeting, Director of Plan-
ning, Zoning & Building Department Allen Parsons presented an updated fee schedule, which includes an addition for deannexation requests.
The fees for the PZB Department is updated regularly and includes fees for things like building permits and zoning code fees. The de-annexation request fee was a new addition this year.
This new fee was proposed as $2,500, with an additional $1,000 deposit to be used on costs associated with the de-
annexation request.
However, after some discussion among commissioners, Mayor Ken Schneier and others agreed the fee should be higher, given the recent Jewfish Key request came with substantially higher costs.
Schneier proposed that the fee be $5,000 with a $5,000 deposit, and that the department look into amending the town’s code in the future so that the petitioner covers the cost. Commissioners agreed unanimously.
GCCF offers relief for service workers
To provide immediate relief to food and beverage workers who live or work in local impacted areas of Hurricane Helene, Gulf Coast Community Foundation is partnering with Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation to raise funds to deploy a rapid response.
Gulf Coast will distribute the funds to the areas of greatest need identified with life-sustaining support as a top priority. As many food and beverage workers live paycheck to paycheck, bridge funding provided by Southern Smoke Foundation and local donors to Gulf Coast will help full the gap until government support is available.
Individuals may receive up to $1,000, and families may be eligible for up to $1,200.
Southern Smoke provides a simple application at SouthernSmoke.org. It outlines requirements for funding, assigning all applicants to a case manager for support. Those interested in donating to Gulf Coast’s Rapid Response Fund can do so online at GulfCoastCF. org/RapidResponseFund.
Longboat increases funding to SBEP
On Oct. 7, the Longboat Key town commission unanimously approved to increase the town’s annual funding contribution to the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.
The amendment to the existing interlocal agreement appeared on the commission’s consent agenda and increased the funding from $15,000 to $25,000.
The town is one of the estuary program’s local municipality partners, a list which also includes the city of Sarasota.
This year, the SBEP Policy Board asked all of the partners for a higher funding contribution, which will allow the program to do more applied research and habitat restoration projects.
“We know they do good work, and we especially need their help now,” Mayor Ken Schneier said at the Oct. 7 meeting.
FIle photo
Jewfish Key homeowners recently petitioned to be de-annexed, or removed, from the town of Longboat Key, which would have made it a part of unincorporated Manatee County. The association later dropped the petition.
WEATHERING A HURRICANE
Residents recount where they were when Hurricane Helene hit and how it has impacted their lives.
OBSERVER STAFF
Hurricane Helene shocked many Longboat Key residents on Sept. 26.
Although Helene made landfall more than 200 miles away, Longboat Key was not immune to the side effects of a Category 4 hurricane. The storm surge produced by Helene flooded many Longboat homes and caused catastrophic damage to some.
Many Longboat Key residents chose to evacuate, but some didn’t.
Whether it was experiencing the tropical-storm-force winds and battling a flooded house, or it was not knowing if their home was going to be OK, Longboat Key residents share many different stories about Helene’s arrival — and effects.
Luis Ortiz, Buttonwood Harbour resident
Luis Ortiz and his wife, Christine, have lived on Buttonwood Drive since 1993. Hurricane Helene was unlike anything they had ever seen.
“We’ve been here for a very long time and have never seen anything like it,” Luis Ortiz said.
The Ortiz family said they have always had a household “policy” that they would only leave for a Category 3 hurricane or above, but would stay for anything else. They stayed in their Buttonwood Drive home for Hurricane Helene.
Both Luis and Christine said Helene was sort of a “deceiving” storm, being a wider storm and bringing more water than they had anticipated.
Luis Ortiz described the day as being trapped in a fish bowl, watching the water rise around them and eventually flood their house. Around 5 p.m. that Thursday afternoon when Helene passed Longboat Key, Luis Ortiz said they could see the tide start to encroach on their property.
Water entered their house from both sides, and the couple tried to save as many things as they could by raising them or putting things on countertops. In the end, about two to three feet of water came in the house.
Over the years of living in one of the island’s lowest-lying areas, both said they’ve seen more frequent flooding and drainage problems become more and more apparent.
NO QUESTIONS ASKED, BONNEY AND LEN LIBMAN IMMEDIATELY PACKED BAGS ...
Bonney and Len Libman, Tangerine Bay residents
No questions asked, Bonney and Len Libman immediately packed bags to head to a hotel when an evacuation order was issued for Longboat Key due to Hurricane Helene. The one concern they did have was how their orange tabby cat, Selly, would react to staying in a hotel.
“You know cats,” said Len. “They are really homebodies. So, new environments are the worst. It is so much easier with dogs because they love to go to new places. But we came into this hotel with Selly in a carrier.”
As soon as the Libmans arrived at their hotel and let Selly out of her carrier, she immediately sought a hiding spot. When under the bed wasn’t an option, she was confused about her next move.
For the next five days, Bonney said that not being able to hide well brought out Selly’s sassy side.
Thankfully, the Libmans’ home was untouched when they arrived back on the Key. The Libmans did have one thought after the hurricane: Selly was the most excited of the three to come back to her comfort spots at their condo.
Condensa family, north-end residents
Not only do the Condensa and Carter families own Performance Pilates and Sips in Whitney Plaza, but the family also lives on Longboat Key. All decided to stay on the island throughout Helene.
The family moved to higher ground — a friend’s condo building — before the storm took its worst hit on the island. After Helene passed, Lorenzo Condensa and his parents, Emily and Mike, went to check on their home and family businesses. At Whitney Plaza, both Performance Pilates and Sips were flooded. At their home near Juan Anasco Drive, the water damage was far worse. Most of their
“IT’S MORE FLOODING THAN WE’VE EVER SEEN. NO ONE’S EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.”
Maureen Merrigan, northend resident
2
Though Maureen Merrigan wasn’t in the area when Hurricane Helene hit, she had many concerns when the storm threatened Longboat Key with high storm surge.
“It’s nerve-wracking,” she said, explaining that her concerns were all over the place — for friends, for her Longboat property and for the future of the area’s water quality.
Having grown up on Bradenton Beach and now having owned a home on Longboat Key for about 30 years, Merrigan said this storm was the worst she’d seen.
“It’s more flooding than we’ve ever seen,” Merrigan said. “No one’s ever seen anything like it.”
Merrigan received updates on the storm from afar when Helene hit. During the storm, there were a couple of people Merrigan knew who stayed. Those few people sent updates to other neighborhoods. Something that struck Merrigan was how quickly Helene developed. Merrigan said, earlier that Thursday, the residents who stayed said everything
Debby Debile, Spanish Main Yacht Club resident
After coming back from her relaxing trip to Italy, Paradise Center Program Manager Debby Debile was taken by surprise by the news of a hectic hurricane.
Sticking to her Florida roots, Debile wasn’t nervous hearing about Hurricane Helene. With many of her neighbors at Spanish Main Yacht Club staying, she decided to stay in her home.
“We didn’t know what a surge was,” said Debile. “We really didn’t think we would be hit that hard since it wasn’t hitting us directly, but 100% of everything in our house got flooded. It was about four feet of water.”
Debile recalled watching her garage fill up like a bathtub and ruining her cars. The wind was so loud that she left her upstairs bedroom to sleep on the couch.
As a yoga teacher who helps others center themselves, Debile said it was hard to find peace herself after being on the island
seemed fine. Then, later in the day, reports started coming in that the flooding intensified quickly.
Merrigan flew to Longboat Key from Vermont after Helene passed to assess the damage. At her elevated house on the north end, water only intruded in the garage and entryway.
But at a separate groundlevel condo she owns, the damage was far worse.
“It was like a washing machine at that place,” Merrigan described. It appeared that the strong storm surge broke off one of the sliding glass doors to the condo, allowing water to flow freely into the condo — and with it, about one-third of Merrigan’s furniture.
She said she has no idea where that furniture ended up.
during Hurricane Helene. Through the traumatic experience of losing her home and her car, she decided not to make any appointments the week after the hurricane.
Debile hopes to provide healing yoga classes once the island returns to normalcy, but she first is prioritizing grounding herself.
“A student from Sarasota tried to drive here this week to take a yoga class,” said Debile. “She didn’t get here because the traffic was so bad, but I told her that I am emotionally exhausted, so I could definitely not teach a class.”
“WE REALLY DIDN’T THINK WE WOULD BE HIT THAT HARD SINCE IT WASN’T HITTING US DIRECTLY ... ”
belongings had been damaged. Before focusing on their house, the family wanted to get their businesses back in order.
They quickly got to work. Lorenzo, his sister, Justina Carter, and her husband, Chris Carter, spent days after Helene cleaning out Sips, which is owned by the Carters. They had to remove drywall around the bottom of the coffee shop and hoped the refrigerators were salvageable. Lorenzo Condensa and his parents, Mike and Emily, also worked quickly to get Performance Pilates back in shape to open their doors. They were able to open the studio for a couple days before
Hurricane Milton — projected to be stronger than Helene — caused another evacuation. Throughout the process and before the Milton evacuation, Lorenzo Condensa had been documenting the businesses’ recovery process through videos he would post to Longboat Key Facebook groups. Even though it was a difficult situation for everyone on the island, Lorenzo Condensa said he had hoped to bring a little bit of positivity to the people watching his videos.
WEATHERING A HURRICANE
FROM PAGE 3
June Hessel, Seaplace Resident
As June
Hessel visited the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn on North Tamiami Trail, she saw lost souls amongst her friends from Seaplace Condominiums during the week of Hurricane Helene.
A group of Seaplace residents went to a hotel in Sarasota together on Sept. 25 to follow mandatory evacuation orders from Longboat Key during the recent hurricane.
It intrigued Hessel to see how the lobby was filled with a diverse group of people, from children to elders, looking for companionship, especially if they were alone. She loved talking to residents from different parts of the area and bonding with them over the situation.
Along with chatting with other hotel guests, the group took this as an opportunity to explore Sarasota. One day, Hessel and close friend Sandy Endres went to the Cine Bistro to watch a movie. On other days, the group explored different bars and restaurants to mingle and watch football.
Hessel was also amazed at the hotel staff members, who helped the guests during their stay.
“I never really thought about how the hotel staff work day and night during hurricanes, so we are truly so thankful for them,” said Hessel. “While we are trying to relax during this crisis, they don’t even go home.”
Leaving to return to the island on Sept. 30, Hessel even made friends with Longboaters they hadn’t met before. Though the island faced immense destruction from the hurricane, Hessel said she looks forward to seeing her new buddies around the Key.
Observer
Barbara Pressman, Islands West resident
Even with an evacuation order for the Key, Barbara Pressman thought it was best for her and her son to stay at their condominium, especially since she had just gotten a new cat.
“It was very interesting to see how a new little kitty reacted to the storm because, of course, this was her first hurricane,” said Pressman. “She was going back and forth from the window sills following the rain, not as scared as I thought she would be.”
Karen Pashkow, Longboat Harbour resident
It is hard to spot one resident from Longboat Harbour Condominiums alone because this group runs in a pack. Evacuating from Longboat is no expectation.
Resident Karen Pashkow said that even when having to move to two different hotels during the evacuation, she still found her friends from the condominium at both places.
“The trick to evacuating from Longboat is making sure to book a hotel for a week because it is easier to cancel days than to add more since all the hotels are booked,” said Pashkow. “Thankfully, we were able to get together with our friends at both hotels because this can be a really isolating time for people. We just had so much fun every night. Misery loves company.”
The Longboat Harbour crew spent the week learning how to play the tile game Rubicube in the lobby most nights. They also visited a new restaurant every night since they never got to try out Sarasota restaurants.
Along with spending time with her friends, Pashkow took the time to get to know other people from the area. The most heartbreaking story she heard was about a couple who was living in her hotel because their new home was destroyed by Hurricane Debby in August.
Coming back to the island, Pashkow’s first-floor condo was completely dry. But, she was shocked at the debris
During the storm, Pressman was frightened and uncomfortable due to no power or water. Her curious kitty running around did bring her some relief. Pressman was grateful the water only came up to her porch, even though her Islands West condominium was on the Gulf side.
When Pressman woke up the morning of Sept. 28, she found sand piled high all over her porch, unlike any other tropical storm. She was thankful that this was her biggest problem after checking in with her friends from the rest of the Key.
she passed coming back onto Longboat Key. This past week, Pashkow and her husband, Sparky, spent their time helping friends clean up their homes that were affected by Hurricane Helene.
“When I heard that Longboat was hit hard, it really didn’t hit until I was on the island,” said Pashkow. “It really breaks your heart seeing the sand piled up taller than your car and people’s belongings in the street. For some people, they are just here temporarily, but this is our home, so it feels unreal.”
“IT REALLY BREAKS YOUR HEART SEEING THE SAND PILED UP TALLER THAN YOUR CAR ... ”
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PUBLIC NOTICES
The Sarasota/Siesta Key, East County and Longboat Observers meet the legal requirements to publish legal and public notices in Sarasota & Manatee counties, per F.S. 50.011.
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Petra Rivera
Karen Pashkow, Connie DiMaggio and Cindy Sommers
Sandy Endres and June Hessel
Helene floods Save Our Seabirds
The nonprofit on Ken Thompson Parkway is working to recover after Hurricane Helene’s storm surge brought up to 4 feet of water throughout the facility.
CARTER WEINHOFER
STAFF WRITER
Human residents of Longboat Key weren’t the only ones to feel the effects of Hurricane Helene’s storm surge.
At Save Our Seabirds on Ken Thompson Parkway, the nonprofit’s facility faced flooding throughout, and as high as 4 feet in some places. The strong waters displaced heavy appliances and wooden boardwalks, ruined the backup generator and led to one bird casualty.
After Helene passed on Thursday, SOS staff were quick to find a way to check on the facility.
“We really wanted to check on the birds,” said Executive Director Brian Walton.
Walton said he was able to secure a boat ride for himself and some staff members through a friend of a friend. The crew knew it was urgent to check on the birds, and Walton said staff were a little tense on the way out.
“I was really nervous coming out on Friday,” Walton said.
When they arrived at the facility, they realized the damage.
Debris from vegetation and items throughout the facility had been thrown everywhere. The largest wooden boardwalk was lifted by the water and moved, partially destroyed in the process.
In the backroom workshop, water damaged many of the power tools stored there, and displaced most others.
Looking at the bird enclosures, Walton said they could see just how high the water had risen — a little above waist-deep.
In anticipation of this amount of storm surge, the SOS staff took about
finding some commercial space, possibly a warehouse, to set up an agreement with the owner to use in case of situations like this. He has yet to find something ideal for this.
One of the resident birds, a turkey vulture named Ruby, was found dead by the staff that Friday after Helene.
Ruby was old and not in great shape, Walton said, but the staff had grown close with her over the years. Some of the keepers spent a considerable amount of time with Ruby while glove training her, according to Walton.
40 of the birds offsite, according to Walton. Many of the organization’s resident birds had to stay on the grounds during the storm.
Walton said it’s important to know that, at any given time, the organization has about 150-200 birds in its care, whether the birds are out in enclosures or receiving care in the hospital. With that many birds, especially some large birds, evacuations are difficult.
“When you’re dealing with sandhill cranes, vultures, pelicans ... you can’t take them all home,” Walton said.
For a while before the storm, Walton said he had been working on
“Staff took it pretty hard,” Walton said.
DISASTROUS WATER
Before leaving SOS the day Helene hit, Walton said water was already creeping up from the bay behind the campus at 1:30 p.m. The water was heading for the back row of enclosures.
That back row intentionally houses birds that are more used to living with water in the wild, like wood storks, pelicans and cormorants.
In preparation, SOS staff did things like tie a small boat in the pelican enclosure to give them a spot to
refuge in the water.
When the crew returned to assess the damage, they got right to work.
One of the highest priorities was cleaning the many ponds throughout the enclosures. These wouldn’t drain due to debris blockage, Walton said, and the ponds must drain to remove bacteria and keep fresh water. Cleanup also included removing mounds of debris from around the grounds, picking up tools and appliances and trying to keep the backup generator running so the freezer — which was full of food for the birds — would stay on. The generator ended up ruined by the saltwater, but it worked long enough to keep the freezer alive.
“It was a challenge those first couple of days,” Walton said. Luckily, Walton’s call for volunteers on social media was heard.
From Saturday through Monday after Helene, Walton said about 40 volunteers showed up to help out however they could.
That Sunday, SOS was able to open its hospital back up to take in rescues, though in a limited fashion.
All in all, Walton estimates SOS had about $50,000 in losses, which includes extra staff hours, the gen-
erator, many lost tools and materials for repairs.
For now, SOS doesn’t have a reopening date in mind for the public, and Walton said he’s not in a rush. Until Saturday, the staff was focused on repairing after Helene, but that focus shifted on Sunday with the news that Hurricane Milton was intensifying and heading for Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Looking far into the future, SOS has a plan to make the facility more resilient against storms and flooding.
Walton said he recently received a draft site plan from local architecture firm DSDG for SOS’s new master plan. This new plan will reconfigure the layout of the facility, improve drainage and raise some areas.
Carter Weinhofer
Brian Walton points to the water line left on some of the bird enclosures closer to the water. These are occupied by watertolerant birds like pelicans and cormorants.
Courtesy image
The backroom workshop at Save Our Seabirds took on about 2-3 feet of water, which washed around many of the team’s tools and other equipment.
Helene damage report
The value of damage is expected to grow as officials continue to assess Helene damages, while another hurricane is on the way.
The damage assessment from Hurricane Helene was still rising more than a week after the storm impacted Longboat Key.
As of Monday, Oct. 7, Town Manager Howard Tipton said the estimated damage was valued at around $170 million with over 2,000 properties impacted. Those numbers are expected to climb, Tipton said. Helene damages were still ongoing, and Hurricane Milton was tracked to make a direct hit near Longboat Key on Thursday morning, which was expected to bring a new set of damages.
The past two storms to impact Longboat Key — Hurricanes Idalia and Debby — brought minimal damage to the island. Town staff reported that about 50 to 70 structures were
damaged from Idalia’s storm surge.
In terms of human damages, there were no casualties reported on the island, and Tipton said that no serious injuries were seen by the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department during Hurricane Helene.
At the Oct. 7 commission meeting, town commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to temporarily waive building and permit fees from the town’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department.
“Whenever we have a big event like we’ve just had with Helene, we want to make sure that our recovery is not impeded by what can be some very high building fees and permit fees,” Tipton said at the meeting. “It’s the right thing to do.”
This temporary waiver is anticipated to be extended upon assessing Hurricane Milton’s damage, Tipton said.
The town’s PZB Department has an online portal through Sarasota County for residents and business owners to self-report damages. Damages must be reported separately for separate events, so Hurricane Helene damages will need to be reported separately from Hurricane Milton.
Access this portal via the town’s website, LongboatKey.org.
Owners shutter Sandipiper Inn from heavy Helene damage
The Sandpiper Inn on Longboat Key was hit hard by flooding during Hurricane Helene, leaving the owners little choice but to close for good.
LOUIS LLOVIO BUSINESS OBSERVER
The he Sandpiper Inn, a Longboat Key hotel built in the 1960s, has permanently closed due to damage from Hurricane Helene.
According to Facebook posts and a note on the property’s website, the 11-room hotel is shut down effective immediately and those who’ve made deposits will get a refund.
The hotel’s owners say in the note that Helene caused extensive water damage to all rooms and the exterior of the hotel. The note said it is not feasible to repair the property, especially as storms of Helene’s magnitude are happening more often.
Asked if the closing was permanent on a local Facebook page, Christine Cullison, who owns it with her husband Harold, wrote: “Yes I am the owner sadly we are closed forever the damage is extensive.”
The Cullisons declined to comment for this story in an email Friday evening to sister publication the Business Observer but posted on Facebook on Oct. 1 that they are “dealing with a lot of grief today as we process the pain of our Sandpiper family who are devastated by our mutual loss of our paradise.”
Hurricane Helene just grazed the area Sept. 26 but caused massive flooding along Florida’s barrier islands, destroying businesses and homes before making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 storm and continuing north.
According to a report from Yahoo Finance, preliminary estimates from Moody’s Analytics found the storm caused between $15 billion to $26 billion in damage. Locally, preliminary damage estimates are tracking over $1 billion across Sarasota and Manatee counties, according to interviews with county spokespeople, statements and press releases.
The Sandpiper, at 5451 Gulf of Mexico Drive, is on the Manatee side of Longboat Key. Despite being more than 50 years old the property, according to its website, “remains unchanged from then.”
County records show the Cullisons paid $4 million for the land in 2005.
One couple who stayed at the hotel year-after-year told the Longboat Observer in 2022 that “every year we’re like, ‘Oh, please don’t sell this and build a giant thing.’
“You know, just keep this sweet little place, it’s like an oasis.”
Image courtesy of Matthew Ballew
Several beachfront properties on Longboat were severely damaged from Hurricane Helene’s storm surge.
The Sandpiper Inn on Longboat Key has closed for good after being damaged during Hurricane Helene.
Image via Sandpiper Inn / Facebook
Beyond First Class™
The six amendments
MATT WALSH
Every four years, Florida voters face a flurry of proposed amendments to the state constitution. This year, six amendments are on the ballot.
The Legislature proposed four of the amendments; citizen initiatives were behind the abortion and marijuana amendments. Each amendment requires 60% or more approval to be adopted.
We have made a practice of trying to help voters understand some of the rationales, nuances and special interests behind the amendments.
And in a similar vein, we have made a practice of recommending a yes or no vote. We take into consideration the context and the motivations for the amendments.
But to a great extent, we make our recommendations on the basis of a simple litmus test: Will it increase or decrease individual liberty? Will it protect your individual liberty or give more power to the government to restrict your liberty?
Here is our analysis of Amendments 3 and 4 (see box).
Amendment 3
Adult personal use of marijuana
This may be the truest statement about legalizing recreational marijuana use: Almost nothing good results from it.
Yes, people who smoke weed or eat marijuana-laced gummies and cookies will have more freedom to use it; they will be happy. The people who grow and sell it will be happy. And governments will have more tax money to spend or to shift the tax burden from one group onto the potheads (less freedom).
But overall, here are questions to consider: What is the benefit of recreational marijuana for individuals and for society? How does it make life better for the vast majority of people?
Of course, there is a good libertarian case for legalizing marijuana and drugs. Milton Friedman, the U.S. king of libertarian economic thinking, consistently advocated for legalizing all drugs. He made a convincing argument in a 1991 interview (watch: ukcia.org/research/ argue/milton.htm).
“I have estimated statistically that the prohibition of drugs produces, on the average, 10,000 homicides a year,” Friedman said. “It’s a moral problem that the government is going around killing 10,000 people. It’s a moral problem that the government is making into criminals people who may be doing something you and I don’t approve of, but who are doing something that hurts nobody else.”
He also said there are many more (innocent) victims from the prohibition on drugs than the 10,000 homicides. “You’ve got the people whose purses are stolen, who are bashed over the head by people trying to get enough money for their next fix. You’ve got the people killed in the random drug wars. You’ve got the corruption of the legal establishment. You’ve got the innocent victims who are taxpayers who have to pay for more and more prisons, and more and more prisoners and more and more police.
So far, 24 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana; seven more have decriminalized it. Next month, voters in Florida, North and South Dakota will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana.
With so many already legalizing it, how has it worked out?
In 2021, the CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, conducted its second widespread study of the effects in the states that legalized it. Its conclusions were the same in both: inconclusive.
“We found that the strong claims made by advocates and critics are substantially overstated and
ELECTION ’24
in some cases entirely without support; mainly, state legalizations have had minor effects.” Its assessment, CATO said, “remains tentative because of limitation in the data.”
Even so, in a 535-page report for the Florida secretary of state examining possible consequences of recreational marijuana use, among the data, statistics and estimates, here are a few noteworthy citations:
■ The Florida Sheriffs Association: “[T]he lessons learned from other states suggest that there are some common trends — potency increases in marijuana available for use; upticks in homelessness; emergence of illegal markets and criminal cartels; impaired driving and traffic fatality increases; and hospitalization as a result of marijuana use …
“According to a recent National Survey of Drug Use and Health, the number of Americans who heavily use marijuana (at least 300 times a year) has risen from 3 million in 2006 to 8 million in 2017, coming close to the alcohol abuse numbers.”
The sheriffs also cited statistics from Colorado and Washington, both of which legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, and from California, which legalized it in 2016:
■ Colorado: From 2013 to 2019, marijuana related traffic deaths increased 140%.
■ Washington: In 2017, fatal crashes involving drivers who tested THC positive doubled before marijuana legalization.
■ California: 80% of the marijuana sold came from the illegal black market.
The sheriffs concluded: “Based on the experience of other states, we know that law enforcement resources, as well as public health and other governmental services, will be taxed with new call volume due to the nature of marijuana impairment and its relationship to criminality (including victimization) as well as mental health.”
Here’s another cost: A whole new bureaucracy of regulators.
The Florida Department of Health estimates it will need 100 full-time employees at a cost of about $9.25 million a year; startup equipment cost of $3.24 million; $2.5 million in litigation expenses; $720,000 for automobiles; and $360,000 for office rent. All of which will grow as the usage and sales grow.
This is not an issue that is as simple as lighting a joint. But as legislators often do, rather than address this matter as they should with thoughtful legislation, they take the politically safe route. They let impatient special interests force the issue with a voter-initiated constitutional amendment.
This is what we have argued on this page the past two weeks: The matter is now in the hands of the democratic majority mob, so that the lowest common denominator will make a decision that will have lasting consequences on Florida’s social and economic core. And they will be deciding this without lawmakers having conducted intelligent and educational discussions across the state with voters.
Had lawmakers done their job they would be handling this issue the way it should be: Legalizing marijuana should be treated the same as alcohol and cigarettes. As Friedman noted in 1991: “I would
OBSERVER RECOMMENDS
Amendment 1 — Partisan election of school board members. Vote yes
Amendment 2 — Right to hunt and fish. Vote yes
Amendment 5 — Annual adjustments to the value of homestead exemptions.
Vote no
Amendment 6 — Repeal of public campaign financing.
Vote yes
■ To read the full text of each amendment and Matt Walsh’s unabridged analysis of all six amendments, go to: YourObserver.com/OpinionAmendments
legalize drugs by subjecting them to exactly the same rules that alcohol and cigarettes are subjected to now.
If only legislators would do their job. But on this, it’s probably too late. Even though the potheads will enjoy more freedom, this is another issue that should not be engraved in the constitution. It should be handled statutorily.
We recommend: No
Amendment 4
Limit government interference with abortion
This amendment is as deceitful, diabolical and extreme as one could be on this subject.
“If this thing passes, then Florida will become a mecca for abortion,” said Matt Walsh Aug. 30. Walsh is the podcaster on the Daily Wire (and no relation to this Matt Walsh). “You’ll have abortion tourism. Abortion rates will skyrocket by like a 1,000% … It is a pro-infanticide measure.”
Walsh is known in the podcast world as uncompromisingly prolife. His assessment, nevertheless, is plausible — and likely.
But rather than engage first in the debate over a woman’s alleged “right” to determine the outcome of her pregnancy, let’s first focus on the egregious flaws in this amendment: its wording. Even moderate defenders of abortion should agree the authors who crafted this amendment deviantly worded it to sound moderate.
Start with “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability…” (italics added)
What is viability? Who decides what is viable? What are the criteria to determine viability?
In standard legislation, lawmakers define every important term to avoid ambiguity. The authors of this obviously and deceptively avoided defining viability. Vagueness is akin to no fence around the cow pen.
But even worse than the vagueness is what comes after “before viability”: No law to prohibit before viability “or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” (italics added)
This is an open invitation. Again: What defines “necessary”? What defines “patient’s health”? That could be anything — physical, mental, emotional, financial. Prior to this, most legislation was worded to “protect the life” of the mother, not just “health.”
What’s more, what and who is a healthcare provider? Your cousin,
84,052 ABORTIONS IN FLORIDA
■ Florida reported 84,052 abortions were performed in 2023, +2% over 2022.
■ 46,635 (55%) drug-induced, +3 over 2022.
■ Abortion rate: Estimated at 20.8 per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, +2% over 2022.
■ 1,344 abortions at 15 weeks or later, -33% from 2022.
■ 91% performed on state residents; 9% on women from other states.
■ 7% of Florida abortions performed on girls under age of 20; 27% on women 20 to 24; 28% on women ages 25 to 29; 34% on women in their 30s; 4% on
the dentist? Your psychic health tarot-card reader?
Finally, and this is just so deceitful and despicable, there is the confusing vagueness of the final sentence in the amendment:
“This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”
Various interpretations of that sentence say the amendment would abolish current law that requires parental consent beforehand. It just says the Legislature could still pass a law requiring that parents be notified before their minor daughter undergoes the abortion. Surely, rational, responsible parents and grandparents of young girls see this proposed amendment as yet another step of taking away parental control and responsibilities and putting them in the hands of the State.
To be sure, this amendment is being sold to enshrine in Florida a woman’s right to choose what happens to the life of the child in her womb — with no restrictions at any time all the way up until birth.
While we repeatedly have stated our litmus test is whether a proposed amendment increases or decreases individual liberty — and certainly this would allow untethered freedom for any woman, this measure totally negates any moral considerations. It is extreme.
And yet, most Americans are not morally or immorally extreme.
Pew Research repeatedly has found that while 61% of Americans it polled say abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances, 56% of those respondents “say the timing of an abortion (i.e., how far along the pregnancy is) should be a factor in determining its legality.”
But the sponsors of this amendment are counting on the lowest common denominator of voters not to think and just reflexively approve this vaguely worded measure. That is democratic, majority mob rule at its worst.
Given the emotional nature and importance of this issue — human life — this subject requires much more careful consideration than a deceptive, 50-word proposal.
Heretofore in the U.S., that has been almost totally absent. The focus is always on the two extremes, rarely an alternative or an acceptable in between. Indeed, in the Western World, the United States’ treatment of abortion has long been the most radical.
In her amazing 1987 book, “Abortion and Divorce in Western Law,” Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon authored an extensive comparison of how European countries address abortion. We don’t have the space to show the details of each country’s rational approach, but Glendon summarizes:
“West European laws, while permitting abortion on a wide variety ground, communicate that fetal life is an important interest of the society and that abortion is not a substitute for birth control.”
And, she astutely concludes:
“Over time, I would say to my pro-life friend, compromise legislation may aid your cause, because it is what goes on in people’s hearts and minds that you really care about. The mores, not the law, are the best protection of the weak and dependent.
“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
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women ages 40 and older.
■ Florida’s Black abortion rate was 36.8 per 1,000 women of childbearing age; 14.3 per 1,000 on white women.
■ 62% of Florida abortion were on non-Hispanic women; 31% on Hispanic women; 7% on unknown ethnicity.
■ 74% were performed on unmarried women; 16% on women whose marital status not reported; 10% on married women.
■ 58% reported zero prior abortions; 23% reported one prior; 18% more than one.
Source: Charlotte Lozier Institute
“A law which communicates that abortion is a serious moral issue and that the fetus is entitled to protection will have a more beneficial influence on behavior and opinions, even though it permits abortion under some — even many — circumstances, than a law which holds fetal life to be of little or no value and abortion to be a fundamental right …
“In a similar vein, I would say to my pro-choice friend: Please consider what a set of legal arrangements that places individual liberty or mere life over innocent life says about, and may do to, the people and the society that produces them.
“In the long run, the way in which we name things and imagine them may be decisive for the way we feel and act with respect to them, and for the kind of people we ourselves become.”
This amendment is not how this matter of life should be decided. We recommend: No
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A busy few weeks so far
In his first three weeks as managing editor of the Longboat and Sarasota Observers, the area has had two hurricanes.
Man, my first three weeks with the Observer Media Group and I have had to spend it dealing with not one, but TWO hurricanes.
I originally wrote a column that, well, matches my personality. It was full of lame jokes and something to lighten the mood we had experienced with Helene.
But, now a second hurricane. Milton.
We are all battle tested from these hurricanes, and as I write this on the Monday before Milton’s arrival on Wednesday, I hope that all of our community stays safe and we all get through this.
For the record, I’ve been living in Florida most of my life. Since I was kid in the 1970s. Technically, the first hurricane I had been through was Irma in 2017.
I know, right, it’s a long time.
Seven years ago, I was the digital editor for The News-Press in Fort Myers when I spent a couple nights sleeping on the newsroom floor and eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch out of the box for breakfast.
The shower, if you will, was a pipe in one of the bathrooms about head-high with icy cold water running out of it.
Irma hit on a Sunday and we were locked in the office with metal barriers on the windows and most of the newsroom had the TVs on with storm coverage. Meanwhile I sat away from the TVs doing updates and posting online while watching my beloved Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks on my phone.
The real heavy winds from Irma started around 4:30 p.m., right at kickoff. By the time the game ended, it was 7:15 p.m., and the winds were dying down.
Good times.
After it had ended, the next day, there was the usual damage around the area, traffic lights dangling on the wire, power out everywhere, trees down, we know the drill.
We will have worse here.
We continued to work and put a paper out that following week at the News-Press. Our engagement editor, Cory O’ Donnell, and myself would run to Publix every afternoon to get frozen family-sized dinners of meatloaf and lasagna to feed the newsroom via a microwave as we reported the news.
That was my last week at the News-Press.
I had accepted a position two weeks prior to Irma to go to Aiken, South Carolina to become the managing editor of The Aiken Standard.
A year later Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle and passed over Aiken as a tropical storm. I was standing at my gym at 6 in the morning doing a Facebook Live report for our community. Later that morning a reporter and I drove around Aiken and North Augusta doing another Facebook Live surveying the damage.
Hurricanes are worse now, whether you blame it on global warming or cyclical, we’re in a rough patch lately and it’s getting tiring.
I’ve handled coverage for hurricanes before and of all the “immediate” news coverage I’ve coordinated, organized, managed throughout my career, clearly this is the worst subject.
But, in the news world, we run on a different frequency. As reporters and editors we jump at covering hurricanes, we want to inform you, let you know what is happening, and provide the most up-to-date information we can.
We jump at this simply because of our upbringing in journalism.
For myself it started on better deadline subjects. I started as a sportswriter after college working in the Broward bureau of The Miami Herald.
First for several years covering Friday Night Football and other sports for Miami and then Bradenton, to moving up to covering and organizing sports coverage for the Citrus County Chronicle and then the Leesburg Daily Commercial.
In 2000, that changed to just organizing coverage as an assistant sports editor at The Tampa Tribune. That immediate coverage was better, not easier, than organizing hurricane coverage.
For 11 weeks out of the year, we staffed and covered 45 high school football games, all pouring into the desk of three copy editors and a designer starting at 10:30 p.m. and all games had to be read, edited, on the pages, and out the door by midnight.
But I will tell you, I did love those nights. They were brutal and you’re exhausted by the end, but it was satisfying knowing you had all the games in and people got to read the coverage the next day.
In 2003, our sports editor, and my mentor, Richard “Duke” Maas, came up to me the Monday after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC Championship to go to the Super Bowl.
“What are you doing today?” he asked.
“Oh I have a few things to organize, but nothing major,” I responded.
“Would you mind taking care of the Bucs section today?”
“Sure.” That was about 10:30 or 11 in the
morning and we had a daily special section of 16 pages just on the Bucs. We had it planned every day of Super Bowl week and a 32-page special section the day of the game.
We had about 30 reporters from sports, business, features, photographers, and editors in San Diego for the game.
We had as many 25 in Tampa writing Bucs-related local stories.
So we can fit everything in the sections, with plenty of stories leftover. Then the 4 p.m. editors meeting came.
The Managing Editor Donna Reed says “Duke, what we got going in the Bucs section?”
And Duke casually responds “Well Katherine has a story on this, Roy on this ...” He stops. Then says “I’m gonna let Mike Harris talk about it. In fact, Mike Harris is going to be the liaison the entire week for the Bucs section; he’ll decide what goes there, what goes in A Section, Metro, Features, Sports.”
As many as 40 editors turn to me as Duke just handed the entire set of keys to a 289,000 circulation paper to me.
But we did it. It was 14-hour
days, but it was great.
News happens we have to respond.
The last few years I’ve bounced around as a copywriter with flighty tech companies that promise a bunch, but deliver nothing. The truth is, covering news, and managing a great staff is what I love to do. And I want to do my best and deliver fair and quality content for the Sarasota and Longboat communities.
I look forward to meeting everyone I can and hopefully have a positive impact.
I would love to meet as many in the community as I can, but we muscled through Helene and now we must muscle through Milton.
While Helene was marching toward us (and now Milton) and we were scrambling to put out the papers, I told Executive Editor Kat Wingert: “A lot of people will say this is not what I signed up for.” And they may be right. Not me.
“This is EXACTLY what I signed up for.” Please, everyone, be safe. We’ll see you on the other side.
MICHAEL HARRIS MANAGING EDITOR
Carter Weinhofer
Ventura's in Whitney Plaza was boarded up Oct. 7 before Hurricane Milton. It is the second storm to welcome our new managing editor since he started Sept. 19.
MONDAY, SEPT. 30
MESSAGE IN THE SAND
10:01 a.m., 5900 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious Incident: A resident called in a suspicious incident, and told the responding officer that she saw the words “Help Please” written in sand a couple of blocks away on the beach. The officer walked the beach and saw the message in the sand. Then, the officer wiped the message away with his foot and tried to contact the residents of the beachfront property nearby, but could not reach them. Other officers arrived at the scene, and the group entered the residence to ensure no one was in danger. There were no people inside and no signs of forced entry, so the officers closed the case.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 28
SUSPICIOUS CLEAN-UP CREW
7:34 p.m., 6000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious Person: Dispatch sent an officer to investigate a resident’s report of a suspicious boat with numerous people onboard. The resident said he saw the boat moored on his dock, and people were unloading generators and other equipment. He claimed he was concerned about possible looting, and the people did not have permission to be moored on his dock. The responding officer found some of the people who were on the boat, and they claimed they were being paid to help clean up and restore a neighboring property. Despite the story, the officer told the crew they had to leave due to the island’s restrictions on civilian traffic. The crew gave the officer proper identification and went on their way without any issues.
MONDAY, SEPT. 30
JUST WALKING HOME
9:27 a.m., 1200 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Suspicious Person: An officer responded to a suspicious person call referencing a man walking on the island with no shoes. The officer canvassed the nearby area and found the man who said he was walking home to his Longboat Key residence from downtown Sarasota. He explained that someone took his shoes from him the night prior, but he still had his wallet and cell phone. The man denied the officer’s offer to report the shoe theft, and he continued his walk home.
TUESDAY, OCT. 1
SHOE STEALER
12:06 p.m., 1900 block of Harbourside Drive
Suspicious Incident: A Longboat Key officer was dispatched to a
suspicious incident report and met with the complainant. According to the complainant, a man driving a van stopped in front of his house and stole a pair of shoes that were lying in the street while he was cleaning out his garage. The shoes were not trash and the complainant said he was planning on keeping them, but they were among trash cans and bags on the street. The complainant said he just wanted the incident documented by police.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2
HELP FUELING UP
9:47 p.m., 2100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive
Officer Public Service: An officer was asked to respond to a call at Longboat Key Fire Rescue Station 92 to help a woman pour gas into her vehicle. According to the dispatch call, the woman tried to fill the gas herself but accidentally poured it on herself. While the officer was en route, though, Fire Rescue canceled the call and said no police assistance was needed.
THURSDAY, OCT. 3
LATE NIGHT DRIVE
3:10 a.m., 600 block of De Narvaez Drive
Suspicious Vehicle: While on patrol, an officer noticed a car driving around past the town curfew and stopped the vehicle. The driver, originally from Canada, said he used to live in a nearby house. He also claimed to suffer from insomnia and driving around late at night helps that. The driver said he did not see the sign at the south entrance that said the island was only open for residents. He was issued a traffic citation for not carrying his driver’s license and warned about the curfew violation.
WORSHIP directory
Life-saving device on hand
The department recently added a LUCAS 3 CPR device to its arsenal, which is a machine firefighter paramedics use to deliver high-quality, safe chest compressions.
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
At the start of September, the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department received an electronic device that will change how they respond to patients needing CPR.
The department added the LUCAS 3 CPR device to its equipment thanks to a state grant that covered most of the $16,314 needed for the device.
The LUCAS 3 CPR device, manufactured by Stryker, is marketed as “Your partner in advanced resuscitation,” according to the company’s website. LUCAS stands for Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System.
This device gives automated chest compressions by an arm with a rubber end, designed to be highperformance and less strenuous on the victim.
“By increasing provider safety, avoiding fatigue over long durations and reducing transport risks by allowing caregivers to sit belted, the LUCAS device can help calm the scene and provide an extra pair of hands,” the company website says.
When used, the firefighter paramedic gently lifts the patient so the bottom part of the device can slide underneath the victim’s back, then the LUCAS device is strapped to the victim’s chest. That’s when it starts delivering the chest compressions.
According to EMS Chief Martin Szalbirak of the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department, the device is also helpful because it eliminates the need to switch CPR providers every two minutes, which is required when a human is doing CPR.
Szalbirak said the LUCAS device is also handy because it frees up another person — who would have been doing CPR — to be helping on other life-saving tasks and, with the device, CPR can be done while moving. The device also allows for easier and better quality CPR while in a moving rescue boat. The Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department decided to keep the device at the south fire station so it’s more accessible for marine rescue calls.
The department added the LUCAS 3 CPR device to its equipment thanks to a state grant that covered most of the $16,314 needed for the device.
According to Szalbirak, some neighboring agencies, such as the city of Venice, have a LUCAS device. This is a first for Longboat Key.
The Longboat Key crew received the device at the start of September and all personnel went through online training courses before receiving hands-on training with a company representative that visited the Longboat Key fire station. That training was completed in mid-September, and the device is now officially ready for use.
Carter Weinhofer
Lieutenant Kerri Brooks and Firefighter Paramedic Jay Gosnell demonstrate the Lucas 3 CPR device with EMS Chief Martin Szalbirak watching.
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
NO REFUGE FROM THE STORM
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
As the waves leisurely lapped the shore of Manasota Beach on a late Friday in August, Daniel and Patrick Lazour sang songs from their show, “We Live in Cairo,” which opens this week Off Broadway in New York City.
Members of the audience at the Hermitage Artist Retreat watched the Massachusetts-bred brothers play guitar and sing songs inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings of the 2010s as they lounged in beach chairs and sipped wine. Stage right, the last rays of the day’s sun danced off the clouds over the water.
Just an hour earlier, it seemed as if a storm was heading toward the area.
Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg had to decide whether to cancel the evening’s performance. But at the last minute, the showers moved elsewhere and Sandberg gave the show the green light.
The Hermitage was lucky on Aug. 23. It wasn’t as fortunate Sept. 26, when Hurricane Helene thrashed the beaches of Sarasota’s barrier islands, dumping tons of sand onto the Hermitage’s grounds and parking lot.
It was the second time in as many years the Hermitage was hit by a devastating storm. In 2022, high winds from Hurricane Ian pummeled its roof, which cost nearly $1 million to repair.
As this article is being written, Hurricane Milton is heading for Tampa Bay. Batten down the hatches, folks.
Speaking by telephone on Oct. 4, Sandberg said it was impossible to
estimate the cost of removing the sand that has engulfed the Hermitage’s buildings because it cannot simply be dumped back on the beach. Having said that, he expects the price tag will be higher than it was for the Hurricane Ian cleanup.
As in other places in the Sarasota area, sand moved by the storm first must be remediated.
“We have to figure out what to do with the sand,” Sandberg said. “We’re waiting on guidance from Sarasota County and the state of Florida.”
THE ARTFUL LOBSTER IS ON
Wearing his development hat, Sandberg wants everybody to know the Hermitage’s annual Artful Lobster fundraiser will take place this year on Nov. 9 at a location that will soon be revealed.
Sitting on the Hermitage beach in August, listening to the Lazours, the word that came to mind was “magical.”
But “magical thinking” can be dangerous. The late Joan Didion popularized the term when she wrote “The Year of Magical Thinking.”
In the medical trade, “magical thinking” is defined as: “when a person believes that specific words, thoughts, emotions or rituals can
“The Hermitage needs to exist. It is a magic, unique, inspirational location that we are committed to rebuilding.”
Andy Sandberg, Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO
Hermitage Artist Retreat
CEO Andy Sandberg vows to rebuild after being hit by a hurricane twice in two years.
influence the external world.”
Is it magical thinking to believe the Hermitage Artist Retreat can withstand the storms that buffet its Manasota Key campus with seemingly greater frequency?
According to Sandberg, the answer is no. “The Hermitage needs to exist. It is a magic, unique, inspirational location that we are committed to rebuilding,” he says.
He adds: “Weather is impacting the entire world. Look what happened to the arts district in Asheville. This campus and buildings have withstood a century.”
Sandberg and the Hermitage’s board of trustees are hoping it will be around on its current premises for at least another 30 years. In July, the Hermitage announced that the Sarasota County Commission unanimously approved an extension to its lease through 2045.
The agreement also included an option to extend the lease through 2055 upon the completion of planned improvements to the Hermitage facilities. The amendment also “confirmed” the Hermitage providing greater access to parking for the retreat’s community programs, according to a statement at the time.
The Hermitage Retreat, which Sandberg likes to call an “incubator,” hosts nearly 100 artists in various disciplines whose diverse works end up in concert halls, theaters, muse-
ums and galleries, both locally and around the world.
DON’T CALL IT A ‘RETREAT’
“Even though it’s part of our name, I don’t really like the word ‘retreat,’” Sandberg says. “The biggest misrepresentation about the Hermitage is that it’s like a beach vacation for retired artists. But our fellows always say they get more work done here in their time than anywhere else.”
In New York alone, this past season saw performances and works by Hermitage alums such as Craig Lucas (“Days of Wine and Roses”), Lynn Nottage (“MJ: The Musical”), Jeanine Tesori (“Kimberly Akimbo”), Dennis O’Hare (“Merrily We Roll Along”) and Joshua Harmon (“Prayer for the French Republic”).
Closer to home, a collaboration between the Hermitage and Sarasota Art Museum brought “Impact,” a cutting-edge show of 10 world-class artists to SAM, an arm of Ringling College of Art and Design housed in the old Sarasota High School.
Unlike some other fellowship programs, the Hermitage has no work requirement. But its fellows are required to interact with the community in a program of some kind.
The Hermitage hosts some 50 of these events a year, on its beach and
The Hermitage Artist Retreat in Manasota Key brings worldclass artists to Sarasota to develop their work and to interact with local audiences.
Image courtesy of Barbara Banks
Sand dunes rise to nearly the top of the first floor at one of the Hermitage Retreat’s historic buildings following Hurricane Helene.
Courtesy images
SARASOTA ARTS VENUES PLAY IT SAFE
Hurricane Helene had wreaked havoc on Sarasota’s barrier islands the day before, but all seemed in order on Friday, Sept. 27, at Holley Hall, where the Stiletto Brass was scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m.
However, at 6:30 p.m., ticket holders received an unexpected email: The much-anticipated concert of the female quintet, which was to be accompanied by Bradenton virtuoso trumpeter Vince DiMartino, was canceled.
The email from Robyn Bell, music director of the Pops Orchestra, the show’s sponsor, explained the power had gone out at Holley Hall. “Your Pops Orchestra Team is waiting at Holley Hall just in case you didn’t get this email,” the missive read. “We love you all and are so sorry we didn’t get to relax with wonderful music tonight.”
at Sarasota cultural institutions such as Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Following Hurricane Helene, the Oct. 18 program, “Zeniba Now: The Heartsong and Other Experiments” has been moved to the roof of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.
Hurricane Milton notwithstanding, all systems are go for the Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens program, “Let the Music Set You Free,” on Oct. 17 with Britton Smith, the leader of the alternative soul band Britton and the Sting.
PROGRAMS ARE FREE WITH $5 FEE
The cost to attend a Hermitage program is nearly free. The only requirement is that attendees register on the Hermitage website and pay a $5 fee.
No one disputes the high caliber of arts performance in Sarasota, but one thing that makes Hermitage shows stand out is they present new work on its way to major stages.
But after hunkering down in a Hermitage bungalow and working out a block on their latest project, not every artist is in the mood to dance and sing. Sandberg, who recently starred in the World War II drama “Operation Epsilon” in London, understands.
When Tesori told him that she didn’t want to spend her time at the Hermitage worrying about her performance, he gave her the OK to do a casual Q&A with the audience, replete with a glass of wine.
“The audience just loved it,” Sand-
berg says. “Because as cool as it is to hear new work from Jeanine Tesori, it’s even cooler to hear about her perspective sitting in an editing booth with Sondheim working on the ‘West Side Story’ movie while trying to launch her opera that started here.”
That opera, “Grounded,” just premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
FINDING THE RIGHT FELLOWS
But it’s not just the perfect setting that makes the alchemy happen. The other ingredient is the artist. Here’s where Sandberg gets really excited telling a visitor the Hermitage story.
Just like with the MacDowell Genius Award, artists can’t apply for a Hermitage fellowship: They have to be nominated. But it’s not Sandberg or the board of trustees that do the honors. The Hermitage’s National Curatorial Council of 14 superstars in their respective creative fields, nominates prospective fellows, who must be unanimously approved.
In addition to fellowships, each year, the Hermitage hands out its Greenfield Prize, a $35,000 cash stipend awarded across disciplines, in concert with the Greenfield Foundation of Philadelphia. This year’s Greenfield Prize winner is Deepa Purohit, who made her Off-Broadway debut last season with her play “Elyria” in New York.
Another thing that arouses Sandberg’s childlike enthusiasm is talking about what happens when you put four or five Hermitage Fellows of differing creative backgrounds around a barbecue or firepit.
One local manifestation of that cross-cultural collaboration at the Hermitage was the recent SAM exhibit, “The Truth of the Night Sky.” The show was the creative offspring of multimedia artist Anne Patterson and composer Patrick Harlin, who met at the Hermitage in 2014.
KEEPING A FOOT IN THEATER
One reason why Sandberg is happy to be surrounded by artists is that he’s one himself. A Yale graduate, Sandberg joined the Hermitage in December 2019 after directing such off-Broadway shows as “The Last Smoker in America,” “Shida” and “Straight.”
When Sandberg took the job at the Hermitage, it was with the understanding that his freelance theatrical work could continue.
But his main role is serving as ambassador for Hermitage. “When I came here from New York and asked people what they knew about the Hermitage, people had so many specific or limited views. ‘Oh, you do a poetry reading once a year. Oh, you do a gala in Sarasota once a year with a commission for visual art. Oh, you do a few cute beach programs,’” he recalls.
Well, let’s set the record straight then: What is the Hermitage Artist Retreat, anyway? Sandberg doesn’t hold back. “I think we are perhaps the most innovative and exciting arts and cultural organization in the state of Florida and one of the top in the country. We need to exist.”
For Sarasota arts organizations and their patrons, Hurricane Helene brought mostly disappointment, not devastation. The exceptions were those cultural venues with waterfront exposure, such as Marie Selby Gardens Botanical Gardens downtown and Selby’s Spanish Point campus in Osprey, and John Ringling’s historic C’a d’Zan on the grounds of The Ringling at 5401 Bay Shore Road.
The 36,000-square-foot mansion, built by the circus magnate in 1926, sustained flooding to its basement and damage to tiles on its waterside terrace. Owned by Florida State University after being left to the state’s citizens in Ringling’s will, the chateau is closed to the public and all tours are suspended until repairs can be made.
The rest of the Ringling complex, including the John and Mable Art Museum and the Tibbals Learning Center and Circus Museum, remained open to the public last week.
Parts of Selby Gardens’ downtown campus near its waterfront mangroves were cordoned off after Hurricane Helene, but the facility was able to open its 2024 Orchid Show, titled “Purple!” to the public on Saturday, Oct. 4.
At Spanish Point, a seawall collapsed and a small bridge was damaged. Its annual “Lights at Spooky Point” exhibition, originally set to open Oct. 9, is now scheduled to go live on Oct. 12. That is, if Hurricane Milton doesn’t get in the way. By the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 6, some Sarasota arts groups were playing it safe and announcing closures ahead of the hurricane heading toward the Tampa Bay area.
The Sarasota Art Museum will close from Monday, Oct. 7, through Friday, Oct. 11, out of “an abundance of caution for the approaching tropical storm.”
The Sarasota Ballet announced plans to reschedule the 100th anniversary tour of the Martha Graham Dance Company scheduled for Oct. 11-13 at FSU Performing Arts Center. More closures and cancellations are sure to follow as the track and force of the storm becomes apparent.
Even if you don’t receive emails or texts with cancellation or closure notices, arts patrons are still advised to check websites or telephone to find out whether their destination or performance is still happening.
It goes without saying that ticket holders should stay home if they have to travel through dangerous conditions to reach a performance or an exhibition. The arts bring joy, but they are not worth risking one’s life for.
In today’s media-manipulated, A.I., political warfare world, learn how to spot
Jennifer Orsi of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, home of Politifact, is interviewed by broadcast journalist Barry Nolan on the epidemic of twisted information designed for the sole purpose of planting doubt, sowing anger, and blurring the line between truth and lies.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16TH
SARASOTA YACHT CLUB | 1100 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota
Reserve Your Seats Now! LBKDEMS.COM/EVENTS
Courtesy image
The Hermitage Artist Retreat hosted “Stealing the Show: Broadway, Beach and Beyond” with Hermitage Fellow Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer on June 26.
THIS WEEK
THURSDAY
OPENING RECEPTION FOR FALL EXHIBITIONS
5 p.m. at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail Free Visit ArtCenterSarasota.org.
Raise a toast to the four new shows opening at Art Center Sarasota. They include Gabriel Ramos’ “Echoes of Belonging,” Amy Sanders’ “Pouring, storing and ore-ing,” David Fithian’s “Faces & Places” and the juried show, “Euphoria!” Runs through Nov. 16.
CREATIVE LIBERTIES ARTISTS
OPENING RECEPTION
5 p.m. at 901B Apricot Ave. and 927 N. Lime Ave. Free Visit CreativeLiberties.net.
Meet artists whose work is on view and available for purchase while noshing on light bites and sipping refreshments. Artists at Creative Liberties’ 901B Apricot Ave. location include Carol Hartley-Pinter, Cindy Barbenera-Wedel, Barbara Benjamin, Steve Blumenthal and Eileen Saunders. Artists showcased at 927 N. Lime Ave. include Jess Nagy, Judy Levine, Rick Cardoza, Paula Colman, Lynn Cooke and Ronnique Hawkins.
NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: ‘HAMLET’
6:30 p.m. at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road $10-$20 Visit Ringling.org.
Live from the Barbican in London, Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title role in Shakespeare’s tragedy. Cumberbatch is a star of stage and screen best known for his role in TV’s “Sherlock” and his Oscar-nomi-
OUR PICK
‘THE ORCHESTRA GAMES’
When was the last time you attended a concert inside the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall for free? For most people, the answer is “never.” Grab grandma and round up the cousins for this gratis concert featuring “The Orchestra Games” by Gregory Smith, a lighthearted, symphonic competition conducted by Rei Hotoda. No strings attached — except the ones on the instruments.
IF YOU GO
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11
Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
Tickets: Free
Info: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
DON’T MISS
nated performance in “The Power of the Dog.” Runs through Oct. 11.
‘OFF THE CHARTS’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $18-$42 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
The creative team behind Florida Studio Theatre’s popular cabaret series is at again with “Off the Charts.” Richard and Rebecca Hopkins and Sarah Durham take the audience on a tour of 20th-century pop music with arrangements by Jim Prosser. Take a stroll (or a hum) down Memory Lane with hits that ruled the Billboard Top 100 ranking, which debuted in 1958. Runs through Feb. 9.
‘AGNES OF GOD’ 7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre’s Pinkerton Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice $15-$35 Visit VeniceTheatre.org.
When a dead baby is found in the room of a young nun at a convent, all hell breaks loose. One of Venice Theatre’s revivals for its 75th season, “Agnes of God” features riveting performances by Shannon Maloney as the novice Agnes, Vera Samuels as a court-appointed psychiatrist and
Lynne Doyle as the mother superior. Runs through Oct. 20.
‘SOUL CROONERS: SOLID GOLD EDITION’
7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
$22-$52
Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.
Created and directed by Nate Jacobs, “The Soul Crooners” returns to Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s main stage for the first time since its 2009 premiere. The new and improved “Solid Gold Edition” was a hit at this summer’s International Black Theatre Festival in WinstonSalem, North Carolina. Runs through Nov. 17.
FRIDAY
‘NINETEEN’
7:30 p.m. at Tree Fort Productions, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail $40 Visit TreeFortProductionsProjects. com.
Move over, “Suffs.” Sarasota’s got its own musical about women’s suffrage. With her musical “Nineteen,” multitalented Katherine Michelle Tanner celebrates the road to the 19th century. Runs through Oct. 27.
‘PURPLE! THE 2024 ORCHID SHOW’ It’s the most wonderful time of year — when Marie Selby Botanical Gardens unveils its latest orchid show. The theme of this year’s show, presented by Better Gro, is “Purple!” Don’t be a shrinking violet; Come see an astonishing display of purple orchids in the Tropical Conservatory along with an exhibition of books, prints, photographs and other materials in the Museum of Botany & The Arts. Stop by the Green Orchid, the world’s first net-positive energy restaurant, for a tasty lunch presented by Michael’s On East.
IF YOU GO When: Runs through Dec. 5.
Where: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. Tickets: $28 Info: Visit Selby.org.
‘A SYMPHONIC SPOOKTACULAR’
7:30 p.m. at Venice Performing Art Center, 1 Indian Ave. Building 5, Venice $38-$70
Visit TheVeniceSymphony.org.
For some people, pumpkin spice latte and donuts usher in the Halloween season. For others, it’s spooky music. If you’re a fan of the latter, grab your broomstick and fly down to Venice for a “A Symphonic Spooktacular.” Troy Quinn leads the Venice Symphony as it performs Bernard Hermann’s “Psycho: A Short Suite for String Orchestra,” the theme from “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and more. Runs through Oct. 12.
SATURDAY
‘JUNIE B. JONES: THE MUSICAL’ Noon at FST’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. $12 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Who says musical theater is just for old folks? There’s plenty of song and dance for kids at Florida Studio Theatre. FST’s new production, “Junie B. Jones: The Musical,” follows our heroine as she starts a new school year, recording her adventures in her Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal. Runs weekends through Oct. 26.
CALENDAR PAGE 16
Plants & Decor
Courtesy images
“Purple! The 2024 Orchid Show” runs at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens through Dec. 5. SEE
EATING WITH EMMA
Give ’em pumpkin to talk about
Here’s where to get into the fall spirit, even when it’s 90 degrees outside.
EMMA BURKE JOLLY
CONTRIBUTOR
It’s that time of year when I contemplate deleting all social media platforms. Even though I moved to Florida nearly nine years ago, it still happens.
Come September and early October, I battle seasonal depression. While the heat prevents me from escaping into the outside world, my thumb works overtime skimming social media.
I lose endless hours of my life following friends on Facebook to see their babies’ milestones, eyeballing Instagram to see how people spend their time in low-humidity environs and perusing Pinterest for ideas about what my Halloween costume might be if it wasn’t hotter than Hades outside.
Then the first fall photo pops up, and I sink into my couch harder than before.
Apple-picking families at the orchard, leaves changing into stunning autumn hues and pumpkinflavored confections consumed in colorful settings make my Connecticut-born-and-bred heart shatter.
But I can’t let go of that fall feeling completely, so I sip and smash pumpkin-flavored staples in the sweltering Sarasota sun. Here are the local spots where I choose to embrace the change of seasons, sans turtleneck and boots.
Hello Gourd-geous: As seasons come and go (in most places), so do seasonal flavors at this Gulf Gate coffee shop. Still, their fall flavors are here for a while — at least until the temperature breaks 80. Treat yourself to a pumpkin spice latte ($5.25 and up), perfect for any WFH employee looking to change up the morning routine, or to a pumpkin caramel latte — available both iced and hot. Here’s to toasting (not roasting) to fall.
Feeling Pump-ed: While I normally would be sure to apprehend an almond croissant for being dangerously delicious, we are here
for the pumpkin. Be sure to order a pumpkin cheesecake muffin ($5) to pair perfectly with your pumpkin coffee. It’s gluten-free and vegan, so all-almond moms can cool it on the breakfast-time guilt.
Hello Gourd-geous: Ask the Addams Family to come or beg Beetlejuice to join — but just once, not three times — because this beer is one of the best pumpkin adult beverages in Sarasota. Pumpkin Stiltskin ale, at 8.9% ABV, blasts your palate with baked pumpkin, cinnamon, roasted honey, brown sugar and fresh vanilla beans. With one, you’ll be feeling fine. After two, you’ll be walking like Frankenstein.
Feeling Pump-ed: For a pleasing plate packed with flavor for football Sundays, order the chicken chili ($16). I know, there is no pumpkin here, but this dish that delivers fall vibes had to creep into a gourddriven piece. White meat chicken, white beans, roasted green chiles, with all the fixings, served over
smashed cauliflower and topped with fried corn tortillas — I can already hear myself singing, “Bear Down, Chicago Bears!”
YODER’S RESTAURANT & AMISH VILLAGE
3434 Bahia Vista St.; 941-955-7771; YodersRestaurant.com.
Hello Gourd-geous: It’s the most wonderful time of the year because the pumpkin cream pie (whole pie, $20.95) is back in town. Yoder’s famous pies are baked from scratch, of course, every morning. Like they say, “No meal at Yoder’s is ever complete without a piece of homemade pie.” So save some room for this pie that will transform your tastebuds. Not feeling the fluffiness? I might not agree with you, but the classic pumpkin baked pie (slice, $7.95 or 10-inch pie to take home, $28.95) is also an option at the Amish Village eatery.
Feeling Pump-ed: Not a pie fan? Don’t tell anyone, but neither is my mom. When she flies down to Sarasota for Thanksgiving, I’m taking her to Yoder’s for her pumpkin fix in the morning. We’ll order pumpkinstuffed French toast ($8.95) and pumpkin pancakes (one, $6.95 or two, $7.95). See? There really is pumpkin for everyone.
SUNDAY CHAMBER SOIRÉE 2 — MENDELSSOHN AND MASLANKA
4 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail
$42-$52 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Sarasota Orchestra presents a chamber music program pairing the music of 18th-century wunderkind Felix Mendelsohn with 20th-century master David Maslanka, whose fourth wind quintet was composed expressly for the Sarasota Wind Quartet. Opening the program is a selection of celebratory music for brass quintet.
TUESDAY
‘FROM BACH TO BLUEGRASS’
5:30 p.m. at Plantation Golf & Country Club, 500 Rockley Blvd., Venice
$78
Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.
Too hungry for dinner to attend an early evening concert? Artist Series Concerts solves the problem for you with this tempting recital and dinner. First on the menu is a performance by Kayla Williams, who crosses genres effortlessly on viola and vocals. She will be joined by jazz pianist Chris McCarthy. Feast on black and bleu salad, steak medallions with caramelized onions, roasted red potatoes and green beans, followed by chocolate mousse cake. (Insert chef’s kiss emoji here.)
BILLY OCEAN
7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$48-$88 Visit VanWezel.org.
If you’re familiar with Billy Ocean’s 1984 hit, “Caribbean Queen,” you know how infectious the music of
this Trinidadian-British performer is. Ocean is still at it 40 years after his pulsating ditty climbed to the top of the Billboard 100. Come see why he has sold more than 30 million records in a career that has included a Grammy and a role in the 1984 Live Aid concert.
WEDNESDAY
GREAT ESCAPES 1 — REEL INTRIGUE
5:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $46-$63
Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
It’s the time to revel in the spooky season, whether your choice of holiday is Halloween, Samhain or Day of the Dead. Matthew Troy conducts the Sarasota Orchestra in a program of thrilling and chilling music from movies such as “Chicago,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Vertigo” and more.
Courtesy image
We can live like Jack and Sally if we want, with Pumpkin Stiltskin ale, at 8.9% ABV.
Billy Ocean
Kayla Williams
Photos by Lori Sax
Felice Schulaner, Jan Chester, Pam Brown and Lauren Kurnov
Norma Kwenski, JoAnn Tomer, Kay Kwenski, Betsy Nelson and Deborah Huntley
A calming service between storms
Temple provides community and normalcy after many Longboaters’ homes were found in disarray from the hurricane.
Sticking to Jewish tradition, Temple Beth Israel wished Longboat Key “a sweet year” when it needed it the most.
The temple offered community and normalcy by holding a Rosh Hashanah service on Oct. 2 after Hurricane Helene found many Longboaters’ homes in disarray.
Celebrating “Rosh Hashanah,” or the Jewish New Year, Temple members dipped apples in honey to keep the tradition for a “sweet year” and luck as they navigate the aftermath of the hurricane and Jewish year 5785.
“I am absolutely exhausted after cleaning sand off my porch from the hurricane, but I am still here,” said member Barbara Pressman. “But, I am glad we could still have this service. This is when we usually all come back, so it’s good that we still could celebrate the high holidays after what Helene put us through. I think everyone needed this sense of community the most right now.”
Due to the curfew of 7 p.m. on the island, Executive Director Isaac Azerad originally reached out to the Longboat Key Police Department for a police escort off the island after the service. After other organizations heard about this arrangement, the curfew was extended until midnight.
With many members losing some of their belongings, Azerad encouraged people to come by enforcing casual attire so people didn’t worry about dressing up when they couldn’t. Thanks to this, around 60 people attended, which surprised Azerad and Rabbi Stephen Sniderman.
Like Pressman, people expressed their need for community by excitedly embracing each other and catching up about life happenings before the service started. Through kisses and hugs, the service ended with members wishing loved ones and friends a happy new year, showing the love and support they have for their fellow congregants.
To finish its Jewish New Year celebration, Temple members continued mingling at a luncheon after their morning Rosh Hashanah service on Oct. 3 at Michael’s On East.
“Yes, we’ve had a visit from Helene,” said Sniderman during the service on Oct. 2. “It’s been challenging and devastating for many people in our community. I know people who have lost their homes and lost their vehicles, and some of them are in despair. And some of them said, ‘Thank God I’m alive, and I’m going to get through this.’ Just like the people of Israel are still here, we are still persisting, and we don’t want to allow anyone to give up. This is not an option. Let’s make the best of it.” — PETRA RIVERA
Photos by Petra Rivera
Elise Galinsky and Joyce Cooper greet each other at the Rosh Hashanah luncheon.
Jason and Mindy Brandt catch up with friends at the Rosh Hashanah service at Temple Beth Israel.
Rabbi Stephen Sniderman before the Rosh Hashanah service at Temple Beth Israel.
Executive Director Isaac Azread and Pat Gelber at Temple Beth Israel.
Alan and Holly Freedman at the Rosh Hashanah luncheon at Michael’s On East.
In Longboat’s lowest areas, surge smothers homes
The Udermanns’ home in the Village is just one example of how Helene’s high storm surge caused major damage to Longboat Key homes.
CARTER WEINHOFER STAFF WRITER
Walking around the Village, one of Longboat Key’s lowest-lying areas, reminders of Hurricane Helene were everywhere.
Piles of water-logged wooden furniture, mattresses, photo albums and rolled-up rugs lined the streets five days after the storm passed.
Chris Udermann and his wife, Susan, worked hard the Tuesday after Helene. The pair spent the day sorting through damaged belongings and ripping out damp drywall.
In what used to be a bedroom, Chris Udermann sorted through plastic totes filled with old sports memorabilia he saved over the years. An autographed Minnesota Twins scorebook from a 1980s training camp was among the soaked sports papers.
This wasn’t their first time doing this, but it was the worst storm damage they’ve seen.
“This is starting to become not fun, the tradeoff of living in paradise but battling storms,” an exhausted Chris Udermann said. “But we’ll rebuild and hope for the best.”
Having owned a house in one of the lowest-lying areas on the island since 2005, Udermann said he knew it was a race against time — more so a race against mold — to start the clean-up process.
The day after Hurricane Helene passed Longboat Key, Chris and Susan Udermann knew they needed to return to their home, but the only way was by boat. A friend gave them a ride.
Going past Cortez, the couple saw a boat lodged in the Tide Tables restaurant. Chris Udermann said that’s when he feared the worst for Longboat Key.
Then they saw their house.
They weren’t expecting this much damage but had a sense of urgency when first seeing their house.
The line of dirt stood out on the outside of their bright yellow home, marking where the water came up to from Helene’s storm surge. Inside, the Udermanns realized
everything they could to prepare their house for the storm.
This meant sandbags, shutters, raising furniture off the ground and strong tarps up to about 2 feet along the exterior of their house. But when the Udermanns returned to their home, they realized not much of that preparation had mattered.
Heavy furniture like a couch and fireplace didn’t stand a chance against Helene. Like other furniture, those pieces were knocked off the risers and thrown around the house — an indication that the water rose so high in the house that the furniture had been floating.
“Been living the good life, until now,” Chris Udermann said. “But we’ve rebuilt before, we’ll rebuild again.”
there had been about 3 feet of standing water in their house. Before they evacuated north to St. Petersburg, the Udermanns did
The pair knew it was important to rip out the wet drywall up to the water line inside their home. When Hurricane Idalia hit Longboat Key with a less intense storm surge, the Udermanns had similar water damage.
That time they did the same, cutting out soggy drywall to prevent mold. The repairs last year after Idalia in August lasted until around Christmas time last year, about 3-4 months.
This time after Helene, it will probably take longer than that.
TOWARD RECOVERY
The Udermanns evacuated north to St. Petersburg for Helene because they realize the importance of heeding the town’s evacuation orders.
“When they tell us to leave, we leave,” Chris Udermann said.
In the past, it was usually a sigh of relief when they returned home, seeing minimal damage. Except for
Idalia, and now, Helene.
Although there was substantial damage to the house’s interior and the Udermanns’ belongings, Chris and Sarah Udermann were happy with their decision to evacuate.
“It’s just stuff,” Chris Udermann said. “Everybody’s alive.”
The Monday after Helene was the first day the two were able to drive onto the island. Then, the only way to get onto the island was through the south end.
Coming to the island that way, they drove past other neighborhoods wrecked by Helene, like homes on Gulfside Road and others mid-Key.
Chris Udermann said, in terms of flooding and damage, this was the worst storm he’s seen on Longboat Key.
On Tuesday, about five days after Helene’s path swiped Longboat Key, the Udermanns were still without power. But Susan Udermann said some of their neighbors had power.
In times like this, Chris Udermann said having proper insurance and asking for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are crucial. Someone really can’t live on Longboat without insurance, he said.
Times like this can also be seen as a learning experience, the Udermanns said. Though there’s a lot of damage to deal with, it’s important to know how much preparation is needed for major flooding, as well as the proper post-storm methods.
Despite the difficult sights of Helene, the Udermanns still enjoy living in what they call paradise, and they hope storms like this don’t deter the community’s growth.
“We hope it doesn’t scare anyone away from living here,” Chris Udermann said.
“Been living the good life, until now. But we’ve rebuilt before, we’ll rebuild again.”
Chris Udermann
A wedding portrait was still hanging strong in the Udermann house, just above where the water reached.
The pile of damaged furniture and debris from the Udermanns’ home after Helene.
The dirt line on the outside of the Udermann’s house shows how high the water was when it rushed through the Village on the north end of Longboat Key.
A couple totes containing some of Chris Udermann’s collectible sports magazine memorabilia were soaked in water and unsalvageable.
Photos by Carter Weinhofer
Helene helpers clean up churches
Churches make do to clean and prepare for services after the hurricane surge hit Longboat Key.
PETRA RIVERA STAFF WRITER
Sarasota resident Jackie Ward was helping a friend when she realized how hard Longboat Key was hit during Hurricane Helene.
While going to check on her friend’s house at Spanish Main Yacht Club, she drove by the tall piles of sand on the side of Gulf of Mexico Drive and saw people’s belongings scattered in their driveways after being damaged by the hurricane. It also didn’t help that she had to sit in an hour-and-a-half of traffic to get onto the Key.
When she confirmed her friend’s house was not damaged, Ward stopped by other people’s houses to offer her help cleaning up. Feeling sorrow, she asked if there was anywhere else she could volunteer on the island. People sent her to Longboat Island Chapel.
“I didn’t know Longboat was hit this bad, so I wanted to help in any way I could,” said Ward. “It is just terrible the amount of damage that happened to the Chapel and other places around here, too. I’m happy that I could help, even if it is for a few days.”
Members of Longboat congregations or community members just like Ward have bonded together to help clean up the island after the damage it received from Hurricane Helene.
At the Longboat Island Chapel, the Lord’s Warehouse received 4 feet of flooding, destroying everything on the floor and bottom shelves. The main Chapel building received 18 inches to 2 feet of water throughout the building. Its garden was also destroyed.
After assessing the damage, the
Rev. Brock Patterson knew the community would come to their aid to help clean before getting professionals in for other repairs.
Volunteers started working on Tuesday and worked the rest of the week. They cleaned floors, packed up the Lord’s Warehouse, set up worship services in the fellowship hall and ripped the carpet from the sanctuary floor. Patterson said the damage, thankfully, won’t hinder renovations.
St. Armands Key Lutheran Church will be live-streaming its services for the next few weeks. Volunteers spent Tuesday packing up everything on the bottom shelves they could salvage after flooding ruined the floors.
St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, All Angels By The Sea Episcopal Church and Temple Beth Israel were up and running normally on Oct. 1 with minimal damage. They
had planned for services to continue as normal, barring effects from Hurricane Milton. Christ Church of Longboat Key only had damage to the bottom floor of its office building. Until it is repaired, the Rev. Julia Piermont and her volunteers packed up and set up offices in the main church building.
After Hurricane Helene, Piermont saw this as an opportunity to build fellowship with other congregations in the area. Christ Church members have attended services at Kirkwood Church on Cortez Road for the past two Sundays.
“We are so grateful to everyone who has been helping,” said Piermont. “Like our organist, Chris, drove from Brandon with two guys to help us clean up. They are coming from everywhere. Also, being able to make new friends at Kirkwood. Thankfully, that has been a positive.”
Photos by Petra Rivera
Chris Westfall and Vivian Chester help pack up the office building at Christ Church of Longboat Key.
Richard Engels volunteers to clean up the Longboat Island Chapel after Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Helene left the Lord’s Warehouse at the Longboat Island Chapel in disarray.
29 luxury residences from 2,200 to over 3,000 square feet, with designer finishes and generous amenitiesset in a coveted location between downtown Sarasota and pristine beaches.
Comforting the community
Churches and community centers barely saw anyone coming to the comfort stations.
PETRA RIVERA STAFF WRITER
After a time of destruction after Hurricane Helene, the Rev. Julia Piermont from Christ Church of Longboat Key wanted to offer a glimmer of positivity.
Entering its comfort station, Bible verses with themes of strength were placed on each wall of its entrance hall. Uplifting music played from a radio. For the children, volunteers made goodie bags.
Along with Christ Church, community centers such as All Angels By the Sea Episcopal Church, the Paradise Center and Temple Beth Israel opened up their doors to residents as comfort stations after Hurricane Helene starting at 9 a.m. on Oct. 1. They provided places to get clean water, snacks, air conditioning, electricity to charge phones and emotional support if they needed.
“We really haven’t seen anyone,” said Amy Steinhauser, the executive director of the Paradise Center. “This just is supposed to be a place for support and bond with people after the hurricane, but many people on the island have great connections to support them already.”
Most of the other comfort stations didn’t see many Longboaters utilize the comfort stations since 90% of properties on the island had their power restored by Oct. 2. The Rev. David Marshall of All Angels saw the most residents at a comfort station on the first day they were open.
“Since we are right by town hall, they would send people to us whenever they had questions,” said Marshall.
These select locations continued their comfort stations to the end of the week before returning to regular services on Monday, Oct. 7. Leaders such as Steinhauser and Marshall said their focus for the upcoming weeks would be to offer healing services that continue to comfort Longboaters through this challenge.
COMEDIC RELIEF
Cliff Hornsby, also known as ‘Gerry Atric,’ hopes to use his funny lines and unique bits to spread relief after Helene.
Longboat’s favorite comedian, Cliff Hornsby, more commonly known as “Gerry Atric,” was preparing for his first year to perform in “Florida’s Funniest Comedian” contest when the news of Hurricane Helene hit.
Scheduled to be hosted on Sept. 25, McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre was a stop in the 10th annual year of the contest before it was postponed due to the expected impact of Helene’s surge.
Living in Tangerine Bay Condominium, Hornsby thought he would be safe to stay since he wasn’t on the first floor. He used this extra time to practice his jokes and up his chances of winning the competition.
“I lost power for about 24 hours, but thankfully, I had a generator,” said Hornsby. “Everything else was fine until I went down to the garage to check on my car, and it was completely ruined.”
Due to the several feet of water that flooded the garage, Hornsby’s car was estimated to cost about $17,000 to repair. His only option was to total it and get a new car.
Hornsby’s gift is making light of dark situations. After finding out this price, he started joking that to make that money he was going to have to start selling pencils on the street to buy a new car.
To many of his friends’ surprise, Hornsby headed out to Main Street in Sarasota and started selling pencils with his dog. Not taking it too
seriously, he hoped to make people laugh with his “Gerry Atric” shirt and his relatable jokes.
Along with selling pencils, Hornsby plans to do two comedy shows at McCurdy’s and his church, Faith Lutheran Church, to raise money for a local hurricane relief fund.
He will also still be performing with 18 other local comedians at “Florida’s Funniest Comedian” contest, which was rescheduled for Oct. 30.
“I have been selling the pencils for $1 and have only sold about 15 pencils because I don’t stay there long enough,” said Hornsby. “I really am not a good busker because, after just a few minutes, I am ready to go inside. It was just a joke to make people smile after the storm but also a super fun way to get out there and show people what I do.”
Photos by Petra Rivera
Barbara Grimes sets up a radio at the comfort station at Christ Church of Longboat Key.
Snacks set up in the All Angels gallery at the comfort station at All Angels By the Sea Episcopal Church.
PETRA RIVERA STAFF WRITER
Petra Rivera
Longboater Cliff Hornsby’s selling pencils on Main Street in Sarasota.
IT’S READ EVERYWHERE
Headed on a trip? Snap a photo of you on vacation holding your Observer, then submit your photo online at YourObserver.com/ItsReadEverywhere. Stay tuned for this year’s prize, and happy travels!
Business owner survives Helene at shop
After staying open during the hurricane, Gary Hagen of Donuts By Design got stuck in his shop with a dead phone and car.
PETRA RIVERA STAFF WRITER
Gary Hagen vowed to his regulars at Donuts By Design that he would always open his shop in Whitney Plaza no matter what.
So when the surge of Hurricane Helene headed to the Gulf Coast on Sept. 27, there was no question that Donuts By Design would be open when the town of Longboat Key issued an evacuation order.
“The funny thing was that people still came to get cheesecake that day when everyone was supposed to be gone,” said Hagen. “They always thank me for staying open during these days because everything else is closed.”
Hagen went on about his business as normal, serving homemade donuts, cheesecake, ice cream and more to those still on the island on Sept. 26. As the day went on, Hagen started to notice the dark clouds coming in, the wind picking up and the rain pounding on his windows.
After receiving a phone call from his sister telling him to come home, Hagen started closing his shop to see if he could beat the storm. But the next time he looked out the window, the street outside his shop was a river.
“It felt like I was on the Titanic,” said Hagen. “The water was starting to get into the shop, and it got really hot because there was no power. When I was about to call the sheriff’s office, my phone died. I ended up staying the whole night because my car was also dead.”
On the morning of Sept. 27, the only way Hagen could escape his flooded shop was on his own two feet. On Friday morning, he walked up Gulf
“Mostly everyone in Whitney Plaza has about $20,000 to $30,000 of damage to their shops. I really don’t know if I will be able to stay or if I have to go and move to a new location.”
of Mexico Drive over the Longboat Pass Bridge until he ran into policemen on the other side, who returned him home safely.
The following day, Hagen returned to his shop to find most of his equipment ruined. With the season around the corner, he finds himself overwhelmed with how to move forward.
“Mostly everyone in Whitney Plaza has about $20,000 to $30,000 of damage to their shops,” said Hagen. “I really don’t know if I will be able to stay or if I have to go and move to a new location.”
Photos by Petra Rivera Gary Hagen makes donut sundaes at the new Donuts By Design.
Donuts by Design after Hurricane Helene.
Gary Hagen, owner, Donuts by Design
FROZEN: Joe and Jackie Whalen with Longboat Observer in front of the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska.
Home in Sleepy Lagoon Park sells for $1.7 million
ADAM
HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Ahome in Sleepy Lagoon Park tops all transactions in this week’s real estate.
P.J. Marx, of Longboat Key, sold his home at 730 Penfield St. to 730 Penfield St. LLC for $1,675,000. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two-and-ahalf baths, a pool and 3,086 square feet of living area. It sold for $700,000 in 2014.
ISLANDS WEST Christina Mary Reynolds, trustee, of Sarasota, sold the Unit 4-A
Drive to Raj and Nalini Sharma, of Longboat Key, for $1,575,000. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,460 square feet of living area. It sold for $860,000 in 2015.
QUEEN’S HARBOUR
William and Susanne Weber, of Sarasota, sold their home at 3563 Fair Oaks Lane to Richard and Amy Sarver, of Lutherville, Maryland, for $1.35 million. Built in 1996, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 3,544 square feet of living area. It sold for $975,000 in 2016.
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS SEPT. 23-27
and Susanne
Maryland, for $1.35 million.
THE PRIVATEER SOUTH
of
Jamile Peress, trustee, and Madeline Peress, of Great Neck, New York, sold the Unit 706 condominium at 1000 Longboat Club Road to William and Robyn Boedefeld, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for $1 million. Built in 1972, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,409 square feet of living area. It sold for $142,000 in 1980.
TOP BUILDING PERMITS
SAND CAY
Kathryn Lunt, trustee, sold the Unit 313 condominium at 4725 Gulf of Mexico Drive to Rodney and Pamela Sue Campbell, of Colchester, Illinois, for $800,000. Built in 1974, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,120 square feet of living area. It sold for $87,000 in 1980.
ONLINE
See more transactions at YourObserver.com
Images courtesy of Tina Von Kessel
William
Weber,
Sarasota, sold their home at 3563 Fair Oaks Lane to Richard and Amy Sarver, of Lutherville,
Friends and Neighbors,
This past weekend’s storm was devastating, and its effects will be felt throughout our community for a long time. In the last few days, we’ve heard from many friends and past clients who have been seriously affected and are uncertain about their immediate next steps.
Historically, our Seaward Companies have focused primarily on new construction— both residential and commercial—as well as consulting services. However, in light of the many inquiries we’ve received, we are now prepared to extend our services to those in our community who have been most impacted by the storm. We are ready to meet with property owners to discuss the best options moving forward.
Whether you need assistance with substantial remodeling, building new, general construction consulting, or basic advice on finding the right general contractor for your specific repairs, we are here to help. We stand by our community today, just as our community has supported our Seaward family of Companies for nearly two decades.
Best regards,
Patrick DiPinto Seaward Homes and Seaward Consulting
PLEASE CONTACT US TO SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION: patrick@dipintocompanies.com matthew@seawarddevelopment.com
With a focus on white-glove service building high-end custom homes and full remodels on our barrier islands, our experienced team can assist you in remodeling your property or building you a new elevated home.
We offer professional construction oversight for homeowners. From reviewing contracts with your selected contractor to monitoring the rebuild process, we’ll act as your trusted advocate every step of the way. In this unpredictable market, let our team safeguard your interests, ensuring your home is restored with integrity.
OUT WITH IT! by Michael Schlossberg, edited by Jeff Chen
By Luis Campos
Tim Hellige captured this sunset over Longboat Key.
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Homes for Sale
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Stand Strong, Rebuild Together SUPPORT HURRICANE RELIEF
We live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. In fact, many use the word “paradise” to describe Sarasota. Our community has it all—natural beauty, incredible theater, dining, and culture. The sense of community is strong, and we are lucky to have people from all over the world as our neighbors.
Last week, our area was hurt by the surging waters of Hurricane Helene. In the over 40 years that I have lived in Sarasota, we have never seen the kind of flooding many experienced. Now, with the likelihood of Hurricane Milton coming our way, we find ourselves anticipating further damage.
In these challenging times, the strength of our community shines brightest. We have personally witnessed neighbors coming together, offering helping hands and lifting each other up. It is this resilience and unity that makes Sarasota more than just a beautiful place—it is the home we all share.
I urge us all to rally together to help those in need. The charities mentioned here are just some of the organizations stepping up to support our community. At Pettingell Professionals, we’ve created a $10,000 challenge fund to encourage others to give. Please consider helping these organizations—or one you support—as they work to rebuild and strengthen our community.
As we face the uncertainties ahead, remember that we’re not just rebuilding structures, we’re rebuilding lives, together. Your support, no matter how big or small, can make a difference.
